If you could change ONE thing about the Season Finale...

[BuffyElevated]

Anya wouldn't have died (or if she did, Xander would have at least gotten to say goodbye to her), and Buffy would have hugged Faith and showed her some grattitude for helping save the world.

 

[Pik]

I would've had all the old series regulars make an appearance. Yeah that would've been hard for Cordelia, being in a coma and all, but who knows how they could've pulled it off?

 

[dingo]

I wouldn't have ended on that shot of Buffy looking into the crater that used to be Sunnydale with a little smile on her face. I love SMG, but she's not Greta Garbo, and this wasn't the end of Queen Christina.

 

[Zombierella]

Anya's death. She became a member of the scooby gang. She learned to deal with no longer being a vengeance demon and she dedicated her human life to helping Buffy save the world. I thought her death was grossly over looked and she deserved better than that. My ideal death would have been to have Xander know that she died before they got to the school bus. He didn't see her before she died and she was laying on the ground and still...nothing. It's just like really? She's been on the show for 4 years and THAT is how you kill a main character? Jeepers.

 

[badwolf]

Definitely Anya's death. I loved the character! There should have at least been a bit more emphasis on her death, and as other's have said, she could have perhaps died on Xander's arms or something.

I would have liked if more of those potential slayers died. I didnt like how important they became. More focus on Faith.. And I'ma say it...Spike should have survived if not merely to save me the waterfalls.. haha. Angel should have stayed for the fight.

Otherwise it was a great finale.. it felt gigantic... so final.. like the battle of all battles..

 

[Steven123]

I would of had an Angel & Buffy get back together. When Buffy and Angel have the scene and she hints that the two of them may have a future when she is older and Angel replies with him not getting any older, i would have liked for that bit to have been re-written with Buffy and Angel again declaring their feelings for one another and at the end of it there's some sort of spell that Willow can do so that they can be together without Angel loseing his soul.

 

[BananaBuffy]

Well, I don't think I would change it but a less immature Angel would have been nice. I mean, come on dude! Buffy is a) in the middle of a raging war and b) semi-happy and he has the nerve to come in and be all 'Is he your boyfriend now?' and judge her like he's better. He's made a crapload of mistakes that she doesn't know about in the past few years. He has had relationships that she doesn't know about and everytime she has found a new important guy he has come in and acted all jealous as if he's allowed to go and and move on as best he can and she's not. Maybe she would do the same, but if she did I would want to punch her too.

Plus, the cookie thing was...weird.

But that's not what I'd change, I almost enjoy laughing at that scene and smiling when Buffy says "Oh my god, what are you? 12?" or whatever. Instead I would change how vague the endgame relationship was. Well, it wasn't endgame but Joss wanted to give everyone hope that Buffy and Angel would be together in the end. He wanted to supply for both sides which I think no show creator should do. It's the only time he made that mistake. A lot of people involved in the show often seemed to assume that everybody wanted Buffy and Angel to be together in the end. Someone, and I can't remember who, said something about 'Buffy and Angel, it's what everyone ultimately wants' or something like that. It isn't. But satisfy us with how you want the story to go, don't give people hope for either way by making it vague. We know that Buffy and Spike slept together, come on.

But yes, I guess that's what I would change. I wouldn't change Anya's death. She died a hero, exactly what she wasn't expected to do. It was beautiful and the last shot of her is heartbreaking.

 

[Valjavertjinn]

Giles visiting Jenny's grave the night before the big battle. I actually wrote a fic about this inspired by [MENTION=11396]WileyDairyGnome[/MENTION] , who gave me the idea. CALENDILES!!!

 

[Leeson]

I would've sent Willow down with the 'ball of sunshine" spell she was working on in Triangle! Problem solved! No need for death or Sunnydale's destruction. Just good, old sunlight.

 

[WannabeWatcher]

Wow....I watched the finale yesterday (after watching the entire series in one go [over a few months!]) and was feeling better about it....but after reading this thread you've pointed out all that makes it so unsatisfying; the plot holes, the lack of resolution, the rushed story-telling, the fact the core 4 barely get time together......they knew this was the end, the finale, and they didn't plan the plot pacing better? It's kind of infuriating.

Also, re. the Bangel/Spuffy open end, I get that they felt the need to please both fan-bases but it was still so frustrating to have an implied last night together AND a rebuffed ILY. Still, I guess that's life.

I never got the 'making all potentials Slayers' thing. I get that it was a feminist metaphor and message but as people have said, how is it a choice if all potential's are activated?? Whether it's one or 1800 girls it's still a duty forced on them, superpowers aside...I also never understood how the Slayer line a) was left vulnerable after Buffy's resurrection, b) could ever be wiped out (surely the power would attach to any girl to continue?) and c) why losing the Slayer was such a big deal....the likes of Willow, Angel and Co, the coven etc all show that there were enough champions fighting to protect the world.....Buffy and Angel's gang has stopped enough apocalypses to suggest there must be other Scooby types around the world doing the same. I can imagine little gangs in Peru, New Zealand and China kicking evil ass 😀

 

[Living Dead Boy]

Wow....I watched the finale yesterday (after watching the entire series in one go [over a few months!]) and was feeling better about it....but after reading this thread you've pointed out all that makes it so unsatisfying; the plot holes, the lack of resolution, the rushed story-telling, the fact the core 4 barely get time together......they knew this was the end, the finale, and they didn't plan the plot pacing better? It's kind of infuriating.

Also, re. the Bangel/Spuffy open end, I get that they felt the need to please both fan-bases but it was still so frustrating to have an implied last night together AND a rebuffed ILY. Still, I guess that's life.

I never got the 'making all potentials Slayers' thing. I get that it was a feminist metaphor and message but as people have said, how is it a choice if all potential's are activated?? Whether it's one or 1800 girls it's still a duty forced on them, superpowers aside...I also never understood how the Slayer line a) was left vulnerable after Buffy's resurrection, b) could ever be wiped out (surely the power would attach to any girl to continue?) and c) why losing the Slayer was such a big deal....the likes of Willow, Angel and Co, the coven etc all show that there were enough champions fighting to protect the world.....Buffy and Angel's gang has stopped enough apocalypses to suggest there must be other Scooby types around the world doing the same. I can imagine little gangs in Peru, New Zealand and China kicking evil ass 😀

Ha,ha. Like there's another Scooby Gang in Peru, with their own Buffy's and Willow's and Xander's. I like that thought. 🙂

 

[shadcat]

What would it be? Just one thing only...

Mine would be Anya's death; I did want some characters to die, but it was how they did it; I felt it was far too quick, it was a "blink and you'll miss it" scene, which as an Anya fan, disappointed me.

This. so. much. !

So yeah, I would say Anya's death. It just ruined the finale for me and the character deserved so much more. It was just death for the sake of it .. on top of being ignored aside from a line from Xander. (Who then makes a couple of jokes and is hardly sad...)

 

[Living Dead Boy]

This. so. much. !

So yeah, I would say Anya's death. It just ruined the finale for me and the character deserved so much more. It was just death for the sake of it .. on top of being ignored aside from a line from Xander. (Who then makes a couple of jokes and is hardly sad...)

I actually was at peace with the fact that she died that way. I'm a big Anya fan as much as the next person, but she had already seen her redemption, and was well on her way to understanding human life. And plus, her death IMO was just like a real death would be like in war. Quick. No need for fancy sendoff's and swelling music numbers, (we had Spike for that). I liked the fact that Joss did that.

 

[shadcat]

I actually was at peace with the fact that she died that way. I'm a big Anya fan as much as the next person, but she had already seen her redemption, and was well on her way to understanding human life. And plus, her death IMO was just like a real death would be like in war. Quick. No need for fancy sendoff's and swelling music numbers, (we had Spike for that). I liked the fact that Joss did that.

I mean I don't like that she died at all, because it made me sad..but if she absolutely had to die (makes sense that war is random in casualty) the reaction to it should of been much more than it was. It seemed nobody cared at all.

 

[Living Dead Boy]

I mean I don't like that she died at all, because it made me sad..but if she absolutely had to die (makes sense that war is random in casualty) the reaction to it should of been much more than it was. It seemed nobody cared at all.

I get what you're saying. Especially Xander's quote. But in order to make myself feel better about it, I came to the conclusion that after that exausting battle, they didn't have time to really process everything. Maybe after they head off, Xander might break down in private.

 

[Aloverssoulz]

I agree with you on Anya's death. I HATE when main characters in movies, TV shows etc. get killed off as if they're random extras. It makes me feel very weird and I don't watch movies that do it.

Though if I could change something about season 7's final it would be the Buffy and Angel talk. Tell Angel he's all you want or that you'll never be with him again, Buffy. I seriously dislike that Joss is milking the Buffy/Angel/Spike relationship so much.

It's pretty much the only thing keeping the franchise alive. Milk, milk, milk. If the Buffyverse ends for good without her choosing someone, anyone, i'll crack up.

 

[ladydorotea]

I would have made the finale the 10th episode of the season... wait, was it 3 rd? In any case, I would have dumped everything after Conversations with Dead People and re-wrote the Lies my Parent told me compltely so it was about Buffy and Giles , not about Spike, and yeah, I would have changed Giles' last arc completely, so he and Buffy ended as they should.

 

[YummySushiPJs]

Faith would have kissed Buffy's forehead when Buffy says "Hold the line" and hands her the scythe.

You all know why 🙂

 

[RogueDemonHunter]

If i could change one thing, i would change the slayer spell thing where "every potential became a slayer". that ruined the whole mindset of buffy for me. another point I would like to make is that i think the writers only killed spike so he could "re- appear" in season 5 of angel

 

[Pike]

For some reason I liked Anya's death. I liked how it was overlooked in the panic and Xander didn't get his scene with her. My two favorites were killed (spike and anya) and part of me liked that! The two never belonged anyway; and sense the show didnt continue it didnt REALLY matter. However, I think a longer episode would have been nice, maybe even a few more deaths to some of the main cast. Wood's fake death could have went the other way; or exchange him with maybe Giles, Willow, Xander, Dawn or hell, maybe even Buffy. I think Anya and Spike wasn't enough shock! 😛 ..im just thinking this on the spur of the moment. Maybe too many of the secondary cast memembers escaped. It would have looked more like a struggle if only a small hanfdul made it, and not a bus full of potentials and almost the core cast.

It would have been amazing to see even after the battle inside the school, that some of them not making it outside on the way to the bus; fill in the blank on how or why.