Buffy Summers and the Temple of Doom — End of Days : The Rant

Warning: Spoilerish to the amount of 10.
OH…MY…GOD. This was an almost orgasmic experience. It was one of those moments on television that you watched and just KNEW it was something special. “End of Days” was a rollercoaster ride of emotions. It hit me with comedy, drama, action – all in one shot. The way I thought every Buffy episode this season should’ve done. BUT at least we get this. Perhaps one of the greatest episodes in the show’s history. This episode was one of the greatest ever. EVER… I mean EVER. Did I mention EVER? Not only was it one of Buffy’s best, it was one of the greatest hours on television as a whole. I’m blown away.

It begs a couple questions: Why couldn’t they have done stuff like this all season long? And why wasn’t JANE ESPENSON promoted to showrunner at the start of Season 6? No offense to Marti Noxon, but Jane hasn’t let me down all season. She, along with Petrie have created a diamond in the rough. She, along with Doug and Drew Goddard have been the only beacons of hope in an otherwise depressing and disappointing season. But what a show they put on last night.

– It hit me 30 times last night. There wasn’t a single moment that wasn’t good. I keep thinking, “I’m waiting for something bad to happen…something off-character. Something that’s unnecessary”. It never happened.

– The scenes with Anya and Andrew were hillarious. And such a touching moment as Anya talks about how she feels about human beings. And it was right on the money: We’re all so very stupid. But we never quit. When something horrible happens, we never stop believing that we can fix it. And then afterwards we got a wheelchair fight. Appropriately placed to cut from the dramatic moment. It was pure BtVS.

– Faith and Buffy in the bedroom. They have this respect for each other that doesn’t want to be announced to the world. And I find that realistic after all the history. I find that true. Another tremendous scene.

– Buffy pulled the scythe from the rock, and I loved it. Great “Buffy, woman of strength” moment. It brought me back to a moment in time. “Phases” when she bent the barrel of that gun infront of the werewolf hunter. Caleb had the same reaction as he did. Another pure BtVS moment…something I will truly miss.

– Xander and Buffy in the kitchen. She finally gave him his props after all these years. Xander is her strength. He is the heart of the group. I nearly cried. A 22 year old man crying over a television show. Amazing. Xander has always been there for Buffy. He’s never received his due. He would die for Buffy. He would’ve in Season 1…and he still would 7 years later. He loves Buffy on a grander scale than ANYONE on the show. Angel, Spike…it transcends that. If you only look back you’ll see what I mean.

– Dawn and Xander. The chloroform and the taser. Great scenes. And I don’t blame Dawn at all. She wants to be there with her sister. She wants to be able to chose whether or not she will fight. It’s that whole free will theme again. And I loved Dawn last night. She’s turned into a woman. She’s no longer this whiny selfish brat. She’s grown up, and we’ve sat back and watched it progress the last 3 seasons. What a change.

– Spike and Buffy. Well, I loved it. I love the change in attitude. I’m not a Spuffy fan (obviously), but there’s this love/innocence about them now that should’ve been more apparent last season, or I may be a Spuffy fan by now. That’s the “darkness/hardcore sex” problem with Season 6 shining through again. If it could’ve been something different, you may have seen me on the bandwagon. But I loved this scene. It felt different. It felt…shocker here….HEALTHY.

– The Temple of doom. The “history of the slayer” is so intriguing. See, when Buffy came back from the dead last year, we should’ve gotten more into the mythology of the show, instead of all the dumpster sex and hating your friends stuff. We should’ve had more of this.

– Caleb killed the guardian, and it was SICKENING. I still say he’s one of the best villians…. or was. Bye Caleb.

– Angel’s return was great. And the plot calls for the kiss. Buffy can’t simply fall into Spike’s arms. The history is too rough and cloudy. But she can fall into Angel’s, because it’s easier, it’s simple, it makes more sense. Like she said in “Selfless”, she’s loved Angel more than anyone on this earth. She can fall into his arms without the baggage. And now what will Spike do? It’s getting REAL, REAL interesting.

Final Verdict: This was a moment on television where you think to yourself, “I’ll never be this satisfied again.” That may not be true. Let’s wait a week and maybe we’ll be satisfied just the same. After several HORRIBLE and EXTREMELY WEAK episodes, THIS WAS BTVS. This was pure Buffy at it’s core. Jane Espenson and Doug Petrie should be applauded as two of the best Buffy writers ever. Joss, Jane and Doug. The trio of greatness. And by the way, this one will go into my top 10 easily…maybe even Top 5. Maybe even Top 3. It was that good.

Rating: 4 STAKES (PERFECTION)

Rant Over.

– Mac