I disagree. I think it would have been selfish of him, because I think she, being Buffy, would have felt "my sort of not boyfriend died to save the world" all over again, and would have taken two guilt steps back.

And, it would have put paid to any future BuffyNAngel4Evah vibes, for those holding out hope for special appearances of SMG on AtS. Angel's broody enough as is, we don't need broody Buffy and broody Angel. Unless they plan on laying some eggs together, or something. IJS

I think she did love him in the end--the way she might love Willow, or Xander, or Giles. In any case, I don't think her feelings for him are simple. What makes the whole Spike/Buffy dynamic in the last few episodes so interesting for me is not the "Slayer and Vampire in love" thing, but the "Slayer and Vampire as friends and staunch allies."

What a change from "Becoming," when Spike only did the bare minimum to help save the world (and for dog racing and Manchester United at that).

(hey, you're bogarting the parens)

(I think she needs some stompy boots, some flirty sandals, and a wicked pair of pointy stilettos.)

(And maybe one pair of cute tennis shoes.)

Awww, Cindy. You made me all verklempt! You accomplished what Joss could not. Be proud.

Oh I did like the last shot. Buffy smiling at the possibility of the future and not being alone. I thought that moment was excellent and the perfect way to go out.

Oh, dear. I keep tearing up as I read the posts.

That was beautiful. It was exactly what it should have been. And yet -- I am mourning greatly for Anya, a character I've never much liked. Even though I was pretty sure she'd be the major character to die, I'm deeply saddened by it. Because, by God, she took out a few ubervamps before she went down.

And if I'd known it was Amanda who died (I have a small TV and I couldn't tell who it was), I would have lost it even more completely than I did. I loved Amanda! Why couldn't it have been Kennedy or Rona or even Vi (who was terrific)? Why why why did it have to be Amanda? Why?

Spike was wonderful. Giles was wonderful. Xander and Dawn and Willow were wonderful. Everyone was wonderful.

I can't possibly list all the things I loved most, but I'm pretty sure my very favorite moment was the suddenly empowered smile of the little girl playing softball. It was beautiful. And was rivaled only by Buffy's smile at the very end.

And now I'm all misty again.

I got a Very Important phone call which I'd been waiting for all day, and which I had to take, at 8:20. I couldn't tear my eyes off the screen even while I talked very serious stuff with the phoner until 8:55. I will rewatch immediately, but I wanted to come here and say, well,

I'm not sure what, yet. It still hasn't hit that this is it. THis is all. Game over.

Angel's broody enough as is, we don't need broody Buffy and broody Angel.

Oh, I want all broody, all the time on ATS! Think how funny that would be, them all trying to out-brood each other. Wes, Buffy, Angel, Fred ... and Lorne and Lilah just snarking at them. A whole opening scene of nothing but them moping in silence, and then Gunn comes in with jelly doughnuts and they perk right up!

Oh, hey how about the Mutant Enemy guy turning toward the camera, looking all uber vampy?

PB, that Trogdor link is fucking hysterical.

Anya. God did I love her tonight - she was just so Anya in all her scenes. And Xander still loves her.

But I think he should have just let her "I love you" go. Let her think he thought she meant it.

Oh no, I think his response just made the scene. Because, if nothing else was salvagable about their relationship/connection/whatever, they were past the point of lying to each other. It took Buffy a lot to get to that point on her side, and she deserved nothing less from him.

Plei, what was your Sunnydale partybus comment from earlier - damn, I will have to go look and repost (if it's unspoily).

Oh, it's in spoilers, but it's unspoily.

Ahem.

I love that Sidney Cartoning is now a verb.

That is all.