clemente

I haven't had much in the way of expectation for the show in years, but I thought it was a fitting ending, definately more of a return to form.

Pretty good episode, not the best in the series, but the best in a while.

Didn't care for the whole girl power montage, the audience isn't full of idiots, we don't need little Megan getting a gleam in her eye to get the point.

Rogue588

Gotta agree with spainlinx0's comment too.

Anya's death was another thing that bothered me. She was the only Scooby that died and, to me, it was for no reason. I know during Speech #3,432 Buffy mentioned that "It was a war. And people die during a war." But not enough slayerettes died. The First said there were 30 left and only 3 died on camera?

I really wish I could say this was a special show for me. But it wasn't. There was one thing that annoyed me about it --

Sarah Michelle Gellar*.

That made it hard for me to form any sort of attachment to it through the years. I only started regularly watching it mid-season last year. I bought season three on DVD because Faith was introduced [she was also the reason I started watching Angel this season]. But, that's about it.

Will I miss it next year? I don't know.

Did I enjoy tonite's ep? Yep. [with the exception of Anya's death and the "cookie" analogy].

* My dislike/hatred of SMG happened before it was "in vogue" to do so. It goes back to her All My Children days. Then again, I didn't like Susan Lucci either and since SMG played her daughter, I suppose the deck was stacked against her..

Lurker1999

In some ways the ending reminded me of the movie Rules of Engagement (yeah, bad movie but the only reference I can think of). The plot over the season has worked it up to where the deck seems so entirely stacked against the Slayer and her friends that the only way to potentially salvage anything or anyone would be the exact deus ex machina move they pulled with Spike. An army of thousands vs. a few dozen slayers. Even with all the potentials fighting they were taking losses and without that amulet it would only have been a matter of time before they were overrun. Death in a blaze of glory.

I wouldn't have been surprised if a lot more of the main characters had died during the battle. In some way it would have been fitting for them to go down fighting against such incredible odds. To expect otherwise would have been far too optimistic. I had expected at least one of the "original" four (Buffy, Xander, Willow, Giles) to have died. However, I can see where the show has developed such a huge cult following that killing any of the "main" characters would really have been a slap in the face of a lot of fans and would have left a lot of people with hurt feelings. As another recent television series reference Hercules and Iolus walk off into the sunset together while Xena dies which led to a huge uproar with the die hard fans of that series. A lot of people were very unhappy with the senseless death they felt that character suffered.

Killing a main character like Anya was probably the best compromise although I was still shocked by her abrupt and brutal demise. What really made me sad though is that they had to leave her behind. Yes, I know they're not Rangers.

In the end though we all still like a great story with a happy ending. Not a lot of people will argue with "And they lived happily ever after.." Especially an ending that was so open but did end with Buffy smiling after she realizes that she no longer is alone. In some ways I view this as another step in her growth, one that no other slayer has been able to take. She's gone from being a slayer-in-training to becoming a fully "mature" slayer who can now train future generations.

Spike's end was a very fitting end to his character development from interesting bit-part villain to major villain to love interest to hero. In part he chose to stay behind but in other ways the decision was taken out of his hands and he really did not have a choice (i.e. the amulet went off on its own). He really was one of the most interesting characters in the show.

I've always wondered what happened "the morning after" a finale like that but somehow I feel that follow-ups like a movie or spin-off series would dilute the powerful feelings left by this finale and this last season.

Ok, I'm done.

Colonel Mustard

Here I am, still trying to figure out if the whole thing was a mental institution dream of a disturbed girl....

I had really hoped at some point they'd go back to that episode somehow...

jackepstein

Thoughts on the Buffy s7 + finale..... (spoilers)

* Xander had absolutely no development this season. His eye getting gouged out should have been the turning point for him
(a la Wesley getting his throat cut on Angel). Instead, he gets tazered by Dawn, and Anya gets sliced in half.

* Spike's redemption. The whole Spike-going-to-Angel is one of the best swerves I can recall. Also, now it makes perfect sense why Buffy was so adamant about keeping him around. Unfortunately, souled Spike was a complete bore all season long.

* Andrew was the best thing about season 7. I think my favorite moment is when he was narrating the Faith vs. Spock fight.

* Goodbye Hellmouth. My gripe is the fact that the Hellmouth was ONLY populated by the Ubervamps in the series finale. There should have been other demons present as well.

* Season 5 had a better "series closure" than season 7. I was surprised that Buffy didn't die for a THIRD time to end out the show's run.

* Kennedy is the worst recurring character during Buffy's run. Her relationship with Willow was beyond forced. At least Riley was getting interesting in season 5 when he let vampires feed off of him.

* Faith really served no purpose (she's best as a slutty bad girl), but hey, it was great to have her back.

* Caleb... Ugh, they should have introduced his character in the beginning of the season. It would have been nice to have had some development in his character, and a better understanding of where his power comes from.

* I expected a better "Previously On" montage. They should have repeated the one that played before "The Gift." I'd be surprised if that one didn't make it onto the s5 DVD set.

Overall, I enjoyed the past seven seasons of Buffy (like hbo's OZ)... but it's time to move on (like hbo's OZ).
-r

Jlbkwrm

I don't know. I just don't know.

Most of this season was horrible. None of it made any sense, plots were introduced and abandoned, characters leapt in and out of character on whims, and everything just moved so slowly.

The finale wasn't horrible. It was good. What kills me is that it could have been great. Most of my issues with the episode are because the set up was so fundamentally flawed. If the season had built to this finale, instead of veering towards this direction in episode 21, it could have resonated.

I really like the Slayer gimmick. Distributing the power to all the Potentials was a great way to end the series. But, thanks to this season, Slayer power is tied to demon-mist-rape. Kind of made the scene creepy to me.

The episode was fun, though. The dialogue had some non-obvious references to past episodes ("I'm not getting any older.", "fat grandchildren".), the Core Four scene in the hallway was greatly appreciated, and the D&D with Trogdor was just hilarious.

It's been a hell of a ride. But in the future, I'll be getting off at The Gift.

Josh-da-man

Looks like not everybody was as enamored of the finale:


http://demens.proboards6.com/index.c...num=1053340177

And some apparently refused to watch it at all:

http://demens.proboards6.com/index.c...num=1053367515

It should be noted that I occasionally lurk through that board (looking for spoilers) and some of those people will complain about absolutely anything...

...but good God.

Phuzbox

Dawn's shin kick on Buffy had my stomach hurting from laughing.

NitroJMS

CCGoldRush

I think the ending was incredibly open-ended.

Whedon needs to talk seriously about a new Buffy movie. This could be a franchise in his hands--bigger budget, better effects. If Resident Evil can get a sequel, then a new Buffy movie would make money.

Patman

I still think the characterization of Angel on this last episode of Buffy was just so bizarre considering where Angel's been this past season. It's almost like Whedon just pulled Angel from season 1 and transported him to season 7. I mean the way he spoke, the flippancy (some call it good natured bantering, but still, it's like they threw away 3 years of development for Angel and reduced him by putting him into jealous unrequited boyfriend mode for the series finale). I take it that Angel is over Cordy now? He sure doesn't seem to be holding out too much hope for her recovery given how he was with Buffy.

Then again, it does seem like the writing teams on the 2 shows just have different spins on the characters, and the consistency just isn't there.

I would love it if Willow could find her way to "Angel" because they do need some more females in the cast, and she's just more confident on that show (but she'd have to leave Kennedy behind, no biggee).

If they really bring Spike back as a human, what's his real value to the cast? The prospects of watching a super-powered Dawson-Pacey dynamic at work doesn't seem to be all that appetitizing to me.

And when did Buffy gain the ability to thwart a full through and through stabbing to the midsection and recover in so little time? I was like, sure, shock us with the possible demise of Buffy, but then it's like just a flesh wound and Buffy's back to dusting vamps and slicing off heads. It just felt like a cheat, dramatically speaking.

The cookie analogy was underbaked.

I still have problems with the bestowing of Slayer power to and and all potentials. It's a nice tactic for this crisis, but long term, it's probably not a good thing. It just doesn't feel thought out (then again, if you're not writing anymore Slayer stories, you can get away with this rabbit out of a hat).

Oh, but I did enjoy seeing that ferocious redheaded SIT going medieval on the vamps once she got juiced.

Faith and Wood, I dunno, I wasn't feeling the sparks, even though the dialog between them was swinging for the fences, it felt like a foulball popup.

There were 2 scenes that foreshadowed Anya's impending death: where she calls the SITs Cannon fodder, and when they show her sleeping while no one else could and were playing D&D (or whatever that game was).

I swear Xander looks like he lost 10-15 pounds since the start of season 7. Wasn't crazy about his final words on Anya's death. She deserved better than what we got from Xander.

Andrew, well, Andrew is a force of nature in some respects, the guy just has a way of surviving.

Dawn, I just don't know how I feel about Dawn. She was underused, and really didn't add all that much to the mix after everything as said and done.

Too bad they killed off the SIT with the long face (who sandbagged Andrew in D&D), why couldn't Kennedy be one of the casualties? Grr...Arghh...

But I guess overall, looking back on the 7 seasons, I'll use Willow's words for them: "That was nifty."

JNielsen

Yeah that was good. I also was cracking up at the face Spike drew of Angle that was taped to the punching bag after Buffys big Caleb fight. It had Angle spiked hair and everything .

nny

I hate hate hate this season, but Whedon did a good job of ending the this trainwreck of a season. I didn't like season 6 that much, but it definitely should have ended last season. I would say it should have ended on season 5, but season 5 was so amazing, we needed season 6 to show us that Buffy was going downhill.

My problems with the finale are minor compared to the obstacles Whedon faced wrapping this series up. But the thing I probably hated most was the news about Spike moving to Angel. I thought myself that that might be a red herring, but it still took something away from his sacrifice knowing that he would probably be ressurected and be a regular on Angel.

My other problem is that the finale was only good and not great. I know that sounds stupid, but considering The Gift, Becoming part 2, and Restless are 3 of the best hours of tv ever, I expected something amazing for the finale.

JNielsen

Jeez, thank god for civilized boards like DVDTalk

minguy

i expected more casualties.

angel was very useless and out-of-place. necklace could've come from anywhere. spike's jealousy lasted only a few minutes. buffy's "I'm waiting till I'm ready" speech could've just easily been said to spike.

anya deserved a little better. Or did I miss it?

I'm glad this show ended before it was given a chance to completely fizzled out as most other shows do.

Personally, I found closure after season 3. No apocalypse is worse than high school.

Feature films would definately be a good venture. Joss Whedon is turning out to be a pretty capable filmmaker.

Lurker1999

I think the character of the "debate" on those boards are the reason I prefer DVDTalk to most of the other series specific boards.

Jlbkwrm

I think Angel had to be in the final battle. Amends was all about The First trying to get Angel de-souled or dead. Since The First didn't try to have Spike killed at all this season, there had to be something specific about Angel, and not just the soul, that had an impact on the final battle.

I think the way it played out was pretty lame, but it was one of the few things this season that made sense.

zero

DOUBLE DEUUUUUUUUCE!!!!

I really enjoyed this episode, what more can I say but Im sorry to see the series go. thank god for season DVD box sets!

Mark Holtz

My two cents worth...

* Season 5 would have given a nice closure to the series. Tonight's finale couldn't top that, even if it was a female empowerment theme.
* Season Six - Dark Willow. Season Seven - Willow the White.
* Best line: "I used to be a highly respected watcher, and now, I'm a wounded dwarf with a mystical strength of a doily."
* While we have all these new "potentials" running around, we have no watchers to guide them. This could spell trouble.
* Buffy had a mortal wound, yet is able to get up and fight. HUH?
* The ending was very open-ended, leaving room for a followup on either Angel or a "reunion" movie.
* I guess we'll never get resolution to the "Sunnydale Sinkhole". Of course, this is the producers way of saying "It's over, goodbye to Sunnydale".
* Too bad Emma didn't get her wish of driving off in a convertable.
* Xander didn't get his eye back.
* Everyone assumes that James Marsters will return as Spike in Angel. It is entirely possible he returns as another character as a way to screw around with our minds.

It's been a great ride, and I hope the actors of Buffy have successful careers. That's the least we can ask for.

palebluedot

So did everyone in Sunnydale die a horrible death when it became a sink hole?

Jlbkwrm

The WB's season upfront press release says: "In addition, James Marsters will join 'Angel' as Spike, and other visitors from Sunnydale will be seen in Joss Whedon’s world, which will take an uptown turn out of the darkness this fall."

Also,


I think we're supposed to assume that there was absolutely nobody left in Sunnydale. The sudden (random, IMO) exodus from Sunnydale apparently left it pretty much abandoned.

Doesn't really explain what happened to the Pacific Ocean. Sunnydale used to have a beach.

Chew

I certainly enjoyed the finale. They gave everybody a nice moment to end it and a perfect last line to keep things fairly open.

Thanks Joss for 7 great years. I'll miss Buffy big time.

dp20957

Did I miss something. I thought all the potential slayers were killed except for the few who made it to Sunnydale.

Pointyskull

Ditto.....

Even without that, I found the finale to be more fitting and satisfactory the more I think about it, hours after watching it.

It didn't resolve exactly the way I wanted it to, and when the final credits rolled I felt a little, dare I say, underwhelmed. But as I have rolled over the implications and resolutions over the past twelve hours or so, what with Buff's , the whole and , I feel pretty sated.

My Tuesday nights will never be the same....

Thanks, Joss

PalmerJoss

I definitely enjoyed the epidsode, but what about Buffy's supposedly "mortal" wound as The First said? Most people, if they get impaled, do not survive(unless you're from the Buffyverse apparently--remember when this happened to Cordelia?)!

Here's hoping to future movies and/or guest appearances on Angel!