Did anyone else notice that during the flashback scenes in "The Girl in Question" Angelus repeatedly called Spike "William" and that Spike was still wearing his "William" type clothing and hairstyle. These scenes took place in Rome, in 1894.

Yet in "Fool for Love" we saw that sometime in 1880 William had already changed his handle to "Spike" and that he was already wearing rough clothing, and his hair was a different style (straighter, falling over his forehead, etc). I know that, originally, the Yorkshire scene in FFL was supposed to take place in 1890 and that someone messed up the subtitle, but that still doesn't explain the continuity error.

Any thoughts?

No thoughts on the style of dress or hair.  Those could probably be chalked up to different costumers and wig masters.  As for Angelus calling Spike "William," I think I recall that, in the underground scene in FFL, that Spike corrected Angelus when he called Spike "William."  Knowing Angelus, he most likely kept doing it out of spite.  They're still calling each other Liam and William in AtS, Season 5.  Probably to taunt each other as brothers sometimes do.  Or as I call my husband by his full name when he's ticked me off :)

There are other errors in TGiQ: Does anybody remember when Angel said that Buffy had blonde hair and blue eyes?  The supposed love of his unlife, and the dumbass can't even remember the color of her eyes :P

Hey IB,

I didn't think Angel's mistake was a continuity error; I thought it was one more piece of evidence that Angel is more in love with his ideal of Buffy than with the actual Buffy.

True, Maggie2.  Angel is definitely in love with ideal Buffy, and not real Buffy.  As soon as he saw her as real--a human who will age and die--he turned tail and ran.  Coward.

Well, the real answer? I'd say it's because Spike changed shows, and the production staff weren't as strict with the continuity. They'd previously done flashbacks to immediately after he was turned, right? When he was still all Williamy - so they probably used the same or similar costumes and wig for TGIQ, not really considering the exact time period, and that Spike had changed.

The "fanwanky" answer - Maybe Spike needed a change of clothes, and he happened to kill someone with Williamy clothes? And he does change his hair pretty regularly... maybe that was the style of the week, lol.

I do agree with IB about Angelus calling him William. I think, even after Spike told him to call him Spike, he'd still call him William to put him in his place, and also just to piss him off sometimes. Haven't seen TGIQ in awhile, so I don't know if you could take it as one of those situations.

Are you trying to sort this out for your fic, or just curiosity? Because if it's for the fic, I sympathize - I hate it when the show is inconsistent, and you don't know what to go with because the source material doesn't make sense. I say, just use whatever works best for your story, and don't bother trying to explain the show's mistakes.

It's for the fic, Eowyn. I'm going to have to figure out some way of working around the continuety, I guess. ;)

As for the other responses ... after 14 years, I honestly think even Angelus would get it through his thick skull that William was answering to the name of "Spike" now. I could accept the fact that Angelus was calling Spike "William" as a way to mock him ... except that he wasn't. In that episode Angelus and Spike (William) were clearly very much on the same side, and actually very protective of each other. And as for the clothing ... that could be explained away, but the hair really couldn't. Not when Spike was struggling so hard to shed his gentlemanly persona, and it looked *exactly* like his William hair in "Destiny". Even his accent was different, more like souled Spike's than newly-turned Spike's in FFL. Personally, I still see it as a glaring error ... and one that can't be excused by new stylists on a new show. They should have done their research beforehand, in my opinion.

Oh, and I'm not arguing with anyone. Just stating my opinion on the matter. I rewatched the episode today and those scenes really pissed me off. :P Angel saying Buffy had blue eyes really didn't bother me, because I agree with Maggie that it was just more evidence of Angel's lack of consistency when it comes to Buffy and his "love" for her. But I'm a huge Angelus and William fan, and I want them to be written right, damn it. lol.

You can do whatever you want, Unbridled. 

I think the wig change was a production budget thing - In Fool for Love, they didn't have any money for a fancy wig so they strapped a turkey on JM's head.  Since they were mostly making fun of William the Pansy, that worked out more or less.  By the time A5 was going, JM was a big star so they spent some money and got him a nicer wig.  Which doesn't totally make sense because DB was still wearing the Stuffed Turkey Special. Why didn't they get one for him, too, especially since he appears as Angelus several times during the show. 

LOL remembering the scene of the two of them in their baggy ass underwear (no doubt meticulously researched for accuracy.) 

Yeah, the blonde hair "blue eyes" line is pretty irksome even if they were playing it to make Angel look stupid.

I would guess that once Spike/William got over his initial rebellion and insistence on adopting a new persona, he became more willing to do what was necessary to blend in with the humans they fed upon.  I'm sure his hair, clothes and demeanor changed considerably through the years as fashions changed around him. And, no doubt, it took him a while to shed all his speech habits. The punk Spike we met in flashbacks to the 70's didn't emerge full-blown from newly-turned William - he was a wip all along; just as he continued to be a wip as he met Buffy, had to make a truce with what he'd hoped would be his third slayer, got chipped, began to help out, fell in love and, ultimately, got the soul that allowed him to give up his life to save the world.  There's very little about the flashbacks that bothers me - if, for no other reason, than I don't know anything else about what was happening before and around the little glimpses we're given.

(And, I'm a lazy viewer and if it doesn't jump out and bite me on the ass, I probably don't notice it. LOL)

I personally think that Angelus didn't indulge Spike and calling him as such until he killed his first Slayer- and I think he found the name vulgar (Angelus was all about the art, and respect, and things being proper, for instance, being displeased that because of William's foolhardy antics, he and "his women" were stuck underground in the filthy sewers, which was not to Angelus's taste). He also refers to him to his fool, proper moniker when they try to crash the Immortal's party for blood vengeance-- "William the Bloody."

As for the blonde hair and blue eyes thing, I don't think it was continuity so much as that whole entire ep was specifically *not* about Buffy, but more about Spike and Angel's relationship.  That whole season five was at least a third about the Spangel.  If Angel can remember Spike's poems from over a century before, don't tell me he can't remember Buffy's eyes are hazel, and he just saw the girl a year before, and spent the better part of three years gazing into them.  Also, Spike doesn't correct Angel and his lousy assesment.  The ep I think shows that not only has Buffy moved on, but she is no longer standing in between the two.  "Their girl" has moved on, and they still have each other.  Lot of symbolism going on...

As for the wig in FFL, JM  explained it once that his head was too big, and it was hard to find one that fit correctly.  I had no problems with the wigs used in As5.

Yeah, they always had to scrounge up a wig to rent for James, and never had the same one twice.

As for Angel, Nina had blue eyes, and he'd seen her just recently when they took off in TGIQ. He has a blonde on the brain, just not Buffy. Hell, Darla also has blue eyes.

Who can be in Rome and not feel cultured, eh? The city almost requires you to show a bit more class....

Family almost never call you by your nickname, and Angelus is no exception. He only calls Spike "Spike" once they're into the pure loathing stage of their relationship....maybe disassociating the vamp before him with the softer William that he kinda liked.....