Really, I rather liked it. I think the band of slayers idea was a great concept for Joss for future shows and to finish up Buffy. I liked that Angel was brought back in to remind us that their love affair marks all their future relationships. That was really the point of having him there, and as a final nod to the fans I think. I liked the way they had Spike die, and I liked that he acknowledged that Buffy had never loved him. On that score I noticed this interesting piece on UPI in which James Masters gives his opinion on the whole Buffy/Spike dynamic.
There was humour in the last couple of episodes that had been terribly missing in the whole series. Series seven has by far been the weakest of the lot - and that seems to be the law of diminishing returns that you can see in almost every TV show. I personally think the show peaked at Season 3, but there were always great episodes in ever following season - except this last one. I think the last couple of episodes will be my favourite from this season.
It was grand to see Buffy smiling at the end of the episode, looking forward to life where she's one of many slayers, and the major pressure is off.
I certainly can see movies in the future...
And of course, Josh has created some interesting issues here. There may be no more Buffy the TV series, but he still has Angel, and you can be sure that September next year he'll have a spin-off show of some variety. If every girl with the Slayer ability is automatically a Slayer, from birth, that's going to mean that there are a lot of girls causing problems in the world, and no watchers to keep them in check. There is more likelihood for them to go "bad" like Faith. You could end up with some kind of good sisterhood battling it out with the bad sisterhood. In this regard you are heading more into superhero territory. Certainly, it's fertile ground for stories...
The one thing about them is that Slayers lead, they don't follow, so a group of them is unlikely to stay together for long.
And of course, I think about this stuff way too much. 
Overall I feel rather nostalgic about the show. It seems strange to contemplate not having Buffy next season. It's rather like an old pal who's changed over the years, but who you're still fond of because you remember those great times together that won't be forgotten. I don't think I've ever watched any TV series for as long as I have watched Buffy. So, it wasn't such a bad feat for Josh, and his talented cast and crew, to pull off. |
