End of Days (Buffy episode)
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"End of Days" is the 21st episode of seventh and final season of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer that sets everything up for the final battle.
Plot synopsis
Summary
Buffy effortlessly pulls the scythe from the stone, leaving Caleb amazed. He is willing to fight her, though probably outmatched now that she has the scythe. But the First (as Buffy) tells him to let Buffy go, and tells her that she will have to hurry to save her friends in the sewer.
The Potentials, Kennedy, Amanda, Vi, Rona, and Caridad among others, who survived the bomb blast start dragging the unconscious Faith and their other wounded towards the surface when they are ambushed by three Turok-Han vamps. Kennedy assumes command. All hope seems lost, though, until Buffy shows up with her new weapon and rescues them, killing all three Turok-Han. Back at her house, the Potentials and Slayers pledge Buffy their loyalty again. Buffy is the undisputed leader.
Willow and Giles immediately look for references to the scythe on the Internet. During their research, Willow confesses to Giles that she is not sure if she can do real heavy magic, even if she must. They find symbols that suggest a connection to scythes and Ancient Egypt.
At Buffy's insistence, a reluctant Xander renders Dawn unconscious with chloroform and drives off with her, away from Sunnydale for safety. When Dawn wakes up, she gives him a shock with a Taser and then drives them back.
Buffy and Faith make up. Faith admits to Buffy that she was jealous of her friends, and lets it slip that she and Principal Wood have had sex. They both reflect upon how lonely they are as Slayers, and that they are the only ones in the group who truly understand what it feels like to be a Slayer. Buffy then has a personal discussion with Spike, in which they admit how much they feel for each other.
Following the Egyptian lead, Buffy takes the scythe to a small pyramid that she discovers right outside one of the gates of the same cemetery that she has patrolled for the past six years. Inside, a woman who claims she is part of a secret female order that has watched the Watchers since ancient times tells her that the scythe is a powerful weapon forged for the final battle. Suddenly, Caleb shows up from behind the woman, kills her, and almost has Buffy bested when Angel steps in to save her. However, Buffy insists on fighting Caleb alone, and Caleb falls.
Buffy gives Angel a welcome kiss. Unbeknownst to them, Spike is hiding in the shadows with the First by his side. "That bitch", it tells him.
Expanded overview
The bomb explodes seconds after Faith's warning, sending Faith and the other girls flying. Meanwhile, Caleb finds Buffy as she discovers the ax and she surprises him by pulling the ax effortlessly out of the rock it's imbedded in. The First convinces Caleb to let Buffy leave and she does at the mental hinting that Faith and the others are in trouble. The girls that survived the blast gather and they find Faith's unconscious body in a pool of water. As a demonic growl sounds, the girls take Faith and run through the tunnels for the nearest escape. As they make it over a pile of rubble, one of the Ubervamps leaps at them. Kennedy tells them all to form a circle so they can fight as one. At the house, the gang enjoy a selection of junk food and snacks taken from the abandoned grocery store while they wait for the others to return. Xander, Willow, Dawn and Anya return without having found Buffy and the news gets worse as Giles confirms that they haven't heard from Faith yet either.
The girls quickly find themselves surrounded by three Ubervamps and struggle to fight the powerful vampires. One Potential is torn apart, and just as one Ubervamp grabs Kennedy by the throat, Buffy crashes down through the ceiling above with the ax in hand. She quickly disposes of the three Ubervamps, then directs the girls to take the wounded and follow her out of there. The wounded are tended to at the house and Faith is taken upstairs. Giles, Willow and Buffy talk about the scythe and what little they know about it. Buffy just knows that she knew it belonged to her and asks them to research anything they can find on it to determine it's significance. Anya and Andrew clean one of the girl's wounds and talk about the poor medical care they're offering the wounded. Realizing they're lacking materials, Andrew suggests they go to the hospital, which is likely abandoned, to get the supplies they need and asks Anya to join him.
Buffy asks Xander to do something, but he doesn't like the idea of not being there with her during the final battle. Buffy convinces him that she needs him to do this job because she trusts him. Willow and Giles try to research the weapon, but they don't have much luck. Giles suggests that Willow use magic to tap into the scythe, but Willow is reluctant to open herself up to the dark magic. Willow finds a strange name on a website and Giles recognizes it as symbolism for a scythe. He directs Willow to research the Pagan Temple that the vineyard used to be as he suspects that may be the connection they need. Xander and Dawn search the car for Dawn's crossbow that she assures him she didn't leave there. They joke about his loss of an eye and when Dawn doesn't suspect it, Xander covers her mouth with chloroform and tosses her unconscious body in the car, then speeds off.
At the vineyard, an angry Caleb rants and yells about the Slayer getting out of his grasp, but the First reassures him that they will get her in time. The two prepare to merge, then the First Evil leaves the non-corporeal form of Buffy and enters Caleb. Afterwards, Caleb is left with black eyes and a deeper voice. A newly awakened Faith feels the strength of the scythe. She talks with Buffy about who's going to lead their group now and Faith's guilt over leading the girls into a trap. The two bond over the loneliness felt as the leader and as the Slayer. Buffy heads downstairs as Spike arrives back at the house and they talk about the scythe and the purpose of their mission. Spike brushes off the night before, but Buffy doesn't let go so easily. She confronts him on the issue and he confesses that the night was the best of his unlife. Buffy lets him know the night meant something to her, but she can really specify what her feelings are.
Anya and Andrew gather bags full of supplies as they chat about the impending battle. Anya confesses that she ran at the last apocalypse, but this time, she feels inspired by the others to keep fighting this time. They talk about who's going to die, then play around in wheelchairs. Buffy patrols with the scythe and finds an underground dwelling. An older woman emerges from behind a curtain and reveals that she was one that provided the scythe for her. The woman explains the history of the scythe and implies that Buffy could win this battle. Suddenly, the woman's neck is broken and Caleb appears behind her. Dawn slowly comes awake as Xander drives them away from town. Dawn asks questions about what happened and where they're going, but Xander just answers here with a note from Buffy. Dawn reads the letter explaining that Buffy wanted the two of them somewhere safe and surprisingly shocks Xander with a Stun Gun. She takes control of the car and turns it around back towards Sunnydale.
Buffy and Caleb fight, but Caleb repeatedly blocks her efforts to kill him and tosses her around. Just as Caleb raises the scythe to kill Buffy, Angel arrives and knocks Caleb down. Buffy and Angel briefly exchange pleasantries then Angel realizes Buffy has to do this fight herself and stands back to watch her battle Caleb. In the end, Buffy slices Caleb across the chest with her scythe. With Caleb dead, Buffy and Angel reunite with a kiss. As the two kiss, Spike and the First in Buffy's form watch from the shadows.
Writing and acting
- Like previous episodes, the main thrust of the plot is advanced through deus ex machina devices. Examples here include the little pyramid that Buffy only now notices after years of patrolling and the secret female society nobody has heard of before. Some fans argue that this is a symptom of lower quality writing in later parts of the seventh season; whilst others believe these occurrences, which of course require more suspension of disbelief than usual, are deliberate attempts at subtle (and not-so-subtle) humour.
- Given that the mystical woman waited thousands of years in a closed pyramid, her English is spectacular. There are parallels between her role and that of the knight in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
- Anya and Andrew share their feelings on death and what it means to be human, setting them up for their last stand in the final episode.
Production details
Translations
German title: "Das Ende der Zeit (1)" ("The End of Time, Part 1")
Cast and crew
- Buffy Anne Summers as Sarah Michelle Gellar
- Willow Rosenberg as Alyson Hannigan
- Alexander 'Xander' Lavelle Harris as Nicholas Brendon
- Rupert Giles as Anthony Stewart Head
- Spike as James Marsters
- Dawn Summers as Michelle Trachtenberg
- Anya Jenkins as Emma Caulfield
- Principal Robin Wood as D.B. Woodside
- Director: Marita Grabiak
- Written by: Jane Espenson and Douglas Petrie
Quotes and trivia
- This episode was filmed before "Touched", even though it aired after, because Eliza Dushku needed time to film her pilot for Tru Calling.
- "I can't image how something like this could exist without my having heard of it." — Giles showing as much dismay as the viewers when faced with the crude plotting
- "I don't understand. How is it possible that we didn't know any of this." — Buffy joining our disbelief
- "So it's true — scythe matters." — Willow with a unexpected pun for a lesbian
- "Thank God we're hot chicks with superpowers." — Faith telling Buffy what makes being a Slayer bearable
- "No, really" — The mystical woman in the pyramid showing the familiar surprise at Buffy's name
Continuity
Arc significance
Buffy is back in command and has a new weapon, though the full extent of its power still remains unclear.
Caleb finally seems beaten, leaving the First without a champion.
Buffy has a series of talks, first with Xander, then with Faith, and finally with Spike. They bring her close to her friends again, but at the same time reinforce the feeling of doom. Angel's sudden appearance would seem to complicate her relationship with Spike, though.
Timing
- Stories that take place around the same time in the Buffyverse:
| Location, time (if known) | Buffyverse: January 2003 - Spring 2003 (non-canon = italic) |
|---|---|
| Sunnydale, 2003 | B7.11 Showtime (Buffy episode)>Showtime |
| Sunnydale, 2003 | B7.12 Potential (Buffy episode)>Potential |
| L.A., 2003 | A4.11 Soulless (Angel episode)>Soulless |
| Sunnydale, 2003 | B7.13 The Killer in Me (Buffy episode)>The Killer in Me |
| Sunnydale, 2003 | B7.14 First Date (Buffy episode)>First Date |
| L.A., 2003 | A4.12 Calvary (Angel episode)>Calvary |
| Sunnydale, 2003 | B7.15 Get It Done (Buffy episode)>Get It Done |
| L.A., 2003 | A4.13 Salvage (Angel episode)>Salvage |
| Sunnydale, 2003 | B7.16 Storyteller (Buffy episode)>Storyteller |
| L.A., 2003 | A4.14 Release (Angel episode)>Release |
| Sunnydale, 2003 | B7.17 Lies My Parents Told Me (Buffy episode)>Lies My Parents Told Me |
| L.A., 2003 | A4.15 Orpheus (Angel episode)>Orpheus |
| Sunnydale, 2003 | B7.18 Dirty Girls (Buffy episode)>Dirty Girls |
| L.A., 2003 | A4.16 Players (Angel episode)>Players |
| L.A., 2003 | Angel book: Nemesis (Angel novel)>Nemesis |
| L.A., 2003 | Angel book: Book of the Dead (Angel novel)>Book of the Dead |
| L.A., 2003 | A4.17 Inside Out (Angel episode)>Inside Out |
| L.A., 2003 | A4.18 Shiny Happy People (Angel episode)>Shiny Happy People |
| Sunnydale, 2003 | B7.19 Empty Places (Buffy episode)>Empty Places |
| L.A., 2003 | A4.19 The Magic Bullet (Angel episode)>The Magic Bullet |
| L.A., 2003 | A4.20 Sacrifice (Angel episode)>Sacrifice |
| Sunnydale, 2003 | B7.20 Touched (Buffy episode)>Touched |
| L.A., 2003 | A4.21 Peace Out (Angel episode)>Peace Out |
| L.A., 2003 | A4.22 Home (Angel episode)>Home |
| Sunnydale, 2003 | B7.21 End of Days (Buffy episode)>End of Days |
| Sunnydale, 2003 | B7.22 Chosen (Buffy episode)>Chosen |
External links
| Buffyverse | ||
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| Places | L.A. | Sunnydale Bronze | Caritas | Hellmouth | Hyperion | Library | Magic Box | Pylea | Sunnydale High | |
| Music | Complete Tracklist | Use of Music in Buffy & Angel | Dingoes Ate My Baby | Film | | | Once More, With Feeling | |
| Key Terminology | "Demon" | "Slayer" | "Vampire" | "Watcher" | "Werewolf" | "Witch" "Child of Senior Partners" | Shanshu | Sunnydale Syndrome | Tro-Clon | |
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