Buffy Getting Darker

Buffy the Vampire Slayer executive producer Marti Noxon told SCI FI Wire that the show will turn darker as it enters the home stretch of its sixth season. "One of the questions we've been getting a lot of is there doesn't seem to be a big bad this season," Noxon said in an interview. "And what I can say is that the climax is going to be big. There may not be a big bad, but there's a big bad climax coming. I think basically what people can expect is that the seeds that have been planted throughout the season, the kind of troubles that have been brewing with all the characters, are all going to come to a head. But ... this whole season has been very character-driven. There's not so much stuff coming from the outside."

This year, the show's characters have dealt with the issues of growing up and facing young adulthood, Noxon said during UPN's winter press tour in Pasadena, Calif. "Buffy is dealing with a ton of adult issues, because of the fact that Giles has left and Joyce has passed away. And she's got her sister to deal with. But I also think the adult responsibility of how you deal with sexuality and relationships." Among other things, Buffy and Spike's relationship will reach a turning point. "She's made a choice right now that is very adult, because she's in a relationship that is a lot more sexual and less romanticized. But there's also going to be a price to pay for that, because it's obviously not the healthiest situation. So she's dealing with something that I think only happens when you get out of that sort of dreamy, romantic teen-age period. And then, you know, obviously Xander facing marriage and the responsibility of being a husband. And then Willow dealing with how she deals with her power and addiction."

Even the three nerd villains are part of the season's overriding theme. "The trio are also a reflection of that, because they're trying to do anything to sort of shortcut having to do adult things, like get a job or go to school," Noxon said. "So really the whole thing is either about evading or accepting responsibility, which is sort of what the 20s are all about, baby! The faster you run, the worse it gets." She added, "I think you can expect that we're not going to play them totally for laughs for the rest of the season. Right now, they've been played mostly for comic relief, which I think is why people haven't felt them as really threatening. But things are definitely going to take a turn. It's not going to stay quite as comedic." Buffy airs on UPN Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

from www.scifi.com