[ Show ]
Support VoyForums
[ Shrink ]
VoyForums Announcement:
Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor
of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users'
privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your
privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket
to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we
also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.
Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your
contribution is not tax-deductible.)
PayPal Acct: 
Feedback: 
Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):
[ Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message ]
Date Posted: 12:05:22 06/25/03 Wed
Author: Linda_Delurked
Subject: All right you lot, pay attention! - I want to discuss Episode 21
Here's the deal.
Two of you lucky people are going to write the finale. Now since voting begins at the end of my episode, I want to give everyone a good idea of where episode 21 leaves off, so that everyone can have a good, long think about what they would like to write for the finale. You can also all discuss ideas here and have a think about how our series should finish off.
I also want to run a few details of my episode by you all, just to make sure that everyone is okay with it. The main reason is that my episode enters reset territory, which everyone knows is a fairly standard (read "boring") idea that crops up a lot in fic.
Remember - YOU ARE SWORN TO SECRECY!!! - no blabbing to the posters at the C&S. Anybody who wants my episode to be a surprise, look away NOW!!!
Episode 21 opens after the devestating earthquake that we planned for Sunnydale earlier this year. Giles has been horrifically injured and never regains consciousness for the entire episode. Spike and Andrew are trapped with him and help him as much as they can, but he dies in the closing minutes of my episode.
Buffy, Willow and Dawn are stranded on Kingman's Bluff throughout the episode, trying to keep Proserpexa away from her Mirror and stop her completing the spell. They manage to teleport Proserpexa away for a bit, but since they can't destroy the mirror Willow suggests that they try a variation of the enjoining spell. This binds Willow, Buffy and Dawn together and makes them incredibly powerful.
Unfortunately, it's not enough. There's a huge battle which blows the special effects budget for the next billion years or so, and finally Proserpexa manages to stab Buffy through the heart. As Willow warned the others earlier in the episode, their bodies are bound as well as their powers, so they suffer the same fate as Buffy. Willow is killed outright. Buffy and Dawn are dying.
It's at this point that Faith, who's been struggling through the ruined Sunnydale for the entire episode, reaches Buffy. Faith tries to stop Proserpexa from finishing the spell but Proserpexa is surrounded by a barrier and nothing can stop her. Dawn manages to tell Faith to take the watch from Buffy's neck before she loses consciousness. The episode ends with Proserpexa destroying time while Faith cradles Buffy in her lap. There's a close up shot of Buffy's face as her eyes slowly close, then the picture fades to black.
...which is where the finale writers come in! I think you understand why I wanted to let you guys know this in advance.
Now for the important part - is this ending okay with everyone?
For myself, I wanted episode 21 to end this way because it leaves a total blank slate for the finale. Time has shattered. Anything can happen. The writers can choose to bring any characters they want into the finale. They can set the finale anywhere, anywhen with anywho. Since the finale writers are going to be the two most popular writers this year, I think it's only fair that they be given as much room to play around with the final episode as possible.
Also, the death of Buffy, Willow, Giles and Dawn ups the stakes. It means that the gang have everything to play for, and everything to lose. Yes, the end of time signals the end of the scoobs, but I think the deaths reinforce that.
What I also want to know is if the character deaths are okay with everyone (or at least with the majority). I know getting these guys back in the next episode undermines the deaths a fair bit, and like I said resets are a dime a dozen in fics. Personally, I wanted at least one character to die as a result of the quake, since it does wipe out all of Sunnydale and would have been unbelievable for me if the scoobies escaped relatively unscathed. It seemed only fair to me to make it a character I liked, and since I had definate plans for Willow, Xander and Spike, Giles got the chop. It also raised the tension in the Spike/Andrew/Giles scenes.
I also wanted Proserpexa to win, since I wanted time to end at the end of my episode, and I wanted the consequences of that win to be devestating. I think the Buffy, Willow and Dawn deaths underline that.
I've left a get-out-of-jail-free card, namely Faith and the watch, which was actually Kash's idea. Dawn could also be used in some way in the finale.
As VampWillow once said...questions? Comments?
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
Replies:
[>
I looooooove it Linda!!! -- Faithsguy, 16:14:33 06/25/03 Wed
I could def. work with this and plan a heck of a finale!
btw, Good Luck to everyone when the voting starts.
[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]
[>
Okay, I was mostly aware of some of this... -- JSlayerUK, 19:06:00 06/25/03 Wed
Yeah, I know, I have personal connections!
Anywho! Should the finale come my way (which I highly doubt or want) I can see where to go from this. Or at least I think I do. I also spoke to Kash and he insinuated some stuff for season 9, it's just the connection of the two that needs mind meddling.
*sigh*
This should be fun to watch unfold!
[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]
[> [>
Yeah so I'm guess we'll know about season nine -- Faithsguy, 20:16:16 06/25/03 Wed
before the writers get to write the finale...right? I think that is what Kashy said.
[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]
[>
A have a few questions/comments -- Mark, 20:40:55 06/25/03 Wed
First question I have is what about Anya? Maybe I missed it, but I don't see her anywhere in your description for episode 21. I introduced two main points in my episode (number 18): That Anya probably knows what's going on if she can just refresh her memory, and that Proserpexa needs some key Scoobies members alive to finish her spell, especially Willow. I think it would be good if we can address these in episode 21, or 20 if Kash has already written them in, because I would really be sad if they were dropped and never brought up again.
Also, does the reset happen before the Earthquake takes place? I think that's something we should all decide together, where exactly the reset happens. Honestly, yes I am a little worried because the whole reset thing is used so much, but on the other hand I have faith that we'll be able to overcome the cliches and make it a wonderful ending.
Also, people seem to like the subtle little Faith/Spike/Buffy triangle that we've been hinting at in the last few episodes, mostly episode 15, 18, and 19. Since episode 22 seems like it will be all kinds of craziness, maybe episode 21 could have some kind of resolution to it? That's another side story I'd hate to see left dangling cause I think it's been fun to read!
Other than that, it sounds like this will be a really incredible episode, Linda!! I can't wait to read it!!
[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]
[> [>
What if we decide not to do a reset....hmm...new perspective -- Faithsguy, 20:46:19 06/25/03 Wed
as time is destroyed we dont we make it so there isnt a reset, but we can only rebuild....hmm....
Pull key figures we need out, if there are only so many watches, then I'm sure we can factor those in...
[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]
[> [>
Well I wasn't going to tell you the WHOLE episode!!! -- Linda_Delurked, 08:54:22 06/26/03 Thu
Rest assured, Anya gets a good bit of screentime.
Okay, I'll give you the whole rundown of the gang
Buffy, Willow and Dawn - on Kingman's bluff holding Proserpexa back from the mirror.
Xander & Anya - start off in what's left of the Magic Box. They meet up with Faith and Kennedy, who were at Buffy's house (now trashed). They spot the lights on the bluff and realise that's where they need to be.
Faith takes off in a run and heads straight for the bluff. She actually spends the entire episode running to the bluff (getting interrupted occasionally) and only reaches Buffy in the closing moments of the episode (as described above).
Xander, Kennedy and Anya search for Xander's car, which was left at the construction yard. They find it - upside down and half buried under a fallen building. They're about to walk off when they hear a young woman crying for help under the rubble.
Xander ends up staying with this girl for the whole episode, trying to free her. Kennedy and Anya stay for a while, but as the battle gets more intense on the bluff they start walking to the bluff. Kennedy is incredibly frustrated that they have to keep stopping to rescue people along the way, but she eventually relents.
Throughout all this, Spike and Andrew are trapped at Giles' house. Giles is unconscious the whole time and very badly injured. About halfway through the episode there's a montage which has scenes of all the gang in their different places. There's another smaller earthquake at the end of this. The final scene is Spike trying to hold the ceiling up while Andrew covers Giles up as much as he can. The camera pans upwards and shows that they're both buried under a huge amount of rubble, more than they could possibly dig through in time.
Clem gets a quick mention. A demon tells Anya and Kennedy that he heard that vampires were picking off the survivors, so he turned his crypt into a makeshift hospital/fort where they could stay.
As for a Buffy/Spike/Faith triangle, the main problem is that episode 21 is pretty action packed and all the gang are in full on evil battle mode, so there isn't much time to pause and reflect. Even Spike is just desperate to get out of there and help Buffy. I think it would be best if it's resolved as much as possible in episode 20, or in the finale. Now's your chance!
[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]
[> [> [>
Oh, I forgot to add - and this is another loophole for the finale -- Linda_Delurked, 09:09:57 06/26/03 Thu
Proserpexa was going to use Willow's power for her spell. She created the earthquake because when Willow uses her power she's connected to everything around her. Proserpexa created vast amounts of death and suffering in the hopes that it would break Willow's mind and her power would be hers for the taking. Willow doesn't break - despite the fact that she needs to stay connected to all the suffering people in Sunnydale in order to hold Proserpexa back.
Proserpexa does say that it doesn't matter, it just slows her down, she can still cast the spell herself. However, that could be another wildcard for the finale writers - since Proserpexa doesn't use Willow's power, the spell isn't complete.
Anya doesn't actually get to use her knowledge of Proserpexa, but it is the reason why she's walking to the bluff for the entire episode. While it may not seem important, I did need a reason why Anya would be heading straight for a life or death battle when she could be rescuing people around her instead. I also needed her for the Kennedy scenes.
There's a small Kennedy arc throughout the episode which has absolutely no importance but which I love. It's actually probably the story I'm proudest of in the episode, because I really think it works well. I'm especially happy because I never really liked Kennedy and was worried about how to write her, but I'm warming to her now.
[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]
[> [> [> [>
hehe sorry! -- Mark, 17:07:16 06/26/03 Thu
I didn't mean for you to be pressured into revealing everything in your episode, I was just curious what Anya was up to :) I'm so excited to read your ep! It sounds wonderful! Yeah and you're right, after reading more on what your episode is about it really wouldn't be feasible to have some Faith/Spike/Buffy resolution in that episode. It's not a huge part of out story anymore, I just like the fun ways we've been bringing it up lately :) We can save that for episode 22, if at all.
[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]
[>
Question and Suggestions, -- That one Guy, 03:43:13 06/26/03 Thu
Yeah, to mark's thing what happened to Anya?
How about Xander, Kennedy?
Are we going to kill off a cast member or two to make it easier for next year if so who?
What I pictured is Dawn alive, and she somehow manages to go threw time to bring Willow/Buffy/Anya back the reason anya is cause her knowledge finally explains how to destroy the hell god thing. I pictured the dimension she ruled over as the one where vampires go after there kill or in season 2 the one Angel went to. This could also bring back Ravan for a bried second or 2 of humor.
I have it all worked out in my head, can't really explain it that well... Heres the other question, whats Proplexa doing just taking over earth or all dimension? cause that could have an effect on it aswell as if anyone else helps?
[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]
[> [>
I could work with that -- Lina_Delurked, 08:59:15 06/26/03 Thu
I've described what happens to the others above. Trust you guys to want the whole thing!
I could actually keep Dawn alive for the end of the episode. As it is, once Faith takes the watch she looks at Dawn, and Dawn smiles, sighs and closes her eyes. We could cheat and say that she just lost consciousness, or I can make it more obvious that she's still alive. Faith has the watch so she's another wildcard that can be used as needed. That's a job for the finale writers though.
[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]
[>
If Kashy says it's okay, this is what I'll do -- Linda_Delurked, 09:13:07 06/26/03 Thu
IF AND ONLY IF the boss approves, I'll post the episode on THIS board early. After episode 20 has aired, but before my episode officially airs. That way everyone can read, comment, thrash out ideas and decide what overall form the finale should take. Does that sound okay?
[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]
[> [>
Its your episode -- That one Guy, 09:46:30 06/26/03 Thu
Thanks for caring about what we all feel. Go ahead, I was just wanting dawn alive, because I thought she could go threw the dimension and bring back buffy, willow and whoever else Dies. My only thing with others writers is well maybe we should kill off a char or 2 and that way make next season a little easier for arcs and such.
[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]
[> [> [>
No biggie :) -- Linda_Delurked, 10:48:23 06/26/03 Thu
It's my episode, but it's our show, and since you've all put in such a huge effort I owe it to you to make the runup to the ending as smooth as possible, and reflect the opinions of all the writers, not just me!
I get what you're saying about killing off characters for next season, though I have to admit I like the variety we have. As long as we focus on the main characters the others can be pretty minor but still play a good role.
[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]
[> [> [> [>
Yes, thank you Linda for starting this thread! -- Mark, 23:02:44 06/26/03 Thu
It will make the transition into the finale MUCH easier for us writers. Ooh, haha I can't wait to read how it all turns out!! I'm sure eps 20, 21 and 22 will be incredible! hehe this is fun.
[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]
[>
We're good - and Linda, that sounds fantastic -- BunnyPhobia, 19:15:32 07/03/03 Thu
Blowing everything else out the water, should be a real ride..
I'm off to go read ep 20 and then throw some ideas out for whoever gets the finale..
We have to make this good, and I think it's so great that you're gonna put out the ep early (if the boss agrees of course)
Ok, I'm gushing. I'll stop now. I am NOT Gwyneth Paltrow...
~BP
[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]
[>
Okay, as you can see the ep is up now -- Linda_Delurked, 21:22:46 07/05/03 Sat
And I've sent Kash and ABM a version that isn't a) full of HTML errors b) So squashed together and difficult to read and c) won't make all the replied to it align right. Phew!
Feel free to be critical. Be harsh, people! I might be able to make some changes before the ep is posted tomorrow. Personally, I'm just chuffed I got it done on time!
[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]
