“Dirty Girls"

 

Episode 18 of Season 7

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“You gotta trust her. She's earned it.”

 

Original US airdate: April 15th, 2003

Rewatched: April 28th, 2024

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• Writer: Drew Goddard

• Director: Michael Gershman

• Guests: Anthony Stewart Head, Eliza Dushku, Nathan Fillion, Tom Lenk, Iyari Limon, Indigo, Clara Bryant, Sarah Hagan, Kristy Wu, D.B. Woodside

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The subtext becomes more overt on Buffy with the introduction of Caleb this episode. Willow and Faith are on their way back to Sunnydale from LA when they come across a girl in the middle of the road. They assume she may be a Potential and they get her to the hospital. Before she’d ended up in the road, she’d encountered Caleb while running from Bringers. Caleb is a misogynistic ex-man of God who now kills Potentials (and blew up the Council). He also has deep conversations with the First. He is meant to represent how religion can keep women down, and this is not done subtly. Overall, this episode explores how men see women, with each act beginning with a different view: Xander’s dream about the Potential Slayers, Andrew’s story about Faith, and Caleb.

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But before we focus on Caleb more, let’s talk about Faith. She’s back in Sunnydale, a bit upset that no one told her the First was trying to end the Slayer line, understandably, and not quite sure of her place among all the Potential Slayers. Andrew entertains the girls with Faith’s history. They assume he has reverted to his storytelling ways, but in fact, he is telling the truth (except for confusing the words Vulcan and volcanologist…). Faith has a big history. In addition to Andrew's tale, Faith tells Spike about the time she met him while in Buffy’s body. Spike indicates his relationship with Buffy ended up as Faith described it during this encounter.

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Then there’s Buffy. She kind of makes peace with Wood, but not quite with Giles. Wood fires her so she can concentrate on leading the Potentials. And this is the point. Everyone wants Buffy to lead, to get the girls ready to fight. But when she does take charge, they tend to second guess her (Giles, the Potentials, etc.). In this episode, Xander has Buffy’s back. Buffy wants to take the Potentials with the most experience to Caleb’s lair, to get them some real battle experience. Everyone is a bit skeptical, but then Xander gives his big speech, cementing everyone behind Buffy:

Let me tell you something about Buffy --- I’ve been through more battles with Buffy than you all can every imagine. She’s stopped everything that’s ever come up against her, she’s laid down her life literally to protect the people around her. This girl has died two times and she’s still standing. You’re scared, that’s smart. You got questions, you should. But you doubt her motives, you think Buffy’s all about the kill, then you take the little bus to battle. I’ve seen her heart and this time not literally, and I’m telling you right now, she cares more about your lives then you will ever know. You gotta trust her. She’s earned it.

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The only problem is that it doesn’t go well. The group that is taken to confront Caleb is badly hurt. Among other things, Molly dies, Rona gets her arm broken and Xander loses an eye. The episode ends with Buffy, alone at the hospital, surveying the destruction caused by her decision. It’s not a great moment. Caleb is still out there. Buffy is learning that leading is not easy, especially when things go south. It was all fun and games until someone lost an eye. Things are not okay in Sunnydale.

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“Empty Places"

 

Episode 19 of Season 7

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“Lead them.”

 

Original US airdate: April 29th, 2003

Rewatched: May 12th, 2024

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• Writer: Drew Z. Greenberg

• Director: James A. Contner

• Guests: Anthony Stewart Head, Eliza Dushku, Nathan Fillion, Tom Lenk, Iyari Limon, Indigo, Sarah Hagan, Kristy Wu, Dorian Missick, Larry  Clarke, D.B. Woodside

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The end is nigh in Sunnydale and people are starting to notice. School has been cancelled and people are leaving in droves, including Clem. Buffy visits Xander at the hospital but can’t really deal with seeing him or spending time with him. It seems she is feeling quite a lot of guilt over what happened both to him and the Potentials in the last episode. When Buffy goes to the school to pick up her remaining things and encounters Caleb, who banters with her, knocks her out, but leaves her for another day, it seems like Buffy can’t get a break.

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In the meantime, Giles and Willow impersonate Interpol to get info on Caleb, or on crimes that may be linked to him. While sifting through the material, Dawn thinks she finds something at a monastery that might be connected to him. Giles sends Spike and Andrew to check it out. This time, at least, it’s not meant to be a death mission. Spike and Andrew do end up finding an inscription, which seemed to tell Caleb that whatever he’s been looking for in Sunnydale is for the Slayer, not for him.

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Faith decides to take the Potential Slayers out for a night at the Bronze, hoping to keep their spirits up. It turns bad when the police get wind that Faith is in town and decide to take Faith out with some extrajudicial violence. Ironically, the chance for the Potential Slayers to fight the police and win may actually have helped their morale. Buffy, however, is not happy that Faith took the Potentials out, let them drink, and put them in danger.

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Back at the house, Buffy faces everyone with her new plan. She is convinced that Caleb has something of hers, that the winery is where the power is, otherwise he wouldn’t be camped out there. He’d be at the seal or elsewhere. But, it doesn’t go well. No one wants to go back to the winery. Buffy doesn’t want to discuss going back, only how best to do it. With Spike gone (ironically finding evidence that Buffy is right), every one else turns on Buffy. The exchange gets to some of the key themes of season 7, such as why is Buffy the chosen one, and what exactly that means.

Buffy: I don’t understand this. For seven years I’ve kept us safe by doing this. Exactly this. Making the hard decisions. And now, what, suddenly you’re all acting like you can’t trust me? […]

Willow: With everything that’s happened, I’m worried about your judgement.

Buffy: Look, I wish this could be a democracy, I really do. Democracies don’t win battles. It’s a hard truth but there has to be a single voice. You need someone to issue orders and be reckless sometimes, and not take your feelings into account. You need someone to lead you.

Anya: And it’s automatically you? You really do think you’re better than we are … But we don’t know, we don’t know if you’re actually better … But you didn’t earn it. You didn’t work for it. … They were just handed to you. So that doesn’t make you better than us, it makes you luckier than us.

Buffy: I’ve gotten us this far.

Xander: But not without a price. […]

Buffy: We have to be together on this or we will fail again […]

Faith: I didn’t come here to take anything away from you, but I’m not going to be your little lapdog either … I don’t know if I can lead, but the real question is, can you follow? […]

Dawn: You can’t stay here, Buffy. I love you and you were right. We have to be together on this. You can’t be a part of it. So, I need you to leave. I’m sorry, this is my house, too.

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I do think that Anya is a bit wrong about Buffy not earning her leadership role. Buffy may not have chosen to be a Slayer, but Buffy has been a good one for seven years and she has really earned her role. But this is also one of the first times someone has been seriously injured. Others have ended up in the hospital and recovered, minor characters (Jesse, Kendra) have died, but Xander will never get his eye back. It’s the first time a core Scooby member has faced this and it has changed the dynamics. The addition of the new, scared Potentials doesn’t help the situation, either. Buffy has lost control and gets kicked out of her house. And she leaves. Faith follows her out and it looks like they may exchange words. But Buffy shows she can give up her role to Faith.

Faith: Hey, look, I sear I didn’t want it to go like this.

Buffy: Don’t…

Faith: I mean it…

Buffy: Don’t be afraid to lead them. Whether you wanted it or not, their lives are yours. It’s only gonna get harder. Protect them. Lead them.

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Buffy knows, deep down, that she is the best equipped for this battle. Seven years of hard decisions have shaped her. Faith may not be ready, but Buffy can give up her role to Faith when needed. It’s a moment where the two Slayers have finally made their peace with each other. And then Buffy leaves.

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“Touched"

 

Episode 20 of Season 7

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“You're a hell of a woman.”

 

Original US airdate: May 6th, 2003

Rewatched: May 19th, 2024

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• Writer: Rebecca Tand Kirshner

• Director: David Solomon

• Guests: Anthony Stewart Head, Eliza Dushku, Nathan Fillion, Tom Lenk, Iyari Limon, Sarah Hagan, Harry Groener, D.B. Woodside

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There are two themes in this episode. The first is what it means to be a Slayer and a leader, and the second is about sex and love.

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Spike and Andrew return to Sunnydale with their news. With Buffy gone, Spike refuses to stay (he reminds everyone how often Buffy has saved them and calls them all ungrateful traitors), and goes off to look for her. Of course, he finds her in an empty house. Buffy is not in a good place, questioning herself. Spike gives her a pep talk. In culminates in a powerful statement on who Buffy is and why Spike loves her:

I’m not asking you for anything. When I say I love you it’s not because I want you or cause I can’t have you. It has nothing to do with me. I love what you are. What you do. How you try. I’ve seen your kindness and your strength. I’ve seen the best and the worst of you. And I understand with perfect clarity exactly what you are. You’ve a hell of a woman. You’re the one, Buffy.

Buffy replies that she doesn’t want to be the one but does invite Spike to spend the night with her, just holding her in bed. And that is what they do. Spike will later describe this as the best night of his life. It also gives Buffy the motivation to face Caleb alone. She leaves Spike in the house sleeping (but does leave him a note) and goes to the winery. Buffy is able to best Caleb by not letting him touch her (it is an amazing "fight" scene). He can’t hurt her if he can’t get her, and the fight becomes increasingly frustrating for him, meaning he makes mistakes. One mistake reveals the entrance to where the Bringers are working to free the weapon. Buffy goes through it and sees her first glimpse of the Scythe. Caleb was indeed hiding something that belonged to the Slayers and Buffy has succeeded in finding it.

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Meanwhile, it’s chaos at the house. The Scoobies and Potential Slayers can’t figure out how to run their democracy. They decide to sleep on it and make a plan the next morning. That night, Xander and Anya sleep together, as do Faith and Wood, and Willow and Kennedy. Similar to what Anya mentioned after Joyce died, sex (and love) are affirmations of life and good. In the face of evil, Anya and Xander can contemplate the possibility of rekindling their relationship (Anya closed the door on their old relationship in "Storyteller", so this represents the start of a new relationship between Xander and Anya), Willow and Kennedy can start a relationship, and Faith and Wood can create a spark that may become something.

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Besides her possible budding relationship with Wood, Faith is faced with being a leader and a Slayer. Shee is visited by the First in the guise of the Mayor, she devises a plan to capture a Bringer, who tells them the Bringers have been building an arsenal under the city, and links this with Andrew’s message from the monastery about a weapon meant for the Slayers. Faith also figures out democracy is not going to solve the problems and steps up to lead the Potential Slayers in making a plan. Both Giles and Wood tell her she’s doing fine in her leadership role. Although the sympathy is with Buffy in this episode, they are not wrong. Buffy is not the only Slayer and Faith is a good leader. Also, something that perhaps allows Faith to step up in this episode is the fact that, finally, no one is asking her to be more like Buffy. They’re asking her to be herself.

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Unfortunately, Faith also learns how hard it is to lead. Faith and the Potentials do find an arsenal and successfully fight off the Bringers guarding it, but instead of a fancy Slayer weapon, Faith uncovers a bomb. She’s able to yell a warning before it goes off, but it looks dire. At the end of the episode, Faith and Buffy are on even ground, more or less, with both having their choices result in harm to the Potentials.

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“End of Days"

 

Episode 21 of Season 7

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“And that's you every day, isn't it?”

 

Original US airdate: May 13th, 2003

Rewatched: May 25th, 2024

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• Writer: Douglas Petrie and Jane Espenson 

• Director: Marita Grabiak

• Guests: Anthony Stewart Head, Eliza Dushku, Nathan Fillion, David Boreanaz, Tom Lenk, Sarah Hagan, Iyari Lemon, Christine Healy

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The scythe that Buffy saw at the end of the last episode is the key. She is able to, as she puts it, “King-Arthur” it out of stone and Caleb is afraid of it, allowing her to escape, save the Potentials and Faith from Turok-Han who attack after the explosion in the sewers and make it home. It seems that Buffy is the leader again.

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Regrouping is the next step. Willow and Giles research the scythe. After a successful looting of the supermarket, Andrew and Anya decide to loot the hospital for supplies for the wounded. And Buffy decides that Xander should leave Sunnydale with Dawn.

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Willow and Giles find out that the scythe is old and possibly connected to Ancient Egypt. Xander knocks Dawn out with chloroform (he gets her to the car by asking her to search for a crossbow, but she says she doesn’t leave them lying around ever since Miss Kitty Fantastico, implying the cat may have died in an accident). When Dawn later comes to in the car, she tasers Xander and turns the car around. She and Xander will be there for the final showdown. Anya and Andrew bond while looting. Andrew admits he doesn’t think he’ll make it and Anya gives a speech about her love for humanity, saying that their desire to keep fighting for right no matter the odds is something she likes.  

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In other news, viewers learn why Caleb is so powerful. He has been merging with the First, which gains him some powers (the first Turok-Han may have done the same, which may explain with it was harder to kill than subsequent Turok-Hans). They merge again in this episode, but Caleb still does not seem to be a match for the scythe.

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Faith, although gravely injured in the explosion, wakes up, giving the two Slayers a chance to talk and finally make up. Faith admits to her jealousy of Buffy, but finding it hard to take over for her, because it made her truly realize how alone Buffy is in the end. Faith also lets it slip that she slept with Wood. Finally, once night falls, Spike returns to the house and he and Buffy talk about their feelings. He tells her the last night was the best night of his life, and Buffy does admit she has feelings as well.

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In the end, everyone seems to have made their peace with each other and are willing to fight together against the First. Giles and Willow find a lead, which sends Buffy to Sunnydale’s own Egyptian temple, where she meets a Guardian, the last of the women who made the scythe, and whose goal was to watch the Watchers. She tells Buffy the scythe is a powerful weapon that can help her win the final battle. Before much more can be said, Caleb appears and snaps her neck. Buffy and Caleb fight, and it’s looking a bit iffy when Angel shows up, fresh from LA. He helps Buffy, but steps back once she has the upper hand to let her deal with her unfinished business. When it looks like Caleb is dead, she kisses Angel. Spike, unfortunately, has also arrived and seen it.

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Will Spike seeing Buffy and Angel together change his feelings? Will the peace last in Sunnydale for the final battle. Viewers know that Angel is bringing info and an amulet from LA. Will this help in the final battle? And, finally, how can one scythe turn the tide to evil?

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“Chosen"

 

Episode 22 of Season 7

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“Are you ready to be strong?”

 

Original US airdate: May 20th, 2003

Rewatched: June 1st, 2024

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• Writer: Joss Whedon

• Director: Joss Whedon

• Guests: Anthony Stewart Head, Eliza Dushku, Nathan Fillion, David Boreanaz, Tom Lenk, Iyari Lemon, Sarah Hagan, Indigo, D.B. Woodside

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After 7 season and 144 episodes, Buffy the Vampire Slayer comes to an end, and in the process, changes the story of the Slayer.

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First, Buffy and Angel are enjoying seeing each other again, but it turns out Caleb is not dead. He knocks Angel out and Buffy faces him again, this time cutting him in half with the scythe. Caleb is gone for good. When Angel comes to, he gives Buffy the stuff he got from Wolfram & Hart, including a necklace. What it does is unclear, but it seems a vampire with a soul needs to wear it and Angel assumes it will be him. Buffy doesn’t want him to stay. She is still worried she won’t win and wants Angel out of Sunnydale and ready to step in if she can’t win. Angel thinks she might be sending him away because of Spike. While they discuss Buffy’s relationship with Spike, she mentions that he has a soul now, which Angel takes equally badly to her feelings for him, but Buffy also reminds him that their relationship was not really great either. Buffy then gives a speech many fans find a bit silly, but I have a soft spot for, her cookie dough speech. She’s not ready to settle down yet, because she’s not finished. Someday, she will not longer be dough, but finished cookies and ready for a relationship. It’s nice to see a strong female protagonist realizing she doesn’t need a man to happy or to be herself. Angel walks off to return to LA, in an exit that mirrors his leaving in season 3.

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When Buffy returns home, Spike is in the basement, somewhat dealing with his feelings about Buffy and Angel. Spike asks Buffy for the amulet, having heard that a vampire with a soul should wear it. Buffy tells him that it’s powerful and unstable, and that only a champion should wear it before handing it to him. This moment shows how far Spike has come.

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Finally, the First visits Buffy. The First taunts Buffy, but its taunting gives her an idea. Buffy now fully realizes she can win. The Scoobies, and the Potentials, hatch a plan. They are going to war and they will win. Everyone is, more or less, on board, and they spend one last day and night in the house, preparing for war. Faith and Robin talk about their relationship, and Robin challenges Faith to let him in. Xander, Amanda, Giles and Andrew play a game of Dungeons and Dragons. Willow and Kennedy talk. Buffy first is alone on the porch, before she goes to the basement to spend the night with Spike.

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The next day, they all go to the school together. The Slayers and Potentials (and Spike) will enter the Hellmouth (they form a circle and drip their blood on it, a striking image of female power). The civilians will make sure nothing can get out of the school. Dawn and Xander will take over one exit, Robin and Giles another, leaving Anya and Andrew the third. Willow and Kennedy will go to the Principal’s office. Willow will perform a spell with the scythe (Kennedy is there to make sure she doesn’t turn evil). While everyone takes their places, the original Scoobies share a brief moment, discussing what they will do the next day. Buffy votes for shopping. As they leave, Giles repeats his line from season 1 about the world being doomed.

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With everyone in place, the plan becomes clear. Buffy has decided that Willow will use the power of the scythe to turn all potential Slayers into real Slayers. The previous morning, she gave her last rousing speech:

So, here’s the part where you make a choice. What if you could have that power? Now. In every generation, one Slayer is born because a bunch of men who dies thousands of years ago made up that rule. They were powerful men. This woman [Willow] is more powerful than all of them combined. So I say we change the rule. I say my power should be our power. […] From now on, every girl in the world who might be a Slayer will be a Slayer. Every girl who could have the power will have the power. […] Slayers, every one of us. Make your choice. Are you ready to be strong?

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Willow’s spell succeeds, turning her hair white as a sign of the rightness of it. And the new Slayers are strong. It’s a tough battle, although the Slayers are doing a great job of slaying the army of Turok-Han, who seem much less invincible than the first one, but some die. Buffy nearly does, passing off the scythe to Faith (Kennedy brought it down with her after Willow’s spell succeeded). Amanda and several unnamed Slayers die. Anya dies a hero, facing the battle rather than fleeing. Wood is wounded badly. It does seem like turning her army of Potentials into Slayers might not be enough, but then Spike’s amulet starts to harness the power of the sun and shine it into the Hellmouth. This causes the Turok-Han to die, but also the Hellmouth to become unstable, which will eventually cause Sunnydale to fall into a giant crater. The Slayers flee the Hellmouth, as does everyone else in the school. They get abroad a school bus and drive off. Spike, however, refuses to leave, willing to die to destroy the Hellmouth. Buffy stays to the last moment, finally telling Spike she loves him, but then leaves to chase the bus out of Sunnydale. Off the collapsing Hellmouth, Wood stops the bus. Willow, Xander, Faith, Dawn, Giles and Buffy look at the ruins of Sunnydale. They have won, but there was a cost.

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In the final scene, Giles does mention that there is another Hellmouth in Cleveland, but Faith suggests throwing Giles into the crater. Dawn then asks, “What are we going to do now?” and Buffy smiles. She can finally do whatever she wants, really. She no longer carries the weight of the world on her shoulders, but shares that burden with many others, who will need to be found and trained, but still. It’s a new world.

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This episode brings Buffy’s journey to a new fork. We watched her learn what it means to be powerful for seven seasons, and now she will start a journey of learning to share her power. This ending isn’t really an ending, but a new beginning. It also somewhat mitigates a main criticism of the show - that if Buffy is a feminist hero, why is she the only one with power? Now, she isn’t. Although I’d like to note that was never quite true. Willow, Cordelia and Tara had their own journeys of power. Anya, as a bit of an exception, lost power, but learned how to be a human, which is a worthy journey in its right. But this episode is still the crowning glory of Buffy’s journey. She has dismantled the patriarchy at the heart of the Slayer line and made it something new, something communal, something female. It's a strong final moment. 

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Coda

 

So, this blog ends 1,224 days after it started, or about three and a half years later, and 11,628 days since Buffy’s debut on the big screen. While the show sometimes feels a bit dated in terms of clothing and music, and the special effects, too, it doesn’t seem so dated in terms of themes. Ultimately, Buffy explores what it means to grow up and accept responsibility, which is always relevant, and it explores female power (and to some degree the role of men in an equitable society). I’m glad I took the time to re-watch slowly and think (and write) about each episode. I hope you enjoyed reading along. I’m sure this is not the last time I will watch the series and re-reading my Buffy literature (and comics) may be next on the list, so additions to this site may still be possible.

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I’d like to take a final moment to thank a friend who joined me on this journey. Thank you for watching, reading and sharing your thoughts. Knowing you were waiting for new texts helped me see this through to the end.

 

Goodbye (at least for now).

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