BtVS-Reviews@khom.de

It's the end, my friend

7.22. Chosen, Airdate: 05/20/03 (UPN, 8 pm PT/ET).


Four years of BtVS reviews and seven years of Buffy are about to end in... a bliss. The neck-breaking series finale had a real big surprise in stock. Though some people at an early stage assumed all the SIT's will be slayers at the end, I didn't think so. Well, I have proven wrong, and the end made sense, somehow: Why is it possible that there are two slayers? Now, we have an answer: because there being only one was kinda mystical mongo-bongo, the shadowmen brought about, and not the natural state of affairs.

Well, actually, there are a whole lot more questions now than before, don't you think so? They raised the question, what a slayer is, and we learned, she's possessed by some kind of misty demon. I suggested, it is leaving the body after the slayer dies, so that's why there only can be one. Though it would have been logical, it isn't quite how things have turned out, is it? That brings us back to the question: What's a slayer, where does she get her powers from?

By spoiling their own explanation, they gave some sort of mystics back to the whole slayer thing, and I like that. Somehow, the shadowmen created the first slayer, and somehow there are several girls who have this strength, but it isn't clear why. It seems as if there isn't an actual demon involved in yielding the actual living-here-and-now slayers.

However, the whole bunch of slayers, brings about an interesting logical problem. There is a slayer, we were told for a long time, to balance the powers. And because Buffy was brought back from the dead, the slayerline got distorted, and that's why the FE had the possibility to go all apocalyptic. Well, isn't that really bad now with all those slayers out there? Isn't that even more than "distorting"? It practically turns off the whole slayer tradition. Not only that: if a slayer is there to balance out good and evil, well, there will be a good deal of evil now.

As for the plotting, it was a lotta stuff for only 45 mins. It would have made a good 2 hr finale, I think. Putting everyting into just one single ep, well, can you say "overloaded"? The plan wasn't a plan, though a pretty smart not-a-plan. I liked the "let's make all slayers" part, but I wondered why Giles didn't ask: "And then?" Well, what did they expect to do? Just storming the highschool, opening the seal, and then? Who said, there's some sort of dungeon down there? They didn't know that. Could have been a portal of some sort, or whatever. They really didn't give any explanation why the whole gang went down the seal, and what they expected to find there. I didn't like the whole amulet thing too much. Angel comes, drops it and it saves the world. Well, nice, but they didn't even do research about it. They knew nothing about it, they blindly stormed some dungeon... not the smartest plot in Buffy's history.

Anya dead... why didn't they show us? I mean, we knew her from season 4 on, and we loved her, and most of us knew or at least thought, she will die. She died, but off-screen. I don't care for seeing her actually die, but perhaps the fight before? Seeing how she sacrifizes herself? Nope. We just learn she's dead, and Xanders makes jokes about her right after.

What was wrong with Angel? He left suddenly, and I can't remember him doing what Buffy told him to do. That was sloppy, don't you think? To let him go like that?

It was fun, of course, to see how they all interact, and it was fun to see more than one famous Buffy line picked up again. I liked the "going to the mall" part, when Giles said "Earth is definitely doomed", like he did in season 1. Yeah, that was just so nice. The fighting scenes were gorgeous, and the Faith-Wood part - o gosh, yep, I can't say how much I'll miss Faith. And Willow. And Xander. And Buffy. And all of them.

There's still the spike issue. He burned, but he's listed as official cast member for Angel's fifth season. So he'll return? Or will Marsters take up another part? I don't think so. Writing someone back into the series never was a problem, even if he was in hell or in heaven.:)

That's it for now - but don't cry. I'll review the whole of season 7 next week, right here. Check back! And, of course, write to me, and tell me, how you feel towards the finale and towards the end of Buffy. I'd be pleased to talk to you. I'll miss you. Many of you kept checking back from the beginning, and write to me often, and that's a big thing I still can't imagine to be without.

Shortcuts: BtVS 7.22. Chosen

What happened?
Willow used the axe to make slayers out of SIT's and thus, breaking the shadowmen-rule "there only can be one" once and for all. Spike got the amulet Angel brought. They stormed some sort of dungeon (on the other side of the seal), and started to fight. The amulet started working and the whole of Sunnydale quickly got a non-Sunnydale. Spike burned, Anya died. The future looks bright, with Buffy not having to be the one and only anymore. But, wait - there's still a hellmouth in Cleveland, as Giles said.

Any strange things?
Why did the FE go for the SIT's gathered in Sunnydale instead of first putting out those in the slayerline still out there? Why was it so easy to send Angel back to L.A.? He normally isn't so much into doing what Buffy wants him to do. Why did the ritual have to take place in the highschool and not before? The SIT's could have been slayers by the time they arrived at the high school. Why kept the Big Bads coming to Sunnydale instead of slayerless Cleveland? Why was the FE able to bring about harm due to the distortion of the slayerline, but could be defeated by distorting it even more? Why wasn't Xander sad about Anya's death? Why did Faith say "You're not the only slayer anymore", while she's one, too?

Was it good or not?
It was good, but could have been better. Four stakes out of five.

What do you hope for?
No hope, I am sorry. No Buffy ever.

Feedback (updated frequently)

Anya's death: Well, it seems as if the UPN network from my region did a bit of cutting around Anya's death. Thanks to Russel, Carl, Linda and all the others who pointed out most of you actually saw how she was cut in half.

Yours,
Tom Ahrendt
zeitenflug@yahoo.com.

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