The Gift

The Gift
Written and Directed by Joss Whedon

Original Airdate: May 22, 2001

Plot: Plot: Buffy and the Scooby gang race against time to thwart Glory's plan to open the portal back to her own dimension. But the price for saving the world may be more than Buffy is willing to pay....

Review

WWarning: If you're gift is death and you feel the need to inflict it upon those who give away SPOILERS to the fifth season finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "The Gift" I urge you to turn back now. There are huge, big-time, give-it-all-away SPOILERS for the season finale just ahead...

In short: Once again, Joss delivers...

Back in September, I remember sitting down with breathless anticipation to watch the instant classic, "Buffy vs. Dracula." That evening, season five got off to a superlative start with an episode that had everything that made Buffy one of, if not THE, best show on TV. It had humor, it had character moments, it had great direction, superlative writing and some home run acting. In short, it was as close to perfection as a season premiere can get. It gave me a huge amount of hope for season five.

Each week, as the season progressed, my faith in the show continued to grow. Until finally it reached a peak this year with the superlative hour of TV that was "The Body." Once again, Joss Whedon and company had struck gold and given us an hour of TV that was truly amazing and tested the boundaries of what is considered genre TV. And it set the stakes for an amazing run toward the season finale and Buffy discovering her gift to the world. It's been an amazing final run of six episodes--easily six of the most consistent episodes in Buffy's five year run as we built up to the 100th episode of Buffy.

Hundredth episodes are an unusual thing. It's a big celebration for a TV show. It's a mark of excellent and it shows that a show has the quality and the fan base to stay around. But sometimes hundredth episodes get so caught up in the hype of being "the 100th episode" that the stories lose something. So, while I was anxious to see how the season finale would play out, part of me worried that it wouldn't be everything I've come to expect from Buffy in the past five years.

Oh wait, I forgot one thing....Joss Whedon.

Joss took the expectations of not only an entire season but also of a hundredth episode and ran with it. He paid homage to the history of the show in broad strokes, but he also got the small things absolutely correct. In short, "The Gift" showed off just exactly what is that's hooked me on Buffy since I first saw "When She Was Bad" a few years ago. And why I will literally follow this show anywhere it goes and will watch anything that Joss Whedon puts his name to.

And what was it about "The Gift" that worked?

Everything.

First of all, you had some superlative resolution to some of the major character arcs that have been in play all year. I love how Joss is able to continually keep things moving forward with every characters. The biggest chance, romantically, of course was Xander's proposal to Anya. Certainly this is a season finale type of deal (how many times did Lois and Clark use weddings or a proposal as part of a season finale...how many times have the will they or won't they question popped up at the end of a season of Friends?), but on every single level it felt right. All year long we've watched Xander mature from the sarcastic friend with the witty barb into a mature, responsible and reliable young man. He's been like a big brother to Dawn, he's been a defender for Buffy and he's been the man that Anya needed--not only to love her but to also show her the power of humanity. And we certainly have seen a change in Anya, who just two years ago was heading for the hills rather than face the wrath of the Mayor. This time she stays to help--and is even integral to coming up with the way to defeat Glory. And seeing Xander's proposal to her just made absolute sense. Does this mean I think it will be an easy road to marriage? I'm not sure. Based on Xander's parents and what we've heard about them over the years, I don't think that Xander is quite yet equipped for a marriage. But it will be interesting to see how this develops.

Next up, we had Giles. Way back in season two, we saw he had a dark side. We saw it in season three. And it was out in spades here. Seeing Giles yell at Buffy that they had to deal with the fact that to save the universe Dawn had to die was nicely done. I understand that he is supportive of Buffy and only acting as her Watcher. And he did so here--telling her the things that she couldn't hear and didn't want to face. In a lot of ways, this is a huge step in trust from the Giles of season one who wouldn't even tell Buffy that she had to die to stop the Master. He's seen she can face and handle the truth. And sometimes she has to be forced to do so. And it's also interesting that Giles is the one who has the courage to do what needs to be done- -kill Ben to keep Glory from coming backk. We saw a lot of the Ripper in that little sequence and it was utterly chilling.

On another front, we had some superb character stuff from season four's best done character, Willow. A few weeks ago, we got to see just how far Willow has grown as a Wicca. Last week we saw take charge Willow. This week we saw Willow be integral to the plot--using the battle with Glory to get what she wanted and to help Buffy. It was interesting to see Willow have an agenda of her own--helping Tara. And to see that she acknowledges this not only to Buffy but herself. Willow's dark side came to the forefront with her attack on Glory to restore Tara. But Allyson Hannigan showed a great deal of range here--from the fury and anger at Glory to the sweet barb at Xander in the Magic Box ("Why couldn't you have figured that out in the tenth grade?") to her utter joy and relief that she was able to restore Tara and her words of "I'll always find you." It was nice to see that among the major losses and setbacks in the final few minutes that at least one person achieved what they wanted and had few negative consequences. Indeed, after the wringer Willow through last year, it was nice this year to see her get a bit more self-confidence and a bit of happiness in her life in the form of Tara.

But, the season's best character once again shown through tonight. Spike. Let me just say it now--this man deserves an Emmy. Will he get one? Oh, don't get me started. This review would be 200 pages of me ranting on why he should get one but won't. But HE SHOULD. I loved how far Spike has come. His line to Buffy of how she treated him like a man was superb. And it moved me in a startling way. Those were the exact words that Spike spoke of Joyce after her death. He stated Joyce was one of the few who treated him like a person. And in that small way, he showed Buffy how her mom lived on. It really choked me up a bit and James Marsters acting was exactly right on, as usual. Also, his sobbing uncontrollably at the end at seeing Buffy....that's really what tipped the scales for me at the end. (More on my reaction to the final moments in a few minutes). Marsters once again showed his range and how much of an asset Spike is. This wasn't on the superlative level that Fool for Love was, but it was still just all around good.

And then, we have Dawn. While the plot revolved around her, I felt as though she wasn't featured as much in the strong roles we've seen her in all year. I loved Glory's taunting her that Buffy wouldn't come and her quiet desperation as she wondered if that could be true. And to see her stand up to Ben and make Glory appear was a nicely done scene. And I will admit her final scene with Buffy was just plain and pure magic.

But, at the center of all of this, was, once again, Sarah Michelle Gellar, as Buffy. Gellar carried the weight of this episode and more. From the nicely done beginning scene--loved Buffy getting to beat the tar out of a random vampire, just like in the early stories-- to her battle with Glory to her creating two separate Buffys again to her utter calm at the solution she arrived at, Gellar once again pulled out all the stops. It may not have been the emotionally crippling performance like we saw in the Body, but it all worked here. Every scene rang true and was infused with an energy.

And I've got to give credit to Joss for using every trick in the book to defeat Glory. This season finale had so many continuity references, I can't begin to tackle them all...a few that stand out are...

--Buffy's realization of what her message meant.

--Using the Troll's hammer.

--Willow's power being integral.

--Tara's perceived weakness being the strength that leads the Scoobies to Glory.

--The gem from this year to weaken Glory.

--Use of the Buffy-bot.

There are more, I'm sure. I just didn't catch them all. But I will in the next viewing. And believe me, this is one that's gonna be wearing out my VCR this summer as we get ready for season six.

Now, I'd be remiss if I went an entire review without pointing out utterly heartbreaking the ending was. I will admit that three years ago, I was stunned when Buffy killed Angel and left town. I was also emotionally scarred by "The Body." But never, NEVER have I sat and wept like a baby at Buffy--until tonight. Buffy's decision to save Dawn and the world was such a sock in the gut that it hurt. But it made such perfect sense to everything that has gone on this year. In Buffy vs. Dracula, we saw Buffy coming to grips with what it means to be Slayer. Indeed, Dracula cryptically warned her of what she must do...and yet it went on deaf ears. But all season, we've seen her come to grips with being the Slayer and what it means. And to see the utter calm as she realized what was needed to save the universe was stunning. And her final words to Dawn that played as the gang discovers her were heart-wrenching. But what threw it over the top was the utter anguish Spike showed and his weeping at her death. I lost it then in a way I rarely have with a TV show. I still feel emotionally drained from the story and I doubt it will go away soon. Once again, Joss has insured it's going to be a long summer until Buffy kicks off again...and I have a strong feeling our favorite Slayer will be back. And knowing Joss, it will be utterly perfect in the way she returns to our world. Is Buffy dead? For now...but she's coming back. And that's good news.

So, that's about it, except a few small things...

--Loved the montage in the beginning. Did they manage to get a clip in from all the first 100 episodes?

--I figured Doc not getting killed last week would come back to haunt the crew....and boy did it.

--So, did Glory's other victims get their minds back...or just Tara?

--How will the Scooby gang react to Xander and Anya's engagement? Or is Anya dead?

Well, that's it for now. All in all, a strong end to a strong season. A nice send-off as Buffy moves over to UPN next fall. Thank you Joss Whedon for everything you do. And thanks to the cast and crew for 100 episode of television that have been at times, nothing short of amazing. Once again, you've shown me just why Buffy is one of the BEST shows on TV....

Man, it's gonna be a long summer...

My rating: 10.0 (out of 10.0)

Next up: Well, who knows. Doesn't look as if WB will repeat any episodes this summer, which is a shame. I'm gonna take a break for a couple of weeks and then work on my year-end wrap-up review. Look for it in late June or early July. Until then, I'll see y'all around the Net....

I also have to add that the powers that be have shined upon me. I've found out that there will be a UPN outlet and that my WB outlet has committed to getting Buffy. So it looks like y'all are in for another season of my ranting and raving about Buffy. Personally, I can't wait. See you in a few weeks!

"But you're just a girl."

"That's what I keep telling them."
--Male victim and Buffy.