"Who Are You" and who are we?
© Ellen Ross
We are now in one of those too-quiet times of the year known as “reruns,” a phenomenon which is, sadly, no longer limited to the summer. Joss Whedon and his crew continue to work on preparing to shake us up with season-ending shockers on both “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel” (and rumors of another major character death are flying around the ‘net). In the meantime, we viewers have a little time to reflect on where we are, and who we are.
Faith has left Sunnydale, on her way to parts perhaps not quite unknown. It will take a long time for the gang to deal with the consequences of Faith and Buffy’s body-switch in "Who Are You," an episode both written and directed by Joss Whedon. As usual, Whedon took a familiar SF theme, in this case the “Turnabout Intruder” (from the original “Star Trek”) / “Freaky Friday” concept, and gave it fresh new life. Kudos are due to Sarah-Michelle Gellar and Eliza Dushku for their marvelous performances as the displaced Slayers.
In an interview with "Entertainment Tonight Online," Joss Whedon said firmly, "Doyle's not coming back. You heard it here, not first, but finally."
http://www.etonline.com/html/Interviews/...
Despite this seeming finality, however, fans have not forgotten that Joss Whedon prides himself on being the master of surprises. One rumor currently making the rounds indicates that WB executives, who had previewed the first five episodes of "Angel" before the show's premiere, decided that Doyle upstaged the "hero" of the show and insisted that the character had to go.
In the meantime, March 17, 2000 will mark the premiere of a collaborative fan effort, "Angel: the Cyber Series," rewriting the 1999-2000 season of "Angel" so that Doyle never dies. "Random," the producer of the online "cyber series," says: "The great thing about fanfic is that you can do anything that you want to with the characters. With Angel: the Cyber Series, we're just taking their wonderful idea, and making it better--by not having Doyle die."
http://members.xoom.com/kemarx/atcs/
Both “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel” received an early green light on renewal for the 2000-2001 season. While this surprises no one, it’s good to know that by June, work will be starting on the next season. Congratulations to Joss & co. on a job well done.
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