I am – Hercules!!

And now that the brilliant “Once More, With Feeling” is finally behind us we can address questions about the second “Buffy” of sweeps (“Tabula Rasa,” airing Tuesday) and episodes beyond.

Why was Giles giving Anya a big wet one in that promo? Alternate reality? Dream sequence? Bump on the head?

Guess you hadn’t heard about the big “everybody awakens with amnesia” plot revealed in Coax’s “Tablula Rasa” spoilers from a month ago.

So obviously false assumptions are made about the Scoobs’ relationships to one another?

They are. Anya makes a false assumption about her relationship with Giles, but Anya’s not the only one who assumes he or she is something more than a friend to Sunnydale’s resident watcher.

Do Buffy and Spike deal with having had sex this episode?

No. Mostly because Spike and Buffy have not had sex.

Do Buffy and Spike sleep together during this episode?

They do not. As the episode begins, Spike and Buffy are barely on speaking terms, and Buffy blames last episode’s kiss on the singing spell. “What we did, is done,” she patiently explains to Spike in the teaser. “But I will never kiss you Spike, never touch you, ever, ever again.”

Do Willow and Xander kiss?

No. At least not romantically.

What does the demon Teeth look like?

We dropped a huge clue in Coax’s “Tablula Rasa” spoilers from a month ago.

How soon after “Once More, With Feeling” (6.7) does “Tabula Rasa” (6.8) take place?

Soon. It’s not specified, but it could easily start the same night as the singing demon’s departure.

When does everyone wake up memory-free?

Beginning of act two. The teaser and first act deal with the events of the previous episode. Act two is essentially one very long scene, set entirely in and around the Magic Box as the gang tries to sort things out.

Does Spike wearing the tweed suit have something to do with him being some kind of watcher or future watcher or Giles replacement?

No. It’s a disguise. A disguise Spike dons before the memory-sapping.

Why does Spike need a disguise?

He’s avoiding Teeth, to whom he owes kitties.

Can’t everyone piece together their identities from their wallets?

Not everyone is carrying a wallet.

Who doesn’t carry wallets?

Spike, Buffy, Anya and Dawn.

The big ending to “Tabula Rasa” of which Herc has spoken – is this the major character death Herc's been talking about?

No.

Does the big ending involve Amy’s derodentification?

No. Amy remains a rat throughout “Tabula Rasa.” Only in the following episode, “Smashed” (6.9), is Amy finally restored to human form.

Amy finally gets de-ratted? Has Herc mentioned this before?

This news is almost as old as Herc’s first “Tick” review. David Fury spilled in the July 25, 2000 edition of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and Coax related his spillage here.

Will Amy stay de-ratted, or will the increasingly powerful Willow have her back on the hamster wheel by the end of “Smashed”?

Amy remains in human form beyond “Smashed.”

Does Amy return with the brain of a rat?

Nope. She returns as a big powerful witchgirl who even continues to impress Will.

Any other cool spoilers beyond “Smashed”?

Yes. The episode right after “Smashed” is written by Marti Noxon and titled “Wrecked” (6.10). This final episode of November sweeps deals with how Marvel Girl’s … er, Willow’s growing power puts Dawn in danger.

Any cool spoilers beyond “Wrecked”?

The series takes a big left turn at the start of February sweeps with an episode titled “The Goat,” in which the Watchers Council learns that Buffy’s most recent demise did indeed produce another slayer. When the council is alerted to months-old reports of a supergirl wreaking havoc in rural Japan, this confuses the watchers no end – they believed only Faith’s death could produce a replacement slayer. In a series of short scenes vaguely evocative of “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” a small team of watchers will be depicted scouring the Far East for clues, and investigating the bizarre aftermath of the Japanese slayer’s battles. More importantly, shadowy figures – figures we eventually learn to be an enclave of rogue watchers – kidnap Buffy. The episode ends in England, as we are shown the rogue watchers repeatedly killing Buffy and then bringing her back to life in an effort to build an army of far more obedient slayers. Kid we do. If there’s an episode involving rogue watchers, or a Japanese slayer, or repeatedly killing and reviving Buffy, we don’t know about it. I remind you not to defy me.

I am – Hercules!!