Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Complete Seventh Season

Haunting of a different kind comes in the excellent "Conversations with Dead People" (one of the show's most terrifying episodes ever), in which a mysterious song is making Spike kill again in spite of his soul and his chip. Giles turns up in "Bring on the Night" and Buffy has to fight one of the deadliest vampires of her career in "Showtime". In "Potential" Dawn faces a fundamental reassessment of her purpose in life.

Buffy was always a show about female empowerment, but it was also a show about how ordinary people can decide to make a difference alongside people who are special. And it was also a show about people making up for past errors and crimes. So, for example, we have the excellent episodes "Storyteller", in which the former geek/supervillain Andrew sorts out his redemption while making a video diary about life with Buffy; and "Lies My Parents Told Me," in which we find out why a particular folk song sends Spike crazy. Redemption abounds as Faith returns to Sunnydale and the friends she once betrayed, and Willow finds herself turning into the man she flayed. Above all, this was always Buffy's show: Sarah Michelle Gellar does extraordinary work here both as Buffy and as her ultimate shadow, the First Evil, who takes her face to mock her. This is a fine ending to one of television's most remarkable shows. --Roz Kaveney

Customer reviews:

Redeemed, 2008-04-19
SPOILERS TOO!

As with other reviewers, I consider Buffy to be among the best television ever (one need only compare it to Angel to see how hard it is to really carry this stuff off). Season 7 is also not the best of them all, except for the fact that the last episode is really the most brilliant coup. One can forgive almost anything with such an ending, even the not very interesting setup (Caleb is a caricature, and, as others have said, the First is the Last).

There is a sense in this Season that the writers were writing character shifts in order to set up great scenes, rather than the other way around -- e.g.

(1) It may be that the series ended a bit too soon for the writers. It is really set up that Robin Wood and Buffy would get together, not the Faith detour. He is certainly in a different league than, say, Riley (yawn).

(2) The Willow/Kennedy scene about betraying Tara was quite moving, but I also didn't believe in the romance. It was as if the writers needed the romance so they could get to that scene.

(3) The bringing back of dead characters was a waste (again, written so that there could be scenes, not characters)

There is also something weird about the Potentials, as if they were from some porn sex army/Charlie's Angels episode (as ever, Whedon inserts his own critique, cf. the girls' pillow fight).

Nevertheless -- and in spite of the earlier long-winded Buffy speeches, the last speech and the rising up of the women was amazing and powerful. It was beautifully set up and edited, and the last fifteen minutes just have this astonishing rhythm, and it is clear that it was where Whedon was going -- even if he didn't exactly have the ending -- all along. A long gestation period, but the end certainly justified it.

Great !, 2007-12-06
As always Buffy delivers ! I haven't seen anything like this since the karate chopping Mrs. Peel hit the airwaves. This is the perfect ending to a classic series ..a must own