"The hardest thing in this world is to live in it"
ORIGINAL AIRDATE: 22nd May 2001
EPISODE NUMBER: Season 5, Episode 22
WRITTEN BY: Joss Whedon
As if the season five finale wasn't enough motivation to produce something good, The Gift was the last episode to air on the WB and also the 100th episode of the show overall.
The best word to describe it is epic. It follows Buffy's biggest battle yet, against the evil Goddess Glory (definitely one of the best Big Bads). Many elements scattered throughout the season come back into play, such as the troll hammer and the Buffybot. Every character contributes something to the battle, too - demonstrating what a large ensemble the show has become.
The show still finds time to produce nice character moments, even in the midst of such a large-scale battle. Anya proposes to Xander, both a landmark event and a sweet character moment. Giles killing Ben was quite a shocking moment, as it was the most ruthless thing we've ever seen him do.
The last scene is one of the most emotional moments of the series. Buffy sacrificing herself for her sister is an admirably noble act, and feels like a natural and beautiful ending, which the show had been building to for a while ("death is your gift"). Still doesn't stop it from being sad, though. It even made Spike cry.
The Gift feels like a series finale, and even though it's not, it would've made a great one.
