So, um, two of Giles' sources being dead--a little casual with the necromancy, aren't you, dude? You always summon up the shades of the dead when you need to look up something?

If the fate of the world matters, yes...

Wood needs smacked hard--after he heals--for scaring Faith like that.

I don't think that was intentional.

just a little more thinking.

I like the end. not flawless, but it was the end. Lots of stories to tell -- but if they are never told - it was the end.

did that make any sense?

I'm really very satisfied with the ending, feel like it was as it should be. Imagining the heroes in endless possibilities, a new road laid out before them, starting anew. Loose ends left loose, the core still together. I'm very cool with that. It was a good choice.

What did you think overall, Allyson?

I half expected Buffy to say "Let's go to Cleveland."

Perhaps I'm too practical, because I am wondering, What the hell are they going to do now? No jobs, no homes--they killed the house! I knew they were going to kill the house!--no money ... Unless Giles knows the secret Swiss bank account numbers for the Watchers Council and the other no-longer-Potentials decide to go home. Maybe Kennedy can take Willow home to meet the folks.

So glad White!Willow was a transitory effect.

Oh! So i was talking to Polgara, and I have chosen to believe that the Eye of Botox' reason for the first, an upset in the balance, was that Buffy crossed too far into the darkside. When she looked at the dark side of herself in the face and said that she wanted the First out of her face, she pushed out the darkness from within, and became Hero again, pure, without darkness, for just a bit. Enough to bring back some balance, again.

And I'm sticking with the smarmy fanwank, so don't nary a one of ya try to talk me out of it, ya bastards.

Hmm...that's a pretty nice fanwank. I'll take it.

I was really proud of Buffy tonight. She realized that not knowing who she wants to be with romantically isn't the end of the world and she isn't some failure for not knowing what she wants. It's a very common feeling for most of us and I was happy to see her acknowledge that it is normal and, really, even ok. And at the end I saw a woman who wanted to live. Finally, I felt like Buffy wanted to live again. I'm pretty pleased.

I quite liked Angel's last few lines being while he's in complete darkness, walking away.

What did you think overall, Allyson?

Hm. Just, satisfied, i guess. I went into this episode expecting the absolute worst, so that anything better would be a surprise. I was thrilled that Sunnydale imploded, disappointed that Kennedy had any lines. Thrilled that Food was so endearingly funny, disappointed in Xander's reaction to Anya's death.

Party in eye socket was the first bit of The Real Xander I had seen in many moons, and adored the brief holding of hands in the hallway. Spoke volumes. Show!Don'tTell moment if there ever was one.

I'll have to rewatch and see what's doing.

Ooh! I just thought of something!

Last year, Willow tried to end the world and Spike betrayed Buffy. This year, while everyone worked together, it was (IMO) Willow's magic and Spike's sacrifice that played the biggest part in their victory. So the world is saved by the courage of the flawed and forgiven. I like.