Welcome to Rewatching Buffy, the part of the blog where I rewatch Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Each Tuesday evening, you’re invited to join me as I attempt to rediscover what made me love this show so many years ago.

End of Days

• Faith and the Potentials are caught in an explosion when the timer hits zero.
• Buffy approaches the sword scythe in the stone.
• Caleb comes down behind her and taunts her, asking if she can pry it from the rock before he kills her…
• She lifts it out of the stone as if she’s plucking a dandelion…
• And Caleb suddenly gets nervous.
• He taunts her, telling her she doesn’t even know what she’s got.
• But she knows it’s making him back away…
• Then Buffy hears the First telling Caleb to let her go because her friends are in danger.
• The surviving Potentials find Faith and get her out as they hear something worse approaching.
• They are pursued by three Ubervamps.
• The rest of the Scooby Gang returns to the house saying they couldn’t find Buffy.
• Giles reports that Faith’s group hasn’t returned either.
• Buffy shows up to save the potentials, cutting through the Ubervamps with that scythe as if they were sticks of butter.
• The Summers house becomes triage central as they try to mend the wounded Potentials.
• Buffy talks with Giles about the scythe…
• When she holds it, she senses its power and knows it belongs to her.
• Andrew and Anya decide they need more medical supplies and head to the abandoned hospital.
• Buffy talks to Xander about some kind of secret plan.
• He complains that if he does this, that’s it for him in this fight… feels like he’s being put out to pasture.
• Xander insists he can still fight and Buffy says she knows, that’s why she needs him to do this.
• “I trust you with my life, so I need you to do this for me.”
• Giles and Willow are coming up with nothing as they research the scythe.
• Willow tries holding it to see if she can feel any of what Buffy felt, but it must be a Slayer thing.
• Giles suggests using magic, but Willow is still afraid to do anything big without turning into the big bad.
• Finally, she comes across a website that might have a clue…
• Xander and Dawn are looking for a crossbow out in his car, but that’s just a ruse.
• He knocks her out with chloroform and drives away with her.
• They make it seem sinister, but this is clearly what Buffy asked him to do… keep himself and Dawn away from the final battle.
• Caleb is pissed that the First let Buffy go.
• The First tells him that he’s getting weak while Buffy is strong.
• “It has been a while since we’ve merged…”
• This merging somehow imbues Caleb with way too much power.
• Faith wakes up and gets a taste of the scythe.
• She and Buffy discuss leadership again…
• Buffy assures Faith that what happened wasn’t her fault.
• “People die. You lead them into battle, they’re gonna die.”
• They discuss the aloneness of being the Slayer…
• Faith points out that’s probably the two of them never got along.
• Buffy informs Spike that she’s gonna go out and try to figure out the mystery of the scythe…
• It evolves into a conversation about spending last night together and what it meant to both of them.
• Spike admits that just holding her, watching her sleep, it was the best night of his life… he’s never connected with anyone before, even her.
• At the hospital, Anya explains to Andrew why she’s decided to stick around for this apocalypse…
• And it’s kind of sweet.
• Buffy wanders around one of Sunnydale’s many cemeteries and comes across a mausoleum shaped like a pyramid.
• This thing has been in the background for years…
• Buffy enters and encounters an ancient woman.
• She explains to Buffy she’s been waiting for the Slayer to find the weapon she helped to forge.
• The ancient woman claims to be a Guardian… a group of women who watched the Watchers.
• These Guardians had to remain hidden until the time was right… the last surprise.
• She warns Buffy that the end is near…
• Then Caleb sneaks up behind her and snaps her neck.
• Elsewhere, Dawn wakes up in Xander’s car.
• Xander hands her a letter from Buffy.
• She starts to read it, but then she tasers Xander and takes the wheel.
• Where did Dawn get a taser? Did I miss that? Or forget it?
• Buffy and Caleb fight…
• Caleb is super strong after his merge session with the First.
• But Buffy has the super scythe.
• At one point, Caleb picks up the scythe and it looks like he’s gonna land the killing blow.
• But Angel steps in and punches him.
• He offers to help with the fight, but realizes this is something Buffy needs to finish herself.
• Which she does… handily.
• She plants the scythe right in Caleb’s gut and he collapses.
• Buffy and Angel kiss…
• While Spike and the First watch from the shadows…
• Body count: Ubervamps – 3; Potentials – not sure who died when the bomb went off…; Guardians – 1