Buffy - Season 5 impressions (episode 22)

[thalia_seawood]

The Gift

A summary can be found here.


Before going into the details, let me tell you that I *love* this episode. It's among my favorite Buffy episodes so far.

- The episode starts with a great sequence that fast forwards through season 1 - 5. By the end, the pictures flash by too fast to be seen, but from what I could see the most important characters and all the turning points in Buffy's life are covered. All these people and all these moments have left some mark in her life and have defined her character.

- The sequence ends and we find ourselves in an alley where Buffy slays a vampire with her usual snarky style.

What I found fascinating was that Buffy slaying the vampire feels like a scene from an earlier season. I think it's the fighting style and even more obviously Buffy reverting to her snappy remarks. (After all, she gave up the snappy remarks when things turned darker and darker starting mid-season 5.) Yes, the scene feels definitely anachronistic, what ties it to the present is Buffy's remark Wow. Been a long while since I met one who didn't know me.. So I think this scene is another way of showing how far Buffy has come since season 1.

- Back inside the Magic Shop, Buffy and Giles continue arguing about the fate of Dawn. I'm sure this is the first time, we hear Giles yell at anyone. That he loses his composure shows how serious the situation is.

Buffy: I don't wanna hear it. (turns away)
Giles: I understand that-
Buffy: (whirls back) No! No, you don't understand. We are not talking about this.
Giles: (jumps up from the table, yells) Yes, we bloody well are!

- This bit of information is extremely important for what will happen:

Giles: (whispers) She's not your sister.
Buffy: (pause) No. She's not. She's more than that. She's me. The monks made her out of me. I hold her ... and I feel closer to her than ... (looks down, sighs) It's not just the memories they built. It's physical. Dawn ... is a part of me. The only part that I- (stops)

- Anya gets on everybody's nerve when being cheerful and telling the Scoobies to think about the box, but she then surprises everyone by making some brilliant suggestions: The Dagon Sphere and the Troll Hammer will be formidable weapons in the fight against Glory.
(By the way, I love it that Buffy can lift the hammer without any problems. These mythical weapons are tricksy. *g*)

- Dawn feels so betrayed by Ben that she rather talks to Glory than him. At least Glory admits that she's evil and doesn't hide behind a nice guy facade. - And yes, that's a very simplistic way of thinking. It would make more sense to keep Ben around and try to influence of overpower him. But Dawn is still very young and also very upset.

Dawn: Change. Be her. I don't wanna look at you.
Ben: (shakes head) Dawn, I don't think you wanna-
Dawn: Be Glory. Be Glory. (yelling) Glory! Glory! Glory!
Ben: Will you just stop- (morphs into Glory)
Glory: -shouting already?

- Another scene I love with a passion:

Giles: I love Dawn.
Buffy: I know.
Giles: But I've sworn to protect this sorry world, and sometimes that means saying and doing ... what other people can't. What they shouldn't have to.
Buffy turns to face him.
Buffy: You try and hurt her, and you know I'll stop you.
Giles: I know.
Overhead shot of the two of them. Buffy walks slowly over to the sofa in the corner and sits. Giles paces slowly over to the sofa as well.
Buffy: This is how many apocalypses for us now?
Giles: Oh, uh, well... (sits, takes off his glasses) six, at least. (sits back slowly) Feels like a hundred.
Buffy: I've always stopped them. Always won.
Giles: Yes.
Buffy: I sacrificed Angel to save the world.
Cut to close angle on Buffy's face.
Buffy: I loved him so much. But I knew ... what was right. I don't have that any more. I don't understand. I don't know how to live in this world if these are the choices. If everything just gets stripped away. I don't see the point. I just wish that... (tearfully) I just wish my mom was here.

Giles and Buffy have always been so close, but in the end they pursue different goals:
Buffy wants to save her sister even if it means risking the fate of the world. Giles wants to save the world even if it means killing Dawn.
What's so impressive is that the show doesn't tell us what's right or wrong. There are no quick and easy answers.

- Anya and Xander make love in the basement and Xander proposes to Anya.
I'm not sure what to think about this. I find it touching and I want them to be happy together, but I know the rules of the Jossverse. *sad smile*

- Love the scene between Buffy and Spike. It's so nice and understanded. Buffy doesn't love Spike, but she does trust him with her sister's life - and this must mean the world to him.

Spike: If you wanna just hand them over the threshold, I'll...
Buffy: Come in, Spike.
Spike looks surprised and pleased. He takes a slow step over the threshold, smiles.
[...]
Buffy: We're not all gonna make it. You know that.
Spike: Yeah.
He takes a few weapons from the chest and walks back toward Buffy.
Spike: Hey. Always knew I'd go down fightin'.
Buffy: I'm counting on you ... to protect her.
Spike: Till the end of the world. Even if that happens to be tonight.
Buffy: I'll be a minute.
Spike: Yeah.
Buffy turns to go up the stairs. Spike watches her go.
Spike: I know you'll never love me.
Buffy pauses halfway up the stairs, turns back to look at Spike.
Spike: I know that I'm a monster. But you treat me like a man. And that's...
Buffy gazes silently at him.
Spike: Get your stuff, I'll be here.

- Tara: (points to Giles) You're a killer. (Giles and Spike look at her in surprise) This is all set down.

Very creepy. Even before the end of the episode I knew this was meaningful. "Killer" is the word you could use for Spike considering what he did in his past, it's not something you would call Giles despite his past as Ripper.

- Another splendid moment:

Spike: Well, not exactly the St. Crispin's Day speech, was it?
Giles: We few...
Giles goes past Spike as Spike gathers up the bag of weapons.
Giles: ...we happy few.
Spike: We band of buggered.

Giles and Spike bond over Shakespeare. The quote Spike tweaks a bit, fits the situation extremely well. So here's the original text from Henry V:

And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember'd;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:

Also like the reminder that Spike isn't your average vampire, but wanted to be a poet in human life and still remembers the things he's read.

- Interesting to see that Spike has been integrated into the Scoobie gang by the end of season 5. He and Xander joke around a bit and even Willow thanks him for something.

- Am totally impressed by Willow taking on Glory again in order to restore Tara's sanity. Very cool!

- The fight against Glory:
The whole fight sequence rocks.
In particular, I like how the Buffybot is used in the fight against Glory. (I admit it: I was totally taken by surprise. *g*)
Willow has a new trick: She can communicate telephatically with the team which is very useful in a fight. She also gives Spike the chance to rush up to the top of the tower by pushing Glory's minions aside.
Up on the tower things go wrong when Spike is defeated by the Doc. I admit I would have liked the fight sequence up there a bit longer, after all Spike is an experienced fighter. But then sometimes things go wrong, especially when you desperately need to win.

- Another outstanding scene:

Giles: Can you move?
Ben: Need a ... a minute. She could've killed me.
Giles: No she couldn't. Never. And sooner or later Glory will re-emerge, and ... make Buffy pay for that mercy. And the world with her. Buffy even knows that... (reaches into his pocket, takes out his glasses) and still she couldn't take a human life.
Shot of Ben listening.
Giles: She's a hero, you see. (Giles puts his glasses on) She's not like us.
Ben: Us?
Giles suddenly reaches down and puts his hand over Ben's nose and mouth, holding them shut. Ben struggles weakly as Giles keeps him still. Giles keeps his calm expression throughout.

And once again the show does give us no easy answers. Yes, what Giles does is morally very wrong. But not killing Ben (and thereby Glory) would have had some very bad consequences, too. So does the end justify the means or doesn't it?

- And the ending of this episode is heart-breaking and beautiful and perfectly executed. Since just reading the sequence again, makes me smile and get tears in my eyes at the same time, I've decided to quote this scene in full. There's not much for me to add apart: Buffy's sacrifice makes perfect sense from all we've seen so far. It's a sacrifice that's freely given, it's really a gift.

Dawn: Buffy, you have to let me go. Blood starts it, and until the blood stops flowing, it'll never stop.
Buffy stares at Dawn in anguish.
Dawn: (tearfully) You know you have to let me. It has to have the blood.
Buffy gets a realization look on her face.

Flash to Spike earlier in the episode.
Spike: Cause it's always got to be blood.
Flash to Buffy and Dawn in the hospital at the end of "Blood Ties." Buffy putting her hand to her wound, then pressing it against Dawn's bloody hand.
Buffy voiceover: It's Summers blood. It's just like mine.
Flash to Buffy earlier in this episode.
Buffy: She's me. The monks made her out of me.
Flash to Buffy beside the fire in "Intervention."
First Slayer: Death is your gift.
Buffy: Death...
Flash back to the present. Close shot on Buffy's face.
First Slayer voiceover: ...is your gift.

Buffy frowns. Turns around slowly.
Shot of the platform extending into the air. In the distance, holes seem to be opening in the sky. The sky is growing lighter as the sun tries to rise.
Buffy looks peaceful. She turns back to Dawn, who stares wide-eyed.
Dawn: Buffy ... no!
Buffy: Dawnie, I have to.
Dawn: No!
Buffy: Listen to me. Please, there's not a lot of time, listen.
The camera pulls out on the two of them. Buffy holds Dawn by the upper arms and continues talking to her, although we don't hear the words. Dawn begins to cry. Lightning continues to crackle behind them.
Cut back to close shot of Buffy. She strokes the side of Dawn's face, then kisses her on the cheek. Dawn continues to cry.
Buffy turns. In slow-motion, she runs down the platform as Dawn stays there crying.
Buffy swan-dives off the end of the platform and into the portal.
Dawn watches, sobbing.
Buffy falls into the portal and hangs there motionless, making expressions of pain.
Long shot from below of the portal writhing and spitting.
Shot of Buffy's face inside the portal.

Begin a lengthy voiceover of Buffy's final words to Dawn.
Buffy voiceover: Dawn, listen to me. Listen.
Shot of Dawn still crying on the platform.
Buffy voiceover: I love you. I will *always* love you.
Shot of Buffy in the portal.
Buffy voiceover: But this is the work that I have to do.
Long shot of the portal as it shrinks to nothingness and disappears. The sun begins to rise.
Cut to below. Willow and Tara, holding each other up, walk forward. Behind them we can see Giles coming forward too, and Xander holding Anya in his arms. They all walk forward, staring at something we can't see.
Buffy voiceover: Tell Giles ... tell Giles I figured it out. And, and I'm okay.
The camera pulls back and we see they're all looking at Buffy's lifeless body lying amid the debris. In the background we see Spike trying to come forward, falling to the ground as the sunlight hits him.
Cut to closer shot of Spike, his face bloodied.
Cut to closer shot of Willow and Tara as Willow begins to cry.
Buffy voiceover: And give my love to my friends.
Shot of Xander and Anya looking sadly at Buffy. Anya lowers her head to Xander's shoulder.
Buffy voiceover: You have to take care of them now.
Shot of Giles looking sad.
Buffy voiceover: You have to take care of each other.
Giles begins to cry. Cut to Spike with his hands over his face, sobbing.
Buffy voiceover: You have to be strong.
Cut to Dawn coming slowly down the stairs, holding her sides, spotting the others.
Buffy voiceover: Dawn, the hardest thing in this world ... is to live in it.
Dawn begins to cry again.
Cut to Buffy giving her speech to Dawn a few minutes ago.
Buffy: Be brave. Live.
Cut back to Dawn on the stairs.
Buffy voiceover: For me.

- In the last shot we see Buffy's grave.
After seeing the first episode of season 6, I wondered about this. How comes noone apart from the Scoobies and Spike knows that Buffy is dead if she is officially buried on a Sunnydale graveyard?

Comments

[spikeylover.livejournal.com]

The thing I love most about Fantasy/sci-fi is that you can get into this deep stuff. Killing your sister for the good of the world? Uh.. Giles killing a human for good of the world? How can you choose and what is right?

SInce you've watched up to AFTERLIFE, they used the Bot to make people think that Buffy isn't dead. This seems very wrong to me, especially considering her father doesn't seem to know about it. ALl I can think of is that Willow must have planned resurrection from the moment the shock wore off.

[thalia-seawood.livejournal.com]

I think they also pretend that Buffy is alive, because Sunnydale without a Slayer is a very risky place. After all, there is no Slayer available right now. I think Faith has to be seen as Buffy's successor (via Kendra), however, Faith is still in prison.

[spikeylover.livejournal.com]

Obviously, that would be true, too--and we saw what happened when they realized the Bot was not Buffy.

[chelsearoad.livejournal.com]

I cried again just reading the dialogue...

And as for Giles killing Ben/Glory; it had to be done. I'm glad in a way it wasn't Buffy who did it, though. It's a thin line between Faith and Buffy.

[thalia-seawood.livejournal.com]

Yes, the visual of this episode are so strong that just reading the dialogue brings them back.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

It's a great episode. Your last question first - she's not buried on a Sunnydale graveyard. We only see the gravestone and grass at the end of The Gift, but Bargaining makes it clear said grave plus gravestone is in the woods. So presumably they decided to bury Buffy in the woods and activate the Buffybot so nobody would know the Slayer was gone.

Buffy slaying the vampire as a flashback in itself: yes. In a way, it sums up the original premise of the show - the blonde in the alley turns out to be the thing the monster is afraid of as opposed to monsterfood.

The argument between Giles and Buffy: yes, brilliant scene. There was a lot of controversy about it - i.e. who were we supposed to think was right - but I don't think we were supposed to think either Buffy or Giles had the only true point of view...

And once again the show does give us no easy answers. Yes, what Giles does is morally very wrong. But not killing Ben (and thereby Glory) would have had some very bad consequences, too. So does the end justify the means or doesn't it?

Open question, and I love the ambiguity, too. What I don't love is the event getting distorted into "Buffy was afraid of getting her hands dirty, so Giles had to do it for her".

Also, terrific irony of Ben having saved Giles' life two episodes before.

The scene between Buffy and Spike: I also love the visual echo in Afterlife. In The Gift, Buffy is going upstairs, then turns around when Spike talks to her. In Afterlife, she's coming downstairs. (Obvious symbolism in both cases.) She's even dressed similarly.

[thalia-seawood.livejournal.com]

she's not buried on a Sunnydale graveyard.

Thanks. I missed that detail in Bargaining.

What I don't love is the event getting distorted into "Buffy was afraid of getting her hands dirty, so Giles had to do it for her".

This argument is definitely unjustified. The difference between Buffy and Giles is that she is focused on doing the right thing now whereas Giles thinks ahead of future consequences her actions might have. It can be argued that Buffy thinks in "means" and Giles in "ends".

Also, terrific irony of Ben having saved Giles' life two episodes before.
Good point!
I also find it creepily-ironic that Giles suffocates Ben which mirrors the scene in Buffy's mind where she suffocates Dawn.

I also love the visual echo in Afterlife.
Yes, noticed that as well and loved the parallel. It actually felt like a deja vu. (It's in my notes for Afterlife.) What I didn't catch was the upstairs - downstairs symbolism.

[likeadeuce.livejournal.com]

I really love this episode -- it's my absolute favorite (Who are you?) and it's not the one I would say is The Best (Restless).

But unlike Restless or Once More with Feeling or the Body (episodes often cited as "the best" and each brilliant in its own way), "The Gift" plays like just another episode, in terms of format, character interaction, etc. There's nothing special about it except what it's about -- and the fact that, when made, it could very well have been the last episode.

I love that every character gets to contribute and is in their element in some way -- every member of the ensemble has a great moment in the ep.

about the opening -- I think it does show how far Buffy has come, and I think it's sort of an act of nostalgia for her; I think she realizes she is going to die before she processes it and this is somehow an act of preemptive mourning, if that makes any sense.

My thought on giving her life for Dawn -- she's accepted that early death is part of the slayer's lot; she's internalized what Spike tells her about a slayer's death wish; she's gotten the painful news that death is her gift but it's only at the last minute that she processes how it all works together. By giving her life for Dawn (who they made out of her) she's making the death mean something, in a way that it couldn't if she suffered run-of-the-mill death by vampire. It's a perfect ending for Buffy because it goes with her gift (yet again!) for coming up with unusual solutions to problems.

About the debate with Giles -- i don't think it's just an issue of saying that only Dawn matters, but it's part of a consistent pattern Buffy shows of always playing to win. She doesn't think about contingency plans; it's all or nothing. Now in a way she's lucky that the philosophy of the show seems to back that up (I can't think of a time in which Buffy's choice to go for all the marbles is penalized -- as, say, you could argue that Mal in Serenity suffers for his bold move at the end by. . .well, you know.) This makes Buffy an intersting contrast to Wesley, who pretty consistently plays not-to-lose and does plan for worst-case scenarios. But more on that later :).

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I can't think of a time in which Buffy's choice to go for all the marbles is penalized

Err, the, you know, thing that happens to (spoiler) when the character played by none other than Nathan Fillion gets creative in the wine cellar? Plus ensuing events?

Also, while you're right in general, I'd say that winning the day in the end does not mean Buffy doesn't personally lose - as in, she saves the world in Becoming, but she has to kill Angel, and she saves the world in The Gift, but she has to die herself.

[thalia-seawood.livejournal.com]

Also, while you're right in general, I'd say that winning the day in the end does not mean Buffy doesn't personally lose

That's exactly why I love Buffy - both the show and the character. Life doesn't hand free gifts to any of the characters, everything comes with a price.

[thalia-seawood.livejournal.com]

I think she realizes she is going to die before she processes it

Yes, it's the traditional "your life passes before your eyes" moment.
(Which reminds me of Spike's comment to Giles: "Oh, poor Watcher. Did your life pass before your eyes? Cuppa tea, cuppa tea, almost got shagged, cuppa tea?" *g*)

My thought on giving her life for Dawn -- she's accepted that early death is part of the slayer's lot; she's internalized what Spike tells her about a slayer's death wish; she's gotten the painful news that death is her gift but it's only at the last minute that she processes how it all works together. By giving her life for Dawn (who they made out of her) she's making the death mean something, in a way that it couldn't if she suffered run-of-the-mill death by vampire.

Yes, and I just realised: As Dawn was created out of Buffy by saving Dawn she also lives on in her. In Dawn, Buffy is still present. -- Too bad her friends don't get that.

This makes Buffy an intersting contrast to Wesley, who pretty consistently plays not-to-lose and does plan for worst-case scenarios.

Interesting! - Have to say that I'm more of a Wesley personality myself. I'm the classic worst case scenario planner. Good thing that's something that's very useful for many of my tasks at work.

[rayakina.livejournal.com]

And the ending of this episode is heart-breaking and beautiful and perfectly executed. Indeed, it's absolutely heartbraking...for me it's one of the most touching scenes in general. It's very clever to let us hear Buffy's words to Dawn only after her sacrifice, then this slow-motion technique... Sniff, yes, I really remember that quite well. ;-(
I've decided to quote this scene in full. Thanks, the scene as a whole has really such a strong impact.
As far as I remember it seemed to me then that Spike was the first one to truly acknowledge the bitter truth and I was very touched by his display of immense grief.

[thalia-seawood.livejournal.com]

As far as I remember it seemed to me then that Spike was the first one to truly acknowledge the bitter truth and I was very touched by his display of immense grief.

That's what I thought at first as well and then I rethought. *g*
After all, we see that Buffy doesn't cry immediately after her mother died. Which means: The absence of tears can also stand for deep grief.

What this scene *really* tells us about Spike is that his emotions are always close to the surface. He does have his tough guy facade, but right underneath there are a lot of emotions and he's not good with reigning them in. I think this can be both a great strength and a great weakness.
(It's not the first time, we see this by the way. He doesn't cry often, but he was never one to disguise his feelings. E.g. he admits freely that he's "love's bitch" or tells Buffy that he loves her.)

[spikeylover.livejournal.com]

The thing with Spike is that when among those who he doesn't feel closeness with, he doesn't usually show much emotion and plays the snarky badass. There was no pretending here, or in AFTERLIFE.

[rayakina.livejournal.com]

Oh, I forgot, I *loved* the music accompanying Buffy's "gift"...so bittersweet!

[thalia-seawood.livejournal.com]

I got the "Once More With Feeling" CD and one of the additional tracks is from Buffy's goodbye scene in "The Gift".

[spikendru.livejournal.com]

I was so very disappointed when I bought the S5 DVDs and realized that they didn't include the beginning montage that showed clips from every single episode of BtVS up to The Gift! I thought that beginning montage just added so much to the episode, and I still don't understand why they left it off! :(

There was something else I was gning to say, but now I forget what it was.

[thalia-seawood.livejournal.com]

I was so very disappointed when I bought the S5 DVDs and realized that they didn't include the beginning montage that showed clips from every single episode of BtVS up to The Gift! I thought that beginning montage just added so much to the episode, and I still don't understand why they left it off! :(

That's strange: I also watch the show on DVD and on my version the beginning montage is included. I have a version that conforms to the European technical requirements, just don't get why the montage would have been cut on a US version.

[spikendru.livejournal.com]

On the US versions, they cut out all the "previously on..." clips that they showed when the series aired, and I guess the DVD makers decided that the montage fell into that group, because I think I remember Giles' voice saying "Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer..." and then the lovely montage started. It's apparent that the people that package the DVDs don't actually watch the shows. :(

[thalia-seawood.livejournal.com]

Wow, that sucks so bad!
On my version *all* the "Previously on" clips are included which is excellent. After all, the clips from previous eps tell you what issues a new episode will focus on; it also makes it easier to discover all the connecting themes.