I bet she feels about wrap parties like I feel about my office Christmas party.

Exactly. Gods know there's been more than one closing-night party that I really haven't wanted to go to because I knew everyone would be all sad and weepy about the show closing while I was so very over the show and looking forward to/working on my next project. I can only imagine what it would be like after a 7-year run.

I bet she feels about wrap parties like I feel about my office Christmas party.

That's exactly the comparison I thought of, Sophia. You couldn't drag me to those things.

My Kremlinology on SMG suggests the following: She's very private and values her privacy; she can be a bit cool and standoffish; She's not cold and bitchy though; She has formed some close friendships with fellow cast members, particularly with AH early on (then there seems to have been some kind of falling out), and with MT later; She's still friends with Seth because he's had her on Robot Chicken several times; She's very professional on the set and took her responsibility as the star very seriously; That this was in part a reaction to dealing with Susan Lucci's more insanely abusive divas gestures; DB, Charisma and Marc Blucas all specifically noted how generous she was in teaching them the craft of TV acting which was new to them; that there was a breech between her and Joss towards the end of the run; that she pissed off DB by not appearing in Angel when he'd specifically come back for BtVS; that except for MT she was pretty cool with the rest of the cast in the last couple seasons; but that she also had a bit of a renewal in her relationship with Nick towards the end and advocated having larger roles for him (at a time when the writing staff felt like his drinking was an issue and they were reluctant to give Xander a big arc).

Those are the bits I remember. Also, having watched the outtakes (at least from the early seasons), you see that she's very focused but definitely has fun on the set with her co-actors. You appreciate the full implications of her professionalism as a positive, instead of seeing it as a coded word for "kinda cold."

I liked Dad and Provider and Angel being a dad. So there.

Maybe the Angel being a dad choice (which I thought strange but was okay with) was something that the writer(s) needed to say. Buffy was all about adolescence from the adolescent's perspective. Yes, we get Joyce and Giles but only glimpses of how they feel. The Connor thing let us see adolescence from a parent's perspective. You have this sweet darling baby that you love madly and to whom you are all the world, and then WHAM! one day you have this pubescent monster that you barely recognize and who resents you. You love him just as much as you ever did, but you can't connect with him. It's a way over the top metaphor, of course, but there's some truth to it. By the way, I can't say much about favorite episodes, but one of my favorite moments is Angel shouting, "I love you" even as Connor is sealing him in his watery tomb. Melodramatic? Yes, but authentic. That's what parents do and DB was great.

David's Kremlinology is close to my own. I also like her. I like her and feel for her. I suspect I read some of the same things Joss said about SMG that Strega read, and I remember reading uber catty things AH said about SMG (I think in the foreign press) . SMG rose in my estimation after, because I have never heard her air dirty laundry.

I left a job I'd had for about 7 years, to have Ben. There were people there I loved (like would breakdown if they died), people I liked, people I tolerated, and people I never wanted to see again in my life. I couldn't wait to get the heck out of there, even with the love. I also know, from learning about how much Kristen Bell works, that SMG must have worked her bony little fanny off, starring in an hour long serial drama for seven years, so I can see where she might have had less time or inclination to socialize.

From what I recall, Fury never had anything but lovely things to say about SMG, and from what I recall, Fury's never been much of an eggshell-walker, so that's influenced my opinion, as well.

Plus? People love to hate pretty little blondes.

I remember reading uber catty things AH said about SMG

Yeah. Somewhere early in Angel's run I realized that there seemed to be multiple stories about how so-and-so was so mean to Allison Hannigan. Most of them rooted in quotes from Hannigan. And I thought, "Y'know, maybe the problem isn't with all these other people."

This is why I don't really need to know stories about actors. Unless they involve inflatable Daleks.

Yeah, SMG would have had more and longer days than any of the other actors. Making a film or a TV show can be grueling, with very early mornings. And getting into makeup and costume is no picnic, even when your makeup is simple and involves no prosthetics. If I starred in a TV show for seven years, I can see how I would be done with that project and ready for the next one before I was even off the lot on the last day of shooting.

I just read the first issue of Season 8.

t smug