The song played over the ending montage is the second time a Sarah McLachlan song was used in a season finale. At the end of season two, they used "Full of Grace" and this episode used "Prayer of St. Francis". Super 90's and really effective! 🙂
I think a common thing most reactors seem to miss when Spike does the trials is at the beginning the demon asks him specifically And you have the audacity to crawl in here and demand restoration? We already know he could hurt Buffy with the chip.
Right, but as Buffy's job is to protect people from him and his kind, removal of the chip would be the last thing she'd want, not to mention the extra work he'd create for her. TBF, I probably wasn't thinking that at the time. Haha.
@@jaypeakay5864 I think the writers were a bit heavy handed in making it ambiguous. Some of spikes lines always felt a bit awkward if interpreted the “correct” way.
@@dlangley49 yeah, it’s a shock to the system to see Willow as the bad guy. After multiple rewatches of Buffy, I’ve come to really enjoy Hannigan’s performance as the evil big bad.
@loftus4453 yea it's one of my favorite arcs now, I remember kind of hating it the first watch through. Mostly because it made me feel icky seeing willow like that
Returning Spike's soul was the aim all along. It was just some Joss Whedon misdirection (like "evil Dawn" at the beginning of season 5) to throw viewers off.
You've got to think a little deeper. There is so much below the surface. Each episode serves to move each character along a specific journey towards an eventual designation. Each moment has meaning in that context, the bigger picture. Trust the process. ;) 💕
I find it hard to do that when reacting. I can't pause the show to speak, and I have to/want to speak a lot to make this 'fair use.' I know some reactors will sometimes go 5 or even 10 minutes without saying a word, but I'm choosing not to do that, since I'm using content that I don't own.
Have you gotten a chance to drop in on the coven and say 'hey'?? 😁 We found out that Angel had a soul in the Angel episode, during 1st season. He explained to Buffy (before killing Darla) how he was able to be good.
Haha. All this time and they're just down the road from me! 😁 That's right! I was thinking of that episode, but I wasn't sure if he'd explained anything about it. Thanks! 👍
I hate the way the writers tried to trick the audience so Spike getting his soul would be a "surprise". It made no sense for him to say things like "bitch is gonna see a change" .
S6 is fantastic. It’s funny how you struggle to accept Dark Willow and her motives 😂 Willow was literally a struggling addict and her lover was murdered so it made sense for her to have a dramatic downfall (which was foreshadowed and made in typical Buffy-apocalyptic fashion) which caused her to be “destructive” towards herself and the rest of the world dealing with grief. Also, it’s important to note the amazing juxtaposition of Buffy crawling out of the grave from the beginning of the season vs the finale. It reflects the important theme of this season which is life. Existing vs living. (Crawling out of her grave by herself and depressed, versus crawling out with her sister and newfound purpose and meaning of life)
FWIW, it wasn't surprising to me that she had a downfall, what was surprising was that she immediately turned to destroying the entire world and everyone in it. I get that she 'felt the suffering', but that doesn't mean she needs to take that decision for everyone all by herself, because, IMO, that would make her someone I don't believe she is. Hope that makes some sense. Haha.
A superb opening scene with Giles and Willow having a 'power struggle' Willow repeats the line he said to her earlier in S6 when he referred to her as a 'rank arrogant amateur' great transition in her face and voice when she says 'buckle up Rupert cos I've turned pro'. When Buffy tells Giles all that has happened since he was away we get comic relief as Giles bursts out laughing. When Giles says to Buffy Willow has killed a human being and she has to live with that, we see Willow again appear with no feelings or emotion. Totally cold when Xander says to Dawn about Spike 'if he wasn't trying to rape your sister' Good point is the improvement of the special effects and sets etc. This is of course was helped greatly by switching to UPN as S6 and S7 had massive increases in budget. Willow thinks she now taken Giles power after invading his body, but good perception here in that what Giles has given her is not absolute power but some kind of poisoned magic mixed with human empathy. A great conversation with Dawn and Buffy in the cave where she asks Buffy about the attempted rape. A brilliant final scene where Xander uses the power of love to overcome Willow's power as he can see she is weakening. Brendon and Hannigan really knock it out of the park here. Even though Xander has has no super powers he once again saves the day as he did in Prophecy Girl S1 where he saves Buffy's life, and The Zeppo on S3 where he saves them all unbeknown to them. He doesn't get the credit he deserves sometimes. With all this going on we forget about Spike, but the ending scene is probably the most important scene for the arc of the Series, great writing again. Great direction too by James A Contner, who also directed some of the very best episodes of BTVS and Angel, and one the best episodes of the The X-Files too in 'Soft Light'. One thing I will say Jay is when you are watching the final Season 7, makes sure you watch Angel as well in the correct order, it's crucial to the overall Buffyverse.
Lots of reactors use captions, you might try that -- especially since you sometimes miss dialog even when you're not talking. That said, you don't really want to hold back your thoughts too much -- your thoughts are what make this a reaction video and not just an abridged copy of the episode 😛
Yeah, it would make things easier. The thing is, I get too distracted by them. I start reacting before the lines are delivered, and while I'm busy reading, I miss stuff visually. 🤦♂It's just a preference thing.
@@jaypeakay5864 you gotta do what works for you. I will just say that watching a show with subtitles is a skill that can take a fair amount of practice before it feels even a little natural.
I get that now. It was difficult to get it when they made it look like he didn't know anything about it. As far as I'm aware, it was only during the scene with Buffy in the church (during the final season), that it was explicitly said that he'd deliberately deliberately set out to do that. Although, a patron did tell me before I got to that scene.
Spike went there to specifically get his soul back. The writers were elusive on what Spike said so it would be a surprise but if you notice he never once said he was going to get the chip out. He said to the demon to give him what he wants so he can "give her what she deserves". People just assumed it meant a negative thing but he meant it in a good way because he loves her. This is why I love spike more then Angel, Angel had to be cursed with his soul, he didnt chose to get it. Spike did. For Buffy.
I tend to agree with you. The writers attempted to cover two major arcs this seasons: Buffy’s post-death depression and Willow’s “addiction”/recovery/despair and IMO the results are…mixed. Not “mixed” in the sense of the whole thing being meh, but it the sense that (for me) some stuff worked well and some stuff reeeeally didn’t. I give the writers full marks for having Buffy’s depression run the whole season rather than the far-more-standard-for-the-time 1-2 episodes. It can be a bit of tiring to watch, but one could argue that’s the point; that’s certainly what she feels. On the flip side, the final fight with the plant people and emergence from the pit into the daylight felt as though it had been bolted on at the last minute. “We know Willow’s going to be doing her things, and Buffy’s already fought her so we need her out of the way” or some such. To re-use a phrase from my comment on your reaction the previous episode, it felt ham-fisted. Regarding Willow, I think I get what the writers were going for: wanting to destroy the world (or thinking/convincing yourself you do) as a metaphor for being unable to handle the place you’ve taken your definitely works for me on paper. The execution didn’t quite work for me and I’m not sure why; possibly because Buffy and Dawn vs the Plant People broke the rhythm of the climax and possibly because the whole satanic temple thing came out of /nowhere/. Big points for trying it; if you don’t go for it big you’ll never win big. But it also means that if you come this ->
Great rumination session. Your comments about Spike reverting to his William personality and then having a real romance with Buffy is a lovely idea. This wasn’t my favorite finale either. It’s probably toward the bottom of my rankings. Great season though overall. First time I watched this I was also surprised when Spike got his soul.
I really liked the season too. I hope I got that across because it was only really this finale and the Willow thing that I wasn't too keen on. The first 3 or 4 episodes were great and there were some fantastic standalone episode too. Definitely not my least favourite season. Season 7 has been great too! Thanks for telling me that, I totally didn't see that coming, like, at all. And I'm fairly sure it was filmed to be that way.
@@jaypeakay5864 I think we all knew you really liked Season 6. The finale is a bit of a let down in some ways, but some of the best episodes in the entire run of Buffy are in this season.
This is not my favourite finale either. Sure, it's a nice idea that Xander's inconditional love can save the day, but it feels like they built the idea of Willow being unstoppable, and then, a hug and we're OK. But you're right, we see once again that Xander, no powers or anything, can save the day because he's brave, and because he's true. He makes A LOT of mistakes, but he comes around. That's a good friend to have around. Buffy finally feeling like she has reasons to live is also nice, although she was to supposed to have realized that already. I think Spike fans like to believe that he wanted his soul back, but I think he wanted to be fully evil. Nothing in his words indicates he wanted to be good, "that bitch" is not the most loving way to refer to someone XD However, his wording allows for the entity in the cave to interpret it literally, so "what Buffy deserves" is not what Spike was thinking of. Anyway, on to season 7...
Yeah, I feel like just about everything Spike said was intended to trick us into believing he wanted the chip out. I was surprised to hear that people knew it was the soul he wanted. As it happened, he even seemed surprised himself, and it ended with that as if it were a big reveal (as it was to me), and also kind of a cliff hanger in terms of what was going to happen thereafter.
The song played over the ending montage is the second time a Sarah McLachlan song was used in a season finale. At the end of season two, they used "Full of Grace" and this episode used "Prayer of St. Francis". Super 90's and really effective! 🙂
I think a common thing most reactors seem to miss when Spike does the trials is at the beginning the demon asks him specifically And you have the audacity to crawl in here and demand restoration? We already know he could hurt Buffy with the chip.
Right, but as Buffy's job is to protect people from him and his kind, removal of the chip would be the last thing she'd want, not to mention the extra work he'd create for her. TBF, I probably wasn't thinking that at the time. Haha.
@@jaypeakay5864 I think the writers were a bit heavy handed in making it ambiguous. Some of spikes lines always felt a bit awkward if interpreted the “correct” way.
Willow finally deals with her grief. She just had to try to end the world first.
Haha.
Hey, we've all had days like that. 😂
Its kind of endearing that you cant accept willow as the big bad lol
@@dlangley49 yeah, it’s a shock to the system to see Willow as the bad guy. After multiple rewatches of Buffy, I’ve come to really enjoy Hannigan’s performance as the evil big bad.
@loftus4453 yea it's one of my favorite arcs now, I remember kind of hating it the first watch through. Mostly because it made me feel icky seeing willow like that
I’m so proud of Spike ❤
Returning Spike's soul was the aim all along. It was just some Joss Whedon misdirection (like "evil Dawn" at the beginning of season 5) to throw viewers off.
You've got to think a little deeper. There is so much below the surface. Each episode serves to move each character along a specific journey towards an eventual designation. Each moment has meaning in that context, the bigger picture.
Trust the process. ;) 💕
I find it hard to do that when reacting. I can't pause the show to speak, and I have to/want to speak a lot to make this 'fair use.' I know some reactors will sometimes go 5 or even 10 minutes without saying a word, but I'm choosing not to do that, since I'm using content that I don't own.
Have you gotten a chance to drop in on the coven and say 'hey'?? 😁
We found out that Angel had a soul in the Angel episode, during 1st season. He explained to Buffy (before killing Darla) how he was able to be good.
Haha. All this time and they're just down the road from me! 😁
That's right! I was thinking of that episode, but I wasn't sure if he'd explained anything about it. Thanks! 👍
I hate the way the writers tried to trick the audience so Spike getting his soul would be a "surprise". It made no sense for him to say things like "bitch is gonna see a change" .
It tricked me!
S6 is fantastic. It’s funny how you struggle to accept Dark Willow and her motives 😂 Willow was literally a struggling addict and her lover was murdered so it made sense for her to have a dramatic downfall (which was foreshadowed and made in typical Buffy-apocalyptic fashion) which caused her to be “destructive” towards herself and the rest of the world dealing with grief.
Also, it’s important to note the amazing juxtaposition of Buffy crawling out of the grave from the beginning of the season vs the finale. It reflects the important theme of this season which is life. Existing vs living.
(Crawling out of her grave by herself and depressed, versus crawling out with her sister and newfound purpose and meaning of life)
FWIW, it wasn't surprising to me that she had a downfall, what was surprising was that she immediately turned to destroying the entire world and everyone in it. I get that she 'felt the suffering', but that doesn't mean she needs to take that decision for everyone all by herself, because, IMO, that would make her someone I don't believe she is. Hope that makes some sense. Haha.
A superb opening scene with Giles and Willow having a 'power struggle' Willow repeats the line he said to her earlier in S6 when he referred to her as a 'rank arrogant amateur' great transition in her face and voice when she says 'buckle up Rupert cos I've turned pro'. When Buffy tells Giles all that has happened since he was away we get comic relief as Giles bursts out laughing. When Giles says to Buffy Willow has killed a human being and she has to live with that, we see Willow again appear with no feelings or emotion. Totally cold when Xander says to Dawn about Spike 'if he wasn't trying to rape your sister' Good point is the improvement of the special effects and sets etc. This is of course was helped greatly by switching to UPN as S6 and S7 had massive increases in budget. Willow thinks she now taken Giles power after invading his body, but good perception here in that what Giles has given her is not absolute power but some kind of poisoned magic mixed with human empathy. A great conversation with Dawn and Buffy in the cave where she asks Buffy about the attempted rape. A brilliant final scene where Xander uses the power of love to overcome Willow's power as he can see she is weakening. Brendon and Hannigan really knock it out of the park here. Even though Xander has has no super powers he once again saves the day as he did in Prophecy Girl S1 where he saves Buffy's life, and The Zeppo on S3 where he saves them all unbeknown to them. He doesn't get the credit he deserves sometimes. With all this going on we forget about Spike, but the ending scene is probably the most important scene for the arc of the Series, great writing again. Great direction too by James A Contner, who also directed some of the very best episodes of BTVS and Angel, and one the best episodes of the The X-Files too in 'Soft Light'. One thing I will say Jay is when you are watching the final Season 7, makes sure you watch Angel as well in the correct order, it's crucial to the overall Buffyverse.
Well buckle up, Rupert. Cause I've turned pro
I was looking for a reaction to this episode and you just uploaded this hahaha . Nice!
Sorry it's not a good one. ☹It might even be my worst reaction to date! Typical. Hopefully it's not the first reaction of mine you've seen. Haha.
Lots of reactors use captions, you might try that -- especially since you sometimes miss dialog even when you're not talking. That said, you don't really want to hold back your thoughts too much -- your thoughts are what make this a reaction video and not just an abridged copy of the episode 😛
Weirdly, I think you talking about being confused about maybe missing something actually caused you to miss way more than you missed initially 😂
@@gehrehmee Haha. That definitely happens.
Yeah, it would make things easier. The thing is, I get too distracted by them. I start reacting before the lines are delivered, and while I'm busy reading, I miss stuff visually. 🤦♂It's just a preference thing.
@@jaypeakay5864 you gotta do what works for you. I will just say that watching a show with subtitles is a skill that can take a fair amount of practice before it feels even a little natural.
The season started and ended with Buffy crawling her way out of the ground.
Yes! I did spot that in the edit. That was really good.
Spike went through the trials because he wanted to be better for Buffy. He willingly won his soul back. He did it for Buffy.
I get that now. It was difficult to get it when they made it look like he didn't know anything about it. As far as I'm aware, it was only during the scene with Buffy in the church (during the final season), that it was explicitly said that he'd deliberately deliberately set out to do that. Although, a patron did tell me before I got to that scene.
Spike went there to specifically get his soul back. The writers were elusive on what Spike said so it would be a surprise but if you notice he never once said he was going to get the chip out. He said to the demon to give him what he wants so he can "give her what she deserves". People just assumed it meant a negative thing but he meant it in a good way because he loves her. This is why I love spike more then Angel, Angel had to be cursed with his soul, he didnt chose to get it. Spike did. For Buffy.
I wasn't expecting to hear a Pharoahe Monch song in a Buffy reaction!
Haha, I've never really done anything like that before. I just felt like I needed to add something to the video because the reaction was so bad. 😂
I tend to agree with you. The writers attempted to cover two major arcs this seasons: Buffy’s post-death depression and Willow’s “addiction”/recovery/despair and IMO the results are…mixed. Not “mixed” in the sense of the whole thing being meh, but it the sense that (for me) some stuff worked well and some stuff reeeeally didn’t. I give the writers full marks for having Buffy’s depression run the whole season rather than the far-more-standard-for-the-time 1-2 episodes. It can be a bit of tiring to watch, but one could argue that’s the point; that’s certainly what she feels. On the flip side, the final fight with the plant people and emergence from the pit into the daylight felt as though it had been bolted on at the last minute. “We know Willow’s going to be doing her things, and Buffy’s already fought her so we need her out of the way” or some such. To re-use a phrase from my comment on your reaction the previous episode, it felt ham-fisted.
Regarding Willow, I think I get what the writers were going for: wanting to destroy the world (or thinking/convincing yourself you do) as a metaphor for being unable to handle the place you’ve taken your definitely works for me on paper. The execution didn’t quite work for me and I’m not sure why; possibly because Buffy and Dawn vs the Plant People broke the rhythm of the climax and possibly because the whole satanic temple thing came out of /nowhere/. Big points for trying it; if you don’t go for it big you’ll never win big. But it also means that if you come this ->
Cool, thanks. I'll take a look at that when I can find the time. 👍
Great rumination session. Your comments about Spike reverting to his William personality and then having a real romance with Buffy is a lovely idea. This wasn’t my favorite finale either. It’s probably toward the bottom of my rankings. Great season though overall.
First time I watched this I was also surprised when Spike got his soul.
I really liked the season too. I hope I got that across because it was only really this finale and the Willow thing that I wasn't too keen on. The first 3 or 4 episodes were great and there were some fantastic standalone episode too. Definitely not my least favourite season. Season 7 has been great too!
Thanks for telling me that, I totally didn't see that coming, like, at all. And I'm fairly sure it was filmed to be that way.
@@jaypeakay5864 I think we all knew you really liked Season 6. The finale is a bit of a let down in some ways, but some of the best episodes in the entire run of Buffy are in this season.
This is not my favourite finale either. Sure, it's a nice idea that Xander's inconditional love can save the day, but it feels like they built the idea of Willow being unstoppable, and then, a hug and we're OK. But you're right, we see once again that Xander, no powers or anything, can save the day because he's brave, and because he's true. He makes A LOT of mistakes, but he comes around. That's a good friend to have around.
Buffy finally feeling like she has reasons to live is also nice, although she was to supposed to have realized that already.
I think Spike fans like to believe that he wanted his soul back, but I think he wanted to be fully evil. Nothing in his words indicates he wanted to be good, "that bitch" is not the most loving way to refer to someone XD However, his wording allows for the entity in the cave to interpret it literally, so "what Buffy deserves" is not what Spike was thinking of.
Anyway, on to season 7...
Yeah, I feel like just about everything Spike said was intended to trick us into believing he wanted the chip out. I was surprised to hear that people knew it was the soul he wanted. As it happened, he even seemed surprised himself, and it ended with that as if it were a big reveal (as it was to me), and also kind of a cliff hanger in terms of what was going to happen thereafter.
Well it's not a Spike fan thing, Season 7 confirms like 10 different times that he fought for his soul deliberately.
❤🧡💛💚💙💜🤎🖤🤍