Joss Whedon's cult television series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, may have subtly hinted at season 7's bad guy, Caleb (Nathan Fillion) all the way back in season 3.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a beloved show that ran for seven seasons from 1997-2003. Joss Whedon, who is known for developing and creating several other cult classic television shows, such as Firefly and Buffy's own spin-off series, Angel, had a knack for character creation that held a lot of foresight and thought. Other show runners of modern, prominent series like Ryan Murphy with American Horror Story have continued this trend, with hints being dropped throughout random points of the series, Easter eggs lovingly placed for fans, and breadcrumbs scattered to be collected at the end of each season. While Buffy the Vampire Slayer wasn't necessarily as intricate as some of Murphy's planning of his series, it's no secret that Whedon liked foreshadowing, and certainly left a lot of tidbits for his loyal fanbase of Buffy followers.
One potential clue that was dropped in season 3 involves one of the main antagonists of Buffy's final season. Caleb, a loyal henchman of The First Evil - the Big Bad of season 7 - ended up causing a lot of trouble for Buffy and her Scooby Gang; he was even responsible for tearing out one of Xander's eyes, which was a major plot twist of the season, even though Xander survived the attack. Ultimately, Buffy killed Caleb with a special scythe, which caused everyone to rally together for the big fight, finally feeling as if they had some sort of chance to win. However, Caleb's surprise entry in season 7 may have been predicted by a very small clue in season 3.
In season 3, episode 1, "Anne", Buffy finds herself in Los Angeles trying to find herself again after she sent Angel, her lover (who was, at the time, Angelus), to Hell. She is living in the city under her middle name, "Anne", and encounters two young people in the diner where she works. The young woman, who is going by a different name - Lily - is someone she recognizes from an earlier season, who had been part of a vampire-serving cult of young people who worshipped them and hoped they would be turned by them so they could stay young and beautiful forever. Lily - who at the time was Chanterelle - survived the attack by the vampires on the cult members. A conversation between the two women about their previous encounter reveals that Lily has made a habit of going from place to place trying to find herself, and was once part of a group of people who followed around a "loser preacher". At that time, she went by the name Sister Sunshine.
While only few details are known about Caleb's origin - he was a serial killer, and used to be a preacher before his title was stripped from him due to his outlandish beliefs that contorted religion - it's possible that the "loser preacher" mentioned by Lily was, in fact, Caleb. Though this information hasn't been confirmed by Nathan Fillion, Joss Whedon, or anyone in the cast, the connection of "Anne" being in season 3 also coincides with the very first appearance of The First Evil. The First Evil first appeared in season 3, episode 10, "Amends", and tried to convince Angel to take his own life. The First can appear as anyone who has died, and throughout its stint on the show, has adopted many faces - including Buffy's.
While The First seemed to be a one-off villain during its debut, there was always a lingering note of return to the First's exit; Buffy didn't defeat it by a long-shot, and for a show like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, that usually leaves the door open for a second showdown. While it's always possible that this connection is merely coincidental, it certainly puts a different spin on things and if nothing else, proves that Lily has been luckier than she thinks by cheating death and tragedy multiple times in the show's history.
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April 23, 2020 at 05:30AM
