Theory about Amber Bensons Future Appearance in the Opening

[Unregistered(d)]

Tara has been a full fledged scooby since she realized that Faith-in-Buffy wasn't Buffy and helped to conjure the device to switch Buffy back to her own body, IMO.
Leaving Tara out of the credits and out of a few episodes may be a classic case of mis-direction. While the audience is focusing on Willow-Tara something else may occur.
Why didn't Buffy want Giles to buy the Magic Box? Because the owners have the life expectancy of a Spinal Tap drummer(?). Anya is now running the store.
What if it is Anya that is non-essential, she leaves which opens a spot in the opening credits?

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Willow: ...or-or to do that thing with your mouth that boys like.
Buffy snaps her head around at Willow and gives her a shocked look.

I

[Unregistered(d)]

Well I think the theory [I've got a theory..hehe can't resist] is a good one, very good. Whether it turns out to be true or not is something else but the planning of it is great nonetheless. Everyone here has good tidbits to add and the only way we're going to find out is to wait and see. [Though, i'm holding on to the Tara-saves-the-day type scheme or something similar]

Zera

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SO: Okay, last question. What advice would you give to someone who gets their brains sucked out?
AB: Um ... eat a lot of apple sauce, preferably fed to you by attractive young lesbians.

I

[Unregistered(d)]

yes blixxt! that makes perfect sense. and namaste, those are also really good points. i agree with both of you whole-heartedly. Amber certainly deserves to be in the opening credits from the way that her role has been progressing over the past few episodes. But if she were a series regular, Joss wouldn't have been able to make her disappear for a few episodes, which I think makes a lot of sense if he needs the show to progress in a certain way.

I'll just keep believing that anyway!

~la

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It's fascinating to think that all around us there's an invisible world we can't even see. I'm speaking, of course, of the World of the Invisible Scary Skeletons.

I

[Unregistered(d)]

quote:

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Originally posted by Blixxt:
Marc Blucas wasn't in every Season 4 episode, he was missing from several in the beginning. But halfway through he showed up in the credits, and was in every episode since. The same thing happened with James Marster that season as well.

The point of my theory isn't that Amber Benson is going to suddenly appear in all 22 episodes. It's that after she's gone for a hiatus to advance the current storyline, she's going to appear in the rest and *then* be placed in the credits. Now, in order for this to work Amber would then have to want to be in all 22 episodes *next* season...

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Oh? Look at Marc's episode record. He joined the regulars crowd in S4E11, and departed after S5E10.

That's 22 episodes total. Not across a full season, but still the magic 22.

Conclude what you will.

[This message has been edited by Kalita (edited November 20, 2001).]

I

[Unregistered(d)]

Thanks for posting that! Not only does that make sense, it also makes me feel better about Amber's and W/T's futures

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Tara: I am, you know.
Willow: What?
Tara: Yours.

I

[Unregistered(d)]

As I understand it, being in the credits doesn't mean you have to physically *be* in each episode; it just means that they have to *pay* you for every episode, whether you are in it or not.

Charisma Carpenter hasn't been on the last two eps of Angel, but they're having to pay her just as though she'd been there.

I'm willing to ask about this if someone thinks I'm full of it -- this isn't one of the parts of TV 101 that I've paid the most attention to, but I'm pretty sure that it's accurate.

edited, again, because of the extra quotage. I've dumped my cache and temp files -- any other ideas what might be doing this?
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--
Kamil
Gunn: "I mean, who has time for love when you're out there doing it with the demons...and didn't that just come out sad and wrong."
"Heartthrob" Angel

[This message has been edited by Kamil (edited March 26, 2002).]

I

[Unregistered(d)]

Kamil, you need to edit your profile on novogate. It's your sig that keeps coming up.

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You know I've been through hell...Joss can't you see, there'll be nothing left of me. You made me believe...

I

[Shinnen]

heh heh... that's really funny how you put it. I was laughing...after so much tragedy.

[Unregistered(d)]

anyone wanna venture a guess as to the significance of amber being in the opening credits tonight?

[Scout]

Personally, it feels like a tribute a one-shot deal. It will be interesting to see if she appears in the credits for any of the remaining shows. Im guessing she won't, but well just have to wait and see.

[xita]

she's have to be in 21 for me to believe this is anything more than a slap in the face.

[Scout]

I agree Xita. When I said 'tribute' I meant their idea of a 'tribute.' We know she should have been in the credits years ago, so adding her now for one ep would be about as low as you can go.

[xita]

Yeha what I was saying is that credits in 20 is not good enough. I'd have to see it for 21. Sadly I am pretty sure she'll only be in 19.

[Dave V]

Absolutely, Xita. If this is a one-shot deal, it's just a "Thanks, so long, and make sure you close the door when you go."

[eccentrictulip]

this is my new favorite thread. LOVE that theory....(it could be bunnies!)

[willow vixen]

i really hope that this is a long term thing for Amber being in the opening credits...cuz that would mean that there's definitly Amber in every ep.

but if this is a one time deal...then GRR ARRGH to ME.

any words on the future of Amber's contract?

[Hemiola]

Being unable to speculate as to what is in AB's contract, and not knowing what her future role on the show will be, why can't we just assume that this was a nice way for ME [i:e1c88c391c] to pay her a little more money[/i:e1c88c391c] for an episode.

If what I have heard is correct, "credit-listed regulars" get paid more than "recurring characters" or "guest stars". And while it's true that we would like to think that the cast members do what they do out of "dedication to the art" or "commitment to the role", the fact is that they do it to earn a living, so there's no reason to assume that AB would not have heartily welcomed such a gesture.

[xita]

The credits don't have anything to do with money. It wasn't nice it was a slap in the face. A regular contract would have gotten her more money. That is the one thing they refused to give her. It's not nice, not at all. IT was a ploy to extract extra pain from unspoiled viewers.

[Katharyn]

I am not quite certain that was the intention. Despite it all I am willing to concede that depending on the circumstances of Tara/Ambers future role with the show there may have been one, or more, considerations at play.

- A genuine tribute... genuinely meant. I can believe that if BTVS is finished with Amber.

- An attempt at damage control after the effect of the story was considered (assuming T will be back at all.)

- An attempt to give viewers hope and thus pull those who might have stopped watching back for future eps at little cost... even if T will not return. (A different form of damage control)

- An attempt to sucker the viewer into deeper shock and pain as a result of the last minutes of the ep.

Clearly two of these are mutually exclusive... but I am willing to believe that one or more could be at work here. "oh yeah that is a good idea and it will also...."

The fact is though that no matter how it was intended it [b:3f8bcdf480]appears[/b:3f8bcdf480] to be a slap in the face given the failure to put Amber in the credits earlier after a lot of exceptional work. It is the message that people are going to take away with them... just like the death itself. At best that speaks volumes for ME's ability to read the fans. But then so does the whole story line.

No matter how it was meant... no not nice at all.

Katharyn
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[Cicca]

I've decided that she's in the credits now because she's going to be a full cast member until the show goes off the air. Does that mean I'm truly, positively nuts? I really hope not. I want my Amber TV! Amber on Buffy. And I want Amber getting more money so she can make all the indie films she wants. Yeah.
Am I asking for too much?

It was a thrill to see that name in that font... We've had "Amber Benson as Tara" for far too long. Her name should've been in the opening credits long before last night.

[WebWarlock]

If it was a tribute they would have done it after "Family".
If it was done to reasure us then they would have done it for "Tough Love".

But it was done last night to extract that extra bit of pain. Joss even mentioned he wanted to put someone in the main credits and kill them in the same episode. He says this on the season 1 DVDs.

Well fucker you got your wish.

Warlock.

[VampNo12]

At first I thought Amber in the opening credits was ME's attempt at a "goodbye gift" to Amber, a thanks for being on the show. Now however, I think its ME's attempt to confuse viewers, and hold on to any surprises they may have for the season finale. In other words, I believe Amber will actually remain in the credits through 22, and with this in mind, will allow the show ambiguity (ie is she really dead, coming back in some other form, or gone for good). However, I agree with Xita that she needs to be in 21, in order for my theory to hold water, I guess will have to wait and see.

[weevoice(d)]

Hi everyone,

I happen to know Joss and the ME crowd somewhat (not well enough to be able to suss out a lot though) and there're a couple of things that might be useful to mention.

Re: appearance in the credits bing a slap in the face for Amber. I HIGHLY doubt it. Amber is a friend of Joss's (as is Ally), not just an employee or an extra. So let's put that one to rest. Amber, like Emma, isn't terribly committed to acting, hence her appearance and disappearance throughout the show. But I don't know how SHE feels about this turn of events. I'm a little surprised, but I'd heard comments about her wanting to move on and away from TV acting.

Now as for this being the way to write her out of the storyline, well THAT is another story entirely. And of course, it was a heartbreaking episode.

[Unregistered(d)]

Hi there, I'm just dropping by from another board to say this:

I'm from a Spikecentric sort of board, but I thought you Kiitten's might want to know that we are pulling for AB to be brought back next year.

I was wondering how you all felt about Amber being in the opening credits. I hope that it is as a hopeful sign to her fans that she will in fact be returning, if not this year...then somehow, she'll be back next season.

We're pulling for you...and we're thinking of you guys!!

Take care, take heart....let's hope for reasons to hope

I'm sorry that Mutant Enemy has hurt any of you in anyway.

shade

[xita]

Amber never said she wanted to leave the show and has def expressed regret at not being a regular.

[Elianna]

weevoice said:
[quote:088930af17][b:088930af17][i:088930af17]Quote:[/i:088930af17][/b:088930af17]

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Re: appearance in the credits bing a slap in the face for Amber. I HIGHLY doubt it.

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[/quote:088930af17]
Maybe some people felt it was a slap in the face for Amber, but I think most people felt that it was against US, her fans. But I agree with Zita, as I've said before on the discussion page for SR, if Tara doesn't come back, if this appearance in the credits was a one shot deal, then I really would think that ME feels nothing for their fans.

[urnofosiris]

Thank you Shade that is very kind of you to say. Ditto.

As for Amber and the credits. I will stick by what I heard her say myself to our faces. She wanted to be in the credits. She could have been a regular from the start of the season. She should have been. Now it feels like an insult to us, if not to her. Even if they meant it has an hommage and not a ploy to make the ending a greater "surprise" I cannot get the bad taste out of my mouth that they chose to put her in the credits in the very ep they blow her character away in.

[Eric tr]

I was thinking on my way to class today about Amber being in the credits for last night's episode. We know that she is in 'Villains' as well and she is listed in TV Guide as being in 'Grave' (although I'm taking that bit of info with a grain of salt). We also know that 'Two to Go' and 'Grave' are airing back to back. Yesterday I read an interview of either Marti or Joss (I can't remember where, sorry!) that they were recutting 'Two to Go' and 'Grave' so that it would be more like one two-hour episode. If that is true, then they are only going to have opening credits at the beginning of the two hours. If Amber is in 'Grave', then it is possible she could be listed in the opening credits for the season finale even though she isn't in the first hour at all.

I'm crossing my fingers...

[Elianna]

DrG, thanks for putting much more succinctly and elegantly what I was trying to say. Your thoughts are much more organized than mine are.

[TyRex316]

I have to say Amber in the credit's for one episode was yet another slight to her fans. Just like including all the 'make up' sex scenes in the same ep they killed her in. To make sure as many of her fans as possible watched the show and were just as devasted if not more so when she was shot.