If you look at Buffy entirely, there is a lot of foreshadowing. For example, Spike's suit in Restless when Giles' fells that he is a son to him, and in Tabula Rasa when he wears the suit again. I believe that his costume was indeed foreshadowing for what was to come.

Yeah, maybe it wasn't intention but it turned into a foreshadowing

The Buffy writers were great when it came to foreshadowing upcoming plots so it's entirely possible, but there were also accidental nods to future plots more than once (like Willow saying she thinks vampire Willow is 'kinda gay', before the writers had decided Willow would turn out to be a lesbian). I'm not sure but I think Pirate Xander was a coincidence not foreshadowing.

If it's not in a dream, I'm reluctant to think it's deliberate foreshadowing. This seems like coincidence. I mean, he didn't turn into a secret agent/waiter.

Yes, but he did turn into an Army man. It's 50/50 then. If you look at one aspect, Buffy's relationships, you can kind of see foreshadowing there. It began with Owen, but even she suggested what her other relationships would be like. And that's exactly what happened. And even in her relationship with Angel. The spell they were under in "I Only Have Eyes For You" suggests that there is still a chance to be together. But hey, that's just what I see. :)

I think it's just coincidence too, or just unintentional foreshadowing. Like what was said about the Willow vamp, the writers tend to do things that can link to what they've done in the past.
Sometimes they put a pun or two in that really do hint at the future, but I don't think they meant it with the eye-patch.

ABSOLUTELY... not.
I think it foreshadows, but I think it UNINTENTIONALLY foreshadows. Joss often (probably subconsiously - actually, probably not) has a whole bunch of little things that fit in together perfectly, that aren't necessarily planned to fit in together. At all. Either way, I'm going to let him and the rest of the crew take credit for this supposed PLANNING. In order to not sound like a creep, I'd like to mention I've come to this conclusion, not from stalking, but from watching the majority of DVD commentaries. Okay, that makes me sound like more of a creep, never mind.


Sometimes I shouldn't say words.
Shite, is that a quote? I DIDN'T MEAN IT TO BE!

Unintentionally or not, it foreshadows. And yes that's a quote. Xander says it after he says there's a party in this eye socket and everyone's invited.

@LovingLucy: He only turned into the soldier in the episode where they were turning into their costumes. I think 730 and "be back before dawn" were their only attempts at foreshadowing across seasons. Everything else is written as a callback (like Spike as Giles' son) or is just coincidence.

I feel that Spike as Giles son was definately foreshadowing. Restless was a dream state, and wasn't it that you said "If it's not in a dream, I'm reluctant to think it's deliberate foreshadowing." This fits.

I don't think it was intentional foreshadowing at the time, but possibly it might have affected the decision of how exactly to injure Xander once they had decided he'd be hurt in some way.