annathepiper | Satisfying Things, #2 in a series (Reply)

If Buffy had to go out, I am most pleased that she went out big. I finally watched the series ender with

mamishka last night, and damn but that was good.

spazzkat said and I agree with him that this episode really hearkened back to the earlier days of the series in feel. Lots of old-time Buffy goodness in the dialogue and interactions between all the characters.

I have to admit that after seeing the episode before I was worried about how things were going to play out between Buffy, Angel, and Spike, but at the same time, that was more an emotional reaction rather than a rational one. After they'd spent the entire season building up Spike as a character aiming for serious redemption, I would have been really perturbed if they'd screwed that up. But still, I also intellectually knew that I trusted good ol' Joss to not screw something up.

And he didn't. I really liked that there wasn't all that much angst between Spike and Buffy about the scene between her and Angel. And the scene between her and Angel was priceless. I liked a LOT that it was to Angel that she finally admitted what she was feeling about Spike; it made a certain kind of sense. I laughed myself silly at Angel's reaction to the news that Spike had a soul. "What are you, twelve?!" And I liked his departing line of "I'm not getting any older!"

And I also laughed myself silly at Buffy's "cookie analogy". "Warm delicious cookie me"... hehehehehe.

I LOVED the scene with Amanda, Andrew, Giles and Xander playing D&D. *chortle*

I LOVED Buffy's whole plan for activating all the Potentials into true Slayers. And the entire sequence of flashing through random girls around the world as they suddenly were made into Slayers. VERY VERY COOL.

And I LOVED Willow going all white-haired and glowy and her exchange with Kennedy as the spell was completed. "You are a GODDESS." "And you're a Slayer!" And then as she keeled over and breathed, "That was NIFTY!'

I LOVED Xander's line "Party in my eye socket and everyone's invited!" And the immediate followup of "Sometimes I should just not say words."

I was a bit sad that they killed off Anya the way they did--but Xander's exchange with Andrew at the end of the episode brought tears to my eyes.

I LOVED the scenes between Robin and Faith. Especially how she reacted to his goading her by claiming he was prettier than she was. ;)

I LOVED that they took out the ENTIRE CITY OF SUNNYDALE. And Faith's line about the Hellmouth being CLOSED! And Giles' immediate followup of "There's another one in Cleveland... not to spoil the moment..."

And Spike.

SNIFFLE.

If they had to do an ending where he couldn't get Buffy, taking him out in a huge heroic blaze of glory was the second best thing they could do. I LOVED hearing him go "Oh, BOLLOCKS!" when the amulet started firing up. And I LOVED seeing that shaft of blazing sunlight coming down to engulf him. I LOVED how Buffy told him she loved him and he just gave her this little smile and answered "No you don't--but thanks for saying." Not quite what the inner romantic sucker in me wanted to hear... but I can live with that.

And I LOVED how his hand caught fire when she took hold of it.

And that he immolated taking out an ENTIRE ARMY OF UBERVAMPS. Way to go, William!

I really loved how they didn't have Buffy answer the question of "what're we going to do now?" And how the last shot of her was this look of almost wondrous relief... perhaps the realization that she's not alone anymore. The burden of being a Slayer is no longer hers. It's not quite as satisfying to me on one level as getting her man, but on another level.. this is just as satisfying. It's letting Buffy end happy, and boy howdy did she need that.

And now I get to look forward to trying to figure out how the hell James Marsters is going to join the cast of Angel, if rumors about that are true. Because if Spike done gone and immolated himself in a blaze of heroic glory--how will he come back? And in what form? And why?

With Angel's strong season closer and with Buffy going out in a general blaze of glory, my faith in Joss Whedon's ongoing ability to entertain the hell out of me remains secure.