Slayage no more!
In honor of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series finale, Newmoanyeah is running MORE than a full week's worth of Buffy-related content. Hoorah for the Buffy fans out there! Everyone else... well, there's always next week.

Either way, be sure to check out all the content of Farewell Buffy Week. Be sure to come back midweek as we'll be posting staffer reactions to the end of Buffy right here in this article!

Stephen Lin, Editor in Chief
Damn... with all the people bitching and moaning about The Matrix Reloaded, I'm sure there'll be people tearing the Buffy series finale apart. Me? I liked it. A lot.

Nostaligia. Classic Buffy humor. Touching Buffy-Giles-Xander-Willow moments. And a random reference to Trogdor the Burninator.

Manolo Moreno, A Non Ukranian Staff Writer
Wow, that was a lot better than last week's episode. A hundred times better. If only they switched the order of the two. My favorite part was when Spike started yammering in bed about drowning in whipped cream. Anyway, I'm hooked and have joined the ranks of the many buffy fans. I can't wait for next week's Buffy.

Janet Choi, Sweet & Sour Editor
(::giggle, giggle, snort::)

Now, me, I’m not a big fan but I was actually kind of excited to watch it. It was growing dark, not to mention cold, and all I had brought was a cardigan but what I needed was a serious jacket. So I sat there, cold drink in hand, shivering, watching some really inept performances. Fortunately, I was able to get my boyfriend’s jacket out of his car and could finally enjoy the game without doing an impression of someone having a mild seizure. So, the team was... What’s that? This is supposed to be about the series finale of “Buffy”? Oh, er. I was at my boyfriend’s softball game and missed it.

Kerri Skarfe, Otherworldly Staff Writer
That was the best series finale I have ever seen. It makes up for the disappointment the X-Files finale and the trauma of Farscape. I have complete and utter respect for Joss Whedon...and he got me good. I actually said the following words to someone at work today, when asked if the Buffy Finale was going to be a surprise… "Yeah. People are supposed to die. At least I know Spike won't, since he's going to be on Angel next season." I should've known.

That episode was everything I watched Buffy for over the past seven years. I cried at the end, but I'm happy too... Buffy gets to be a normal girl now. Yay her. And I will thank her always for her final, parting gift…that lovely visual of James Marsters and David Boreanaz "wrassling"... with oil.

Lisa Turner, Groovalicious Editor
Ok, what the hell was that?

I'm not even sure where to start. So much seemed to go wrong, and even more things just never happened at all. My prediction had been that after this one final battle, the Powers That Be would reward Buffy by making her a normal girl, taking away her powers, and letting her get on with life. Turning all the potentials into the real thing came close, and it's the one part I totally agreed with. There's a lot of evil out there, so why not let lots of chicks share the burden?

Angel. I know Buffy had to have a final goodbye with him, and I can see where him staying around for battle would have ruined the whole girl power thing. But man, I had forgotten how much chemistry they have, and it just made the rest of the episode seem flat. The best line of the night by far was Buffy's, "Eat m..." and I can't wait until the eventual series finale of Angel when Buffy shows up and says, "Ready for cookies?"

Anya. I always liked Anya, unlike some people, and I thought the way they killed her was horrible, in the sense that it was a non-event. Andrew said she died saving him, but did she? It all went by so fast. I really wasn't even sure what happened. She didn't get a final goodbye, or even a chance to mumble, "It was worth the fight," or anything slightly profound. One last bunnies diatribe and she was gone.

The Principal. I was about to say that I didn't really can that he died, but I'm not sure he did. I remember he looked dead, then he gasped, but did he die after that? Do you see how pointless it all was that an hour later I can't even remember it?!

And who thought it was a good idea for the non-slayers to hang upstairs together? Earlier this season just one uber-vamp kicked Buffy's ass all around town, and now we're supposed to believe that Dawn and Andrew held their own against a whole crew of them?

And how is it that Willow (who looked so lame with that Glenda the Good Witch hair) can spread slayerocity around the world, but can't she make one little magic eyeball for Xander?

And Spike. Oh Spike, how I've loved you. After everything he's been through with Buffy, he finally gets to hear the words he's always wanted, and sweetly replies, "No you don't." Thanks. That just warmed my heart. Is American Idol still on? Maybe Clay can comfort me. But honestly, we know that Angel showed up to remind us that he and Buffy will always be Soul Mates, with a capital Katie Holmes, so why even bother with talk of love?

Ideally, I would have had Buffy look Spike deep in the eye, well up with tears at all he's done for her and at what he's about to sacrifice, and I would have had her say, as emotionally as possible, "Thank you." As in "thank you for trusting me, for believing in me when no one else did, for understanding how crappy it was to be brought back from the dead, for almost giving your life to save Dawn (repeatedly), for making me feel something, for understanding why I'll always choose Angel, and yes, for saving the whole world even though you just got a soul and can finally enjoy living." At that he could have smiled, or quipped at her or whatever. Anything would have been better than "No you don't," because we already knew she didn't and that she was just being kind, but the writers don't think we're smart enough to figure that out. I suppose it's amazing we can even operate our remote controls to find the Used Parts Network.

This would have been a passable season finale, but as a series finale, it was lacking. I hate to say it, but the two-hour Dawson left me more fulfilled. Maybe time was part of it, maybe it was money. According to the Salon interview, Joss had planned other story lines, including the return of Oz, but didn't have the budget to make it happen. It all just felt too rushed.

In the past, Buffy finales have left me moved, sometimes in tears. I think I did get a little choked up at some point, but I'm having a hard time remembering why now. Maybe it's because of the death they didn't show. The one of my trust in Joss Whedon.

This article is part of Newmoanyeah's Farewell Buffy Week.