Buffy re-enters the basement and they face each other across the room. We flash to the next shot, and it's morning, and we're looking at the school bus. The evil genius found a way to have his cake and eat it, too.

Completely concur that Joss created a space for everybody to project the fantasy of their choice. But he can also wave those jazz hands and say, "What? I didn't have Buffy fall into the arms of the guy that tried to rape her."

Yes, Hec. I think they did though, and that surprises the heck out of me.

For those of you who are doing the subtext thing, that fade to black is awfully slow.

Does that mean something? (I'm asking seriously.)

I agree-- that scene can play any way one wants it to...

As can the entire series. How else to explain that BTVS was a favorite of The Nation AND The National Review; The American Prospect AND The Weekly Standard.

We flash to the next shot, and it's morning, and we're looking at the school bus. The evil genius found a way to have his cake and eat it, too.

Ahh the sacredpreschoolbussex scene.

I like that if they did, we didn't see it. Partly because, for me, it wouldn't have added anything either way. And partly because, without the context of anyone else (or everyone else) getting their leg over it would have stuck out like a .. erm.. sore thumb.

Showing such a scene would have made it more than it should have been (had it been.)

The more I watch (or think about) the finale, the more amazed I am at how much Joss pulled together at the end. Yes, there were flaws. Yes, there were things that I wish had been explained/done differently, but I felt that "Chosen" was emotionally and thematically satisfying. Getting that kind of emotional thump at the end was worth sacrificing a few dangling plot and character threads, IMO.

For some reason, one of the things that moves me the most was how much Vi changed upon getting her Slayer power. She sold me on both mousy-in-the-background and the kick-ass Nurse!Vi take-charge attitude.

I like that if they did, we didn't see it. Partly because, for me, it wouldn't have added anything either way.

Also, it is a nice contrast to the explicit sex scenes from last scene.

The more I watch (or think about) the finale, the more amazed I am at how much Joss pulled together at the end.

Yep. So many nuances, and grace notes and callbacks and allusions and all in character and dramatically rich and emotional.

For some reason, one of the things that moves me the most was how much Vi changed upon getting her Slayer power. She sold me on both mousy-in-the-background and the kick-ass Nurse!Vi take-charge attitude.

Concur. It was genuinely thrilling. I guess we should learn the actress' name.

Wrod, sj. Also, in a way, the cuddles-only Spike and Buffy scenes are like a statement to the 'shippers that there's much more to intimacy than the sex. I felt that Buffy and Spike were closer to each other during their not-sex scenes than in anything during S6.

That said, I like to think that they went for the tender, Sarah-MacLachlan sex before cutting to the schoolbus scene.

That said, I like to think that they went for the tender, Sarah-MacLachlan sex before cutting to the schoolbus scene.

Me too.

"As can the entire series. How else to explain that BTVS was a favorite of The Nation AND The National Review; The American Prospect AND The Weekly Standard."

Everybody walks away happy, I suppose. I've been tinkering with the idea of Buffy as television's only libertarian heroine, but it requires an involved explanation and I just don't have the time to put pen to paper on that. But I'm thinking about it.