The Buffy the Vampire Slayer Reunion : Thoughts, Pictures, Videos!

On March 20th, at the 25th Annual William S. Paley Television Festival the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reunion occurred. Along with Joss Whedon, Marti Noxon and David Greenwalt, cast members that were there included Sarah Michelle Gellar, Emma Caulfield, Nicholas Brendon, Amber Benson, Charisma Carpenter, Seth Green, James Marsters, and Michelle Trachetenberg.

So, I did not get to attend the Paley Festival. But that doesn’t mean I won’t cover it. Generous fans and other media outlets are sharing their experiences, pictures, etc. What I thought I would do was analyze the interviews that TV Guide’s Ausiello had with Sarah, Seth, Charisma, Nicholas, and Michelle.

Well, my first instinct is to wonder why Sarah and Seth were interviewed together. Everyone else was interviewed separately. Although Seth isn’t taller than Sarah (and she’s short) he’s protective, and a good friend to Sarah. My guess might be that Sarah was a bit fearful of any reporters who’d dig in to her about this being her first real appearance for the Buffy fandom. If I were her, I would have been nervous of the questions that could be asked. Seth did a lot of joking with Sarah, and he intercepted and fielded some of the harder questions - deflecting them with jokes.

When asked if he was ready for the pandemonium that would erupt, Seth said (jokingly) that he’d been training with weapons, in martial arts, and he recently saw Never Back Down. I’ve never heard of that movie, but maybe I should. I trust Seth’s taste.

Ausiello did us a solid when he asked them why there wasn’t a Buffy movie yet. Seth answered the question with a question, asking why there hadn’t been a sequel for The Italian Job (The Italian Job) yet - and then he said that it was just hard to get a movie made in Hollywood. If Sarah is the one who won’t agree to a movie, who knows. Joss said something about ‘a lot of stars (that) would have to align’ for that to happen.

Sarah said she was open to coming back to TV. I’m pretty positive that’s a different answer then what she was saying a few years ago.

An admission came when Sarah she said had just found out about Buffy’s latest adventure in bed with a woman in the comics. She said she would have assumed it was with Willow. “Shouldn’t it have been Willow if it was anybody?” Ausiello suggested Cordy/Buffy and she just kind of laughed. Sarah, of course, has kissed at least one girl (Selma Blair in Cruel Intentions - Cruel Intentions DVD), although whether or not she’d have played a bisexual or lesbian relationship on the show is something only she knows.

At the panel Joss said that if a movie were made he would be fine with ignoring the comics as canon. Which is kind of a WTF - cause he’s been saying how canon they are. I actually think the whole Buffy being with another woman is rather out of character for Buffy, and that she’s not young and experimenting - she’s almost 30! I personally think Joss didn’t know what to do because he legally can’t use Angel or Spike in those comics ( not that he could make everyone happy with his choice) and he wanted Buffy to have some sort of relationship. Saying he’d ignore this stuff makes me suspect that he knows Sarah wouldn’t go along with it in a movie. Or that he doesn’t love it. I don’t know. I don’t want to question him, but I can’t just agree with everything in a blind way.

In the Charisma interview she was asked which show she liked being on better, and she said Angel right away (I clocked it at .3243 seconds - um, just kidding). Her reasons for that were that her character had more to do on that show, and was more fleshed out there. ( I personally prefer Cordy on BTVS a lot more.)

She also confessed to being sad that the Angel/Cordy relationship didn’t get a chance to pan out. I’m not, but that’s just me. No Cangel, please! (I can never see it as anything but a forced relationship to have the leading lady and leading male get together, no matter how it was justified in the show.) Charisma also confessed to loving the show Greek. Yes! It’s a guilty pleasure of mine. She was on an episode.

Amber was warm and gracious, saying she was blessed to play Tara. Her favorite episodes were Once More With Feeling and The Body. (This is basically the answer everyone gave - with Hush also being mentioned. All safe and obvious answers. But of course, they were great episodes. I just wish someone had mentioned another episode.) Amber said she’d love to go back to Supernatural. (She played a nice vampire -almost unheard of in the Buffyverse unless government chips and crushes are involved.) But she’s writing! And I want to read whatever she writes. Exciting!

Nicholas was interviewed but it was chaotic and cut short. His interview was noticeably shorter than everyone else’s. He seemed to be trying to be funny, but was failing a lot of the time. And that makes me sad. I hope he was okay. This could have been emotional for him. Or any of the people there.

Emma said she was feeling nervous to be there. On the subject of Anya’s death she said she was for it, but that Anya didn’t get mourned very well. And it’s true, Xander hardly acknowledge what happened. I never liked how that played out. Anya was a huge part of their lives - and although she was old enough to die with her demon heritage, it was sad. In a way, she had only really truly begun to live. Don’t laugh!

Emma apparently blogs, and she says she sometimes  speaks and writes a bit like Anya does. What shows does Emma like right now? Lost and Battlestar Galactica. She can come over and watch Lost with me! I have Diet Coke and popcorn.

Michelle said she doesn’t know much about her role on Gossip Girl other than she’ll get to be a bad girl. Michelle is still close to Sarah and Seth. She misspoke when she said that she’d taken some clothing and wooden spikes (stakes) from the Buffy set when it ended.

Just because we weren’t there doesn’t mean we can’t see some stuff. Here’s Joss at the Paley Festival talking about the season one episode The Witch.

I want to show you something. Buffy fans are unlike a lot of other fans. Compare these next two short video clips, where Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Joss Whedon each get introduced.

We love our Buffy actress. We love all the actors and actresses. But we know that Joss is the creator and we respect him so highly. I think the Buffy fandom is the first fandom that really made me aware and become a fan of actual writers and creators of the shows.

The festival was great to have, although I know many beside myself wish that Jane Espenson, David Boreanaz, Alyson Hannigan, Tom Lenk, Anthony Stewart Head and Eliza Dushku could have been there.

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Source. Pictures from whedon.info