Well, THAT was epic.
Spoilers follow…
A major female empowerment story that drove the series to an eminently satisfying thematic conclusion. Just…not entirely blown away by the elements that got us there.
What I liked: Dialogue. Thank God. Everyone sounds identifiably like themselves again. Even though the first half suffered from stand-around-and-talk-itis, at least this time out I was more than happy to listen to it. Everything from the throwaways (Giles repeating his “The world is doomed” from the end of the second half of the pilot) to the self-deprecating (“Once I was a respected watcher; now I’m a wounded dwarf with the magic level of a doiley) to witticism (“Get out of my face”) to, most particularly, Willow sounding like Willow (“That was nifty!”) to the poignant (“I love you.” “No you don’t, but thanks for saying it”) indicated that Whedon was at the helm. Although I’m getting so keyed into his set-ups and punchlines that when Spike said “You don’t need your tongue to say hello,” I immediately said, “Well, yeah, you do,” and then Spike blinked and said much the same. And Wood’s principal-like introduction to Sunnydale high as he led the way was priceless.
Buffy taking charge, and doing so so confidently that the Wanna-Slays literally follow her into hëll. Quite a change considering a few weeks ago.
Ending with a bang. Well, we saw it coming. Although there was no story reason for it, everyone in Sunnydale cleared out, clearly signalling the town was toast by season’s end. Still, if you’re going to top blowing up the school, that’s the way to do it.
Dawn lightly kicking Buffy in the shin and their exchange. Easily Dawn’s best moment in a season in which even Whedon admitted she got short shrift.
Caleb’s demise. As Bill Mumy would say, Ouch, babe. For someone who considered Buffy an emasculating bìŧçh, demises don’t come any more aptly than that.
Wood didn’t get eaten, making that a first for Sunnydale principals.
What I didn’t like:
You say one deus ex machina isn’t enough? You say you want two? You got it!
It bugged me back in season 5 when the Scoobys pulled a spell out of their butt to defeat Adam, but it made thematic sense and it also set up the wonderful following episode. Here, Willow briefly goes cosmic and, boom, all the Slayer-be’s become Slayer-ares, as does every other girl with a smidgen of potential (although granted, I want to see that little girl with the baseball bat in action.) I’m not entirely certain WHY Willow had to wait until Buffy & Co. were in the midst of danger before empowering. I can come up with a few rationalizations, but I kind of wish we’d simply been told.
But that’s not all. A doo-dad which we’ve never heard of is given to Angel who gives it to Buffy who gives it to Spike, like a social disease. And it Just So Happens that said doo-dad is a major element in the destruction of the Hellmouth, even though no one knows what it is, how it’s going to work, if it’s going to work, what’s required to make it work, etc. It’s like planning the invasion of Normandy armed with weapons you’ve never seen, the instructions for which are written in Aramaic (yes, yes, I know Giles can read Aramaic, that’s not the point). With a storyline that seemed remarkably padded over the last ten episodes, we couldn’t have found time to build in a story arc in which they themselves acquire the doo-dad? Because if the object was to work in Angel for five minutes, they could certainly have come up with another reason.
No explanation for Giles acting out of character. No explanation for why, if the First simply wanted to destroy the Slayers, he didn’t just blow up Buffy’s house. If it was good enough for the Watcher’s council…
In sum, an ambitious episode that succeeded more than it failed, made some important points about taking charge of one’s life, and brought the series to a satisfactory conclusion…and considering the many series that fail to achieve that, it’s no small accomplishment. I just wish that more thought had been given to breaking down the overall season so the story arc would seem less hodgepodge and not feel so much as if they were–as Whedon himself said–coming up with plot twists just to have plot twists.
PAD
• 
Great way to end a series.
Actually, I was left wanting to see what happens next. That has not happened often this season.
I’ll definitely miss these characters.
The spin-off potentials (pun intended) abound. Willow gathers up a small band of Slayers. They seek out the evil and wipe them out. Perhaps under the gaze of Watcher Jr., Dawn.
Oh yeah, could be good.
Plus, I’m curious to see how they handle Spike coming to Angel. Seems like all of the Master’s brood has come back from the dead at least once, Angel, Darla, now Spike?
Bobby
Bobby Nash
Writer @ Large
As one who hasn’t followed the show as closely as I should have, I did enjoy the finale.
(I actually started watching it only a year ago while living overseas…of course there they were only running the first few years and it was quite a jump to come home and see the end….Needless to say I have a lot of catching up to do!)
What I like about the finale the most, was for sure, the “girl empowerment” emphasis. (My favorite slayer wannabe/slayer-are scene, was the girl who stopped the hand from coming down and hitting her, probably for the last time. Now THAT’s what it’s all about!)
And since I did miss much in between, it wasnt lost on me the gang walking through the school halls talking about shopping, and hearing the characters sound a bit like they did in the old days.
Yes, in the end, I think they are looking forward to a rest from demon butt-kicking and the reprecussions there of…but who doesn’t?
Tomorrow she won’t have a destiny she has to fulfill, She can just live not knowing what’s next just like everyone else. I think that’s what was on her face in the end.
Go rest Buffy…well, at least for a little while.
First time poster, altho I’ve been reading here for quite some time…
I agree with a lot of what was said here. Afterwards, my boyfriend and I were discussing how we liked it (the last two episodes WERE an improvement), but it wasn’t what we expected or wanted. There were mystical artifacts popping up out of no where to save the day, ubervamps with reduced power levels (or could it have been increased Slayer power levels once the adrenalin got going?), main characters who didn’t get their deserved send offs, etc…
I do have a few questions – just kinda babbling here – wondering if anyone else has some insights or answers (there be spoilers ahead, but nothing that no one else has mentioned above):
1) So, uh, what DID happen to The First? The destruction of the Hellmouth/Sunnydale did it/him/her in??
2) Why WAS The First always appearing as Buffy? Remember – it could only appear as the dead…
3) Was that Spike’s soul that blew the hole through the ceiling, or just “a magical energy blast from some magical crystal”?
4) Why did Willow’s hair get all white? What happened THIS time around that made her go all good? And why SUPER good (white hair) as opposed to any other time when she was just normal red-haired Willow? The particular woman-empowering spell?
5) WILL we see some slayer interns at Wolfram & Heart, or will this not have effects in Angel? (Like someone above, I also wondered if Fred would get all Slayerish!)
6) Just how young can these new slayers be? Infants?? Who wants a super powered infant? (“Hello? Mr & Mrs Kent? I was hoping you could give us some pointers…”)
7) Is there really a Hellmouth in Cleveland? I know they’ve mentioned Cleveland before, but I didn’t know we had a Hellmouth out this way!! That’s not good!
Other stuff:
Yeah, as much as I LOOOOOOVE Faith (LOVE HER LOVE HER LOVE HER!), the “Yo!” (Yau?) bit might get a little old after awhile. I would hope she’d settle in to a slightly adjusted character personality?
Andrew: I feel for the guy – who’d’ve ever thunk he’d get to be so entertaining and cool? LOVED his Little Red Riding Hood D&D outfit! (The whole D&D thing had me rolling)
Anya: RIP One of my fave Buffyverse characters…I know Emma Caufield wanted out, but I’m really sad to see her go. She needs something better than Darkness Falls-type movies!! VERY talented.
Tara: Nuts….no visions of her coaxing Willow along to stay good. 🙁
Dawn: I liked her! I really liked her! Why’d she get shorted this season!?!?
Xander: Poor guy – just got all…dumb this season. Not “not smart” dumb, but “forced” dumb. Dunno.
Buffy: Ok, where the HÊLL did the magical healing power come from at the end? Sure, she’s recovered fast before, but she acted like she was really taken out of the pic 20 min before the end. And then she was bionic womaning all over Sunnydale!
Ok, babbled on long enough… Thanks for a great place to compare notes and opinions PAD! I miss Young Justice SOOOO MUCH! 🙁
R.I.P. Buffy, Willow, Xander, Giles, Anya, Dawn, etc…
-Jeph
A few more thoughts, specifically on the Slayer spell… Okay, the standard Slayer spell is almost certainly not something that they cast. I mean, I truly, truly doubt that Buffy gave every woman on the planet in the right situation a chance to bond with a demon/demons. 🙂
Willow was specifically taking power from the axe, which was made by people who are at least somewhat snarky to the Watchers and proto-Watchers that empowered the first slayer. Further, they do look more in tune with Earth magics. My guess is that what exactly happened was that Willow recast the Slayer spell, but changed the power source from a demon to the earth itself, following up on her training from start of season. That also fits with the coven helping in the background.
Of course, this takes the whole empowerment to such levels of obviousness that they probably glossed over by choice to not make people eyeroll. 😉
Anyway, that would explain why Willow’s hair went white — tapping into severe planetary power (Slayer Planet Power!) would do that to a girl. It also would mean that Faith and Buffy are likely still unique in their own way, powered differently than the other Slayers. That can tie into Fray as well, if you want to tie things in without assuming alternate universe. Willow’s spell uses a whole other connection than the standard Slayer spell, so one could die out for some reason without destroying the other.
Oh, and last Fray tie-in. They did a rather good job of making this both fit in continuity with Fray and yet not screwing over Angel. Our gang of Scoobies and Slayerettes is certainly on a path that could lead them to slowly hunting down other portals and hellmouths, closing them one by one, and eventually culminating in the Fray backhistory. Hey, I know, they can recast a spinoff series, name it Crusade… No, wait, never mind.
I enjoyed the hëll out of this episode. Only four bits that sort of annoyed me.
1) Caleb popping back up… okay, this is a horror movie convention, but Buffy is supposed to skewer such things whenever possible. It would have been funnier if he had popped back up, and gotten killed *before* they went to the opening credits. Not like he lasted much longer than that.
2) Buffy was mighty lively for a girl with a “mortal injury”. Okay, so maybe The First was just messing with her, trying to make her think she was more hurt than she was; but she went from completely incapacitated to jumping onto a moving bus is a handful of minutes. It just felt like a bad action movie moment where the hero forgets to limp the second the half of the movie.
3) Putting two non-powered characters at each of the various exits to guard against the mass of SUPER vampires escaping. And people like Xander and Anja and Dawn who are shown to have trouble with regular vampires are shown killing them left and right with amazingly little trouble. Worst of all, you gut the death of Anja by not having the one person present who cared the most.
4) The two deaths. One, the one character who flat-out said months ago that she would not return, even if there was a Season Eight. Two, the one person we *know* is going to survive, because he’s on ANGEL next season. I was hoping for a little more impact, although I was amused that Wood managed to break the Black Man Curse of Hollywood, and didn’t die saving all of his white buddies 🙂
Other than that, I had loads of fun. Favorite bit has to be that little drawing of Angel on the punching bag.
Was thinking and perhaps Joyce’s prophecy was referring to Buffy not wanting Dawn in Sunnydale for the big battle “She won’t choose you.” So.. Dawn was prepared for this and brought her stun gun with her at all times.
I enjoyed the ending. Left it open for Buffy and cast to appear on Angel.
ONLY ONE
COMMENT: Was I the only one who felt short-changed on the Angel/Buffy wrap up??? Where was it? The loves of each other’s lives…and only a few minutes of wrap up??? Just to be clear…I am not against the Spuffy relationship…I just thought that there should of been more of a heartfelt closure to this Romeo/Juliet relationship? Anyone else???
Non-spoiler spoilers, here, I think.
In an online chat on E! on Monday, Nicholas Brendon said his Fox sitcom did *not* make the fall schedule but they’re still hoping for a mid-season pick-up. He also confirmed reports that he had asked Joss Whedon for an appearance on “Angel” and gotten turned down.
Also, someone else posted that Emma Caulfield had planned to leave the show whether this was the last season or not. She also said she wouldn’t do an “Angel” appearance even if asked.
I absolutely LOVED this episode. Sans Anya and Spike’s death scenes. I know that James Marsters is going to be on Angel next season and I hope that the writer’s come up with a plausible reason for his return from his Hellmouth sacrifice. All in all I will miss this series, and even thought season 6 was a let down the remaining season will definitely be purchased when they are released on DVD.
Boy, Buffy sure healed up in a hurry, didn’t she?
I haven’t watched the series since the beginning of Season Three. It lost me at that point. Up until then, you wouldn’t have found a bigger BUFFY fan and supporter. (Really, I compiled the original Drinking Game… I called for a comic book at least a year before it happened…)
But I came back for this episode to see how it all ends and I saw definite glimpses of the kinds of dialogue choices that made the series so wonderful back in the day. Nice little ending, too, although there were some leaps and some definite deus ex machinas. Ouch.
-Augie
At the end, with Faith and Wood, I really wanted him to say “At least I didn’t get eaten” as he died (which he didn’t…die, I mean), just to tie into the whole Sunnydale High-principal-fate thing.
I, as usual, have gripes with this episode, mostly those already made, but didn’t it seem very easy and non-ritualistic for Willow to power-up the potentials? I mean, you light a few candles, sit on the floor and touch the axe and – poof! – lots of shiny new slayers. And what about the mysterious file-folder-of-almighty-importance that Angel brought from W&H? Where did that go?
To sort of respond to someone elses observation above, I think only the Ubervamps came up out of the seal. Yes, the gang did fight some Bringers as well, but you could briefly see them sneaking-up behind Xander(?) in one scene.
I really didn’t like Caleb rising again at the beginning of the episode, especially if Buffy was just going to kill him again a few seconds later. That should have all happened in the previous episode. It just cheapened the character, and made him even more pointless as a villain.
I still don’t get the whole “scythe” idea. It doesn’t seem particually more effective at killing vamps than any other axe/stake combination, and there was no apparent reason for Buffy to think that the “essence” of the thing could be used to make potentials full-on slayers. I think the writers just thought it would be neat to bring something from the comics into the show, (without having a clue what the axe could do) and then didn’t have a clue what to do with it.
Still, this episode felt more like the Buffy of old, and I liked that very much.
I enjoyed it… mostly the characters acting like “themselves” is what did it for me.
Its just too bad the whole season couldn’t have ran better. Also I could have gone with a 2 hour finale, and a “Previously On Buffy” like from season five’s end.
What I really liked was when my brother watched it and said “Oh my god. Trogdor is part of the popculture now. we are all doomed”
heh…
The last episode was a great ending to a pretty amazing series. I don’t care what negative nitpicks most of you have about continuity, explanations, and plot holes. It kicked my ášš every time I watched it. I wasn’t sure that the last episode would be a satisfactory ending for me no matter what would happen (closures rarely live up to expectations), but surprisingly enough, it was perfect. I loved that all the original scoobies lived with Sunnydale being destroyed, I thought that was a nice close.
I’ve got a million other things I loved about this particular episode, but I’m going to save it, along with any problems I may have had, because it’s all over and I’m tired of reading other people’s opinion on a show I loved for my own reasons. This marks the end of my postings with a discussion group, and the end of my reading any of the same.
Take care,
Heather
However when they are standing at the crater she does not shed a single tear but only smiles when Dawn ask what they are going to do next demishing his sacrifice and impact.
To see Buffy as so one-dimensional as to think that a smile means she’s happy and has no sadness is asinine.
It was an reflective smile. How does someone know why she smiled? Maybe she was recalling a good memory with Spike or Anya and honoring them that way. I loved the ep even with the quick plot “tie-ups.”
The ending was fabulous. Buffy won. Spike died, Anya died, but they won. And for the moment the world is safe. This season was the least strong of the 7 but still worth watching and getting on DVD. I just hope they pick up the release pace on getting those sets out.
As for why they waited until opening the seal to empower the Wanna-Slays, well, Willow explained that quite well “Buffy, nice girl, but not very bright” 🙂
That’s very true but i guess everyone’s dumb because no one said hey wait maybe we should see if the spell works before we go down.
In the paper today they made a very interesting comment. For a show about girl power it essentialy came down to two men. who were ultimately responsible to save the world. Angel to give her the amulet and Spike to use it.
which is an interesting point.
as for whoever was complaining about the internet i have the opposite reaction i hate an episode and get frustrated when i seem to be in the minority. if people find things wrong with the episode that I hadn’t noticed it’s usually because my hate was focussed elsewhere.
I get the feeling that Joss came in to this season thinking it was the last, but not being sure. So he had the idea that the best way to end it would be to activate all the potentials. if SMG stayed, great. If she left plenty of spinoff material, but I don’t think Joss had any real concept of how to get there, so he kept tossing out vauge ideas without ever really having a cohesive plot for the villain.
My 20/20 hindsight idea? toss out season’s 5 and 6 rewrite season 7 to take the place of season 5 go to upn with the concept of Buffy and everyopne finding the new Slayers and helping them (or stopping them) make it more of an ensemble show (though SMG would never allow that)
I think that would have been so much better
All these girls with Slayer-powers. Hmm… I sense badness.
Just because a person gets the power, doesn’t mean they’re emotionally stable. I mean, look at Faith. She was pretty much over that ledge from the beginning, even before she killed the Mayor’s aid. I envision evil Slayers for Angel to fight next season. Without Watchers to tell them what they are, I can see that power going to their heads. Should be interesting, at the very least.
People have been saying that Xander was joking too soon, but I don’t think so. I think if the show had gone on five more minutes, he would have been collapsed against the side of the bus, having an hysterical sobbing fit. One of Xander’s consistent methods of dealing with things has been his often-misplaced humor. It’s a defense mechanism for him. The fact that he never saw Anya’s body adds to the fact that it probably just hasn’t sunk in yet.
Andrew’s heartfelt, “Why didn’t I die,” just twisted my heart. He’s such an incredible actor. I hope we get to see him again.
Wood should have been eaten – or at least nibbled on a little.
Buffy’s injury suddenly being a non-issue seemed perfectly reasonable to me. I mean, she does have Slayer healing after all. When she was shot by Warren, she was pretty much okay fairly fast and that injury seemed more grievous than the sword stab to the abdomen. The scene with Warren in the bar chatting with the vampire in Villians basically told us that if you don’t REALLY kill the Slayer (i.e., cutting off their head, blowing them up with a nuke, etc), you’re pretty much screwed. No, I think her recovering from that wound that quickly was pretty much to be expected.
For all the improbable plot holes and other inconsistencies, I really did enjoy this finale, especially since it didn’t feel like the end. I hate it when creator’s destroy their universes at the very end (ala DragonLance). It ticks me off.
Although, with that big crater and all… I think geologists are going to be scratching their heads for years to come.
I have two questions:
What about ghostJoyce’s prophecies?
Why do they think the First is gone?
Randall
Joyce’s words from Conversations With Dead People were “I love you and I love Buffy but she won’t be there for you. … When it’s bad, Buffy won’t choose you. She’ll be against you.” In retrospect, it must have been the First Evil. Funny though, how the First Evil tore up Buffy’s house real good that episode, but never manifested those scary powers again. And what a strange choice of words if the only goal was to drive a wedge between Dawn and Buffy.
By the way, the First Evil is still alive and well, of course, and since it has been shown to operate internationally, there are no doubt still some Bringers alive. No reason it can’t resume the plan (whatever it is) in Cleveland tomorrow. Of course, Riley operates internationally, and Buffy could have called him to have his boys take out the Bringers… six months ago. But hey, it’s awkward to talk to an ex, and it was only the fate of the world at stake…
Not a bad end for a rather good series. A big battle. A sacrifice for the greater good. Old doors get closed and new ones get opened.
One of the things that really surprised me was the fact that Andrew didn’t die. Don’t get me wrong, I like the character. But of all the characters to get the ax, he seemed most obvious.
Also, the destruction of the town. I guess Buffy has a good way of showing Dawn the wide world out there now. They can’t go back home, and there are new slayers to find.
As for Spike’s death: big surprise. I don’t know how he will come back. He went out as a champion though.
Who would have guessed that when the concept first showed up as that campy “John Hughes meets Dracula” movie in the ’90s that it would develop into this. What a long strange trip it’s been.
I don’t know why, but it kinda bothers me that people are already speculating on the means of Spike’s return. That’s not really important, is it? What’s important is that he’ll be back. When Buffy came back the second time, it was because Willow cast a spell. It was a bit anticlimactic, wasn’t it? Especially for people who were expecting to be amazed and awed. It was only a plot device!
Isn’t it true that bringing someone back from the dead in comics and TV is *always* anticlimactic? It only works when it’s completely unexpected, like Darla’s return.
So here’s what I’m going to do. I’m not going to care how they bring Spike back, whether he’s human or not or whatever. If they come up with a great way to do it and some great stories result from it, more power to them. If bringing him back is just a minor plotpoint, just a tool to introduce him to the show and nothing more, that’s fine too.
I think the fact that he will be on the show is more important than how he gets there. I mean, did they ever *really* explain how Angel came back from hëll? Other than “naked”?
I don’t know why, but it kinda bothers me that people are already speculating on the means of Spike’s return. That’s not really important, is it? What’s important is that he’ll be back. When Buffy came back the second time, it was because Willow cast a spell. It was a bit anticlimactic, wasn’t it? Especially for people who were expecting to be amazed and awed. It was only a plot device!
Isn’t it true that bringing someone back from the dead in comics and TV is *always* anticlimactic? It only works when it’s completely unexpected, like Darla’s return.
So here’s what I’m going to do. I’m not going to care how they bring Spike back, whether he’s human or not or whatever. If they come up with a great way to do it and some great stories result from it, more power to them. If bringing him back is just a minor plotpoint, just a tool to introduce him to the show and nothing more, that’s fine too.
I think the fact that he will be on the show is more important than how he gets there. I mean, did they ever *really* explain how Angel came back from hëll? Other than “naked”?
Spoilers ahoy!
**
Spike the vampire was dusted, so he won’t be back in that incarnation. He seemed to be phasing in and out though, didn’t he? Alternating from burning up to
whole and laughing — and why laughing?? He shansu’d. Look for mortal William on AtS next year.
Spoilers ahoy!
**
Spike the vampire was dusted, so he won’t be back in that incarnation. He seemed to be phasing in and out though, didn’t he? Alternating from burning up to
whole and laughing — and why laughing?? He shansu’d. Look for mortal William on AtS next year.
Sorry about the multiple posts, but I kept getting an error message & thought my post didn’t come through. My bad!
Everyone seems to think that Spike was fulfilling the “Shanshu” prophecy from “Angel” season one, but I still don’t think it fits for him.
As Joe said above, he seemed to be phasing in and out. What if, instead of having his body incinerated, he was having his soul incinerated? Maybe, Wolfram and Hart gave Angel the amulet, hoping that he would use it, never expecting it to end up in Spike’s hands. It would fit in with their traditional MO of trying to turn Angel dark, and they’d have Angelus, one of the most vile creatures in history, running they’re LA operation. Think of the terror and destruction Angelus could create with Wolfram and Hart’s resources behind him. He could bring out the Apocalypse in no time.
We all know Joss and co. don’t like to give people what they expect. Since everyone expects Spike to be human on Angel next season, what better way to swerve them than to give them the return of evil Spike? Having an un-souled, un-chipped and un-neutered Spike wreaking havoc in LA sounds much better than having him wandering around as a human, especially if the amulet gave him some new powers or abilities. Besides, the AI team is really overcrowded, and Spike would work better as a nemesis, instead of just another employee of AI anyway.
Either way I can’t wait for next season.
Regarding JM on Angel: We can speculate til we turn green and grow pointy ears, but there’s no real guarantee that the character of Spike will return … Marsters has shown a great acting range, and just might be an entirely new character!
The entire notion of any variation of Spike being stripped of his memories and rerunning the ‘everyone’s memories have been changed’ scenario used with Dawn is enough to kill my willing suspension of disbelief. It worked once, but more than that seems overkill. It will be interesting to see how they use this new asset (JM) in tandem with the other changes set up.
On another note: Am I the only one who was disappointed at the lack of closure on Dawn being the key? I liked the character and saw great potential with using that little bit of magic somewhere/somehow. Though I loved the “Watcher Jr.” line!
Spoilers? isn’t it too late for spoilers?
“I’m drowning in a sea of footwear.” -Spike
Did I hear that right? Because later Buffy said, “I’m having a wicked shoe craving.”
Who else but Whedon can come up with that kind of script.
Cleveland?! Hellmouth?! Well, that explains Drew Carey AND Phil Donahue.
Ultimate moment? Andrews’ thanks you speach. I would love more of that!
And Oh, Spike, let your love-light shine!
Forget the girl w/the baseball bat. I want to see more of the abused woman who suddenly had the power to strike back at her abuser! Hey, maybe Lifetime could pick up Buffy?
Almost forgot! WORST MOMENT IN EPISODE –
UPN shows ‘partial screen’ credits.
I wonder how many other Buffy fans will be dropping the UPN off the satelite or cable bill now that the show’s over. That was the ONLY reason we subscribed to UPN.
Re: Buffy recovering quickly from Warren’s gunshot. Um, remember that she was unconscious, rushed to the hospital, and definitely not in any sort of fighting trim until UberWillow came in and magically pulled the bullet out (with probably some healing of its damage to boot). Yeah, Slayers heal fast, but for a wound like the one Buffy got last night, she should’ve at best still been recovering and having a bit of a lie down by the end of the ep.
About the uber-vamps being weaker, there are two possibilities I can think of. One, the First summoned the strongest one there was in the Hellmouth. Two, taking a page from Vampire: the Masquerade, they were weaker because it was daytime. That would at least explain why the civilians guarding the exits weren’t toast. The reflected sunlight in the school might not have been enough to kill the uber-vamps, but it wouldn’t be fun for them.
Jim Burdo
Jim: Except in V:TM Vampires are lethargic and generaly forced into sleep durring day…while in Buffy, Vampires just can’t go out in the light.
Someone else asked why not let them hang in the school..They said that the 3 paths lead to other buildings with sewer access, thus letting them escape.
I too was bugged that Joyce’s prophecy had 0 bearing on the finale.
Sure glad Angel brought that intel with him from LA.
Uhm, how did they know if Willow chanted on the axe it would make slayers? It was made by wiccans watching watchers…not by the powers that be or that control
slayers or anything.
As for the idea of evil Spike in LA…Lets be honest…Evil Spike vs the forces of W&H: LA….not much of a match.
Predictions for Angel:
Willow and Kenedy show up for a bit. Given Alyson Hanngian’s fiance is one of the stars of the show, its a given.
Faith shows up after Eliza Dushku’s tv series fails quickly, which will lead into “Yo, the Faith Chronicles”.
I rather like the point made above that getting slayerized isn’t necessarily a good thing. The only reason Slayers are good is because the Watchers wanted a force for good. They were taught to be good, by people who were there to focus their powers and explain what was happening. There’s now a bunch of very bad people running around with super powers, besides the baseball girl.
oh..and I too missed taping Smallville…set the vcr..forgot to activate the timer…sigh
UPN has to worry about whether it will be around, period. But I’m not aware of it’s being a subscription station–don’t most people get it whether they want it or not?
Buffy ended on the WB, BTW. We’ve been watching a show called “Spike, the Wonder Dog” for the past two years.
First, really enjoyed the final show.
In response to some of the criticism/nitpicks I went and looked at the tape again. At the school Buffy tells Willow to go to the Principal’s office because it is over the seal. My guess is the seal had to be open before the spell could work and had to be done there.
Xander is not making light of Anya’s death. He is choked up, holding back the tears as he puts a hand on Andrew’s shoulder and says of Anya “That’s my girl.”
I think JW’s script was also playing againts expectations of the fans. We were waiting to see if Buffy lives, so when I saw her skewered I thought “that’s it” But instead it was Spike who gives up his life. Which pratically no one saw coming due to the Angel announcment.
The First tells Buffy her plan in the basement. As FE’s minions go over the globe her power will increase until she is coporeal and rules the world.
The mortals upstairs are fighting the Bringers with the exception of Xander and Dawn who use the “greenhouse” trick to beat the vamps.
Thanks.
BTW Not being completely immersed in the Buffyverse, could someone explain the Trogdor joke?
First, really enjoyed the final show.
In response to some of the criticism/nitpicks I went and looked at the tape again. At the school Buffy tells Willow to go to the Principal’s office because it is over the seal. My guess is the seal had to be open before the spell could work and had to be done there.
Xander is not making light of Anya’s death. He is choked up, holding back the tears as he puts a hand on Andrew’s shoulder and says of Anya “That’s my girl.”
I think JW’s script was also playing againts expectations of the fans. We were waiting to see if Buffy lives, so when I saw her skewered I thought “that’s it” But instead it was Spike who gives up his life. Which pratically no one saw coming due to the Angel announcment.
The First tells Buffy her plan in the basement. As FE’s minions go over the globe her power will increase until she is coporeal and rules the world.
The mortals upstairs are fighting the Bringers with the exception of Xander and Dawn who use the “greenhouse” trick to beat the vamps.
Thanks.
BTW Not being completely immersed in the Buffyverse, could someone explain the Trogdor joke?
First, really enjoyed the final show.
In response to some of the criticism/nitpicks I went and looked at the tape again. At the school Buffy tells Willow to go to the Principal’s office because it is over the seal. My guess is the seal had to be open before the spell could work and had to be done there.
Xander is not making light of Anya’s death. He is choked up, holding back the tears as he puts a hand on Andrew’s shoulder and says of Anya “That’s my girl.”
I think JW’s script was also playing againts expectations of the fans. We were waiting to see if Buffy lives, so when I saw her skewered I thought “that’s it” But instead it was Spike who gives up his life. Which pratically no one saw coming due to the Angel announcment.
The First tells Buffy her plan in the basement. As FE’s minions go over the globe her power will increase until she is coporeal and rules the world.
The mortals upstairs are fighting the Bringers with the exception of Xander and Dawn who use the “greenhouse” trick to beat the vamps.
Thanks.
BTW Not being completely immersed in the Buffyverse, could someone explain the Trogdor joke?
First, really enjoyed the final show.
In response to some of the criticism/nitpicks I went and looked at the tape again. At the school Buffy tells Willow to go to the Principal’s office because it is over the seal. My guess is the seal had to be open before the spell could work and had to be done there.
Xander is not making light of Anya’s death. He is choked up, holding back the tears as he puts a hand on Andrew’s shoulder and says of Anya “That’s my girl.”
I think JW’s script was also playing againts expectations of the fans. We were waiting to see if Buffy lives, so when I saw her skewered I thought “that’s it” But instead it was Spike who gives up his life. Which pratically no one saw coming due to the Angel announcment.
The First tells Buffy her plan in the basement. As FE’s minions go over the globe her power will increase until she is coporeal and rules the world.
The mortals upstairs are fighting the Bringers with the exception of Xander and Dawn who use the “greenhouse” trick to beat the vamps.
Thanks.
BTW Not being completely immersed in the Buffyverse, could someone explain the Trogdor joke?
Sorry for the double post. Got an Error message saying it couldn’t post. But it did.
Oops! Quadruple posts:-(
Trogdor: The Burninator is a “character” from the website http://www.homestarrunner.com
There is a Featured toon on there called “StrongBad Email” Where strongbad (one of the main characters) answers emails sent to him. In one of them he is asked to draw a dragon. Thus Trogdor is born. (This specific toon is at http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail58.html )
It is appearantly really big on the net… far bigger than I thought.
Anyways, so that Trogdor reference was just that, a reference. And since most of the people that I know that know about him are D&D players it was great that it came up during a roleplaying session.
Hope that clears that up.
ok, someone needs to fix that error message! (I got nailed with it too!)
Why would the First Evil, which predates humanity itself, suddenly want to “ruuuule the world?” Or make Angel kill himself in season 3, for that matter? Why bother hunting down potential slayers (and apparently not coming close) when it could stay quiet, build its army, and when the time is right, strike? Heck, the “true” slayer was in prison, and an inexperienced teenage successor wouldn’t be much threat to an army of thousands of ubervamps. And, or course, why were the First Evil’s attacks on Buffy so half-hearted? There was no real attack on Buffy’s house, and only one ubervamp was summoned earlier to attack her.
Ruthe, you beat me to it about, sure, It’s been reported than James Marsters will be joining the Angel cast, but I don’t recall them ever saying that SPIKE was who he’d play, but it would be rather silly for him to play someone else on the show. They’ll bring him back ala Darla probably.
UPN is a regular public channel, at least here in the states, you don’t have to pay for it unless you have no local affliate.
But with Buffy gone and I’m bored with the WWE, I’ve given up on Enterprise, I won’t be watching UPN as far as I remeber anymore, nothing there for me…
Why would the First Evil, which predates humanity itself, suddenly want to “ruuuule the world?” Or make Angel kill himself in season 3, for that matter?
Just a thought but maybe the first wanted to decide the comming conflict before it started in season seven by eliminiting the vampire with a soul mentioned in the Shansue script (Angel season 1). At this time Angel was the only vampire with a soul so it would make sense. Now if it turns out Spike was the one then it wouldn
On the WB Angel page, they do list Spike as appearing next season.
On the WB Angel page, they do list Spike as appearing next season.
It’s also rather apparent from the First’s dialogue during the series that it enjoys evil for its own sake. It enjoys corrupting people. It enjoys killing. It gives it pleasure. It’s whole purpose was to become corporeal so it could do all the things it had only driven others to do in the past.
Granted, it doesn’t make for a very multi-dimensional villain, but who can’t expect much from something that’s supposed to be the embodiment of evil itself. As Buffy said in Ammends: “Alright, I get it. You’re evil.”
Could ME have made the First a much more interesting villian? Definitely. However, it behaved how one would expect such a creature to behave.
As for Angel in Ammends, it’s possible Ron’s suggestion about the First trying to eliminate Angel before the coming showdown is correct. On the other hand, it might have just been enjoying itself trying to corrupt an agent of good, and failing that, it settled for simply trying to kill him. The First doesn’t really seem to subscribe to human logic patterns, and realisitcally, there’s no reason it neccessarily should.
Okay, I just got the error message too. Who do we e-mail to report this?
I was fairly happy with the way the show ended. There were far more enjoyable points throughout the hour then there were pot holes, in my opinion. As for Spike coming to Angel next year….According to the WB’s website Marsters is definitely on board…and playing Spike! So now it’s just figuring how and in what form Spike will return.
Check out the site for info.
http://www.thewb.com/Shows/Special/0,11116,114399%7C%7C,00.html