Alternate Conversations With Dead People

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Hero

Scooby
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I purchased the Watchers Guide Volume 3 while on vacation and there's a section on each episode page that says something from the origonal script. It said that Tara was supposed to appear to Willow instead of Cassie, but Amber Benson didn't want to because it would be cruel to Tara/Willow fans. And, Jesse was supposed to appear to Xander.

How do you think the episode would have been different if those two scenes happened?

EDITED:

Here's how the scene would have gone. (it's what's printed in the guide)

In the original teleplay Tara actually visits Willow in person. However, arrangements to have Amber Benson return for the episode were unsuccessful. Here's a brief piece of their original exchange:

TARA: "I'm sorry to wake you."
WILLOW: "Ha..."
TARA: "Ha--what?"
WILLOW: "Is that like a dream joke thing? You're sorry to wake me, but I'm clearly not awake and if I was awake and you really were here, would you be sorry to wake me? I mean, after all this time and--oh, God, I'm babbling. I'm dream babbling and it's not the best dream of my life and I'm wasting it and--"
TARA: "I just meant, I liked watching you sleep."

Also, although the new big bad has yet to be mentioned by name in dialogue, the script already refers to it as "The First."
 
Well, we'd already meant the First in "Amends" so its not that wierd that the writers called it by name. I'm glad they didn't use Tara in the end though, it wuld have been too sad. Xander and Jesse would have been really neat to see, though.
 
eset said:
Well, we'd already meant the First in "Amends" so its not that wierd that the writers called it by name.
Click to expand...

Yeah but if I remember at that point they (being the Scoobs) didn't know it was the same ...person?

Anyway, yeah I'd love to see more Tillow but it would of been cruel, good on you Amber!

And Xander and Jesse, hmm not a big Jesse fan. Maybe they should of got rid of the Trio, I like them less.
 
I would've liked to see Jesse/The First and Xander interact. I think that would've been good (except for how different he looks in comparison to 7 years ago), I think Jesse and Xander makes a little bit more sense than Willow and Cassie in theory, but the performance wouldn't have been as great. I got chills when I saw CWDP.
 
I'm glad Tara wasn't there. It would be too cruel.
The Xander/Jesse thing would have been good. Or maybe Jesse could have gone to Willow...I don't know...It was just weird that it was Cassie...
 
Oh, that would have been the saddest thing ever. I would've cried. A lot. I'm so glad that Amber Benson has the intelligence and maturity to see how horrible that guest appearance would have been. To see Tara again, and then to have her be, quite literally, evil incarnate (sort of) would've been just cruel.
 
Nicely said Cannon Fodder, it would of been far more moving.

I was not happy about Xander not appearing in CWDP so maybe having just a brief scene of him & Jesse would of been great, it would of been interesting what Jesse would of said to Xander.
 
Yeah. I also wish Xander had been in that episode. Jesse coming to talk to him would be perfect, I think Jesse has been forgotten, it would be away to show he wasn't forgotten, and a way to have Xander in the episode. The problem though, would be that the guy who played Jesse would be around 7 years older...and he's supposed to be dead...
 
Yeah, i agree with Cordelia (the reputation thingy isnt working for me right know), I heard Amber couldn't make it because she wanted the memory of her character to remain pure, but i also heard, Amber only didnt come back because of scheduling conflicts.
 
I think it was good that Tara didn't come back in the show after she was killed. When I first heard that Tara was suppose to come back and so... I was sad that she didn't... But now afterwards, when I think of it, it was probably for the best. This way Tara wont come back as something evil or something, which I think the character deserve on some level. And besides... Tara was one of the most innocent characters in Buffy 😉
 
Yes, it would have been cruel but...

Erm... wasn't that the point of the whole thing? The First is merciless. It'll appear as the one person who'll freak you out most. Jesse should have been there. Tara should have been there. Half the graduating class should have shown up. Allan Finch. Lester Worth. That was part of what undermined the First as a bad guy. It appearred as who they could get, rather than who would have made sense.
 
That's a great point, Jill. I suppose, in that way, it would have certainly been more affecting to have Tara there than a silly stand in.

Still, I'm kind of glad my image of Tara didn't get dragged through the mud, even though I would've known that it wasn't really her.
 
I think it would have been waaaaaay more effective, just because it would have been Tara (Tara!) who never showed a mean bone in her body. Benson had no trouble playing a rather chilling evil Tara in Chaos Bleeds, and gleefully made some near-obscene threats to Willow...
 
hey, you're right, Jill. i totally forgot about the bad tara in chaos bleeds. nice catch.
 
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