6th season reviews

All summaries from either the Official Buffy site or TV Guide

Lessons
(Season 7 premiere)
Aired on September 24, 2002 on UPN
Written by Joss Whedon, Directed By David Solomon and Joss Whedon
Summary: Dawn starts school at the newly rebuilt Sunnydale High, while Buffy patrols the new campus on the look out for anything out of the ordinary - and for good reason. Dead people hunt Dawn and Buffy, Spike reappears, and there's a new principal at school. In England, Giles helps Willow to learn to control her power and begin to forgive herself for her actions in Sunnydale.

Welcome back to the Hellmouth! So overall I didn't think this episode was amazing or anything. I don't like this idea of Dawn the Vampire Slayer and Buffy the Mom-type. Buffy's only 21, she doesn't have to settle down yet. She should still be out having fun! It's so weird to remember she was that little 16-year-old girl from the 1st season. And now Dawn is that age. I don't like it. Lol.
I was cracking up at Carlos, the Token Hispanic Guy. I heard they were going to have a more multicultural group of friends for Dawn (the Scrappies). So when I saw him, it just seemed to pushed. Oh, well, whatever. Don't mind me. Hehe.
James Marsters was great. I miss the evil (but not so cruel), funny Spike. But I also love this new insane newly-souled Spike. James does a great job. You can see how he's like Angel was, but he's not an exact copy by any means.
I miss Tara. And I miss Willow and Anya not being with the gang anymore. Willow's leaving England next week, though. That's good. I'm guessing she'll see "Warren" sometime and get freaked out, huh?
Which brings me to the end of the episode. HOW FREAKING AWESOME WAS THAT? lol. It's soo weird to see all 6 of those villains (and Buffy) together in one episode. Too cool! I don't understand how Buffy's apart of that, though. I'm assuming it has to do with when she died.
Looks like this season is off to a good start. =)

Beneath You
Aired on October 1, 2002 on UPN
Written by Doug Petrie, Directed By Nick Marck
Summary: - There's a giant worm on the loose in Sunnydale, and Spike's back to help (or maybe it's to hinder). Willow prepares to head home from England, though reluctantly. Buffy starts her new job at Sunnydale High, Xander is having trouble getting back onto the dating scene, and Anya's back to her old vengeance game.

Awesome episode! I knew it was going to be really good and moving with a title like "Beneath You"--- like Buffy's line to Spike in "Fool For Love". James Marsters did such an awesome job. Kudos to the writers, too! LOL. (That would be an inside joke that's no one's going to get... oh well. hah.)
I'm glad Willow's coming back to Sunnydale, I miss her presence there. I'm hoping Anya stops being a meany vengeance demon, but guessing she won't anytime soon.
Spike is soo cool. Very schizophrenic, but cool. Lol. I'm not really sure what's up with him exactly. I don't think if he was really that crazy he could keep himself under control during that whole part he seemed back to normal. I'm figuring since we didn't see that shifty villains demon in this episode, it's in him. And the normal part is that demon, but sometimes the real Spike with a soul comes out. I dunno...

Same Time, Same Place
Aired on October 8, 2002 on UPN
Written by Jane Espenson, Directed by James A. Contner
Summmary: Willow arrives home, and the gang's waiting for her, but they can't seem to see each other. Meanwhile, a skin-eating demon is making the rounds in Sunnydale, and leaving victims that look quite like Warren did, leading Buffy, Dawn and Xander, and even Willow to wonder if she's connected to the killings.

Guess who's back. Back again. Willow's back, Willow's back, Willow's back... hehe, ok I'll stop. ;)
When I realized Willow and Buffy-Xander-Dawn couldn't see each other, I was so sad. I would have been more afraid and panicked than Willow was. She seemed really sad though and I felt sorry for her.
I thought it was so cute Xander wrote the sign for Willow in yellow crayon and explained it to Buffy and Dawn and they were like, "Yeah, we've heard the speech a million times already." Lol. That's so Xander.
I knew that skin-eating demon was going to be reminiscint of Warren. As if one skinless human wasn't enough for my poor eyes! Ew... I didn't watch when he was eating Willow's skin-- ugh. ::Shudders:: I'm also predicting Willow will eventually see the uber-villain-demon in Warren-form.
I'm so glad Anya's being nice again. In the episode after next, she's going to have some sort of revelation I think. Hopefully she'll go back to being a human.
And I actually liked Dawn in this episode! She didn't annoy me at all... she was actually rather enjoyable. Especially when she was paralyzed and poseable-- lol, that was funny! Anya: "Should I make her salute? That'd be cute, right?" Haha.
The end with Buffy helping Willow and giving her her strength was great. It wasn't just about giving her strength to heal her skinless tummy (ew ew), but about helping her heal her whole self and heart. I love sweet stuff like that... it makes the skin-eating demon all worth it. =)

Help
Aired October 15, 2002 on UPN
Written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner, Directed by Rick Rosenthal
Summary: Buffy starts her first week counseling students at Sunnydale High and meets a teen named Cassie, who somehow knows her own death will occur in just a few days. Buffy, along with the help of the gang, rushes to find out the circumstances of Cassie's death and how to prevent it. Willow begins to make peace and settle back into Sunnydale life.

A good episode with a good lesson. I liked Cassie, and wish she hadn't died. She would have been a good Scrappy. She seems more real than the other kids at the new high school.
Buffy's a pretty good counselor, although going to Cassie's dad's house and blatantly accusing him of beating Cassie was kinda weird. Heh... I thought Dawn was going to be right for a little while. Poor Dawnie, haha.
"She'll tell you... Someday she'll tell you," Cassie says to Spike. The obvious "she" is Buffy. But maybe it will be someone completely different. Who knows? All the B/S 'shippers out there are probably going "SEE!! SHE'S GONNA TELL HIM SHE LOVES HIM!" I don't think so, though. It could be Buffy will tell him she forgives him. That seems to easy, though. I've read someone say they think she'll say she thank him. For what, though? I mean, maybe she'll have something to thank him for in the future, but right now, there's nothing real big. Can't wait to find out what it is, though.
The lesson of the week is sometimes you just can't help. You can try as hard as you can and care as much you can, but sometimes nothing can save someone. That's a lesson I've been learning recently, too. It's a hard one to grasp. But it's true.

Selfless
Aired October 22, 2002 on UPN
Written by Drew Goddard, Directed by David Solomon
Summary: Anya's breakup with Xander has driven her to return to her vengeance-demon ways with, well, a vengeance. But that changes after she takes a humiliated coed's desire to make frat boys “feel what it's like to have [their] hearts ripped out” too literally. Horrified by the carnage she has caused, Anya struggles to wash the blood from her hands. Juxtaposed with this Macbeth-like scene is a hilarious flashback detailing Anya's transformation from medieval Swedish housewife to demon. Back in the present, Willow discovers the bodies and alerts Buffy.

This episode was so sad, but so good. The flashbacks of Anya (aka Aud...Odd... lol) in Sweden were really funny, though. She had bunnies, hah. "The troll's doing an Olaf impersonation!" "There's a troll! Take your children and bead work and run!" Lol, good stuff.
I loved how they brought back stuff from the past, with Buffy having to kill Angel. And how she says Willow told Xander to tell her to "kick his ass" and then will says "I never said that." I'd forgotten that that issue had never been resolved. It really reminds you where these people came from and makes it feel more realistic. Buffy was too gung-ho with killing Anya, though. She didn't even think about the other possibilities. Good thing Willow came back, otherwise there might be a dead Anya... or a dead Buffy (again), depending who won.
The song Anya sang that was supposed to be from the time of "Once More, With Feeling" was great. At first I was kind of confused because her hair didn't look like that in that episode, but I figured it out, hehe. It was so sad when she was in her wedding dress singing. I started tearing up. :(
Anya has always been in the shadow of someone, whether it was Olaf, D'Hoffryn, or Xander. As much as I want she and Xander to get back together, it's right for her to be alone now. She needs to find out who she is by herself.

Him
Aired November 5, 2002 on UPN
Written by Drew Z. Greenberg, Directed by Michael Gershman
Summary: "Dawn falls under the spell (literally) of a boy at school. Problems ensue when Buffy becomes a victim of the same spell and the sisters begin competing for the boy toy. It's up to Xander and Spike, who've just become roommates, to solve the mystery and save the day."

This filler episode was quite funny. It was the first purely funny episode since "Tabula Rasa" of last year (although even "Tabula Rasa" had a sad ending). Of course, we all know this means the next episode(s) are going to be really not funny. That's just the way the Jossverse works. Hehe.
It was kind of scary how realistically pathetic Dawn was acting over R.J. Some girls really do act like that. Sad, but true. I liked her line: "Oh my God, I'm the pushy queen of slut-town!"
Then when Buffy fell under the spell, it was just kind of scary. I thought it got really funny when Anya and Willow fell in love with him also. Especially Willow. "Buffy: Willow, you're a gay woman— and he isn't. Willow: This isn't about his physical presence. It's about his heart. Anya: His physical presence has a penis! Willow: I can work around it!" Haha.
It was so funny when they did the split screen and Willow tried to do a spell to make R.J. into a girl, Anya robbed a bank, and Dawn tried to kill herself. And Buffy tried to kill Principal Wood which was just soo funny to see her with a rocket launcher (or whatever it was) and Spike tackling her. Lol.
All around, a quite enjoyable episode.

Conversations with Dead People
Aired November 12, 2002 on UPN
Written by Jane Espenson and Drew Goddard, Directed by Nick Marck
Summary: "While hunting for vampires at the cemetery, Buffy runs into a former classmate-turned-vampire and ends up turning to him for therapy. Meanwhile, Willow is interrupted at the library by the recently dead Cassie (or some form of her) who claims to have a message for Willow from Tara. Dawn returns home to find Joyce attempting to reach her from beyond, but some force prevents her from doing so."

All week I was freaked out because I thought this episode was going to be really scary and disturbing. But it wasn't. In fact, it even had some funny moments. Damn trailers... lol.
Wow, so many questions. Especially about this Big Bad. I've been calling it "the shift-changing demon", but a lot of people are calling it the Big Bad (or BB for short). It's an appropriate title, I think. Now the question is: were all three "dead people" (Cassie, Joyce, the vamp Holden) forms of the Big Bad? We know Cassie was. Holden seems to me like just a coincidence... but who knows? I'm not sure about Joyce. I can't tell if she was the Big Bad trying to get Dawn and Buffy to split up, or if it was really Joyce warning Dawn.
The whole part with Holden and Buffy was good. It was great to see Buffy finally admit sometimes she feels superior to her friends. She says they can never understand what she's been through. I think that's ridiculous. Nobody can understand exactly what someone's been though. Buffy can't understand what Willow or Xander has been through either. But considering the three of them have been close best friends for almost seven years, I think they'd know her as well as anyone can. Wake up to reality, Buffy. You have to let them into your life so they can understand better.
When Holden was talking with Buffy, my mom (who watches with me) said totally seriously: "Psychologist vampires are the worst." Lol. Yes, Mom, they are.

Sleeper
Aired November 19, 2002 on UPN
Written by Jane Espenson and David Fury, Directed by Alan J. Levi
Summary: Buffy discovers that Spike is feeding off humans again, and siring vampires. She and the gang attempt to find proof of Spike's actions as Spike begins to remember what may or may not have happened. Off in England, another young girl is murdered by the cloaked figures and Giles arrives too late to help her.

As I started to write this review, I put forth the questions: "How did Spike kill those people if his chip worked on Xander? Were the people not real? Did the Big Bad kill them and then make Spike think he had?" Then I realized my last guess was correct. We see Spike burying the bodies while humming that tune. Then we see the Big Bad in Spike form humming with real Spike by him. So this shows that it's the Big Bad that hums, not Spike. Therefore, the Big Bad *did* kill and sire those people then bury them, *not* Spike. I'm so proud of myself for figuring that out! Even if it took me several days... lol. I feel relieved now that the question about Spike being insane sometimes and sane the next is finally answered.
The part with Anya "trying to seduce" Spike was quite funny. I like her last line-- "If you were soul-less Spike you would have me upside by now" or whatever. Hehe.
As for the slayers in training and watchers that keep dying, I have no idea how it ties into the Big Bad or "beneath you it devours" or anything. I just hope Giles has really quick reflexes and can duck! And then what? He'll have to fight the cloaked guy... or at least run away quickly. Poor Giles!
I hope they keep having the different seasons' villains appear as the Big Bad. I'm assuming that's what they're planning. It'll be so cool, they better do it! The Big Bad really is big and creepy. The Scoobies have never had to face anything like this. I thought Glory was about as bad as you could get-- being a god and all. But this thing is... well, it seems to be Evil with a capital E. Some people might call it the Devil. It's always one step ahead of the Scooby Gang. Tricky lil devil.

Never Leave Me
Aired November 26, 2002
Written by Drew Goddard, Directed by David Solomon
Summary: Spike is kept tied up in the Summers' house as Buffy attempts to interrogate him. Willow bumps into Andrew, now the remaining member of the Trio and drags him back to the house for his own interrogation session, run by Anya and Xander. Off in England, the Watcher's Council seems to be falling apart and no one knows where Giles is.

Great episode. Some really nice Spike/Buffy stuff going on. I'm assuming Buffy telling Spike she believed in him is what Cassie's prophetic comment "Someday she'll tell you" meant. I like it. "I love you" or "I trust you" just isn't the same. "I believe in you" is really much more powerful.
Willow, Anya, Xander, and Dawn were pretty much just comic relief. Willow's faking being bad was funny. "I am a very powerful she-witch... or witch, as would be more accurate." Anya and Xander as good cop/bad cop was cute, too... although at first I was afraid Anya was having anger management problems. And Dawn telling Principal Wood Buffy's exact words were she had things "coming out both ends" was priceless.
Speaking of Principal Wood... is he bad or good? He definitely wasn't surprised to see Jonathan's dead body. If he's good, I'm thinking he might be a Watcher. If he's bad... who knows. I think it'd be cool to have him be a Watcher. And it makes sense. He's always seemed to know more about Sunnydale's past then he's let on. He seems to know Buffy's a slayer too. Hey, maybe he could be like Buffy's back-up watcher... since Giles isn't around too much.
I feel so bad for Spike. When they were cutting him up it was so painful. Then when they had him bleed down onto the thing that was gross. Now, about the Big Bad. Some people are saying the Big Bad is the First Vampire. Although he's obviously a bad guy, I'm pretty positive the First Evil is still at work. I mean, it's the shifty thing. And those hooded people were in "Amends", where we first saw the First as Jenny Calendar. So the First Evil is bringing back the First Vampire. I thought we'd have a 2 month break like last year, but we get an episode on December 17th. Yay! See ya then.

Bring on the Night
Aired December 17, 2002 on UPN
Written by Marti Noxon and Douglas Petrie, Directed by David Grossman
Summary: "Giles returns to Sunnydale, bringing three slayers-in-training with him. Meanwhile, Buffy and the gang try to discover more about the First, but don't find much to work with. Spike remains a prisoner of the First and is tortured by the newly arrived Ubervamp, who then brings the havoc to Buffy."

Are youuu reaaady to RUMBLE??? Get ready for the smackdown! Hehe. I don't like all this fighting and torturing business. I'm ready for fun episodes that explores the characters and their relationships. That was the nice thing about the sixth season, lots of character development. Joss said this season was gonna be more like the first ones, but I don't get that feel-good feeling (or any feelings really) from these recent episodes. Ah well, on with the review.
Ohhh Giles! I really wish Giles to not be dead and for that to actually be him, but I just don't think so. That ax was so close to Giles's head before that I never did think he could survive. I mean, I had no idea they were actually gonna have him die... no idea... I thought they'd say he ducked just in time, even though in reality it'd be impossible to duck that fast. Giles isn't helping them much with the First. In fact, all he's saying is it predates written history, it's pure evil, and they don't know how to fight it. He keeps putting a lot of pressure on Buffy, too. Giles just would never act like that. It has to be the First in Giles's form. Poor Giiiiles! ::sobs:: It sort of makes sense, though, because his show (Ripper, or The Watcher, or whatever they decide to call it) is about him being a ghost hunter. So in his show he must be a ghost that hunts bad ghosts... or something. Ack!
The slayers in training were too... typical actor-ish. I just saw them as overacting snots. If that main one (Kennedy) is gonna be Willow's new girlfriend, that sucks. She's the opposite of Tara. Tara was everything good and kind. This S.I.T. may be nice enough, but she's very outgoing and doesn't have the heart Tara did. Although I can't totally blame the actresses because I think the writers did a bad job with their lines.
Why does the First care about torturing Spike so much? I mean, really, get a life, dude. I don't care to watch Spike getting tortured like every single episode. I wonder what form it'll take next (once it's done with Drusilla).
Again, still not knowing who/what Principal Wood is at all. Although, I'm leaning towards "bad" rather than "good" now. Unless Joss is just trying to fool us. I don't know... maybe he is good. It's hard to tell, but he does seem a little more evil lately.
Buffy's speech at the end was a little too-too, but it was alright. Plus it still didn't resolve anything. Yah, it's easy to say "we're gonna go out there and kick their asses!" but how are they actually going to do it? Buffy practically got killed by that Ubervamp (who probably isn't even as impossible to defeat as the First).
Also... it probably really IS impossible to kill the First. The First isn't anything solid, like the Ubervamp. It's Evil... pure evil. Evil that makes humans kill other humans, evil that makes demons, evil everything. You can't end evil. Like Joyce said, evil is a part of you. What I'm wondering is why it has decided to take forms now of all times. It came in "Amends" in season three because it wanted Angel. (If I remember correctly.) Obviously now it wants to destroy Buffy, her friends, and the world. But why now? It's had thousands of years to destroy the world, and it picks now. Why?
Hopefully our questions will be answered soon. And yes, I know we're at the "let's fight a lot to save the world" point now, but could we at least have a little fun while doing it?

Showtime
Aired January 7, 2003 on UPN
Written by David Fury, Directed by Michael Grossman
Summary: "More potential slayers arrive in Sunnydale and Buffy's house is overrun with visitors. Meanwhile, the Ubervamp becomes more of a worry for Buffy as he is still guarding the caves where Spike is kept captive, and it becomes apparent the Ubervamp will be coming after the young slayer-wannabes at the bidding of the First Evil. Anya and Giles visit an oracle of sorts who they hope will provide them with information on the First and how to defeat it."

This was a nice episode. I'm so glad Spike isn't being tortured anymore, I was so getting tired of that, lol. Ooh, which reminds me. There was a really good article/interview about James Marsters in the New York Sunday News (or w/e it's called). He said he was getting tired of being dragged of gravel, lol. But one of the most interesting things is they said his age!! James has never revealed his age before. But the article said he was forty! Yikes, he could be my dad... ::tries not to think about that:: lol
Why do *all* the slayers have to be wimps except for Kennedy? I mean, why would they be the Chosen Ones if they were so afraid? I mean, yah, it's natural to be afraid of vampires, but c'mon. Aren't they a little over the top wimpy?
The eyeball said the First was trying to destroy the world now because the Slayer was weak somehow. What I'm wondering, though, is if it really means Faith, not Buffy. Afterall, Faith is *THE* Slayer. Plus, one of the Slayers-In-Training mentioned how she'd heard there was another slayer (the writers threw that in there for a reason) and we know Faith's coming back for I think the last six episodes or something. And Faith's obviously in a weak position considering she's in jail and out-of-the-loop about the First.
It was soo nice when Buffy came at the end and saved Spike. I'm so glad she's nice to him now and believes in him. Buffy ain't a hater no more! :)

Potential
Aired January 21, 2003 on UPN
Written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner, Directed by James A. Contner
Summary: "With the First taking time to regroup since the slaying of the Ubervamp, Buffy and Spike take on the task of training all the potential slayers . The coven in England discovers another slayer-in-waiting already living in Sunnydale, and Willow attempts a locator spell to find out who the girl is before the Bringers are able to get to her. However, the spell leads the gang to a surprising conclusion."

I really liked the idea of Dawn thinking she was a potential slayer, but ending up not. I don't really think she should be a slayer. She should fight evil in her own way.
The girl who actually ended up being a potential was quite quirky. I like it. We need some less normally looking people on the show--actually, television in general. I can do a good imitation of her voice. Hehe.
Ok, the whole Buffy-n-Spike-leaving-SITs-in-cave-with-demon did not seem too smart to me. I mean, I guess they have to face that sometime by themselves, and there were lots of them, but still. Some could have died. Frankly, I'm amazed they all came out scatch-free. Also, have you noticed that we seem to be getting and losing potentials each week? Eh.
Xander's talk with Dawn was, of course, adorable and sweet. I've never thought of Dawn being like Xander because she's *not* totally "normal" like him. She was a Key. She has false memories of everything before three years ago. But as she is now, I guess she is pretty normal with no super powers.
Also, I'm really wondering what's gonna happen with Andrew. I know he's supposed to be there for comedic relief, but I don't think he's very funny most of the time. He seems like he's just the writers' inside joke. I mean, he's definitely funny sometimes, but a lot of times it's just annoying. (Like in the next episode, "The Killer in Me", when he's making jokes or w/e when they think Giles might actually the First?? OMG I was like "GILES IS DEAD!! YOU SHOULD BE CRYING U IDIOTS!" lol)
I liked this episode a lot better than the past two, which I didn't like much at all. Maybe because there was more character development, which I'm a big fan of. Also, I just thought the writing was a lot better. In "Bring on the Night" and Showtime", all the dialogue was bad. This episode was very nice though, and Xander's speech was a great ending.

The Killer in Me
Aired February 4, 2003 on UPN
Written by Drew Z. Greenberg, Directed by David Solomon
Summary: "Spike's chip is malfunctioning, prompting to Buffy to search for a way to fix it. Meanwhile, a kiss with Kennedy turns Willow into Warren, and Kennedy races to help Willow find a solution before she becomes Warren permanently. Giles takes the rest of the potentials on a quest in the desert, while Xander and the others get a call from England, which leads them to believe Giles may not be Giles."

We had three story lines going in this episode and we only saw the conclusion of one of them! Very frustrating!
The big question is what's up with Giles. The Scoobies have concluded that he's not the First, but I'm not so sure. Do we have any proof the First can't be touched? Yah, Andrew's hand went through Warren (or was it Jonathan?), but maybe the First can take any form it wants. Giles definitely is not acting like himself. He's not a ghost, because they could indeed touch him. He's not supportive or friendly or acting like himself at all, though. I don't want Giles to be dead. :(
The trouble with season 7 is you can't trust anyone. Just about anyone could have died when the cameras weren't rolling and could be the First. Like Amy. It never even occured to me she could be the First, because we'd never heard that she'd died. We still don't know how, although I'm assuming some sort of magic overdose. So I'm wondering about the military (Initiative-like) people. I mean, I guess they're probably actually living people, but you never know. I mean, as far as we know, the First can only take on one persona, but it could be the military leader. I don't know, probably not.
So... what do you think Buffy will chose for Spike?'s chip? I think she should chose to repair it, but I'm pretty sure she'll say to take it out. That's a much more dramatic decision. It'll show she trusts/believes in him. Of course, probably something will happen and he'll kill people, and all hell will break lose once again. That's the way of the BtVS world!
I thought Willow's breakthrough was well done, although I still miss Tara. Kennedy just isn't the same. But she's okay. I liked how the First (in Amy form) said letting the victim chose their own punishment is always better than anything It could come up with. I also liked how Kennedy said she understood the fairy-tale-ness of magic now, and kissed her to sort of wake her up like in Sleeping Beauty. Nice. Very nice.

First Date
Aired February 11, 2003 on UPN
Written by Jane Espenson, Directed by David Grossman
Summary: "Principal Wood asks Buffy out on a date, arousing her suspicions and peeking her curiousity, and a secret about the principal's past is revealed. Xander has a date of his own - with a strange woman he met buying rope. Anya's jealous side rears it's ugly head at the idea of Xander dating someone else. Meanwhile, the First is back in the game, this time focusing on Andrew."

Sorry, no review due to being totally behind as a result of my vacation. Let me just say I thought it was really funny, and my favorite part was when Giles said, "There isn't time for fun and games and quips about orientation." Orientation! Hah! :)

Get it Done
Aired February 18, 2003 on UPN
Written and directed by Doug Petrie
Summary: "Buffy introduces Principal Wood to the Slayer headquarters and he gives her a slayer hand-me-down in return. When the First brings about a death amongst the potentials, Buffy and friends turn to Principal Wood's gift for help. But help is not necessarily what it will bring when Buffy is sent back in time and a demon is let loose in Sunnydale in her place."

No review. Sorry.

Storyteller
Aired February 25, 2003 on UPN
Written by Jane Espenson, Directed by Marita Grabiak
Summary: "Andrew attempts to document the life and work of Buffy, Slayer of the vampires, much to the annoyance of Buffy. Meanwhile, students at Sunnydale High begin exhibiting the signs of going to school above the Hellmouth - signs Buffy has seen before, but not all at once like this. Buffy and Principal Wood discover the Seal of Danthalzar is cause and set out to find a way to stop it."

At first I thought this episode was quite weird and surreal. And it was. But it also really sticks with you. I always thought Andrew was the more shallow of the "super-villains". However, he's gotten really interesting lately. I was expecting this episode to be a portrait of the Scooby Gang. However, it was really more a portrait of Andrew himself. It was really quite moving.
Not to mention funny. I think my favorite part was Warren, Jonathan, and Andrew dressed like Greek gods in a field singing. Lol! Bizarre! I bet those three actors had so much fun doing that. I've read interviews with them and they seem like great buddies. (Adam Busch and his band is gonna be at the convention I'm going to in June. Hurrah!)
At first I was afraid Buffy was really planning on killing Andrew. Then I started thinking maybe she was doing it so he'd stop being so annoying and admit he killed his best friend-- like how Giles tricked Buffy into confessing she killed Angel while he had his soul by saying it was for a spell in season three. But no, it was his tears. Kind of a big duh fairy tale cliche if you think about it, but it worked.
Giles wasn't in the episode. I don't believe he was in the previous episode either. Do they really think we're not going to notice or we will but just pretend he's out shopping or something? I mean, Giles would definitely be there during all of that stuff. That annoys me. Unless they're doing it on purpose. (Though for what purpose, I don't know.)
Xander and Anya! nOOO! I really think they're a great couple. They need to get back together. I mean, yah they said it was over, but they didn't seem to really mean it. They're both confused and they don't want to be the one to say they love the other person. They don't want to be hurt again. They really need to let each other know the truth, though. They shouldn't try marriage for a while, but they definitely need to go out again. (That's my opinion of the day! lol)
I thought this was a really nice, funny, touching episode. It could have been written better, but it was still great.

Lies My Parents Told Me
Aired March 25, 2003 on UPN
Written by David Fury and Drew Goddard, Directed by David Fury
Summary: "Giles returns to Sunnydale with a possible solution to the trigger in Spike used by the First. Unfortunately, Spike is not overly willing to revisit his memories in order to find the trigger's origin and why it affects him so much, leaving Giles and Wood to come up with an alternative plan of their own. While Giles distracts Buffy, Wood takes on Spike and prepares to revenge the death of his mother."

This was a really interesting, rather surreal episode. I liked that we got a glimpse into Spike's past more again.
Ok, so the parents/child relationships that told lies: William (Spike) and his mother, Robin Wood and his mother, and Buffy and her father-figure Giles. I liked the whole connection between Spike and Wood. Very good.
It was so sad at the end when Buffy shut the door in Giles's face! Ahhhh.
Well, this was a very short review, but it's all I have to say about this episode.

Dirty Girls
Aired April 15, 2003 on UPN
Written by Drew Goddard, Directed by Michael Gershman
Summary: "Willow brings Faith back to Sunnydale, just in time for the arrival of Caleb, a misogynist preacher who has aligned himself with the First. Caleb sends a message to Buffy in the form of an almost dead potential slayer, claiming to have something of Buffy's, prompting her to prepare her army of girls for an attack against him to reclaim her possession."

One word: ouchmyeye.
Haha, that was someone's name on the Buffy chat room at 9:00 Tuesday night. Pretty appropriate. Anyway, before that, let's start at the beginning:
Caleb is one creepy guy. I like the whole bad-guy preacher thing. Now the writers can throw in a lot of Bible quotes, like about being dirty. I thought the title of this episode would have to do with Faith and Buffy, like in the season three ep "Bad Girls." Oh, no, no. Of course it's much more complex.
Nice to see Faith back. I really think she is one of the most interesting characters on television. Her whole struggle and redemption has been so well written and acted. Props to Eliza for making a character that could have just been a bad-ass no one sympathises with into a really deep character. The scene with Spike and her in the basement was *hott*. lol. People have suggested S/F, but I never really thought they went together. But now that they're both redeemed bad-asses, they have awesome chemistry.
The question everyone is asking: Where was Anya? I think she's gonna killed off-- what about you?
Ok, finally... Xander's eye. That was just nasty, man. My mom covered her eyes and I did partially, screaming "ewwww!!" whenever I took a peek. Just gross. Also, really sad. Poor Xander! Just when he'd figured out his power was seeing. Of course, Willow could do magic and heal it (like she healed Buffy's bullet wound last season). I don't that will happen, though. The writers will probably ignore the entire possibility that Willow could heal him, hoping we don't notice. Oh well.
Let me just say one thing: if the show doesn't end on a somewhat hopeful, content note--- Joss is gettin' his butt kicked!! I wanna see my Scoobies happy damnit!

Empty Places
Aired April 29, 2003 on UPN
Written by Drew Z. Greenberg, Directed by James A. Contner
Summary: "Buffy and the gang attempt to recover from the results of their attack on Caleb in various ways. Faith takes the potentials out for a night at the Bronze, much to the chagrin of Buffy. Giles and Willow hunt down information on Caleb that sends Spike and Andrew on a road trip to find out more about the strangely powerful preacher. And Buffy has another meeting with Caleb that leads her to want to make another attack against him, but dissension is among the ranks."

This episode had some really good moments. I liked how Willow and Xander talked and joked around like they used to. I also loved how we saw the picture of Buffy, Willow, and Xander from years ago. We saw the same picture (although a smaller version) in "Dead Man's Party" in the third season. I'm not sure if it was in any other episodes.
It's annoying that Buffy had a raspy voice the whole time. In "Dirty Girls", Faith was raspy, not it's Buffy. SMG and Eliza must be sharing colds.
Anya's whole thing about having break-up sex with Xander on the cot, everyone getting off the cot, and Andrew writing "break-up sex" on the board was hilarious! Oh, and Andrew riding on the back of Spike's motorcycle wearing the same helmet Dawn did was great, too. Andrew's cool. I hope he doesn't die... I bet he will, though.
The end discussion between everyone was so powerful. I wasn't expecting it at all. All the characters had really interesting things to say. SMG's performance was awesome as usual. I understood Giles a little more. I liked when he said, "Buffy, that's enough!" when she was bitching out Faith. Of course, in the ends, it was Dawn who made Buffy realize she really had to leave. I liked how Dawn said, "Shut... your... mouth!" to Rona.
Buffy left! I wonder when she will meet up with the Soobies again. From the previews, we know she finds Spike. (Yay! Spike loyalty wonderfulness!) Next week's ep looks good-- lotsa sex. Lol. Jk.

Touched
Aired May 6, 2003 on UPN
Written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner, Directed by David Solomon
Summary: "Faith claims leadership of the Scoobies and the potentials as Buffy wanders the now deserted Sunnydale in search of a place to stay. Spike and Andrew return from their trip to the mission with news that Caleb may indeed have something of Buffy's - most likely a weapon. Faith and the others kidnap a Bringer and based on his information, plan an attack on the Bringers arsenal. After admonishing the gang for their treatment of Buffy, Spike sets off to find her."

I thought this was a pretty good episode. It wouldn't have been very good at all if it weren't for the fabulous Buffy/Spike scene, though. But I'll get to that later.
It's good Faith took charge. Kennedy was being soo annoying (as usual). The potentials don't realize a true democracy doesn't work in fighting demons and trying to save the world from an apocalypse. Yes, they should all get a say, but they need a leader to keep them focused. I think Spike represented us (the TV audience). He was shocked that they'd even consider throwing Buffy out--especially her best friends. I think we were all shocked, too. At least to me, it didn't really seem Buffy was being THAT horrible of a leader.
The little speech Spike gave to Buffy was soo great. "You are a HELL of woman." =) Then when Buffy asked him just to hold her... I'm so glad they didn't have sex. That wouldn't have been right. This was 100 times sweeter than any sex/kissing scene they ever had--even better than at the end of Tabula Rasa, which was always my favorite. Just thinking about them all snuggled up, Spike supporting her... it gives the chills! Toooo cute.
The other romances seemed unnecessary. I mean, I liked Xander/Anya cuz I think they belong together. But Faith/Wood was just weird and kinda gross and I don't like Kennedy, especially as a girlfriend to Willow, so that was just ick. Why would Willow like her?? They didn't have to make Willow's new girlfriend the TOTAL opposite of Tara, c'mon, she should at least be nice. But no, Kennedy's pretty much a jerk.
Spike always makes Buffy feel better. (Ok, ok, with the exceptions of a few times in season six. And when then were enemies... Anyway...! lol). He gave her the strength to not give up. She discovered something really important about the First and Caleb. She realized she had a better advantage if she didn't touch Caleb. She always found some magical scythe thing, but we'll find out more about that next week.
I think we and the Scoobies were sort of wrong all along. I think it's only going to take a few people--maybe even just one (Buffy)--to deafeat the First. Notice how when they go in as an army, they lose? But when Buffy went in alone, she left unscathed, and found a powerful weapon. Afterall, the Initiative was never very effective, why would an army of potentials?
I wonder who dies in the explosion. Even though I wouldn't mind if Kennedy died, I'm afraid it might hurt Willow too much to have two girlfriends die within a year. Speaking of which, Willow (Alyson Hannigan?) has been so blah lately. She doesn't seem like herself. Her personality came through a little in the beginning of "Empty Places", when she was talking with Xander, but that's it.
Heeey, maybe almost all the potentials will die, and then Buffy really will have just the Scoobies to work with to defeat the First. I wonder if Anya dies in the explosion. I heard she was going to die, but I don't know how or when. (I don't know want to know--spoiler-free's the way to be!) Or maybe that was just a rumor, or what they were planning before they decided to end Buffy (since Emma Caulfield was gonna leave after this year). So we'll see. Until next week, dudes and dudettes!

End of Days
Aired May 13, 2003 on UPN
Written by Jane Espenson and Doug Petrie, Directed by Marita Grabiak
Summary: "As Buffy takes the scythe from Caleb and the First, the potentials and Faith suffer losses from the bomb trap left for them. With Faith knocked unconcious, it's up to the girls to make their way out of the sewers, but thankfully Buffy arrives in time to save them from attacking Ubervamps and reclaim her role as leader. Willow and Giles attempt to find more about the origins of the scythe and Buffy has a mission involving Dawn for Xander. Andrew and Anya head to the now deserted hospital to pick up medical supplies for the wounded SiTs, and Caleb merges with the First to refresh his source of power."

Well, a lot happened in this episode. I'm kinda pissed how the Scoobies (especially Willow) so quickly welcomed Buffy back, when they were the ones who made her leave. None of them said sorry or even mentioned kicking her out.
Although I've been wanting the humor between the Scoobies back, it seemed out of place in this episode. I don't know. The writing has been off all season.
Damn, Dawn whipped that stun gun out so fast! Lol. Poor Xander. Also, has Dawn even taken driver's ed yet? Hehe. Buffy should have known Dawn wouldn't stay away.
The whole time Giles was holding that sword, I was tense. I kept thinking he was going to try to kill Willow with it. I still can't believe he's himself. Why must they torture us with thinking he's the First, then say "oh, nevermind", but still throw clues at us like that? He's just so not Giles-like and almost evil-like. Oh well, whatever.
Buffy and Spike's conversation was nice. Sweet on Spike's side. Buffy will just never be able to love him as anything more than a friend. I can tell.
Anya's speech about humans being stupid, but never giving up, so she wouldn't either... that was great. Also an obvious sign she's gonna die. :) :( I'm glad they pointed out how Andrew and Anya are alike. Just thinking about their wheelchair fight makes me feel sad. Poor Anya (and Andrew perhaps?).
Thought it was cool Buffy had a guardian (angel-type). Too bad Caleb had to frikin snap her neck! Grr.
Angel seemed rather cocky, didn't he? I was so pissed when Buffy kissed him. I mean, yes, she didn't know Spike was watching, and the world is ending so she wants to get in a kiss with her true love, but c'mon! Lol. They haven't seen each other in like 2 years, but then they get together and it's all make-out time. Before we even saw him, I knew Spike was watching. Then the First as Buffy saying.. "That bitch." Hehe. I don't think he'll go crazy and try to kill Angel or Buffy, though. He'll just be really sad and upset. I literally started crying. I feel so bad for the poor guy. The only girl he's ever really loved doesn't love him. =(
I can't believe they're going to wrap up the whole show in one hour! Craziness! They should have taken at least two hours. I'm in denial about the show ending. I don't even want to get into it. There's a really good article on "End of Days" and the end of Buffy in general at ScoopMe. Read it here. The end brought tears to my eyes.

Chosen (Series finale)
Aired May 20, 2003 on UPN
Written and directed by Joss Whedon
Summary: "After finishing off Caleb and sending Angel off with thanks for the a amulet he delivered, Buffy returns home to find Dawn back, despite her best efforts at shipping her off to safety. Spike confronts Buffy on her kissing of Angel and after reconciling, she is visited by the First, whose taunts give Buffy an idea of how she and her army can defeat the First's Ubervamp minions. After informing everyone of the plan to enter the Hellmouth and finish the war against the First once and for all, a sleepless night is ahead before the new day arrives."

I've put off writing this review for a while now. I feel like anything I say won't do justice to this wonderful episode and ending of our beloved show. So I'm going to be brief.
I loved the fact that all the girls got slayer power. I'm a little confused, though. At first I thought all girls in the world got slayer power, but when I read the transcript, it seems like only potential slayers got power. Can anyone clear this up for me? In any case, it was very emotional and I cried. :)
I really loved how Spike got to be the hero. Seeing Buffy cry for him just like she cried so many times for Angel felt good. I loved when she held his hand and both their hands went up in flames. I'm also kinda glad when Buffy finally said she loved Spike, he said, "No, you don't. But thanks for saying it."
The ending, with everyone looking out, asking Buffy what to do next, was great. "You're not the one and only chosen one anymore." "What are we going to now, Buffy?" She just looks out, as if her to her future and the possibilites, and smiles.
She no longer carried the burden of the world on her shoulders; she had other capable people to help. She was free to do whatever she wished, for once. It was a perfect ending to a beyond-perfect show. Thank you.