Was it ever explained?

[Edmund Blackadder]

Was it ever explained HOW Buffy managed to close the portal?

We were told that once the portal was opened the only way to close it was when Dawn stopped bleeding - if Buffy jumped into the portal that didn't stop Dawn bleeding, just added more blood to the mix.

PLUS, I don't get how Buffy's blood DID close it.

Dawn was created using Buffy's blood, thats true BUT the essense of the Key was in Dawn. That didn't get transferred to Buffy, that was all Dawn.

I don't listen to the commentaries nor read that much online except what is here, so please does anyone have a definitive answer to the above?

Theories are welcome, BUT if it is a theory, say it is.

 

[Blondie Bear]

Yeah, that was one of those cute little sidesteps by the writers. It all seemed very deep and meaningful until you look at it and go "Wait. . . ." As far as I can tell (and this is a theory) Dawn's blood was necessary to open the gate because she's the key, but as far as closing it, as long as it got a human body's worth of blood that matched Dawn's (which Buffy's did), it didn't matter whether it was key-blood or not.

 

[Tueuse de Vampires]

Okay, I have no idea what I'm talking about, so I guess it's theory 😉

I think that by turning the key into a girl, the key was now completely in her form. So because she was made of Buffy's blood, there were like 2 keys. Buffy wasn't really one, but think of her as a duplicate.
So when she jumped into the portal, it must've registered as the key, who was now gone and ergo it closed.
I think of it like when you get an ordinary key replicated, you can use the newly made one just like your old key.

Dunno if this makes any sense, but that's what my theory is.

 

[VisionGuy]

But didn't Buffy and Dawn mix their blood together in that episode where Dawn found out she was the key? Like when Buffy took her hand and said, "Summer's blood, it's just like mine,." then clasped Dawn's, I was always under the impression that she mixed her blood with Dawn's or something. Does anybody know what I'm saying? LOL

 

[Edmund Blackadder]

Yeah, that was one of those cute little sidesteps by the writers. It all seemed very deep and meaningful until you look at it and go "Wait. . . ." As far as I can tell (and this is a theory) Dawn's blood was necessary to open the gate because she's the key, but as far as closing it, as long as it got a human body's worth of blood that matched Dawn's (which Buffy's did), it didn't matter whether it was key-blood or not.

That theory would work for me except it doesn't quite fit all the facts.

I mean, I won't lose any sleep over it, just wondered if Joss gave a canon explanation or if it was a further point for me to use in my bid to show the Buffy fans that Joss isn't 'God' like most believe him to be.


Ohh and Blondie Bear - what did I notice too in the few questions thread?
That there is an element of the Buffyverse that are mindless automotons that show no real opinion of their own and need Joss to detail everything for them because they don't have the cognitive ability to be an individual with said opinion?

 

[Blondie Bear]

That theory would work for me except it doesn't quite fit all the facts.

Which facts did I miss? (Not being snarky, I'm seriously curious.)

Ohh and Blondie Bear - what did I notice too in the few questions thread?
That there is an element of the Buffyverse that are mindless automotons that show no real opinion of their own and need Joss to detail everything for them because they don't have the cognitive ability to be an individual with said opinion?

I'm sure you're being horrendously snarky here, but it's going over my head. I do think that there are people who do that. I like to think that I'm not one of them.

 

[Edmund Blackadder]

But didn't Buffy and Dawn mix their blood together in that episode where Dawn found out she was the key? Like when Buffy took her hand and said, "Summer's blood, it's just like mine,." then clasped Dawn's, I was always under the impression that she mixed her blood with Dawn's or something. Does anybody know what I'm saying? LOL

There is an element of that which makes sense, HOWEVER, the fact remains we're told the blood has to stop running and Dawn was still bleeding when Buffy karked it.

Plus, I'm not entirely convinced the blood swapping thing really works.

I mean, if Buffy had an accident and we had Dawn give her a proper blood transfusion, I'd be on this one, but it just seems a little blah.

Edit:

Which facts did I miss? (Not being snarky, I'm seriously curious.)

The biggest one is that we're told that it would take Dawn, The Key, to be bled dry(actually, it was the depletion of the energy that is the Key) to run out before the portal could close.

I'm sure you're being horrendously snarky here, but it's going over my head. I do think that there are people who do that. I like to think that I'm not one of them.

I wasn't being 'snarky' I was merely pointing out a fact.
There are some people who really do not have an original opinion especially in the Buffyverse and need Joss to tell them what to think.

However, you're definitely not of that catagory, it was in NO WAY an attack on you.

 

[Blondie Bear]

The biggest one is that we're told that it would take Dawn, The Key, to be bled dry(actually, it was the depletion of the energy that is the Key) to run out before the portal could close.

And I just thought of another one: Buffy didn't bleed.

Eh, by that time I usually just think Buffy should chunk Dawn into the portal and have done with it.

I wasn't being 'snarky' I was merely pointing out a fact.
There are some people who really do not have an original opinion especially in the Buffyverse and need Joss to tell them what to think.

However, you're definitely not of that catagory, it was in NO WAY an attack on you.

Ah, okay. The text-only-medium curse strikes again. But, yeah, those people who read other people's theories and opinions and demand to know where Joss said that drive me insane. He left so much open to our own interpretation because he assumed his audience would be intelligent. Which I appreciate; I hate it when writers (tv, books, or movies) write down to me.

 

[Lou]

Oddly enough, I've always felt there was a GIANT hole there for all of us to fall into.
It's never made a whole lot of sense to me.

I mean, I get the idea of "Summers blood" and stuff, but it's SO loose of a theory that it doesn't float well when you honestly think about it.

"Summer's Blood" doesn't mean squat to me. Hank has Summer's blood. In fact, as far as the immediate familly, he is the ONLY one with Summer's blood. Buffy and Dawn also have Joyce blood.

And the Monk's made her into a SISTER, not an identical twin. I don't have the same blood as MY sister and brother. Not the same DNA, and maybe not even the same blood type. They didn't have Buffy there to even COMPARE her blood and all the "crazy" people kept seeing her as light, not blood and bone. For most of the season, I imagined her as a very complex hologram until they started throwing the "blood" thing around.

And, you're right, Dawn started bleeding and they never stopped that (except for natural clotting and/or stitches later.)
Buffy's not the key. Dawn is the key. She can open the door, there is no reason Buffy should be able to close it...unless she could also open it. So, Glory could have just as easily gone after her.

I don't think it was a plan they really sat and mulled over. They seemed to think a LOT about getting Dawn there, but no so much on the exit strategy.

 

[November]

My theory is that Dawn was the Key, once she was bled she was no longer the key and blood/death of a human closed the portal. I dont think that it mattered what human/blood was sacrificed as the key no longer existed. Buffy was there so she jumped. What do you think? I havent put a whole lot of thought into it because this explained it for me......

 

[Black Eye Guy]

^The 'summers blood' saying was only to make Dawn feel part of the family it wasn't really that big of a deal.

I always took it as Dawn did have the same blood as Buffy. The key was was transformed into Dawn but she did have Buffy's blood running through her, Dawns blood also acted like the physical form of the key.

Dawn was cut and the blood opened the portal. Giles said that the portal would close when the blood stopped running, when Dawn was dead.

What Buffy did was trick the portal. When she jumped in, the portal recognized the same blood so when Buffy died the portal did too. Like as far as the portal knew Dawn was the one who had jumped.

Thats just my theory, cuz I don't think it really makes sense, if Buffy was able to close it, she probably should have been able to open it as well.

 

[Clem Rocks]

^The 'summers blood' saying was only to make Dawn feel part of the family it wasn't really that big of a deal.

I always took it as Dawn did have the same blood as Buffy. The key was was transformed into Dawn but she did have Buffy's blood running through her, Dawns blood also acted like the physical form of the key.

Dawn was cut and the blood opened the portal. Giles said that the portal would close when the blood stopped running, when Dawn was dead.

What Buffy did was trick the portal. When she jumped in, the portal recognized the same blood so when Buffy died the portal did too. Like as far as the portal knew Dawn was the one who had jumped.

Thats just my theory, cuz I don't think it really makes sense, if Buffy was able to close it, she probably should have been able to open it as well.

Exactly how i always thought of it, and you've explained it the best way in this whole thread

And Buffy probably could open the portal, but lets face it, would Glory really be smart enough to figure that out? XD

 

[Kana]

^The 'summers blood' saying was only to make Dawn feel part of the family it wasn't really that big of a deal.

I always took it as Dawn did have the same blood as Buffy. The key was was transformed into Dawn but she did have Buffy's blood running through her, Dawns blood also acted like the physical form of the key.

Dawn was cut and the blood opened the portal. Giles said that the portal would close when the blood stopped running, when Dawn was dead.

What Buffy did was trick the portal. When she jumped in, the portal recognized the same blood so when Buffy died the portal did too. Like as far as the portal knew Dawn was the one who had jumped.

Thats just my theory, cuz I don't think it really makes sense, if Buffy was able to close it, she probably should have been able to open it as well.

That's pretty much what I thought. Dawn and share a blood link which gives them similar mystical properties. This was actually consistently written because the same thing thing happens with Jasmine, Cordy and Connor. What Buffy should have said was it was the same genetic material.

 

[Edmund Blackadder]

^The 'summers blood' saying was only to make Dawn feel part of the family it wasn't really that big of a deal.

I always took it as Dawn did have the same blood as Buffy. The key was was transformed into Dawn but she did have Buffy's blood running through her, Dawns blood also acted like the physical form of the key.

Dawn was cut and the blood opened the portal. Giles said that the portal would close when the blood stopped running, when Dawn was dead.

What Buffy did was trick the portal. When she jumped in, the portal recognized the same blood so when Buffy died the portal did too. Like as far as the portal knew Dawn was the one who had jumped.

Thats just my theory, cuz I don't think it really makes sense, if Buffy was able to close it, she probably should have been able to open it as well.

Firstly, the 'Summers Blood' deal wasn't just to make Dawn feel part of the Family. If that was the case then there would be an even bigger issue. Dawn was created and Buffy's blood was the template. Buffy is a Summers Blood girl, so Dawn must be.

As per Dawns blood/key energy well here is the thing.
The blood wasn't the Key energy, it was the what what held the energy.
Like how blood carries Oxygen around the body, thats how I took it which is far more plausible than turning Buffy's blood into the energy carrying Blood.
If that is the case, no amount of Buffy sacrificing herself would close the portal UNLESS all it took was a sufficient amount of blood from anyone. If that is the case, the whole thing is kinda pointless and doesn't make sense. I can't open my door with one key and close it with a different one!

It does make some sense but if thats what Joss was trying to get across, then he really didn't do that great a job.

Exactly how i always thought of it, and you've explained it the best way in this whole thread

And Buffy probably could open the portal, but lets face it, would Glory really be smart enough to figure that out? XD

How could Buffy open the portal?
What evidence supports this?

Buffy was not the Key, she was not created with 'Key energy' Dawn was.
You seem to have confused the blood with the energy.

So Glory didn't need to work that out, so I guess she was smart enough to make the distinction between blood and the Key.

That's pretty much what I thought. Dawn and share a blood link which gives them similar mystical properties. This was actually consistently written because the same thing thing happens with Jasmine, Cordy and Connor. What Buffy should have said was it was the same genetic material.

Again, Connor/Cordy/Jasmine is different.

Jasmine was born and her 'parents' are Connor and Cordy.

It was this blood connection that could reveal who Jasmine was. This isn't the same as Dawn at all.
Buffy was correct that Dawn was created from her blood, it was genetic material.

 

[Kean]

I'm just wondering if Buffy's blood was the same as Dawn's and was enough to close the portal, should Joyce's death have had some effect on it?

Since Buffy was able to close the portal, even though she wasn't bleeding or the key for that matter, shouldn't Joyce's death have been able to put the kabosh in the whole thing?

 

[Kemy]

If anyone has seen the Trek episode "Obsession" or read the Vampire Chronicles then there are two similar situations.

An energy cloud creature and a molevalent spirit, both energy clouds similar to the nature of the portal that could envelop a Human being, and drain them completely of blood through millions of microscopic punctures in the skin that drained the person in seconds.

If the portal was similar, it could have covered all of Buffy's skin, broken it on a scale too small to be seen and drained her before letting her body fall.

 

[The Chosen]

Since Buffy was able to close the portal, even though she wasn't bleeding or the key for that matter, shouldn't Joyce's death have been able to put the kabosh in the whole thing?

I don't think so. Wasn't it that you could only close the portal if it was opened? Like you could only close a door if it was opened. Say Joyce's death would have affected the closing of an elevator door -- she can't close the elevator door if it isn't open. Does that make ANY sense at all?

Edit

Or did you mean that since she died it shouldn't have been able to open at all? If that's what you're saying, I think I get it. But then couldn't we go all the way back to Buffy's first death and say the same thing? Or Buffy's cousin's death? Not sure if Cecilia had Summers blood, but I'm just sayin'...

 

[Kean]

I don't think so. Wasn't it that you could only close the portal if it was opened? Like you could only close a door if it was opened. Say Joyce's death would have affected the closing of an elevator door -- she can't close the elevator door if it isn't open. Does that make ANY sense at all?

Edit

Or did you mean that since she died it shouldn't have been able to open at all? If that's what you're saying, I think I get it. But then couldn't we go all the way back to Buffy's first death and say the same thing? Or Buffy's cousin's death? Not sure if Cecilia had Summers blood, but I'm just sayin'...

It was the second one that I meant but I see what you mean about going back but when all those people died Dawn didn't exist. The Key was just energy with no connections to anything Summers. It's just a random thought like but since so many people were trying to prevent the portal opening by killing Dawn and sicne Buffy closed the portal I just wondered should Joyce's death have stopped it happening?

 

[The Chosen]

It was the second one that I meant but I see what you mean about going back but when all those people died Dawn didn't exist. The Key was just energy with no connections to anything Summers. It's just a random thought like but since so many people were trying to prevent the portal opening by killing Dawn and sicne Buffy closed the portal I just wondered should Joyce's death have stopped it happening?

I really like that question, Kean. I just wish we had a bona fide answer...

It was always kind of my theory (and I guess a few other people's) that since Dawn was made from Buffy's blood, they were both "the Key." I liked (and agree) with what VG said about D and B mixing their blood. (I won't ever say "D and B" again. I promise.)

Although this thread is making me think the whole thing is just a huge inconsistency on Mutant Enemy's part. I mean, how come we're able to question it so easily?

 

[Lou]

How could Buffy open the portal?
What evidence supports this?

Buffy was not the Key, she was not created with 'Key energy' Dawn was.
You seem to have confused the blood with the energy.

So Glory didn't need to work that out, so I guess she was smart enough to make the distinction between blood and the Key.

Of course the only evidence that Buffy COULD have opened the portal would based on the theory (the wide theory) that since Buffy and Dawn had the "same blood" that when Dawn's started flowing, Buffy could throw herself in, her blood would stop flowing (because she died) and the portal was either happy or confused and closed.
In which case, if Buffy's blood is enough to either satisfy or confuse the portal into thinking that the "key's" blood stopped it, then one would have to assume she also could have opened it.
Remember, the "key" was not always a person. If they had made it into the Energizer Bunny, it would have opened when the bunny started and closed when the bunny stopped. (Which may have been never and we'd all have been doomed...thank God they went with Dawn and not the bunny. Dawn was more fun to watch than Anya freaking out all season too!)

Buffy couldn't have satisfied OR fooled the portal if the key had been the bunny. It only worked because Dawn was a human, her sister, and supposedly from her blood. The evidence would be that she DID close the portal...the rest is less evidence than logic, that if she could close it, she should have been able to open it.

But, since there is more than one weird hole in S5's ending...it could be nearly impossible to ever get an answer. Even asking Joss could be iffy. I bet it's hard, even with writers like Mutant Enemy had where everyone is really good, to "get" what's in everyone's head at one time. There may be 5 versions of what THEY think happened.