Buffy The Vampire Slayer & Angel: Ending Contrasts.
In “Chosen” Buffy rewrites the rule that says the Slayer must be alone. She gives power to the potentials- and throughout the course of the episode, manages to give a knockout defeat to The First Evil. Buffy Summers shows us the birth of a promising tomorrow, and manages to feel less lonely. “Chosen” is when you rewrite the rules and take control over your destiny. Because of that, Buffy’s ending is about new life, and embracing a hopeful future.
In contrast “Not Fade Away”- Angel, who has spent centuries suffering over being a vampire and is given hope in S1 by hearing the Shanshu Prophecy of a redeemed vampire turning human- has to sign it away. He will remain a vampire forever. Unlike Buffy, Angel does not take control. In this finale, Angel suffers heavy losses, LA is in doom and the end is coming. It’s the death of hope. But Angel is certainly going to give death utter hell, and not go down easily. Angel’s ending is about fighting on even if the odds are stacked against you. Because of that, Angel’s ending is about standing up to death, fate, the lack of hope, prophecy and defying them all by his conviction and inability to never stop fighting (because that’s what a champion would do).
Buffy The Vampire Slayer depicts new life and energy. Angel depicts decay and death. Both, however- show its protagonists committed to making the world a better place.
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