You know that special place in hell for people who talk at the movies? I've often risked ending up there when watching films or TV, because there are times when I just can't help interjecting: "cool plot device, but Buffy did it first".
There are loads of things that BtVS will be remembered for and I don't think anyone doubts its place in pop culture history. The grand finale of the series (as well as the episodes leading to it) always receives mixed reviews and I do see that there are details that people (fans) can pick apart and grumble about. It is, however, another one of those "Buffy did it first" moments and a major one for that matter.
I'm talking, of course, about the concept of sharing the slayer power and giving up the uniqueness of the heroine's position as "the chosen one". It's not just a brilliant way to deal with the season's arc, it essentially ruptures the monomyth cycle - i.e. the prototypical "Hero's journey" (look it up, if it doesn't ring a bell). And since this happens in a story that has otherwise been a most typical example of the monomyth, this twist becomes even more significant. It is incredibly empowering to watch, not only for a female viewer, but also for any person who has felt powerless or insignificant in the face of adversity. It may just be seconds in the whole epic finale, but those scenes of girls all over the world receiving their power are totally chilling.
The final episode may have got some things wrong but it got this one thing very, very right.
[Besides, it kept the gang together until the end, it defeated an epic scale of evil, it gave two major anti-heroes the chance for complete redemption and it blew up Sunnydale, still ending on a hopeful note, which is what I call a success].
There are loads of things that BtVS will be remembered for and I don't think anyone doubts its place in pop culture history. The grand finale of the series (as well as the episodes leading to it) always receives mixed reviews and I do see that there are details that people (fans) can pick apart and grumble about. It is, however, another one of those "Buffy did it first" moments and a major one for that matter.
I'm talking, of course, about the concept of sharing the slayer power and giving up the uniqueness of the heroine's position as "the chosen one". It's not just a brilliant way to deal with the season's arc, it essentially ruptures the monomyth cycle - i.e. the prototypical "Hero's journey" (look it up, if it doesn't ring a bell). And since this happens in a story that has otherwise been a most typical example of the monomyth, this twist becomes even more significant. It is incredibly empowering to watch, not only for a female viewer, but also for any person who has felt powerless or insignificant in the face of adversity. It may just be seconds in the whole epic finale, but those scenes of girls all over the world receiving their power are totally chilling.
The final episode may have got some things wrong but it got this one thing very, very right.
[Besides, it kept the gang together until the end, it defeated an epic scale of evil, it gave two major anti-heroes the chance for complete redemption and it blew up Sunnydale, still ending on a hopeful note, which is what I call a success].