A final Buffy Review

[lathany]

The last ever Buffy. Probably (although they're still talking about a film).

Chosen

How do you end a series which has already had its heroine (*) defeating a God and saving the world ("a lot") ? I think that this was a pretty good attempt. I enjoyed Willow's spell, watching the three walk down the corridor together one last time and bits of the final fight. Plus wiping out the whole town was a pretty final ending.

However there were, of course, also flaws. The hard-to-ignore fact that everyone, even the mundanes, appeared to be having some success against the super-vampires despite all Buffy's problems with them earlier in the season. Plus the little matter of her wound seeming to close even faster than the average slayer injury.

Anya's death scene, whilst quite fitting, was still a rather disappointing exit scene when compared to the drama surrounding, for example, Jenni Calendar's murder. And I was rather sorry that Angel barely stuck around given that The First is an old adversary of his. However the show managed to re-establish the Buffy-Angel relationship in one episode - something I never thought they would do (although I think, on balance, I approve).

* - I decided that lanfykins was right about the word heroine (as opposed to using hero for both sexes).



So that's that. Still a couple of Angel episodes to go. Then I'll start wanting "something new" to replace them both.

Comments

I have to say...

[ao-lai.livejournal.com]

I did feel a little disappointed. Sure, the final outcome was, I suppose, appropriate (although as you say, Anya's death could have been done better, and my sister will be ranting for weeks about Spike)...

...But... Once again, it was the whole 'Gather enough plot tokens to defeat the big bad' thing. Just like in Season 4. Just like in Season 5. Only this time, Angel turns up out of the blue, hands over an important plot token, and leaves - It seemed like the Buffy equivalent of the detective story that introduces a critical new character in the last two pages. Not to mention the overtones of 'Well, we'll just get Willow to cast a spell to fix it...'

And then - In what way was The First actually defeated? Sure, the army of Ubervamps was destroyed, but wasn't the whole point of the season that 'You can't kill the First Evil'? It had become active because the Slayer had died and come back, okay I suppose, but shouldn't that last spell have just made things worse? Shouldn't there have been more explaination there?

And... Ah, well, it seems that I've started to rant. So I'd better stop.

But it could have been better. :)

Re: I have to say...

[wimble.livejournal.com]

Angel turning up out of the blue may be an artifact of the two series being out of sync. I'm not certain about that, but the review of Chosen on http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com makes references to events in Angel which we haven't seen yet.

They also mention that The First isn't defeated, but is put on hold for a while, and the world is changed.

My two questions are: all these Slayers who are created: are they going to be a force for good? There's potentially going to be a need for a lot of watchers. Pity the council got vaped?

The other one is: Sunnydale is now a big hole in the ground, with the hellmouth at the middle. So, who says the hellmouth is closed? There's the possibility for a volcano like re-eruption.

And yes, I was disappointed.

Re: I have to say...

[lathany.livejournal.com]

My two questions are: all these Slayers who are created: are they going to be a force for good? There's potentially going to be a need for a lot of watchers. Pity the council got vaped?

Probably not, yes and yes. Ironically enough, a season spent replacing the Watchers Council might have been more interesting than the last four seasons put together.

Re: I have to say...

[smiorgan.livejournal.com]

All those slayers that got created...

Maybe half of them will turn out like Season 3's Faith...

Re: I have to say...

[lathany.livejournal.com]

Angel turns up out of the blue, hands over an important plot token, and leaves

Yes, I should have mentioned that point. I think it was too much of a "one magic item fixes all" that my memory just wiped the whole incident.

Re: I have to say...

[lathany.livejournal.com]

Shouldn't there have been more explaination there?

Yes, their explanations have been inadequate/non-existent for a while now. One of the things which I have been hating for seasons is the complete lack of consistency.

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

I was most unimpressed by the way all the horribly injured people just got back up again when it suited the plot.

Joss Wheldon joins JMS and George Lucas on my trashheap of writers who don't get their own work and consequently f*ck it up. (Not that he wasn't there prior to this episode...)

[chrestomancy.livejournal.com]

everyone, even the mundanes, appeared to be having some success against the super-vampires

The Gibbon noticed this. But then The Gibbon noticed that most of the things that got past The Slayers (tm) turned out to be regular eyeless minions, not in fact super-vampires. Anya was definitely killed by a minion, not a vamp.