When the blood stops flowing...

[TrueVengeance]

Okay, before I start I wanna say LOVE The Gift!! My favorite episode of the whole series, but I have just one issue with it...which is more about the key story arc more than The Gift but...

The books say the portal will close when the blood stops flowing.

GILES: (reads from book) "The blood flows, the gates will open. The gates will close when it flows no more." (removes his glasses) When Dawn is dead.

However, Dawn's blood is still flowing! Buffy's isn't, but the key's is. It doesn't make sense. I could understand if they had it say like a sacrifice was needed, or more blood needed to be back in the portal or something. But it states when the blood stops flowing lol

Also, earlier on in the season, Glory says the key could have been anythings. Including a ball of energy...balls of energy don't have blood! Nor to logs, cars, whatever else. Yet the old book clearly states "Blood". Plot flaw in my season 5 :(

Anyone else notice?

[LittleMissLikesToFight]

i think no matter what the key was, there had to be a sacrifice. just so happened the key was a human that could also be the sacrifice? maybe im trying too hard to "Fix the flaw" lol.

but yeah i never understood the blood stops flowing thing if dawn was still alive, and if technically, she was cut already, so how does buffy blood constitute the end of Dawn's blood flowing... it's very confusing for me too.

[Cordelia Chase*]

Its because Dawn was made from BUffy. They have the same exact blood. Like when Buffy said "Summers Blood" in the episode. Buffy knew this and she sacrificed herself instead of Dawn.

[Blondie Bear]

Well, sometimes Giles doesn't interpret things like this very well. Remember "Five shall die and from their ashes shall rise the Anointed"? It's possible he was wrong. Strange how he didn't seem too torn up about the necessity of Dawn's death, though.

[LittleMissLikesToFight]

maybe he was being logical about it, that technically Dawn never existed previously so that he should let any emotional attachment be forgotten, since it was falsely placed within him in the first place (at least the memories of it, im not saying any emotional attachment once Dawn was created was false).

[Kemy]

Buffy threw herself right into the Heart of the portal, letting it to gorge itself on her blood while only receiving a trickle from Dawn. They have the same blood, having consumed more than even Dawn could haven given it, it closes.

[Joyce Summers]

Yeah, Dawn was made from Buffy. The portal isn't picky about who, just that the blood that created the portal stops flowing and since Dawn's blood is exactly Buffy's blood, then when Buffy's stopped flowing, it counted as the same thing. Plus, you know it fitted in with the whole 'Death is your gift' thing.
And I don't think Giles was emotionally detached from the situation. Quite the opposite. He said the only option was to kill Dawn because he believed it was a better fate for her than the eternal torture she would recieve if Buffy fought for her life after the portal had been opened. He was trying to save all of them, including Dawn, extreme pain no matter how hard the loss of Dawn would be. Making the hard decisions is kinda Giles' thing after all.

[GATEGOD]

Classic Buffy right from the beginning ^_^ then with the cute "That's what I keep saying." as she walks back into the magic box.
That was so unimportant to the episode though... Idk why it was in it ^.^
I almost didn't like how Spike and Giles snapped at Anya for trying to help. Then she speaks up and helps!! haha I loved it!

Anya: "Okay, but I'm still not hearing enough ideas, she's a god, let's think *outside* the box!"

Spike: "Why don't you go think outside the bleedin' box?"

Giles: "Yes, Anya, apart from your incredibly uninfectious enthusiasm, have you anything to contribute?"

Anya: "The Dagon's Sphere!"

Giles: "Sorry?"

Anya: "When Buffy first met Glory she found that magical glowy sphere that was meant to repel Glory. We've got it in the basement.
It might drive her back, or hurt her... oh! And -- --Olaf the Trollgod's enchanted hammer! You wanna fight a god, use the weapon of a god."

My love for Anya grows deeper each episode! If she never came up with that alot more people would have died.
You can't not love that! And a few scenes later after Anya and Xander have sex he proposes to her ^_^.
Definitely one of the cutest scenes in the episode! "Give it to me when the world doesn't end."
Also near the end when she pushes Xander out of the way to save him risking her own life in the process.
She was great this episode... and yes I am going on and on lol. I don't know how I can't she's lovely.
Okay! Spike, He was great this episode. Sad how that weird freaky tongue guy bested him.
You could just feel how sorry he was for Dawn right before he was thrown off onto the ground.
Very sad scene, but even before that when willow go's all physic and Spike dashes by, however short, it was still great.
Oh and my favorite Spike scene from this one would have to be this one

Buffy: "We're not all gonna make it. You know that."

Spike: "Yeah. Hey, I always knew I'd go down fighting."

Buffy: "I'm counting on you. To protect her."

Spike: "'Til the end of the world"

Xander proposing and knocking glory down were his best scenes, Giles on the other hand i didn't like.
He yelled at Buffy, and Anya, and talked about killing Dawn, which would have been great
But still ... then he killed Ben... which was evil and mean! ... yet saves them alot of trouble in the end.
So I can;t hate Giles, it's just unfortunate he had to do what he did.
Onto Buffy, she was great in this episode. I loved at the end how you couldn't hear her talking.
Then they voiced it over after she had died Very great scene. Gile's line is so true. "She's a hero, you see. She's not like us."
Of course he says that right before he kills Ben... lol anyway, The story and feel of this episode felt alot more like a series finale then a season finale.
I don't know if I'm the only one who felt that way but there was probably a reason to it, or I'm just over thinking the episode. Knowing there is more...

This was a terrific ending for the season, although Spike failed to save Dawn, and Buffy Is dead.
It was still a great episode. I nearly teared up when they panned to the head stone...
Then I cracked up at the same time when I read what was on it. "SHE SAVED THE WORLD | A LOT"
I guess they weren't going for the omg omg Buffy is dead ahhhh, feeling. I didn't get it.
But that is probably because I know there are alot more episodes to come and 2 more seasons ^_^
My favorite lines after Anya's would most certainly be what Buffy said to Dawn before she sacrificed herself.

Buffy: "Dawn listen to me. Listen. I love you. I will *always* love you. This is the work I have to do. Tell Giles... Tell Giles I figured it out.
And... I'm okay. Give my love to my friends. You have to take care of them now -- you have to take care of each other.
You have to be strong. Dawn, the hardest thing in this world is to live in it. Be brave. Live. For me."

Beautiful lines to end a beautiful episode.