Buffy Season Finales vs. Angel Season Finales

[Nikkolas]

Well I really like the idea of comparing the two shows. Same universe and all but so drastically different in presentation.

Hence why I'm making this.

Which series do you think had the best season finales? These are the big closers - the reason you watched the show so intently. They are most likely to stand out in your mind more than almost any other episode.

So, which ones stand out more for you?

BtVS:
Prophecy Girl
Becoming Pt. 2
Graduation Day Pt. 2
Restless
The Gift
Grave
Chosen

vs.

AtS:
To Shanshu in L.A.
There's No Place Like Plrtz Glrb
Tomorrow
Home
Not Fade Away

If you want to compare just the absolute best ones for both series, feel free.

 

[Tome]

Here is how I'd rank them:

1- Becoming: Part 2
2- Restless
3- Not Fade Away
4- The Gift
5- Graduation: Part 2
6- Tomorrow
7- Chosen
8- To Shanshu In L.A
9- Grave
10- Home
11- There's No Place Like Plrtz Glrb
12- Prophecy Girl

So I'm guessing that overall I liked BtVS finales more than the Angel ones. 😀

 

[prophecygrrl]

I prefer the Buffy finales, really. Maybe it's the whole 'Big Bad' concept, but I like how it really *feels* like a finale, you know?

My rankings:

1. The Gift
2. Becoming Pt. 2
3. Chosen
4. Not Fade Away
5. Graduation Day Pt. 2
6. Restless (an amazing episode, but in terms of "finales", not my favorite)
7. There's no Place like Plrtz Glrb
8. Grave
9. Prophecy Girl
10. To Shanshu in L.A.
11. Tomorrow
12. Home

 

[Ms.Trick]

The Gift
Graduation Day Pt. 2
Becoming Pt. 2
Chosen
Home
To Shanshu in L.A.
Prophecy Girl
Not Fade Away
Restless
Grave
Tomorrow
There's No Place Like Plrtz Glrb

I definitely prefer Buffy finales but some Angel's were better than Buffy's!

 

[TheVoid68]

I believe that as a whole, the Buffy finales were far, far superior to the Angel finales. I think that the most of the best BtVS episodes were the season finales (my top three are Becoming, The Gift and Restless), while the best AtS episodes (Spin the Bottle, Lullaby, You're Welcome) tended to come in the middle of the season. I do think this is largely down to BtVS's use of a Big Bad each season - AtS having really one big Big Bad (Wolfram and Hart) meant that the end of each season was more of a lead-on to the next, with no big conclusion.

 

[VisionGirl]

There are definitely more cliffhangers on ATS season finales. While that's incredibly entertaining (& most are of exceptional quality), it's less emotionally satisfying. So while I think NFA is so awesome, I prefer Chosen. My choice is based purely on emotions, not on quality. I'm re-watching Angel season 3 right now & I know how it ends...great finale, but I hate it!! (not really, though, it's like I love to hate it 🙂) It would've driven me crazy if I had watched it while it aired & had to wait all summer to see the resolution to that.

 

[PoetZero24]

Angel's finales were definitely darker to me. Buffy's usually had some sort of positive resolution while Angel's were more symbolic of his constant struggle to overcome the evil from his past. Angel continuously punished himself including the lack of rest time. Both were awesome and reflected the lives of those characters to me though :-D

 

[xfivebyfive]

This is how I would rank the finales by how much I like them. Its pretty even between Angel and Buffys finales.


The Gift
Graduation Day Pt. 2
To Shanshu in L.A.
Grave
Home
Prophecy Girl
Tomorrow
There's No Place Like Plrtz Glrb
Chosen
Not Fade Away
Becoming Pt. 2
Restless