BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER 5X22 REACTION | First Time Watching

[@rachelespiritu4215]

Buffy, 1x12: “Tell Giles… I don’t know. Think of something cool, tell him I said it.” Buffy, 5x22: “Tell Giles I figured it out.”

[@davidmeadows5627]

There was no Buffy 1x13. I think you mean 1x12.

[@rachelespiritu4215]

@@davidmeadows5627​​⁠ah right, I can’t count. Thanks, updated.

[@antoniolamounier]

Nice catch.

[@dutchkel]

Nice, I never noticed that.

[@RunningTogether]

Buffy died. They buried her body. She didn’t go to another universe. Great reaction though, looking forward to more!

[@jordanparker5949]

Buffy died. She really did. I think this is one of best endings to a season in TV history.

[@Littlewh0]

"She's a hero, she's not like us" "Us?" Absolute classic moment

[@Madbandit77]

Killers...which Tara predicted Giles would do.

[@eberwald4438]

Hello Ripper.

[@jevonk]

She sees a dead body and grave and still says I know Buffy’s not dead. 😂😂😂😂 Sis…Buffy is dead. Her death countdown was predicted in a previous season along with Dawn coming. Buffy was fearless right up to the end. She saved the world a lot! 😢

[@tunderdiamant8651]

I mean as she says she knows there's still 2 seasons so of course she believes buffy isn't dead lol ... Also just because the characters did a funeral doesn't mean is dead ( for all she knows buffy really could be like in another dimension and the other characters BELIEVE she's dead)

[@jevonk]

@@tunderdiamant8651 It was specifically stated the portal would only close when the blood flows no more causing death. Buffy was not sent anywhere. She died and it closed.

[@tunderdiamant8651]

@@jevonk But you still never know lmao... It is a series.... of course we know what happened we watched season 6 but she hasn't.

[@RaineInChaos]

No spoilers but, I don't know what makes you say she wasn't sent anywhere or why that would conflict with her being dead. Lots of mythologies have people going all kinds of places after they die

[@jevonk]

@@RaineInChaos The reactor commented Buffy is not dead. Obviously from the storyline Buffy is dead otherwise the portal would never have closed. Her body was not sent to another dimension..she is dead. Now if you want to discuss where a person’s spirit goes or what happens after death that is a completely different topic.

[@HopelessHermit]

Sunnydale- where a castle can appear from nowhere, and a team of escaped mental patients and skin-damaged Jawa monks can build a completely superfluous tower

[@RichardCritten]

When this first broadcast we didn't know if there was going to be a next season. All we knew as that Buffy had not been taken up for a next season by the current studio.

[@Madbandit77]

I heard differently. The show got renewed, but UPN won the bidding war against the WB.

[@danwiesdamageinc]

When this was written, there wasn't going to be more seasons. The 5-season contract was ending. By the time it aired, UPN won the bid for more seasons.

[@tunderdiamant8651]

Yep this finale was totally written as the series finale lol it's really obvious and it would've been a really good series finale too

[@stkn1630]

It's true that UPN had taken over Buffy by the time this aired but it was also a very new network and nothing was written in stone. Until season 6 actually started there was always a chance that Buffy would still be cancelled or the Network close down.

[@timmorris82]

@@tunderdiamant8651I’m glad it continued, but I would have been able to accept this as the end.

[@mathias6185]

Interesting tidbits: In Season 3x22, Faith said "Little Miss Muffet counting down from 7-3-0". Little Miss Muffet is Dawn. And "counting down from 7-3-0" is 2 years = 2*365 = 730 days. Basically it pointed to 5x22 being the end of all things. And in 4x22 there was an alarm clock with 7:30, but Tara said: "That clock's completely wrong". Because 1 year already passed, so it was 365 days to go, not 730.

[@killermery]

When the production team care about this kind of details in story telling.

[@Girl4Music]

@@killermeryyeah, won’t happen in this day and age unfortunately.

[@Madbandit77]

The Normies already covered this, along with Tara saying "Back before Dawn".

[@mathias6185]

@@Madbandit77 They did not cover the counting down from 7-3-0, I think.

[@agnawkneemoose6373]

@@Girl4Music Honestly, it's very rare in any day and age. You can enjoy this series without ever putting any of that together, but it's pretty special to have left these breadcrumbs just for the hardcore fan who would watch and re-watch and make the connections. What other series does it at this level? Twin Peaks? It's a short list.

[@lawrencewestby9229]

This was the 100th episode of Buffy and the final one on its original network, The WB. The "Previously on" segment has a scene from all the prior 99 episodes.

[@RaineInChaos]

"someone's gonna do a self-sacrifice" nailed it tho

[@hardybryan]

You saw her dead body and her grave. She's dead.

[@superwomynink]

"Death is your gift" first slayer to Buffy. Buffy died. The Scooby Gang buried her & yes that was her body you saw laying on the pavement.😭 I remember crying for hours after seeing this episode May 22, 2001

[@zDom]

The WB: Buffy is dead. UPN: No she's not!

[@trevorcooch3839]

Yep, I can confirm without it being a spoiler that she really is dead. It was very much a series finale before the show got picked up by another network for 2 more seasons.

[@Toryumon4Ever]

Like people already posted WB network did not renew Buffy (but did renew Angel), so Joss Whedon did make this the finale until the UPN Network picked it up at the last minute. So yes this was the intended original series finale.

[@allis143]

"She's not dead." Denial. Lol But, yeah. She's dead. And this was how the show was originally supposed to end.

[@kelcouch]

When this episode originally aired in the USA it wasn't known whether there would be another season. Worst of all because I live in Australia the release of tv seasons was always months or even a year after the USA release and you couldn't get it online at all... had to wait for the dvd box set to release and then order it. It was such an awful wait to find out what happened next 😭

[@rattusprat]

EvilQK: Is it going to be Dawn or Ben who is going to sacrifice themselves? The show: Oh boy.

[@sean437]

It's a good thing they introduced the Buffybot.

[@bobbyclarkston8836]

The musical suite at the end, “Sacrifice”, never fails to get the tears going, no visuals necessary 😭

[@Gwenhwyfar7]

This and the score of the final final episode.

[@ar47yrr4p]

The first 5 season was the ENTIRE story arc that Whedon had planned. It ended the way he had intended... and yes, she is dead. When he found out he was getting 2 extra seasons he was able to do things he had wanted to do in the first 5 seasons but couldn't fit it in. For me, this 5x22 is one of my favorites, along with "The Body" and everyone's favorite 6x07 and 7x22!

[@Raptor213]

This was supposed to be the finale of the entire series. Imagine if the show had ended here...

[@stephen2501]

This is a safe space your allowed to shed a tear

[@veronicaquintanatorres2473]

This episode is in my top 3 from the entire series, for sure

[@patrickadams7120]

She's not dead....ahhhhhh yeah she is

[@pillmuncher67]

Fun Fact: The old man was played by Joel Grey, who also played the MC in the Bob Fosse movie Cabaret alongside Liza Minnelli, a role for which he got the Oscar for best actor in a supporting role. He's also the son of New York musician and comedian Mickey Katz, and the father of Jennifer Gray of Dirty Dancing fame.

[@mithroch]

He's also the original cast Wizard in Wicked.

[@Madbandit77]

He also won a Tony Award for the same role when Cabaret was on Broadway.

[@ernesthakey3396]

I liked him as Chiun, in Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins. :)

[@Nexusofgeek]

The reason the flashback was so long this time recapping the entire series is because it was the 100th episode and also the finale for the WB network. After this, UPN picked up the show for seasons 6 and 7 and therefore it served as a finale for the network and series. You are right this season is awesome

[@evesapple]

Kudos on not crying. I cried 1st time watching it, but that was when we thought that was the last episode ever. However, its been 20 odd years later, and I still cry, so I dont know what thats about 😅

[@AnatoleVGC]

I remember tha Wb airing this as "The WB series finale" wich made a lot of people think it was the ending, but the show just switched networks.

[@Logan_Baron]

Yes, that pissed Joss off too, because it came off like that was the series finale, even though it had already been announced that it was switching networks. Of course some people didn't read the news about the network switch.

[@AnatoleVGC]

@@Logan_Baron I was very young at the time so I had no idea it was switching networks. I also ended up without a tv for a couple years after season five aired so for a long time this was the series finale for me

[@synousia2]

i remember that too. i frantically searched the internet to find out if it really was the end of the show, eventually running across some posting by joss whedon reassuring fans.

[@Philbert-s2c]

Of course for a lot of people the show did end, since UPN wasn't available in every market. The short of it though was the WB sucked raw eggs and I'm still happy they're dead.

[@Shoofyou10]

This is my personal favorite episode and Season 5 is my favorite season. The whole season just builds on itself and comes to a head in this one. I love the touches like using thing from earlier episodes like The Daegon Sphere, Troll Hammer, Buffy Bot, etc to help defeat Glory in the end. This episode was written before Joss knew if they would be coming back or not so it was written as a series finale if need be. I think Buffy's sacrifice would have been a great way to end it. And even though there is 2 more seasons, Buffy is dead at the end of this episode. Buffy switches networks for season 6 and 7. There is a slightly different feeling because The UPN gave Buffy a decent budget and they didn't even have a standards and practices department, so Joss had much more freedom where The WB was very strict with their standards and practices (for example not wanting Willow and Tara to kiss).

[@alexie5201]

Such a beautiful finale to such an amazing season. Buffy died doing what she did better than anyone could do- saving the world. S5 and S6 are my favorite seasons and I think they have the best final episodes.

[@Itsjandz105]

I’ve seen this 100 times and I still bawl like a baby at the end. Lol

[@TFT-JF]

I continue to love your reactions to Buffy.

[@jaybourne1185]

well... kass sure got the self sacrificing part right... 😎

[@kendavis8046]

All of your predictions were reasonable given your understanding of 2 more seasons. But bear in mind that those of us back in the day understood that this series was cancelled. It got two more on a different network. This was the perfect way to wrap up seasons 1-5 if you were not sure that it would continue. They kept foreshadowing "Death is your Gift" so hard, I thought you might figure it out. You understood that there had to be a sacrifice, but you perhaps missed the point of the show. It is ALWAYS about Buffy and what she gives up to save others. The foreshadowing was so over the top (in hindsight) that it was blatantly obvious how this had to culminate.

[@Henrik_Holst]

It wasn't cancelled and there where lots of articles at the time episode 17 aired about the move to UPN and that UPN had bought two seasons in one go.

[@FourTilSunday]

@@Henrik_HolstNot everyone at the time had access to that information though. I didn't even have Internet in my home until season 6 was almost done airing. So at the time season 5 finished, I really thought it was the end. It wasn't until I saw promos on UPN advertising the season 6 premiere that I knew Buffy was coming back.

[@Henrik_Holst]

@@FourTilSunday ofc. Lots of people, especially at the age they where back then, missed it. But that doesn't change the fact that it was in several articles in e.g the New York Post and talked about (it was a major business decision).

[@Dunybrook]

This show is never afraid to make the unexpected choice. Usually killing off the main protagonist would never happen but here we are. Whether Buffy remains dead this second time around you can bet it will have real consequences that most shows would never bother with. Great reaction.

[@weaponsofwarfare9537]

MY FAVORITE SEASON. When this episode was written, it was written as the SERIES Finale. After filming it, the cast and crew had a celebration with a big cake and everything. Buffy was gonna stay dead saving the world. It was heartbreaking

[@Girl4Music]

Anya understands self sacrifice as much as Buffy does and that’s really amazing considering she doesn’t understand humanity. Human beings. I don’t think too many people realize that about her character but I think that’s what’s really clever about the way she’s written. The fact she doesn’t understand humanity is what makes her behave the most like a human even though that’s new to her. Humans don’t understand how to be or do as human. To adjust and navigate life. They think they do, but they don’t. And that’s precisely the point. Anya and other non-human or not-always-human characters in this show is what represents that. Represents that humanity is not clear cut. It’s flawed and messy and confusing. And there’s no guide book on it. It’s why it’s called “human being”. That’s what’s really clever about Anya’s character arc, you know? The poetry of being human when you don’t understand human being. That is humanity. That is what makes you human. That you don’t understand but you do it anyway. I love that.

[@MartinGonzalez-ke9uy]

Great reaction!!, agreed with you is one of the best episodes.. And hey you were right about someone was gonna sacrifice.. Lookin forward for next season

[@Logan_Baron]

Well your first prediction about self sacrifice was right. Just not either of the 2 you suggested.

[@robertmckenna3994]

Spike said earlier in the season,”Every slayer has a death wish.” But for as observant as he is, Spike is still a demon. He couldn’t understand dying for something. Death is her gift.

[@Girl4Music]

He couldn’t understand Buffy dying for Dawn because she loves her too much to let her sacrifice herself? You’re saying Spike can’t understand self-sacrifice? He is one of the most self-sacrificial characters in the entire show.

[@robertmckenna3994]

@@Girl4Music he eventually becomes that. But he wasn’t in Fool for Love.

[@Girl4Music]

@@robertmckenna3994 I disagree. His arc in the latter half of season 5 is self-sacrificial - demon or not. That’s why he said what he did to Buffy. That he knows he is a monster but the way he feels Buffy treats him is like a man and that that means more to him than anything. I would say he didn’t understand before ‘Fool For Love’ what it meant to put others first but he did learn that from being around Buffy and the Gang. He didn’t need a soul for that. It was something he grew into without it. It’s like Anya. Anya understands self-sacrifice and it’s not just because she’s all human now. It’s because she’s around people that teach her what it means to put others first before her own needs.

[@Junejane4]

So she sacrificed herself and you have nothing else to talk about than blame Spike that he doesn't understand it? What does he have to do with it anyway? And no, he actually said at some point: 'Anything happened to Dawn , it'd destroy her. I couldn't live her being in that much pain. I'd let Glory kill me first. Nearly bloody did'. This is sacrifice. And every time when he was risking his life was a sacrifice too. He doesn't care that much about himself in general when it comes to someone he has feelings for. He always values them more. So you either don't remember what you are talking about or you are deliberately ignoring it. And why Fool for Love when you already have other clear examples? So no point in that.

[@Girl4Music]

@@Junejane4 I’m so tired of the “he is a soulless demon” excuse for Spike every fucking time. As if that even justifies treating him like crap. Saying he can’t understand sacrifice or doesn’t know how to love or can’t give empathy because he is a soulless vampire and part demon means nothing when he says and shows it all the fucking time. Yes, he has moments when he can be selfish and cruel and even abusive… but so can anyone that has a soul and is human. It’s all about the external influence with Spike. The way you treat him informs the way he will treat you. Exactly like an untrained dog. That’s the metaphor for Spike.

[@commonstragedy]

Did you catch when Spike said, "blood makes you hard?" Always the horn dog! 😊

[@Girl4Music]

There’s some clever poetic innuendos subtext with that in Season 7 too.

[@FourTilSunday]

You pretty much said it yourself, but that's the problem with watching this episode as a newer viewer. You know there is still two seasons after this, so you know it can't be the end for Buffy. This episode had a much bigger impact on those of us who watched this when it first aired. I didn't yet know if there would be more episodes, and this was advertised as the series finale on The WB (before it moved to its new network, UPN).

[@erickwebster1973]

This finale would have been the perfect way to end the series if you ask me, Buffy dying to save the world

[@TheRetroGuy2000]

Great reaction to the end of Season 5, my favorite BTVS season. I feel like the show peaked during Season 5, although I'm also partial to Seasons 2, 3, and 7.

[@DegrassiInstantStar]

YEP! This happened! Imagine watching this, billed as a series finale, and not knowing if it was coming back. So sad. I still bawl at Buffy's final speech, too! And that flashback, revealing that all of this season was completely telling us what was going to happen, was BRILLIANT!!!

[@tiye65]

Can't wait for you to see season 6...especially the final episodes. Though 5 was my favorite season, you may find season 6 might make your best final 3 episodes in any season.

[@bobo1972-h7o]

Fun fact. The actor that threw Spike from the top of the tower is Joel Grey. He is best known for the movie Cabaret and is the father of Jennifer Grey who played Baby in Dirty Dancing and Ferris Buellers sister Jeannie in Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

[@canadianicedragon2412]

Yeah, just because you want her to live... means nothing. At least for you the "next season" is when you choose to watch. We needed to wait months... to find out what comes next. There is no words. Loved watching your journey this far... we'll see how you feel in the next.

[@tunderdiamant8651]

yeah saddly this episode definitely loses some effect when you know there's still more seasons after that ^^' Also it may seem fucked up but thank god Giles is here to do the right thing.. I mean yeah ok killing innocents is bad but OF COURSE glory would have come back for them ? i mean at this point she would've had nothing to lose anymore she just would have killed everyone they love lol letting her live was pretty dumb on buffy

[@danwiesdamageinc]

Welcome to the original series finality. 7:14 The metaphor is: Dawn is Buffy without Slayer powers/responsibility and Glory is Buffy without human weakness/humanity. The 3rd episode gave us a hint about this. The overall theme of the series (up to this point) is growing up and becoming an adult. In S5, Buffy becomes a responsible parent willing to give up the life she knows for her child .

[@Buffy8Fan]

SPOILERS Every single season (baring S2 of BtVS and AtS) could have been a series final if need be. This one was never the original finale ending just the fifth possible finale if the series got cancelled. And as all seasons before it didn't get cancelled. The distributing rights changed from The WB to UPN, which caused confusion.

[@sebastianwittmeier1274]

​@@Buffy8FanReally, even Restless?

[@Henrik_Holst]

@@sebastianwittmeier1274 no because it isn't 100% true. The single season where they didn't know if they would be picked up again and feared to be cancelled was S1 so they wrote S1 as being a complete season with no cliffhangers and with a proper ending, then they seem to just have kept on doing it season by season to keep the artistic style of S1. It's easy to see if one compares with Angel which was produced by basically the same team, there they did use cliffhangers and that show was always renewed extremely late (and trying to force a renewal earlier was what made FOX cancel Angel in S5).

[@Buffy8Fan]

@@sebastianwittmeier1274 Why not _Restless?_ The fact that there was a S5 doesn't mean the plots from 1-4 weren't all wrapped up and _Restless_ didn't start anything new (that's different from foreshadowing) or leave anything major open as a cliffhanger.

[@Buffy8Fan]

​@@Henrik_Holst Style or not doesn't take away from the point. It only adds to it. And the creative team has gone on record saying they were afraid of getting cancelled with both series regularly so didn't want to take chances. And Joss has a quote specifically stating this episode was never intended to be the series finale, but could be if need be, which was my original point. And that he was more worried here during negotiations over distrubution.

[@othergrimm6592]

Anya was SUPPOSED to die during this episode, but Emma kept moving when she was being carried, so they just said 'screw it, she can live'. xD

[@Girl4Music]

I swear more actors should do this to avoid being killed off. Smart woman.

[@Trikeboy2]

They wrote this to be the end of Buffy since it was leaving Fox and they didn't know if it would be picked up by another broadcaster. So, just in case it was the end, they made a cliffhanger that would also be a satisfying final episode.

[@stevendavis9655]

It actually aired on The WB and not Fox for seasons 1-5 before migrating over to UPN for the final two seasons.

[@Trikeboy2]

@@stevendavis9655I knew that. No idea why I said Fox.

[@colleenmarin8907]

You said Fox because they are notorious for cancelling good, popular shows

[@stevendavis9655]

@@colleenmarin8907 That is no lie.

[@killermery]

You are spoiling us with this back to back reactions 😊 Thank you 🙏

[@bugsby4663]

I remember watching this at the time and the future of the show was unsure as it was moving networks. The ending was devastating. Seeing Spike totally broken is so upsetting.

[@Andrew04291]

Giles made sure his glasses were clean, and put them on, before killing Ben. He needed to see the awful thing he was doing to keep Buffy safe, so she can keep us safe.

[@Girl4Music]

Also it’s a way of saying that GILES did that. Not Ripper. Giles the Watcher.

[@alicequinn505]

They're the same person

[@Girl4Music]

@@alicequinn505 precisely

[@dragonfly.effect]

Wait ... are we suggesting that there may be some sort of connection between Giles and Ripper !??

[@alicequinn505]

@@dragonfly.effect You win the comments for today.

[@katiewhite190]

This is the first episode of Buffy I watched since I tried and didn't like the pilot (was a huge fan of the movie). My friend was over and was a fan and she had to watch the finale so we did. It hooked me and I caught up through syndication on FX that summer. Got my dad hooked too and our local UPN station didn't air season 7 so my dad illegally downloaded it until I transfered college in January and was able to record it on my VCR in another town.

[@Hortonfantastic4]

Man I remember that summer of FX syndication. I watched mine in the morning before work. Made me a Buffy fan. I went back and rented all the seasons from DVD Netflix. Then when season 6 came out it was both great and awful having to wait for a week in between

[@davidgorman994]

I still love this episode. It's got lots of great moments, especially from SMG and Tony Head. I always hated how the Troll hammer got an upgrade to damage Glory though. Suddenly it's a hammer of a God?

[@antoniolamounier]

I actually like this retcon. Not the troll being called a god, but the hammer being more powerful. Its damage potential was way too limited in "Triangle." Also, I think Willow taking Tara's sanity back from Glory, the Dagon Sphere, and Ben's slow merge with Glory are what weaken her and allow Buffy's blows to land an impact.

[@davidgorman994]

@@antoniolamounier I'll allow the hammer retcon only if it killed Xander when he was hit by it

[@uncommon_niagara1581]

It was written as a series finale.

[@paulinerobertson6836]

People keep commenting this but.....Joss Whedon: "We've had next season planned out for a long time - before we even knew we were changing networks"

[@Girl4Music]

All seasons were written as a series finale.

[@Girl4Music]

@@paulinerobertson6836yep… getting kind of sick of seeing it now. I won’t lie.

[@tuxdude1]

She is very, very dead. What a great episode.

[@paulonius42]

Nah, she dead. 😢

[@andys8483]

"She's not dead!" Camera zooms in on Buff's gravestone.

[@diyah4580]

Buffy was canceled in season 5. They were picked up by a different studio for 2 years.

[@runshouse]

Season 6 is my personal favorite season.

[@xyex]

Oh, no, Buffy is 100% dead. This was the WB series finale. For those of use who didn't have UPN back then, this was the end of Buffy.

[@psionicdreams]

My favourite season of Buffy. So far... ;) You know, when this show, this episode was first shown here in the UK on the bbc, (bbc 2 at 6:45pm Thursdays), the trailer they put up for this episode was fairly short, and included a nice, long, lingering shot of the tombstone that we see at the end there. Talk about spoilers... 🙄 It... annoyed me and some of my fellow fans. What would you think if that was the trailer you got for this finale episode? Anyone.

[@ernesthakey3396]

You really have to wonder what they were thinking with trailers like that. Like, wtf? It's like being halfway through reading a mystery novel and then skipping to the last chapter..?

[@lyssalovesit]

I dont trust anyone who has gone through this whole show and doesn't at least shed a one drop thug tear at the end of this episode lol 🤣

[@ernesthakey3396]

Some people cry; some people deny. I actually like the variety...

[@lyssalovesit]

Even if you know shes not dead its still super emotional. I know everyone is different though this was mostly just a joke 💜@@ernesthakey3396

[@Wannabe_Baby]

"She's not f*ckin' dead ... 'kay?!" I love how you said that. Like a moody teenager.

[@Logan_Baron]

For the other seasons they're just going to bring in another Slayer who JUST HAPPENS to also be named Buffy.

[@dragonfly.effect]

or maybe Buffy the Slayerbot ??

[@ichigoxrukia02]

She IS dead. Period. Now, is she going to STAY dead? That's the question.

[@Girl4Music]

You can’t ever be sure in a supernatural drama. It’s part of the reason why I like them so much. Life and death actually means something in them because there’s more to it than that.

[@bidonbidon7463]

In fact, blood and life is a biblical thing, Leviticus 10-11 : "[...] I will set My face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement."

[@kingbrutusxxvi]

What if Buffy is a zombie in the last two seasons? "Buffy the Zombie Vampire Brain-eating Slayer" 💀🧠

[@Girl4Music]

Zombies don’t really eat your brains. Unless instructed to by their zombie masters. Everyone knows that.

[@ernesthakey3396]

​@@Girl4MusicLOL - Depends on the franchise! Some eat flesh. Some don't eat. And some eat brains...brainssss...wait, where was I? Oh yeah, I need to get iZombie on DVD...

[@Girl4Music]

@@ernesthakey3396 Anya says it.

[@ernesthakey3396]

@@Girl4Music Over 1000 years of experience in the field, she would know! (I forgot that part...)

[@dragonfly.effect]

I can't take credit for this observation, but I saw it on another comment board a while back, and thought it worth sharing. In "Restless", amongst all the other hints & eastereggs, there's the scene where Willow is back in school and (fearfully) has to read a book report in front of the class. The book is the children's classic, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Comes to pass, the Slayer, with her golden mane, is the Lion; Glory (natch) is the Witch; and the inter-reality portal is the wardrobe. And in the book, the Lion did perform an act of self-sacrifice to save a younger sibling. If you know the story, it's obvious in retrospect; but anyone who picked up on that bit of foreshadowing at the start must have had a keen focus, plus a preternatural sense of collective dream interpretation. ("Collective" both among the characters and the amazing writing staff.) Now where are those cheese slices?

[@williambowman2326]

Agree, this is a great episode and a fantastic season ending story. Your reactions are consistently entertaining and fun. Season 5 works for many reasons, but one facet is how this story had been planned for years. Starting in Episode 22 of Season 3 and off and on over the next 2 years, the final story was being told, we just were not aware of it at the time. If you can, go back and rewatch "Restless" again. You will see many things now that make sense and it will prepare you for Season 6. Restless did not just foreshadow Season 5 but also Season 6. For many fans, the 5th year is their favorite. The Sixth year will have more highs and lows than any other BTVS. Get ready for a ride like no other in television history.

[@CraigBradshaw]

I know that it's a commentary/reaction, but it should be a punishable offence to talk over the amazing score of "The Gift". 🤣 It's also worth noting that Season 5 was supposed to be the final season. There was a nod that Season 6 would get picked up by another Network but that wasn't finalised when the script was written.

[@Girl4Music]

If I did a TOP 20 favourite ‘BtVS’ episodes,… a good majority of them would be from Season 5. It has a lot of bangers. ‘The Body’, ‘The Replacement’ ‘Blood Ties’, ‘Real Me’, ‘No Place Like Home’, ‘Buffy vs. Dracula’, ‘Family’, ‘Fool For Love’ ‘Checkpoint’, ‘Crush’, ‘Tough Love’ ‘Spiral’, ‘The Weight Of The World’, ‘The Gift’. These are all fantastic episodes! I also love the overall arc/plot. I love the character representation and development of both new characters and the ones we know already. The Scooby Gang is at their absolute strongest. I love the directing and writing and acting. I love that everything that happens in it is completely consistent and cohesive. Well put together in a neat little bow with its main themes and storylines. I don’t think I have a single negative thing to say about Season 5. And that’s saying a lot because I critique the fuck out of my favourite TV shows. You don’t even know. I go HARD when it comes to art/entertainment in general. And then there’s Glory… talk about a BIG BAD! Clare Kramer as Glory is excellent! I noticed she had some red heeled shoes to go with that red dress so I immediately thought of The Wizard Of Oz. She’s basically an Evil Dorothy. A very interesting character. I'll admit I've been a bit flippant with Glory. Not really showing her the respect she deserves over the years. But that's only because I personally do not like Big Bads just to be Big Bads. Villains being evil just to be evil bore me for the most part. But Glory has a tragic traumatic story driving her motivations and as soon as I realized that it made me think twice about her. I mean don't get me wrong... I think she is a wonderful villain as villains go but I NEVER thought of her as much more than that. This perspective convinced me otherwise. Season 5 is peak Buffy. The very best of ‘BtVS’. What’s more to say? I could watch it over and over and over again and never get tired of it. It’s timeless. I FUCKING LOVE SEASON 5!

[@martins1964]

back in the day, this was the last episode, Buffy was dead with no series renewal.

[@paulinerobertson6836]

Joss Whedon: We've had next season planned out for a long time - before we even knew we were changing networks

[@metroplex7986]

Another 2 seasons? I have no idea what you're talking about. Buffy sacrificed herself to save her sister, friends, and the world. There was a body. Giles and her friends paid for the funeral, burial, and tombstone. Buffy died for us.

[@Girl4Music]

Buffy is Jesus.

[@Junejane4]

When I watch it now what's sad for me is not when she dies but when I see how Spike is crying. Because THIS is a grieving man. I am not sure what rest are doing, yes, they are sad too but what he does touches me. Oh, yeah and then they tell you that he doesn't have a soul, he can't feel and he is just a monster, nothing more. Ok. Yes, taking into account that there are 2 more seasons you might think that she is not dead.

[@Isaaaa_Belle]

Spike stans are ridiculous

[@marissamemori]

He IS a monster

[@Hortonfantastic4]

I agree. It touched me as well. Did he make mistakes. Yes. Does he regret them and strive to change, yes. I loved spike. He tried to be good without a soul. Angel was only evil when his was gone

[@Junejane4]

@@Isaaaa_Belle sorry, do you have a problem with him crying over her death? You would like to see that he doesn't care at all? And that there is nothing between them? Because you are somehow satisfied only when you can judge him? And when no one is talking about him unless it's smth bad? Is it easier for you this way? But when he is good you laugh at someone? Is this a defensive reaction? Does it annoy you that much when someone likes him? You cannot cope with this fact? You have sоme issuеs, you know that? And THIS is аctuаlly ridiculous. I just love a character. And I like to see him shine. Because he is that good. And you can only offer hate and how to laugh at someone. This is sаd and pаthеtiс and ridiculоus. And you are mistaken if you think that I cаre abоut whаt yоu lаugh аt. If you push me trying to laugh yоu'll bе slарреd. Because you started it and you are asking for it. So do me a fаvоr аnd bасk оff. I'm not interested in yоur issuеs with chаrаctеrs. End of conversation.

[@Junejane4]

​@@Hortonfantastic4 he was better without the soul than lot of other people actually. It already gives him 100 points ahead when they compare him with someone who actually has a soul. And only a blind person can't see the difference in his attitude since he fell in love with her. The only time when they tried to trash him in s6 was because this show has strict ideology and they do everything to prove it. That the world is black and white only. But it's not so in real life. Spoilers We saw that Spike always took care of those he loved, he was capable of a lot for them. He always was a 'love's bitch'. When he became a vampire the first thing he did was think about his mother, he tried to save her from death and give her immortality. And for example Angel just tricked his family and killed all of them. And later he became the most sadistic vampire in European history. And was even cursed for it. So I believe that's also why some people don't like Spike. So no, vamps are not the same. Spike was absolutely able to change for the one he loves. And it wasn’t necessary to dip him in shit for that. He was already on the way to change when they rewinded all the progress back and made him a character from 2nd season. Like nothing was there.

[@Girl4Music]

“Death is your gift.” The meaning is inconsequential to what it actually means to Buffy. "Death" - her death - it's not just a gift. It's a relief. She's realised that that line did not mean that she causes death. She IS that death. She IS 'THE GIFT'. It's a relief in many ways for her. Not just in the suicidal/self-sacrificial way, which is valid. But also in the way of she got to decide when and where and how she died, and she got to have her personal vendetta out on the Watcher's Council by doing what they would instruct her to do but doing it in such a way where it would save her sister, save her family of Scoobies, and save the whole Universe all at the same time. She basically found the non-existent cheat code for the game system of Slayerdom and had not a hint of hesitation in using it. And so to tie it all together... ironically by dying... she saved herself. She didn't have a death wish. She had a relief wish. Because "Death" WAS her relief. It's a multi-layered realisation. The realisation that she could sacrifice herself instead of Dawn. The realisation that she could save everyone and everything by giving up her life. And eventually the realisation it's what she wished for herself. It's absolutely genius writing! So long as it was her choice,… it was her gift to Dawn, to the Scooby Gang and to the Universe... But most of all to herself. She won the game by dying in it her way. I know I’m not the only one to have picked this up about the meaning of ‘The Dawn’. Just wait till Passion of the Nerd puts out his analysis on the episode. He’ll explain all of this way better than I ever could in his clever almost Alan Watts-ish way.

[@dayceem]

I think you did pretty well because I'd always looked at it in a save-other-people way, not as a gift-to-herself way. I knew she ultimately welcomed death, but didn't tie it into the double (or triple) meaning of the title, so good one.

[@Girl4Music]

@@dayceem yeah. It’s pretty profound. That’s what really good writing can do though. Make you see something in multiple perspectives and then realize how they correlate together to expand on the depth. The episode is called ‘The Gift’ because it’s a gift to everyone - including herself. And in my view - more so for herself than anyone else for fucking once. I say she’s earned the right to be selfish through selflessness.

[@mking1982098]

The CW (maybe it was still the WB at the time?) cancelled the show during this season, so this episode was done as a potential series finale. The show was saved by another network (UPN) for the next 2 seasons. It didn't miss any time on air.

[@Madbandit77]

It was the WB at the time. The CW is basically a fusion of that network and UPN, since UPN itself wasn't doing so well ratings-wise.

[@chrismanuel6659]

We have the same assassin's creed tattoo

[@alooncnej4696]

The finale is excellent but less impactful now reactors know Buffy has 7 seasons. When it was aired we didn't know if the show had more seasons so we all were very sad at Buffy's death. Even if i love the season and this finale i think it would be my favorite if it was the last season. The next season is hard to prefer when we watch it for the first time but better then and this is a strong and great season so important too.

[@Buffy8Fan]

The WB didn't renew the series for another season. To this day people assume that means it was going to be a last season. It never was. The distributing right moved to UPN and The WB couldn't legally say anything. UPN could say it was moving to them, though. So when The WB announced it was the end, many peope got confused and still remain confused.

[@weaponsofwarfare9537]

This episode was WRITTEN as a series finale. They all talked about this. They had emotional care celebration on set after filming it. The show being renewed didn't happen until last minute which pissed off Director Joss but also made him a bit excited to get away with dark and crazy stuff for season 6 before the their new Network could make rules

[@Buffy8Fan]

@@weaponsofwarfare9537 Yes. your right. In an inteview Joss stated it could be a series finale if need be as all the season finale's except S2 and AtS S3 were, but he always had plans for two more seasons. That doesn't mean he would have been allowed to do it if it got canceled, but he never intended it to be the finale. All seasons except the ones I mentioned were written to be finale's if the series didn't get renewed, though.

[@chrispipes5451]

Oh, she's dead. For real dead. Yes, there's 2 more seasons, but this is as dead as dead gets. Just gotta keep watching!

[@killianlpc]

BTW did anyone ever notice on the gravestone it gave Buffy's dates under BUFFY ANNE SUMMERS 1981-2001, However in S1 E8 called I Robot You Jane, it gave Buffy's date of Birth on the computer screen scene as 24th October 1980. Just saying this seems to be a major continuity error.

[@joshrandall4362]

When Buffy says the monks made her out of me, she means that they took a little of her"essence " for lack of a better word, to bring dawn into life. They had to anchor The Key into human life to make it human. After reading all the books and whatnot that are connected to the show it always had to be Buffy. She is The Champion, like Angel (there are so many more) that is the most human. It's always got to be Blood.

[@Girl4Music]

You’re missing the colour-contrast detail of “The Dawn” because you’re watching the HD remaster. The original 4:3 version has a blue tint in the scenes with the tower until the sun rises, then the cold blue tint is replaced with a warm red signifying Buffy’s realisation. It’s still incredibly moving without it but you don’t really get the full effect if it’s missing. Colourization and texture is incredibly important when it comes to this season. Well… really the whole show but specifically this season. You’re missing detail in watching the HD remaster - which is collectively condemned by the entire fandom. Maybe that’s alright for a first watch but when you go for a rewatch, track down the 4:3 versions of the episodes. Probably best to buy the DVD set actually because you won’t get them on streaming services.

[@ernesthakey3396]

"It's always darker before the dawn."

[@MTTamurex]

Let's go Season 6!!

[@Tom8683-r2b]

At the end of Season 5, the WB dropped Buffy. UPN picked up the show for the final two seasons. They replaced Buffy with Gilmore Girls.

[@procrastinator99]

SPADOINKLE!

[@manbearpig7359]

I do appreciate series 6 and 7 but this would have been an amazing ending

[@matthewquinn6172]

She’s dead. Like dead dead. Echoing others, season 5 was the last season on the WB, and they didn’t know if it was going to be picked up by another network. This is how they chose to go out just in case they couldn’t get picked up. The fans also didn’t know if it was going to be picked up, so for us, this was it (at the time).

[@frisc0pn0ib0i]

This episode when it aired people thought it was the series finale since the networks WB ended. People didn’t know they had two more seasons on the new network UPN. They wasn’t sure if the show would get picked up so they ended the season this way.

[@JemJam2976]

If it wasn't their ship name, it sure is now. That was a good one.

[@Girl4Music]

Xanya. I’ve heard it before.

[@trufamilybromontqc]

season 5 already done :P

[@marcopecs]

Her body is in the grave. She's dead.

[@CheGuevara-uf4pm]

While this season was airing the creators qlready knew it wasnt getting renewed for another season and were shopping around for other networks to pick it up so they decided to kill buffy off just incase it didnt get picked up that it wpuld at least have a somewhat proper ending and not a cliff hanger ending but it ended up getting picked up by upn and got 2 more season

[@Girl4Music]

So given that Dawn was created and manifested rather than conceived and born, it did occur to me - does she have a birth date? If she does, they never show it. I would assume that would also be a fake memory. I mean technically she never had a childhood before the age of 13 (I think that’s how old she’s supposed to be in Season 5) and was just… there. That’s such an interesting idea to think about though. Like if all we have is memories of our lives, can we be sure that we actually lived that experience? It would be like the Mandela Effect playing havoc in our head. We can remember stuff that never happened. We remember who we were, what we looked like, what friends and social circles we had or didn’t have. But it’s because we remember them that they feel real to us. As if we actually experienced those moments. I mean technically the only moment we have is now. The past and future are theoretical. They don’t exist. But we sense them as if they did and as if they will. So a character like Dawn Summers represents that persistent feeling we get that we lived out these experiences which led to what and who we are today. But now they’re only just memories that are in our head. And to think that this is what “identity” is. The remembering of “self” in all its different incarnations. And the more we remember of it the more real it feels. The more recollection we have of it, the more we perform it and behave as if we are a specific “self” or “I” or “ego”. Whatever you want to call it. The THAT in the “I Am that I Am” awareness of everything there is. Not to go into full existential philosophy mode, as I so often do, but I think Dawn is an overlooked character. I mean she represents one of the most compelling themes and storylines in the whole damn show. The idea that we are what and who we are because we have memory of it and that’s really it as of right now. And it’s something very interesting and odd to think about but ultimately is the truth to the way it really is. I mean I don’t believe humanity began as green balls of energy or anything like that. It is an evolutionary cycle how we came to be what and who we are today. But it’s just the idea that consciousness - which includes memory recall - is what gives us our most personal and visceral recollection of what passes by just as quick as it started. Which is faster than our brains can actually process it so has to slow it down. And that’s how we get a perceptive experience of it. Similar to the way they used to make animated films. By drawing stilled snapshots frame-by-frame and then playing them in a forward progression to give the illusion that there is movement happening on screen. Our brains do that but backwards when we recall events that happened. At least that’s what mine does. And I think what’s really interesting about Dawn’s character to emphasise on that is when Season 5 ends and Buffy takes the place of Dawn to stop all the dimensional gates to every dimension opening, that it doesn’t even matter anymore that Dawn is the Key to opening them all even though she still technically is. It also doesn’t even matter that she was created rather than born. It doesn’t even matter that her memories of her life and childhood are fake. It doesn’t even matter that she’s fundamentally not a human being. All that matters is that she and everyone around her that love and care for her FEEL like she’s one of them. And there’s my point. It’s real because it FEELS real. And nothing else matters but that feeling/sensing that anything that has happened happened. There’s no difference between whether it actually did or whether we remember that it did. Whether it was an external occurrence or whether it only occurred in our head. Not to quote J.K. Rowling but I really must given the significance of the post and the point I’m trying to get across with it in even mentioning Dawn Summers: HARRY: “Tell me one last thing. Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?” DUMBLEDORE: “Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” Experience of any kind - no matter what it is or where it occurs - is real for the individual that experiences it. For the consciousness that has direct access to it. Even if it never happened externally or practically. Experientially, it is a real lived moment in our lives because… We feel it. We sense it. We remember it. And thus, Dawn Summers is really quite a profound character in the story of ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’. It’s not her fault that they didn’t carry on with her arc and continued to show exactly why she still matters passed Season 5. Or why she, as Xander put it in the closing out scene of ‘Potential’, is extraordinary. It’s not her fault that her character representation and development was just left by the wayside because, while she was still the Key, there was no Lock to fit her into anymore. And that there was no reason to treat her as anything more or less than how we treat the rest of the characters. Just an average normal girl who every once in awhile could be little frightening because her true nature was this all-powerful energy that was neither “good” or “evil” but just… there. It doesn’t matter that she, as “Dawn”, wasn’t always there because “always” isn’t a relative term. You can’t ever know an “always” to anything. Experience doesn’t work like that. At least not for human beings. All that matters is that she FEELS like she is “Dawn” and everyone around her also FEELS that she is too. Joyce FELT like Dawn was and is her daughter. Dawn FEELS like Joyce was and is her mother and that Buffy was and is her sister. All that matters is the FEELING that their fake memories are real to them. If we really think about it - that’s all that matters for us, as human beings in the “real world”, too. And it’s really profound to have a character in any form of art/entertainment whatsoever representing that for us. And I don’t know about you guys but this is the real reason why Season 5 hits so hard for me emotionally. They presented this random ass sister from nowhere and by the end of the season made us FEEL like she had always been apart of all that we love about ‘BtVS’. So the joke “Remember when Dawn” always works on viewers that have yet to learn how she really came in and why none of that even matters in the first place. And the entire season is written so well that what was once so fucking frustrating for us is all but forgotten. Maybe not for everyone. But for the majority of fans it matters not that they never really go into the details of how and why and just continue to develop on what is. And what is … is Dawn. Buffy’s little sister and source. It’s something I often say. A personal mantra of sorts: “It’s not what it is that matters. It’s how it feels.”

[@ernesthakey3396]

Girl, that was quite an essay! 😊

[@datasafe00]

Thing is when this first aired we had no idea if it was even coming back it was the last season on the network it was ok

[@scoutpark5230]

Actually it was written that Anya was going to die at the wnd of the season and technically they didn't rewrite anything in this episode to contradict that choice. But they retconned it in season 6 Joss says a motivation for this was that Emma caufield "Kept moving" when she was being carried.