Hell, maybe this is all an illusion and Buffy is bat-sh*t crazy insane, like we saw in 'Normal Again.'
This is the difference between Whedon then and now. Personally, I loved every episode of the Buffyverse, and the only three issues I had were Connor/Cordy pairing, Drugged up Willow, and Dawn's mystical appearance. With Dawn, it just wasn't a groundbreaking concept, to the contrary, it's an old concept mocked by most writers with integrity--suddenly bringing in a younger character to spice things up (most famously, and before my time, "Cousin Oliver" on the
Brady Bunch, and pretty much every sitcom passed its prime).
And Connor/Cordy was just absurd, arguably worse when we found out that Jasmine raped Cordy's mind and body. And I just didn't like drugged up Willow. But even with those three concepts, I didn't complain, as I figured they'd resolve themselves (and they did to some extent).
I've been one of BS8's biggest fans from day one (well two months into its run). And for the first time ever, I think Joss has taken turns which he won't be able to fix without a big reboot.
1.) Satsu - I don't think he's ever given a character such shabby treatment. He certainly was more fair to Riley, and Spike & Angel are no contest in comparison.
2.) Public Vampires - it may be the newest thing, but it just hasn't worked for the Buffyverse. It's not remotely believable that the general public wouldn't be going through mass hysteria trying to exterminate them.
3.) Buffy & Angel are ruined barring major explanations.
re:
AndrewC on IDW's AI, Joss and even Chris Ryall (IDW) have implied that all characters are up for grabs for both companies as long as the titular character is the one owned by the publishing company. Giles found out about Illyria from Day One, it's sheer stupidity he isn't trying to recruit the most powerful Champion into this fight.
