I think Buffy Season 8 was initially intended to be just a couple years after "Chosen" (if even that), but eventually it was decided to be a lot more recent. Of course who really knows... I have deduced this mainly from the pop culture references that Joss & Co. are so fond of, such as:
-Faith and Genevieve (the evil slayer) discussing their mutual affinity for Amy Winehouse. Winehouse wasn't very well-known internationally before 2006. However, she did have a successful album out in the U.K. in 2003, and as this issue takes place primarily in England, we can perhaps write this one off.
-Buffy telling Willow about her fantasy involving Daniel Craig. Craig wasn't really a household name before Casino Royale, which came out in late 2006. One could assume thus assume that this issue takes place thereabouts, or slightly later.
-Buffy goes on a journey with Andrew, during which he prattles on about a number of things. One thing he says is, "Sometimes, I get really mad at Heath Ledger, but then I just get sad again," or something to that effect. In any case, he's clearly referring to Ledger's death from an overdose in January 2008. So it would seem, then, that 2008 is the year that (at least part) of the season is set in.
Of course, they might just be overlooking the details when they have a pop culture reference that they want to put in there. IDW's Angel series might be guilty of this too (i.e., in the "Aftermath" arc, an angel asks, er, Angel, if he can help him with a crossword puzzle that is asking him what film won Best Picture in 2005 -- this is very soon after the "Hell moment", and therefore very soon after "Not Fade Away", which happened in 2004. Perhaps it was a mystical crossword from the future -- or something.
)
-Faith and Genevieve (the evil slayer) discussing their mutual affinity for Amy Winehouse. Winehouse wasn't very well-known internationally before 2006. However, she did have a successful album out in the U.K. in 2003, and as this issue takes place primarily in England, we can perhaps write this one off.
-Buffy telling Willow about her fantasy involving Daniel Craig. Craig wasn't really a household name before Casino Royale, which came out in late 2006. One could assume thus assume that this issue takes place thereabouts, or slightly later.
-Buffy goes on a journey with Andrew, during which he prattles on about a number of things. One thing he says is, "Sometimes, I get really mad at Heath Ledger, but then I just get sad again," or something to that effect. In any case, he's clearly referring to Ledger's death from an overdose in January 2008. So it would seem, then, that 2008 is the year that (at least part) of the season is set in.
Of course, they might just be overlooking the details when they have a pop culture reference that they want to put in there. IDW's Angel series might be guilty of this too (i.e., in the "Aftermath" arc, an angel asks, er, Angel, if he can help him with a crossword puzzle that is asking him what film won Best Picture in 2005 -- this is very soon after the "Hell moment", and therefore very soon after "Not Fade Away", which happened in 2004. Perhaps it was a mystical crossword from the future -- or something.
)
