Graduation Day Pt. 2

The mayor goes to Faith's and doesn't see her. He freaks out and orders everyone to help look for her. It's actually pretty sad. He sort of breaks down and just keeps repeating "She'll be okay" to himself. Poor evil soon-to-be-a-big-snake guy...

Back at the library, Xander brings Giles (apparently really gross tasting) coffee. Xander questions why he didn't ask for tea, since all people from England drink tea over coffee and Giles responds by saying, “Tea is soothing, I wish to be tense." I giggle at this line. This is one of my favorite lines of this episode. I still love you Giles, don't think I forgot about you. I also like the conversation between Xander and Cordelia about Wesley getting sacked.
Cordelia:  "I demand an explanation."
Xander:  "For what?"
Cordelia:  "Wesley."
Xander:  "Uh - inbreeding?"
I'm going to miss Angel a little tiny bit after this season, but I won't be missing Cordelia at all. Nope, not at all.

Angel is losing it entirely and thinks that Willow is Buffy. And that Oz is Buffy as well…Thankfully, actually Buffy comes back. Willow almost asks if she killed Faith but changes it to "she's not here?" Buffy says no and continues having her sad. She asks if she can have some time alone with Angel and they oblige.

Does anyone else think it’s funny that both Buffy and Angel were so very quickly to jump on killing Faith in order to save Angel? I mean, yeah she's making some poor choices but that doesn't mean she deserves to be killed!

And now Buffy literally forces Angel to drink from her after he refuses. She hits him until he gets turned on his vamp face on and then she shoves him into her neck to start drinking! Does anyone else think this is a bad idea? Angel begins drinking and is starting to lose control. Buffy is suffering and tries to get his attention anyway she can. Finally, Angel stops and rushes Buffy to the ER because she's not looking too good.

This is why you need a safe word, Buffy.

I didn't think that Buffy really looked like she was suffering at all. In fact, she kinda looked like she was enjoying it. Joss said this was one of the more "thinly veiled metaphors"  for them having sex (the way Buffy squeezes the pitcher and kicks the table). I just think Buffy likes to be bitten. Also, I think its incredibly brave of Buffy to risk her life in order to save Angel's. Even though they have broken up and he is leaving, we see how much they still love each other.

Obviously, Buffy and Faith are in connecting rooms. Angel goes to call the scoobies and the Mayor is in with Faith. The doctor is telling him how there is almost no chance that she'll wake up from her coma and he has a sad. A nurse comes in and tells the doctor that the girl next store suffered from severe blood loss. The mayor, knowing that the only person capable of losing blood would be Buffy, goes into her room and TRIES TO KILL HER BY COVERING HER MOUTH! I like how the Mayor reacts like a father would and wants to punish anyone that might be to blame for his "daughter" being hurt.

Trying to murder someone in a hospital isn't the best idea ever...

Angel comes in and gets the mayor off of her and they each have a my-girl-is-better-and-deserves-to-live-more-than-yours battle. They part with promises of getting back into it later for the "second act." And now here is when I seriously hate Xander. He knows Buffy and yet he jumps so quickly to assume Angel fed off of her without her consent. He must not think very highly of Buffy…If Buffy didn't want it to happen, you best believe she could have stopped him.

Xander, y u such an ass?

Cut to Buffy walking through Faith's apartment her arms crossed in front of her. There are cardboard boxes stacked everywhere.  Buffy stops and sees a cat jump up on Faith's bed.
Buffy:  "Who's going to look after him?"
Faith:  "It's a she.  And aren't these things supposed to take care of themselves?" walks up behind Buffy and stops next to her.
Buffy:  "A higher power guiding us?"
Faith looks at her then turns away and keeps walking towards the camera:  "I'm pretty sure that's not what I meant."
Buffy looking down:  "There's something I'm supposed to be doing."
Faith:  "Oh yeah. - Miles to go - Little Ms. Muffet counting down from 7-3-0."
Buffy grimaces:  "Great. - Riddles."
Faith standing in front of the broken window looking out:  "Sorry, it's my head.  A lot of new stuff."
Buffy looks at her with a half smile.  The cat on the bed turns for a split second into the image of a girl (Faith?) laying on the bed in white gown at the same time as Faith still looking out the broken window says:  "They are never going to fix this, are they?"
Buffy concerned:  "What about you?"
Faith turns around and gestures at her head:  "Scar tissue.  It fades.  It all fades."
Buffy looks down with a frown.  For a split second Faith's bloody knife appears in the palm of her hand.
Faith as Buffy looks back up:  "You want to know the deal?  Human weakness - never goes away.  Not even his."
Buffy with a half smile:  "Is this your mind or mine?"
Faith with a short laugh:  "Beats me."  Buffy gives a little laugh in return and looks down.  Faith walks towards her:  "Getting towards that time."
Buffy looks at all the boxes and the weapons laid out on the table beside her:  "How are you going to fit all this stuff?"
Faith:  "Not gonna.  It's yours."
Buffy:  "I can't use all of this!"
Faith:  "Just take what you need.  (reaches her right hand up to touch Buffy's cheek)  "You're ready?

This is so freaking interesting! First of all, the Ms. Muffet part Joss actually references and talks about it's importance within a later season so we're going to just put that to the side and talk about it when it comes up again. Because this is a "dream" and most of it is symbolism, it's up for grabs how you interpret it. As for me, I think the cat represents Buffy, but also Faith. It's a she and she's supposed to look after herself. I believe this is a reference to how Buffy will carry on without the council or Watcher backing her. Everything is going to be up to her. If she wants help, she needs to ask for it and choose to accept it; it won't just be given with the assumption that she'll follow orders. They're never going to fix this and Faith saying it all fades then going and telling Buffy about human weakness? These are hints that Faith recognized how things were getting over her head and she was scaring herself. Now away from the situation and in a safe place, she can tell Buffy how to defeat the Mayor. She loves him, but he is still going to behave in a way that she can't condone. Subconsciously, she knows he's wrong and Buffy's right.

So. Effin. Interesting.

I love when Joss does dream sequences, he does them so well! This one reminds me of the Dumbledore/Harry scene at the end of Deathly Hallows. Faith is giving Buffy advice and of course its happening in Buffy's head, but that doesn't mean they aren't really haven't this conversation on some Slayer to Slayer mind link level.

Cordelia: “I personally don’t think we can come up with a stupider plan” Oz: “We attack the mayor with hummus” Cordelia: “I stand corrected” Oz: “Just keeping things in perspective”

Their secret weapon

Buffy tells them that she's going to play off of the Mayor's human weakness because that's what Faith told her to do. Willow questions her: “Faith told you? Was that before or after you put her in a coma?” Buffy: “after” Willow: “oh…” Infinite lolz.

Confused Willow is Confused

But now, what is his weakness?

Oz:  "Well, Angel, you hung with him the most.  Is there something that he's afraid of?"  Buffy's looking down uncomfortably.
Angel:  "Well, he's not crazy about germs."
Cordelia:  "Of course, that's it.  We attack him with germs!"
Buffy:  "Great!  We'll corner him and then you can sneeze on him."
Cordelia gesturing excitedly:  "No!  No, we'll get a box with the Ebola virus and… and….  Or it doesn't even have to be real, we can just get a box that says Ebola on it and… uhm (snaps her fingers) chase him… (Oz frowns and no one else says anything)  with the box…"
Xander:  "I'm starting to lean towards the humus offensive." Oz:  "He'll never see it coming." Angel:  "Faith."  Buffy glances over at him and asks: "Faith?"
Angel:  "At the hospital he was grieving.  Seriously crazed, and not just in a homicidal I want to be a demon way.  She is his weak link."
Buffy:  "Faith.  (looks up at Giles)  I can work that."

As much as the idea of chasing the mayor with a box that says Ebola on it sounds awesome, obviously using Faith is the best weapon they've got. And don't forget to keep playing on Xander's "military training". Everytime they make a reference to that crap, a kitten cries a single sad tear.

Why do you keep using this bullshit military knowledge, Joss? Why?
Oh because Xander is really worthless.

Everyone is off working on their assignments, including Wesley who came to help of his own accord, not as a council member. I do really like that Wesley is brave enough to 1. admit defeat and just offer to help and 2. stay to help ever though it's an extremely dangerous situation. He and Cordelia work together (shocker) and they kiss:

However, their kiss is just incredibly awkward so they break apart and say that they'll "keep in touch" and get back to work.

Angel "I'm always know the right thing to say" (it would be helpful if he had a last name right now..) says he won’t say goodbye to Buffy after it's all over. Way to pour salt in a wound, buddy. It's kinda funny to me how Angel's way of running away from Buffy is to go maybe an hour tops down the road to LA.

Buffy then goes and gets Faith's knife from her apartment and then they all make their way to the graduation where shit's about to go down.

"Congratulations to the class of 1999.  You all proved more or less adequate.  This is a time of celebration, so: sit still and be quiet.  (Surveys the students)  Spit out that gum. - Please welcome our distinguished guest speaker: Richard Wilkins the 3rd.  (to one of the students)  I saw that gesture.  You see me after graduation."

I like how Willow and Oz are late to graduation because they were totally getting it on in Oz's van. Everyone is ready for battle and the Mayor, proving how evil he truly is, starts actually reading his speech. Buffy: “My god, he’s going to do the entire speech” Willow: “Man just ascend already” Buffy: “Evil…”

The Mayor's speech is one of the best moments in this episode because it sums up not just what is happening in this episode, but really what this whole season of Buffy has been about- growing up.
"For all of you it may be that there is a place in Sunnydale's history, whether you like it or not.  It's been a long road getting here.  For you… for Sunnydale.  There has been achievement, joy, good times,… and there has been grief.  There's been loss.  Some people who should be here today… aren't.  But we are. - Journey's end.  And what is a journey?  Is it just… distance traveled?  Time spent?  No.  It's what happens on the way, it the things that happen to you.  At the end of the journey you're not the same.  Today is about change. Graduation doesn't just mean your circumstances change, it means you do.  You ascend… to a higher level.  Nothing will ever be the same. Nothing,"

I feel like this is really Joss's speech to us, the audience, about the show. It's a journey about a group of teenagers growing up together. Some characters we have lost, there has been good time and bad ones. It's also very true that nothing will be the same because Buffy becomes a very different series after they leave high school.

Finally, the mayor ascends and all the students fight in the battle at Hogwarts Sunnydale. It's a great moment having the entire school band together for once in order to fight off the Mayor. There were so many time in this season that Buffy felt alone, but now we see everyone getting behind her to help fight. I also want to note that I felt like it was neccesary for the Mayor to change forms in order to kill him because it would be hard to want to see him die in his human form since he still was a nice guy sometimes.

Side note: when I went to Torrance High, we reenacted this battle scene on those stairs because we’re all very cool. This was without Kali. We would have done this on our trip on Monday but Kali broke in by herself.

Sadness and epicness takes place and we see Larry and Snyder die as well as Harmony get bit by a vampire.  Actually, it was pretty funny having Snyder get eaten by a giant snake.

During this time, Buffy works Mr. Snake into following her:

"Hey!  (holds Faith's knife in her right hand) You remember this? I took it from Faith. Stuck it in her gut.  (Looks at the knife then back up at the Mayor)  Just slid in her like she was butter. You want to get it back from me... Dick?"

Buffy leads the Mayor into the library and blows him, and the school up. (I have to say that I'm a pretty big nerd for being happy that they made sure to take all of the books out of the library before they blew up the school.)

 

After all the shit goes down, sweetness and funniness occurs. First, Wesley, who fell down within the first 3 seconds of fighting is seen being wheeled away on a stretcher saying “if I could just get something for the pain, there's quite a lot of pain. Or if I could just be knocked unconscious." Then Giles goes and tells Buffy she did a great job. They would say more, but Buffy's brain isn't working to well and she can only understand “fire bad, tree pretty." (I say this all the time when my brain isn't sleepy or sick like right now. I can only comprehend fire bad, tree pretty, computer screen too bright) However, before they part, Giles gives Buffy her diploma, telling her she earned it. On the count of three, everyone: One. Two. Three. D’awwww.

Then Angel leaves, Buffy has a sad. Angel isn't sad though, he gets his own show.

Which leads us to the end of the season, with Cordelia, Oz, Xander, Willow, and Buffy sitting across the street from school staring at the ruins. Oz asks them all to take a moment and recognize that they survived.

Buffy: One hell of a battle Oz: Not the battle, high school

Oz: We're taking a moment... and we're done

And thus ends Season 3 of Buffy! Yay!