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shadowkatThis is the state of the fandom in 2003. It has changed a little since then. This portion of the essay is an examination on how a fandom can affect the story and plotting of a television series. Also how it can affect how a story is perceived. It is also an examination behind the psychology/sociology of fandom.
[> [> Part IV Breaking the Fourth Wall Part B: Fans & Majority Rules -- s'kat, 10:28:12 08/23/03 Sat
B. Fans and the "Majority" Rules
While it may be interesting to see what individual fans think about a particular character or episode, marketing/network execs could care less. They want to know what the "majority" of fans think, what the "majority" wants - because their goal is to provide their advertisers with the largest group of viewers possible. So they need to determine what works for the masses not what works for a small group of viewers or individuals. In order to determine this they hunt and/or scan for patterns. I seriously doubt they spend much time reading an analysis on the meanings and metaphors in BTVs or how Spike is a male fatale. What they notice is that the board is filled with Spike threads or Angel threads or B/S and/or B/A threads.
What they are looking for is the answers to these questions: how many people post or debate on a specific character, relationship or plotline? Is the "majority" of responses negative or positive? What is working in the story? Are people bored? Are they interested? And again - what they want to know is the majority view. So even though you, personally, may hate or love a particular character or plot arc - if the majority of viewers and critics feel otherwise, you're out-voted. Frustrating? Yes. Right there with you. But that's the problem with our society - majority rules especially in television. In movies - you can produce a feature that the majority of people don't like and do okay - independent movies do this all the time. And with video, it happens even more often. Books? Same thing - you can self-publish or get a small press. Television? Especially network television, which depends on advertisers for money? Majority rules. And just between you and me? Nine times out of ten, the majority has lousy taste. If they had better taste - such idiotic programs as Who Will Marry My Dad and The Family would not be in the top ten. On the other hand, in those rare moments in which I happen to share the majority's taste on something - I do a happy snoopy dance.
I think the fear that: 1)we're in the minority regarding our favorite character and/or relationship, and 2) that the majority (who is for another character and/or relationship we aren't fond of) is going to ruin the show or affect the writer's judgment in an adverse manner (ie. against our desires) - may be the reason behind the "character" posting wars I often see and occasionally participate in (to my own incredible dismay and embarrassment) on fanboards. (83) Online fans are instinctively aware that someone is scanning their responses and in the hopes that their favorite character will get the juicy storyline over their least favorite, they religiously attempt to sway other viewers to their way of thinking. Often bashing the character they despise in all sorts of creative ways in order to promote their favorite. If you are one of these poor deluded souls? I wish you luck. Have yet to see it work. Actually it usually just pisses everyone off, causing people to come out of the woodwork or cybernet, leaping to their poor character's defense. (84) Including the ME writers who scan the net. Tim Minear got so furious at an Anti-Spike thread on ASSB this spring that he came out of hiding and blasted the posters. David Fury made fun of the Spikehaters on Succubus Club in response to mail he'd received. (85)
On the other hand, negative responses to the character of Riley were taken seriously - but the critical elite also disliked the character. Actually I think Riley's problem wasn't so much hate as pure ambivalence (lack of support), but I wasn't online at the time - so I could be wrong. More to the point though - the ratings dipped around Riley-centric episodes. Same thing happened with Connor this past year - the majority of viewers and critics found the character and his arc to be annoying. Now here's where I fall in the "minority" - I actually liked Connor and Riley, I found them to be interesting and engrossing characters. I would love to see Connor re-appear on Angel next season. Connor is one of my favorite characters on ATS. But from what I've seen in the reviews of Angel Season 3-4 and the online fandom, I'm in the minority. Damn it.
Now, for the record, Vincent K. who played Connor was only contracted for two years. Minear and company planned on ending the characters arc at the end of Season 4 regardless of what happened. (86) So nothing that happened online or offline changed the writers'decision regarding that arc. If fans had taken to the character the way they took to Angel in Season 1 BTVS or Spike and Drusilla in Season 2 BTVS, then Connor may have lasted an additional season; he may still make it back - who knows. But because the writers had not planned on him lasting past Season 4 and the fan/critical majority did not fall in love with the character, demanding in a loud voice that they wanted more of him, Connor more or less ended his story in Home. (87)
In contrast, James Marsters portrayal of the character of Spike has just continued to grow in popularity since his first appearance as the character in School Hard. It's worth noting that prior to School Hard, BTVS had lackluster ratings, it's ratings climbed significantly in Season 2 with Spike and Dru and the Angelus arc. Fans rallied ME for more of Spike. Sending out postcards requesting ME treat Spike well. That Spike be redeemed. That Spike not be killed off. That Spike continue in either his own spin-off or join Angel. (88) Marsters appearances at all the conventions were sold out. Spike action figures and license plates huge sellers at Comic Book conventions. (89) Magazines begged him for interviews. The Offical Buffy Magazine #8 got angry letters from subscribers for delaying the James Marsters interview by a month. (90) He has more web sites than most of the other characters on the net. SFX Magazine recently ranked him as number one in the top twenty-five science-fiction characters of all time. (91) When fans heard that BTVS was ending it's run in season 7, they raised over $4000 to put two advertisements thanking James Marsters in Industry Magazines (Variety and Hollywood Reporter) right after the Oscars telecast when these magazines would be read the most. (92) They were the first fans to come up with this idea. According to an interview with Marsters - this rarely happens. (93) Industry reps were calling Marsters' agent asking him what he did to his fans. Fox and WB reported to fans that they had seen the ads and were suitably impressed. The ads mentioned a website which described the amount of money raised for charities in Marsters name. (94) When James Marsters indicated he may not be able to join Angel The Series due to a) not being renewed, b) financial and time considerations - fans started a post-card/email campaign to get Angel The Series renewed and get Spike on it. Most of the pre-written post-cards read simply: "I will definitely watch Angel The Series if James Marsters joins it. I am male and 18-34 or female 18-34." Or they read: " I don't watch it now, but I will if Spike joins." (95) Once it was announced that James Marsters would indeed be joining Angel The Series, fans rallied to send thank you emails and post cards to everyone concerned. Did this work? Well, Spike was added to Angel, although there's evidence that Whedon had always planned on adding Spike to Angel and/or a spin-off. (96) James C. Leary and Charisma Carpenter requested their fans do the same for them, stating that sending post-cards did affect their characters arcs. (97) Fans have complied for Carpenter. (98) Xander fans have also taken up the fight and started a petition to get Xander on Angel next season. (99)
A potential pitfall of this level of fan interaction with television shows is the "Fonzie Complex". The term comes from Happy Days - a 1970s situation comedy about a bunch of kids in high school, featuring Ron Howard from The Andy Griffith Show in the lead role of Richie Cunningham. The show was supposed to be about Richie, his parents, his friends, and high school during the 1950s. Up until approximately the third season, Fonzie was a peripheral character that Richie befriended - the cool outsider. After the first two seasons, network executives and producers determined that ratings climbed whenever Fonzie was featured and dipped whenever he was absent. Fans wrote in for more Fonzie. Television critics adored the character and fans mobbed the actor who played him at events. So the network executives informed the writers to feature Fonzie more if they wanted to stay on the air - remember bottom line is how many viewers can we bring to the advertisers. Many television "geeks" or "aficionados" believe this decision destroyed the show. Whether it did or not depends on your point of view, Nielsen viewers certainly didn't agree.
When other television shows repeated the Happy Days scenario - television geeks labeled it "the Fonzie Complex." The 1990s situation comedy Family Matters fell into this trap early in its run - when the character of Steve Urkel overtook the comedy, which was supposed to be about a cop and his family not about their geeky next door neighbor. But producers quickly realized fans tuned in to see Steve Urkel not the cop, so Urkel slowly became the central focus. Some fans believe Star Trek and Star Trek The Next Generation fell into the trap with the characters of Spock, Mr. Data, and Worf. In the third and final season of the original Star Trek, Mr. Spock seemed to overtake the series, overshadowing even Captain Kirk. Trek not high in the ratings department may have been experimenting with ways to get an audience. Spock certainly had taken off at conventions. Same thing happened with Star Trek The Next Generation when Mr. Data, Worf, and Captain Picard quickly became the central focus overshadowing Riker and Crusher. Picard and Data are also the central focus of all the films, especially the last one. Of course the people who complained were fans of Riker and Crusher. Other shows accused of falling victim to The Fonzie Complex include : MASH - with the character of Hawkeye Pierce. Xena: Warrior Princess - the character of Gabrielle. Everbody Loves Raymond - Brad Garrett's character. Fraiser - the character of Niles Crane. The list goes on. Whether or not any of these characters have truly taken over and hurt the series as a result - is open to debate and often the source of fan wars. What it all comes down to is the fans' fear that their favorite character will end up on the backburner due to the popularity of another one, so they attack the show and fans that favor the popular character.
In BTVS - some fans believe Spike overtook the show in Season 6-7, regardless of the fact that he was in less episodes and had less lines than other characters. (100) In Season 5, he wasn't even in the big Joss Whedon episode, The Body. In Season 6, Xander and Anya had the big musical number that got critical attention and the huge wedding episode, Hell's Bells that focused on Xander. Spike was not the central character of any episode in S6, except to the degree that he affected Buffy or Xander. We also met Xander's entire family in Season 6, that's more than any other character on the show. Unlike Fonzie in Happy Days - the show did not revolve around Spike. In Happy Days, Ron Howard, Ralph Mouth, and Potsie left the show during the last few seasons and it really did center around Fonzie. Fonzie had the most lines. All the action and/or conflicts surrounded him. When Sara Michelle Gellar quit, BTVS ended. Spike remained a peripheral character during the show's run - Xander, Willow, and Buffy the central focus. Willow and Xander actually came closer to over-taking the show in Season 6 than Spike ever did, the action in Hell's Bells, Villains, Two to Go and Grave really centered more on their characters than on Buffy or even Spike, whose role was comprised of a few quick action scenes in a distant country, taking up less than ten minutes in each episode. Yet fans worried - partly do to Spike's increased popularity, his involvement with the lead, and the diminished role of Xander in later seasons. Had Spike taken Xander's place? It's worth noting that fans worried about Riley overtaking the show in Season 4 and often comment about Season 4 being all about Riley, because they felt Willow and Xander were gypped. This fear may be the cause of the wars we see on the internet - and it is a valid one, since the television medium falls into this trap all the time. But did ME truly fall into this television trap? I don't believe the evidence available supports this conclusion, although I can understand why some fans fervently believe ME did. If ME had, Spike would have been featured far more than he was and with other characters outside of Buffy, as Fonzie had been in Happy Days. If anything, Spike had a more prevalent role in Season 5 than Season 7. To say Spike took over the show in Season 7 would be akin to saying Angel took it over in Season 3 or Riley in Season 4. While these characters may have been more prominent due to their close relationship with the heroine, they did not overwhelm the show as Fonzie did on Happy Days. It really wasn't all about Spike, it was all about Buffy and Buffy's relationships or isolation from them.
Another example of how fans can affect a television show, from a less character centric angle are shippers, fans invested in a romantic relationship between two characters. Shippers have a history of driving Mutant Enemy and Fox nuts with email and post-card campaigns. Last year Buffy/Angel shippers not only sent post-cards, they reportedly posted an ad in Variety requesting Buffy and Angel be reunited. (101) Did ME notice them? Well, we got the Buffy/Angel kiss in End of Days. Same with the Buffy/Spike shippers - they also launched campaigns in Season 5 - 7 to get Buffy and Spike together. (102) Did it work? Buffy and Spike entered a sexual relationship in Season 6 and Buffy told Spike she loved him in Chosen and told Angel that Spike was in her heart.
On the other hand - fans did not cripple the Willow and Tara story in any way. The Willow/OZ shippers and Willow fans certainly tried, inundating ME and the network with hate mail. James Marsters relates an interesting anecdote in SFX Magazine, August 2003. Marsters states that the network requested Whedon end the Willow and Tara relationship and edit the kiss from The Body. Whedon refused. He told network executives and Fox that he would pack up his desk and leave before he would do that. Hung up the phone and literally began to do just that. Several phone calls later the network capitulated. Whedon fought to tell the Willow story in his own way. Fans did not prevent him from killing Tara, even though Tara fan boards waged campaigns against it. Whedon and his writing staff did not budge. Amber Benson may have reacted to fan sentiment by refusing to resurrect the character as the First Evil. But Whedon didn't, except to the extent that he let fans influence him to create the Willow/Kennedy relationship and keep Willow gay. (103)
Is this level of fan participation good for a TV show? Some people love the idea that they have a say in how their favorite TV show progresses. Others hate it. It's one thing to push for a favorite character's longevity or continuation in the series. It's another to keep characters trapped in a romance, even when the significant other has moved on to his own series, a movie career, or the great beyond. Has ME capitulated to fan and network pressure? Not really. Spike died in Chosen. Buffy and Angel are not together, if anything they are even further apart at the end of Chosen, then they were before it. Whedon gave both the B/A and B/S shippers a moment. He doesn't promise there will be more, but he wisely gives them just enough to tune in next year to see. The savvy writer keeps track of what hi/r fans want, what works, and manipulates it in such a way that s/he only gives hi/r fans enough to stay obsessed. He is wise enough never to give them exactly what they want, if he did he'd only satisfy a portion of them, but by providing everyone with something to whet their appetite- he keeps their interest alive. Sort of like dangling a carrot in front of Bugs Bunny and Roger Rabbit. This is why Whedon has obsessed fans - he knows how to keep their interest.
Fans also don't have complete authority over which characters continue. If Whedon and ME did not like Marsters, he would not have lasted past Season 2. He'd be gone. Look at Charisma Carpenter - a fan favorite who has even had an ad placed in a magazine - but ME still dropped her from regular status for S5. We may never know exactly why. But one thing we can be certain of - the decision had nothing to do with the fans. Faith was a fan favorite and she didn't come back full time. Yes, Whedon loved her, but Eliza Dusku, the actress playing Faith, had a movie career. Whedon wanted to do a spin-off with Faith, but Eliza preferred the show that Fox offered her, Tru Calling. Same with Amber Benson whom the fans adored - Whedon killed her off anyway. He loved Amber, he knew the fans loved her - but he did what was best for his story. The fans response to her death - did motivate him to write the Kennedy/Willow romance instead of bringing back OZ or building a romance between Xander and Willow, alternatives that he may have been mulling over in case Amber was unavailable in S7. But it did not keep him from killing the character. Any more than fan response to Angel kept Whedon from turning Angel evil and keeping Angel and Buffy apart. The fan response did motivate Whedon to give Angel his own show but not to have him mope for Buffy all the way through it. Nor did fans prevent Whedon and ME from doing the attempted rape scene in Seeing Red ( a scene many fans believe ME did just to punish them), or anything else in Spike's general arc. If Whedon had gone with what the majority of fans wanted - Spike may have been redeemed sans soul, not been redeemed at all, never raped Buffy or had sex with her for that matter, and not died in Chosen. So while fans may affect some of the choices ME makes, they do not affect all of them. ME does not enlist the help of fan focus groups like many daytime soap operas do. They do however test the fan base to see what will take off and what won't. And they aren't always right in their estimations: the Cordelia/Connor arc in Season 4 being a good example.
Just as it is difficult understanding and predicting the majority of fans' tastes, it is equally difficult to predict how studio executives and producers will respond to those tastes. Do fans adversely affect what appears on the screen? There's no way of telling. I'm not sure we can blame fans for what we liked or did not like in a particular season any more than we can blame an individual actor or character. The fault may lie with the creators of the episode and, even in that case, it's hard to judge since so many factors come into play. It's a collaborative process after all. Can we blame Seth Green or Lindsey Crouse for the plot-holes in S4? No - since the writers could have filled those in with other characters, in the case of Green they did. Can we blame or credit Amber Benson for the Willow/Kennedy arc? No again, since Whedon came up with Willow/Kennedy not Amber and he could have found an alternative. Can we blame or credit Spike or James Marsters for being the main focus of S7? No, again that was the writer's decision. Marsters just did whatever was on the page. Can we blame Nicholas Brendon (Xander) and Emma Caulfield (Anya) for not having a stronger arc or Spike? Nope. The writers weren't interested in Xander and Anya's story. (104)
I feel for marketing executives who attempt to understand and analyze fan responses. I really do, because I remain bewildered by them. I've been posting and lurking on BTVS and ATS internet fan boards for almost two years now and I have yet to figure out fans. Why does poster X hate Spike as much as they do? Yet love Angel or Xander and/or Willow? Why does poster Y love Spike but hate Angel? And why does poster Z love them both? And how can someone who supports the B/S relationship see Spike as overrated or hate Buffy? Recently on ATPO board, a poster named KdS hosted a thread on Character Impressions 1997-2003 for BTVS. I went through this thread, which had approximately thirty-two responses, and tried to tabulate the likes and dislikes of the posters in hopes of coming up with a formula or pattern. After taking down all the data - I quickly realized it was an exercise in futility. (105) People will have their opinions and there's zip I can do about them. Analyzing them seems to be somewhat headache inducing, but then I'm not overly fond of statistics. Best just to be civil and tolerate them hoping against hope that their opinions won't adversely affect my favorite show. Whether they do or not is up to ME, the networks, the producers, and the advertisers not me or you or the man down the block. Why? Because that's how television works.
As much as some fans would like to think they had broken through that fourth wall, changing the show to their liking, they haven't come close. While ME pays attention to the majority's tastes, they skirt giving into them completely. That I believe is the meaning behind Whedon's infamous statement: "Give the audience what they need not what they want." To do otherwise would allow their fans to break through the fourth wall and ruin the show.
_____
83For examples of character wars - visit any board that is NOT character centric. (Hint: usually involves Spike.) [ETA: Examples taken from Angels Soul's Board as a direct response to this essay when I posted it on that board in 2003 courtesy of - "Anon on ATPOBTVS" :LOL I brought over some quotes as an example - A selection of responses (they do prove your point beatifully and feature bashing to various degrees of Spike, Xander, and Angel ): [1)"While Spike does have his straight male fans, they tend to be the angry loner/loser type, wanting payback for every social slight, real or imagined, and nailing every gal...NOTHING and NO ONE for male viewers to enjoy...fantasy shows can't survive without male viewers...I'm not sure what that comment about Xander plates is supposed to be...Spike fans by defination loathe Xander and what he stands for because he presents an alternative to the bodice ripper fantasy...Xander's prominence marks Buffy's highest ratings". 2)"As for your drivel about how rapists are not demons...Mutent Enemy pandered to their Spuggy fanbase...I really can't believe you're defending Joss on this...I must say I've lost all respect for you....lobby the date rapist Andrew Luster to be released" 3)"Spike fans don't normally loathe Xander fans. They only loathe the Xander fans who constantly spew forth about how much they hate Spike and Spike fans, and after reading the same arguments ad nauseum about how superior Xander is over Spike, find themselves starting to hate Xander by reflex" 4)"Thw whole Angel, can rape who he wants, we still want him with Buffy, does hurt the credibility and "genuine" outrage a bit..The B/A board never cared about rape before"
84Check out the board wars on the non-centric character fan boards for examples. (I refrain from naming names or posting specific threads to protect the innocent or rather not so-innocent, but easily embarrassed. )
85Tim Minear and David Fury at the Succubus Club, May 2003; good luck finding Minear's post at ASSB, it might however be in the ATPO archives. ASSB doesn't archive it's posts. It was posted the first week of May shortly after WB announced the decision to add James Marsters to the cast.
86Succubus Club with Tim Minear and David Fury - see transcript in www.atpobtvs.com discussion board archives or go to the site and listen to the Mp3 recording, May 2003. See also Bronze Beta VIP posting archives for Tim Minear; & Jeff Bell at Comic-Con Writer's Panel, www.cityofangel.com.
87Jeff Bell at Comic Con Writer's Panel, June 2003, www.cityofangel.com: "It was difficult because Charisma had just had her baby and we did everything we wanted but what we wanted was a really nice emotional payoff. We set up Wolfram & Hart for next year in terms of what next year would be and in addition we have the real emotional component of something that means a lot to our central character Angel, which is the happiness of his son, the one thing that he was never able to give him. And we thought if we just paid that off emotionally for the character we hoped it would be for the audience as well."
88See Save Spike Campaign: http://www.savespike.com/; See also: http://whedonesque.com/?comments=1011
89Deanna's post on Angel's Soul Board in response to SilverAgent, 8/7/03: "At the San Diego Comic-Con, the booth next to Inkworks trading cards (where Andy Hallett and Amber Benson were signing, BTW), they were selling BtVS plates. On the last day of the 5-day con, I asked the guy behind the table which plate was selling the fastest. He immediately pointed to Spike, saying that he was "by FAR" the best seller, then Buffy and Willow were selling about equally, but Xander was basically only selling to those who were buying the whole set, and he gestured to a large stack of Xander plates that were sitting unsold. Buffystore.com is already selling the Spike plate for $20 more than the others, since they're quickly running out of that one. Last year's SDCC, among the several thousand dealers (no exaggeration), I was able to find two vampire Spike action figures, selling for $75 and $90, no regular Spike figures anwhere, Series 1 Angel figures for $40 and up, and one Series 1 Vampire Angel figure for $100. Giles and Oz figures, released the same time as the Spike figures, were $1 apiece in loose bags, $4 on cards. The rare, exclusive Entertainment Earth Oz figure was $8, mint on card. Xander was $5 mint on card. The exclusive Military Xander was $8. (Dark Horse's "Things From Another World" store in Universal Studios Citywalk was also blowing out Xander and Giles figures for $5 apiece last Christmas). The point is: they couldn't give away figures of the "normal guys," while dark, morally-ambiguous vampire figures were fetching a huge premium. Sure doesn't sound like they're not popular with the audience."
90See Official Buffy Magazine #8 - editorial page: "In the meantime, I just want to say a quick apology to the fans who were expecting a James Marsters interview in Issue 7 (as advertised in the previous issue). Plans don't always work out, so we had to delay him for one issue. I was totally unprepared for the barrage of angry letters I received on the subject!"
91See www.slayage.com for article blurb, July/August 2003
92 See note 88.
93 Transcript by atzone of James Marsters Q&A http://www.atnzone.com/tvzone/features/buffycon_1.shtml James is discussing the Thank You James Variety and Hollywood Reporter Ads that appeared in March 2003. "That was one of the sweetest experiences. I understand that some of the people responsible for that are in the audience today and I want to really thank you guys. Thank you. That had an effect in L.A. that I don't know that you are aware of. To have fans come together and do something, that frankly, costs that much money and takes that much planning apparently doesn't happen very often - if at all. We just were swamped with calls after that asking, "What do you do to your fans?" I didn't tell them everything. [Giggles] To some degree, it's hard for me to take compliments and so in a way I don't know how to react but at the same time, I am very deeply touched. I feel like I have worked hard and I do put in extra effort and, no matter how tired I am, there is a certain kind of passion that comes through. And I am glad that is in some way resonated with you guys."
94 See note 88
95 For details of these and other Spike campaigns, see www.bigbad.net, www.morethanspike.com, www.bloodyawfulpoet.com, www.allaboutspike.com
96 See James Marsters Interview in SFX August 2003: "Joss is so excited about it, too. He started to write my entrance scene in Angel as he was supposed to be writing the death scene in Buffy, and he had to stop himself! He was getting so excited about the potential, and the things that he could do." See also the conventions where James Marsters mentioned Spike was to be in the Faith spin-off and possibly on Angel. Also David Boreanze at a convention prior to Angel's renewal being announced, stated Spike would be added to Angel next year in some capacity and he was looking forward to it. (not sure where - try www.slayage.com May 2003 or cityofangle.com), David Fury mentions it in Dreamwatch and Tim Minear in TV Zone. They even mention how Whedon planned on bringing Spike back in the spin-off.
97 See Charisma Carpenter's interview in May 2003 on www.slayage.com (can't recall exactly where I found it); see the transcript of Moonlight Rising and Tampa Vulkon Conventions.
98 See Thank you Charisma Campaign: http://www.buffy.nu/article.php3?id_article=1044
99 LET'S GET XANDER TO VISIT ANGEL PETITION http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?ab8c0973, posted on www.bloodyawfulpoet.com listserve in August 2003.
100A website called The Hellmouth Line League actually tabulates this. http://www.hellmouthhigh.co.uk/LineLeague/. According to their statistics the following had the most lines per episode overall: Buffy, Willow, Xander, Rupert Giles, Spike. In Season 7: Buffy, Willow, Xander, Spike. In Season 6: Buffy, Willow, Xander, Anya, Dawn/Spike. In Season 5: Buffy, Willow, Xander, Spike.
101The Buffy/Angel Warriors Website. http://www.angelfire.com/empire/foreverbawarriors/text.html. David Greenwalt comments on the B/A shippers in SFX The Vampire Special Addition, 2001. Marti Noxon mentions them in a slaon.com interview in February 2002 (I think, it might have been later - check www.atpobtvs.com discussion board archives for a mention of it).
102 See any number of Buffy/Spike sites on the internet. Marti Noxon also commented on the B/S shippers in SFX Vampire Special Edition, 2001 and in assorted online interviews.
103 See James Marsters Interview in SFX August 2003; Amber Benson Q&A at Moonlight Rising; Whedon Interview with IGFN. In an Interview with Kristin (Wanda) at the end of Season 6, Whedon states that he had considered making Willow bi-sexual but with Tara's death, he feels that would be impossible and send a negative message to fans.
104 Jane Espenson, Drew Greenberg, Rebecca Rand Kirshner Interview on Succubus Club, stating that they lost interest in Anya once she broke up with Xander in Selfless. See also Espenson comments regarding how Xander's arc ran out of steam in The Replacement and David Fury's response to a poster at Bronze Beta regarding how they just weren't focusing on Xander - Whedon came up with the emotional arcs and they followed them. If you check the fanboards, you'll discover that the majority of fans and critics were actually in agreement with the writers. Also according to www.futonmediacritic.com, Xander specific episodes dipped in ratings. Go Fish was one of the lowest rated episodes in S2.
105 If you're really interested? (ie. masochistically taking the time to read the small print of this footnote) Here's my findings: Buffy had the most votes (11) with Willow a close second (8). Xander in third with (6). Buffy/Spike was the most popular ship (8). Willow/Tara in second place (7). Spike and Dru in third (5). The rest aren't worth counting. Spike most overrated character with seven votes and Tara in second with four votes. Anya, Buffy, Angel, Johnathan, Andrew, and Amy all tied with two votes each. Xander also got a vote as overrated. What's interesting is the B/A shippers (3) all voted Spike as most overrated. The Willow lovers (4 - Spike as overrated). Xander lovers? (none - they were all over the place). So nope no consensus. And I'm sure if we did this on other boards, we'd get completely different responses. So it's only indicative of thirty out of 500 Atpobtvs discussion board posters, bad statistical sampling. Add to that - at least 50% of those polled have a tendency to change their mind or weren't taking it seriously. Although I have to say the person who said Spike's bod was overrated, yet wanted more of it, was a personal favorite. That and whomever voted for Spike/Buffybot ship.
[> [> Part IV Breaking the Fourth Wall Part B: Fans & Majority Rules -- s'kat, 10:28:12 08/23/03 Sat
B. Fans and the "Majority" Rules
While it may be interesting to see what individual fans think about a particular character or episode, marketing/network execs could care less. They want to know what the "majority" of fans think, what the "majority" wants - because their goal is to provide their advertisers with the largest group of viewers possible. So they need to determine what works for the masses not what works for a small group of viewers or individuals. In order to determine this they hunt and/or scan for patterns. I seriously doubt they spend much time reading an analysis on the meanings and metaphors in BTVs or how Spike is a male fatale. What they notice is that the board is filled with Spike threads or Angel threads or B/S and/or B/A threads.
What they are looking for is the answers to these questions: how many people post or debate on a specific character, relationship or plotline? Is the "majority" of responses negative or positive? What is working in the story? Are people bored? Are they interested? And again - what they want to know is the majority view. So even though you, personally, may hate or love a particular character or plot arc - if the majority of viewers and critics feel otherwise, you're out-voted. Frustrating? Yes. Right there with you. But that's the problem with our society - majority rules especially in television. In movies - you can produce a feature that the majority of people don't like and do okay - independent movies do this all the time. And with video, it happens even more often. Books? Same thing - you can self-publish or get a small press. Television? Especially network television, which depends on advertisers for money? Majority rules. And just between you and me? Nine times out of ten, the majority has lousy taste. If they had better taste - such idiotic programs as Who Will Marry My Dad and The Family would not be in the top ten. On the other hand, in those rare moments in which I happen to share the majority's taste on something - I do a happy snoopy dance.
I think the fear that: 1)we're in the minority regarding our favorite character and/or relationship, and 2) that the majority (who is for another character and/or relationship we aren't fond of) is going to ruin the show or affect the writer's judgment in an adverse manner (ie. against our desires) - may be the reason behind the "character" posting wars I often see and occasionally participate in (to my own incredible dismay and embarrassment) on fanboards. (83) Online fans are instinctively aware that someone is scanning their responses and in the hopes that their favorite character will get the juicy storyline over their least favorite, they religiously attempt to sway other viewers to their way of thinking. Often bashing the character they despise in all sorts of creative ways in order to promote their favorite. If you are one of these poor deluded souls? I wish you luck. Have yet to see it work. Actually it usually just pisses everyone off, causing people to come out of the woodwork or cybernet, leaping to their poor character's defense. (84) Including the ME writers who scan the net. Tim Minear got so furious at an Anti-Spike thread on ASSB this spring that he came out of hiding and blasted the posters. David Fury made fun of the Spikehaters on Succubus Club in response to mail he'd received. (85)
On the other hand, negative responses to the character of Riley were taken seriously - but the critical elite also disliked the character. Actually I think Riley's problem wasn't so much hate as pure ambivalence (lack of support), but I wasn't online at the time - so I could be wrong. More to the point though - the ratings dipped around Riley-centric episodes. Same thing happened with Connor this past year - the majority of viewers and critics found the character and his arc to be annoying. Now here's where I fall in the "minority" - I actually liked Connor and Riley, I found them to be interesting and engrossing characters. I would love to see Connor re-appear on Angel next season. Connor is one of my favorite characters on ATS. But from what I've seen in the reviews of Angel Season 3-4 and the online fandom, I'm in the minority. Damn it.
Now, for the record, Vincent K. who played Connor was only contracted for two years. Minear and company planned on ending the characters arc at the end of Season 4 regardless of what happened. (86) So nothing that happened online or offline changed the writers'decision regarding that arc. If fans had taken to the character the way they took to Angel in Season 1 BTVS or Spike and Drusilla in Season 2 BTVS, then Connor may have lasted an additional season; he may still make it back - who knows. But because the writers had not planned on him lasting past Season 4 and the fan/critical majority did not fall in love with the character, demanding in a loud voice that they wanted more of him, Connor more or less ended his story in Home. (87)
In contrast, James Marsters portrayal of the character of Spike has just continued to grow in popularity since his first appearance as the character in School Hard. It's worth noting that prior to School Hard, BTVS had lackluster ratings, it's ratings climbed significantly in Season 2 with Spike and Dru and the Angelus arc. Fans rallied ME for more of Spike. Sending out postcards requesting ME treat Spike well. That Spike be redeemed. That Spike not be killed off. That Spike continue in either his own spin-off or join Angel. (88) Marsters appearances at all the conventions were sold out. Spike action figures and license plates huge sellers at Comic Book conventions. (89) Magazines begged him for interviews. The Offical Buffy Magazine #8 got angry letters from subscribers for delaying the James Marsters interview by a month. (90) He has more web sites than most of the other characters on the net. SFX Magazine recently ranked him as number one in the top twenty-five science-fiction characters of all time. (91) When fans heard that BTVS was ending it's run in season 7, they raised over $4000 to put two advertisements thanking James Marsters in Industry Magazines (Variety and Hollywood Reporter) right after the Oscars telecast when these magazines would be read the most. (92) They were the first fans to come up with this idea. According to an interview with Marsters - this rarely happens. (93) Industry reps were calling Marsters' agent asking him what he did to his fans. Fox and WB reported to fans that they had seen the ads and were suitably impressed. The ads mentioned a website which described the amount of money raised for charities in Marsters name. (94) When James Marsters indicated he may not be able to join Angel The Series due to a) not being renewed, b) financial and time considerations - fans started a post-card/email campaign to get Angel The Series renewed and get Spike on it. Most of the pre-written post-cards read simply: "I will definitely watch Angel The Series if James Marsters joins it. I am male and 18-34 or female 18-34." Or they read: " I don't watch it now, but I will if Spike joins." (95) Once it was announced that James Marsters would indeed be joining Angel The Series, fans rallied to send thank you emails and post cards to everyone concerned. Did this work? Well, Spike was added to Angel, although there's evidence that Whedon had always planned on adding Spike to Angel and/or a spin-off. (96) James C. Leary and Charisma Carpenter requested their fans do the same for them, stating that sending post-cards did affect their characters arcs. (97) Fans have complied for Carpenter. (98) Xander fans have also taken up the fight and started a petition to get Xander on Angel next season. (99)
A potential pitfall of this level of fan interaction with television shows is the "Fonzie Complex". The term comes from Happy Days - a 1970s situation comedy about a bunch of kids in high school, featuring Ron Howard from The Andy Griffith Show in the lead role of Richie Cunningham. The show was supposed to be about Richie, his parents, his friends, and high school during the 1950s. Up until approximately the third season, Fonzie was a peripheral character that Richie befriended - the cool outsider. After the first two seasons, network executives and producers determined that ratings climbed whenever Fonzie was featured and dipped whenever he was absent. Fans wrote in for more Fonzie. Television critics adored the character and fans mobbed the actor who played him at events. So the network executives informed the writers to feature Fonzie more if they wanted to stay on the air - remember bottom line is how many viewers can we bring to the advertisers. Many television "geeks" or "aficionados" believe this decision destroyed the show. Whether it did or not depends on your point of view, Nielsen viewers certainly didn't agree.
When other television shows repeated the Happy Days scenario - television geeks labeled it "the Fonzie Complex." The 1990s situation comedy Family Matters fell into this trap early in its run - when the character of Steve Urkel overtook the comedy, which was supposed to be about a cop and his family not about their geeky next door neighbor. But producers quickly realized fans tuned in to see Steve Urkel not the cop, so Urkel slowly became the central focus. Some fans believe Star Trek and Star Trek The Next Generation fell into the trap with the characters of Spock, Mr. Data, and Worf. In the third and final season of the original Star Trek, Mr. Spock seemed to overtake the series, overshadowing even Captain Kirk. Trek not high in the ratings department may have been experimenting with ways to get an audience. Spock certainly had taken off at conventions. Same thing happened with Star Trek The Next Generation when Mr. Data, Worf, and Captain Picard quickly became the central focus overshadowing Riker and Crusher. Picard and Data are also the central focus of all the films, especially the last one. Of course the people who complained were fans of Riker and Crusher. Other shows accused of falling victim to The Fonzie Complex include : MASH - with the character of Hawkeye Pierce. Xena: Warrior Princess - the character of Gabrielle. Everbody Loves Raymond - Brad Garrett's character. Fraiser - the character of Niles Crane. The list goes on. Whether or not any of these characters have truly taken over and hurt the series as a result - is open to debate and often the source of fan wars. What it all comes down to is the fans' fear that their favorite character will end up on the backburner due to the popularity of another one, so they attack the show and fans that favor the popular character.
In BTVS - some fans believe Spike overtook the show in Season 6-7, regardless of the fact that he was in less episodes and had less lines than other characters. (100) In Season 5, he wasn't even in the big Joss Whedon episode, The Body. In Season 6, Xander and Anya had the big musical number that got critical attention and the huge wedding episode, Hell's Bells that focused on Xander. Spike was not the central character of any episode in S6, except to the degree that he affected Buffy or Xander. We also met Xander's entire family in Season 6, that's more than any other character on the show. Unlike Fonzie in Happy Days - the show did not revolve around Spike. In Happy Days, Ron Howard, Ralph Mouth, and Potsie left the show during the last few seasons and it really did center around Fonzie. Fonzie had the most lines. All the action and/or conflicts surrounded him. When Sara Michelle Gellar quit, BTVS ended. Spike remained a peripheral character during the show's run - Xander, Willow, and Buffy the central focus. Willow and Xander actually came closer to over-taking the show in Season 6 than Spike ever did, the action in Hell's Bells, Villains, Two to Go and Grave really centered more on their characters than on Buffy or even Spike, whose role was comprised of a few quick action scenes in a distant country, taking up less than ten minutes in each episode. Yet fans worried - partly do to Spike's increased popularity, his involvement with the lead, and the diminished role of Xander in later seasons. Had Spike taken Xander's place? It's worth noting that fans worried about Riley overtaking the show in Season 4 and often comment about Season 4 being all about Riley, because they felt Willow and Xander were gypped. This fear may be the cause of the wars we see on the internet - and it is a valid one, since the television medium falls into this trap all the time. But did ME truly fall into this television trap? I don't believe the evidence available supports this conclusion, although I can understand why some fans fervently believe ME did. If ME had, Spike would have been featured far more than he was and with other characters outside of Buffy, as Fonzie had been in Happy Days. If anything, Spike had a more prevalent role in Season 5 than Season 7. To say Spike took over the show in Season 7 would be akin to saying Angel took it over in Season 3 or Riley in Season 4. While these characters may have been more prominent due to their close relationship with the heroine, they did not overwhelm the show as Fonzie did on Happy Days. It really wasn't all about Spike, it was all about Buffy and Buffy's relationships or isolation from them.
Another example of how fans can affect a television show, from a less character centric angle are shippers, fans invested in a romantic relationship between two characters. Shippers have a history of driving Mutant Enemy and Fox nuts with email and post-card campaigns. Last year Buffy/Angel shippers not only sent post-cards, they reportedly posted an ad in Variety requesting Buffy and Angel be reunited. (101) Did ME notice them? Well, we got the Buffy/Angel kiss in End of Days. Same with the Buffy/Spike shippers - they also launched campaigns in Season 5 - 7 to get Buffy and Spike together. (102) Did it work? Buffy and Spike entered a sexual relationship in Season 6 and Buffy told Spike she loved him in Chosen and told Angel that Spike was in her heart.
On the other hand - fans did not cripple the Willow and Tara story in any way. The Willow/OZ shippers and Willow fans certainly tried, inundating ME and the network with hate mail. James Marsters relates an interesting anecdote in SFX Magazine, August 2003. Marsters states that the network requested Whedon end the Willow and Tara relationship and edit the kiss from The Body. Whedon refused. He told network executives and Fox that he would pack up his desk and leave before he would do that. Hung up the phone and literally began to do just that. Several phone calls later the network capitulated. Whedon fought to tell the Willow story in his own way. Fans did not prevent him from killing Tara, even though Tara fan boards waged campaigns against it. Whedon and his writing staff did not budge. Amber Benson may have reacted to fan sentiment by refusing to resurrect the character as the First Evil. But Whedon didn't, except to the extent that he let fans influence him to create the Willow/Kennedy relationship and keep Willow gay. (103)
Is this level of fan participation good for a TV show? Some people love the idea that they have a say in how their favorite TV show progresses. Others hate it. It's one thing to push for a favorite character's longevity or continuation in the series. It's another to keep characters trapped in a romance, even when the significant other has moved on to his own series, a movie career, or the great beyond. Has ME capitulated to fan and network pressure? Not really. Spike died in Chosen. Buffy and Angel are not together, if anything they are even further apart at the end of Chosen, then they were before it. Whedon gave both the B/A and B/S shippers a moment. He doesn't promise there will be more, but he wisely gives them just enough to tune in next year to see. The savvy writer keeps track of what hi/r fans want, what works, and manipulates it in such a way that s/he only gives hi/r fans enough to stay obsessed. He is wise enough never to give them exactly what they want, if he did he'd only satisfy a portion of them, but by providing everyone with something to whet their appetite- he keeps their interest alive. Sort of like dangling a carrot in front of Bugs Bunny and Roger Rabbit. This is why Whedon has obsessed fans - he knows how to keep their interest.
Fans also don't have complete authority over which characters continue. If Whedon and ME did not like Marsters, he would not have lasted past Season 2. He'd be gone. Look at Charisma Carpenter - a fan favorite who has even had an ad placed in a magazine - but ME still dropped her from regular status for S5. We may never know exactly why. But one thing we can be certain of - the decision had nothing to do with the fans. Faith was a fan favorite and she didn't come back full time. Yes, Whedon loved her, but Eliza Dusku, the actress playing Faith, had a movie career. Whedon wanted to do a spin-off with Faith, but Eliza preferred the show that Fox offered her, Tru Calling. Same with Amber Benson whom the fans adored - Whedon killed her off anyway. He loved Amber, he knew the fans loved her - but he did what was best for his story. The fans response to her death - did motivate him to write the Kennedy/Willow romance instead of bringing back OZ or building a romance between Xander and Willow, alternatives that he may have been mulling over in case Amber was unavailable in S7. But it did not keep him from killing the character. Any more than fan response to Angel kept Whedon from turning Angel evil and keeping Angel and Buffy apart. The fan response did motivate Whedon to give Angel his own show but not to have him mope for Buffy all the way through it. Nor did fans prevent Whedon and ME from doing the attempted rape scene in Seeing Red ( a scene many fans believe ME did just to punish them), or anything else in Spike's general arc. If Whedon had gone with what the majority of fans wanted - Spike may have been redeemed sans soul, not been redeemed at all, never raped Buffy or had sex with her for that matter, and not died in Chosen. So while fans may affect some of the choices ME makes, they do not affect all of them. ME does not enlist the help of fan focus groups like many daytime soap operas do. They do however test the fan base to see what will take off and what won't. And they aren't always right in their estimations: the Cordelia/Connor arc in Season 4 being a good example.
Just as it is difficult understanding and predicting the majority of fans' tastes, it is equally difficult to predict how studio executives and producers will respond to those tastes. Do fans adversely affect what appears on the screen? There's no way of telling. I'm not sure we can blame fans for what we liked or did not like in a particular season any more than we can blame an individual actor or character. The fault may lie with the creators of the episode and, even in that case, it's hard to judge since so many factors come into play. It's a collaborative process after all. Can we blame Seth Green or Lindsey Crouse for the plot-holes in S4? No - since the writers could have filled those in with other characters, in the case of Green they did. Can we blame or credit Amber Benson for the Willow/Kennedy arc? No again, since Whedon came up with Willow/Kennedy not Amber and he could have found an alternative. Can we blame or credit Spike or James Marsters for being the main focus of S7? No, again that was the writer's decision. Marsters just did whatever was on the page. Can we blame Nicholas Brendon (Xander) and Emma Caulfield (Anya) for not having a stronger arc or Spike? Nope. The writers weren't interested in Xander and Anya's story. (104)
I feel for marketing executives who attempt to understand and analyze fan responses. I really do, because I remain bewildered by them. I've been posting and lurking on BTVS and ATS internet fan boards for almost two years now and I have yet to figure out fans. Why does poster X hate Spike as much as they do? Yet love Angel or Xander and/or Willow? Why does poster Y love Spike but hate Angel? And why does poster Z love them both? And how can someone who supports the B/S relationship see Spike as overrated or hate Buffy? Recently on ATPO board, a poster named KdS hosted a thread on Character Impressions 1997-2003 for BTVS. I went through this thread, which had approximately thirty-two responses, and tried to tabulate the likes and dislikes of the posters in hopes of coming up with a formula or pattern. After taking down all the data - I quickly realized it was an exercise in futility. (105) People will have their opinions and there's zip I can do about them. Analyzing them seems to be somewhat headache inducing, but then I'm not overly fond of statistics. Best just to be civil and tolerate them hoping against hope that their opinions won't adversely affect my favorite show. Whether they do or not is up to ME, the networks, the producers, and the advertisers not me or you or the man down the block. Why? Because that's how television works.
As much as some fans would like to think they had broken through that fourth wall, changing the show to their liking, they haven't come close. While ME pays attention to the majority's tastes, they skirt giving into them completely. That I believe is the meaning behind Whedon's infamous statement: "Give the audience what they need not what they want." To do otherwise would allow their fans to break through the fourth wall and ruin the show.
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83For examples of character wars - visit any board that is NOT character centric. (Hint: usually involves Spike.) [ETA: Examples taken from Angels Soul's Board as a direct response to this essay when I posted it on that board in 2003 courtesy of - "Anon on ATPOBTVS" :LOL I brought over some quotes as an example - A selection of responses (they do prove your point beatifully and feature bashing to various degrees of Spike, Xander, and Angel ): [1)"While Spike does have his straight male fans, they tend to be the angry loner/loser type, wanting payback for every social slight, real or imagined, and nailing every gal...NOTHING and NO ONE for male viewers to enjoy...fantasy shows can't survive without male viewers...I'm not sure what that comment about Xander plates is supposed to be...Spike fans by defination loathe Xander and what he stands for because he presents an alternative to the bodice ripper fantasy...Xander's prominence marks Buffy's highest ratings". 2)"As for your drivel about how rapists are not demons...Mutent Enemy pandered to their Spuggy fanbase...I really can't believe you're defending Joss on this...I must say I've lost all respect for you....lobby the date rapist Andrew Luster to be released" 3)"Spike fans don't normally loathe Xander fans. They only loathe the Xander fans who constantly spew forth about how much they hate Spike and Spike fans, and after reading the same arguments ad nauseum about how superior Xander is over Spike, find themselves starting to hate Xander by reflex" 4)"Thw whole Angel, can rape who he wants, we still want him with Buffy, does hurt the credibility and "genuine" outrage a bit..The B/A board never cared about rape before"
84Check out the board wars on the non-centric character fan boards for examples. (I refrain from naming names or posting specific threads to protect the innocent or rather not so-innocent, but easily embarrassed. )
85Tim Minear and David Fury at the Succubus Club, May 2003; good luck finding Minear's post at ASSB, it might however be in the ATPO archives. ASSB doesn't archive it's posts. It was posted the first week of May shortly after WB announced the decision to add James Marsters to the cast.
86Succubus Club with Tim Minear and David Fury - see transcript in www.atpobtvs.com discussion board archives or go to the site and listen to the Mp3 recording, May 2003. See also Bronze Beta VIP posting archives for Tim Minear; & Jeff Bell at Comic-Con Writer's Panel, www.cityofangel.com.
87Jeff Bell at Comic Con Writer's Panel, June 2003, www.cityofangel.com: "It was difficult because Charisma had just had her baby and we did everything we wanted but what we wanted was a really nice emotional payoff. We set up Wolfram & Hart for next year in terms of what next year would be and in addition we have the real emotional component of something that means a lot to our central character Angel, which is the happiness of his son, the one thing that he was never able to give him. And we thought if we just paid that off emotionally for the character we hoped it would be for the audience as well."
88See Save Spike Campaign: http://www.savespike.com/; See also: http://whedonesque.com/?comments=1011
89Deanna's post on Angel's Soul Board in response to SilverAgent, 8/7/03: "At the San Diego Comic-Con, the booth next to Inkworks trading cards (where Andy Hallett and Amber Benson were signing, BTW), they were selling BtVS plates. On the last day of the 5-day con, I asked the guy behind the table which plate was selling the fastest. He immediately pointed to Spike, saying that he was "by FAR" the best seller, then Buffy and Willow were selling about equally, but Xander was basically only selling to those who were buying the whole set, and he gestured to a large stack of Xander plates that were sitting unsold. Buffystore.com is already selling the Spike plate for $20 more than the others, since they're quickly running out of that one. Last year's SDCC, among the several thousand dealers (no exaggeration), I was able to find two vampire Spike action figures, selling for $75 and $90, no regular Spike figures anwhere, Series 1 Angel figures for $40 and up, and one Series 1 Vampire Angel figure for $100. Giles and Oz figures, released the same time as the Spike figures, were $1 apiece in loose bags, $4 on cards. The rare, exclusive Entertainment Earth Oz figure was $8, mint on card. Xander was $5 mint on card. The exclusive Military Xander was $8. (Dark Horse's "Things From Another World" store in Universal Studios Citywalk was also blowing out Xander and Giles figures for $5 apiece last Christmas). The point is: they couldn't give away figures of the "normal guys," while dark, morally-ambiguous vampire figures were fetching a huge premium. Sure doesn't sound like they're not popular with the audience."
90See Official Buffy Magazine #8 - editorial page: "In the meantime, I just want to say a quick apology to the fans who were expecting a James Marsters interview in Issue 7 (as advertised in the previous issue). Plans don't always work out, so we had to delay him for one issue. I was totally unprepared for the barrage of angry letters I received on the subject!"
91See www.slayage.com for article blurb, July/August 2003
92 See note 88.
93 Transcript by atzone of James Marsters Q&A http://www.atnzone.com/tvzone/features/buffycon_1.shtml James is discussing the Thank You James Variety and Hollywood Reporter Ads that appeared in March 2003. "That was one of the sweetest experiences. I understand that some of the people responsible for that are in the audience today and I want to really thank you guys. Thank you. That had an effect in L.A. that I don't know that you are aware of. To have fans come together and do something, that frankly, costs that much money and takes that much planning apparently doesn't happen very often - if at all. We just were swamped with calls after that asking, "What do you do to your fans?" I didn't tell them everything. [Giggles] To some degree, it's hard for me to take compliments and so in a way I don't know how to react but at the same time, I am very deeply touched. I feel like I have worked hard and I do put in extra effort and, no matter how tired I am, there is a certain kind of passion that comes through. And I am glad that is in some way resonated with you guys."
94 See note 88
95 For details of these and other Spike campaigns, see www.bigbad.net, www.morethanspike.com, www.bloodyawfulpoet.com, www.allaboutspike.com
96 See James Marsters Interview in SFX August 2003: "Joss is so excited about it, too. He started to write my entrance scene in Angel as he was supposed to be writing the death scene in Buffy, and he had to stop himself! He was getting so excited about the potential, and the things that he could do." See also the conventions where James Marsters mentioned Spike was to be in the Faith spin-off and possibly on Angel. Also David Boreanze at a convention prior to Angel's renewal being announced, stated Spike would be added to Angel next year in some capacity and he was looking forward to it. (not sure where - try www.slayage.com May 2003 or cityofangle.com), David Fury mentions it in Dreamwatch and Tim Minear in TV Zone. They even mention how Whedon planned on bringing Spike back in the spin-off.
97 See Charisma Carpenter's interview in May 2003 on www.slayage.com (can't recall exactly where I found it); see the transcript of Moonlight Rising and Tampa Vulkon Conventions.
98 See Thank you Charisma Campaign: http://www.buffy.nu/article.php3?id_article=1044
99 LET'S GET XANDER TO VISIT ANGEL PETITION http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?ab8c0973, posted on www.bloodyawfulpoet.com listserve in August 2003.
100A website called The Hellmouth Line League actually tabulates this. http://www.hellmouthhigh.co.uk/LineLeague/. According to their statistics the following had the most lines per episode overall: Buffy, Willow, Xander, Rupert Giles, Spike. In Season 7: Buffy, Willow, Xander, Spike. In Season 6: Buffy, Willow, Xander, Anya, Dawn/Spike. In Season 5: Buffy, Willow, Xander, Spike.
101The Buffy/Angel Warriors Website. http://www.angelfire.com/empire/foreverbawarriors/text.html. David Greenwalt comments on the B/A shippers in SFX The Vampire Special Addition, 2001. Marti Noxon mentions them in a slaon.com interview in February 2002 (I think, it might have been later - check www.atpobtvs.com discussion board archives for a mention of it).
102 See any number of Buffy/Spike sites on the internet. Marti Noxon also commented on the B/S shippers in SFX Vampire Special Edition, 2001 and in assorted online interviews.
103 See James Marsters Interview in SFX August 2003; Amber Benson Q&A at Moonlight Rising; Whedon Interview with IGFN. In an Interview with Kristin (Wanda) at the end of Season 6, Whedon states that he had considered making Willow bi-sexual but with Tara's death, he feels that would be impossible and send a negative message to fans.
104 Jane Espenson, Drew Greenberg, Rebecca Rand Kirshner Interview on Succubus Club, stating that they lost interest in Anya once she broke up with Xander in Selfless. See also Espenson comments regarding how Xander's arc ran out of steam in The Replacement and David Fury's response to a poster at Bronze Beta regarding how they just weren't focusing on Xander - Whedon came up with the emotional arcs and they followed them. If you check the fanboards, you'll discover that the majority of fans and critics were actually in agreement with the writers. Also according to www.futonmediacritic.com, Xander specific episodes dipped in ratings. Go Fish was one of the lowest rated episodes in S2.
105 If you're really interested? (ie. masochistically taking the time to read the small print of this footnote) Here's my findings: Buffy had the most votes (11) with Willow a close second (8). Xander in third with (6). Buffy/Spike was the most popular ship (8). Willow/Tara in second place (7). Spike and Dru in third (5). The rest aren't worth counting. Spike most overrated character with seven votes and Tara in second with four votes. Anya, Buffy, Angel, Johnathan, Andrew, and Amy all tied with two votes each. Xander also got a vote as overrated. What's interesting is the B/A shippers (3) all voted Spike as most overrated. The Willow lovers (4 - Spike as overrated). Xander lovers? (none - they were all over the place). So nope no consensus. And I'm sure if we did this on other boards, we'd get completely different responses. So it's only indicative of thirty out of 500 Atpobtvs discussion board posters, bad statistical sampling. Add to that - at least 50% of those polled have a tendency to change their mind or weren't taking it seriously. Although I have to say the person who said Spike's bod was overrated, yet wanted more of it, was a personal favorite. That and whomever voted for Spike/Buffybot ship.