Overall Rating: 9.2
Aside from the downright GOOFY look of Mayor Wilkins in his ascended form, this episode is utterly without any major production flaws. The personal themes of growth we all feel as we take the podium to receive that little slip of paper that marks us as an adult course through the entire episode - right down to the Mayor's very ironically timed speech and the symbolic detonation of the school (not to mention Buffy's numb "fire bad, tree pretty" mentality after the fireworks)...demon or no demon, we can all relate.
Plot Synopsis:
The full wrap can be found here and here, thanks to BuffyGuide.com. Although I wholeheartedly encourage you to read the reviews for part one and shake your head in dismay at how utterly wrong those reviewers were. More on that in the skinny. :)
The Skinny:
SABR Matt: We've got several threads to close and about 100 minutes of drama space to close them. Buffy and Angel must part ways, but leave the viewers remembering the depth of their love for each other. Faith must be stopped once and for all - her treachery cannot continue to threaten the slayer dynamic. The Ascension and Buffy's graduation from high school must go forward and the Mayor must be stopped. And all of this must be tied together with the theme of putting away the childhoods of the slayer and her gang with all the fanfare that we all feel during that great transition. (I imagine the production/writing team sat down and hammered things out for the finale and something like this was said).
There's no doubt that this story is very busy and fast paced, and that the final element of romanticism between Buffy and Angel lands a bit falsely on the ear, partly because David Boreanez sucks still, and partly because I don't agree with the parallel the writers draw between true romantic love and consumption. It's a popular trope with vampire legends that a vampire's bite is an intimate moment akin to sex or marriage, but I have never much cared for that particular trope. This particular usage is saved by the fact that to get to the "romantic" bite, Buffy has to make the choice to give of herself for her partner, and THAT actually is romantic in a melodramatic and symbolic sort of way.
But the strength of this episode lies in the total lack of hand-wringing that goes on when the question of what to do with Faith after she poisons Angel is raised. Buffy's answer, while rather brutal at face value, is the right one. Some fans of Buffy considered her decision to kill Faith immoral...I respectfully disagree. We would all love to help Faith (or anyone like her) see the error of her ways and redeem herself, but in a battle between good and evil, evil must be opposed, and Faith's actions have placed her on the wrong side. We confront not just the Mayor and his monstrous new visage, but Faith and her monstrous deeds as well here. If Angel needs the blood of a slayer - why not take the blood of the one who put him in this position in the first place? I fail to see the immorality of that decision. At any rate, ignoring Angel's part in the story, Faith is ENORMOUSLY dangerous...perhaps more dangerous than a run of the mill demon given her slayer strength and insane rage. This is war, make no mistake...there's only one proper thing to do when confronted with a very dangerous and evil person who could well kill thousands of innocent people thanks to her associations - and that's to kill that person.
Now, scholars have literally gotten their Ph.D.'s dissecting the meaning of the Mayor's ascension, the destruction of Sunnydale High, and the Buffy vs. Faith dynamic from a cultural and even woman's issues perspective, but I think that's all pseudo-intellectual hokus pokus. This is entertainment, not philosophy class hosted by Joss Whedon. But I will say that I think BtVS is at its' best when it reaches out to its' core demographics by telling the stories we've all lived (or are living) in our own lives through a monstervision camera, and this two-part finale is exactly how we feel when we leave high school. It's a smoldering pile of rubble in our minds when we get our degree...it's over...and we can never go back. In a sense, we all burn down the school when we leave. I can think of no better way for Buffy to graduate from high school than this.
Stephanie S.: I too find fandom's tendency to pile on Buffy in re: Faith to be quite perplexing. Faith has always wanted that final battle. Here, she fires a poison arrow at Angel because she knows that attacking Buffy's lover will finally push her rival to the breaking point -- and when Buffy takes the bait, Faith is pleased.
Buffy, on the other hand, takes no joy in what she feels she has to do. Indeed, when she finally succeeds - when she finally stabs Faith - her prevailing reaction is one of shock and horror. Buffy has killed many a demon in her time, but mortally wounding a human being - even a powerful and profoundly evil human being - is for her an entirely new ball game. I think it's also important to note that, even after everything, Buffy is still able to muster sympathy for the lost little girl that Faith was before her descent into darkness. After all, how else shall we interpret Buffy's kissing Faith on the forehead?
Speaking of lost little girls, I love the wonderfully twisted way the writers juxtapose the astonishingly close and functional relationship between the Mayor and Faith and the murderous things they do as a team. "Aw, isn't that nice. The Mayor is treating her like a -- oh, wait, they're EVIL!" What can I say? Jarring contradictions appeal to me.
Writing: 9.0 / 9.0
The Angel poisoning plot felt a little on the melodramatic side to me...the rest of the story is a fitting end to the season written very well.
Acting: 9.5 / 9.5
Other than David Boreanez (who really never fit the role he was given on this show - thank God he's leaving it!), the rest of the regulars were at the top of their games...from SMG on down. Even the guests (Emma Caulfield is hilarious and adorable in her way as Anya...there's a reason she earns full time cast status starting in year four, Mayor Wilkins continues to be perfectly portrayed right up until he becomes a ridiculous looking Styrofoam worm, Elisa Dushku continues to be very compelling on camera as Faith, etc) are fabulous.
Message: 9.0 / 9.0
Buffy's place in my heart continues to be reaffirmed every time she makes the moral decision with confidence not seen in most American television dramas. Faith must be stopped - personal stakes aside, Buffy knows this and acts accordingly. The rest is just appropriately fancy window dressing on the concept that some part of our youth is forever gone when we finish high school.
Highlights:
Mayor: And everything went smoothly with Mr. Wirth?
Faith: Not if you're Mr. Wirth.
Mayor: (giggles) Well, that's swell. You know how I feel about loose ends. And the big day is so close, you can smell the excitement in the air. Say, are you ever coming out of there?
Faith: I don't know.
Mayor: Aw, come on. (Faith enters, in a pink/white dress, barefoot) Wow, aren't you a vision?
Faith: I feel I look stupid in this.
Mayor: You look lovely. Perfect for the Ascension. Any boys that manage to survive will be lining up to ask you out.
Faith: It just isn't me, though.
Mayor: Not you? Let me tell you something. Nobody knows what you are. Not even you, little Miss Seen-it-all. The Ascension isn't just my day. It's yours too. Your day to blossom, to show the world what a powerful girl you are. I think of what you've done, what I know you will do (caresses her face) no father could be prouder.
Faith: I hope I don't let you down.
Mayor: Impossible. Now come on, change back into your street clothes. I'll buy you an icee. (aww...how sweet...in an evil sort of way)
Anya: Hi.
Xander: Hey.
Anya: So, I was wondering, maybe if you were free this weekend, maybe we could do some entertaining thing.
Xander: Would that be along the lines of you telling me about all the men you destroyed back in your demon days? Cause pencil me in.
Anya: Well, we could do something else you like. We could watch sports of some kind.
Xander: Uh, I don't know.
Anya: Men like sports. I'm sure of it. (heh)
Xander: Yes. Men like sports. Men watch the action move, they eat of the beef, and enjoy to look at the bosoms. A thousand years of avenging our wrongs and that's all you've learned? (BWWAHAHAHAHAAA!!!)
Anya: I'm trying, okay? You don't need to take my head off.
Xander: I'm sorry. Look, I don't even know if I'm going to make it to the next weekend. I'll tell you what, I survive the Ascension and maybe you and I can do some sports related ... What? (aw...Anya looks scared for Xander!)
Wesley: Ah. By attempting to keep a valuable clue from us, the Mayor may have inadvertently led us right to it. (with a sword flourish)
Buffy: What page are you on, Wes, cause we already got there.
Wesley: Yes, well. You will go tonight. Look over his apartment. Anything of note, report back here.
Buffy: I just love it when you take charge, you man, you. (LOL!!)
Wesley: Uh, we... was that a yes? I have trouble keeping track. (poor Wesley)
Buffy: I'll go.
Wesley: Ahem, I'm sorry, but Lo-Hash was a four-winged soul killer, am I right? (Giles nods.) I was given to understand that they're not that fierce. Of all the demons that we've faced...
Anya: You've never seen a demon.
Buffy: (raises her hand) Uh, excuse me? Kind of professionally, four years running.
Anya: All the demons that walk the earth are tainted, are human hybrids like vampires. The Ascension means that a human becomes pure demon. They're different.
Giles: Different?
Buffy: How?
Anya: Well, for one thing, they're bigger. (eeep)
Mayor: So, this is the inner sanctum. Faith tells me this is where you folks like to hang out, concoct your little schemes. I tell you, it's just nice to see that some young people are still interested in reading in this modern era. So, what are kids reading nowadays? (The Mayor walks to the table and picks up a book. Giles stands his ground and doesn't flinch at the proximity) "The beast will walk upon the earth and darkness will follow. The several races of man will be as one in their terror and destruction." Aw, that's kind of sweet. Different races coming together. Buffy: You never get even a little tired of hearing yourself speak, do you?
Mayor: (chuckles, to Giles) That's one spunky little girl you've raised. I'm gonna eat her. (Giles grabs Wesley's sword from the table and thrusts it through the Mayor's chest. The Mayor staggers back but regains his balance.) Whoa! Well now, that was a little thoughtless. (pulls the sword out of his chest) Violent outbursts like that, in front of the children? You know, Mr. Giles, they look to you to see how to behave.
Buffy: Get out. (The Mayor takes a handkerchief and slowly wipes the blood from the sword)
Mayor: I smell fear. That's smart. Some of your deaths will be quick, if that's worth anything. Well, see you all at graduation. (tosses the sword back to Giles) You don't want to miss my commencement address. It's going to be one heck of a speech.(yowch...that's actually a scary intrusion!)
Joyce: Buffy, I'm home. Do you wanna go to, uh, ...? What are you doing? You're running away again? And you're taking my clothes.
Buffy: Mom, I need you to leave town. Tonight.
Joyce: Buffy, I'd miss your graduation.
Buffy: Yeah, that's sort of the idea.
Joyce: There's no way. I wouldn't dream...
Buffy: Mom, graduation is a pointless ceremony where you sit around and listen to a bunch of boring speeches until someone hands you a piece of paper that says you graduated which you already know and maroon does nothing for my complection, so don't argue, okay?
Joyce: (sarcastic) What, is some terrible demon going to attack the school. (Buffy glares, keeps packing) Oh, I see. Oh, you know, Buffy, looking back on everything that's happened, maybe I should have sent you to a different school.
Buffy: Just promise me that you'll be far away from here.
Joyce: I'm not leaving you to face an awful monster. If I go anywhere, you're going with me.
Buffy: You know that I can't.
Joyce: Well then I can't either.
Buffy: Mom, I know that sometimes you wish I were different.
Joyce: Buffy, no.
Buffy: I wish I could be a lot of things for you. A great student, a star athlete, remotely normal. I'm not. But there is something I do that I can do better than anybody else in the world. I'm gonna fight this thing, but I can't do it and worry about you.
Joyce: Buffy, you just can't ...
Buffy: You stay, you'll get me killed. You'll have to trust me on this. Can you do that? (very sweet scene)
Oz: Our lives are different than other peoples'.
Willow: Oh, who am I kidding? I'm not going to find a spell to stop the Ascension. I'm no witch. I can't even change poor Amy back to a person.
Oz: But you got the swinging Habitrail going. I think Amy is in a good place emotionally.
Willow: Oz.
Oz: What?
Willow: Could you just pretend to care about what's happening? Please?
Oz: You think I don't care?
Willow: I think we could be dead in two days time and you're being ironic detachment guy.
Oz: Would it help if I panic?
Willow: (babbling) Yes, it would be swell. Panic is a thing people can share in times of crisis. And everything's really scary now, you know, and I don't know what's gonna happen. And there's all sorts of things that you're supposed to get to do after high school, and I was really looking forward to doing them, and now we're probably just gonna die and I would like to feel that maybe you would ... (Oz leans forward and kisses her, slowly.)
Willow: What are you doing?
Oz: Panicking. (very romantic...I know my co-author will roll her eyes at me...)
Angel: Are you mad at me for being around too much or for not being around enough?
Buffy: Duh. Yes. (and every girl in the audience giggles in delight with recognition. :) )
Willow: I feel different, you know. I-I guess that makes sense. Do you feel different. Oh, no, you've already, probably, no big change for you. It was nice. Was it nice? Should this be a quiet moment?
Oz: I know exactly what you mean.
Willow: Which part?
Oz: Everything from 'it's different'. (aww...Willow's sucha cutey and Oz is very sweet here too)
Wesley: Fascinating.
Giles: What?
Wesley: It seems our Mr. Wirth headed an expedition in Hawaii, digging in old lava beds near a dormant volcano.
Buffy: I'm not fascinated yet.
Wesley: He found something underneath. A carcass, buried by an eruption.
Giles: A carcass?
Wesley: A very large one. Mr. Wirth posits that it might be some heretofore undiscovered dinosaur.
Angel: A demon?
Giles: Yes, that would be something that the Mayor would want to keep a secret. If it's the same kind of demon he's turning into and it's dead, it means that, well, he's only impervious to harm until the Ascension. In his demon form, he can be killed.
Buffy: Great. So all we need is a million tons of burning lava. We're saved. (LOL)
Faith: Tomorrow, at the Ascension and all that, am I going to get to fight?
Mayor: If everything goes smoothly, you won't have to. But how often do things go smoothly?
Faith: So you'll still need me in there.
Mayor: Always.
Faith: When I was a kid, a couple of miles outside of Boston there was this quarry. And all the kids used to swim there and jump off the rocks. And there was this one rock like forty feet up. I was the only one that would jump off it. All the older kids were too scared.
Mayor: Not you though.
Faith: Naah. I could do it easy.
Mayor: Get some rest. (aww...wait a sec...)
Anya: Xander.
Xander: What are you doing here? I thought you'd be in Aruba by now.
Anya: Hey, I'm packed. My car's right outside. I-I just, um, I-I had to, uh...
Xander: What?
Anya: You could come with me.
Xander: Come with you? You mean that?
Anya: Why not? We could just get in the car and drive. No one would miss us. We could take turns driving. Keep each other awake. You're going to die if you stay here. (how sweet!)
Xander: I guess I might.
Anya: When I think that something could happen to you, it feels bad inside, like I might vomit.
Xander: Welcome to the world of romance.
Anya: It's horrible. No wonder I used to get so much work.
Xander: Well, I'm sorry I give you barfy feelings. (what a way to put that...)
Anya: Come with me.
Xander: I can't.
Anya: Why not?
Xander: I got friends on the line.
Anya: So?
Xander: That humanity thing's still a work in progress, isn't it? (LOL)
Anya: Are you really going to be that much help to them? I mean, you'll probably just get in the way.
Xander: Your stock is plummeting here, sweetheart.
Anya: Fine! You know what? I hope you die. (Xander walks past her)
Anya: Aren't we gonna kiss? (LOL!! I heart Anya)
Wesley: The Council's orders are to concentrate on ...
Buffy: Orders? I don't think I'm gonna be taking any more orders. Not from you, not from them.
Wesley: You can't turn your back on the Council.
Buffy: They're in England. I don't think they can tell which way my back is facing.
Wesley: Giles, talk to her.
Giles: (while walking to Buffy's side) I've nothing to say right now.
Buffy: Wesley, go back to your Council and tell them, until the next Slayer comes along, they can close up shop. I'm not working for them anymore.
Wesley: Don't you see what's happening? Faith poisoned Angel to distract you, to keep you out of the Mayor's way, and it's working. You need a strategy.
Buffy: I have a strategy. You're not in it.
Wesley: This is mutiny.
Buffy: (long pause) I like to think of it as graduation. (NICE!)
Buffy: Thought I'd stop by.
Faith: Is he dead yet?
Buffy: He's not gonna die. It was a good try, though. Your plan?
Faith: Uh-huh. The Mayor got me the poison. Said it was wicked painful.
Buffy: There's a cure.
Faith: Damn. What is it?
Buffy: Your blood. As justice goes, it's not un-poetic, don't you think?
Faith: Come to get me? You gonna feed me to Angel? You know you're not going to take me alive.
Buffy: Not a problem.
Faith: Well, look at you. All dressed up in big sister's clothes.
Buffy: You told me I was just like you. That I was holding it in. (They approach until they're standing face to face.)
Faith: Ready to cut loose? (ah the confrontation we've all been waiting for)
Angel: Don't do that!
Wilkins: Oh I *will* do that...I'll do that and worse. Murderous little fiend! Did you see what she did to my Faith?
Angel: Hadn't any plans to weep over that one.
Wilkins: Well get ready to do some weeping. Get ready for a *world* of pain! Misery loves company, young man, and I'm looking to share that with you and your *whore*. (WOW!! He really did care for Faith! Holy cow!)
Angel: Buffy cured me...she made me..."
Giles: You fed on her?
Angel: Yes
Giles: (VERY sternly...like a father asking about recreational drug use or protected/unprotected sex) How much.
Angel: She's gonna be fine.
Willow: She's not going to be a vampire?
Angel: No, she didn't feed on me.
Xander: Well it sure is good to know that when the chips are down, you'll almost kill the one who *loves* you to save your own ass. (ouch)
Buffy: I'm going to need every single one of you for this to work. Especially you, Xander. You're the key to this whole plan.
Xander: Me? Key? OK, pride, humility...and theres' the gut-clenching fear...(LOL)
Cordlua: I got it! We'll get a box of Ebola and...and...or it doesn't even have to be real...it can just say Ebola...and we'll...chase him!
Xander: I'm starting to lean heavily toward the humus plan.
Oz: He'll never see it coming. (LOL!)
Wilkins: Remember - fast and brutal. It's going to be a brand new world come sundown and I want this all to go according to plan. And boys? Let's try to watch the swearing...(BHAHAHA!!)
Buffy: I haven't processed everything...my brain isn't functioning on higher levels. It's pretty much "fire bad, tree pretty."
Giles: Understandable. Anyway, I looked around in the wreckage and managed to salvage this. Now I know you might not be interested, but...(he produces a slightly singed diploma and she takes it).
Buffy: Thanks, Giles...
Giles: You know, there's a rather potent dramatic irony attached to all of this. A certain synchronicity of...
Buffy: Giles...fire bad, tree pretty.
Giles: Right...sorry. (LOL!!)
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