Fiona, certainly the group I was with was well-satisfied by the episode, and were greatly hopeful about the season to come. There were also some very neat surprises in this show that it is indeed better to not be spoiled about. (Thanks to every Spoiler Whore on this board for their forebearance in dropping hints and guarding against outright blurting-out!)

I find myself hoping that (a) Season 7 really is the final season; and (b) the show goes out on a high.

I agree, Angus. 7 seasons does seem to be something like a healthy lifespan for most shows. It'd be awful for Buffy to go the Friends/ER/insert-your-show-here route and become a shadow of its former self.

Thanks, Connie! I'm looking forward to it even more now! (And - unspoiled so far, touch wood).

I'm of mixed feelings, because I'm personally still enjoying the show and it's hard to say bye to that... but I've seen enough shows continue far beyond their period of creative innovation, and also I think 7 years is about as long as you should reasonably ask an actor to continue in a role OR have to work the insano hours that a weekly TV series entails.

Ideally, I'd love to see some sort of successor series set in the same universe, for which surviving cast members can occasionally show up for well-paid and fun guest appearances.

Ideally, I'd love to see some sort of successor series set in the same universe, for which surviving cast members can occasionally show up for well-paid and fun guest appearances.

Deep Hellmouth Nine?

I'd love to see some sort of successor series set in the same universe

Like, um....Angel?

Well, Angel shows that the Jossverse is strong enough for a spinoff to work. It also shows, for me, how to make a good spinoff: by being different. Angel works, when it works, because it's not "Buffy Goes to Hollywood".

Whiting is probably a regional name for a particular fish as yet determined.

King George Whiting is caught in a number of places off the South Australian coast and is scrumptious. Not sure how many types of whiting there are but there's a few.

ita, that's exactly what I thought of when whiting came up.

I am wholly against boiled fish, which is revolting

It's something of a summer specialty in Door County (resorty area in Wisconsin), fish boils. They involve enormous tanks of water, like oil drum size, into which is thrown big chunks of fish, potatoes, carrots, I think maybe cabbage, etc., then they do something that makes the whole thing flame up. Yummm.

But I would never try to boil fish at home, that just seems odd.

Fish fries are almost compulsory on Friday nights in Wisconsin, but it's not the same as brit-style F&C.

Shrimp can be boiled. With potatoes, and corn, and Old Bay seasoning. mmmmmm.

I suppose on this thread I should call them "prawns". But I won't.

What does a winkle pin look like?