Buffy and Angel Rewatch part 62

B7.20 Touched
Since the ending is fast approaching, in many ways this is a nice human emotion episode to have. Buffy can get a little annoying when she's all melancholy; at least here she is starting to realise that maybe she isn't always right. Spike too falls into the annoying category, as he gets all superior about Buffy being kicked out with the gang and then again with Buffy herself.
The sex scenes that are referred to in the episodes title, make a lot of sense as they feature the shows core and likely to have sex characters. I do like the contrasts between the different couplings, including Xander and Anya's very messy sex on the kitchen floor!
As always it's nice to see the Mayor back on the show, even in the form of the First. No-one mattered more to Faith than him and since all the other Scoobies (minus Giles and Xander; shame Jenny couldn't have come back but she's already been the First once) have had visits from dead loved ones, it's about time she did too. What he said wasn't of great importance but it was a nice blast from the past.
Speaking of blasts, the ending was a very enjoyable one. I loved the cliffhanger aspect with the bomb ticking away. I guess since it's her show, Buffy had to be the one to find the scythe and be proven right, though it would've been nice for Faith's hard work to pay of as well. (8.5/10)

B7.21 End of Days
The end is indeed is indeed near. As the episode begins with an explosion which puts Faith out of commission, we finally see what they potentials can do. For the first time they are not fighting an ordinary vamp but the uber vamps. They're not great at it, admittedly, but this is only to allow Buffy to play the hero. The scenes of panic that play out at the house are good to watch as it really impresses home what danger they are all in. Sometimes on the show it can feel like everything will be alright in the end due to the safety net of it being a TV show, so these types of scenes are important.
Until the end there isn't much action but a lot of two people scenes. Sweet moments play out between some likely and unlikely pairings; Buffy/Xander, Buffy/Spike, Buffy/Faith, Willow/Giles and Anya/Andrew and they serve as a nice way to close the series for certain characters and pairings, especially Anya, Buffy/Xander and Buffy/Faith.
The scythe is a nice weapon to pull out of the bag at the eleventh hour, but we never get an explanation about why the First had it uncovered. It seems a pretty stupid thing to do, considering the power Buffy has with it. They do provide a nice back story to the scythe though in that it was created by people looking out for the Slayer herself. We have had a lot over the years about the Watchers and the men who originally created the Slayer, none of whom seemed to have the Slayer's best interests at heart, so it's nice that there were people watching over her.
Angel's return is obviously a major part of the episode. I used to be bothered that he could be so happy and heroic for Buffy considering all that's just happened to him in LA, but now I've realised that it's easy to put on a facade even when things are bad in your own life. Angel needs to be string and helpful for Buffy not depress her with all his problems. He has plenty of time to brood when he goes back to LA! (9.5/10)

B7.22 Chosen
Where do I start?! In a perfect and utterly satisfying conclusion to the show, Buffy saves the world (again). However this time she changes it as well, making every potential into an actual Slayer. As a concept this is an excellent way to bring the show full circle. The show's mission statement, spoken by The First in this episode, is completely altered and Buffy's biggest burden is now lifted. By doing this, Buffy is squarely put in Slayer history as the one Slayer who changed the rules and balanced out the fight against evil. One of my favourite things about this episode was the way in which Buffy's idea was revealed, first by hiding it and then revealing it towards the end. They have done the hidden plan thing before (Graduation Day, The Gift), but the sheer magnitude of the idea just made they way they did it in this episode, absolutely perfect.
Destroying Sunnydale was also another neat idea. The Hellmouth is always there as demonstrated by other times when Buffy has left and come back again and it will always need a Slayer to defend it. Closing the Hellmouth or at least getting rid of the humans living above and prey to it, was the best way to ensure that Buffy could truly move on.
The show did many other things to bring it full circle. Taking the fight to the High School and getting to destroy it again was a nice touch as was the final scene before the fight in which the core Scoobies, recount their conversation from season 1. I was also glad to see only the main alive characters in the final shot as these are the characters which made the show.
The fight scenes were brilliantly executed, as were the special effects, which were better than seen in some Hollywood blockbusters. Buffy coming face to face with The First/Buffy was also well done, but this was probably mostly due to Sarah Michelle Gellar's acting skills. I haven't mentioned it before, but like she did with the Buffy-bot, she pulled off the role of The First excellently and more convincing than many of the other actors brought in have done.
As for the deaths, Anya's was incredibly sad and quickly done; the shot of her lifeless body was a sad one, especially as she and Xander seemed so close during the episode. A main character death was much needed though, otherwise it wouldn't have felt like an apocalypse. Spike's death, whilst heroic, is cheapened by the fact that he doesn't really die and appears in Angel next season. His death here would be a lot more poignant had he stayed dead.
Overall this was a stellar episode and a beautiful way to end the show. I know many would've preferred The Gift, but personally the heroics and game-changing aspects of this episode make it the perfect to see out the show. (10/10)