The destruction of the Initiative is finally complete. I turned in for the season wrap on Buffy of a story arc that frequently pitted the vampire Slayer against a military run demon/ vampire hunting operation.
The Initiative's little project to engineer a new type of solider to
increase their effectiveness backfired right into the Slayer's lap. And how satisfying it was to see these way too serious geeks confronted with the fact they were way in over their collective heads.
Adam, their nightmare solider, started an Initiative of his own to build a super army that would destroy everything in sight. Spike acted as his agent by driving a wedge between the Slayer and her friends. Spike's plan nearly succeeded as he exploited the distance that inevitably occurs between high school buds after everyone heads to college/life.
What made this Buffy exceptional was the grace and sensitivity with which
the characters handled their rift. Grace is usually not a word you would
use to describe a fun genre show like Buffy. However, Joss Whedon's
exceptional writing adds an emotional richness that sets this show in its
own league.
I liked that Buffy had the intuition and smarts to expose Spike's plan. And I liked how
Buffy, Willow, Xander and Giles took responsibility for
contributing in their own way to the rift.
It was refreshing to see the awkwardness and wariness that remained when
they realized Spike's mischief. Watching them stand around a bit shell
shocked and confronting their fears and doubts about each other made we want to stand up and cheer.
The strong emotional base prepared us for the final showdown with Adam. How do you defeat a hybrid human monster with the supernatural strength of a slayer? Well, Buffy did it with a little help from her reunited friends. I loved watching
Xander, Willow and Giles cast a spell that increased the Slayer's powers several fold.
The special effects were amazing as we watched Buffy artfully turn bullets into doves and do some Matrix-inspired moves of her own. Good job, effects team! And I loved the supernatural glow emitting from the Slayer's eyes as she put the deformed genie back in the bottle.
Stay tuned for an interview with a guest star from Buffy and Angel in coming weeks!
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"With
a Little Help From Her Friends"
