Chosen

*Kris settles into her comfy chair, watching Furry!Spike snuggle up by her feet as she cracks a fresh Diet Coke open in preparation for the episode.*

Diet Coke? Check.

Kleenex? Check.

Throat lozenges (for soothing my throat after I scream at the TV at least once)? Check.

Welcome one, welcome all, to the final BTVS-based Musings from the Comfy Chair. I can't believe this season has gone by so quickly... and who would have thought that we'd get this ending when it all began?

Let's get to the Quick Thoughts first, and then I'll get into the bigger things...

Spuffy Cringy Moment:

Let's face it - there were screams heard throughout the country when we saw Buffy and Angel kissing on the screen. And heck - I was even cringing a bit when Buffy gave Angel her "crumb" of cookie dough... but overall, it was good to see him there.

Is This a Family Hour Show Moment:

Buffy asking if Spike and Angel would rub themselves in oil prior to wrestling was... <giggle, snort> rather funny. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that Joss got this line into the show... but it just took me by surprise.

Quippy Moment:

You could tell that this was a Penned-By-Joss ep... lots of Quippiness everywhere. Buffy announcing that Caleb had to split was the best one, though...

And Just What *Were* You Dreaming Moment:

Spike? Dreaming of drowning in... Cool Whip? Did my hubby and I *hear* that right? <after checking e-mail for Dori comments....> Hmmm... apparently, he was dreaming of Drowning in Shoes. Do I hear foreshadowing for next year's AtS? And more importantly, why did my hubby and I *both* hear "I'm Drowning in Cool Whip!" after rewinding the tape a couple of times?

Spike's Inner Artist Moment:

The cartoon of Angel on the punching bag... just priceless. Hee! (And yes, for what it's worth, I do like Angel... I'll get into that later.)

Are We At The Oscars? Moment:

Andrew pulling out his list of people to thank had me rolling, which was pretty darned impressive considering how tensed up I was at that point of the ep...

And now, for the Big Musings.

Where to start, where to start... <sniffle>

After all this time of Buffy et. al telling Spike that he was a worthless monster.... look who saved the day.

There. Had to say it. I'll come back to that in a bit.

I'm sure that ardent Buffy/Angel fans are finding lots to be alternately Very Happy and Very Sad about in this ep, just as Buffy/Spike fans are doing the same. I'm firmly in the Spuffy camp, but I should also say that I'm a devoted fan of AtS, and that I honestly do like the character of Angel...

Except when he's around Buffy.

Maybe it's by design, but I swear - the way his character is written around hers just drives me up a wall! Yes, it was great to see that he brought the infamous W&H amulet... and the look on his face when he realized that he *wasn't* Buffy's champion was just priceless. Buffy's grumbling at him, and later Spike, about the two of them acting like 12 year olds was right on the money... but I did love that he was all cranky over Spike's getting a soul.

(Note that he didn't know that Spike's came without the Happiness Clause. I don't even want to *think* about the grumbling that would have ensued if he had...)

I realize that we've been watching Buffy grow as a character (or not grow, if that's your opinion) over the past 7 years, and so it may seem a bit odd that tonight she was announcing that she's not done Baking Yet. At first it really annoyed me... and then I realized that she's probably right - the character is only 22, and she hasn't had much of a chance in recent years to actually take time to develop *herself* without dying in the process. How many 22 year olds do you know who have their entire life figured out? I know I certainly didn't...

Later, we see Buffy and Spike coming to an accord... and we see Spike the hedonist becoming Spike the planner, while Buffy the planner becomes more of Buffy the hedonist. The guy who made a name for himself by living in and *for* the moment is looking forward to what he can do to be The Champion and to help save the world... and Buffy finally realizes that she needs to start living a little more in the here and now (as opposed to the horrible "what ifs" in case they don't win)... and they meet in the middle. I wish I had closed captioning for the scene in the basement - the dialogue and physical interaction between James Marsters and SMG were just wonderful... and we really got to see two people who *know* they really don't have all the time in the world and who are determined to make the best of what they've got. <sniffle>

Some people have already said that this should have been a 2 hour ep, and I'm finding myself inclined to agree with them. Did Willow *really* become a Goddess? Or did she just become one with the White Magic for a moment? I also found it rather interesting that Willow and Spike - the two characters ME presented as having sunk the lowest of all last year (and that's the end of *that* discussion) were the ones to connect with that pure power and play crucial roles in saving the day.

Speaking of which...

Was it just me, or did Spike and Buffy's handholding become a healing balm for Buffy? One minute she's mortally wounded, the next she's not? Or was it that she overcame the wound when she stood up to the First? (Which, by the way, was a bit of a let down... you're telling me that all we needed was a good case of Determined!Buffy, and the storyline would have been over months ago?). Either way, something important happened between the two of them... and I really wish I knew what it was. Did Spike see inside Buffy's soul? Did she see his? Did he tell her that she doesn't love him because he wanted her to leave, or because he really thought she didn't? Why didn't she argue the point? We've got so much potential fanfic fodder out of this scene that it's not even funny...

And then, there's the death of Spike. He went out as he's always said he wanted to - he went out fighting the good fight, and as a Champion, no less. Was it his soul that was needed to power the amulet? Was it his very essence? Enquiring minds wanna know, dang it... and it looks like I have to wait at least four more months to find out! ARGH!

The other characters really didn't have a lot to do this ep, did they?

Willow - got over her control issues and used her magic for Good.

Kennedy - Yay, Go Willow Go... now I get to kick some booty!

Dawn - Showed that she's learned a bit... and when did she become a Junior Watcher, anyway?

Xander - Alright, Xander showed that he still had feelings for Anya... <sigh>

Giles - Finally gave Buffy the parental approval she's been looking for.

Andrew - Who knew that he was a D&D gamemaster? Too funny - almost as funny as watching Giles, Xander, and Amanda play...

Anya - Made the obligatory sex joke, and then died saving Andrew. <sniff>

Faith - Made the other obligatory sex joke (okay, it was danged funny), and showed that yes, slayers apparently feel that they can't get too close to other people (blah, blah, blah).

Principal Wood - Was there to play off Giles and Faith. That was about it, right?

Sooooo...

This is how it ends. The core Sunnydale 4 looking at the pit that's left of their town, with Buffy announcing that Spike saved the world as we know it. Here's the thing - I know that a bunch of people aren't probably very happy that she was smiling at the end, what with Spike having just sacrified his life to save hers (and everyone else's). But here's the thing: after thinking about it for a bit, I think she's doing what Spike *wanted* her to do - she's realizing that she *can* live in the moment, and that she can have a life of her own now. That was his gift to her, and I think that he gave it to her when they were in the cavern.

(And she did her best to give a gift to him - she stayed with him until the last, when he *told* her to go.)

Someone once said that All Good Things Must Come to an End. And for Spike fans, at least we know that his story will continue next year, on AtS. I'm sorry to see Buffy and her friends go... but I have a feeling that we'll hear from them again. We know that the gang is setting off to find the other Slayers, and that the characters need to develop their own lives... it will be interesting to see how this all shakes out in years to come.

Quotes of the Night:

“Dumbass.” - Dawn, after showing her grown-up side by kicking Buffy in the shin.

“Don’t look at me. It’s a Summers thing. It’s all very violent.” – Xander, nursing his tazer wound he received thanks to Dawnie.

“The Earth is definitely doomed.” Giles, shaking his head over Willow, Buffy and Xander reverting to their old ways...

“I’m getting zero juice here… and I look like Elizabeth Taylor." - Spike, grumbling about the apparent uselessness of the amulet...

“That was nifty.” – Willow, immediately after performing her incredible spell (and immediately before she keels over from exhaustion).

“Floppy…hoppy… bunnies.” Anya, with her motivation for getting down with her bad self.

“oops!” – Keith, after Buffy gets stabbed…

“I want you… to get... Out Of My Face!” Buffy to The First, apparently scaring it enough to run away and never come back...

"Oh, Bollocks!” A classic Spike line, if there ever was one...

“My soul… it’s really there… kinda stings…” Spike, realizing just what he's bringing to the table as Buffy's Champion.

Dear Hubby Quote of the Night:

“He got dusted! He’s dead!” - Hubby, commenting on the fate of Spike, and wondering how he's going to be back on AtS next year.

“Since when does being dead mean anything in the Joss-verse?” - Kris, countering the Hubby's argument.

Ewwwwwww Score:

5 out of 10. There wasn't that much more gore than usual this ep - it was just that we saw different people getting staked, stabbed, and so forth. The final shots of Spike's death were rather disconcerting, however.

Furry Spike Score:

3 out of 4 paws, and a Snuggle... He was happy to see Spike go out the way he wanted, but sad to see the character not make it out "alive"...

My score:

I'll give it a 9 out of 10... which is partially due to me being emotionally invested in this ep. Yes, I think that Joss & Co were trying to play to the Buffy/Angel and Buffy/Spike camps... but when you've got The First referring to Spike as Buffy's "lover" and we see that Buffy and Spike are making with the Snugglies downstairs... that gave me a big warm and fuzzy. And just how much was being said without words in this ep, anyhow?

That, my friends, wraps up this review from the Comfy Chair. I'm sure that the reviews will continue in one shape or form beginning with the first show of AtS next year, seeing as how we know that Spike will somehow appear over there. After what we've seen of what Spike and Angel thought of each other tonight, you can bet your bottom dollar that I'll be blocking out my entire night for the AtS season premiere...

Hugs to all...

Kris

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