Cindy, I'm doing the same thing. Just watched "Faith, Hope & Trick" last night. I love Giles all the time and this ep just confirms that love, "There is no spell." Also, nice foreshadowing of Willow's magic problems.

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We might have caught a minor continuity error in Choices. When the courier first arrives at the airport, he's looking for the Mayor. He expected the Mayor to meet him, with the money, personally. The lackey vamp has a briefcase with him, and says he's got the guy's money, right there. Later, when Faith returns to City Hall with the Box of Gavrok, the Mayor asks what happened to the courier, and notes that he was supposed to pay him. He takes out an envelope that appears to hold said payment, as he's saying he was supposed to pay him. Faith takes it, and then replies that she made the courier and offer he couldn't survive. I don't usually note those things. And I am surprised I noted one after all this time.

How is that a continuity error? (I may not have had enough coffee yet, so any explanations will help greatly.)

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P-C, my Bronze handle was Xanderella. My kids were on a big Cinderella-watching kick by the time I finally de-lurked, and I found myself singing the theme song all the time: "Cinderella, you're as lovely as your name." When you're named Cynthia, but everyone calls you Cindy, you also get called Cinderella a lot (as well as Cindy Lou, and Cindy Lou Who). While I was lurking at the Bronze, I found myself singing "Xanderella, you're as lovely as your name," and thought, why not? Besides, the image of Xander in a Cinderella blue ball gown made me chuckle. I was hoping that in either Fear Itself or All the Way that I'd get a shout out by way of Xander's costuming, but it was never to be. *sniff*

Cindy, I'm doing the same thing. Just watched "Faith, Hope & Trick" last night. I love Giles all the time and this ep just confirms that love, "There is no spell."

Amen. ChiKat, as you progress through season three, watch how Buffy and Giles' relationship really gains some beautiful depth, once he's no longer officially her watcher. That he remains on the job and on the Hellmouth, after the Council fires him over the cruciamentum, and puts up with Wesley speaks volumes. They really develop a different facet of their friendship. It's just wonderful.

And really? It's all set up in Dead Man's Party, in that gorgeous scene when Buffy first returns and the kids bring her by his apartment. The tea kettle whistles, and he goes into his kitchen. The look of relief on his face says so much.

Also, nice foreshadowing of Willow's magic problems.

Oh, yeah. I've been noticing that. I think that's why I found some of the execution of her fall in season six (specifically the magic addiction, and how far behind it left the realm of metaphor) so disappointing. Her turn to the dark side was set up so well, and for so long.

Last week, while we were away, we didn't have any season 3 with us. I have random Buffy tapes at the cottage, and I did have a tape that included Fear Itself. Both Oz and Buffy are quite alarmed by her magic use. Does anyone know whether or not Seth's departure put off Willow's fall by a year or two? It seems like early season four was setting it up to happen later that season.

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How is that a continuity error? (I may not have had enough coffee yet, so any explanations will help greatly.)

Not continuity over the course of the series--just in this episode. The Mayor didn't go to the airport. The vamp who met the courier at the airport had the means to pay the courier in a briefcase. When Faith arrives in the Mayor's office, that vamp does not come in with her. He remains in the limo (Buffy beats info about the Box of Gavrok out of him). The Mayor is alone when Faith enters his office. He has an envelope that seemingly contains the payment, and comments that he had to pay him.

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The Mayor is alone when Faith enters his office. He has an envelope that seemingly contains the payment, and comments that he had to pay him.

I saw that as the payment the vamp had for the courier was for the box. The payment the Mayor had was for the vamp's service in picking up the box.

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I just checked the scr ipt. It seems to support my interpretation.

PAN UP as he crosses the tarmac. The COURIER is an unsavory sort -- a serpent tattoo staining half of his face, pockmarked skin, bad Hawaiian shirt.

SWING AROUND as the Courier stops in front of one of the Mayor's vampire lackeys who waits near a limousine. The VAMP-LACKEY holds a briefcase.

COURIER
He in the car?

VAMP-LACKEY
(opening the car door)
No. I'll take you to him.

The Courier kicks the car door closed.

COURIER
The Mayor was supposed to be
here in person. With the money.

VAMP-LACKEY
(showing him the briefcase)
Got it right here.

COURIER
Uh huh. Well, the price just went
up. I don't like surprises.

(yada yada Faith kills him) ...

END OF ACT ONE
Act Two
EXT. CITY HALL - NIGHT

The street's damp and empty. The quiet suddenly broken by a car turning onto it. Stepping out from the shadows, across the street, is

BUFFY, who watches as the limousine pulls up in front of city hall and comes to a stop.

BUFFY'S P.O.V. - Faith gets out of the car, carrying the ornate box. She tucks it under her arm, takes a quick look around, then climbs the steps and enters the building. The limo then pulls into an adjoining alley-way.

ON BUFFY, as she quickly checks the coast and starts off across the street.

INT. MAYOR'S OFFICE - DAY

Faith enters the Mayor's office, box in hand. Gleeful, the Mayor jumps from his seat and takes it from her.

MAYOR
Hey ho! There it is.

The Mayor places the box on his desk, turns as he withdraws an envelope from his jacket pocket.

MAYOR (cont'd)
What happened to the courier?
I'm supposed to pay him.

Faith slips the envelope full of money back into the Mayor's jacket.

FAITH
I made him an offer he couldn't survive.

A beat as the Mayor gets her meaning. Then he grins.

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I still don''t see how that is a continuity error, since even reading, I take this scene the way ChiKat did.

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When I first went to the Bronze (and my first lurk was at the linear side), I was all set to post as "Closet Buffyholic" and when it was taken, I was so sad.

That is my all time favorite "I wish I had been there sooner and grabbed that posting name" name. That a lawgeeker got it is some consolation.

my Bronze handle was Xanderella.

I loved that name, too.

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On this line of the Mayor's:

What happened to the courier? I'm supposed to pay him.

I read that as Vamp-Lackey=courier.

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I read that as Vamp-Lackey=courier.

The problem with that reading is that the script distinguishes between the lackey and the courier, specifically, and that's who the Mayor refers to, specifically. If the mayor was not referring to the courier, the script would have said, "Fred, the Vampire-Lackey" and the Mayor would have said, "hey, where's Fred?"

One could wank it by saying that the lackey's briefcase was empty. But I think Cindy's right.

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