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Buffy 7.22: Chosen
It was perfect.
The final episode of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" was everything I hoped it would be. It was exciting, sad, funny, surprising, perfectly balanced, poignant, true to form, and true to the vision of the series. It completed a character's journey, it gave us resolution, it looked to the past and to the future. And best of all, it left room for more stories to tell.
"We saved the world."
"We changed the world."
True creativity requires bravery.
Brilliant ideas come from different places. Sometimes they come out of thin air. Sometimes they come out of some mysterious place inside us. Sometimes they even come from our enemies. To truly be creative, you must learn to recognize those ideas wherever you see them, no matter the source. New ideas can be scary; new ideas lack the comfy weight of precedent, any underlying support structure upon which to rest. When the air out of which you get your brilliant new idea truly is thin, you must be brave enough to nurture it yourself. You must believe in it so strongly -- whether out of confidence or out of desperation -- so strongly that despite the evidence that it's crazy or can't be done, you still think it can work. You must be comfortable being kooky.
It takes bravery to change the world.
And sometimes it also takes some good friends.
One thing that has made this TV series so wonderful is that it's had such compelling characters. Even though the storylines have dealt with apocalpyse after apocalypse, we've never lost sight of the little band of people in the middle of it all. They have been complicated and multidimensional. They've changed, they've grown, they've mourned, they've learned, they've fought, they've laughed, they've died, they've redeemed themselves. Whether they've been on the show for seven seasons or just one, they have been very much alive.
Sure, there's been mission after mission. But the person is what matters.
"We live through this, you give me the chance to surprise you."
Principal Wood, when your secret was revealed, you surprised the hell out of us. And you came through in the end; you may not have forgotten your vendetta, but you put it aside for the greater good. You've shown compassion, love and wit. And you're great with a sword.
You are the coolest principal ever.
"Why didn't I die?"
Andrew, I hope you come to terms with your life. You're not quite there yet, but you're getting there; "Storyteller" was a big step for you. Why did you want to die? Did you want to be a cool-ass martyr, heroically going down in battle like all your big heroes? Or would death in battle be an excuse to escape the sad realities of your life? I hope you come to realize that you're attractive and funny, and you've probably got talents you haven't even begun to explore. You're young; there's hope for you yet. You'll get there someday. And I hope we get to see you again.
"Anything you'd say would wind up sounding like goodbye."
Dawn, you've grown up. You're wiser now. You're no longer a little brat, the Little Bit, sitting on the sidelines, stealing trinkets to get attention. Your sister is finally showing you the world, and you're obviously more than ready to see it. You made the choice to be there for the final battle; you picked up a sword and did your part. And you kicked ass. You're fully part of the team now, and you're being the human being you were always meant to be. Go you!
"No, hell with that, we're going again, baby. You're gonna learn a little respect here, pal."
Faith. You rock. Is there even any doubt? A little headstrong, yeah, but you'll learn. If this thing on the Fox network doesn't work out, I hope you come back to the Buffyverse, because all those Slayers awakening all over the world? They're going to need a role model. They have the power -- but you, more than almost anyone else, can teach them how to use it.
"Bunnies. Floppy... hoppy... bunnies."
Oh, Anya. I'm going to miss you. You were never at a loss for words. You always said what was on your mind. You cracked me up. You overcame your fear of love, and, ultimately, your fear of bunnies. You came to realize that you loved humanity. And you died defending the littlest person.
Rest in peace, Anya.
"I ain't gettin' any older."
Angel, you've seen it all, haven't you. She's not ready for you yet -- but maybe there's still hope. Maybe the Shanshu prophecy is meant for you, and someday you'll turn human, and then the two of you can raise beautiful children together. If you look up "angst" in the dictionary, it'll say, "See Buffy and Angel." But who knows? It could happen. In the meantime, you've got a law firm to run. We'll see you in the fall.
"Now go... I want to see how it ends."
Spike.
Your story is complete.
Your transformation has been huge. You roared into town a few years back, crashing into that big Sunnydale sign. You were pure evil. You'd killed two slayers. You cared only for yourself. You had no concept of love except as something selfish and obsessive. You existed in this world only to do damage to it.
Then you met Buffy. She was the catalyst, but you were the one who chose it: you chose to regain your soul. You learned to love, selflessly. You learned about self-awareness. Ultimately you looked inside yourself, looked into your soul, and you let the sunlight in and banished the darkness. You became a champion. You performed the ultimate selfless act. And you laughed as you died, Spike, because you knew you'd finally done it; you'd finally redeemed yourself.
Spike, I truly hope you rest in peace.
(At least until you join "Angel" in the fall.)
"The Earth is definitely doomed."
Giles, from the beginning, you've been the nervous den mother of the Scoobies, and I love you for it. You've got streaks of darkness in you that have not been fully explored; but you've been a loyal friend. Everything you've done, even your mistakes, you've done because you thought it was right. You left your proteges behind because you thought they were ready to be on their own, and you were willing to have Spike killed because you thought it was best for Buffy. Despite these mistakes, your heart was always in the right place. You gave your heart to Jenny Calendar and suffered for it. But you're a talented man and a shrewd judge of character, and I love you for all your stuffiness.
What will you do from now on? Well, all those new slayers out there are going to need Watchers, and someone's got to train them. You still have a valuable role to play.
Rupert Giles, best of luck to you, my good man.
"Oh... my... goddess."
Willow! Once you were mousy little Willow Rosenberg who saw the softer side of Sears and pined after a boy. Becoming a powerful lesbian witch was probably not in your game plan. You loved Xander, and then you loved a werewolf, and then you surprised yourself and fell in love with Tara. First you were a computer whiz, and then you discovered magic. You re-ensouled Angel, you floated pencils, you miscast some spells, you became addicted, you lost your true love, and then your overwhelming power mixed with your overwhelming grief to almost destroy the world. You've had to confront some scary, uncomfortable things in your life, but you've done it. We never know what paths our lives are going to follow, and you're proof of that.
You're no longer mousy little Willow. You've blossomed into Willow the White.
"Hey, party in my eye socket and everyone's invited! ...Sometimes I shouldn't say words."
Xander, I think I'll miss you most of all. The Everyman with the big heart. You started out as the class clown and the academic failure. You spoke Latin in front of the books. You learned some military skills, you had some misadventures with scary women, you fell in love, and then you realized you weren't ready. You learned to be a carpenter. You learned that you have two halves, and that better half has shone through mightily in recent years. You've shown an eloquence we never expected. You told Buffy to profess her love to Riley; you told Dawn she was extraordinary; you saved the world with the Yellow Crayon speech. You lost an eye for the team, but your heart told you to stay and fight. You've shown us that if Everyman can do it, everyone can do it.
Xander Harris, you're not just ordinary; you're extraordinary.
"Okay. I'm cookie dough. I'm not done baking. I'm not finished becoming whatever the hell it is I'm gonna turn out to be."
Buffy.
Buffy, Buffy, Buffy.
Our hero.
This burden was thrust upon you. You didn't choose it. Sometimes you hated it. But you always did your duty, even if you had to defy your mom, your principal, and even your own heart in order to do it.
And yet... you did it your way.
Talk about creativity. To hell with the Slayer handbook, to hell with the Council of Watchers. Death was your gift, but to hell with that, twice. To hell even with the men who made up this whole Slayer gig in the first place.
And, most importantly, to hell with doing it alone.
And you were right. You won.
And now you've changed the world. A lot.
You're not The Slayer anymore. Now you're just one of a whole world
full of them.
But no. You'll never be just another Slayer. You'll always be
our Slayer.
You've been brave. You've been creative. You've been impulsive. You've been tough. You've worn great clothes. You've been quirky, quippy, snarky, loving, lustful, pompous, depressed, adorably cute. You've been a daughter and a teenager and a friend and a lover and an older sister and, finally, an adult and a leader. You've screwed up a few times, but we all do. It just means you're human.
You've done so much, made such a difference in the world so many times over. And yet you're only 22 years old. You're still baking. Your destiny is still not written; your story remains unfinished.
Thank you, Buffy. I hope you continue to be a pathbreaker.
"Grr. Arg."
And thank you, Joss Whedon. You're the real pathbreaker.
If creativity requires bravery, then you've been the bravest one of all.
You've changed my world. You've been a great example to me. I hope I can be half as creative as you are.
But, um, when you're done with that brain, can I have it?
I can't wait to see what else you've got for us.
So, that's it. After 144 episodes, after seven seasons, we're done. There will be no more new episodes of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Summer will come and go, and then it will be September again, but we will not return to Sunnydale.
It's just a sunny dale now, anyway.
Here's to Joss. Here's to Buffy. Here's to Willow, Xander, and Giles. Here's to Spike, Anya, Faith, Angel, Dawn, Cordelia, Riley, Andrew, Jonathan, and Oz. Here's to Marcie the Invisible Girl.
Here's to anyone who's ever been laughed at for being different.
Be brave. Be creative. Be who you are.
Be more than just a potential. Be kinetic.
Okay?
Now go out there, everyone, and slay your demons.
And don't forget to have fun!
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