Kly's thoughts on "Chosen"

Not bad. Could have been a lot worse.

Interesting that Joss managed to stuff in pretty much everything we (I mean we unspoiled types) thought he would, I mean, EVERYTHING, every plot twist, even the ones that looked contradictory.

The good guys win - check.

Buffy lives this time, because hey, Buffy death, been there, done that a coupla times - check.

Buffy passes her power on to all potential Slayers - check.

Anya's dead - check.

Andrew's alive - check.

Willow's magic turns out to be key - check.

Giles is a nice guy again but we never get any explanation for the entire year of lousy behaviour - check.

Spike sacrifices himself to save the good guys - check. Fortunately contracts mean much more than death in the Buffyverse (and Hollywood).

Minor surprises:

Kennedy's alive. (Why?)

Wood's alive. Though after his offer to be the only man Faith has ever had sex with more than once he couldn't abandon her in death.

Giles is alive. I guess.

Willow is alive. So the place past dark is light? Was that the point of the series?

Xander's alive. Never did tell Anya why he called off the wedding, though.

Faith is alive. What, no Slayer wastage at all? But perhaps Joss is hoping her show on Fox will fall through.

Dawn is alive. Not a real surprise that her keyness turned out not to matter, though.

And as for the ships:

Buffy says she loves Spike - check.

Spike doesn't believe her - didn't see that one coming, but I should have, because he's not stupid. And, I mean, I wouldn't have believed her either. Because although he's the "boyfriend in her heart" (what the hell does that mean?) -

The B/A ers were right. Angel is the one she's still mentally planning a white picket fence with, the silly bint. We saw her kiss Angel but did not see her kiss Spike, and after all the times we've seen him naked, I think the fact that he's fully clothed means he didn't get a farewell shag, either. Another chaste cuddle on the way to his Date with Destiny. (And not in her own bed, either.)

Leaves Spike free to find someone who appreciates him, though, next year, when he's finished shanshuing.

I rather liked Buffy's explanation of why her relationships don't work out though - because she's only 22 for gosh sakes. This is actually a good reason. I could think back to when I was 22, but, let's not, shall we. Let's just say it's a good reason.

A question about ensoulment:

If Angel is somehow disqualified to wear the Liz Taylor ornament, is it because he's not a champion anymore? Or because Wolfram and Hart now own his soul so technically he's not "ensouled" anymore? Or is it because he really ISN'T "ensouled" anymore? Tune in next year ...

A note on lighting:

Last year the light effects meant Spike was getting his soul back. This year, he's standing right there in the sunlight and channelling the light through his painfully-won soul into the Turakhans. (I think?) The standing-in-the-sunlight looks to me like clear presaging that next year he will come back human. The vampire who fought at the side of the Slayer he loved, knowing she didn't love him, and DIDN'T scarper. For which he got as his reward -

uh, help me out here -

I think he will have got his life back. Which is not bad, after 120 years.

(what was he dreaming?)

And a final impression -

Actually I'm glad Buffy lived through it, all things considered.

Kly, signing off.