Do you think Joss Whedon would ever use a time leap?

[Joe Washington]

From Battlestar Galactica to Desperate Housewives, the creators have used a time leap to advance the story in an unexpected way and to develop the characters. And I was wondering if Joss Whedon would ever use it for one of his shows or would have used it for one of the shows he's made in the past.

 

[Forbin]

You mean like the way the final DVD episode of Dollhouse is set ten years in the future?

So, yes.

 

[TV Lowdown]

I can see it happening with Dollhouse. As Forbin points out, they already showed events ten years in the future in "Epitaph One" as well as a few of the key events leading up to that time.

If the show stays on the air long enough they may catch up to

Spoiler: Epitaph One spoilers

the point at which Caroline and Ballard lead the Actives out of the House to find Safe Haven

, which could be a good point to make the

Spoiler: more Epitaph One spoilers

Felicia Day/future survivors storyline the main narrative and have it all join up in Safe Haven.

 

[Christopher]

Technically he used a time leap between Firefly and Serenity as well. And aren't the Buffy Season 8 comics set a few years after the series?

 

[Lindley]

And aren't the Buffy Season 8 comics set a few years after the series?

No, I don't think so. Six months at most. At the start of the first episode, there was a reference to Andrew having set up doubles of Buffy in various places, including one in Rome which he thought would be hilarious "for some reason." Clear reference to "The Girl In Question".

 

[Mike Farley]

I'm pretty sure the Buffy comics are a few years into the future as Dawn is now college age.

 

[Lindley]

Dawn was 14 at the start of season 5 as I recall. That means she could have been 17 by the end of season 7. Late 17, early 18 isn't too unusual a time to start college.

 

[Mike Farley]

Wasn't Dawn in her first year of high school --at the newly reopened Sunnydale High--in season 7?

 

[RoJoHen]

Wasn't Dawn in her first year of high school --at the newly reopened Sunnydale High--in season 7?

That's what they said, but it's possible it's was just her first year at this new school.

I mean, the teenagers had to be going to high school somewhere during Season 4-6.

 

[Rowan Sjet]

Wiki says "A couple of years after the end of the television series...", but I was under the impression it was only a year and a half. Definitely not half a year only.

At the start of the first episode, there was a reference to Andrew having set up doubles of Buffy in various places, including one in Rome which he thought would be hilarious "for some reason." Clear reference to "The Girl In Question".

And no reason she's not still there after Angel and Spike leave.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

There's probably no technique I'd rule out in Whedon's case. Except maybe Happily-Ever-After.

 

[Mike Farley]

I wonder how Dawn got her school records transferred to whereever she ended up in school...

"Yeah, my old school--well, the whole town really--was sucked into a hell dimension. But...I got really good grades. Yeah....all "A's". Really."

 

[Ethros]

Dawn would have been starting her sophomore year at High School in Season 7. It seemed like they kinda made out it was her first, but it was more because she was starting at Sunnydale High more than anything.
In Season 7 she was in the same year that Buffy, Xander & Willow were in Season 1.


As for Season 8, the time frame gap has purposefully been left vague. Seen as the "comic season" is gonna be a lot longer than a TV season in real time. A TV season would be around September to May for example, where as Season 8 started in April 2007 and isn't gonna finish till late 2010/early 2011 (our time)
With the army and gear that Team Buffy has amassed I'd put it at around 1-3 years after 'Chosen'

 

[WillsBabe]

You mean like the way the final DVD episode of Dollhouse is set ten years in the future?

So, yes.

I don't know whether he'd do it as a permanent time-shift. I like the device, though.

 

[Dark Gilligan]

Both Buffy and Angel had leaps forward of several months during their runs, if that means anything. I do agree with the posters who believe there was a significant time leap between seasons 7 and 8. Buffy and her army needed time to amass the resources, weapons, bases of operations, and covert cells that were being used at the beginning of season 8. Wouldn't have been probable if the story had continued directly after the destruction of Sunnydale.

 

[bigdaddy]

You mean like the way the final DVD episode of Dollhouse is set ten years in the future?

So, yes.

Plus that was the "If we were canceled" series finale that wasn't, so I too will answer yes.