Buffy series finale (spoilers)

[danzig138]

Spike is coming back as a human. For evidence i want to point out Angel 1.22 "To Shanshu in L.A."; the prophecy about a souled vampire who becomes human.

I have yet to see anything definitive about this. Sure, a lot of people are speculating that Spike, not Angel, is going to be the vampire of the Shanshu prophecy, and it's possible, but it's also very possible that JW, knowing that a lot of people seem to be expecting this, will do something differrent.

I also would like to point out that the three talking in the school about shopping and Giles saying the Earth is doomed, mirrored the end of The Harvest.

Yes, it did. it carrieed on from it actually, since in Chosen, he said the Earth is definately doomed, and in the Harvest, he simply said the Earth was doomed. He apparently remembered his comment from 7 years prior.

 

[Wayside]

I would like to point out (forgive me if someone else did already as i didnt wade through Pages 2 and 3) ...

Spike is coming back as a human. For evidence i want to point out Angel 1.22 "To Shanshu in L.A."; the prophecy about a souled vampire who becomes human.

If you read the post directly above yours, you find mention of an interview with Whedon, where he says the WB wants Marsters for his appeal, and they are counting on Whedon to work out a way to bring him back. The Shanshu Prophecy is a possibility, but Whedon sounds in the interview as if he'd prefer to work some other way out. The prophecy may be good enough to bring Spike back, but it can't explain why he'd hang out with Angel over finding Buffy.

 

[coyote6]

I don't think anyone's mentioned it, but I liked that the Grr! Argh! Mutant Enemy monster at the end was actually animated for the last ep.

 

[KnowTheToe]

The prophesy does not really work for bringing in spike because that has played such a major role in how groups have perceived Angel, if that change takes place they should rename it The Spike Show.

 

[Angelsboi]

Well maybe the prophecies have been wrong all along. Maybe the Vampire With A Soul who is a big player in the Apocalypse is actually Spike.

*shrugs*

Joss will work it all out. I have Faith in Joss.

 

[S'mon]

So what do y'all think? I liked certain bits but I found myself very unsatisfied at the end. ..

The episode has just aired for the first time on UK tv (Sky) a few hours ago. I was seriously underwhelmed - I was concerned that maybe the new TV I bought wasn't doing it justice, but my wife confirmed that it just wasn't very good. There was little of the old magic and sparkle. Spike's exit could've been good (though I'd been spoilered, knowing he died) but the locket was set up so poorly with Angel's cameo, it didn't work very well. The whole denouement relied on two gizmos, the locket and the magic axe/scythe, and a power never before hinted at & apparently pulled out of Willow/Joss's a**.

I reckoned they were going to turn the Potentials into Slayers - I thought maybe by briefly 'killing' and reviving Faith, then each of them in turn - already established as a Slayer-multiplier. Instead an almost-throwaway magic ritual solved everything.

The one good thing - the ep makes it much easier to play the Buffy the Vampire Slayer RPG with multiple Slayers!
And the Cleveland hellmouth was mentioned, which was nice.

Re the big hole in the desert, I kept thinking "er, Sunnydale was on the coast, shouldn't there be some _sea_ pouring into that hole!"

 

[S'mon]

I thought Buffy's last line of the episode when asked what she's going to do now that she's a regular girl should have been "I'm going to bake cookies". referring to the cookie speech to Angel.

I don't think that would've sat too well with Joss's feminist message - whatever the message is (being strong is about being able to beat people up?) I doubt it involves baking cookies.

I liked it that Anya died, it made her "I'm terrified" speech very touching in hindsight. A few more main-cast fatalities would've been nice, but not vital. Maybe Xander & Anya, fighting back to back. I guess they couldn't kill Dawn (*sigh*).

 

[Ranger REG]

Here's my random thought on Buffy series finale, which I have to say, should have at least been a two-hour event.

BTW, why is this a late review? I tend to tape my favorite shows. That way if I'm interrupted for some reason (emergency or otherwise), I can always go back to where I left off so I won't miss a single scene.

First off, Angel's appearance is not so grand. Just a cameo. I expected more, at least an alliance between Angel's group (sans Connor and Cordelia) and Buffy's. Or at the very least, expect some more bantering between two ensouled vampires, Spike and Angel.

As for the First, I expected her to step up her discord among the group, which would be a perfect opportunity to bring back some of the notable characters, like Buffy's and Dawn's mother, the former Mayor, former high school principal, Jonathon, Drusilla, Riley, etc.

As for the climactic battle that ended up with Spike using the amulet to destroy the ubervamps and himself in the process, thus bringing a destruction to the entire city of Sunnydale that left a crater ... feh. For some reasons, I expected Buffy to make the supreme sacrifice, even after having given all the Slayer's powers to all the women of the world through the use of the Scythe. She would have played her Slayer role up until the very end (she dies, her spirit can then defeat the First, who can't be touched in the real world). But that was not meant to be.

So after all that, what do I consider some of the shining moments?

A simple D&D session involving Andrew (DM), Giles (plays a dwarf PC), and Xander (can't remember his PC), with the help of a high school girl (her PC is a sorceress). Sadly, she died in the climactic battle.

There is one thing you have to give TV series creator Joss Whedon, he won't do a traditional story ending. He likes to leave the audience pondering, "What's next?"

If I have to give a rating, I'd probably give it a 7 out of 10 stakes. It was decent, but still could have been a better ending for such a cult phenomenon.

 

[Vocenoctum]

Here's my random thought on Buffy series finale, which I have to say, should have at least been a two-hour event.

I kept getting that feeling too, it seemed rushed and such.

But, then I remember how slow the whole season has been, and can only think they could have done so much more then.

Heck, Angel could have stared in a whole episode.

 

[Bagpuss]

The prophecy may be good enough to bring Spike back, but it can't explain why he'd hang out with Angel over finding Buffy.

Perhaps because he realises that it would never work with Buffy. Remember the "I love you." - "No you don't but thanks for saying it anyway." exchange.