Restless as the series finale

Wesley Junior

Wesley Junior

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Do you could have settled with Restless as a finale for the show or do you think it wouldn't sit well with you?
 
I actually thought that it was the season finale for a while, because they stopped airing it on tv after the 4th season when first started watching it, and I think it would have been an okay ending to the show.
I'm glad it wasn't but it was a better ending of the show than Chosen.

There was none of that "every potential is going to be a slayer" nonsens
There was no Kennedy
You knew Buffy and Riley was never going to last anyway
 
No. There was still lots of character development meant to come, which was kind of the point of 'Restless' - foreshadowing that.
 
No way. There was so much good stuff in seasons 5,6 and 7.
So many people love Restless, but I didn't really enjoy it that much.

I've only seen it once though. I may change my mind after seeing it again.
 
No no and no! It's a smart episode, but not one of the best IMO. I mean it's good, its writing is great and all the clues for the future and stuff. But it's NOT a finale. It just isn't.
 
Not at all. It's one of the most beautiful pieces of writing I've ever seen, but it's not a finale at all. It's a mediation of what we've seen so far, and a promise of things to come. It's not an ending. Just look at the final line. "You think you know. Who you are. What's to come. You haven't even begun." That is a perfect set-up for an ending, but it's not an ending.

I honestly don't think that there's a worse place to end the show. The Gift I think would have been the perfect place. Chosen was a decent time to end it, and ending it after S6 would have been a thankful mercy-killing. While I adore seasons 4 and 5 and would not have wanted to end the show with S3 - Graduation Day would have been a good finale. Similarly, Prophecy Girl. But apart from Becoming - I cannot think of a point where the story was less wrapped-up than it was in Restless.

Then there's the simple point that a finale should be a celebration of the show. It should be everything the show is. What I'm trying to say is - it needs to be a regular episode. Obviously it needs to be special/notable in some way, but not "break the mold" kind of special. Restless was very clearly trying to do something different, and I believe that a finale should not be "different".

Restless was an incredible episode but it would've an awful finale.
 
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Meh, I wouldn't want this to be the finale. It was interesting to be in the minds of all these characters - but as a series finale, I vote no.
 
Restless is a favorite episode of mine, & an excellent season finale, but as a series finale? No, for all the reasons already mentioned.
 
Restless as the series finale would have been terrible. Not only is it my least favourite episode of Buffy but the way it ended posed so many questions and for me it was just really confusing.

A finale for me needs to be gripping and dramatic, Restless was too slow paced to ever be considered as a finale.
 
Wow, I love a good cliffhanger ... they stay with me forever and it makes me invested in a show because I go through the motions of it. This, as a finale, had closure to the season and had me scratching my head for what was to come. I see why people wouldn't like it but it capped off the journey's of the characters in the first year out of high school perfectly, seguing them into the more adult-hood of the following year. One of the more underwhelming season finales, however. But not boring.
 
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RESTLESS KARMA!
I love Restless but would of been mad if that had been the show's finale...I would rather have ended it on The Gift then Restless because now you see the symbolizm come into play rather than saying what's that about?
 
I misread this topic's question ... it would be a Horrible series finale. It's like the Tru Calling finale, setting everything up not to knock it down? Ugh, I'd hate it. I couldn't even imagine.
 
Well. I love the latter seasons. But if Restless were the series finale, they wouldn't have existed and so I wouldn't have loved them. If Restless were the finale, I'd have been sad because it came much too soon, but as an episode, I think it would have worked well. I think it's verrrry cool and a nice summing up on the show thus far.
 
I like that episode it has grown on me a lot during my re-watches but I would not have wanted it to end with restless. It just wouldn't be as good IMO.
 
I just thought Restless would have been the kind of finale that left you amazed and thinking about what happens next like the finales of Angel, the Sopranos, and Twin Peaks. And, like Zeppo said, the finale did wrap up the characters' journeys at that point too.
 
I could handle The Gift being the finale, but I think the show needed at least season 5. Their adult lives didn't really get going until season 5 and I think that was important to have for their development.
 
with the gift as series finale. i could live with that.
and the first slayers has something really weird to me....
just look like bob marley.....

The gift....with the quote: she saved the world...alot......
well, that gave me tears in my eyes....yes it was true, she saved the world a lot. the gift as seasons finale...its was my #1.

but, lucky for us....Buffy had 7 seasons😛
 
Unlike most of the other season finales, Restless was not designed to serve as a series finale in the event that the show wasn't renewed. Joss says in his commentary on the episode that it was the first time that he was reasonably sure that the show would be renewed, which is why he felt safe creating all of these loose ends. It would have been an aweful cliffhanger for the show. Can you imagine? We'd still be debating the meaning of "Be back before dawn."
 
A Flawed Fashion said:
I could handle The Gift being the finale, but I think the show needed at least season 5. Their adult lives didn't really get going until season 5 and I think that was important to have for their development.
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This is true. Also, having an episode primarily about foreshadowing as the finale would have been a crazy decision as we wouldn't have seen any of it materialise.
 
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