Re-watched. Cried with big gulpy sobs when we saw all the Slayers around the world getting the big whammy of power.

And the look on that baseball!girl's face? She KNEW she was going to POUND that ball.

I didn't realize until this viewing what it was that happened with Spike and the Big Gay Amulet. (Sorry, but it was sooooo queeny.) That initial blast of power shot through the top of the Hellmouth cavern, and through the roof of the school building. Spike was, essentially, and aided by mystical mojo shit, channelling sunlight. Which dusted the vamps. WAY cool.

He also said exactly (though not verbatim) what Buffy said before she jumped in The Gift -- "I gotta do this." (Buffy: "This is the work I was meant to do.")

So, I take back my displeasure at Spike saving the world. After all, I didn't bitch when Xander saved the world.

Oh, I love the cookie dough speech. Which may just be My Issues. But it does go so nicely with the Girl Power theme of the episode, too. Slayers don't *need* boys; they just need an axe.

I'm listening to RANDY NEWMAN'S FAUST right now AIFG! I would kvell to hear ASH as the Lord and JM as Lucifer perform "Relax, Enjoy Yourself". t /hijack

Who else would love to see the meeting of Kennedy and Oz? Hey, does Oz even know about poor Tara's death? I can imagine him looking at Wil, looking at Kennedy, looking at Wil, and arching an eyebrow until Xander (the only one with tact) pulls him quietly aside and explains. I'd love to see Wil stammer to Kennedy that no, she's not a LUG, Oz was her first and only boyfriend, and it doesn't mean that I don't love you and I didn't love Tara, gay now, really sweetie...etc., etc.

And the look on that baseball!girl's face? She KNEW she was going to POUND that ball.

...or that it would be okay if she didn't.

I liked (?) the one being abused. She didn't need to hit back. She just needed to stop that fist.

That's the whole mistress of their own fate gift, that the slayersplit gave them.

edited to add... and don't think I didn't wonder how to work the phrase "sacredpreschoolbussex" into this post :)

OK - really going back to being a mostly lurker after this - but I just remembered wanting to tell all the frustrated with Giles this season folks my sad three-season long waiting for Giles' whole story - story.

I always forget the name of this episode - S3 - Beauty and the Beasts - after Buffy first sees that Angel is back - from the moment in the library on the stairs where she asks Giles if he thought someone could return from hell and if they could be helped if they did - I thought - really and truly - from that moment until Grave and the borrowed magicks - that Giles had been to and returned from hell and AT SOMEPOINT we were going to find out all about it. And it was going to be great.

Don't ask me now why I was so sure, season after season. It was the way ASH portrayed it on the stairs - about what hell would have done to even the strongest person - the look in his eyes convinced me for three seasons that he knew intimately of what he spoke.

So - my Giles reading is a little off - and I stayed far away from it this season - and it was really strange because this was the first season since then that I didn't look at him and think - at least for a second - come on! why were you in Hell already??. But I did wonder - why the hell aren't you acting like Giles??

edited to get the right episode title and say - that I mean the real Hell where Angel went and not a metaphorical Hell and .... you know what I mean.

I liked (?) the one being abused. She didn't need to hit back. She just needed to stop that fist.

Oh, hell yeah. She had this perfect look of "Just TRY it again, motherfucker!"

Oh my god, I actually caught up! I didn't even skip!

I think I'm in the same camp as Nutty with the emotionally satisfying but logically confounding take on 'Chosen'. However, my theory that very good company and sufficient maragrita-age can gloss over inconsistencies held true, despite the loud bonking sound of my head against the wood post in the living room during Moments of Excessive Schmoop (it's true - the one romantic bone in my body was broken in a freak zamboni accident.) Will need to rewatch once I've recovered from the finale party completely (Anyone want some salsa? We have salsa. Lots. Also cobbler. And Tom W's hat. And a ferret with a sore paw who apparently hates being upstaged by tv drama and created his own.)

For msbelle:

Artichoke Spinach Dip rules that are not really specific enough to be a recipie for real.

• block of cream cheese/neufatchel, hopefully warm enough to mix
• several plops of mayo such that the aforementioned cream cheese/neufatchel thins out and is stirrable
• big, honkin' amounts of grated parmesan. or you could use romano. once it was gouda in a moment of desperation, although it was not as full of melty goodness that way. With cheddar it might be good on mac & cheese, but then it wouldn't be a dip anymore.
• spices of whatever variety turn you on. I go for garlic, pepper, usually some rosemary, basil & oregano. it'd probably be good (although very different) with curry powder. hmmm....I must steal into my secret lab and play with mutations...
• some chopped artichokes & spinach, hopefully very drained. Generally this means about 1 or 2 cans of artichokes & 1/2 a bag of spinach. If I'm out of either, the other increases. Or the dip gets cheesier.
• other optional bits: pine nuts, sun dried tomatos, prosciutto, bacon, random pantry thing I've been meaning to use
• stir. bake at 350F until bubbly.
• leftovers great on pasta

Thanks again to all the Somervillians (and msbelle!) for making for a wonderful finale experience!

I want TomW's hat.

I want Thessaly's dip.

I want Thessaly's dip.

Can't...restrain...urge...must...take....straightline!

Hey, Victor's not for grabs!

Thank you, I'll be here all week. Try the veal.

it's ok, victor's really a genius. also, he makes me tea. i just can't let the straight line go...it's a weakness.

Whoa! I was just going to post that.

Woohoo! Hivemind with Hecubus! It's a Buffista's dream!

See, now that to me is key. Plus he didn't actually die. *Plus* he was the one to start the whole problem in the first place! So it's more like he had to spend time in a really gnarly dentention hall.

Well, yeah - but if people are right, Spike got to go out laughing his disintegrating ass off and is now sipping cocoa with marshmallows and wheetabix with Joyce, Tara and Anya. Some detention hall! And, of course, since everybody is bi in the afterlife, there's the orgy.

Okay, I may have just squicked myself. Or turned myself on. I'm not sure which.

And from this afternoon:

Ken, we were thinking of you last night, mostly kicking ourselves for not inviting you after your delurk. Sorry about that. We have a mailling list. Instructions on how to subscribe are here.

Awww. Thanks for the thought, but given the timing of my de-lurk, I think it was just logistically, and probably psychologically, impossible on my end. Oh well, there's always the next Buffy series finale.

Oh wait a moment... gorram, rutting...

Seriously, though. Thanks for the info - I will hopefully be in touch with you'se other New Englander types soon enough.