Episode Trivia
Agnes B
details | 1 comment | suggested by Jess
In 7.22 Chosen, the Scoobies talk about the shopping mall before the big fight. Willow says, “There’s an Agnes B in the new mall.” Agnes B is a French designer with shops all over the world.
Alice Cooper
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
In 7.22 Chosen, Spike says, “Well I think it’s fair to say school’s out for bloody summer.” This is a reference to the Alice Cooper song ‘School’s Out’, which includes the lyric “school’s out for summer”.
All good things
details | 4 comments | suggested by Jess
D’Hoffryn predicted Anya’s death in 7.05 Selfless. After he killed Halfrek, Anya told him, “You should have killed me.” D’Hoffryn replied, “Be patient, all good things in time.”
Alternatives for the show
details | 23 comments | suggested by Jess
There are a few alternative 7.22 Chosen scripts on the internet with many differences, including: Xander dying to save Dawn; Anya living to see the end and Dawn being the third Slayer. In the alternatives, there are many extra guest stars including Kendra. Sarah Michelle Gellar told Entertainment Weekly in 2003 that she knew of Joss’s grand plan for the show:
“Joss has had certain episodes planned from the get-go. I knew Dawn was coming two years in advance… Willow was always supposed to go bad. Willow was supposed to go bad a year before she did, but Joss loved Tara and Willow, so that story line was pushed a year… I honestly believe his original intentions was to put Buffy and Xander together. I really do believe that.”
Angel and Buffy’s last talk
details | 14 comments | suggested by Jess
In the original script for 7.22 Chosen, the conversation between Buffy and Angel was supposed to be longer, with Angel revealing to Buffy that he loved Cordelia and also that he had a son, Connor (which makes me wonder why Willow didn’t mention this to Buffy before). This was amended as it confused the storylines between the two shows.
Angel face
details | 5 comments | suggested by Jess
In 7.22 Chosen, Spike is jealous of Angel, after seeing him kiss Buffy. We see him punching a bag with a crude drawing of a spiky-haired vampire on it. Joss Whedon mentioned on his DVD commentary for the episode that he drew the picture as a spur of the moment joke.
Aye Aye Captain
details | 1 comment | suggested by Mel
Some characters have a habit of putting the word “Captain” before nicknames on both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel.
- Angel has been called Captain America by Jack McNamara in 1.16 The Ring
- Angel has been called Captain Forehead by Spike in 5.02 Just Rewards
- Giles has been called Captain Slow-Poke by Spike in 5.20 Spiral
- Riley has been called Captain America by Xander in 5.08 Shadow
- Riley has been called Captain Can-Do by Sam in 6.15 As You Were
- Riley has been called Captain Cardboard by Spike in 5.05 No Place Like Home
- Spike has been called Captain Peroxide by Xander in 6.09 Smashed
- Spike has been called Captain Peroxide by Angel in 7.22 Chosen
- Wesley has been called Captain Courageous by Giles in 3.14 Bad Girls
- Wesley has been called Captain Obvious by Gunn in 4.08 Habeas Corpses
- Xander has been called Captain Fear by Anya in 6.04 Flooded
- Xander has been called Captain Logic by Anya in 6.04 Flooded
Bunnies
details | 8 comments | suggested by Jess
Anya has a fear of bunnies, first referenced in 4.04 Fear, Itself when she wore a bunny costume to a Halloween party, with the simple explanation: “bunnies frighten me”. This fear is shown in:
- 4.04 Fear, Itself: Anya’s bunny suit became so popular that model makers Clayburn Moore created a figure of the character.
- 5.08 Shadow:
Xander: “Just once I would like to run into a cult of bunny worshippers.”
Anya: “Great! Thank you very much for those nightmares!” - 5.22 The Gift: Anya finds a stuffed bunny in the Magic Box and says:
“God, who would put something like that there? Is this supposed to be some sort of sick joke?”
- 6.02 Bargaining (Part Two): Razor asks Willow what she’s going to do - “pull a rabbit out of a hat?” Anya turns to Tara to be reassured that she won’t.
- 6.07 Once More, With Feeling: Anya theorises through song that bunnies must be the cause of the musical:
“I’ve got a theory,
It could be bunnies…
Bunnies aren’t just cute Like everybody supposes!
They got them hoppy legs
And twitchy little noses!
And what’s with all the carrots?
What do they need Such good eyesight for anyway?
Bunnies! Bunnies! It must be bunnies!” - 6.08 Tabula Rasa: Anya accidentally conjures up hundreds of bunnies in the Magic Box
- 6.09 Smashed: Willow describes Anya to Amy as a “thousand-year-old capitalist ex-demon with rabbit phobia”.
- 7.05 Selfless: Anya shows she wasn’t afraid of bunnies before she became a demon: “The rapid reproductive rate of our rabbits has given me an idea. I can give the excess out to the townspeople, exchanging them not for goods or services but for goodwill and the sense of accomplishment that stems from selflessly giving of yourself to others.”
- 7.22 Chosen: Anya’s final words on the show are about bunnies. She thinks of them whilst preparing for the huge battle:
“Bunnies. Floppy, hoppy, bunnies.”
California State University
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
In 7.22 Chosen, everyone walks into a the school, ready for the final fight. That school is actually California State University, Northridge, located in the San Fernando Valley in California.
Captain Peroxide
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
In 6.09 Smashed, Xander calls Spike, “Captain Peroxide”. In 7.22 Chosen, Angel says to Buffy about Spike, “I’m getting the brush-off for Captain Peroxide”.
Cassie’s foreshadowing
details | 5 comments | suggested by Jess
In 7.04 Help, Cassie Newton is gifted with a second sight. She foresees several future events in that episode. She tells Buffy:
“I know that you’ll go someplace dark underground”.
She’s referring to 7.10 Bring On The Night (where Buffy falls underground and first meets the Turok-Han) and 7.22 Chosen (where Buffy goes into the Hellmouth).
Cassie says to Spike:
“She’ll tell you… one day, she’ll tell you”.
She’s referring to the episode 7.22 Chosen in which Buffy tells Spike she loves him.
Buffy says, “See? You can make a difference” to which Cassie replies, “And you will.” This is probably a reference to 7.22 Chosen in which Buffy changes Slayer lore forever.
Cassie says to Dawn,
“Listen, Dawn, whatever happens now, it’s not your fault, OK?”
This could be a reference to 7.19 Empty Places in which Dawn tells Buffy to leave.
Changes To ‘Grr…Argh’
details | add a comment | suggested by AnyaRocks
In numerous episodes of Buffy, the Mutant Enemy logo (the little monster seen at the end of each episode) changes in some way:
- In 2.22 Becoming (Part Two), he says ‘I need a hug’.
- In 3.10 Amends, he is wearing a Christmas hat.
- In 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two), he is wearing a graduation hat.
- In 6.07 Once More, With Feeling, he sings “grr argh”.
- In 7.16 Storyteller, he declares ‘we are gods!’
- Finally, in 7.22 Chosen, he turns his head to growl at the camera.
Changing the Slayer line
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
In 7.22 Chosen, Buffy, with the help of Willow, turns Slayer mythology on it’s head. They give the power of the Slayer to every potential in the world, rather than to one girl at a time. Female empowerment has been the predominant theme during the show (if you didn’t get that already, where have you been?). In 7.22 Chosen, Buffy criticises the ‘old men’ who created the ‘one Slayer’ rule and says that Willow is powerful enough to overturn their decision. The possibilities are now endless - but for our Slayer it means one thing: she’s no longer on her own. A strong theme running throughout the seven seasons of the show has been that Buffy’s ‘gift’ sets her apart from every other person on the planet (apart from Faith, and Kendra of course), making a ‘normal life’ almost impossible. Now however, she is merely part of a great collective of empowered female solidarity and her smile at the end shows her realisation that all has changed.
The repercussions of Buffy and Willow’s act can be seen in the Angel episode 5.11 Damage, in which a disturbed girl is given Slayer powers.
Cleansing Amulet
details | add a comment | suggested by Mel
The amulet given to Buffy by Angel in 7.22 Chosen proves very useful to the Slayer but we don’t have much information on it. We know it has ‘cleansing’ power, and eventually cleans out all evil from the Hellmouth, causing Sunnydale to fall in on itself. Angel got the amulet from Lilah in the Angel episode 4.22 Home.
When Spike becomes alive again in the Angel season five episode Conviction, he emerges from the amulet he wore in 7.22 Chosen, which was sent mysteriously back to Angel. When he opens the package the amulet falls out and Spike materializes from it, very painfully, sort of the reverse of how burned.
In 5.02 Just Rewards, we see a flashback to Spike’s death scene from 7.22 Chosen. One of the first things that Spike asks Angel, after coming out from the amulet, is where and how Buffy is.
In the Angel epiode 5.22 Not Fade Away, when Angel is giving everyone their orders about who they are going to kill Spike tells him:
“First off, I’m not wearing any amulets. No bracelets, broaches, beads, pendants, pins, or rings.”
Cleveland
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
Buffy lived in Cleveland, Ohio in the alternative universe in 3.09 The Wish. In 7.22 Chosen, Giles reveals that there is another Hellmouth in Cleveland.
Compass
details | 5 comments | suggested by Jess
The four core Scoobies (Buffy, Giles, Xander and Willow) meet on campus at four compass points in 4.21 Primeval. We see this recreated in the final episode 7.22 Chosen, as the gang meet before they fight the First’s army.
Congrats
details | 3 comments | suggested by Jess
Principal Robin Wood and the potential Slayer Rona are the only two African-American characters on this show not to die or disappear.
Dawn’s bedtime story
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
The following scene showing Dawn telling the potential Slayers a story was deleted from 7.22 Chosen:
Dawn: “And the Master grabbed Buffy from behind and bit her. She tried to move, but he was too strong. He fed on her blood and tossed her in the water, cackling insanely as the bubbles rose around her and she slowly drowned to death.”
Vi: “Do you have any other stories?”
Dawn: “She gets up again. It’s very romantic. Guys, you gotta stop worrying. It’s Buffy. She always saves the day.”
She is referring to Buffy’s death at the hands of the Master in 1.12 Prophecy Girl.
Dawson’s Creek
details | 6 comments | suggested by Jess
There are a few connections between angsty teen drama Dawson’s Creek and Buffy. Katie Holmes, who played Joey in Dawson’s Creek, was originally cast as Buffy Summers but she turned the part down to continue school. Several Buffy actors have appeared in Dawson’s Creek, including Mercedes McNab (Harmony Kendall), Bianca Lawson (Kendra), Adam Kaufman (Parker Abrams), Megan Gray (Sandy), Meredith Salinger (Grace Newman) and Alex Breckenridge (Kit). Nick Marck, a Buffy director, has also directed some episodes of Dawson’s Creek.
Nicholas Brendon (Xander) is friends with Joshua Jackson, who plays Pacey on the show.
In 5.04 Out Of My Mind, Spike watches Dawson’s Creek on TV.
In 7.22 Chosen, Buffy says to Angel:
“Are you gonna go all Dawson on me everytime I have a boyfriend?”.
Doubles
details | 3 comments | suggested by Jess
There have been a number of episodes with two of the same character in one shot. Willow met her vampire self in 3.16 Doppelgangland, Xander had a double in 5.03 The Replacement, we see two Spikes in 7.08 Sleeper and the First takes on Buffy’s form in numerous episodes, including 7.22 Chosen.
Drowning in footwear
details | 6 comments | suggested by Spike1885
In 7.22 Chosen, Spike wakes suddenly from a dream saying:
“I’m drowning in footwear”.
In the Angel episode 5.20 The Girl In Question, Ilona, the CEO of the Italian Wolfram & Hart, says to Spike:
“I’m glad you like, because I sent another 10 of them to Los Angeles for you along with a fine assortment of shoes.”
Dungeons and Dragons
details | 1 comment | suggested by Jess
Giles, Xander, Andrew and Amanda play the game Dungeons and Dragons to pass the time before going to battle in 7.22 Chosen. The nerds were playing Dungeons and Dragons when they decided to take over Sunnydale, seen in a flashback in 6.04 Flooded. Xander thought he found the “frost demon” from 6.09 Smashed in a Dungeons and Dragon manual. In 7.11 Showtime, Giles and Anya visit Beljoxa’s eye. This is a reference to Beljoxa - a dangerous Dungeons and Dragons creature which has many eyes.
In 1.20 War Zone, David Nabbit says, “Are you familiar with Dungeons & Dragons?” and in 1.22 To Shanshu In L.A., he says, “Tonight’s my turn to be Dungeon Master”, on his way to a Dungeons and Dragons game.
Emma on Anya’s death
details | 38 comments | suggested by Jess
The character of Anya is killed suddenly and violently in the final episode, 7.22 Chosen. Many fans were disappointed with her death - feeling that it had happened to quickly or that her death wasn’t honoured enough by the Scoobies at the end of the episode. Emma Caulfield, who played Anya, had the following to say about her character’s death at the Starfury Fusion Event in Blackpool, England, 2004:
“I don’t think I’d change the way Anya died. It was so harsh and out of the blue. When I read it, ‘What?’ it just seemed like there was no build-up, you didn’t see it coming; I liked that. And I liked that she died doing good, she kind of really had come into her own, which I think made it more sad. I knew I was going to die but I didn’t know it was going to be like that.”
Emmy Awards
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
A bone of contention with many who love Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the fact that it is often overlooked by the Emmy Awards. The show has won in these categories: Christophe Beck’s score to Becoming; and ‘Best Make-Up’ for 2.13 Surprise and 2.14 Innocence. Joss Whedon was nominated for the ‘Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series’ award for 4.10 Hush (interesting considering most of the episode has no dialogue!) and 7.22 Chosen was nominated in the ‘Special Visual Effects for a Series’ category. 4.05 Beer Bad received an Emmy nomination for ‘Outstanding Hairstyling for a Series’ in the 52nd Annual Emmy Awards. 6.16 Hell’s Bells got 3 Emmy nominations: Outstanding Hairstyling for a Series, Outstanding Make-up for a Series (non-prosthetic), and Outstanding Make-up For A Series (Prosthetic).
Erik Betts
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
Erik was a regular Buffy and Angel stuntman and is married to Melissa Barker, who played one of Buffy’s stunt doubles from season five onwards. Erik appeared in many Buffy episodes including 5.04 Out Of My Mind (as Agent Brown), 5.12 Checkpoint (as a Knight of Byzantium), 6.05 Life Serial (Predator Demon), 6.08 Tabula Rasa (as a vampire), 7.08 Sleeper (as a vampire), 7.16 Storyteller (as a vampire), 7.15 Get It Done (as a demon), 7.21 End Of Days (as a Turok-Han) and 7.22 Chosen (as a Turok-Han). Erik also played The Keeper in the Angel episode 4.21 Peace Out.
He has been a regular stuntman for Alias, She Spies, The Shield, V.I.P., Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, The Jamie Foxx Show (stunt double for Jamie Foxx) and Martial Law. Erik was a stuntman for the movies 18 Fingers of Death!, Crash, Torque (stunt double for Ice Cube), Bringing Down the House and Cradle 2 the Grave. He was the gymnastics trainer for Wild Wild West.
In 1996, Erik broke his right hip and thigh whilst taping a kids TV show. He was in intensive care for two weeks, had five surgeries and almost three years of rehab to get fit again. Erik was director Sam Raimi’s choice for doubling actor Tobey Maquire for Spider-Man, but was told by the costume designer that his shoulders were too large for the costume.
Escape bus
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
The school bus on which the gang flee Sunnydale in 7.22 Chosen has the licence plate number: 5C506V6.
Evil search
details | 5 comments | suggested by Jess
The search engine Buffy uses to find out more about the First Evil in 7.10 Bring On The Night is called ‘people.places.things’. Willow uses the same search engine in 7.22 Chosen. Buffy searches for the word “evil” and gets 900,517 results. The search results on her screen include:
Evil, Evil, Evil: If it’s evil, it’s here. an extensive collection of evil stuff from a variety of evil sources.
Devil without the “D”: What’s that spell? Evil. More fun with words for kids under 12 available here.
An exploration of good vs evil: Literary experts sound off on a classic struggle at the third annual symposium on…
Faith and comas
details | 4 comments | suggested by Smash
Faith has had bad luck with comas - her first being the result of a fight with Buffy at the end of 3.21 Graduation Day (Part One). She is stabbed with her own knife, but jumps off her balcony onto a moving truck before she can kill her. She then shares a dream with the also unconscious Buffy.
In the Angel episode 4.15 Orpheus, she drugs herself, and is bitten by Angelus, leaving her in a second coma, during which she shares a dream (of sorts) with both Angel and his evil alter ego.
Faith is knocked unconscious by an explosion for most of 7.18 Dirty Girls, and at the end of 7.22 Chosen, says, “I just want to sleep, yo, for like a week.” Dangerous request, considering her track record!
Fat grandchildren
details | 18 comments | suggested by ant4buffy
In 3.10 Amends, the First as Jenny says, “I wanna die in bed surrounded by fat grandchildren, but guess that’s off the menu.” In 7.22 Chosen, Buffy tells Angel, “No I don’t see fat grandchildren in the offing with Spike.”
Felicia Day
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
Felicia played the red-haired potential Slayer Vi, and appeared in seven episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She’s also been in For the People, Maybe It’s Me, Bring It On Again and Emeril. Felicia graduated from the University of Texas with a BSc in mathematics. She is a professional-level violinist.
First Evil
details | 9 comments | suggested by Jess
The first, original evil had no physical shape, but could take on the form of dead people, including those who had been dead, such as Buffy. It couldn’t touch anything so couldn’t be fought physically, but it’s power lay in the way it could take on a form and persuade people to do what it wanted. The First came to Sunnydale in 3.10 Amends to persuade Angel to kill Buffy. He was so horrified that he tried to kill himself, but was saved by Buffy and a handy snowfall.
The First was able to enter this dimension due to a fault in the Slayer line, which Anya worked out in 7.11 Showtime must have been when the Scoobies brought Buffy back to life in season six. It began to torment the Scoobies with visions of dead people, and Buffy realised in 7.09 Never Leave Me what she was facing. The First’s plan was to build up an army of Turok-Han, who would kill humans and when the balance had shifted the First could then take on a physical form and rule the world. Buffy defeated the First’s army by giving all potential Slayers their power, and using an amulet given to her by Angel. This destroyed Sunnydale in the process, but not the First which can never be killed.
Flashback time
details | 5 comments | suggested by Jess
As the Scoobies and potentials start their battle with the Turok-Han in 7.11 Showtime, we’re unaware of Buffy, Xander and Willow’s plan. We later see a flashback to their telepathic conversation discussing a way to improve moral. A similar use of flashback was used in 7.22 Chosen, when Buffy’s final speech to the potentials was played during the big fight.
Holly Valance
details | 15 comments | suggested by AnyaRocks
When Sarah Michelle Gellar quit her role as Buffy at the end of season seven, the UK tabloid newspapers printed a story that ex-Neighbours soap actress Holly Valance was to take over the role of Buffy. Joss Whedon had the following to say about this story, in an interview with the BBC:
“That is a complete falsehood! First of all, nobody could take over as Buffy. There could be a new slayer but there couldn’t be a new Buffy. There is only one Buffy. And second of all, I’ve never heard of Holly!”
Homestar Runner
details | 4 comments | suggested by Jess
In 7.22 Chosen, whilst playing Dungeons and Dragons, Andrew refers to “Trogdor, the Burninator.” This is a reference to the HomestarRunner.com cartoon site.
Joss Whedon was pictured wearing a Strong Bad t-shirt, which was noticed by the guys at Homestar in this interview. Andrew can also be seen wearing a Strong Bad shirt in the Angel episode 5.20 The Girl In Question.
It’s got teeth
details | add a comment | suggested by Mel
In 7.02 Beneath You, Willow says to Giles:
“Well, for starters, the Hellmouth’s getting all rumbly again. And now I know it’s got teeth. And are those literal teeth?”
You could say that they are literal teeth - in 7.22 Chosen Buffy and the gang go into the Hellmouth and it is full of very toothy Turok-Han.
Johnson Family Vacation
details | 7 comments | suggested by Mel
In the film Johnson Family Vacation, the character Nicky is seen watching the Buffy episode 7.22 Chosen.
Kennedy
details | 48 comments | suggested by Jess
Kennedy was a forthright and spoilt potential Slayer who fell for Willow. She arrived in Sunnydale with Giles in 7.10 Bring On The Night. Kennedy helped Willow when Amy’s spell turned her into Warren in 7.13 The Killer In Me and the two became a couple. She became a Slayer along with the rest of the potentials and survived the massive fight against the Turok-Han army in 7.22 Chosen.
Kristy Wu
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
Kristy Wu played potential Slayer Chao-Ahn in season seven. She has also played Scarlett in Return to Halloweentown, Regina in Cry Wolf, Alice Wong in Future Tense, Liz in Drive Me Crazy and Lisa in Moesha.
Lifts
details | add a comment | suggested by mandypanda
In the episode 7.22 Chosen, when Buffy and Spike are talking about Angel, Spike says, “He wears lifts, you know.” Lifts can be placed in shoes to make a person seem instantly taller.
Lord of the Rings
details | 6 comments | suggested by Jess
The demon Gnarl in the episode 7.03 Same Time, Same Place, is very similar to the Lord of the Rings character Gollum. Jane Espenson confirmed that this was intentional in a post at the Bronze Beta:
“Collect the money on the bet. There was some Gollum in the history of Gnarl.”
In 5.18 Intervention, Xander says that Buffy called Glory’s minions “hobbits with leprosy”. He’s referring to J.R.R. Tolkien’s creatures from his book The Hobbit and the trilogy the Lord of the Rings. Hobbits are like men, but are much smaller, with large hairy feet. They are home-loving and enjoy food, parties and smoking pipes. Glory later calls Spike “Precious”, which is fitting as the Lord of the Rings character Gollum refers to the One Ring as “my precious”.
In 6.11 Gone, Warren says to Jonathan, “Oh, cheer up, Frodo”. Frodo Baggins is a character from Lord of the Rings. In 7.22 Chosen, the scenes of the thousands of CGI Turok-Han in the Hellmouth was clearly influenced by the scenes in the Mines of Moria in the Lord of the Rings movie The Fellowship of the Ring.
In 5.11 Damage, Andrew reacts to Spike’s reappearance by comparing it to Gandalf’s resurrection in The Fellowship of the Ring (”more beautiful than ever”) before weeping on Spike’s shoulder and whispering “Frodo, he’s alive.”
In 5.21 Power Play, Gunn calls Drogyn “Aragorn.” Aragorn is the name of a long-haired character in The Lord of the Rings, played in the movie version by actor Viggo Mortensen.
Losing the one you love
details | 17 comments | suggested by Abby M.
During the seven years of Buffy, all four core Scoobies have the person they love die at some point:
- Xander - Anya dies fighting against The First’s army (7.22 Chosen)
- Willow - Tara is shot and instantly killed by Warren (6.19 Seeing Red)
- Giles - Jenny gets her neck snapped by Angelus (2.17 Passion)
- Buffy - Angel was already dead but Buffy kills him by stabbing him in the heart with a sword (2.22 Becoming (Part Two))
Mad skills
details | 3 comments | suggested by Jess
Faith’s line in 7.22 Chosen, “Dude, I’ve got mad skills” came from a conversation between Joss Whedon and Eliza Dushku. She told him she once served ice cream at a Dairy Queen and joked to him, “Dude, I’ve got mad skills”.
My fight, my wordplay
details | add a comment | suggested by HarFang
The following lines (from the very first scene right after Buffy kills Caleb) appeared in the original script for 7.22 Chosen but not in the actual episode:
Angel: “Okay, now, I’m pissed. Where is he?”
Buffy indicates the floor to her left. Angel looks. Then she indicates the floor to her right. Angel looks, then back at her, impressed. Buffy smiles girlishly.
Buffy: “He had to split.”
She snorts with dorkish laughter. Angel just shakes his head reprovingly. She stops after a moment.
Buffy: “I’m sorry, I’m just… aaah… I haven’t had a good pun in a while.”
Angel: “That would still be the case.”
Buffy: “Hey! My kill, my wordplay.”
Angel (hands up): “I’m out of line.”
Buffy: “Well, I’m still glad you’re here.”
Necklace of Kisses
details | 1 comment | suggested by ashley
In Francesca Lia Block’s book Necklace of Kisses, two characters discuss how much they love Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Here’s an excerpt:
“I was heartbroken when that show went off the air. But it was so funny, the last episode made me so happy. I thought for sure they would kill her off at the end. I was bracing myself. Instead, here’s this girl who has had this huge vampire-slaying responsibility on her shoulders her whole life and then she realises that she’s finally free, she doesn’t have to save the world anymore. And now she knows she can just be a girl, finally. She can just go shopping. She can just play.”
Phlebotnum
details | 2 comments | suggested by cardboardy
Phlebotnum, a term coined by David Greenwalt according to Joss Whedon’s commentary for 1.02 The Harvest, means any magical or mystical force or event that arises in the process of inventing the Buffy mythology/ or advancing the plot. Joss mentions phlebotnum in his commentaries for Lessons and 7.22 Chosen, and David Greenwalt discusses it in another commentary, saying, “for god’s sake, don’t touch the phlebotnum in jar C!”
It may or may not be coincidence that the prefix ‘phleb-’ mean vein, and ‘phlebotomy’ is the practice of letting blood for transfusion, diagnosis or experiment. So ‘phlebotnum’, were it a word, would probably mean ‘blood’.
Red
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
In 4.04 Fear, Itself, Xander calls Buffy “Red”. Spike called Willow “Red” in 7.03 Same Time, Same Place and 4.20 The Yoko Factor, and Faith called Willow this in 4.15 This Year’s Girl. Kennedy also calls Willow “Red” in 7.22 Chosen, when they’re in the Principal’s office getting ready for Willow to work her mojo.
Red cape
details | add a comment | suggested by venal
When he’s playing Dungeons and Dragons in 7.22 Chosen, it looks like the red cape that Andrew is wearing was the one Buffy wore when she dressed as Little Red Riding Hood in 4.04 Fear, Itself.
Robert Duncan
details | 1 comment | suggested by emersoneells
Robert Duncan was a composer on Buffy for much of season seven. He wrote Spike’s predatory vampire theme in 7.08 Sleeper. Robert also wrote the “Willow/Kennedy Love Theme” from 7.13 The Killer In Me; and the “Hell School” theme which appeared in 7.16 Storyteller. Robert’s other compositions for Buffy include “Prokaryote Stone” from 7.17 Lies My Parents Told Me and “Something About Buffy” that accompanies Xander’s speech in 7.18 Dirty Girls. His most famous compositions however appear in the series finale 7.22 Chosen. Robert wrote both “Every Girl, A Slayer” theme that accompanies Buffy’s speech and “The Final Fight” that appears on both the UK and US versions of the soundtrack Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Radio Sunnydale.
A selection of Robert’s original compositions for Buffy are available on his for download at his official website.
Robert has also worked as a composer on other television shows including Tru Calling (with Eliza Dushku), Point Pleasant, and The Unit.
Sarah on Angel or Spike
details | 8 comments | suggested by Jess
Sarah Michelle Gellar spoke about her own personal feelings about Buffy’s relationships with Angel and Spike. She told the BBC:
“There’s a part of me that will always believe that Angel is Buffy’s true love. That there will be a piece of her heart that will always be with him for the rest of her life. It doesn’t mean that’s the person that she’s meant to be with eternally. The thing about Buffy and Spike is they understand each other on a level that nobody else understands her. They’ve both lived a hundred lives and I think there’s a connection there that we will see evolve over the next couple of years where she realizes that he really is someone that she can trust, someone that’s a companion to her and someone that really understands her unlike anybody else.”
Scythe props
details | 3 comments | suggested by Jess
Joss Whedon kept one of the Slayer’s scythe props from season seven after the show finished. Several copies of it have been auctioned off on Ebay.
Seal of Danthalzar
details | 13 comments | suggested by Jess
The Seal of Danthalzar is a circular metal object which covers a portal over the Hellmouth, located under Sunnydale High. It is activated by a ritual involving blood letting and a knife inscribed with Tuaric: “The blood which I spill, I consecrate to the oldest evil.” Andrew stabbed and killed Jonathan over the Seal in 7.07 Conversations With Dead People, though his blood had no effect on it, because he was anaemic.
In 7.09 Never Leave Me, Spike was tied to a wooden wheel, mystical symbols were cut into his chest, and his blood opened the Seal. When the Seal is opened, Turok-Han (ancient vampires) are able to enter the world.
Lyssa attempted to open the seal using Xander’s blood in 7.14 First Date, but Buffy saved him. The Seal was closed using Andrew’s tears in 7.16 Storyteller, but in 7.22 Chosen, Buffy and the potential Slayers opened the wheel using their blood, and entered the Hellmouth below.
Step back, girlfriend
details | 2 comments | suggested by Jess
In 7.22 Chosen, Andrew flips back his red hood and says, “step back, girlfriend”. This was an ad lib on the part of Tom Lenk.
Taste like ashes
details | 7 comments | suggested by Jess
In the episode 5.07 Fool For Love, Drusilla tells Spike, in a rare moment of clarity, she knew he was in love with the Slayer. This is seen in a flashback to 1998 and is the first hint we get that Spike’s crush has been developing a lot longer than even he lets on to himself. Drusilla also says, “You taste like ashes”, which could be a foresight to the fact that Spike’s love for Buffy led to him saving the world and being burnt to ashes in 7.22 Chosen.
The earth is doomed
details | 6 comments | suggested by Jess
After listening to the Scoobies talking teenage nonsense in 1.02 The Harvest, Giles says, “The Earth is doomed.” He says almost the same thing in 7.22 Chosen - “The Earth is definitely doomed.”
The End
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
The following are stage directions for the final scene in 7.22 Chosen, following Dawn’s question “What are we gonna do now?:
Buffy looks at them, looks back at the crater, and we are in full close-up as she considers the question, a small smile creeping onto her lips as she decides on her answer.
BLACK OUT.
END OF SHOW.
The final monster
details | 7 comments | suggested by Jess
In the episode 7.22 Chosen the Mutant Enemy monster turns briefly to the camera at the end of the episode.
The final season
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
Joss Whedon claims that he wrote the last scene of the final episode, 7.22 Chosen, at the same time as the season opener, 7.01 Lessons. He knew all along how the season would end, and planned for the seventh season to be the last. He said:
“We knew from the beginning of this season that it was going to be the last season of Buffy, and we’ve been gearing towards this one episode for the whole year. It caps off the whole show and it says a lot of things that I wanted to deal with.”
The First’s plan for Angel
details | add a comment | suggested by Meghann
The First’s plan in 3.10 Amends was for Angel to kill Buffy. It settled for Angel trying to kill himself:
Jenny: “You were born to hurt her. Have you learned nothing? As long as you are alive…”
Angel: “Then I’ll die.”
Jenny: “You don’t have the strength to kill yourself.”
Angel: “I don’t need strength. I just need the sun to rise.”
Jenny: “You’re not supposed to die. This isn’t the plan… But it’ll do.”
However, Angel says the following in 7.22 Chosen:
Angel: “It’s The First, right? The First Evil. The power that tried to convince me to kill myself.”
The Gap
details | 1 comment | suggested by anthemion
In 7.22 Chosen, Xander says after Sunnydale has been destroyed:
“All those shops, gone. The Gap, Starbucks, Toy ‘R’ Us… who will remember all those landmarks unless we tell the world of them?”
In 4.03 The Harsh Light Of Day, the greek letters on the outside of Wolf House (the frat house where Buffy and Parker attend a party) spell ‘GAP’, which could be a (very vague!) reference to The Gap!
To the end
details | 2 comments | suggested by Jess
Angel and Spike are the only two characters to appear in the final episodes of both Buffy the Vampire Slayer (7.22 Chosen) and Angel (5.22 Not Fade Away).
Additionally, Angel and Harmony (who first appeared in 1.02 The Harvest) are the only characters to appear in the premiere of Buffy and the finale of Angel. The episodes 1.01 Welcome To The Hellmouth and 1.02 The Harvest were initially shown together as a two-hour premiere of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Turok-Han
details | 4 comments | suggested by Jess
The Turok-Han are extremely strong, ancient vampires. The Scoobies named the Turok-Han ‘Ubervamp’ because of it’s extreme strength. Turok-Han were sired as vampires when the human was still a Neanderthal. In 7.10 Bring On The Night, Giles says it was known as the “vampire other vampires fear”. The First resurrected the Turok-Han using the Seal of Danthalzar and created an army of them to fight Buffy and the Potentials. Buffy discovers an ancient Slayer weapon she names a scythe which kills the Turok-Han with relative ease. The original Turok-Han was played by Camden Toy, who also played one of the Gentlemen and Gnarl.
Where are they now?
details | 16 comments | suggested by Mel
The Angel season five episode Damage deals with the consequences of Willow’s powerful spell in 7.22 Chosen, which gave all potentials their Slayer power. In Damage, Angel and Spike try to help a dangerous new Slayer called Dana, who was in a mental institution when she became a Slayer. The episode also features Andrew, who reveals a great deal of information about the Scoobies’ whereabouts since 7.22 Chosen. He says that he and Giles are in England, trying to set up a new Watcher’s Council, and tells Spike that Giles has been training him (”You’re not the only one who’s changed. Mr. Giles has been training me. I’m faster, stronger, and 82% more manly than the last time”.)
Andrew also reveals that Xander is in Africa, Willow and Kennedy are in Brazil, based in Sao Paulo and Buffy is in Rome where Dawn is attending school.
He also informs Angel that Buffy and the gang don’t trust him any more because he now works for Wolfram & Hart. Andrew eventually double crosses Angel and takes Dana away for further help, telling Angel, “I’ve got 1 twelve vampire Slayers behind me, and not one of them has ever dated you”.
Later, in the Angel episode 5.20 The Girl In Question, Spike and Angel race to Rome to help save Buffy from The Immortal, but when they get there they find out that she is actually dating him. The episode was made to try and put some closure on the Angel/Buffy/Spike love triangle but Sarah Michelle Gellar was unable for filming so Angel and Spike only see a distant blonde head dancing in a club. There are a few references to Buffy episodes in the 5.20 The Girl In Question - to 7.22 Chosen, 3.22 Graduation Day (Part Two) and 2.22 Becoming (Part Two):
Angel: “I helped save the world, you know.”
Spike: “Like I haven’t.”
Angel: “Yeah, but I’ve done it a lot more.”
Spike: “Oh, please.”
Angel: “I closed the hellmouth.”
Spike: “I’ve done that.”
Angel: “Yeah, you wore a necklace. You know, I helped kill the Mayor and, uh, and Jasmine and …”
Spike: “Do those really count as saving the world?”
Angel: “I stopped Acathla. That saved the world.”
Spike: “Buffy ran you through with a sword.”
Angel: “Yeah, but I made her do it. I signaled her with my eyes.”
Spike: “She killed you. I helped her! That one counts as mine.”
Angel also references Buffy’s cookie-dough speech from 7.22 Chosen:
“But she’s not finished baking yet. I gotta wait till she’s done baking, you know, till she finds herself, ’cause that’s the drill. Fine. I’m waiting patiently, and meanwhile, The Immortal’s eating cookie dough!”
Where’s the love?
details | 10 comments | suggested by Jess
Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia) and Amber Benson (Tara) are the only Buffy cast members who were once regulars (or very nearly regular characters) to not come back and make a guest appearance after they left the show.
Wood and Giles share a joint
details | 23 comments | suggested by Jess
Joss Whedon told Dreamwatch magazine about an edited scene in the episode 7.22 Chosen:
“I definitely had to do some hack and slash. They were small edits. My favourite one would probably never have made it to air anyway. It was Principal Wood and Giles sharing a joint right before they go into battle, or as I referred to it in the script, a hand-rolled cigarette. That was shot and not aired. Tony sort of went through a thing with it. He has daughters and he talked with his girlfriend, and then he decided ‘Oh, what the hell, this is funny.’ We did a version with tiny airport bottles of whiskey, but we did one version with the joint.”
[Goof] Angel’s error
details | 5 comments | suggested by Jess
In 7.22 Chosen, Angel says the First tried to make him kill himself (in 3.10 Amends) but it actually tried to make Angel kill Buffy. Angel decided to kill himself to stop this happening.
[Goof] Buffy’s boots
details | add a comment | suggested by Jupipa
The heels on Buffy’s boots change at the end of the episode 7.22 Chosen. When she runs up the stairs to escape the destroyed hellmouth, the boots have high heels but when she jumps off the bus at the end of the episode, they’re much lower. Only Buffy would change her shoes during an apocalypse!
[Goof] Into Hell
details | 5 comments | suggested by Jess
Why do Buffy and the potential Slayers go into the Hellmouth before Willow performs her spell in 7.22 Chosen? They don’t know if it’ll work. It seems more sensible to wait outside the Hellmouth to see if the spell worked or not.
[Goof] Shoddy Turok-Han
details | 13 comments | suggested by Jess
In 7.22 Chosen, the Turok-Han seem really easy to kill, all of a sudden. The Scoobies seem to have no problem killing them, though it took Buffy a lot of effort to kill them earlier in the season. Obviously the effort of mass production has forced the First to turn out shoddy goods.
[Goof] The scythe
details | add a comment | suggested by Jess
When Buffy escapes from the building in 7.22 Chosen, she is holding the scythe by the top. In the next shot, she’s holding it in the middle.
[Goof] Vi’s kick
details | 1 comment | suggested by Jess
When Vi (the red haired potential) does a massive leap and kicks at a Turok-Han in 7.22 Chosen, you can tell that she’s harnessed to a wire as she seems to fly around for a bit afterwards.
[Goof] Where’s the sea?
details | 10 comments | suggested by Jess
When Sunnydale disappears into the crater in 7.22 Chosen, we cannot see the sea. Sunnydale has been shown to be on the coast in past episodes (i.e. 2.13 Surprise, 2.20 Go Fish, 5.01 Buffy Vs Dracula) and it’s nowhere to be seen.