So I am back to a problem I previously brought up. Chambliss says "Or did part of Fred's soul actually survive when Illyria took over her body? Is that what was keeping her alive now?" So, are they now retconning the events of Hole in the World? The resonance of the episode was that Fred was utterly and irrevocably gone. Now, they are suggesting she is not? That changes what that episode meant, and in my estimation sort of diminishes it.

Dana5140 | September 18, 16:36 CET

True, and that's exactly how I felt when they brought back Warren in Season 8

mark214 | September 18, 16:48 CET

Looking forward to Season 10, although I am still disappointed Koh's story wasn't wrapped up.

I hope Illyria returns, as I always liked her much better than annoying, mousy Fred.

watcherinthewoods | September 18, 18:48 CET

I always thought killing Fred was bad enough, and claiming that her very soul and selfhood were erased from existence was a step too far for my liking, even in fiction. It struck me as unjust at the visceral level, transcending the story, and it's a story element I'd be glad to see undone.

I have a feeling we're not done yet with either Illyria or Fred. She was killed in the Deeper Well, a place specifically designed to house the disembodied essences of Old Ones. I figure Illyria has just gone back in the bottle. And my money is on Fred still being with her, the two having basically become one single being.

AndrewCrossett | September 18, 19:38 CET

Hoping to see a new writer/artist team have the opportunity to work with the main Buffy title in S10.

BringItOn5x5 | September 18, 20:43 CET

The thing I'm most looking forward to right now is Buffy's reaction to Kid Giles. The Scoobies too and Spike (oh, the potential snark there...) but especially Buffy. Hopefully the meeting won't happen between seasons, I would feel a bit cheated.

Then what the new magic rules might entail and the gang having to figure out a whole new playbook (and Giles' reaction to that now that I think about it).

nyrk | September 18, 21:26 CET

Weren't they going to bring back Fred in some shape or fashion for Angel Season 6, regardless?

Simon | September 18, 21:50 CET

Chambliss will be back for Season 10? That's...unfortunate, IMO. Not my favorite writer of the Buffyverse by any means.

I get the feeling that Xander's storyline in Season 10 is going yet another exercise of "How long can we say Xander has a storyline while making every possible effort to ignore, minimize, and do as little as possible with it until the end of the season is coming up?" At the very least, it sounds like it was designed to appease the many haters in the audience.

skippcomet | September 18, 22:12 CET

Simon, my understanding of bringing Fred back for Angel season 6 was that without the cancellation news they would've done some things differently; they wouldn't have claimed that her soul was utterly destroyed, much like they've explicitly stated that Wesley definitely would NOT have died.

darling | September 18, 23:11 CET

I definitely remember Joss saying something at one point about how there were plans to have Ilyria and Fred `split` at some point in S6 and have Amy playing the two seperate characters. I'm sure someone with much better searching skillz can track it down.

apollo11 | September 19, 03:37 CET

I think the whole Illyria/Fred storyline that was intended for Angel Season 6 was (mostly) done in After the Fall.

Although I do remember reading something that suggested if season 6 had happened that Wesley would have continued to mentor Illyria while trying to bring back Fred. He would have succeeded, but Illyria and Fred would have both existed and he would have bad to decide who to keep. Or something along those lines anyway.

This interview gives me hope that we havnt seen the end of Illyria.

faith in Angel | September 19, 05:50 CET

I like Andrew Chambliss and think he did a fabulous job with the main BtVS Season 9 title. Now, just because he's back for Season 10 doesn't mean he'll be writing the main BtVS book again.

My gut tells me Christos and Rebekah will be doing the main BtVS book, with Andrew and perhaps Georges taking on Angel or Faith or Spike (yup, I am convinced we will get 1 or 2 new monthlies for Season 10*).

*Victor Gischler's inclusion in the Season 10 writers summit indicates to me that Spike's getting his own ongoing (or perhaps he and Faith will co-headline a title a la Angel & Faith).

[ edited by watcherinthewoods on 2013-09-19 19:01 ]

watcherinthewoods | September 19, 09:58 CET