And yup. The Devil card - and to a less extent the portayal of Angel on the Temperance - is what makes me so positive to this project. I think they seem to really know what they are doing, both Tarot- and Buffy-wise.

Also, thanks for reminding me to re-read Fray! Only read it once, in a hurry, two years ago or so, before I’d even watched all of Buffy. And all four reads like a clear indication that a re-read might be advantegous.

“If you say so.”
A quick wikisearch backs up my vague memories of what it stands for, listing these common key phrases in connection to the Devil-card:

Materialism —– Ignorance —– Stagnation —– Self bondage
Lust —– Egoism —– Obsession —– Anxiety
Anger —– Hedonism —– Passion —– Animal instincts
Sexuality —— Temptation —– Lack of faith —– Vice
Futility —– Physical attraction —– Pessimism —– Mistakes

With the possible exception of “Ignorance”, that, to me, seems like the best condensate of the relationship Buffy-Spike in seson 6 I’ve ever seen - and it works from both of their perspectives too. If the other cards are as clever, I’ll be very impressed. (They might not be, though - if the Death-one is, it’s going way over my head, I’ve no idea what that’s supposed to be beyond the obvious change-metaphors with the sunset and the road into it and the river in the back)

“And as for the Death card, I agree. Thought it looked like Faith at first glance, but don’t any longer. It could of course just be an anonymous Slayer, meant to represent that the empowerment of the Potentials is coming to its end, but it doesn’t strike me as Whedonesque to return to the status quo of yesteryear like that…”

Hm. Maybe it’s about the death of magic that’s (very likely to be) coming? That would fit rather well I think. Or it could be Kennedy, we still don’t know how she died during the inter-season-7-8-period.

Granted, that might be a decent function for a deck of tarot cards. But it is not the primary, intended purpose of one, so I’d rather reserve my respect or what have you for the person who thought of using it this way, rather than the deck itself.

Unless, of course, it was extremely pretty, in which case I’d probably admire the artist a bit too. Unfortunately, I didn’t really find the artwork to be moer than decent, so….

“All prophecies end somewhere. The idea what it has to follow someone to their grave seems odd to me - especially since this one already has. Twice. And it’s not about Buffy in particular, but her era and the myriad of Slayers. Buffy is just a pivotal person in that.”

As usual, you make a good point, and I’ll modify my last opinion by it. But there’s some more stuff bugging me. Prophecies generally end with a rather grand event, — generally the most significant one in the time they detail, and with at least a sort of concluding note. Now, obviously this season 8 plot arc by all measures seems to be rather grand, but will it truly be the most significant one in the era of Buffy?

It’s not impossible, of course, and this whole comment might be more of a reservation than an objection, but there it is.

“Having Buffy and Spike’s relationship from season 6 portrayed on the Devil-card, for instance, is sheer genious.”

If you say so. Just about the only thing I know of tarot card meanings is that Death symbolizes change or something.

And as for the Death card, I agree. Thought it looked like Faith at first glance, but don’t any longer. It could of course just be an anonymous Slayer, meant to represent that the empowerment of the Potentials is coming to its end, but it doesn’t strike me as Whedonesque to return to the status quo of yesteryear like that…

It’d probably be tenth. She’d been a slayer for, what, about a year before season 1? Plus the seven seasons equals eight years, plus the about a year that seems to have passed since “Chosen”, plus the story they’ve obviously mapped out for season 8. And if Joss is involved, there could be clues to season 9 in there too.

I see that particular aspect as not so cheesy, though. All prophecies end somewhere. The idea what it has to follow someone to their grave seems odd to me - especially since this one already has. Twice. And it’s not about Buffy in particular, but her era and the myriad of Slayers. Buffy is just a pivotal person in that.

And I loved the paintings. They look exactly like real (and pretty) medieval tarot cards, but happens to make use of the Slayerverse’s by now rather vast access to symbols and ideas. Having Buffy and Spike’s relationship from season 6 portrayed on the Devil-card, for instance, is sheer genious.

I’m really puzzled by the Death-card, though. Seems odd to me that they’d “waste” an iconic card like that on an anonymous Slayer, despite it looking *really* good. Is that really Faith, you think? I didn’t really think it looked like her, but… I kind of just assumed that if it had been her, her wound would be in her stomach, not in the chest and throat.

As for the Buffy tarot deck, I just googled it, and while I didn’t really read anything (I merely looked at the pictures), I wasn’t too impressed with the art of the four or five cards I saw. Sure, they had some spiffy details, and I guess it really was a bitch to make up vague hints for things that’s already happened (okay, so maybe I might be projecting some of my extreme contempt for the whole concept of tarot onto these things — maybe), but I just can’t seem to make myself care too much.

But cheesy, yeah. That some painter painted Buffy, Angel, Spike and what looks like Faith pretty much as with photographic accuracy, but that her or his premonition for some reason stopped dead in its tracks in Buffy’s ninth (or would that be tenth?) year as Slayer — I don’t think I can find any other way to describe it than as “cheesy”.

Oh Gods, I think I’m projecting again.

By the way, seen the preview of Dark Horse’s upcoming Buffy Tarot-deck? Looks pretty seriously done, which I think is cool. They’re going to bake it into the story as well, apparently, claiming its a centuries-old deck of Tarot cards that somehow prophecises several of the events of Buffy seasons 1 through 8 in its motifs. Cheesy, probably, but pretty and kinda interesting.

Then it’s on to season 2, which we’ll watch in it’s entirety. Will by interesting to see how far we’ll get before Kalle moves out in early June.

Remind me again why I don’t disown you?

In the Dark, Hero, Parting Gifts, Somnambulist, I’ve Got You Under My Skin, The Ring, Eternity, Five By Five, Sanctuary, War Zone, Blind Date… heck, two third of the season go on a must-see-list even if you look away from the need to get every episode in the right order to get the background needed to properly pay off several good episodes of character arcs in later seasons - which should be the main priority by any road. But even without that… three episodes out of the entire season. Tasteless freak.