Foreshadowing

[ItMustBeBunnies]

Is there anything that you can think of in Buffy or Angel that was said or happend earlier that when you look back on it, it really forshadows future events? even if the writters themselves didn't intend it? (probably could of worded that better!)

eg. Buffy in the Freshman "Cant wait to see mom get the bill for these books...I hope its a funny aneurysm"

Buffy and Spike in Something Blue - complete sexual obsession with eachother, completly unaware of the people around them who clearly need help.

 

[Mozzymandias]

The one that always springs to mind about foreshadowing for me is Faith and Little Miss Muffet referring to Dawn's arrival.

Faith: Oh yeah. - Miles to go - Little Ms. Muffet counting down from 7-3-0

The day the Graduation Day Pt. 2 aired was apparently 730 days before the airing of Buffy vs Dracula.

There's others but I can't think of any at the moment.

 

[Tueuse de Vampires]

eg. Buffy in the Freshman "Cant wait to see mom get the bill for these books...I hope its a funny aneurysm"

I don't get this one 🙁


The ones I like most are of course the references to Dawn, like my foreposter already wrote, at the end of s3. There was another one in the s4 finale, when Tara told Buffy to "be back before Dawn". From what I've read, Joss Whedon originally intended that scene for Eliza Dushku, so that would've been even cooler imo.
Another one is Xander dressed up as a pirate on halloween, with the eyepatch. That's the nonverbal kind of foreshadowing.
Those are the only ones I can think of right now, to be honest. Well, maybe I'm just too dumb to get them (like that Joyce one).

 

[Washburne]

Ok, I guess I have to mention it.


Willow: It's horrible! That's me as a vampire? I'm so evil and... skanky. And I think I'm kinda gay.
Buffy: Willow, just remember, a vampire's personality has nothing to do with the person it was.
Angel: Well, actually... That's a good point.

 

[Superstar]

There is so much foreshadowing in Buffy and Angel that it is truly frightening.
More so than in many serialized programs. Joss is not afraid to insert the hints in cryptically either, often as jokes, throw away lines or even a simple pan/lingering on a certain location. This is the same approach he has with Season 8 comics as well.
Ask yourself how many times the floor of the Library had a strange lingering shot taken as one simple example.
Strange, until you learn the Hellmouth is located at the very spot.

Want a scary game? Take a shot of tequila every time you recognize foreshadowing.
You won't remain conscious through the 1st season alone in a marathon back-to-back episode viewing.
Buffy had the distinction of having its 1st season completely filmed before even going on the air.
That gave Joss time for pick-ups to truly enhance the cohesion of story, which is not something many series have the luxury of.

You have to remember that the writers do get together to sketch out the overall plan for the coming season when the show is on hiatus (sometimes before hiatus). Contrary to what some people adamantly profess, they really aren't made up on the fly. Individual episode writing is something entirely different than the overall planned season arcs.

 

[palabravampiress]

Pretty much every time Dru spoke was foreshadowing. The one that sticks out for me is when she made Spike -- I guess they show this in Fool for Love -- and she said he was meant for something "effulgent." At the time, I thought she was only talking about the poem. Then came "Chosen."

 

[Fake Shemp]

my fav i think is xander as a pirate, i love all the buffy/faith coma/dream stuff

the show in general is fantastic for referencing itself ahead of time and behind time and when watched all at once you can play connect the dots.

 

[Kemy]

Xander joking about Willow possibly crushing on women in season 1.

Nearly everything in Restless, the nature and power of the Slayer, setting up a whole Hell of a lot for the next three seasons and even the nature of her power into season 8.

Xander's eye patch, wanting to be blind in Something Blue, being the one that "sees everything" in Potential, a line more or less repeated by Caleb as he takes his eye.

Jokes about Buffy and Spike dating or liking each other way back when they were still enemies.

 

[Bluebird]

I love all the cryptic foreshadowing in the dream Buffy has with Faith setting things up for years to come. I don't know if this is a big thing but if you notice when Faith while in Buffy's body is buying things with a credit card over the phone you hear her reading out the numbers. The expiry date on the card was the exact month and year that Buffy herself 'expired'.

 

[Fake Shemp]

everything in season 7 leads up to xanders eye.. i mean yeah theres the funny stuff before that.. but people keep saying lines in season 7 that make me kick myself for not guessing what was going to happen... no that i ever try to predict but it makes the show better and better each time

"no you dont see xander"
"you see with the eyes of love"
"maybe thats your power...seeing"

 

[InsaneMystic]

Don't have the exact quote (German version and all), but what stuck out for me is Cordy telling Giles - in Dead Man's Party, if I remember correctly - something along the lines of "one day, you'll wake up in a coma" - foreshadowing her own future in Angel's Jasmine arc and "You're Welcome".

 

[ItMustBeBunnies]

Another one for Xander, in Dead Man's Party when Buffy says to him "Its all fun and games until somebody loses an eye."

 

[Allycat]

When Giles asked Faith to infiltrate Gigi's estate in No Future For You, she said:

Hey, I likes me some kink, but if you think I’m going downtown on this chick, you chose the wrong chosen one.

That's definitely foreshadowing Batsu!

 

[Kemy]

Theres line from Giles in season 1 during one of the episodes, they're in the library and he refers to a "musical comedy version of all this", can't remember the exact exchange but, setting up OMWF? 😀
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Edit:
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Thanks Blondie Bear, couldn't quite remember it. 🙂

 

[T.I.P]

I like the bits in School hard where the cops talking to Snyder about the Mayor

 

[Tueuse de Vampires]

Okay, don't know if this counts as foreshadowing, but in Selfless Anya says "I should've died" and D'Hoffryn asnwers with "Oh, I wouldn't worry about that". That's some kind of foreshadowing, right?

 

[Mozzymandias]

In one of the Pylea episodes, I forgot which one is it since I just watched them all Fred talks to Angel about how we all have our demons in us. Kinda relates to Illyria and everything.

Also Groo and Cordy talk about how you need to be part demon to be able to cope with the pain of the visions. Which is directly related to the episode 'Birthday'

 

[Relic]

In Consequences in season three Willow goes on about what a bad person she is...

I have not saw season six yet, but isn't she the big bad?

If so, how poetic that her revalation aired in an episode called 'Consequence.'

 

[Kemy]

In Consequences in season three Willow goes on about what a bad person she is...

I have not saw season six yet, but isn't she the big bad?

If so, how poetic that her revalation aired in an episode called 'Consequence.'

Nope. The Trio are the Big Bad throughout season 6, Willow only goes evil for the last couple of episodes because of them but shes not the big bad so technically nope.

 

[Lindsey McDonald]

Nope. The Trio are the Big Bad throughout season 6, Willow only goes evil for the last couple of episodes because of them but shes not the big bad so technically nope.

The Trio were NEVER the "Big Bad". They never came close. Willow was subtly headed in that direction from the start. That's like saying The Beast was the "Big Bad" of season 4 of Angel, when it's quite clearly Jasmine.