Spoiler Slayer

I did manage to find some time to work on this today, so I'm going to post the first half of my 'Thoughts' on the final five episodes today.You'll notice that most of the Pro's that I have for the final five episodes focus on the characters. There's a reason for that, which will be evident when I post the Con's tomorrow. This is also part of the reason why I chose not to focus on each episode by itself, because all five of the final episodes are essentially telling a single story spread across the final five episodes. Not one can really stand on it's own, they are all connected too tightly with each other. It's as if most of the stories involving the Sunnydale crew had been told by the end of 'Lies'. The few points that were started at or hinted in 'Lies', were explored and answered over the course of the final five episodes, along with the new twists brought about with the arrival of Faith and Caleb. Now I'm going to be honest, while I found the final five episodes to be satisfactory, I did not think they were exceptional in any way. Not only was a lot of these episodes filler, many characters weren't put to good use. It was hard finding things that I really enjoyed in these episodes. Not even a second viewing could improve my opinion of the final pieces of the Buffy puzzle. So although brief, here are the things I liked most in the final five episodes.

Spike: It seems that in the end, this season was all about Spike and his journey. While he spent much of the season being tortured, after his showdown with Wood in 'Lies', it was all about who he was and what he stood for. That would be Buffy, as he proved to be both key to bringing Buffy back and closing the Hellmouth once and for all.

Willow (and Kennedy): She rocks, nuff said. After her journey to the dark side, and having to deal with that aspect of her life, she confronted her doubts and pulled through in the end. And despite the fact that most fans can't seem to stand her, I really love Kennedy, her relationship with Willow, and what she brings to the show. Willow and her are a perfect match, and I hope this won't be the last we'll be seeing of them.

Faith (and Wood): After her stint on 'Angel', it was good to have Faith back in Sunnydale to tie up some loose ends. Though I think the original goal was to have her positioned for a spin-off, which probably explains why the Faith/Wood relationship was craft. To be honest, the first time I heard of this pairing, I really didn't think it was going to work. It just seemed a bit too contrived. However, they managed to pull it off. Perhaps not as much in 'Touched', but it really came to life in 'Chosen'. Of course, with no Faith spin-off, it probably doesn't mean as much now. But you can definitely see the potential.

Buffy and Angel: Although the site didn't exist when Angel was on the show, I've always considered myself to lean more towards Buffy/Angel versus Buffy/Spike. While I know there are some who will doubt this, to be honest I've never been against any of Buffy's relationships The focus of the show since the site has been around has been Buffy/Spike, so it might give the impression that I was solely pro-Buffy/Spike. But as a fan from the Buffy/Angel days, I found the reunion of these two (although brief) to be a perfect capper for the relationship. Though it would seem to have not capped it all that much. To be honest, I think Buffy herself will always have feelings for Angel, Riley, and Spike. So perhaps it's wiser to keep the doors more open than closed.

The Slayers: If things were interesting when it was just Buffy and Faith, imagine what it will be like now. Having all the Potentials activated in the finale will work well for the Buffyverse. For those that we are familiar with, I like the way that Vi, after being portrayed as quiet and timid for so long, really took charge. Kennedy, who's been itching to kick some butt, did so. And Rona, although battered, certainly found her stride as well. On a sad note, it was a shame to see both Molly and Amanda fall by the wayside, and I almost wish I had a bit more connection with some of the other 'nameless' Slayers. Let's just hope that the writer's play in smart on 'Angel', and don't flood the show with Slayer after Slayer.

Buffy and Spike: One day, she'll tell you. And she did. In both words and actions, I think it's pretty clear that Buffy expressed her true feelings towards Spike. While everyone else was tearing their clothes off, they found comfort in just being with one another. It was also shown in Spike's reaction to Angel's arrival. Although a bit immature in his way of working off his anger, he didn't turn against Buffy. I also like the fact that even through the final run of episodes, neither really questioned the actions of the other. Both of them knew what had to be done, and they did it.

Dawn: Though not a Potential, in the final half of the season Dawn really stepped up. While not always making the right choices (ie: kicking out Buffy), she stood on her own and proved capable of thinking on her feet. Regardless of her origin, she's proved that she's unquestionably Buffy's sister.

That's it. It took a lot of long and hard thinking to come up with the highlights. Unfortunately, the other half of the story was much too easy to write. But I felt it best to deliver the good news before the bad. So stay tuned, tomorrow it's time to address the story itself.