Character Biographies

Spoilers Ahoy!

The following biographies are not authoritative. They are merely a starting point for the actors and script-writers to key off of. Also, feel free to modify them.

Young Wesley When, age 18 (all acts)

Young Wesley wants Buffy, but Buffy doesn't seem to notice he exists.

OK...that's just a problem...and he is confident that he can solve any problem by tenaciously applying his brilliant scientific mind. Even girl problems. (Yeah, he's a bit naive about interpersonal stuff.)

His best times are those spent with his best friend, Catherine Chronos, whom he respects enormously (though he's so clueless he doesn't pick up that she's into him romantically). He realizes he's a high school social outcast and tells everyone that doesn't matter. He is infatuated with Buffy the cheerleader, in part because she's smokin' hot and he has raging teenage boy hormones...and in part (though he'd never admit it--even to himself), because being paired with her would earn him some social acceptance.

Young Catherine Chronos, age 18 (all acts)

Young Catherine wants Wesley, but is patient (perhaps even passive?) about her goal. Give it some time and things will work out.

She is just as brilliant as Wesley...but also has a the soul of an artist (though perhaps she's a better scholar of art than creator). Perhaps the bravura of her over-the-top Cyndi Lauper-esque fashion masks a bit of insecurity...and allows her to hold people at a distance before they have a chance to reject her.

Her best times are those spent with her best friend, Wesley When, whom she respects enormously (even though the stupid boy is so clueless at times...such as pining for that cheerleader when *anyone* can see that she is the perfect match for him...sigh).

Young Buffy, age 18 (all acts)

Young Buffy is on top of the world and wants it to stay that way. She's hot, she's head cheerleader, and all the boys fall at her feet. What people don't know about her is that she craves constant attention and external validation to numb this nagging sense that all this glitz is rather empty. Why do all these questions keep running around in her brain, tainting her success? Yes, she's mean to the nerds and geeks...because she's afraid she's like them. Would the cool kids still accept her if they found out she did her own calculus homework?

Doctor Wesley When, age 43 (Act I and III)

Adult Wesley When still wants Buffy.

He is just as brilliant and driven as his younger self. But now bitterness has tainted the optimism of his youth. He didn't get the girl. Things *didn't* work out for the best. And now he's not just a social outcast, he's an outcast from the scientific community--*his* people!

But he's not one to wallow in it. A tenacious (though misguided) drive has set in. He's confident that if he can fix this *one* accident in his past, all will be righted.

(He is not a mad scientist. He behaves quite logically and rationally...it's just that he still wildly misunderstands relationship stuff.)

Who would have imagined that Wesley When's high school days would have been the best days of his life...at least those spent with his dearest friend, Prof. Chronos. Now unfortunately she's on the other coast, but at least they communicate regularly by email and she's here to cheer on his triumph.

Professor Catherine Chronos, age 43 (Act I and III)

Adult Catherine Chronos still pines for Wesley, but has settled for friendship. Her regular contact with him is bittersweet. A tinge of sad resignation colors her world.

She is just as brilliant as her younger self. She was torn between her scientific and artistic interests, and had to settle for picking only one to focus on (science). Her scientific work is going OK (the world's expert on tachyon Midi-ether co-keypad ring theory), but only Wesley seems to understand and respect it. She's toned down her outrageous fashions of youth...there doesn't seem to be a point to rebelling anymore.

Professor Catherine Chronos, age 43 (Act II)

Catherine Chronos still wants Wesley, but this version isn't going to settle. She was the nice, patient, understanding girl. And what did that get her? A face full of slime and her man in the arms of a cheerleader!

Prof. Chronos is taking charge. No more Ms. Nice Girl.

She treasures her regular phone calls to Wesley. They share scientific ideas...and talk about their lives, somewhat like old times.

He never directly complains about his marriage, but Catherine can tell that the shrew Buffy is putting him through hell. He would never cheat. But if Catherine's brilliant plan succeeds, he won't have to!

Art goes on the back burner while she uses all her scientific prowess to fix that one pivotal moment in high school and make things right.

Doctor Wesley When, age 43 (Act II)

Doctor When wants Catherine...but he realized it too late. He's married to Buffy. And once he commits to something he sticks with it. (Which isn't to say his regular phone calls to Catherine aren't the highlights of his week.)

He is a beaten man. He is even unsure of his own judgment: He thought his mentometer research would be a great breakthrough, but it has just gotten him shunned by his scientific peers. He thought he had found the love of his life, but he picked the wrong woman and now all he gets is constant henpecking. He dreads going to work, and he dreads going home.

Buffy When, age 43 (Act II)

Buffy When doubts she still wants Wesley...but she sure isn't going to let anyone else have her husband.

She knows that Wesley still talks all the time with that mousy Catherine Chronos. Buffy is no dummy...she can tell that Wesley and Catherine share a bond. And Buffy is pissed.

She's angry about a lot of stuff: Angry at the march of time for stealing her looks and social stature. Angry at her husband for even being a loser as a scientist.

What was she thinking back on that weird, fateful day in high school?! She wasn't thinking. She never had to think back then--no one even suspected she could. Now all she does is think. Think about what her life would have been like if she had made different choices.

Perhaps she is so quick to lash out because subconsciously she's most angry at herself for choosing him.

Ty the Janitor (Act III)

What can truly be known about the mysterious Tiresias the Almighty Janitor? Is he a time traveller from the future? A divine presence? Is there a difference?

Whatever he is, he keeps showing up in unexpected places (and times!) just when he's needed to give a little subtle, benevolent nudge to the timeline.

Doctor Wesley When, age 43 (Denouement)

Life is good for Doctor When. Good in ways he couldn't have predicted or even appreciated when he was a teenager.

Sure, he's happy that he's just about to achieve his life's goal of a scientific breakthrough and being lauded by the scientific establishment. But that doesn't seem so important now.

His beloved Catherine has made it all possible. Sure, there was no way he could have accomplished it without her. For example, he would have *totally* messed up the tachyon midi-ether co-keypad ring without her collaboration. (Even Buffy has been *surprisingly* great, with her relentlessly dedicated work ethic and even theoretical contributions).

But her love and support have broadened his perspective, encouraged him to enjoy the process not just the result, to see the beauty in it all (even to improve his fashion sense!). The partnership made the research an invigorating journey rather than a solitary struggle. Life is so much better with someone who can truly understand you and who appreciates you for you. (What a dope he was in high school to let his silly infatuation blind him to true compatibility!)

Catherine's companionship has helped him to be the best Wesley When he could be.

Professor Catherine Chronos, age 43 (Denouement)

Life is good for Prof. Chronos. Good in ways she couldn't have predicted or even appreciated when he was a teenager.

Sure, she's happy that she's just about to achieve her life's goal of a scientific breakthrough and being lauded by the scientific establishment. But that doesn't seem so important now.

Her beloved Wesley has made it all possible. Sure, there was no way she could have accomplished it without him. For example, she would have *totally* messed up the chrono mentometer without his collaboration. (Even Buffy has been *surprisingly* great, with her relentlessly dedicated work ethic and even theoretical contributions).

But his unwavering love and support let her see herself through his eyes as the brilliant, competent, and desirable woman she is. Her self-confidence blossomed and she no longer pushes people away (such as with the ridiculous clothes she wore on high school!).

Life is so much better with someone who can truly understand you and who appreciates you for you. (As scientific as she is, she still marvels at the miracle that Wesley snapped out of his superficial high school infatuation and opened his eyes to true compatibility!)

Catherine's companionship has helped her to be the best Catherine Chronos she could be.

Buffy the Lab Assistant, age 43 (Denouement)

The Stinger.

Buffy wants revenge. Sweet cold, calculated revenge.

She had it *all* in high school. Status, power, boys falling at her feet.

And then these two dufuses destroyed it all in a flash with their defective science fair projects. Her in-crowd peers laughed at her and abandoned her. Her hard-won queen bee status ruined in one slimy moment.

Now the world is all topsy-turvy. Chronos and When on top of the world and her slaving away on the side in ugly safety glasses.

But she has a plan. No one in high school even suspected that she had it in her to master temporal mechanics. And those two may be the greatest scientific minds since Einstein, but they are so clueless that they never caught on that she's been scheming for years.

She will make the universe right again.