Kanazaka
Potential
I somewhat appreciate that Season 8 shook things up a bit, allowing us to view some characters in new ways as they change. Angel has taken his hero complex to a troubling new level. Dawn has become less a hanger-on and more of a fully-fledged character with her own motivations and adventures. Faith has for the most part fulfilled her promise in Season 7 by ceasing to be defined solely by her strained relationship with Buffy. She has her own role among the Scoobies -- carrying out the missions that Buffy can't (or won't) pursue. I'm not sure how much
. I also like how
, moves the plot forward in one big leap. I suppose that the story could go on forever, but at some point it will become impractical. I mean, how well will Buffy be able to slay when she reaches her forties? That's still fifteen years off (in story time), and by that time I don't know if Joss will still want to write Buffy stories. So, I think that the canon story has to end at some point, to be followed perhaps by licensed fanfiction (as I like to call it).
Giles' death will impact the storyline, because the characters are old enough and experienced enough to survive without a mentor
the presumed death of magic, via the destruction of the Seed of Destiny