"I want to see how this ends."

[franceslievens]

More than 10 years after she first appeared on American television screens, I managed to watch her go out. Yep that was the very last episode of the very last dvd of the very last season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Season 7 didn't convince me as much as season 6. I'll probably need frenchani's theory on The First to give it a bit more depth. I missed bad-ass Giles in Ripper-mode. I missed the quirky to-the-point-ness of Anya. But I came to love Andrew, and the way he went on telling stories, until the very last minute, knowingly, because that's what he does. I didn't dislike this season as much as I thought I would. It was a nice ride, but not the best Joss has given me throughout the months of dvd-watching.

Comments

[anyasbuttmonkey.livejournal.com]

On repeat viewings, "Chosen" doesn't bug me as much, but the last half of season 7 was, on the whole, sorely lacking the very things that made the show a success in the first place. While Angel came second to Buffy for me, the finale of AtS, "Not Fade Away", was much better and much more in-keeping with the series. And despite what some corners of the fandom say, it *wasn't* a cliffhanger!!

*gets off soapbox*

If you wanted to, I've written an alternate version of "Chosen", that includes Cordelia, brings Dawn's Keyness back into play, explains away the Scythe in horrific fashion, and also re-introduces some elements (D'Hoffryn, Beljoxa's Eye) that I felt should've been involved come the final days. I'm always looking for feedback, so if you wanted to take a pass at it... ?

[comava.livejournal.com]

I'm interested, it sounds promising. Where can I find it?

[anyasbuttmonkey.livejournal.com]

Just give me your credit card details e-mail and I'll send it to you :D

[frances-lievens.livejournal.com]

franceslievens at gmail.com

(replace the at with the right symbol)

[comava.livejournal.com]

naniauni@gmail.com Thanks!

[frances-lievens.livejournal.com]

Hit me!

I think you're right in saying NFA is a much better finale, than Chosen was. P. summarised it as follows: "It's not really exciting, is it?" It didn't "bug" me per se, but it isn't clear what they're trying to do either.

[frenchani.livejournal.com]

My theory is somewhere in my LJ memories since I posted it on a community devoted to the last two seasons...

I re-watched "Dirty Girls" the other day and it's one of the best episodes of season 7. I think that season 7 is sometimes too conceptual to be enjoyed immediately but some episodes are really good and polished.

[frances-lievens.livejournal.com]

Dirty Girls is a very good episode. It's almost classic horror movie! I don't think season 7 is too conceptual. I had much more the feeling the concept didn't work as well as in previous season arcs. We have had Buffy and gang grow up over 6 seasons, and suddenly that's not the focus anymore, but what comes in place isn't at all clear. Nearing the end there's a lot of self-referencing, so I guess in the end it was all about the show, all about Buffy, but I didn't "get" that. And I think it's a bit far fetched...

[frenchani.livejournal.com]

I think that season 7 was nothing but the continuation of season 6 but at the same time it had to bring closure to the show hence the self-referencing and the bring-back-to-the-beginning tone. The problem is that the second half of the season seems really too botched up.

I didn't like "Chosen" much the first time I saw it...but I re-watched it several times and now I think, unlike ABM and P., that "Chosen" is actually better than "NFA" even though it is far from being as good as several brilliant BTVS episodes.

The finale metaphor of removing the calling suits the overall arc of female empowerment and growing-up. I didn't like the showy LotR-like side of "Chosen" but the way it ended Buffy's journey was good.

[frances-lievens.livejournal.com]

The finale metaphor of removing the calling suits the overall arc of female empowerment and growing-up. I didn't like the showy LotR-like side of "Chosen" but the way it ended Buffy's journey was good.

Same here, especialy since LotR did such a fine job with it. Instead of commenting on that genre, Buffy suddenly is the genre, and didn't do a very good job at it, I think. Removing the calling, is a fitting end for Buffy's struggle with being the slayer, but like you said, it was too much to put in the season.
Season 7 did start out as a continuation of season 6, but failed in that attempt. The moment Buffy decides they will be an army, the metaphor of growing-up shifts to the background.