You Go Girl

Seven seasons, all summed up with an enigmatic smile, and the possibilities of an open road. Buffy has saved the day, and she’s done it as a female hero, heavy on the girl power.
Her conversation with Angel accurately captures the theme of the show- cookie dough. Even though we’ve watched her character complete an epic journey, she’s not finished yet. After broken relationships and false starts, Buffy has realized that she doesn’t have to be perfect yet. We’ve discussed how she has been working through the cycle of the female hero in the series, and has come to the crone phase. Here, Buffy sees that she’s just beginning, and is ready for the next stage. The fact that she comes to this realization through the image of the modest traditionally girly occupation imaginable- baking cookies- just adds another layer to her development.

We saw this fairly obviously when Buffy splits Caleb in half with the scythe from the guardians. The hereditary strength of woman triumphing over dogmatic misogyny, or a convenient way to eliminate Caleb before the final battle- either way, it shows that Buffy is ready for the final showdown.

The series ends where it began, the four members of the original Scooby Gang facing insurmountable odds in the high school. This time, though, the characters are ready for what they face in ways that they couldn’t have imagined in the first seasons. Xander, in spite of his injury, is still fighting alongside his friends. Willow finally trusts herself completely with magic, and is rewarded with a connection to a power that’s strong and positive- no black hair or veins included. Giles gets to see not just Buffy but a dozen Slayers fighting- and winning- against evil. Buffy saves the world, destroys the Hellmouth, and has a shopping trip planned. Life is good.

The fact that shopping is high on Buffy’s agenda is as essential for her character as the use of a scythe and the girls bleeding together to open the seal- womanhood is the source of their power. They are heroes not in spite of the fact that they are female, but because of it. Unlike Xena or other heroines who act like male hero’s in women’s bodies, Buffy saves the world, and she does it in high heels. As Buffy’s grown through the series, she’s gained much more than she’s lost and has remained connected to her friends and family in spite of her inherent isolation. And they live happily ever after, until the next Apocalypse.