(Credit to Alex on IMDb) In the first-season finale, Giles discovers an ancient prophecy which states that Buffy will face the Master and she will die. Upon hearing this, Buffy first denies her slayer roots, but when a small tragedy occurs at school, Buffy realizes she can't run from destiny, and decides to take on The Master.
I consider nothing to be perfect, but this is as close to perfection as you can possibly get for a finale. This episode is pretty dark and even frightening at times. Everything feels real and it hits you hard. For the first time, you actually sense that Buffy is in severe danger. She's been in danger before, but nothing like this in season one. Death is a scary thing. It's something you can't control. Buffy's reaction when she learns of her impending death is powerful. Sarah Michelle Gellar gives a phenomenal performance here and her reactions are bang on. There is more character development for Cordelia. She actually becomes somewhat endearing. Also, I felt so bad for Xander. He's so in love with Buffy, and watching Buffy fail to reciprocate it is heart wrenching. I'm not gonna spoil much in this review. It's just a damn good ending to season one.
10/10
I consider nothing to be perfect, but this is as close to perfection as you can possibly get for a finale. This episode is pretty dark and even frightening at times. Everything feels real and it hits you hard. For the first time, you actually sense that Buffy is in severe danger. She's been in danger before, but nothing like this in season one. Death is a scary thing. It's something you can't control. Buffy's reaction when she learns of her impending death is powerful. Sarah Michelle Gellar gives a phenomenal performance here and her reactions are bang on. There is more character development for Cordelia. She actually becomes somewhat endearing. Also, I felt so bad for Xander. He's so in love with Buffy, and watching Buffy fail to reciprocate it is heart wrenching. I'm not gonna spoil much in this review. It's just a damn good ending to season one.
10/10