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.

Chosen

• Angel and Buffy end their kiss and banter a little…
• He shares what info he’s been given, but he’s interrupted when Caleb suddenly stands up, eyes blackened and with some black substance running down his face, ready to finish the fight with Buffy once and for all.
• They fight… and Buffy fully cuts him in half using the scythe.
• Angel hands over the file from Wolfram & Hart and shows her the talisman.
• It’s meant to be worn by a champion… someone with a soul but stronger than human.
• Angel figures it’ll be him that wears it… he says he doesn’t know enough about it to let Buffy wear it.
• Buffy doesn’t want Angel in the fight, telling him she wants him to be the next line of defense in case she fails.
• Angel brings up the Spike of it all… he can smell him all over her.
• She tells him that Spike is different now… he has a soul.
• Angel is clearly jealous, but Buffy convinces him that Spike is the guy who can handle whatever power this talisman has to offer.
• They talk about their relationship a bit, and relationships for a Slayer in general.
• It’s not a bad final scene between Buffy and Angel, as final scenes go.
• Buffy gets home to find Dawn waiting at the door.
• The kid kicks Buffy in the shin.
• Downstairs, Spike is kind of pissed and beating the crap out of a punching bag.
• Spike is clearly jealous.
• He asks her about the talisman, figuring if Angel’s not the guy, it’s gotta be him.
• Buffy stays the night in the basement with Spike, but she can’t sleep.
• She’s approached by the First in the form of Caleb.
• It taunts her, then turns into Buffy to taunt some more.
• But the First makes its fatal error by pointing out that Buffy is alone.
• Spike suddenly wakes up from a dream and Buffy realizes that they’re going to win.
• The next morning, Buffy discusses her plan with the core of her team.
• But we don’t hear the plan.
• Whatever it is, Giles thinks it’s brilliant.
• Whatever it is, it’s gonna involve a whole bunch of magic from Willow.
• Later, Buffy addresses the entirety of the Potentials.
• Buffy tells them that the following day, she’s gonna open the seal and go into the Hellmouth to finish this once and for all.
• In the meantime, prep work needs to be done.
• Robin and Faith head down to the school basement to block off all potential exits except for what leads up into the school.
• That way they can control the release of any Ubervamps or Bringers that get past the army of Potentials inside the Hellmouth.
• Willow prepares the spell that’s taking place tomorrow, and she’s worried that the power will take her beyond her darkest places.
• She makes Kennedy promise to kill her if things get out of control.
• Giles, Xander, and Amanda play Dungeons & Dragons with Andrew as the dungeon master.
• They reference Trogdor the Burninator for all you Homestar Runner fans out there.
• Buffy returns to the basement.
• She and Spike just look at each other from across the room…
• The writers left this night up to the interpretation of the viewers…
• Did Buffy sleep with Spike?
• Personally, I don’t think so… at least, not in the way of meaning they had sex.
• I’m thinking they just held each other like they’ve kind of been doing during recent nights.
• Sunnydale High is deserted… except for the army of Potentials that enter to prepare for the final battle.
• Kennedy takes Willow’s supplies to Robin’s office to get ready for the spell.
• The non-Slayer types are assigned specific places throughout the school where the bad guys could break through.
• Buffy, Willow, Xander, and Giles hang back.
• Our original cast talks about their plans for tomorrow, leaving Giles to remark, “The earth is definitely doomed.”
• Great callback to the pilot episode.
• Buffy joins Spike, Faith, and the Potentials at the seal where they each cut their hands to bleed on and open the seal.
• Buffy leads the way as they all enter the Hellmouth.
• Willow begins her spell utilizing the scythe.
• Spike tells Buffy that his trinket isn’t tingling or anything… and he feels like Elizabeth Taylor.
• They walk to the edge of a cliff and see thousand upon thousands of Ubervamps.
• Buffy’s hoping that Willow can work the spell before the Ubervamps notice they’re their… and that’s the moment they all look up and see the army.
• And now the Ubervamps begin their climb.
• Willow’s spell is only beginning… and we flash back to Buffy’s speech that we didn’t get to see.
• In the living room, Buffy asks the Potentials, “What if my power was our power.”
• From now on, every girl who might be a Slayer, will be a Slayer.
• So that’s the catch… Willow uses the power of the scythe to make every Potential Slayer in the world a full fledged Slayer.
• Oh, and Willow didn’t go dark on this one… her hair temporarily turns white until she finishes the spell.
• She hands the scythe to Kennedy and tells her to give it to Buffy.
• The fight is going pretty well, but the Slayers are horribly outnumbered.
• Ubervamps are dropping left and right, but some slip through and head up into the school.
• The civilians upstairs put up a decent fight, too.
• Back in the Hellmouth, Spike begins feeling something.
• And then Buffy is stabbed through the back by an Ubervamp.
• Buffy hands off the scythe to Faith and tells her to hold the line.
• Back upstairs, Anya is nearly cut in half by a Bringer and Robin is stabbed by an Ubervamp.
• The First taunts Buffy again, which only serves to strengthen Buffy.
• She gets back up and takes the scythe back, killing more Ubervamps.
• Just then, Spike’s talisman begins to do its thing.
• It basically channels sunlight through Spike’s soul, dusting all the Ubervamps.
• “I can feel it, Buffy… My soul… It kinda stings…”
• Buffy has the Slayers evacuate all survivors upstairs leave the school and board the waiting school bus.
• Spike tells Buffy she needs to go… it’s up to him to do the clean up.
• She holds his hand and tells him she loves him.
• “No, you don’t. But thanks for sayin’ it.”
• Spike then tells her to go and she takes off.
• Everyone else made it to the bus and they drive away.
• Spike turns to dust…
• Buffy makes it out of the school and runs across rooftops as the entire town of Sunnydale collapses into the Hellmouth.
• She manages to jump onto the roof of the bus, which stops once they hit the town limits.
• Faith checks on Robin inside the bus, who seems to die for a second, but then gets his second wind.
• The gang stands at the edge of an enormous crater that used to be Sunnydale, California.
• Surveying the damage, Dawn asks, “What are we gonna do now?”
• Buffy just smiles.
• Body count: Evil Preachers – 1; Ubervamps – All of them; Bringers – All of them; Slayers – I honestly don’t know… a handful had to have died during the battle, right?; Main Characters – 2 (Anya and Spike)

Well, that does it for this rewatch of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This journey began over three years ago and we’ve finally reached the end. I mean, sure, I didn’t always post each week. But we’re all allowed to take our breaks every now and again, right?

Next week I will look back at the series as a whole and present my 10 favorite episodes before we move into the final season of Rewatching Angel. If you stuck it out with Buffy this whole time, thanks for coming along on this crazy whirligig of fun.