Did anyone like the buffy series finale?

Finale

I liked the finale very much. In fact, I'm glad that all of the Potentials became Slayers. It never made sense to me to have only one Slayer throughout the world. I guess this was the WC's way of maintaining control. Not only are there now Slayers all over the world, each will have the choice on whether or not to pursue a Slayer's duties.

And Spike's ending with Buffy was an emotional high.
 
i liked the end aloyt, and they left you with some answers, and sure things (like anya and spike....) even though it was really sad!! but ending eps always are(like the last M*a*s*h ep, i cried so hard...)
but i liked the end of 7 that they closed the sunnydale Helmouth!
 
I really liked the ending. Especially because I was kind of disappointed by the first few episodes in S7. I thought there were rather lame. And then in about the middle of the season it started to get really thrilling and good again and I enjoyed it. And the thing about all the potentials being real slayers now... yes it left a lot open, but isn't that the whole point? It will never end, there will always be slayers... I think that's a really cool ending 🙂
 
The ONLY reason I don't like the finale is because of the way Joss completely invalidates any reason whatsoever to have a multitude of Slayers by what he does with Spike. If it weren't for this, I'd have no problem with the episode. The idea of using magic to create a multitude of Slayers is an issue that fans have brought up time and again and Joss finally chose to give us a canon answer to put an end to those discussions. Where he went wrong is in his decision to immediately thereafter have Spike sacrifice himself by becoming a conduit for sunlight (which nullified any purpose a multitude of Slayers might have served in the big final battle).
 
Slayers

I don't think that Buffy and Willow had "created" new Slayers, like the Shadowmen of "Get It Done" did. Those girls would have eventually become Slayers, via the death of previous ones - starting with Faith's death.

What Buffy and Willow did, I believe, was change the system of Slayers. Instead of one at a time, coming into the fold (and being controlled by some kind of Watchers' Council), any Potential around 15 years or older, immediately became a Slayer. Not only that, I believe the Scoobies will try to contact these new Slayers and give them the choice to pursue the duties of a Slayer . . . something that Buffy had offered to the Potentials in "Chosen". That is why the Potentials, who were previously hostile toward her, were willing to fight by her side in the Hellmouth. Instead of forcing them to fight, Buffy offered them the opportunity to make a choice. Kennedy, Rona, Vi, Amanada, and the other Potentials in Sunnydale and throughout the world were eventually going to assume Slayer strength. But what Buffy and Willow did - and plan to do with the other new Slayers - was give them the choice to act as a Slayer.

I also believe that it was female empowerment that saved the day. Only it did so, through Spike. Empowerment does not always mean "kicking ass" via physical violence. There are other forms of empowerment. Empowering others through compassion, tolerance, emotional support and love. And this is how Buffy defeated the First Evil's plans - via her emotional support and feelings for Spike. Can you imagine what would have happened if she had never been able to forgive him for what happened in Season 6? If she had not given him the chance to forgive her? Or if she had not told him that she believed in him in "Never Leave Me"? Buffy had defeated the First Evil through her compassion and forgiveness, the same way that Luke Skywalker had defeated Emperor Palpatine in "Return of the Jedi" - via his compassion and forgiveness toward his father, Anakin Skywalker.

I believe what Joss Whedon was trying to tell us that a woman's (or should I say, a person's) greatest strength is not through brute strength or physical violence, but through human emotions and the abiilty to connect with others. I think it is a great message.
 
Luke DIDN'T defeat Palpatine; Vader did. All Luke did was act as a catalyst to reawaken the good man within his father. What happens in 'Chosen' is this:
- Buffy has Willow use the Slayer-Scythe to cast a magical spell instantly transforming EVERY girl in the world into a Slayer (including those Potentials in Sunnydale). That alone SHOULD have been enough to take out the First's army of UberVamps, but Joss, for some reason, decides to give Spike a heroic death by having him become a conduit for sunlight (which destroys all of the UberVamps and causes Sunnydale to implode and cave in upon itself), thus rendering the whole point of creating an army of Slayers obsolete. While in the long run an army of Slayers does make the job of protecting the world from vampires and demons easier, the whole crux of Buffy's speech to the Potentials in 'Chosen' is about her giving them the power to actually be a threat to the First. Having Spike use the amulet and sunlight to destroy every UberVamp in the First's army completely invalidates that intial purpose for Buffy having Willow perform the spell and makes the whole spell pointless.
 
Luke DIDN'T defeat Palpatine; Vader did. All Luke did was act as a catalyst to reawaken the good man within his father.


Which is exactly my point. If Luke had not acted as a catalyst to reawaken the good man in Vader, the Emperor would still be alive.

Buffy did the same for Spike. Which is why I do not understand why people feel that Buffy and the Slayers had to resort to brute strength to defeat the FE's plans. Buffy didn't awaken all of the Slayers, simply to defeat the FE. She brought about a major change in the Slayer line - a change that will definitely affect the battle between good and evil in the future. Don't worry. All of those Slayers will still be fighting the FE. Only the FE will have more Slayers to deal with, instead of mere Potentials.
 
I loved the finale even though there was some things unanswered. I think it was one of the best episodes minus the deaths of some awesome characters;( It is defiantly one of my favorite episodes.
 
Yes I did, very much, however could have been better ... (that's why I felt I had to write a second part to it.)
 
Originally posted by LadyLavinia
Luke DIDN'T defeat Palpatine; Vader did. All Luke did was act as a catalyst to reawaken the good man within his father.


Which is exactly my point. If Luke had not acted as a catalyst to reawaken the good man in Vader, the Emperor would still be alive.

Buffy did the same for Spike. Which is why I do not understand why people feel that Buffy and the Slayers had to resort to brute strength to defeat the FE's plans. Buffy didn't awaken all of the Slayers, simply to defeat the FE. She brought about a major change in the Slayer line - a change that will definitely affect the battle between good and evil in the future. Don't worry. All of those Slayers will still be fighting the FE. Only the FE will have more Slayers to deal with, instead of mere Potentials.
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The WHOLE point of turning the Potentials (and every other girl in the world) into Slayers was so that Buffy and Co. could defeat the FE's army with brute strength. Both the idea of turning the Potentials into Slayers and the idea of Spike sacrificing himself to act as a conduit for sunlight are good ideas on their own; they just don't work (and didn't work) when paired together.
 
Originally posted by DigificWriter
The WHOLE point of turning the Potentials (and every other girl in the world) into Slayers was so that Buffy and Co. could defeat the FE's army with brute strength. Both the idea of turning the Potentials into Slayers and the idea of Spike sacrificing himself to act as a conduit for sunlight are good ideas on their own; they just don't work (and didn't work) when paired together.
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Turning the Potentials into Slayers was more than just about brute strength. That's why Spike was there, wearing the amulet. In fact, Buffy wasn't even sure if they were going to win, until that last night before the battle.

It's a shame that society at large believe that victory over evil can only be achieved through brute strength. I don't believe that is the message that Joss Whedon was trying to give.
 
Uh, here's Buffy's actual speech from 'Chosen'. Read it and tell me that you honestly don't think it's about defeating the FE using physical strength:

Buffy: I hate this. I hate being here. I hate that you have to be here. I hate that there's evil and that I was chosen to fight it. I wish a whole lot of the time that I hadn't been. I know a lot of you wish I hadn't been, either. But this isn't about wishes. This is about choices. I believe we can beat this evil. Not when it comes. Not when its army is ready. Now. Tomorrow morning I'm opening the Seal. I'm going down into the Hellmouth and I'm finishing this once and for all. Right now you're asking yourselves what makes this different. "What makes us anything more than a bunch of girls being picked off one by one?" It's true, none of you have the power that Faith and I do. So here's the part where you make a choice. What if you could have that power"¦ now? In every generation one Slayer is born because a bunch of men who died thousands of years ago made up that rule. They were powerful men. (She points at Willow, who smiles nervously.) This woman is more powerful than all of them combined. So I say we change the rule. I say my power should be our power. Tomorrow, Willow will use the essence of the scythe to change our destiny. From now on, every girl in the world who might be a Slayer, will be a Slayer. Every girl who could have the power, will have the power. Can stand up, will stand up. Slayers"¦ every one of us. Make your choice. Are you ready to be strong?

It's ALL about physical strength. Nothing more, nothing less. Physical strength (the power to defend yourselves, make a difference, take out the FE, etc.). If they were going to just have Spike create a conduit for sunlight and defeat all of the UberVamps, there is no point in A) turning all the Potentials into Slayers and B) returning the Scythe to Buffy.
 
Buffy's speech does not mean anything. You're taking her words, literally. If it was simply about the Potentials' brute strength, why have Spike there with the amulet? And what was the whole deal about Spike achieving redemption through his relationship with Buffy? Once again, Buffy (and the audience) is falling into the trap that brute force alone will win the battle. In the end, Spike (and Joss Whedon) proved her wrong.

You seemed to be focusing the story or the meaning behind the attack on the Hellmouth, solely from Buffy's speech and ignoring the rest of the story. If Buffy truly believed that Slayer strength and nothing else would defeat the FE, why was Spike there? Why did she accept the amulet from Angel?

Sorry, but I don't accept your argument.
 
That's the 'million-dollar question': WHY was Spike there with the amulet when Buffy had just had Willow turn all of the Potentials into Slayers? That's the problem I have with 'Chosen' in a nutshell. Spike and the amulet + the Slayer Spell just doesn't work, because they cancel each other out. You didn't need both of them, and having both of them just doesn't work.
 
Re: Slayers

Originally posted by LadyLavinia
I believe what Joss Whedon was trying to tell us that a woman's (or should I say, a person's) greatest strength is not through brute strength or physical violence, but through human emotions and the abiilty to connect with others. I think it is a great message.
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That's an excellent point - I never thought of it that way before! Thanks for your intelligent post 🙂
 
Originally posted by DigificWriter
From now on, every girl in the world who might be a Slayer, will be a Slayer. Every girl who could have the power, will have the power. Can stand up, will stand up. Slayers"¦ every one of us. Make your choice. Are you ready to be strong?
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A) turning all the Potentials into Slayers
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One thing that has been bugging me is your small contradictions. They didnt just turn any girls into slayers. She says, in the speech that you pointed out, that every girl who might be a slayer, will be a slayer. So these are girls that had the slayer ability...they just brought that power out.

It's ALL about physical strength. Nothing more, nothing less. Physical strength (the power to defend yourselves, make a difference, take out the FE, etc.). If they were going to just have Spike create a conduit for sunlight and defeat all of the UberVamps, there is no point in A) turning all the Potentials into Slayers and B) returning the Scythe to Buffy.
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That's what Buffy thought. It was all about the strength. They needed to change the slayer rule, and bring out multiple slayers. She even said that they might not win...but here's the catch. She didn't know what the amulet would do. She had no idea that it would do what it actually did. If she did, you're right, there would be no point in doing what they did. She thought it was all about the brute strength, and needed all of it she could get. She did know, that the pendant would help turn the tide...but probably didn't know how much. Even with the brute strength of the slayers...they seemed to be losing the battle. They were dying until the pendant kicked in.

So in the end, both (a) spreading the slayer power, and (b) Spike's pendant, helped save the world from the Hellmouth.
 
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