why is Spike the one to make the ultimate heroic sacrifice of the episode?

Because if Buffy did, she'd be dead. No, really. I think Spike was as close to Buffy as she could stand to lose and come out feeling positive. Because they'd achieved closure. And somehow Spike made it seem inevitable.

Yeah, it didn't fix oddjob Giles, and other stuff. But it was nice.

Why did they throw out Buffy? Because this speech was a good speech, this plan was DIFFERENT. When she said what would make it different, I cheered. Because she'd learnt.

This is *Buffy the Vampire Slayer*, so why is Spike the one to make the ultimate heroic sacrifice of the episode?

... because if you don't think that tell us just about all we need to know about our girl Buffy, then you watched a different show to me.

Buffy was the why.

The how doesn't so much matter, does it?

edited for clarity

Elena-it was a way of making visible Buffy's inner state of aloneness. It demonstrated that her allies were following her conditionally--because *they* wanted to and that they could withdraw their loyalty any time they wanted. Kicking her out was a way of dramatizing her inner state (it always comes back to her being alone). It was "showing" rather than telling. Buffy lived the metaphor as fact.

I figure that all the Slayers and the gang will be heading to LA now. Because, think about it, no cars, no clothes, no jobs, no money, no food, no books (oh, the books, the poor books), no weapons beyond what they may have taken with them. They need funding.

Why is IE refusing to allow my whitefonts? Damn it....

I read all 600andsomeodd messages, so I'm a little late.

Loved it.

I have to clean house a bit, and I think I'm going to throw in some of my DVDs to keep me company. I'm going to be in a sad state when I have all the DVDs, watching them every Tuesday at 7, trying to relive the past 7 years.

you know what is ironic? (spoiler) I was spoiled for Spike on Angel next season, so it was a complete surprise to me when he died!

the only time that I got sniffly was "the world is definitely doomed". I also questioned that the Ubervamps seemed easier to kill, but I fanwank that by saying that they weren't really ready to come up yet, so they were weaker.

LOVED the Faith/Wood scene. Shrieked with laughter.

Never been a huge fan of Anya, but her death hurt.

Still hated Kennedy. Still wanted her to die.

I'm irritated that we never got any closure about freaky Giles and Eye of Botox. I thought that Buffy was going to have to give up her power to equal the scales and weaken The First. I was wrong. But isn't the scale tipped even further to the good side now?

This is the show I missed. Every scene clever dialogue, Character interaction that makes you feel something, even if it's bleagh. I was glad to hate things because I didnt' like the characters or the idea (i.e. Kennedy and/or Spuffy), not because it was badly written.

This is the show I missed. Every scene clever dialogue, Character interaction that makes you feel something, even if it's bleagh. I was glad to hate things because I didnt' like the characters or the idea (i.e. Kennedy and/or Spuffy), not because it was badly written.

Yes. Not enough yesses to emphasise the yesness of the yes.

Can't we lay off the spoilers in the thread?

I was unclear. I know and see the emotional metaphors that each of the plotlines enacts; what I don't see is the plotlines working as plots. They seem to set up actions and they certainly set up my expectations--and then they are easily resolved, without consequences following.

And Buffy is indeed an inspiration to her friends and loved ones, she has been since the first season; but the show is predicated around her also as the hero, the one who takes the heroic action, and for two seasons the action climax has been someone else's heroic action rather than the protagonist's. And I think that's a pretty severe structural problem.