Since I ended up feeling absolutely awful for the Burkles, without any meta-reservations, your issues didn't occur to me until you spelled them out just now.

I felt sad for everyone when the Burkles came to visit. People who genuinely liked Fred's folks couldn't bear to tell them Fred was dead, and they didn't know how to explain why that wasn't their daughter standing there. The Burkles didn't know that their hopes were baseless, and we just got to sit there and think about all the things that weren't going to happen because the world is not as it seems. Illyria may have been enjoying playing with the sub-creatures, but I think she also thought that she was doing something that Wes would approve of, making the Burkles happy that their daughter was doing well. It was one of those "this cannot end well, and there's just no fixing it" moments.

All of that seems incredibly clumsy. The goal was clearly just to get Illyria to imitate Fred, and surely there were simpler ways to get there.

I see what you mean, but don't completely agree. Yes, the Burkles dropping in without warning was awkward to the point of straining credibility, and yes the whole point was to bring the pain, but their presence made "Fred's" appearance particularly wrenching in this respect: Illyria wasn't pretending to be Fred to manipulate Wes nor to please him, which seem to me the most likely simpler ways to get there. Wesley not only had to see Fred, he also had to hold in his reaction while the Burkles were there, and he saw Illyria (try to) do something kind and considerate (by her standards at least), which further complicated his already tormented view of her. None of that answers your complaint about the treatment of the Burkles, but as a dramatic ploy I'm not sorry they did it. Granted, I was more than willing to give the show the benefit of the doubt when it came to giving AD spotlight moments. And I was probably less willing than I needed to be to appreciate whatever was good about the Spike spotlights. Which could have something to do with AD's near-unfailing ability to hit the right tone in his spotlights, something other than "HEY! Look at me! This is my big scene!"

It was interesing—and this hearkened back to Illyria's conversation with Wesley at the end of Shells—that it chose a method of avoiding/averting the Burkles' grief that involved some effort at the charade on its part rather than the much more pragmatic two seconds required to kill both of them and achieve the same end effect.

I like the watch n post idea. I would vote for starting with BtVS and pulling AtS at the appropriate time.

And I didn't hate Voyager. Enterprise, now, well that's a whole different story. It was hard for me to even give it a chance, the theme song was so bad. But even when I muted the theme, the suckitude was still there. Altogether disappointing.

If we are still expressing support for the watch'n'post, I thought it was a great idea, I just wasn't sure I would participate because I only own the first 10-12 episodes and I've rewatched them way too many times already. But I could borrow the DVDs from my SiL and come along. Once a month would be quite nice.

Peter David wraps up Cecily/Halfrek

It seems like I've read a fic like that. Or maybe just a theory.

In any case, it seems as if I should know who Peter David is, but I don't.

I'd be up for a re-watch and post too, especially since I was only around for AtS S5.

Count me in with those who intensely disliked TGiQ. The episode's only redeeming scenes were with AA/AD, for reasons already enumerated above.

Am I the only person who prefers AtS to BtVS? I'd be asking TPTB to re-fold back time and give me "Angel," though that would cause quite a conundrum if the show that begat it was never begotten. It's the show that pulled me lock, stock, and barrel into the universe.

I just wish the show would have ended with S4, plus something along the lines of "You're Welcome" and "Origins" to redeem Cordelia and Connor. Most of S5 did nothing for me, notwithstanding AA's incredible performance as Illyria. AtS felt very organic in characterization and plot (for the most part) from seasons 1-4, and S5 was sterile with few flashes of brilliance. I get the writers wanted to show where one ends up once he/she succumbs to the daily grind of life, but they ended up removing what makes most people get up in the morning, the idea of family and friends.

edit: Damn apostrophes popping up where they don't belong.

Am I the only person who prefers AtS to BtVS?

Not by a long shot.