do we have to skew the fact that it's KNOWN that they wanted to kill Oz eventually and also that it's KNOWN that, barring that, Joss sure wanted to bring Tara back and Amber said "no"?

In a word: No. Saying "this is how it would have played out" doesn't affect what was shown onscreen one iota. Also, I thought he wanted to bring Tara's ghost back as the First, not actually resurrect the character. Even if she had appeared as a ghost, I wouldn't count that as a resurrection.

There have been authoritative-sounding rumors (unconfirmed by Joss, so far as I know) that Tara would have been physically resurrected by the end of Season 7 had Amber signed on for that storyline.

And Fred, rather than Wesley or Gunn or Knox, had to be Illyria's victim so that Illyria could be the hot exotic goddess that she is. Girl gods are prettier. This makes perfect sense in my mind.

Although I quite liked "Time Bomb," I sorta wish I'd had the chance to see what some of the early spoilers made of the episode's plot: Angel and Illyria bouncing from one alternate timeline to another, and seeing the results of differences in the way events played out. My impression was that there might have been several different Illyria hosts seen, depending on who happened to lean over its sarcophagus in each timeline.

I read somewhere, in some interview, something to the effect of "I had this plan to bring Tara back and I pitched it to Amber and was very excited about it and it was going to be beautiful and heartwarming and she basically just said "No, Joss." So then I did this thing with Kennedy turning into Warren instead."

But, I don't remember when he said that.

"I had this plan to bring Tara back and I pitched it to Amber and was very excited about it and it was going to be beautiful and heartwarming and she basically just said "No, Joss." So then I did this thing with Kennedy turning into Warren instead."

I am actually really glad she said no, if that's true. Not that I adore Kennedy, but it would have made the whole Dark!Willow storyline meaningless if Tara came back in the end. And that storyline was one of the best things about S6.

I treasure the occasions when dead means dead.

I am actually really glad she said no, if that's true.

On this topic, Lyra Jane is me.

but you've got Glory down as 'g'

D'oh. I noticed that earlier, but I thought I fixed it before I put it up. Yeah, Glory should have an E. But Ben should, too. Glory talks him into trading Dawn's life for his own in Weight of the World. He's probably more utterly selfish than evil, but I'd never call him a good guy.

It's true. Joss specifically mentions it in the Chosen commentary - he says after that he decided to go for the anti-Tara; as in Kennedy. which would have been fine had he been around to stop her being an annoying posh remake of S3 Faith without the grit or the sex.

annoying posh remake of S3 Faith without the grit or the sex.

So what bits of Faith did he keep, other than the brown hair?

So what bits of Faith did he keep, other than the brown hair?

The Want take have attitude springs to my mind.

I read somewhere, in some interview, something to the effect of "I had this plan to bring Tara back and I pitched it to Amber and was very excited about it and it was going to be beautiful and heartwarming and she basically just said "No, Joss." So then I did this thing with Kennedy turning into Warren instead."

I saw somewhere recently, and I cannot remember where, that Joss said he planned on doing a story that would involve Buffy getting one absolute wish fulfilled, and at the end of the episode we'd see Buffy in a new pair of shoes and Buffy would be raving about how they're what she's always wanted her whole life, and Willow would go "you wasted your wish on shoes?" and Buffy would go, "no silly, turn around" and there would be Tara.