Buffy: End of Days

“There was this other apocalypse, this one time….”

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

“End of Days”

Cast and Crew:


Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers
Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris
Emma Caulfield as Anya
Michelle Trachtenberg as Dawn
James Marsters as Spike
Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg

Special Guests:
Anthony Stewart Head as Giles
David Boreanaz as Angel
Eliza Dushku as Faith
Iyari Limon as Kennedy
Nathan Fillion as Caleb

Writers:Jane Espenson
Doug Petrie

Director: Marita Grabiak

Executive Producers:
Joss Whedon
Marni Noxon

Plot:

People get injured, Anya and Andrew play doctor, Buffy uses her new axe and finds the last of the Guardians, the first plots, Xander has a shocking experience, Angel returns, Spike gets jealous.

High Points:

The final scene contained a few surprises and left me wondering if the apparent end to the fight isn’t what the First has wanted all along.

Low Points:

The problematic plotting, both by the series creators and the characters. The gang send Buffy packing; two episodes later they’re actively looking for her. Sunnydale has been abandoned by its citizens and some sort of evil is brewing; no one outside Sunnydale cares. What’s the initiative up to? The Marines? The National Guard? Why doesn’t anyone drop by to investigate?

The Scores:

Originality: 3/6 “There was this other apocalypse, this one time….”

Effects: 4/6 Nothing special, but nothing bad, either.

Story: 3/6 See “Low Points.” The appearance of the Guardian, while not yet clearly explained, led to an interesting final scene.

Acting: 4/6 See effects.

Emotional Response: 3/6 We’re getting too much soap opera humanity, where characters discuss things that are supposed to be meaningful, but they’re missing a sense of reality that might make us care.

Production: 5/6 No issue here.

Overall: 4/6 I used to like this show. It hasn’t entirely lost my interest, but it really needs to end now.

Total: 26/42

Next Time:

Buffy ambiguously disappears, so that she can make guest appearances on Angel if SMG’s career doesn’t go anywhere. Faith, regrettably, dies, and Kennedy becomes the next Slayer. Spike joins Angel Investigations. We never see Dawn or Andrew ever, ever again.

I’m making it all up. I have no idea. Joss Whedon has written the final episode, and he’s pulled off some good twists before. Hope exists that the saga will end well.

35 replies on “Buffy: End of Days”

  1. Fourth act

    That entire fourth act was great. I haven’t been bored with the show this season as many have, but I didn’t start watching until season five, so that could have something to do with it.

    Also, that final act had some wonderful stuff in it. Both of the spectators were used beautifully.

  2. Kinda spoiler
    This is really a predictions from the last discussion that could be a huge spoiler if it’s right

    I trust everyone noticed that Giles was trying very hard to get Willow to use magic. Could just be that he’s trying to make sure they have her as a weapon but still +1 for the evil Giles theory.

    On a side note anyone else wonder about both Spike and Angel showing up there at the same time? Could just be weak writing but I was wondering what Spike was doing just standing there and convenient arrievals always bug me.

    • Re: Kinda spoiler

      On a side note anyone else wonder about both Spike and Angel showing up there at the same time? Could just be weak writing but I was wondering what Spike was doing just standing there and convenient arrievals always bug me.

      I Look At It As Angel Gets There, And Stands At The Sidelines, Watching. When He Sees Buffy Need Help, He Steps In, Then Steps Back To the Side To Let her Fight.

      Spike Arrives, Sees Angel Watching, And Just Holds Back To The Side, Watching Them.

      All In All, It Looked Good. I Can’t Wait To See How It All Plays Out.

      And I Also Just Wanted To Say: Holy Weapons Rock. I Want One.

    • Re: Kinda spoiler
      Talk about weak writing:

      • How did the bomb just happen to be timed for when Faith et al. arrived? And, a bomb? WTF?
      • Why were there only 3 (or was it 4) Übervamps? Didn’t we see a whole crapload of them back earlier in the season? And where did they come from, anyway?
      • Everybody kicks Buffy out, yet the very next episode, they do exactly what she had wanted to do?
      • Where did Dawn suddenly get a stun gun from?
      • Why, oh why, are they still using “Chinese slayerette doesn’t understand English” as a “joke”?
      • Why did the Übervamp drop Kennedy and go for Buffy? Why didn’t it at least snap her neck and then go for Buffy?
      • Where did Buffy get that “tomb on unconsecrated ground” bit from? I don’t recall anyone mentioning it prior to that conversation.
      • How did Angel know where Buffy was?
      • Why didn’t Buffy take just a few seconds to swipe her new toy through Caleb before running off to save her friends?
      • If Caleb didn’t want Buffy to get the axe/scythe/whatever, why didn’t he just kill her at the high school two eps ago? Why did he do everything he could to lure her to the axe?
      • Are we ever going to get any answers about who Caleb is and why he is working with the First, other than that he is a generic misogynistic, homicidal preacherman?
      • Why, with just one more episode to go, are we wasting precious time on such stupidities as Anya and Andrew wheelchair-fighting? So much talk, so little action.
      • Why are we introducing yet more mythology and characters, even if they are killed off almost immediately, when they can’t even do a good job with the ones we’ve already got?
      • Are we ever going to get an explanation for why the entire population of Sunnydale picks this apocalypse to split town?
      • Continuing this season’s trend of randomly disappearing characters, where the hell was Principal Wood?
      • Why the hell do I even bother? Why do I still care, even if only a teeny, tiny bit?

      Although his entrance was clichéd and cheesy, I did like seeing Angel again on this show. And his kiss with Buffy almost gives me hope for her character once more. But I’m sure next episode will kill that nascent feeling.

      • Re: Kinda spoiler

        Talk about weak writing:

        • How did the bomb just happen to be timed for when Faith et al. arrived? And, a bomb? WTF?

        It was clearly set to start running when the box was opened. It was appropriate evil that it would give enough time (five seconds) to see that it’s a bomb if only to cause dread in addition to death.

      • Why were there only 3 (or was it 4) �bervamps? Didn’t we see a whole crapload of them back earlier in the season? And where did they come from, anyway?

        I would imagine that more have already been released. They never explicitly stated that there was only one out and since blood opened the seal they probably got more out by feeding it more blood spilled in the Sunnydale chaos.

      • Everybody kicks Buffy out, yet the very next episode, they do exactly what she had wanted to do?

        Actually, they didn’t do exactly what she wanted to. She wanted to go back to the vineyard. They followed their own ideas to the sewers.

      • Where did Dawn suddenly get a stun gun from?

        I expect we’ll find out, unless there was a bit in a previous episode that I’m not remembering. In any case, Dawn has probably been feeling cautious (paranoid?) about the situation since her mother (?) visited and gave her the ominous warning about Buffy not “choosing” her. I didn’t find her possession of a secret weapon out of character at all, and a stun gun is perfect for someone who might be suspicious about loved ones.

      • Why, oh why, are they still using “Chinese slayerette doesn’t understand English” as a “joke”?

        Agreed. I didn’t find it that funny the first time and using it again bored me, especially since it was more of that “we’re all going to die” angst that has been tossed around too much this season.

      • Why did the �bervamp drop Kennedy and go for Buffy? Why didn’t it at least snap her neck and then go for Buffy?

        These “ubervamps” seem to be more animal than evil. It probably sensed a real threat and dropped prey it considered disabled. Also remember that all evil characters are overconfident. If they weren’t, very few good guys would ever figure out evil plans (see James Bond for the cheesiest examples).

      • Where did Buffy get that “tomb on unconsecrated ground” bit from? I don’t recall anyone mentioning it prior to that conversation.

        That was the least of the problems I had with her getting to that temple/tomb/whatever. My biggest problem with it was that she found it at all. After all these years, you’d think that Buffy’s patrols would have covered Sunnydale and any surrounding areas by now, especially since the Guardian (did anyone else immediately picture little blue guys with white fringe?) had supposedly been “waiting,” implying that she’d been there for quite a long time.

        I’ve GOT to stop now. This is going way too long and I don’t have the patience at 12:30 a.m. to keep it up. I will say that while I see explanations for a lot of the “issues” you have, UJ, I agree overall that there are big flaws with these last episodes (I’m entertained, but that’s no measuring stick since I’m a simpleton).

        Probably the biggest issue is that they’re simultaneously trying to cram a LOT into the last 10 episodes while taking an inordinate amount of time with things that we couldn’t possibly care about. The glaring examples in this particular episode were the TWO (TWO!!) Andrew/Anya scenes. These might have had more entertainment potential 6-7 episodes ago but in the penultimate episode of the series it was a HORRIBLE waste of time. Also, this whole season has been filled with pontificating about the awful danger. You would think that once a couple of potentials have been whacked in battle, Buffy has gotten her butt thoroughly kicked and Xander has been blinded that we could be presumed to have GOTTEN THE POINT: Yes, The First is evil…really evil…so evil that it makes all other evil look like a basket of cute kittens. Yes, The First wants all the good guys dead…really dead…no, really, it’s going to get people killed.

        My apologies for the length of this. Adieu.

  • Re: Kinda spoiler
    Actually, they didn’t do exactly what she wanted to. She wanted to go back to the vineyard. They followed their own ideas to the sewers.

    Hmm, I thought it was through the sewers to the vineyard. Which would explain how Buffy found them so easily and quickly. But I could be wrong.

    After all these years, you’d think that Buffy’s patrols would have covered Sunnydale and any surrounding areas by now,

    Yeah, I thought the same thing, right about the time Reverend Womanhater knocked Buffy through an Egyptian-looking pillar.

    I’m entertained

    You’re lucky then.

    I wholeheartedly agree with your last paragraph. Too much talk, not enough show, like the suddenly fleeing Sunnydalites or the supposed threat posed by the First. Too much time wasted on insignificant or just plain stupid matters, like Spike and Andrew’s onion conversation a couple of episodes back or all of the pointless sex scenes last week. (And just where were all the slayerettes during all of that humping, anyway? The basement? Crammed into Dawn’s room? In the living room desperately plugging their ears, squeezing their eyes shut, and humming loudly?) Too many illogical twists, like Willow’s “addiction” last season or Buffy’s inexplicable attraction to unrepentant mass-murdering, rapist Spike.

    • Re: Kinda spoiler

      Actually, they didn’t do exactly what she wanted to. She wanted to go back to the vineyard. They followed their own ideas to the sewers.

      Hmm, I thought it was through the sewers to the vineyard. Which would explain how Buffy found them so easily and quickly. But I could be wrong.

      Actually, Faith and the Potentials (Oooh, Somebody started another Motown Group!) were headed to the School through the sewers. They were under the impression that the seal was more important than the vineyard. Oh, and I just assumed that the Guardian lady had some magic to keep herself hidden from Buffy. She almost said as much, anyway.

      • Re: Kinda spoiler

        Actually, Faith and the Potentials (Oooh, Somebody started another
        Motown Group!) were headed to the School through the
        sewers. They were under the impression that the seal was more
        important than the vineyard.

        Wrong. They got a tip about an underground arsenal, and that
        was their original destination. They found it. Said, “Why would they leave
        all this stuff lying around.” Then were ambushed, then found the bomb…

  • Re: Kinda spoiler

    Probably the biggest issue is that they’re simultaneously trying to cram a
    LOT into the last 10 episodes while taking an inordinate amount of time
    with things that we couldn’t possibly care about. The glaring examples
    in this particular episode were the TWO (TWO!!) Andrew/Anya scenes.
    These might have had more entertainment potential 6-7 episodes ago
    but in the penultimate episode of the series it was a HORRIBLE waste of
    time.

    I’ve got a pretty strong feeling Anya will be killed off next week. Don’t
    know if they’ll dwell on it or not, but maybe they’re trying to make us
    care about her more before she dies. *shrug*

    • Re: Kinda spoiler

      I’ve got a pretty strong feeling Anya will be killed off next week. Don’t
      know if they’ll dwell on it or not, but maybe they’re trying to make us
      care about her more before she dies. *shrug*

      I don’t disagree at all. The thing is, if we don’t care about her by now (I do, but I cared a lot more before she was turned into just a vehicle for more talking) then two scenes in one episode aren’t going to make a difference.

  • Re: Kinda spoiler

  • Why were there only 3 (or was it 4) Übervamps? Didn’t we see a
    whole crapload of them back earlier in the season?
  • I only remember seeing a crapload in the dream sequence where Buffy is
    shown what she’s up against by the Shadowmen.

  • Everybody kicks Buffy out, yet the very next episode, they do exactly
    what she had wanted to do?
  • Well, actually, 2 episodes later… and she still says she’s not the leader.

  • Where did Dawn suddenly get a stun gun from?
  • The car is clearly full of weapons. If they’re out there looking for a
    crossbow, and Dawn shows a sword in the back seat, one can assume
    there are other weapons in the car.

  • How did Angel know where Buffy was?
  • Vamp sense of smell for tracking is fairly well established on
    Angel.

  • Re: Kinda spoiler

    I trust everyone noticed that Giles was trying very hard to get Willow to
    use magic. Could just be that he’s trying to make sure they have her as
    a weapon but still +1 for the evil Giles theory.

    Except she mentions how whenever the dark magic takes over her hair
    turns black. In the “scenes from next week’s episode” they showed,
    there’s a shot of Willow with white hair…

  • The end of Buffy

    there was an episode a year or two ago, I dunno when. it was where Buffy was in an insane asylum, mostly catatonic, and she came out of the ‘imaginary tale’ of vampires and supergirl and a sister, etc., to begin to regain some ‘real world’ sense of being with her mother and father.

    in the end, Buffy chose her friends and sister instead of her mother and father — and tells her mother, “googbye” to go back (to dreamworld?) and kill the demon that’s beating up her friends.

    the most striking part to me was that the last scene of the show was where the doctor examines a eyes-wide-open, collapsed-in-the-corner Buffy to say, “she’s gone.” I never took that as dead, but as catatonic once more.

    what made me wonder was that every Buffy ends on some particular significant note. it could be a hook for the next (or some future) episode, or it could be a tie-all-the-knots-together ending.

    I will always wonder (until next week, anyway), if that catatonic ‘post-teenager’ won’t turn out to be the real world Buffy…?

    anyway, that’s MY theory and I’m sticking with it…

    • Re: The end of Buffy

      I will always wonder (until next week, anyway), if that catatonic ‘post-teenager’ won’t turn out to be the real world Buffy…?

      anyway, that’s MY theory and I’m sticking with it…

      If it turned out that the catatonic Buffy was the real one then wouldn’t that make the whole premise of Angel a dream?

      • Re: The end of Buffy

        If it turned out that the catatonic Buffy was the real one then wouldn’t that make the whole premise of Angel a dream?

        I doubt they’ll mention that again: it seemed too much like an interesting one-shot, but television has done this before. In the 1980s, an entire season of the show Dallas turned out to be a dream, so that they could bring the deceased character Bobby Ewing back. But his death had also been integrated into the spin-off, Knot’s Landing, so he remained dead on that show.

        On another note, I forgot to mention the “evil Giles” thing in my review. It hardly matters. They’ve played that game so much (and badly. No one touched Giles when he returned from England?), such that his being the real Giles or some evil twin would be equally arbitrary.

        • Re: The end of Buffy

          I doubt they’ll mention that again: it seemed too much like an
          interesting one-shot, but television has done this before. In the
          1980s, an entire season of the show Dallas turned out to be a
          dream, so that they could bring the deceased character Bobby Ewing
          back. But his death had also been integrated into the spin-off, Knot’s
          Landing
          , so he remained dead on that show.

          Even better when the entire series Newhart turned out to be a
          dream from The Bob Newhart Show.

        • Re: The end of Buffy

          That episode(catatonic one) was on FX either yesterday or is on soon i cant rmember. Also everyone seems to have realized what i’ve been saying for weeks. They’ve wasted way too much time on things that would have been good if there was time for them i.e. wheelchair fight. The constant talking hits a soft spot but thats bound to happen when you have 45 minutes of the epsiode all talk. Poor Buffy, for a show that had such potential after high school it just pulled a slow 180 and for it to end on such a horrible note is really a shame. The only talk i found good the last two epsiodes was Buffy and Spike but we just went through all this crap for her to start kissing Angel three seconds on his return and ruin any potential feelings for Spike. Back to Uncle Jams thing at the top Spike was there with the first who had probably led him there to see Angels arrival and here’s what i think the First wanted to happen. Either Angel doesnt make it in time and Spike interferes so the Caleb/First kills them or Caleb loses on purpose and the First gambles that the two make with the smooching to make Spike jealous and maybe drift to the first’s side in the final battle. Remember the First and Caleb did a merge so he probably has some type of powers. Can anyone say super resilincy or immortality

  • Miss Kitty Fantastico
    By The Way, Did Anyone Else Notice They Said What Happened To Miss Kitty?

    May She Rest In Peace.

    • Re: Miss Kitty Fantastico

      By The Way, Did Anyone Else Notice They Said What Happened To Miss Kitty?

      May She Rest In Peace.

      Who?

    • Re: Miss Kitty Fantastico

      By The Way, Did Anyone Else Notice They Said What Happened To Miss
      Kitty?

      May She Rest In Peace.

      I actually heard that as “I left the crossbow lying around and she set it
      off.”

  • Not graphic…
    I had read that Caleb’s death was supposed to be really graphic… like
    she was supposed to cut him in half from the crotch upward. What they
    showed last night wasn’t graphic at all, and hardly gave me the sense
    that she inflicted a mortal wound.

    • Re: Not graphic…

      Dont worry he’s not dead (read my message about 5 posts up)

      • Re: Not graphic…

        Dont worry he’s not dead (read my message about 5 posts up)

        Actually, all you had to do was watch the “scenes from next week’s Buffy” right after the show. I always watch them, though I’m always disappointed when they give away something like that.

  • Holy Hand Grenade
    Was it just me, or were there a lot of references to Monty Python and the Holy Grail in this episode? Spike’s Holy Hand Grenade comment, the sounds Andrew was making during the Wheelchair fight, and a few others (someone said “It’s just a scratch”, but I’ll be damned if I can remember who). I’m all for the inside jokes/references, but isn’t it a little late in the game to be doing something like this?

    However, I was quite happy to see Buffy go to town on Caleb. As much as I like/respect Nathon Fillion for his work on Firefly, Caleb has to be the most annoying evil person on Buffy ever. Angel’s quips from the sidelines definitely made that scene one of my favorites from this season.

    • Re: Holy Hand Grenade

      Caleb has to be the most annoying evil person on Buffy ever. Angel’s quips from the sidelines definitely made that scene one of my favorites from this season.

      You are sooo going down haha. Oh and i agree especially the way Caleb came into Buffy’s world he really has turned out to be pretty dissapointing but hey he’s only following the pattern of everything else so you cant blame him. Honestly how can you bring in a villian who kills 4 people on his first episode and then never does again until 4 episodes later. I still think that was the greatest premiere of a villian in Buffy history and goes on my all-time favorites list. (dominated my comic books of course)

    • Re: Holy Hand Grenade

      Was it just me, or were there a lot of references to Monty Python and the Holy Grail in this episode?

      Not Just this Episode, And Not Just The Holy Grail. On The One The Week Before, Spike comments On The Torture Of The ‘Comfy Chair’.

      Nooooooobody Expects The Spanish Inquisition!

  • Axe
    Am I misremembering, or did that axe thing used to be part of Buffy’s opening titles logo?

    • Re: Axe

      Am I misremembering, or did that axe thing used to be part of Buffy’s opening titles logo?

      You’re half-missremembering. There was a clip from the season 3 premeir that showed Buffy holding/using/throwing a vaguely axe shaped weapon.

      With regards to the axe, or sythe or whatever, does anybody but me get reminded of the Power Rangers? Although I did like that slightly resonant sound when she swung it.

      While I’m on the topic, Caleb showed us a design flaw in this weapon. Too many places to hold on! If Buffy had a sword(perferable a Matsimune pattern, ceramic/titanium composite blade. No I’m not a sword snob) and Caleb tried half of his dissarmament tricks… We’ll we’d be calling him lefty now.

      Okay, I’ll stop talking… for now.

      • Re: Axe

        You’re half-missremembering. There was a clip from the season 3 premeir that showed Buffy holding/using/throwing a vaguely axe shaped weapon.

        With regards to the axe, or sythe or whatever, does anybody but me get reminded of the Power Rangers?

        Your not the only one if you go back to a post i made for the last episode i made the same point. and the axe your talking about held no particular signifigance it was just a weapon she nabbed from a demon that she used to fight off others and we never saw it again. 1st epsiode for season 3 i think

    • Re: Axe

      Am I misremembering, or did that axe thing used to be part of Buffy’s opening titles logo?

      Actually, the blade made it’s first appearance a year ago in Whedon’s comic book Fray. Her watcher gave it to her at the beginning of issue 6. We weren’t told its significance only that it was an powerful weapon for the slayer.

      • Re: Axe

        Actually, the blade made it’s first appearance a year ago in Whedon’s comic book Fray. Her watcher gave it to her at the beginning of issue 6. We weren’t told its significance only that it was an powerful weapon for the slayer.

        If anyone’s curious, a couple of months ago I asked Dark Horse if this 8-issue series would see a trade paperback collection. They said it would, but didn’t say when. When it ships, you can expect a review. (I’ll probably even tell you when it’s solicited.)

        • Re: Axe

          Actually, the blade made it’s first appearance a year ago in Whedon’s comic book Fray. Her watcher gave it to her at the beginning of issue 6. We weren’t told its significance only that it was an powerful weapon for the slayer.

          Hmmm that sounds interesting i think ill y o go check that out. Now this is about a different slayer bfore Buffy right? either that or im confused

          • Re: Axe

            Hmmm that sounds interesting i think ill y o go check that out. Now this is about a different slayer bfore Buffy right? either that or im confused

            I believe it’s about a Slayer a couple of centuries in the future, actually. Buffy’s been referred to on the show as the Hellmouth’s last guardian, but if Fray is in continuity (as it probably is, with Whedon behind the pen) then it looks like the Slayer line will live through the next week.

            • Re: Axe

              Buffy’s been referred to on the show as the Hellmouth’s last guardian, but if Fray is in continuity (as it probably is, with Whedon behind the pen) then it looks like the Slayer line will live through the next week.

              Hmmm, well if that dont defeat the purpose of this whol season i dunno what does. But hey now at least we still dont know how sh saves it so it should be real interesting next week

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