Essay: ‘Apocalypses on BtVS’ or ‘Why Buffy smiled’

[elisi]

I was thinking about ‘Chosen’ a while ago, and about Buffy’s smile and her friends’ banter at the end and how sharply it contrasted with everyone’s grief at the end of ‘The Gift’. Did this mean that no-one cared about Spike, Anya and all the dead Potentials? Personally I never thought so, but I began to wonder about the differences between Glory’s apocalypse and The Firsts’ apocalypse. And then I thought about all the other times the world nearly went to hell, and if there was some sort of pattern - and if so, did this apply to S7? Here is what I came up with:

First a list of all the apocalypses on the show and thoughts on why The First was different. Then a comparison between 'The Gift' and 'Chosen' re. the mindset before the battle and the deaths:



Every apocalypse we encountered until S7 has one or both of the following:
-A prophecy or particular time where-in the apocalypse is possible.
-A protagonist who is hellbent on destroying the world.

In the first type, the apocalypse can be averted by delaying or stopping the cause of the apocalypse.
In the second type, killing the protagonist will save the world.

Here is what I believe to be a complete list of all the apocalypses during the 7 years of Buffy and how they were averted. Delays in italics, killings underlined:


The Harvest: Kill ‘The Vessel’ (Luke) and the day is saved.

Prophecy Girl: Kill The Master and he can’t open the Hellmouth. (Also, if Buffy hadn’t shown up (delay), he wouldn’t have been able to escape).

Surprise: Take one part of The Judge far away, so he can’t be assembled. (Delay)

Innocence: Destroy The Judge and the world is safe.

Becoming: Kill/re-ensoul Angel before he can awaken Acathla, or use his blood (kill him) to seal it again.

The Zeppo: Kill the Hellbeastie.

Graduation: Wait until Mayor ascends and is no longer impervious, then kill him.

Doomed: Kill the demons that want to end the world.

(Primeval: Destroy Adam and his scheme dies too.)

The Gift: Delay Glory so she can’t start the ritual and open the portal. Alternatively kill Dawn (or Ben).

Grave: Stop Willow from ending the world (preferably without killing her).


Now this all brings us to S7 and The First Evil. I always liked The First as a Big Bad, because it seemed so impossible to fight, much more-so than Glory. Glory wanted to go home - ending the world was just a side-effect. But The First had much grander plans. It didn’t just want to open the Hellmouth, as so many others, it was making an army. Like Hitler and his Third Reich, The First wanted to build an Empire. It wanted to enslave or kill all human because it enjoyed pain and suffering. Also, it was targeting the Slayer and the Slayer-line specifically. No other Big Bad ever did this. Yes, most of them tried to kill Buffy or get her out of the way, because she might interfere, but for The First ‘it was personal’. It did have a timetable of some sort (it was waiting for it’s army to grow large enough I presume, but I’ll get back to this), but it wasn’t bound by any prophecy or star-constellation. The Scoobies couldn’t just try to delay the fight, since that would just make it stronger.

But the greatest difference compared to other opponents, is that The First is incorporeal. It can’t be fought. It can’t be killed. Until...

CALEB/THE FIRST: “I will overrun this Earth. And when my army outnumbers the humans on this Earth, the scales will tip and I will be made flesh.”

Until it has won. When the Earth is under it’s control and the humans are loosing - *then* it will become corporeal. In some ways a bit like the Mayor being invincible until he turns into a pure demon... but the Mayor didn't have an army of thousands (but apparently well on their way to becoming billions) of uber-vampires to fight on his behalf first.

So onto Buffy. This fight is different. A lot of people didn’t like her in S7. And they didn’t like Giles. They thought that Buffy was cold and bitchy (f.ex. speech in ‘Get It Done’) and that Giles was too remote. But I think that these two were particularly scared. Giles could usually find a way out with his books, resources and contacts... but there was precious little info on The First and The Council got blown up, so there was no ‘back-up’ available. He became desperate and resorted to any means to keep the world safe - he even went along with the plan to kill Spike. After all he killed Ben, who was more or less innocent.

And Buffy is scared. She can’t kill something that doesn’t have a body. She suddenly has to lead a bunch of girls into battle and death, and nothing has ever really prepared her for this. She’s good at making quick plans and bringing them about. Fighting something that can’t be fought... how do you do that? How can a few girls defeat an army that grows every day?


The contrast between plans and mindset in S5 and S7:
In S5 they were woefully unprepared to fight Glory. They spend most of the season scraping together information, but are not much wiser by the end. They just know that they can’t stop Glory, except by killing Dawn:

BUFFY: No! No, you don't understand. We are not talking about this.
GILES: Yes, we bloody well are!
[...]
GILES: (quietly) If the ritual starts, then every living creature in this and every other dimension imaginable will suffer unbearable torment and death ... (looks up at Buffy) including Dawn.
BUFFY: Then the last thing she'll see is me protecting her.
GILES: (quietly) You'll fail. You'll die. We all will.
BUFFY: I'm sorry.

Most of their final plan is made up on the spot by Anya, and is essentially an attempt to delay Glory - they know she’s on a tight schedule, so this seems like the best option. And it would have worked if it hadn’t been for Doc. They’re all desperate and there are a lot of arguments before they finally settle on a plan. Mostly between Buffy and Giles, actually yelling at each other. He’s prepared to kill Dawn and she’s prepared to kill him to stop him. They work together, but it's a fragile balance. And the scenario is grim - Dawn’s life is on the line and it’s the last drop for Buffy. She is practically suicidal at this point and is finding it very hard to find a reason to keep going. Her final words are:

BUFFY: Everybody knows their jobs. Remember, the ritual starts, we all die. And I'll kill anyone who comes near Dawn.

It is harsh - as Buffy says, she doesn’t know how to live in the world, if those are her choices. It is a set-up for tragedy.


Now, getting on to Chosen. I would say the situation is worse - theoretically anyway. The town has been abandoned - even a lot of the demons have left. They are more cut off than ever before. But yet, the mood is not as downbeat as in The Gift. And then - then Buffy has her big idea! Look how different this conversation is from the previous one. Particularly Buffy and Giles, healing the rift between them after 2 years.

BUFFY: You don't think it's a good idea?
FAITH: It's pretty radical, B.
GILES: It's a lot more than that. Buffy, what you said, it — it flies in the face of everything we've ever — every generation has ever done in the fight against evil. I think it's bloody brilliant.
BUFFY: You mean that?
GILES: If you want my opinion.
BUFFY: I really do.

Especially note the use of the word ‘bloody’ on both occasions, creating an obvious link. Buffy’s idea is a pre-emptive strike, going from just killing or delaying to something new, something different. She has faith in herself, in her friends, in her army. And she leads out her troops with hope, not despair:

BUFFY: Tomorrow, Willow will use the essence of the scythe to change our destiny.
From now on, every girl in the world who might be a slayer... will be a slayer. Every girl who could have the power... will have the power... can stand up, will stand up. Slayers... every one of us. Make your choice. Are you ready to be strong?

And there is that word again - ‘choice’. But turned around: Choose life, choose power, choose strength. They go into that final fight confident and strong.


The contrast of deaths in S5 and S7:
Buffy’s death was as a result of a lot of different circumstances - a series of unfortunate events: Doc showed up, which was a surprise. Spike failed to best him and thereby Doc was able to start the ritual. Then there was a choice - Buffy realised that she could stand in for Dawn, that her death could be a gift to her sister. And these were her final words (abridged):

Buffy: But this is the work that I have to do. [...] Dawn, the hardest thing in this world ... is to live in it. Be brave. Live. For me.

Spike died because of the amulet. The amulet that no-one knew very much about, except that it was volatile, powerful and could only be worn by a champion. That Buffy took from Angel and gave to Spike, when she must have known that there is always a price for magic. And I think Spike still felt the sting of that broken promise - if he had beaten Doc, Buffy would have lived. She knows that his life is hers. And so, in the Hellmouth, when he’s dying, she knows that he’s made the same choice that she made two years previously. His death is a gift to her:

SPIKE: I mean it! I gotta do this!

It is the work he has to do. And going all the way back to OMWF, there is an early echo of Buffy's words to Dawn, now spoken to Buffy:

SPIKE: You have to go one living. So one of us is living.

So Buffy chooses life. She runs as fast as she can, so she can live for both of them. And of course she smiles. Because she knows what it is to sacrifice yourself for the one you love - for the world.

Now about all the others - about Anya and Amanda and Chao Ahn and all the other young girls... they chose to fight, all of them. They helped defeat the oldest evil in the world against impossible odds. The Slayers went out at the height of their powers and strength - potential more than fulfilled. And Anya, who spent a thousand years wreaking havoc, caring not for the pain she caused, stayed and fought - not for love or any gain, but because she had come to admire humans, their strength and spirit.

So when the survivors all stand there, by the edge of the crater, I think the sheer magnitude of what they did makes them almost giddy. Adrenaline still pumping, they see the fight of their lives that seemed impossible to win just a few days ago, vanished into dust before their eyes. They did something incredible and they are proud. Probably also stunned to be alive. And I can’t understand why anyone wants to take away from that.


ETA: I think the main point I'm trying to make is, that in 'The Gift' they went into battle thinking that they might have to kill someone. In 'Chosen' they knew they might die. Also see aycheb's excellent comments!

Comments

[skylee.livejournal.com]

*happy sigh*

That is all. :)

[elisi]

Wow. I didn't know an essay could elicit responses like that! :)

[bogwitch.livejournal.com]

I've never seen that smile in the same way as many people. It's a bitter smile, there's little happiness in it, and Buffy is barely with the other survivors in mind and spirit.

Having said that, The Gift still has tons more heart than Chosen.

[elisi]

Buffy is barely with the other survivors in mind and spirit.
I definitely agree with that. But I always saw the smile as proud and hopeful - I guess we all see what we want to see.

[petzipellepingo.livejournal.com]

Spike died because of the amulet. The amulet that no-one knew very much about, except that it was volatile, powerful and could only be worn by a champion. That Buffy took from Angel and gave to Spike, when she must have known that there is always a price for magic. And I think Spike still felt the sting of that broken promise - if he had beaten Doc, Buffy would have lived. She knows that his life is hers. And so, in the Hellmouth, when he’s dying, she knows that he’s made the same choice that she made two years previously. His death is a gift to her:
SPIKE: I mean it! I gotta do this!
It is the work he has to do. And going all the way back to OMWF, there is an early echo of Buffy's words to Dawn, now spoken to Buffy:
SPIKE: You have to go one living. So one of us is living.
So Buffy chooses life. She runs as fast as she can, so she can live for both of them. And of course she smiles. Because she knows what it is to sacrifice yourself for the one you love - for the world.
Nods. Yes, that's how I always felt about Spike's dying. There was simply no way he wouldn't have died in Buffy's place this time. The pain of her death in The Gift was something he never got over, that and the fact that he let Dawn down as well.
Good job.

[elisi]

There was simply no way he wouldn't have died in Buffy's place this time.
That's it. And she knew it. Thanks for commenting.

[paratti.livejournal.com]

Becasue quite frankly that smile and those sick jokes and complete disrespect to the dead are obscene.

[elisi]

We'll just have to agree to disagree, I guess. I can see where you're coming from, but I just don't feel the same way.

[speakr2customrs.livejournal.com]

Very good, very insightful.

You only miss one thing; and I'm afraid to say that it is a huge thing.

In all the previous apocalypses they came up eventually with good, workable, plans. Even in The Gift, when it was a plan thrown together at the last minute, it was a really good one and would have worked perfectly if not for one circumstance that could not have been anticipated.

In Chosen their plan sucked dead rats through a straw. It was pathetically stupid both in concept and in execution. It only worked because of one circumstance that could not have been anticipated. Buffy's plan was in fact irrelevant to the defeat of the First.

For that matter the First changed its mind several times during the season about what its own plan was, and its eventual plan bore no relation to anything that had gone before. The cancellation of Firefly had an enormous impact upon its intentions and methods!

Despite all that Chosen could have worked. There was one crucial scene missing. If there had been a reconciliation between Spike and Dawn at some stage, and a consoling hug from Dawn to Buffy instead of the ghastly lines about the Mall, then I would have found Chosen truly moving and I'd have been prepared to overlook all the massive plot holes.

[elisi]

Oh, very good points!

Buffy's plan was in fact irrelevant to the defeat of the First.
Ack, I know! But - and I forget who said this - someone pointed out that although they might all have been killed, there would now have been Slayers all over the world, ready to fight (not sure who'd have gathered them, but I'm really not going into all that right now).

And I get your point about Spike and Dawn - that was probably my biggest problem with the Season. Plotholes I happily overlook since the whole series is full of them. There was a Buffy/Dawn hug though - I think a lot of the silliness came about because they all thought that they were probably going to die - a sort of 'OMG we're actually alive' reaction.

The cancellation of Firefly had an enormous impact upon its intentions and methods!
Bwahahaha!

[spacedoutlooney.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure if this was what elisi was referring to, but this is an essay I wrote about Buffy's decision to activate all the Potentials and why it made sense. Maybe it will address your reservations.

[calove.livejournal.com]

That's very good.

I still have major problems with the end of 'Chosen', though. I'm with speakr - their plan was rubbish, they only won because of something unexpected.

And I can’t understand why anyone wants to take away from that.

For me? Because 'they' may have changed the world, but 'they' darn well didn't save it. They ran away - sorry, retreated - and it was Spike and his soul and the amulet that saved the world- not saying they shouldn't have gone; they were on a hiding to nothing against the Ubervamps. They knew they were leaving Spike (and possibly Buffy) to it when they ran . So, adrenaline I'll buy, but why were they proud? And then not to acknowledge what happened; the Starbucks line riles big time - Starbucks isn't all that's down there. Bleh. Buffy's smile doesn't bother me, because I see it as a complex set of emotions. But overall, the end of Chosen still makes me very angry. /end rant

Sorry! Issues.

Still a good ananlysis, though!

[elisi]

their plan was rubbish, they only won because of something unexpected.
See aycheb's comment re. sucky plan. :)

And yes, I get what you're saying - issues are issues, and I wasn't really trying to defend the banter as such, just to try and work out why it was there. But hey - it came from the brain of Joss, so what do we know?

[aycheb.livejournal.com]

I don’t see the battle plan in Chosen as being any less workable than in previous seasons. Look at Graduation. We were given minimal information about the plan beforehand (suspense and all that), so being fairly simple-minded I assumed that what we saw happen was the plan unfolding. Namely that the idea was for the senior class to hold back the mayor for long enough for Buffy to grab his attention with Faith’s knife and get him to chase her into the explosives-laden library. This means it required both the recruitment of the student army and the knife/explosives trap for the plan to work.

Applying the same criteria to Chosen, the plan is for the new Slayer army to hold back the Ubervamps for long enough for the amulet to activate that cleansing power Angel spoke of. Which requires both as many Slayers as possible to buy as much time as possible and for someone ensouled but stronger than human to still be un/alive wearing the amulet inside the hellmouth when its instablity/ volatility finally causes it to release the scrubbing bubbles or whatever . They obviously didn’t know the precise mechanism by which the cleansing would occur or that it was necessarily going to be lethal to the bearer but that wouldn’t have been essential information to formulate such a plan. Risky, yes but then so was hoping “Dick” would follow Buffy. And unlike then, this time they have back up plans ready should the initial strategy fail. If Spike had been killed before the amulet did its stuff they’d have created a whole new pool of potential wearers who could take his place and buy yet more time. If that still wasn’t enough they had Angel ready to mobilise against the Ubervamps plus an unknown number of new Vampire Slayers out there in the world to continue the fight.

[elisi]

Oh, I *love* this! Thank you - you are brilliant and wonderful! And you made me think of this exchange:

SPIKE: Not to be a buzzkill, love, but my fabulous accessory isn't exactly tingling with power.
BUFFY: I'm not worried.
SPIKE: I'm getting zero juice here, and I look like Elizabeth Taylor.

I knew that there were parallels with 'Graduation', but somehow couldn't figure it all out. ::smooches::

[swsa.livejournal.com]

Exactly. I was mentally listing all these points for my own comment as I was reading the earlier responses. Seriously, has a BtVS/AtS plan ever actually been good? No really. NFA's big plan appears to be "5 of us against the world in a suicide pact" and no one seems to take issue with how moronic that is. The Gift is "distract her and hope for the best", and you've outlined all the issues with Graduation Day. Not saying you can't dissect battle strategies, but on this show, I think any real focus on it is bound to leave one frustrated. As is focusing on things like the military coming in with nukes. Well, yeah. But that'd be the most effective way to deal with pretty much any villain the show features, but it doesn't exactly make for good drama.

[molly_may]

So Buffy chooses life. She runs as fast as she can, so she can live for both of them. And of course she smiles. Because she knows what it is to sacrifice yourself for the one you love - for the world.

I don't have anything to add, but this is really lovely and I couldn't agree with it more.

[elisi]

this is really lovely and I couldn't agree with it more.
::smiles:: Thank you - I will always love that smile. :)

[scarlettgirl.livejournal.com]

Very interesting! I had a real problem with the Chosen "plan". For example - why not do the spell prior to the girls entering the hellmouth? Why not equiping the potentials with *at least* as much firepower as the students packed during "Graduation". They had no guarantee the spell would work and a few flaming arrows may have been helpful, you know?

That being said, I think the banter was adrenaline driven and it didn't bother me at the time. Like a joke will hold the pain back just for a few more minutes, you know? I'm guessing an hour later they were pretty much a sobby mess. And the smile...sad, knowing, bittersweet and a thousand other emotions...however joy was not one of them.

What's interesting to me in all this is the Buffy/Giles relationship. Something broke between them after the S5 conversation you cited. Giles reverted to full watcher mode when faced with what he perceived to be the ultimate crisis. When push came to shove it was still duty before love. He could not break the chains of tradition that bound him to the council and their teachings that the greater is worth any sacrifice (funny how that sacrifice always involves a young girl). The chasm at that point became to deep to cross even after Buffy's return.

After the loss of the council he was scared and adrift, as you pointed out. Yet without those constraints, whether they were real or imagined, he was finally able to support a course of action that flew "in the face of everything we've ever — every generation has ever done in the fight against evil." At this point he truly made a conscious decision to join his Slayer, something he thought he'd done after Helpless, and it wasn't just lip service this time. He crossed the chasm and joined Buffy and thus not only helping create a new world order of slayers, but also of watchers.

Very nicely done.

[elisi]

Oh, I really like your brain - thank you for such a wonderful comment!

why not do the spell prior to the girls entering the hellmouth? Why not equiping the potentials with *at least* as much firepower as the students packed during "Graduation".
Dunno. Beats me. What I always wondered about, was why none of them wore any kind of armour. I'm sure they could at least have managed to get hold of some kevlarsuits via Riley. Would have cut down on the death toll considerably.

Like a joke will hold the pain back just for a few more minutes, you know?
Oh, yes!!!!! That's how I saw always saw it - like Xander's "That's my girl, always doing the stupid thing." It's laughing to avoid crying your eyes out.

And I *love* (and whole heartedly agree with) what you said about Buffy/Giles.
He crossed the chasm and joined Buffy and thus not only helping create a new world order of slayers, but also of watchers.
Yup! I love that bit at the end of 'Damage' where all the Slayers come to 'claim their own'. Just beautiful.

[asta77.livejournal.com]

for The First ‘it was personal’. It did have a timetable of some sort (it was waiting for it’s army to grow large enough I presume, but I’ll get back to this), but it wasn’t bound by any prophecy or star-constellation. The Scoobies couldn’t just try to delay the fight, since that would just make it stronger.

This is an interesting observation (among many - I'll need to keep your post in mind when I get to rewatching season 7). Buffy, repeatedly, tried to take the fight to the First and while her course of action failed on many occassions, I didn't see what other choice she had. Should they sit at home and wait to be slaughtered? As you said, she couldn't kill the First and how could they delay fighting the First as it continues to gather it's minions? While I agree with others that the execution of the storyline was sloppy at times, I think the intent was to show a completely different type of big bad and a situation they were ill prepared for even with their prior experiences.

As for the end of 'Chosen', I never got upset over the joking. People react to grief differently and between the rush of adreneline, the relief of surviving, and not having any time to absorb what had just happened, they tried to establish a sense of normalcy by falling into predictable behavior patterns. And the smile? That was all for Spike and his sacrifice in giving her her life. :)

[elisi]

Buffy, repeatedly, tried to take the fight to the First and while her course of action failed on many occassions, I didn't see what other choice she had.

Exactly. Damned if you do and damned if you don't (to quote Bart Simpson). I loved the concept of this different Big Bad, and I'm the least critical viewer ever, so I don't mind that the story jars now and again - the writers were only human after all! ;)

People react to grief differently
That's it - essentially they continue their pre-battle chat, where they very carefully avoided saying goodbye or anything meaningful, really. If they did, I doubt they could have stopped the tears, because they might all end up dead soon.

And the smile? That was all for Spike and his sacrifice in giving her her life. :)
I'm thinking that I should find myself an icon that says "Smile fan - no apologies!"

[sylva-rerum.livejournal.com]

I don't really have anything to add at the moment except to say that I love this. Maybe I just need to hire you to do all my thinking for me. :)

And IMO, the people who spend a lot of time nitpicking the final battle and the strategy used are kind of missing the point. To the folks at Mutant Enemy, the plot is always secondary to the journey of the characters, and fights are really never anything but icing on the cake. Sure the actual battle with the First's minions probably could have been better stratigized, but that's nowhere near as important as say Buffy changing the rules for the entire Slayer line so no one girl will ever have to bear the burden of protecting the world alone ever again. And I also like aycheb's explanation of the fight. She makes a lot of sense. :)

[elisi]

the plot is always secondary to the journey of the characters
That is such a good point, and sort of what I was trying to focus on, I think. The journey the characters go on in 'The Gift' is so wildly different to the one in 'Chosen' that I don't understand why the reactions should somehow be similar. And Buffy's final decision is quite frankly one of the cleverest 'plot'-points ever. She gets to have her cake and eat it! :)

And aycheb is wonderful - I want her brain.

[avrelia.livejournal.com]

I am trying hard to understand why people see Buffy's smile as dancing on the graves and utter disrespect to those who died in the battle.

I know that everyone's mileage varies, and I've come to accept the validity of contradictory readings of the same scenes and the storylines, but, when in philosophical mood, I wonder about what makes it so.

Now, on to the smile: given that those who went to battle into the Hellmouth have chosen to do so, and Spike actually asked for the talisman, and wasn't made to wear it by Buffy, and Anya fought because it was a human thing to do (I had a longish post last summer about Anya's story), and the girls were not herded into, but went in and fought, I see it as respect to them that those who left alive got a chance to smile and make stupid jokes and look forward to the future. It is what they all fought for; it is what they all were ready to die for. And that means that Spike and Anya, and the new slayers didn't die in vain.

It is a victory with joy mixed with sadness – as victories are – and we see Buffy smiling with the tears in her eyes, reflecting it.

Two seconds after the huge battle is won is never a time for mourning, it always come later.

Now, the first evil itself is a curious kind of villain. There is a huge theme of foreboding in the beginning of the season, and as FE like to work through the people darkest sides, sometimes I think our heroes partly got themselves into the trap.

And in this sense it seems just as important for the victory as Spike's sacrifice, and Willow's spell, and everyone's fighting was Buffy's final words to FE: Get out of my face!

[elisi]

I see it as respect to them that those who left alive got a chance to smile and make stupid jokes and look forward to the future. [...] Spike and Anya, and the new slayers didn't die in vain.
That's how I've always seen it too - they are joyous in victory, and that can't be disrespectful.

Buffy smiling with the tears in her eyes, reflecting it.
See icon! :)

FE like to work through the people darkest sides, sometimes I think our heroes partly got themselves into the trap.
Yes, it managed to sow a great deal of 'discontent' - Wood nearly killed Spike f.ex.

And I love Buffy's line!

[yourlibrarian]

Nice concept -- contrasting the different endings. And interesting too to think that S5 was Joss's original series ending. It really carries a very different message.

And so, in the Hellmouth, when he’s dying, she knows that he’s made the same choice that she made two years previously. His death is a gift to her

Hmm, I never thought of it that way. I think I never really considered it in part because Buffy lived again anyway (not that I think his failure no longer rankled) and in part because by the end of S7 they had far more water under the bridge. On the one hand, it's a lovely idea. But...

It would be nice if Spike did it for himself. I'm not sure given what we saw in S7 or AtS S5 that that is true. I'd like to think so but I rather think your perspective has a lot more evidence behind it. (And it has a certain elegance to it too :>)

[elisi]

His death is a gift to her
Now that is me tying it into 'Intervention' (which I wrote a great long essay about last year), and Buffy's conversation with the First Slayer:

BUFFY: I-I'm sorry, I, I'm just a little confused. I'm full of love, which is nice, and ... love will lead me to my gift?
FIRST SLAYER: Yes.
BUFFY: I'm getting a gift? Or, or do you mean that, that I have a gift to give to someone else?
FIRST SLAYER: Death is your gift.

Death is a gift that she gives to Dawn (and the world) in 'The Gift' and that Spike gives to her (and the world) in 'Chosen'. She both gives and receives. :)

It would be nice if Spike did it for himself.
Well, I think he does - yes it's a gift, but it's also him fulfilling his potential and becoming a Champion. Much like Anya, he stays and fights because it's the right thing to do and because he might make a difference. Especially note that he stays even after seeing Buffy kiss Angel - he's not fighting just because of her. And in AtS S5, he makes a definite choice (in 'Shells'):

ANGEL: You're not leaving?

SPIKE: This is what she would have wanted. (looks at Angel)
It's what I want. I don't really like you. Suppose I never will. But this is important, what's happening here. Fred gave her life for it. The least I can do is give what's left of mine. The fight's comin', Angel. We both feel it... and it's gonna be a hell of a lot bigger than Illyria. Things are gonna get ugly. That's where I live.

I just love my hero! :)

[jamalov29.livejournal.com]

What a insightful and wonderful post , Elisabeth! And the following discussion was great , too.

I completely share your point of view , when you establish the parallels between Buffy's death in The Gift , and Spike's sacrifice : I always thought they gave their life for the ones they loved. Yet - and I know you'll agree , Spike made this gift for Buffy , but for himself as well , because his journey has lead him exactly there , in this particular place , at this particular moment in time , and he decided that he wanted to be this incredible man.

While I see that there are plot holes in the story arc during season seven ( I'm currently re-watching all the episodes ) , I don't think that the final battle plan is so weak , it was , in fact , their only choice. All your thoughts on the First were brilliant.


As for the 'famous' smile.. I always had mixed feelings about it :
"And of course she smiles. Because she knows what it is to sacrifice yourself for the one you love - for the world."
Those are beautiful and convincing words , my mind is on the same boat , still , even if there are so much things in this smile - pride mixed with sadness , hope and awe , the knowledge that Spike acted as a true champion and she knew he wouldn't deceive her - I was in such a pain realizing that Spike was dead , definitively dead , that I couldn't imagine why Buffy got the strength to smile.

I perfectly understand that the grief and the mourning will come later ( and certainly in a terrible way , for everyone ) , I'm still slightly bothered.
But my reactions have changed since the first time I watched it : at the beginning I thought : 'How could you smile whereas your lover , your friend , your most faithful ally, is no more ??

Now i've become reasonable. ;)And you expressed the sparkling truth wonderfully.

*hugs you*

[elisi]

for himself as well , because his journey has lead him exactly there , in this particular place , at this particular moment in time , and he decided that he wanted to be this incredible man.
Oh, yes!!! Absolutely! And what a beautiful way of putting it!

I don't think that the final battle plan is so weak , it was , in fact , their only choice.
Did you read aycheb's comment? If not, go do so now - she has such a clever head!

And there are too many feelings in that smile to name them them all.

I'm still slightly bothered.
asta77 managed to say more or less what I've always been thinking.

you expressed the sparkling truth wonderfully.
Oh, thank you - what a wonderful thing to say! ::hugs you back::

[lillianmorgan.livejournal.com]

Very, very insightful essay - I'd never really linked S5 and S7 so clearly in my mind. Great job!!!!
I suppose at the end - whether time constraints in the script, forgetfulness or lack of propriety - it would have been nice to see them acknowledge the deaths. Although I suppose Buffy's breathless "Spike", her final word EVER does, but maybe Xander's behaviour is a little ick.
The only thing with Giles was that for me he seemed to come around a little too easily. But then again maybe he wanted a reason to believe in Buffy again, and finally found one?
when she must have known that there is always a price for magic.
I wonder, in a way, if one could link Spike's death, like Tara's, as retribution for Buffy being brought back?
You should think about posting this to something like mutant_allies?

[elisi]

I'd never really linked S5 and S7 so clearly in my mind.
Neither had I, prior to writing this! ;)

it would have been nice to see them acknowledge the deaths.
Will write little post later re. this.

And I think originally Xander was supposed to die, and his line would have been Anya's.

The only thing with Giles was that for me he seemed to come around a little too easily.
Read scarlettgirl's comment!

if one could link Spike's death, like Tara's, as retribution for Buffy being brought back?
Well, all the deaths (those caused because of/by FE) can be attributed to Buffy's resurrection.

And I did consider posting it elsewhere, but partly I don't think it's really *that* brilliant, and partly I don't want more discussions.

[kiki may (from livejournal.com)]

Her beautiful, beautiful smile.
I agree with you: after her profound depression Buffy decides to choose Life.
She's choosing Life with her fight against the First and she's choosing the empower the women, her sister, in order to be not alone. Never.
So, yes, great, great message. Great hope. Greatest tv-show ever.

[elisi]

Buffy taught me everything I know about TV and fandom - and it's partly because it's not easy. It's complex and difficult, but oh, it's worth it. And it ends with a smile. I'll never not love that.