Graudation Day - Part Two
3ABB22
Follows on from Graduation Day - Part One.
After the climactic battle on the roof of Faith's apartment building, Buffy stands alone with the knife that may have killed Faith. As the reality of not being able to use Faith's blood as a cure for Angel sets in, Buffy has a moment of painfully quiet introspection, then leaves, having made her decision internally. Just as Buffy descends the escape ladder, the Mayor and one of his goons search the apartment looking for Faith. The apartment is in a shambles, and although the Mayor tries to convince himself that Faith will prevail in the fight, his fear is written all over his face. Back at the library, Xander and Giles research how to defeat the Mayor in demon form when Cordelia barges in demanding an explanation of why Wesley has decided to leave the country. After Giles explains that Wesley is no longer Buffy's watcher, Xander manages to convince Cordy to join in the fight against the Mayor.
Meanwhile, Willow cares for Angel back at his hideout, but things don't look so good for Angel. When he wakes up from a troubled sleep, he mistakes Willow for Buffy. When the real Buffy shows up, she asks Willow and Oz to leave so that she can be alone with Angel. When they leave, she explains to Angel that the only way for him to survive is to drink her blood. Angel emphatically resists, but after Buffy physically induces his vampire side to come out, he sinks his fangs into her neck and drains her near to death. When Angel comes to and realizes what he has done, he rushes Buffy to the hospital and demands that the doctors treat her immediately.
In the next room, the Mayor grieves over Faith, who lies in a coma. When a doctor comes in announcing another girl with 'severe blood loss' in the other room, he puts two and two together. He walks very calmly over to Buffy and tries to suffocate her, but Angel comes to the rescue. The Mayor warns Angel that at Graduation he will do much worse to Buffy, then storms out. Just as the Mayor exits, Giles, Xander, Oz and Willow meet Angel in the hall. Seeing that Angel's health has been restored, they question Buffy's condition and Angel's sudden recovery, and soon learn that Buffy's blood was the cure for Angel's ailments. While both Giles and Xander both strongly disapprove of Angel's actions, they know they must focus on the Ascension.
In a strange and surreal dream, Faith is alive and well, and gives Buffy some valuable advice: 'human weakness' is the key to defeating the Mayor. Questioning whether Faith's mind or her own mind is creating this fantasy, she drifts out of her sleep and wakes up in the hospital. She wanders over to Faith's bed and gives her an apologetic kiss, then meets the gang in the waiting room. Startled to see her up so soon, they are even more startled when she says that she is 'ready for war.'
At the library, Buffy goes over her plan with Giles, Angel, Xander, Willow, Oz and Cordelia. Wesley unexpectedly walks in, and before Buffy and the gang can ostracize him, he explains that he has not come back representing the council; he is back to help. Meanwhile, the Mayor plans his assault with his vampire goons. The vamps are told to hold the people in the area so that the Mayor can feed on them once the ascension is complete.
Back at the school, the gang goes to work rounding up students to help with the battle. Willow grabs Percy and Xander rounds up Harmony while Wesley and Cordelia share a hilariously awkward romantic good-bye in the library. In another sort of good-bye, Angel tells Buffy that if they survive the Ascension, he will not say good-bye, he will simply leave.
The big day finally arrives, and the students file in wearing their crimson caps and gowns. Anxiety and fear paint the faces of Buffy and the gang while Principal Snyder gives his usual condescending banter, then introduces Mayor Wilkins as the honored guest speaker. The Mayor begins his speech about graduation, ascension and change, but before he can finish, the ascension begins.
The moon eclipses the sun, bringing darkness over the ceremony. And before a stunned crowd, the Mayor morphs into a giant, twenty-foot dinosaur with a vicious set of teeth and a ravenous appetite. But amid the ensuing chaos, the student body is ready. Led by Buffy and a courageous Xander, the students rip off their gowns to reveal an arsenal of weapons. They bombard the demon and his vampire minions with flame-throwers, rifles, arrows, spears and swoads. In the melee, the demon dips down and grabs Principal Snyder between his jaws, and devours him. Buffy sees her chance, and orders the class to retreat. Now one on one with the Mayor, she taunts him with the knife that pierced Faith, and leads him on a chase through the high school. The chase ends in the library, which is rigged with explosives. All the Mayor can say is "Oh, gosh!" as he and the halls of Sunnydale High are blown back into hell.
In the aftermath, Giles congratulates Buffy on the victory, and presents her diploma that he pulled from the wreckage. As Giles leaves to check on the injured Wesley, Buffy spots Angel standing at a distance. They exchange a long, painful look, but before Buffy can approach Angel to say good-bye, he walks away and disappears into the smoky haze. Later that night, Buffy, Xander, Willow, Oz and Cordelia take a moment to reflect on the fact that they have not only survived the battle, but they have survived high school.
More Information
If 'Graduation Day Part 2' had been the last ever episode of 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer', there wouldn't have been too many fans who wouldn't have gracefully admitted that at least the series ended with a suitably epic finale.
Of course, there was never any doubt that the series would continue, but there must have been some considerable pressure to at least acknowledge that the cast was almost three years older than they were when the series began, and that the series couldn't maintain the status quo indefinitely.
Additionally, there was the imminent prospect of giving Angel his own spin-off series to deal with, so a few loose ends would have to be gathered together before the episode ended. Writer and director Joss Whedon has managed to juggle all these demands most adeptly.
Although the lasting impression is of an action-packed story, it's interesting to note that we don't even get to the Graduation Day arena until half way through the episode.
When the action does eventually begin it's fast and furious, and on a most impressive scale. Whedon's direction is faultless, although there are a few potentially important blink-and-you' ll-miss-it moments that pass very quickly (Larry's death and Harmony being bitten by a vampire, for example).
The most notable scene, however, is one that isn't there: it's to Whedon's credit that he resisted the urge to include a drawn-out, tearful and gushy parting scene between Angel and Buffy. With Ascension Day upon them, there were more important things to focus on.
It's time to make special note of the contributions made by two performers who take their final bow here. As Principal Snyder, an obvious casualty of the series' move to a new venue, Armin Shimerman has been a delight in the all-too few episodes he appeared in.
Harry Groener's character (mayor Richard Wilkins III) was erratically written, but Groener managed to maintain a steadily growing sense of menace throughout, and in this episode he finally steals the show.
Trivia
Culture references: Faith's line "Miles to go. Little Miss Muffet counting down from 7-3-0", which Buffy says is a riddle, contains two references. "Miles to go", which also appeared in 'The Prom' (written by Marti Noxon), is a quote from "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening", a poem by American writer Robert Frost (1874-1963), who is best known for his portraits of rural life in New England.
"Little Miss Muffet" is from the nursery rhyme, of course, and may have been a reminder of the mayor's spider-eating habits. Various theories have been proposed to explain "7-3-0", since it has not been clarified in the context of the series. The most credible note that 730 is two times 365, and it may teasingly refer to something that will happen in two years' time.
Several continuity references are made during the episode. Xander's memories of being "soldier guy" come from his adventures in 'Halloween'; the reference to a rocket launcher relates to the gang's method of killing The Judge, in 'Innocence'.
The most intriguing reference is arguable, since it may simply be coincidental. When Buffy visits the comatose Faith in hospital, she kisses her forehead. Something similar happened in 'Enemies', at the climax of a fight between Buffy and Faith. (Faith tells Buffy "What are you gonna do, B, kill me? You become me. You're not ready for that yet!" She then kisses Buffy on the forehead, and runs away...)
At the end of the episode the Mutant Enemy Inc logo creature is wearing a mortarboard. This is the third time that there's been a deviation from the norm: the other two were in 'Amends' and 'Becoming Part 2'.
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