But the FE was being Warren with Andrew at the same time it was being Cassie with Willow, wasn't it?

Curse you, Holli. I forgot.

Another reason to say that was Joyce, and that her warning was about Buffy having Xander kidnap her out of town (etc.).

Dawn ended up saving Xander's life in the final battle. The last we see of the in the school (that I can remember) - Xander's just killed an ubervamp, and then is surprised by either another uber or a Harbinger. We see Dawn draw her sword. Later, we see they've made it through.

These threads like ?Joyce?, and the eye of botox (what they hell is it really called, again?), etc., were interesting and then were followed up on in such a way that we can't even tell if they were, or if we're wanking. I am saddened with that sort of execution, except it helps me be glad the show is over. I was still terribly pleased with the finale. It's what I've wanted since forever, and I felt I was promised it at the end of Lessons, when Buffy/First!Buffy both told us it was, "all about the power."

I feel way less sad than I expected to, before the finale ended. I expected to be depressed that the show is over. Instead, I feel like I do when I've finished a good book. Satisfied, and done.

I vote for Real!Joyce with the cryptic ghostly easily misunderstood anxiety provoking warnings.

Scripty goodness from Joss indicates (though does not prove) that Anya did save Andrew's hash. To wit:

INT. SUNNYDALE HIGH SCHOOL - LOUNGE - DAY
Giles and Wood look at each other -- they can hear them. Giles has a hand rolled cigarette. He offers it to Wood, who declines, blowing out a little smoke as Giles stamps out the cigarette. They hoist their swords.

A few of them come at Anya -- who's pretty damn good with a sword -- and Andrew, who's Jerry Lewis with a sword, but somehow managing to keep them at bay...

INT. SUNNYDALE HIGH SCHOOL - NORTH HALL - DAY
Wood, being pushed back with Giles, sees three Bringers approaching them from behind, hurls a knife into one of their throats with perfect precision.

The Bringers descend on Andrew and Anya, driving them apart -- Andrew toward the north hall, Anya down the adjacent hall that leads outside. Andrew goes down holding his sword out pathetically, a Bringer leaping onto him with a knife.
Anya slashes one - drops it, and another comes from the side, she turns and is gutted, the Bringer stabbing her repeatedly as she drops, dead.

**** As shot, Anya takes out two ubervamps by herself while Andrew is beaten into a corner. Then Anya is stabbed by a...bronger and goes down. Andrew seems to more or less had a...bronger fall onto his sword and survived by sheer capricious redemptive luck.

Even the Brongers had no mystical powers

Glad I wasn't the only one who read the type as Bongers.

In unrelated news, I'm listening to Shriekback right now, AIFG!

t /natter

Oh, you people -- the date/timestamp in CwDP was clearly a shout-out to it being my birthday. Duh!

See, I like Jess's reason.

Because it really sort of distracted me that it was shown (and date stamped) on my dad's birthday. (He died last June.) I found it rather hard to concentrate on it at the time.

Ouch. The scripted death of Anya sounds much more painful to watch.

I'm going with the Jess explanation of the date/timestamp.

More scripty fun.

I liked both how Joss wrote it and ED played it to perfection:

WOOD
Please. I'm much prettier than you.

Faith starts in open-mouthed, victorian shock -- she actually puts a hand to her breast.

a deleted scene, which - if we'd had more of these - might've given a bit more cool, proto-goth girl, morbid little Lilo quality to Dawn over the course of the season...

A messload of Potentials are in the room, some with sleeping bags, some just hanging, all more or less sitting at the feet or Dawn, who sits on her bed, in mid-tale.

DAWN
And the Master grabbed Buffy from behind and bit her, she tried to move but he was too strong, he fed on her blood and he tossed her in the water, cackling insanely as the bubbles rose around her and she slowly drowned to death.
VI
(upset)
Do you have any other stories?

Did Faith's last line here get cut?

FAITH
You're first, B.
Buffy takes the knife, cuts her hand, lets it drip onto the Seal. Faith takes the knife --
FAITH (cont'd)
Pucker up, ladies. We're going to Hell.

I like this bit because (a) it's easy to say "dead cool" but harder to portray it, and the Vi-actress did. Plus, in the scene description Joss is obviously falling in love with his own battle scene.

VI
(dead cool)
These guys are dust.

And the first wave hits, the vamps cresting the edge en masse, swarming over the girls -- Sorry. "Slayers". Who take the horde and beat it back, every single one of them slicing, kicking, twirling, punching, slaying like they've been doing it all their lives. They are taking out a bunch (Spike keeping his end up just fine, thank you), holding off others -- but the vamps keep coming, endlessly. It's brutal and dark and sweaty and bloody and I love it. I love it.

Heh...

BUFFY
(weakly)
Hold the line...
And she holds out her scythe to Faith. A moment, and Faith takes it. Stabs the guy behind her without looking at him. And then goes apeshit on the fuckers.