Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Chosen

Chosen
Season 7, Episode 22
Airdate	May 20, 2003
Production Number	7ABB22
Written by	Joss Whedon
Directed by	Joss Whedon
← 7x21 End of Days	— N/A
Buffy the Vampire Slayer — Season Seven

Chosen is the twenty-second episode of the seventh season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the one-hundred and forty-fourth episode overall. It is the series finale.

Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Emma Caulfield (Anya), Michelle Trachtenberg (Dawn Summers), James Marsters (Spike)

and Alyson Hannigan (Willow)

Special Guest Star: Anthony Stewart Head (Rupert Giles), Eliza Dushku (Faith), Nathan Fillion (Caleb)

Guest Starring: David Boreanaz (Angel), Tom Lenk (Andrew Wells), Iyari Limon (Kennedy), Sarah Hagan (Amanda), Indigo (Rona)

and DB Woodside (Principal Wood)

Co-Starring: Felicia Day (Vi), Mary Wilcher (Shannon), Demetra Raven (Girl at Bat), Katie Gray (Indian Girl), Lisa Ann Cabasa (Injured Girl), Ally Matsumura (Japanese Girl), Kelli Wheeler (School Girl), Jenna Edwards (Trailer Girl), Julia Ling (Potential With Power #2)

Plot Overview

Discovering the source of the scythe, and having been given an amulet by Angel, Buffy devises a plan to defeat the First. Not only could it foil it’s plot, but could forever change the very destiny of the Slayer.

Notes

Monster of the Week

• There's no monster of the week in this episode, because it's the final episode. It's entirely centered around the plot.

Body Count

#	Whom	By Whom	How	Where
1	Caleb	Buffy	Cut in Half	Tomb
2	Anya	Bringer	Cut Down	Sunnyvale High
3	Amanda	Turok-Han	Stabbed	Hellmouth
4	Spike	—	Sunlight	Hellmouth
Countless unnamed potentials, Turok-Han and Bringers

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• Back to the Beginning: There are several "back to the beginning" references in this episode because it is the last. They're as follows:

• The First taking the form of Buffy recites the oft-heard description of the slayer which was heard in the introduction for the first season. The full quote is as follows: "In every generation there is a Chosen One. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer."

• After the new characters go to their respective posts, we're left with the core Scoobies and Giles, the original characters.

• After the camera spinning and the four discussing what they'll do tomorrow, Giles recites a quote from the second episode, "The Earth is definitely doomed."

• Slayer Mythos: As of this episode, every potential slayer that will ever exist is granted the powers of the slayer. Instead of one slayer in every generation, basically every girl in the world has slayer powers.

• Sunnydale: The entire city of Sunnydale is destroyed at the end of the episode, definitively putting a close on Buffy's chapter in history.

Characters

• Willow: Willow finally redeems herself and her magic usage by transforming into the exact opposite of evil Willow (i.e. bathed in white light and glowing softly).

• Anya is killed in battle. Andrew relays to Xander that she died saving him Xander holds back his emotions and only observes "That's my girl. Always doing the stupid thing."

• Wood makes a promise to Faith to let him give a chance to surprise her, which he does in part when he survives the battle, yet wounded.

• Spike opts to wear the amulet Angel brought. When it kicks in, it absorbs the sunlight and burns up before destroying the Hellmouth.

• Before his death, Buffy tells him she loves him. He doesn't believe her, but thanks her for saying it anyway.

Referbacks

• Amends: Angel references the time that the First appeared to him in the form of the people who he killed in the past in order to make him commit suicide.

Angel: The First Evil. The power that tried to convince me to kill myself.

• The Prom: Andrew makes a reference to his brother Tucker, who released a horde of hellhounds on the Prom.

Andrew: Um, a shout out to my brother Tucker, who gave me the inspiration to summon demons...

Trivia

The Show

• Music: A variation of the main theme to the series by Nerf Herder can be heard playing in the background of the final scene of the episode.

• Survivors: The only survivors of the Hellmouth collapse were Buffy, Willow, Xander, Dawn, Giles, Andrew, Kennedy, Faith, Robin, Rona, Chao-Ahn and Vi.

• The impact of Spike's sacrifice was made moot by the WB announcing that James Marsters would be joining the cast of Angel for Season Five before this episode even aired.

Behind the Scenes

• Original Ending: In the DVD commentary Joss Whedon said that he originally intended to have the Scooby Gang wiped out saving the world, but decided that was too downbeat. However, there had to be a 'toll' and this was supplied by the deaths of Anya and Amanda (in addition to various red shirts).

• Cut Scene: In the script, Joss shot a scene with Giles and Wood sharing a "hand-rolled cigarette" (meaning a joint) before battle.

• Original Draft: Originally, the conversation with Angel was much more complex, in which he referenced several things that happened in his own series (Angel), including his love for Cordelia and his having a son.

• Grr Argh: On the Mutant Enemy production studio card at the end of the episode, the monster turns and looks at the viewer instead of just the crudely animated shamble across the screen. This was meant as sort of a good-bye.

• Ratings: This episode attracted 4.9 million viewers. Although this is significantly lower than many of the earlier episodes, it is still one of the highest (if not the highest) rated episodes of the season.

• Emmy Award: This episode was nominated for Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series at the 2003 Emmy Awards. Incidentally, it lost to Firefly, another series by Joss Whedon which also has Nathan Fillion in it.

Allusions and References

• Dawson's Creek: Buffy refers to a WB drama called Dawson's Creek which also was ended during the season that this episode first aired. The series was a teenage melodrama about Dawson, who was constantly pining over his "soul mate," Joey Potter.

Buffy: Are you just going to come here and go all Dawson on me every time I have a boyfriend?

• Dungeons and Dragons: Before the fateful late battle, Giles, Xander, Amanda and Andrew all play Dungeons and Dragons, a famous role playing game played with pen and paper. Referenced in this game is Trogdor the Burniator, which implies that this is one of the early versions of the game. Trogdor is a chaotically evil dragon and has since been brought back to popularity by the Homestar Runner cartoons.

• School's Out: Spike quotes a line from the Alice Cooper song School's Out. The song was released in 1972 on the album of the same name. The lyrics to the song not only are about summer vacation, but school being out forever because it was blown up.

Spike: I think it's fair to say school's out for bloody summer.

Memorable Moments

• The simple, understated, rapprochement between Giles and Buffy ("It's bloody brilliant").

• Buffy's "Here's the part where you make a choice" speech.

• Baseball Girl's knowing smile, Trailer Girl stopping the punch.

• Buffy rising from the 'dead' ("Get out of my face").

• Buffy's half formed smile at the end ("What are you gonna do?").

Quotes

• Buffy: What are you doing here?

Angel: Not saving the damsel in distress, that's for sure.

Buffy: You know me. Not much with the damselling.

• Angel: Okay, maybe I'm out of line, but this is kind of a curve ball for me. I mean, we are talking about Spike here.

Buffy: It's different. He's different. He has a soul now.

Angel: Oh. Well...

Buffy: What?

Angel: That's great. Everyone's got a soul now.

Buffy: He'll make a difference.

Angel: You know, I started it - the whole having a soul. Before it was all the cool new thing.

Buffy: Oh my god! Are you twelve?

Angel: I'm gettin' the brush off for Captain Peroxide. It doesn't necessarily bring out the champion in me.

• Buffy: Are you just gonna come here and go all Dawson on me every time I have a boyfriend?

Angel: Aha! Boyfriend!

Buffy: He's not. But... he is in my heart.

Angel: That'll end well.

Buffy: What was the highlight of our relationship? When you broke up with me or when I killed you?

• Buffy: In the midst of all this... insanity, a couple of things are actually starting to make sense. And the guy thing... (sighs) I always feared there was something wrong with me, you know, because I couldn't make it work. Maybe I'm not supposed to.

Angel: Because you're the Slayer.

Buffy: Because... Okay, I'm cookie dough. I'm not done baking. I'm not finished becoming whoever the hell it is I'm gonna turn out to be. I make it through this, and the next thing, and the next thing, and maybe one day, I turn around and realise I'm ready. I'm cookies. And then, you know, if I want someone to eat m-- or enjoy warm delicious cookie me, then that's fine. That'll be then. When I'm done.

Angel: Any thoughts on who might enjoy... Do I have to go with the cookie analogy?

Buffy: I'm not really thinking that far ahead. That's kind of the point.

• Buffy: (after Dawn kicks her shin) Ow.

Dawn: Dumbass.

Xander: Don't look at me. This is a Summers' thing. It's all very violent.

• Spike: So where's Tall, Dark and Forehead?

Buffy: Let me guess. You can smell him.

Spike: Yeah, that and I also used my heightened vampire eyeballs to watch you kissing him.

• Anya: Come on. Let's go assemble the cannon fodder.

Xander: That's now what we're not calling them, sweetie.

Anya: Not to their faces. What am I, insensitive?

• Giles: Could it possibly get uglier? I used to be a highly respected Watcher. Now I'm a wounded dwarf with the mystical strength of a doily. I wish I could just sleep.

Amanda: What kind of person could sleep on a night like this?

Xander: (as Anya sleeps) Only the crazy ones.

• Anya: So that leaves me and the dungeon master in the north hall?

Andrew: We will defend it with our very lives.

Anya: Yes, we will defend it with his very life.

Xander: And don't be afraid to use him as a human shield.

Anya: Good, yes! Thanks.

• Giles: The earth is definitely doomed.

• Spike: Not to be a buzz kill, love, but my fabulous accessory isn't exactly tingling with power.

Buffy: I'm not worried.

Spike: I'm getting zero juice here and I look like Elizabeth Taylor.

Faith: Cheer up, Liz. If Willow's big spell doesn't work, it won't matter what you wear.

• Buffy: Are you ready to be strong?

• Andrew: I think they're coming.

Anya: Oh God. I'm terrified! I didn't think - I mean, I just figured you'd be terrified and I would be sarcastic about it.

Andrew: Picture happy things. A lake. Candy canes. Bunnies.

Anya: Bunnies! Floppy... hoppy... bunnies.

• The First: (as Buffy) Oh, no. Ow! Mommy, this mortal wound is all itchy. You pulled a nice trick. You came pretty close to smacking me down. What more do you want?

Buffy: I want you... to get out of my face!

• Buffy: I love you.

Spike: No, you don't. But thanks for saying it.

• Andrew: She was incredible. She died saving my life.

Xander: That's my girl. Always doing the stupid thing.

• Faith: Looks like the Hellmouth is officially closed for business.

Giles: There is another one in Cleveland. Not to spoil the moment.

• (last lines)

Willow: What do you think we should do, Buffy?

Buffy: Yeah, you're not the one-and-only Chosen anymore. Just gotta live like a person. How's that feel?

Dawn: Yeah, Buffy. What are we gonna do now?

(Buffy cracks a smile)