A few more thoughts...

[elisi]

First a thank you to all you lovely people who read my essay and left such clever and thoughtful responses. I actually thought of another parallel/opposite, which is possibly ridiculously obvious, but it never occurred to me before: In both ‘The Gift’ and ‘Chosen’ Buffy does a great running leap. In ‘The Gift’ she jumps into the portal and death, in ‘Chosen’ she jumps onto the bus and rides towards life. It just struck me as neat.

But the actual purpose of this post was to point out a parallel between ‘Graduation Day Pt. 2’ and ‘Chosen’. aycheb managed to sum up beautifully the similarities between the final battle plans in both episodes (Read it here), but having thought about it, the aftermath is very similar too:

There has been a big battle, with quite a heavy loss of life (a good few students must have died, apart from just Harmony and Larry), but the Scoobies seem quite unconcerned with this, and I think these words of Buffy’s explain why:

Buffy (tiredly):  "I haven't processed everything yet.  (with a small laugh)  My brain isn't really functioning on the higher levels.  (takes a deep breath)  It's pretty much: fire bad; tree pretty."

Fire bad, tree pretty. When someone has been through something that exhausting (emotionally and physically), I think it’s only natural if a part of the brain shuts down, and you just sit back and avoid dealing with all the implications straight away.

Here’s the very last scene of ‘Graduation’, which I think is in many ways very similar to the last scene of 'Chosen':

Cut to Willow sitting on a stone bench in front of the school, Xander sitting beside her on the ground and Oz standing behind her.  Cordelia come walking up to them.
Cordelia:  "Well, that's the most fun you can have without having any fun."
Willow smiling:  "How about the part where we kicked some demon ass.  (Oz strokes her hair from behind)  I didn't hate that."
Xander:  "Hear, hear!"
Buffy come walking up:  "You guys want to take off?  I think we've done pretty much all we can."
Cordelia raises her eyebrows and nods:  "I'm for it."
Willow looks up at Buffy:  "Are you okay?"
Buffy nods and says in a small voice:  "Yeah I'm okay. - I could use a little sleep though."
Willow nods and agrees emphatically:  "Yeah."
Buffy sits down on the bench next to her:  "If someone could just wake me when it's time to go to college, that'd be great."  Willow smiles at her.
Oz his hands in his pockets:  "Guys take a moment to deal with this: - we survived."  Xander nods.
Buffy:  "It was a hell of a battle!"
Oz:  "Not the battle (Cordy looks at him) high school."
They all look quietly at the school and listen to the crickets chirping.
Oz:  "We're taking a moment  (Willow and Buffy get up from the bench.  Oz looks at Cordy)  and we're done."
Xander get up and walks off next to Cordelia:  "Well, School's done."
Oz puts an arm around Willow as they all walk off together.  Xander:  "It's sss Cool!"
Willow:  "Why do demons even come here any more?  I mean, don't they know?"
Camera pans down to show a maroon Sunnydale High 99 yearbook with the words 'The Future Is Ours' on it.

About the joking, asta77 put it wonderfully in her comment:

“As for the end of 'Chosen', I never got upset over the joking. People react to grief differently and between the rush of adrenaline, 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 behaviour patterns. And the smile? That was all for Spike and his sacrifice in giving her her life. :)”

ETA: Just thought of this, which I found rather fitting. From 'Forever':

DAWN: Mom ... died, and it's like you don't even care.
BUFFY: Of course I care. How can you even think that?
DAWN: How can I not? You haven't even cried. You've just been running around like it's been some big chore or something. Cleaning up after Mom's mess.
Buffy slaps Dawn across the face. Dawn yelps and puts her hand to her cheek. Buffy puts her hand over her mouth in horror.
BUFFY: Dawn ... I've been ... working. I've been busy, because I have to-
DAWN: No! You've been avoiding me.
BUFFY: I'm not! ... I have to do these things, 'cause ... 'cause when I stop, then she's really gone.


I’ll end with a rec and a prezzie:

buttersideup made a lovely ‘Smile Fan’ icon that is very sharable indeed. If you like it, please snag!

Finally, I want to tell you to go watch sdwolfpup’s vid Moving On, based entirely on ‘Chosen’. It’s is the most perfect matching of song and subject, especially the lines:

Make the best with what you’re given
This ain’t dying, this is living!

Comments

[paratti.livejournal.com]

The parallels are there with GD, but no regulars people were invested with and wanted treated with an all too lacking respect, were slaughtered in GD so it's a compleltely different vibe, and why one worked and why for many that smile is truly revolting.

[elisi]

Did you see aycheb's response to your comment yesterday?

I think the smile is full of emotions of all sorts - I can understand why you dislike it, but I found it fitting.

[paratti.livejournal.com]

Yes I did. It made as little sense as Buffy's plan in Chosen, which was the most stupid peace of miltary planning since walking very slowly towards machine guns.

For more, read this, or my other essays in memories. Beieve me, I've thought about this for years and you really are not going to change my mind towards wishful thinking.

[elisi]

Well, we're entitled to our own opinions, so I'd rather just let it be - I really, really hate arguments.

[asta77.livejournal.com]

I've been spotlighted! :)

There has been a big battle, with quite a heavy loss of life (a good few students must have died, apart from just Harmony and Larry), but the Scoobies seem quite unconcerned with this, and I think these words of Buffy’s explain why:

Buffy (tiredly): "I haven't processed everything yet. (with a small laugh) My brain isn't really functioning on the higher levels. (takes a deep breath) It's pretty much: fire bad; tree pretty

I hadn't thought about the similarities between the two moments. Excellent catch. ;) Granted, the Scoobs aren't as close to those who died in 'Graduation Day', but it serves as an example as to how they react when confronted with so much death. When Joyce and Buffy died they had to deal with just the loss of one individual and all their feelings tied to that specific person. In the other instances, they are forced to deal with a massive loss of life and a flood of memories.

[elisi]

Well, it's not a perfect parallel and I've just added a quote from after Joyce's death. And I think that one death can be a lot harder than a big number... it's easier to process, I guess - I really like your observations.

[sdwolfpup.livejournal.com]

The smile has never bothered me. I thought it was the perfect end to the show. The battle had just ended, people were still processing all that had happened, Xander had had his initial moment to grieve Anya. I didn't want to see everyone sobbing and depressed, I know that they grieved afterwards because they're not heartless, IMO. The smile has always been this mixture of wistful and hopeful to me; bittersweet. Much as Buffy's memories of Sunnydale will be, I'm sure.

And thanks for the rec, that's sweet. :)

[elisi]

Xander had had his initial moment to grieve Anya
Oh, that's a good point.

And I'm glad that end of the final episode of the show wasn't as depressing as say 'The Gift' or 'Becoming pt. 2'. Bittersweet was much better.

And I'll rec you any time - your vids are near perfect! :)

[speakr2customrs.livejournal.com]

I think the difference lies partly in the build-up and partly in who has died. Certainly other students died at Graduation; but not members of the group itself.

The Scoobies weren't friendly with Larry. Xander had made his peace with him, and I think would have even counted him as a friend by that stage, but Buffy and Willow hated him. Harmony had made friends with Willow only in the past few days, and I think had probably made up with Cordelia too - but none of the Scoobies realised that Harmony had fallen until long, long, after Graduation. The other Graduation casualties - red shirts. Not even as close to the Scoobs as was, for instance, Amanda.

Spike and Anya dying were the equivalent to, say, Cordelia and Oz being among the Graduation fatalities. I think it is an important difference.

I don't see why everyone was so utterly devastated by Buffy's death at the end of "The Gift" and yet flippant about Anya and Spike in "Chosen". Yes, it is Buffy's show; but the characters don't know that!

I do, however, agree about Buffy's smile. I think that did show the right mix of emotions.

But the dialogue was off.

[elisi]

I don't see why everyone was so utterly devastated by Buffy's death at the end of "The Gift" and yet flippant about Anya and Spike in "Chosen".

aycheb made a very good comment yesterday here. And I think a lot of the joking comes from trying to hold back the tears (see my ETA quoting 'Forever')- anyway, at least we can agree on the smile. ::wipes brow::

[lillianmorgan.livejournal.com]

Some very nice and intriguing parallels.
I suppose in the end Chosen was the answer to everything that had gone before, therefore it's going to have to do a lot more work to achieve it's purpose than, say, GD which didn't have so much weight on it.
I guess Buffy is all about closing off (emotionally) sometimes - so her limited/lack of reaction probably isn't OOC. Maybe everybody wanting more is too much to ask from her?
I still feel a little bit like they ran out of time with some of their points, but THANK YOU for all the links and ideas. It's giving me so much to think about, my head's going wonky... :)
(That icon rocks the house btw)

[elisi]

Chosen was the answer to everything that had gone before
Good point.

I guess Buffy is all about closing off (emotionally) sometimes
I forget who said this, but Buffy is a very internal person, without necessarily being very reflective. I like that a lot.

my head's going wonky... :)
Oh, dear, hopefully it's only temporary. And feel free to snag icon!

[fishsanwitt]

When my mother died, a very close friend wrote to me, months later, that the reason she couldn't write earlier was because, *if* she wrote, then my mother was *really* gone.

I've always treasured that remark. My friend was afraid that I wouldn't understand, but, oh, I did.

[elisi]

I've always treasured that remark. My friend was afraid that I wouldn't understand, but, oh, I did.

She sounds like a wonderful friend. And very perceptive too. ::hugs::

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

I love your icon! And I have some issues with the scoobies being so light-hearted, but I never thought Buffy was disrespectful. She stands apart from the others and doesn't joke herself. Buffy's thoughtful reaction was something I prefered.

I thought her smile was very wistful, as well as thankful. Look at the sign falling over. I definitely think she was thinking of Spike in that moment, how he had died for her as a true hero.

[elisi]

I thought her smile was very wistful, as well as thankful.
Yes, so many emotions. And for a long time she just looks at the crater very quietly, obviously trying to process what happened, thinking of Spike. I also love that her last word n the show is "Spike". :)

(And you're welcome to take the icon, I'd feel very greedy if I was keeping it to myself.)

[aycheb.livejournal.com]

To be honest I’ve always found Graduation Day 2 a little disturbing. Probably it’s being an educator of sorts now, but the whole ‘Kid’s-are-all-right’ + School’s-been-blown-to-pieces’ vibe is somewhat unsettling. And that final shot of the yearbook all but saying ‘Tomorrow belongs to me’. It’s a thing.

Oh and about the leaping to her death/life comparison (good catch). I was telling this story to superplin the other day but what the hell. My kids have a tendency to focus on obscure details rather than the big picture. They love Chosen but they honestly believe it’s a story about Buffy being late for the bus.

[avrelia.livejournal.com]

Well, maybe they are right, in a way.

7.16 Storyteller, Buffy to Wood:
You're running to catch the bus naked? That's a dream.


;-)

[elisi]

Heee! Brilliant! :)

[aycheb.livejournal.com]

From the mouths of babes :-)

[elisi]

I’ve always found Graduation Day 2 a little disturbing
I've never thought about it like that, but it'll be in the back of my mind next time I watch it...

they honestly believe it’s a story about Buffy being late for the bus.
::loves::

[kiki may (from livejournal.com)]

I think that the smile was an expression of a mixed emotions: satisfaction, at first.
Buffy was supposed to die so many times and so young! And now, she's finally free to live.
She embrace her freedom: a smile is needed!
SMG didn't force the smile, didn't make her too cheerful: she's satisfacted, finally hoping and grateful.
Her last words are just a whispered: "Spike".
I think that this conclusion is just perfect.

[elisi]

SMG didn't force the smile, didn't make her too cheerful: she's satisfacted, finally hoping and grateful.
*nods a lot* You put it very beautifully and I don't have anything to add. :)