Dangling plotlines and loose ends ( lets try and tie them up)

[nerd4hire]

Yeah there's a lot of plot holes in the season, and sadly I have to make up my own plot devices to fill the void.

Me too. I've had some time to ponder these questions now and I think I've been able to answer them to myself in a way I find satisfactory.

Here's my offerings.

1. Q. Who put the talisman in the bathroom?

A. Does it really matter? There were a lot of options: Spike, a bringer, a demon in human form such as we saw in First date, a corrupted human such as the cops in Empty Places. No matter which one it was, the fact that they put the talisman in the bathroom isn't really important to the continuity of the story. There are time constraints in writing a 1 hour episode series. Sometimes you can still accept the validity of the storyline without having some things explained. I think this is a case of that.

2. Q. What did the ghost of Joyce mean in CWDP when she said to Dawn "Buffy won't choose you?"

A. Joss Whedon has put CWDP on his list of 10 favourite episodes. I'm going to assume from this he takes the episode and the questions raised by it seriously. Shortly after the writing of CWDP the title of the final episode was changed from Parthogenesis to Chosen. The title "Chosen" can be appreciated on multiple levels. On one of those levels we can say the people fighting the final battle have been chosen. When Buffy had Xander abduct Dawn, it meant Buffy wasn't going to "choose Dawn".

CDWP is about the First trying to weaken Buffy's power by denying her support from her family and friends. This support is important in the Buffyverse. It is a continuing theme in BTVS. When the Guardian says to Buffy "You have other weapons", she is talking about Buffy's family and friends.

The real Joyce would have wanted Buffy to go into the final battle as strong as possible.

When Buffy has Dawn abducted she is not "choosing her". The ghost of the real Joyce in CWDP didn't want that to happen.

Q. What are the rules governing who the First can appear as?

A. Originally I thought this could be explained by a person dying and his soul passing into the next world. The First would have access to it there and make a copy.

This doesn't make sense, though. Glory is immortal. Adam didn't have a soul. A copy of Spike's soul would have given us William.

Here's my new theory.

When a living thing parts this dimension it leaves an echo. This echo includes all actions ever created by that life force. The First can clarify that echo to appear real. Depending on how much energy it wants to devote to the image, the First in it's living form can almost appear to touch corporeal objects.

Q. What did Beljoxa's Eye mean when it told Giles and Anya, the slayer was responsible for creating the First's new opportunity?

A. I posted a possible answer to this in another thread. I think it's an answer that deserves consideration, so I'll post it again.

Unknown to everyone at the time a magic sythe exists. It has the power to cut through any demon, but that isn't it's most important power. It can release the power of the slayer line.

When Buffy comes back from the dead it creates this power, because now 2 slayers exist at the same time meaning the restriction created by the watchers of only 1 slayer at the same time no longer applies. The power can now be passed immediately to any and all she designates. The first was going kill the potentials and release the slayer power to it's own supplicants.

This is why the First didn't want to kill Buffy. It wanted to control her. It needed her to direct the power. This also explains why the First didn't want to kill Spike. The First was working on the assumption Spike was the way to Buffy. Perhaps the idea was for Spike to sire Buffy. Who but Spike could get close enough to do it? The First tryed with Angel in Amends, but it didn't work