I don’t think I’ve ever been this quick out of the gate before (Angel has barely started), but…
What the fuck?!
What…
The…
Fuck?!?
Buffy dead? How did Joss keep this from us all this time? What’s going to happen to the show now?
Faith The (Reformed Rogue) Vampire Slayer?
Dawn The Vampire Slayer’s Kid Sister?
I mean…Jesus Christ!
What the fuck?!
Dammit, you beat me to posting this…(And I headed over here as soon as the credits started. Danged slow server…)
Anyhoo…
They’ll bring her back. Presumably. This wouldn’t be the first time they ended a season by taking Buffy out of the action. Of course, going off to be a waitress isn’t quite as permanent as self-sacrificial suicide…
But still…
And I’m also rather amazed that the managed to keep the secret, though.
Well…at least it wasn’t Dawn…
…I mean, was Sarah Michelle’s contract up, or what? Is she going to leave TV to go make stupid movies like Scooby Doo? Oh yeah, SMG, that’s really a wise career move.
I say this again (and I want you all to know I mean this quite sincerely):
What the fuck?!
Buffy has been a big part of my life for the last 4 years. I know it sounds looserish, but still.
I don’t know, I feel so confused. The “Thank you for a wonderful 5 years” was bizarre. I heard the show was bought by UPN, it can’t be over.
And the news’ll destroy Angel.
sigh
I don’t see it happening, Tengu. Joss just spent the whole season preparing us for this. Consider:
Dracula told Buffy the Slayer is more like the vampires she destroys than she dares to believe. That the darkness is within her.
Spike explained how he was able to kill two Slayers: eventually they grow tired of the unending battle and yearn for it to end.
The story arc about Joyce’s illness and death drove home the point that the dead should stay dead.
The First Slayer, as Buffy’s spirit guide, told Buffy her “gift” is Death.
In hindsight, this ending was inevitable. And to bring Buffy back would cheapen and ruin this whole season, and reduce BTVS to the storytelling level of Dallas. We all know Joss is much better than that.
I’m feeling a little better now. I’m still freaked out way beyond what I should be for a fantasy television series.
Oh, but listen to me running off at the mouth. What do all of you think?
UPN bought the show, it will be on Tuesdays at the same time for at least two more years. In fact next season is going to kick off with a 2-hour premiere.
Why would UPN pay that much money for a show without the star? Why would UPN want Buffy the Vampire Slayer without Buffy? They wouldn’t.
She’ll be back. Maybe her lifeforce was sucked into the portal and it was just her body that fell through to Earth. There is no way that Buffy will not be back next year. They just want us to stress about it all summer.
WTF!?!?!?!?!?!
At first I thought Spike might die after his speech to Buffy as she climbed the stairs…
But I did not really see this coming until right before she took the dive.
This sucks…I hadn’t heard SMG was leaving the show and if she’s not,then how will they bring her back? Will the next Slayer-after all when a Slayer dies another comes to take her place-bear a striking resembbalance? Naah too lame and predictable.
Maybe something involving Dawn and the powers of the Key? After all,consider the symbolism of the name Dawn…
Another Slayer wouldn’t be created by Buffy’s death, hardygrrl, because that has already happened: Buffy died years ago (briefly) and was replaced by Kendra. Kendra died and was replaced by Faith.
Buffy was already the “spare” Slayer. The only way to make a new one now is through Faith’s death, if I understand the rules and I think I do.
Hmmm…Buffy died and was brought back once before.
Same with Angel, same with Darla, same with VampWillow, sort of.
On the other hand, Jenny Callendar died and stayed dead. As did Joyce.
I really don’t know what to make of this.
Well, I’m not going to worry. If SMG was not renewing her contract, it’d be all over the entertainment news pages. Buffy’s just going to be f*cked up when she comes back next season. A whole new plot! Buffy’s all freaked out since she died and came back!
I, for one, am just completely relieved that Spike didn’t die. I was SO expecting Joel Grey to dust him. If anybody was going to die to be redeemed, it was Spike. He’d been heading for a noble end all season. Whew!
I think Joss Whedon just wanted a super-duper cliff hanger to make absolutely sure that we all make the effort to find the show on a new network in the fall… please?
I just have to say, I totally didn’t see that end coming. I thought I had worked out all of the scenarios (Buffy kills Dawn, Giles kills Dawn and then Buffy kills Giles, etc.) but I never thought it would end like that.
Great ending. But I was under the impression that SMG was returning for the next season. Or isn’t she? Wasn’t there some big fuss a couple of months ago when SMG made some comment about how she would never switch networks (?)
/hijacks/
I loved the scene with Anya and Zander when she freaked out over finding the stuffed bunny.
Giles killing Ben…wow. When he said “She’s not like us” in the low quiet voice-I had chills.
Willow reversing the brain-suck of Tara-I got teary eyed when she told Tara “I’ll never lose you again.”
And Joss Wheldon,IMHO,is one of the best tv writers when it comes to continuity-the glowing orb from the beginning of the season and the troll’s hammer were pure brillance.
Katie-they did show Buffy’s grave but since they didn’t show the funeral…
And does anyone think there’s any significance to the fact Buffy could pick up the troll’s hammer? I can’t remember if she could before-anyone refresh me here?
I’m with katiekilldare. I was sitting there saying “Okay, Buffy’s dead, but at least it’s not Spike. Buffy’s toast, but Spike is fine. Spike is going to be okay.”
I dunno about all this. I trust Joss. There have been plenty of things that had the potential to totally suck (koffDawnkoff), but Joss has redeemed himself every time. It will be okay. Joss is wise. Joss will not let us down.
And Spike is okay. That’s all that really matters, right? 
Nitpick. Xander, not Zander. Short for Alexander.
Buffy’s dead for now. She’ll be back. If it were to be permenant, we’d have heard about it. We’d know the series was ending, or that SMG was leaving the show and they’d be attempting to continue Slayerless.
At the very end of this article, it says Sarah Michelle Gellar said she would only stay on Buffy if it stayed with WB. But “quickly retracted the statements, saying she would stay with Buffy no matter where it ended up.”
And now for something not quite completely different: Fox is making an animated Buffy:
http://www.chosentwo.com/buffy/ramble/buffycartoon.html
So they’re bringing us a live action Tick and a cartoon Buffy. I’m confused!
She already could. After knocking out the troll, she picked his hammer up and put it on top of the counter, where it fell right through the glass.
I am more surprised that Fox doesn’t play Buffy and Angel on their own TV stations, since they own both shows.
Anyway, great ending to both shows, with finality and setup for the new year. Yes, it did look like ol’ Joss treated it as Buffy’s last episode ever.
They will have to live on without her. I think they will manage. Oh BTW it won’t be Willow who becomes main villain. I think it will be Giles.
And as for Angel, the development of Cordelia is complete. She has become the princess that she thought she once was, and her transformation from selfish brat to a heroic
Queen was one of the best on TV in a long time. The butching up the Angel’s gang paid off handsomely, as Wesley, Gunn and Cordy got their thrusts through in a great chambara sequence. Well, not exactly, but they all got their licks in.
I’ve heard that SMG’s contract is through season seven. An interview with her on KTLA didn’t say anything about her leaving, although I wouldn’t put it past TPTB to cover it up for the suspense.
Okay, so far three male lead characters in TV dramas this season have cold-bloodedly killed another character in the finale. What’s with that? At least it was in character for Giles.
I didn’t like the way Buffy cheated Dawn of her sacrifice. Dawn had no control over anything that happened to her, and when she finally had the chance to make a difference, big sis steals that too.
I thought for sure that Xander or Anya would die, after that “after the world doesn’t end” speech.
Great epitaph for Buffy. “She saved the world. A lot.”
I was surprised to hear her say she likes the visions. She really has grown.
Wow. Man. Wow. Okay.
The Willow moment, where she just rips Glory apart to get her lover back.
The Xander wrecking ball.
Giles as antihero.
But… the robot? WTF? I mean, I know it was there, I know the whole setup, it obviously had great potential, but they wasted it.
What sort of strategy was that? Let the robot beat up on the god just to confuse her a bit? What was Buffy up to while the robot was happily romping with Glory? Why wasn’t the robot used when it would have done some good?
I suppose it says something about the greatness of a show when the only nitpick you have about such a momentous episode is a strategy criticism, but come on. That robot was a hole card, and they didn’t take advantage of it at all.
And I’m firmly in the Buffy Will Return camp.
Wow… just checked out the board on buffy.com.
The sun was shining on Spike.
No, no, no. You guys are missing the latest spinoff rumors. The Great God Whedon is discussing a new Buffyverse spinoff with the BBC, to be called Watchers, with our own Giles as the main character. To be made in the UK. Really, I kid you not.
No villain, Giles.
Loved the episode. Of all the spoiler I’ve read, this was not among them. And yes, I think SMG will be back next season. We may have a show or two in the beginning where she’s playing the BuffyBot ( 
) - but they’ll bring her back.
Things I liked:
The engagement.
Giles going all Ripper on Ben.
Every moment with Joel Grey.
BTW, am I the only person who watched Angel aftewards and thought: This is the show the WB kept???