05.23.01
Tonight, I re-watched the season finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and I believe that I will maintain until my dying day that the last five minutes of this episode are the most moving five minutes of any television program, ever. People might poo-poo this program, but I'm telling you, a finer ensemble cast of emoting actors I have never seen. The looks on their faces as they all gather around Buffy's lifeless corpse, oh, they wrench my heart as though it were all painfully real-life true.
"Buffy Anne Summers. 1982 - 2001. Beloved Sister. Devoted Friend. She saved the world, a lot."
I am also especially sad, because for all intents and purposes, as far as my viewership is concerned, this is the last episode of Buffy, ever.
The UPN isn't a channel in my town, and it doesn't appear to be one anywhere around here at all, unless you possibly have a satellite dish or something like that. There is a distinct lack of satellite or satellite-related dishes anywhere near my person. Fancy that.
R.I.P. Buffy. At first I thought you were substanceless fluff, a stupid spin-off of an even stupider movie*, but after an accidental viewing, several seasons later, I came to realize that you were something better. Much better. Something that I will sorely miss.
Stupid WB.
*Oh please, it starred Kristy "DUI" Swanson, Luke "Best known for 90210" Perry, Rutger "They paid me really, really well to debase myself in this manner" Hauer, David "I was a freak even then" Arquette, Donald "Oh, don't act so surprised, I've been on a fairly steady decline, quality-wise" Sutherland, Hilary "Yeah, if you'd have told me I'd win an Oscar at this state of my life, I'd have laughed you silly" Swank, and, the only redeeming thing about the entire movie, Paul "Yeah, I touched my pee wee in public, and this is my big comeback movie" Reubens.
