Okay, humans and Pylean humans. Not necessarily humans and the greens guys. Although we do know that some demons can interbreed with humans, like Doyle's parents for example.

No, no. The Groosalug had "cow blood", implying that he, himself, was half-human half-Pylean. So some sort of non-cow Pylean could interbreed with the humans, else there would be no Groo.

See, I think you've got it totally arse-about-face. The problems start when ME started trying to second-guess. Somewhere in Buffy S4, and in Angel S3, they started pandering. The fans like Spike. The fans like flashbacks. The fans like the big arcs. Hey! Let's bring darla back!

I thought the Groosulag was meant to be a kind of mutant wasn't he? When he was doing the whole "look at my big manly mis-shapen arms, the foul turn of my grotesque mouth, the beastly hue of my glinting eyes" and all that.

See, I think you've got it totally arse-about-face. The problems start when ME started trying to second-guess. Somewhere in Buffy S4, and in Angel S3, they started pandering. The fans like Spike. The fans like flashbacks. The fans like the big arcs. Hey! Let's bring darla back!

I'm don't think that's it. They already had gone the big angst route in season 2, and liked it. There's only so many ways you can do that without just piling on new characters, so I think retro-fitting was what they thought they had to do.

I am curious what they decided when, though. I know I've heard intimations that Mr. Trick was supposed to be more important season 3 than he turned out to be, due to actor issues (non-specific, but that's what I read), not unlike Lindsey Crouse wanting out of 4. So was Faith always going to go bad, or was that something that grew out of the character? Was the mayor always going to be the ultimate big bad (even though on the gut level it was Faith who was the ultimate big bad for Buffy) so prominently?

Well, the pattern (medium bad in first part of the season, shocking Big Bad in the second) was established in S2 and continued (arguably) to S6 (Spike/Angelus, Trick/Faith, Initiative/Adam, Glory/Buggerthatdoesn't work, Trio/Willow). But yeah, that's an interesting question - they'd been establishing the Mayor as a force in S2, so I guess he was always going to be a player, but it's hard to see what other function Faith could have performed. Which is not meant to sound as porny as it does.

Glory/Buggerthatdoesn't work

Hee hee hee.

I know I've heard intimations that Mr. Trick was supposed to be more important season 3 than he turned out to be

Aw, man, I really liked him. And I saw him onstage in Art.

I know I've heard intimations that Mr. Trick was supposed to be more important season 3 than he turned out to be

I wish he had been. He had great potential. I know that he had to be gone for Faith to step in, but couldn't he have left town with a "live to fight another day" speech.

Ooh, K. Todd Freeman? I've loved everything he did, from a Miss Chardonnay turn on Sisters to the partner to Hank Azaria's fed in Grosse Pointe Blank, with a stopoff as a junkie on NYPD Blue. I hated when they dusted him. Waste of a good villain.

I know that he had to be gone for Faith to step in, but couldn't he have left town with a "live to fight another day" speech.

And that would have been quite in line with his character, too. I can definitely see Trick saying, "Cause, ascension, whatever" and skipping out.