Beauty Closure and the Misinformation Beast

After all, we had read an interview with Melissa Gilbert about how much fun she had on her guest appearance on "BtVS" as Hank Summers' new lady, and about the 'Little House on the Prairie' in-jokes used in the episode where Hank Summers returns to fight for custody of Dawn, and there was no such episode and no such guest appearance. Then there were the false spoilers about Xander being possessed by Glory, Xander and Willow showing up at Caritas and the Host making predictions about Xander's future, and more detailed "leaks" describing scenes and episodes which never came to pass.

So the rumor that Buffy would die in the "WB Series Finale" was successfully obscured by this deliberate confusion as just another unlikely spoiler, and viewers were shocked, as intended, by the ending of "The Gift."

The WB followed the "WB series finale," ending on a shot of Buffy's grave, with a silent thank-you for five years of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer; and Willow went to L.A. after all, to break the news to Angel.

For those who do not have access to a UPN station, it was indeed the end of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." As a series finale, it was a wonderful episode; as Joss Whedon described it, Buffy's life and story achieved some "beauty closure." From the opening montage of scenes going back through the five-year history of the series, to the final scenes of the Scooby gang and Spike's grief as they all saw Buffy's dead body, the episode was a beautifully written and performed series-ender.... except for the fact that it wasn't.

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" has been picked up by UPN for a two-year contract, and the contract includes Sarah Michelle Gellar as the star of the show. So, what next?

Joss Whedon reportedly posted at the Bronze message board: "An ensemble this brilliant could easily carry the show even without the Slayer -- but the fact is, even though she reached some beauty closure, Buffy's story isn't over. When it is, I'll know. And we'll stop."

Whedon is also reported to have warned UPN that "Buffy would be slightly dead" at the end of the season. "They were actually really excited, because rebirth is kind of the theme they're going for; they want to re-create the image of their network. It's very fitting Buffy would be coming back from the dead."

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