My fav seasons: 2, 1, 3, 6, 7, 5, 4.

S2 was a great test of the Slayer, especially because she committed two terrible errors at critical points -- the first, of commission (sex with Angel) and the second of omission (refusing to kill Angelus when she had the chance in the mall).

Plus, as Whedon had more episodes to expand on, the Scoobies solidified themselves as a unit. S1 was too short for the kind of interactions we saw in S2.

As I am big into the themes of redemption, S2 was about first the folly, then the redemption of the Slayer. The act of contrition was sending Angel to the hell dimension.

Oh, one other thing I was going to ask. At exactly 8:30 EST Tuesday night, halfway through the finale -- Buffy and Spike come face to face, from a distance and then there's a quick fadeout. What do you guys think happened "off-camera?"

The name of the girl playing the potential Slayer at bat is "Demetra Raven" in the credits.

Google search for her

And I feel like I always do whenever I see or read a really good story with a Final Epic Battle--just a teensy bit disappointed I don't live in a world where you can hand me a sword and point me toward the evil, but at the same time kinda reinspired for what I believe to be my own calling, such as it is. Like I want to tell the best stories I can, and love my husband with my whole heart, and be the best friend I know how to be, and make my voice heard on issues that matter to me, because that's my fight to make the world a better place, and to be who I was meant to be. My power may be small, but it's still a better world if I use it, than if I let it waste because it's not big enough to fix everything I see broken.

Susan, will you marry me?

Whoever it was who said women in America are whitefonted today, it's nauseating and true and the more we can kick out the fucking jams, the better I'm going to like it.

Deb, will you marry me?

The moment where Anya steeled herself was much like where Merry and Pippin leapt out to distract the Uruk Hai from Frodo -- it made me tear up because they're not supposed to fight, dammit! But they do get it, now, something bigger than self-preservation -- world preservation, and even though they're the least well equipped, pitifully so, they do it.

Because you can be a hero without the power.

The "stupid" thing Anya did? Was go against her every self-description, and fight for people she didn't even love. For people she didn't even know. Yeah, by her books, it was stupid. A marvellous stupid thing.

ita, will you quit making me cry?

Yeah, I got nothin' to add, just that I'm loving this conversation. Thanks, Buffistas, for making a great show even better for me.

Let dead stay dead and evil stay evil for once.

So now Joss is listing Days of our Lives among his influences?

My power may be small, but it's still a better world if I use it, than if I let it waste because it's not big enough to fix everything I see broken.

There's a song, called Seven Sisters (hi Ple) which includes the line "We cannot do great things, but only small things with great love". I like that song. (And, for that matter, Jewel's Hands.)

Maybe Spike will rematerialize in a pile of footwear in a destroyed Sunnydale shoe store.

Heck, there could be whole sections of intact street and buildings down there under all that, and subterranean creatures will move in and tell great tales of how it all came to be.

Cindy, your tagline ("Close your eyes.") reminded me of something. At the end of S2, doesn't Buffy tell Angel to do exactly that before she skewers him and sends him on his way to Hell?

Darla tells Angel that, just before she sires him; then Buffy tells him that, just before she sends him to Acathla-Hell. It's the bookend line for Becoming. I must have watched Becoming 10 times, before it registered with me that Darla said it, too. It's also the title of Chris Beck's Buffy/Angel love theme - you know the one that's earwormed me? (At least - mercifully - it's lyricless). In general, I'm all for closing my eyes when something big and painful is coming my way. Too bad Xander didn't follow my philosophy. sniff

Heck, there could be whole sections of intact street and buildings down there under all that, and subterranean creatures will move in and tell great tales of how it all came to be.

Having a September 11 moment. I'm remembering the NY Times story about going down the escalators near the Borders at 5 WTC and walking through the underground mall area several days after the towers fell. I used to walk that exact path on my commute home.

So now Joss is listing Days of our Lives among his influences?

Actually he talked about his former GH obsession in one interview I recently read.

edited some stuff because ignorance is bliss

Actually he talked about his former GH obsession in one interview I recently read.

I bet he was a fan of Blackie and Lou.