GRADUATION DAY pt2

In this episode, the Mayor gives a speech that goes on, almost entirely uninterrupted, for 250 words. That's an amazingly long time by TV standards. Yet Harry Groener is just so amazing that he makes every single word gripping. I would argue that Joss Whedon has maybe never worked with a classically better actor. As the cliche goes, the man could read the phone book and make it compelling entertainment.

Fraught with rage at Buffy and longing and fear for Faith, he looks 100 miles beyond the students in the audience to say, 'some people who should be here today, aren't." Lets that emotion sink in for a mere beat, then shakes it off, brings it back to his own naked ambition and to the graduating class, smiles and brightens up to say "But *we* are." It lasts barely a second, but it's some of the most brilliant acting I've ever seen.

And of course the other main footnote connected with Graduation Day, pt. 2 is that, like "Earshot", it was actually pulled from the normal broadcasting schedule because of Columbine. But where "Earshot" made sense, pulling "GDp2" made no sense at all, and left viewers unintentionally cliffhung for months.

Fun episode. Very sexy scene between Angel/Buffy, managing to both repulse and arouse at the same time. I'm glad they give Wesley a better treatment when he moves to Angel, they always made him out to be rather a wimp in BtVS. Giles from here on out just isn't the same character IMO. Goodbye also to the library, which was getting quite worn out if you ask me. In terms of season finales I'd probably put this one behind The Gift and Becoming but ahead of Chosen.

^Also agree, the speech is some great acting on his part.

In regard to Giles he loses a lot of direction in season 4 but i don't think Graduation Day is a moment which causes him to change. I think that its just down to circumstances like the Scoobies leaving school, consequently leaving him more isolated.

I loved this season finale. The battle with the entire school is so reminiscent of Chosen (er, or the other way around?).

Angel feeding on Buffy has got to be one of the most erotic scenes on television, hands down. Sex + violence...isn't that why we love vampires? Does anybody else see Spuffy foreshadowing when she kicks the table?

That dream sequence is cool. At first I thought that when Faith touched Buffy's face and asked "Are you ready?" that she was handing off some of her power to Buffy. But it doesn't seem that's the case. Although she did wake up ready to go to work after that. Love the references to Dawn and The Gift. It reminds me how talented Joss et al are, that they are already foreshadowing events that won't occur for another 2 seasons.