Hot Topic: The Amulet and lowering the odds...

[Taake]

Re-watching "Chosen" the final battle, as Buffy gets up from her wound and the Slayers start to collectively kick some demon ass... it really struck me how great that scene is. Then of course it is cut short by the sizzling amulet and immolation that ensues.

Now that leads to some great scenes, and it's a great part of Spike's character journey and subsequent move to Ats... but it did leave me feeling a bit... disappointed.

Buffy's last stand, with her army of Slayers, and they're not enough.
We have to get some deus ex machina to solve the inconquerable odds and have Buffy and hers flee for their lives.

It is not a terrible ending at all but... it does leave the question - could Joss & co have lowered the odds? Did it have to be an orc like swarm of almost-impossible-to-kill old vampires? Did the threat have to be so much larger than life that Buffy and an army of Slayers couldn't handle it? Why? Surely they could have thought to move Spike to Ats in another way? Does the amulet solving all the problems with the First kind of cheapen Buffy's victory? Did the writers simply go too far, wanting something big and bad, and had no way out but to use some trinket to bail them out of it?

What do you guys think?
Is the part the amulet plays regrettable?
Should the final stand have come down to Buffy and the power she had chosen to share and not some jewel W&H had locked up in one of their vaults?


(note: this is not about the part Spike plays in the final battle. It's more about the idea behind the amulet itself and what it means for the story, rather than who was wearing it or why)

 

[The Bronze]

I think the writer's did kind of paint themselves into a corner. The trouble with introducing an army is that it's instantly generic. The first Turok-Han out of the Hellmouth was brutal and interesting. Once you've got thousands of them then they're just bodies really.

Having said that it wasn't all bad and it did present us with a different threat to what we'd seen previously. The amulet could have done with a bit more explaining but it's really not that different to Buffy using Olaf's hammer and the Dagon Sphere against Glory. Buffy always uses whatever she can get her hands on at the time.

 

[Skanky Vamp]

What do you guys think?

Big man hero saves the day, protects the girl while girl runs away in fear with eyes glistening for the hero.

At the end of the day, despite all her talk, all her effort, all her struggles, SHE, was simply not enough enough, she had to step back and let a man do the heavy lifting.

 

[The Bronze]

At the end of the day, despite all her talk, all her effort, all her struggles, SHE, was simply not enough enough, she had to step back and let a man do the heavy lifting.

Which has always been the moral of the story when you think about it:
Season 1 - Xander has to save the girl because she's gone and got herself killed
Season 2 - Angel has to save the world with his blood because the girl failed to keep the portal shut
Season 3 - Giles has to kill The Mayor because the girl can't operate a detonator
Season 4 - Giles and Xander have to take control of the girl because she can't cope with Adam
Season 5 - Giles has to kill Glory because the girl can't manage it
Season 6 - Xander has to save the world because the girl is too silly to get out of a hole

 

[Skanky Vamp]

Which has always been the moral of the story when you think about it:

Season 1 - Buffy saved the world by killing the monster
Season 2 - Buffy saved the world by killing the monster
Season 3 - Buffy saved the world by leading the monster into a trap
Season 4 - Buffy Team saved the world by killing the monster (buffy was still the one actively involved)
Season 5 - Buffy saved the world by sacrificing herself
Season 6 - Buffy did nothing to save the world, she let a man do it.
Season 7 - Buffy did nothing to save the world, she let a man do it.

It was only the moral of the story AFTER season 5.

 

[Taake]

At the end of the day, despite all her talk, all her effort, all her struggles, SHE, was simply not enough enough, she had to step back and let a man do the heavy lifting.

Well that's just a depressing thought!

 

[EVIL UU]

I think that an army of slayers could handle the situation without the amulet, just not in such an explosive way. "Chosen" is the last episode - things are supposed to be blown up! A chapter closes, like in "Graduation", let's blow some shit up! Can't exactly do that without a bomb, right?

 

[bespangeled]

Big man hero saves the day, protects the girl while girl runs away in fear with eyes glistening for the hero.

At the end of the day, despite all her talk, all her effort, all her struggles, SHE, was simply not enough enough, she had to step back and let a man do the heavy lifting.

She survived. He burned to ash - taking over the traditionally passive role of sacrificing his life rather than leading the battle. Would it have been less sexist to have Buffy or Faith wear the amulet, so that Spike lived?

 

[Skanky Vamp]

sacrificing his life rather than leading the battle.

The point was the amulet was not needed. A 'weapon' that Buffy could wield, like every season previous to 6 would have worked. He didn't 'sacrifice his life rather than leading the battle' sacrificing his life ended the battle. The same way Buffy ended the Glory threat at the end of season 5, by sacrificing herself.

 

[bespangeled]

Which has always been the moral of the story when you think about it:
Season 1 - Xander has to save the girl because she's gone and got herself killed
Season 2 - Angel has to save the world with his blood because the girl failed to keep the portal shut
Season 3 - Giles has to kill The Mayor because the girl can't operate a detonator
Season 4 - Giles and Xander have to take control of the girl because she can't cope with Adam
Season 5 - Giles has to kill Glory because the girl can't manage it
Season 6 - Xander has to save the world because the girl is too silly to get out of a hole

Season 1 - Buffy saved the world by killing the monster
Season 2 - Buffy saved the world by killing the monster
Season 3 - Buffy saved the world by leading the monster into a trap
Season 4 - Buffy Team saved the world by killing the monster (buffy was still the one actively involved)
Season 5 - Buffy saved the world by sacrificing herself
Season 6 - Buffy did nothing to save the world, she let a man do it.
Season 7 - Buffy did nothing to save the world, she let a man do it.

It was only the moral of the story AFTER season 5.

You two should get together an decide which version is real. Did Buffy every do anything worthwhile? Or is it the fact that here were men in the cast who sometimes helped or hurt her the problem.

 

[Skanky Vamp]

men in the cast who sometimes helped or hurt her the problem.

But there is a fundamental difference between someone helping her, which was always the case in the S1-S5 and someone else entirely actively involved in achieving the victory which was the case in S6 & S7.

 

[The Bronze]

You two should get together an decide which version is real. Did Buffy every do anything worthwhile? Or is it the fact that here were men in the cast who sometimes helped or hurt her the problem.

My post wasn't serious. I'm just not interested in the gender/sex of the person or people saving the world.

 

[bespangeled]

The point was the amulet was not needed. A 'weapon' that Buffy could wield, like every season previous to 6 would have worked. He didn't 'sacrifice his life rather than leading the battle' sacrificing his life ended the battle. The same way Buffy ended the Glory threat at the end of season 5, by sacrificing herself.

I could not agree more! The amulet is a deux ex machina of the worst sort. But I don't see where that means Buffy had to step back and let a man do the heavy lifting. There was all sorts of heavy lifting going on, and both Buffy and Faith (the two other candidates) did their share.

 

[Skanky Vamp]

I could not agree more! The amulet is a deux ex machina of the worst sort. But I don't see where that means Buffy had to step back and let a man do the heavy lifting. There was all sorts of heavy lifting going on, and both Buffy and Faith (the two other candidates) did their share.

Who stopped the army and closed the hellmouth? Spike.. who slowed them down waiting for Spike to save the day? Buffy. At least thats how I see it.

 

[bespangeled]

But there is a fundamental difference between someone helping her, which was always the case in the S1-S5 and someone else entirely actively involved in achieving the victory which was the case in S6 & S7.

There were men actively involved from the start - Buffy would have died in season one but Xander brought her back to life. If that hadn't happened the master would rule Sunnydale. Spike helped Buffy get rid of Angelus and Dru. Everyone pitched in to kill the mayor, and it was really Willow who used the group to kill off Adam. Buffy sacrificed herself to save the universe, but the others all pitched in to fight Glory. Xander did talk Willow down while Buffy rescued Dawn (a scene I hate!). And Buffy saved the world in season seven by leading an army to fight while the amulet juiced up, and then getting them to safety as the town blew up. YMMV

Who stopped the army and closed the hellmouth? Spike.. who slowed them down waiting for Spike to save the day? Buffy. At least thats how I see it.

Yeah, Spike was a weapon that Buffy wielded, as much as the scythe was a weapon that Willow used to create an army.

Practically speaking, raiding the armory was the best choice. 🙄

 

[Skanky Vamp]

Yeah, Spike was a weapon that Buffy wielded

Come on. Buffy did not wield Spike. (well, not in that scene at least!) Spike was the hero of the story is what it all boils down to. Spike saved the world and he saved Buffy from being a slayer.

 

[bespangeled]

Come on. Buffy did not wield Spike. (well, not in that scene at least!) Spike was the hero of the story is what it all boils down to. Spike saved the world and he saved Buffy from being a slayer.

Or, Buffy got an unexpected weapon - she had no idea how it worked or what it did. There was no foreknowledge that this would be important. She could have given it to Angel, Faith, Willow, Dawn or Spike and she chose Spike. Willow was to important to the est of the plan, Dawn was too important to risk in that way. It comes down to Spike or Faith. I prefer that Spike die - I think he was pretty suicidal anyway - but just because he does the flashy part does not make him the savior of all. IMO. Besides, Buffy already died to save the world - doing it again wold just cheapen it.

 

[Ethan Reigns]

We keep ignoring the fact that Sunnydale had cleared out to the extent that vampires didn't have any trouble entering homes without an invitation anymore. Everything in Sunnydale was available to the slayers but they only chose to raid the hospital for medical supplies. In "Innocence 2x14", Xander steals a rocket launcher and in "Him 7ABB06", Buffy has another rocket launcher which could take out the ones coming up the steps towards them. They could have emptied a fuel truck into the cavern and lit it off because there would have been some left behind. But none of these things would have had the impact of waiting for the slayer spell to take hold (another stupid bit of battle planning - they should have done that before they went into the cavern) and having a few of their number get wounded or dead before the magic amulet solves all their problems.

I get why it was done - it was a reason for Angel to put in an appearance and for Spike to literally go out in a blaze of glory. It got the potentials into the game where they would have to actually function as slayers. It meant a good show of maximum effort and a battle where the outcome was in doubt until the amulet worked. As a series finale it worked, leaving behind the concept of "one girl in all the world" forever and leaving a view of a world where Buffy could finally get the rest and camaraderie she needed.

 

[Skanky Vamp]

Besides, Buffy already died to save the world - doing it again wold just cheapen it.

Who said anyone had to die.. or had to find a last minute 'weapon' for someone to wear? If they didn't go all Battle of Morder with the Turok-han and had only a dozen or two the ending could have been more... fulfilling.. instead the Turok-han were treated as any ordinary vampire, Buffy ran away while Spike died to save the world.

It was just the final battle of the show and Buffy ends up running away. The could have handled it differently.

 

[gite63]

I get why it was done - it was a reason for Angel to put in an appearance and for Spike to literally go out in a blaze of glory. It got the potentials into the game where they would have to actually function as slayers. It meant a good show of maximum effort and a battle where the outcome was in doubt until the amulet worked. As a series finale it worked, leaving behind the concept of "one girl in all the world" forever and leaving a view of a world where Buffy could finally get the rest and camaraderie she needed.

I agree that as a series finale it worked - but then, people - we - start scrutinizing, and several issues come to light, even more if you consider the comics.