Crisis averted. Buffy saved the world. Again. Or... NOT?:) I won't begin by stating the obvious: what happened in the last two episodes of The Grand Finale of "Buffy...". I'm sure you've all seen it. I'm also sure 80% of you even saw "Angel". I will, however, tell you a secret. The key of this finale lies in one tiny episode in "Angel" called "I will remember you". For all those that don't read the lines but only look at the funny pictures (to quote Xander), I suggest a short flashback.
Angel became human again... for a day... WHY did he throw it all away? Because he went to the Oracle. He wanted to know why the Mohra demon said the end of the days has begun. That soldiers of darkness were coming. (Does that ring a bell to you?) He wanted to know what happened to the Slayer when these soldiers came. And the answer was "What happens to all mortal beings. She will die". And then Angel pleads for her life. He offers his life instead and they accept. They swallow the day as if it never happened and he remains a vampire and Buffy walks out on him.
What was the purpose of this sacrifice? It was Buffy's life. Her guaranteed success in the final battle against the Primal Evil. He TRADED his future with her for her life. That is WHY Buffy didn't die in the end. The stabbing was no accident. She was SUPPOSED to die from the wound. But she got up, continued fighting and even managed to run across building rooftops so as to escape the shock wave.
It was, also, not a coincidence or a trifle for the screenwriters to include Angel in the last 2 episodes of Buffy's finale. Angel was the one who orchestrated this battle from my viewpoint. The man who pulled all the strings from the shadow. He was the one who "rehabilitated" Faith, gave the amulet to Spike and also made sure Buffy would live. He was not worried. When Buffy was fighting Caleb, he sat aside and let her "do her thing". He even jokingly taunted her "You are SO gonna lose!" because he knew she was going to be fine. Angel left because there was no need for him to stay – everything was assured. I love the way he's still the old Angel – the one who discretely guides Buffy's destiny and looks out for her. These episodes, as most Buffy episodes, are charged with subtext.
Anyway, the battle went on as we know it and the righteous were separated from the unworthy. Anya (former demon) and Spike (also demon) died. All the others lived. Even the unimportant ones like Andrew or the Principal. It kind of makes sense...
I'll tell you what I liked about this ending. I liked the scene where Buffy and Angel are talking in the graveyard and watching them is a white statue of... an angel! (Bet you didn't notice) I liked Faith when she proposed Chao-Ahn to be the leader, on the grounds that "It's hard to lead people into a deathtrap if you don't speak English". I liked the bracing music and the Matrix moves. I liked how the "Welcome to Sunnydale" sign collapsed into the crater in the end.
What I didn't like was Spike's exaggerating "the best night of his life". And how the screenwriters turned him into a cheap, EXPENDABLE Angel copy-cat (I wish he kept to his former, soulless self. He was a great character when he was with Dru). I also hate how Willow could reverse "a thousand generation" rule (there can be only one Slayer) but somehow couldn't remove a simple curse like the gypsy prophecy on Angel. I also hate Dawn, who promised to be a great weapon and power source but, in the end, turned out to be nothing but a frightened little girl. I hate the whole idea of "shutting the mouth of hell once and for all" equaling to collapsing it (Why fight the Uber-vamps when you can simply bomb the place and be done with it?) I hate how Faith ended up with the Principle and how quickly Willow replaced Tara.
I also want to "congradulate" whoever dressed Buffy and Dawn in these 2 episodes for making them wear high heels in such combat scenes. It just looked ridiculous! Buffy seemed to be out on a date instead of "hack and slash" mode.
In the end, I want to point out another thing that nobody considered in these comments, and that is that this fight was NOT a complete success. Buffy could defeat the raging army of Uber-Vamps but she could NOT destroy the Primal Evil. She won a battle, but not the war.
The future for Buffy looks promising. She sees "fat grandchildren" at some point in her life. She basically confides in Angel to wait for her until she feels ready. And his answer is "I ain't getting any older". What more of a happy ending could you ask for?:)
Angel became human again... for a day... WHY did he throw it all away? Because he went to the Oracle. He wanted to know why the Mohra demon said the end of the days has begun. That soldiers of darkness were coming. (Does that ring a bell to you?) He wanted to know what happened to the Slayer when these soldiers came. And the answer was "What happens to all mortal beings. She will die". And then Angel pleads for her life. He offers his life instead and they accept. They swallow the day as if it never happened and he remains a vampire and Buffy walks out on him.
What was the purpose of this sacrifice? It was Buffy's life. Her guaranteed success in the final battle against the Primal Evil. He TRADED his future with her for her life. That is WHY Buffy didn't die in the end. The stabbing was no accident. She was SUPPOSED to die from the wound. But she got up, continued fighting and even managed to run across building rooftops so as to escape the shock wave.
It was, also, not a coincidence or a trifle for the screenwriters to include Angel in the last 2 episodes of Buffy's finale. Angel was the one who orchestrated this battle from my viewpoint. The man who pulled all the strings from the shadow. He was the one who "rehabilitated" Faith, gave the amulet to Spike and also made sure Buffy would live. He was not worried. When Buffy was fighting Caleb, he sat aside and let her "do her thing". He even jokingly taunted her "You are SO gonna lose!" because he knew she was going to be fine. Angel left because there was no need for him to stay – everything was assured. I love the way he's still the old Angel – the one who discretely guides Buffy's destiny and looks out for her. These episodes, as most Buffy episodes, are charged with subtext.
Anyway, the battle went on as we know it and the righteous were separated from the unworthy. Anya (former demon) and Spike (also demon) died. All the others lived. Even the unimportant ones like Andrew or the Principal. It kind of makes sense...
I'll tell you what I liked about this ending. I liked the scene where Buffy and Angel are talking in the graveyard and watching them is a white statue of... an angel! (Bet you didn't notice) I liked Faith when she proposed Chao-Ahn to be the leader, on the grounds that "It's hard to lead people into a deathtrap if you don't speak English". I liked the bracing music and the Matrix moves. I liked how the "Welcome to Sunnydale" sign collapsed into the crater in the end.
What I didn't like was Spike's exaggerating "the best night of his life". And how the screenwriters turned him into a cheap, EXPENDABLE Angel copy-cat (I wish he kept to his former, soulless self. He was a great character when he was with Dru). I also hate how Willow could reverse "a thousand generation" rule (there can be only one Slayer) but somehow couldn't remove a simple curse like the gypsy prophecy on Angel. I also hate Dawn, who promised to be a great weapon and power source but, in the end, turned out to be nothing but a frightened little girl. I hate the whole idea of "shutting the mouth of hell once and for all" equaling to collapsing it (Why fight the Uber-vamps when you can simply bomb the place and be done with it?) I hate how Faith ended up with the Principle and how quickly Willow replaced Tara.
I also want to "congradulate" whoever dressed Buffy and Dawn in these 2 episodes for making them wear high heels in such combat scenes. It just looked ridiculous! Buffy seemed to be out on a date instead of "hack and slash" mode.
In the end, I want to point out another thing that nobody considered in these comments, and that is that this fight was NOT a complete success. Buffy could defeat the raging army of Uber-Vamps but she could NOT destroy the Primal Evil. She won a battle, but not the war.
The future for Buffy looks promising. She sees "fat grandchildren" at some point in her life. She basically confides in Angel to wait for her until she feels ready. And his answer is "I ain't getting any older". What more of a happy ending could you ask for?:)