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{{DisambigLink|description = episode|page = Chosen}}
{{buffyepisode
 
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{{Episode
| season = 7
 
| number = 22
+
|season = 7
| image = 7cast020.jpg
+
|number = 22
  +
|image = Buffy cast chosen.jpg
| airdate = May 20, 2003
 
| writer = [[Joss Whedon]]
+
|airdate = May 20, [[2003]]
| director = [[Joss Whedon]]
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|writer = [[Joss Whedon]]
  +
|director = Joss Whedon
| previous = "[[End of Days]]"
 
  +
|code = 7ABB22
| next = ''[[The Long Way Home]]''<br />Angel<br />"[[Conviction]]"
 
  +
|series = ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]''
| cast = {{CastList
 
  +
|previous = "[[End of Days]]"
| starring = {{CastGroup|{{CastActor|name=Sarah Michelle Gellar|character=Buffy Summers|billed=Buffy}}
 
  +
|next = ''[[The Long Way Home, Part One]]''
| {{CastActor|name=Nicholas Brendon|character=Xander Harris|billed=Xander}}
 
  +
|series2 = ''[[Angel (series)|Angel]]''
| {{CastActor|name=Emma Caulfield|character=Anya Jenkins|billed=Anya}}
 
  +
|previous2 = "[[Home]]"
| {{CastActor|name=Michelle Trachtenberg|character=Dawn Summers|billed=Dawn}}
 
  +
|next2 = "[[Conviction]]"
| {{CastActor|name=James Marsters|character=Spike}}
 
  +
|stars = [[Sarah Michelle Gellar]] — [[Buffy Summers|Buffy]]<br />[[Nicholas Brendon]] — [[Alexander Harris|Xander]]<br />[[Emma Caulfield]] — [[Anya Jenkins|Anya]]<br />[[Michelle Trachtenberg]] — [[Dawn Summers|Dawn]]<br />[[James Marsters]] — [[Spike]]<br />[[Alyson Hannigan]] — [[Willow Rosenberg|Willow]]
| {{CastActor|name=Alyson Hannigan|character=Willow Rosenberg|billed=Willow}}}}
 
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|special = [[Anthony Stewart Head]] — [[Rupert Giles|Giles]]<br />[[Eliza Dushku]] — [[Faith Lehane|Faith]]<br />[[Nathan Fillion]] — [[Caleb]]
| specialgueststarring = {{CastGroup|{{CastActor|name=Anthony Stewart Head|character=Rupert Giles|billed=Giles}}
 
  +
|gueststars = [[David Boreanaz]] — [[Angel]]<br />[[Tom Lenk]] — [[Andrew Wells|Andrew]]<br />[[Iyari Limon]] — [[Kennedy]]<br />[[Sarah Hagan]] — [[Amanda (Slayer)|Amanda]]<br />[[Indigo]] — [[Rona]]<br />[[D. B. Woodside]] — [[Robin Wood|Principal Wood]]
| {{CastActor|name=Eliza Dushku|character=Faith Lehane|billed=Faith}}
 
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|costars = [[Felicia Day]] — [[Violet|Vi]]<br />[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0928143 Mary Wilcher] — [[Shannon]]<br />[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1496302 Demetra Raven] — [[Unidentified softball Slayer|Girl at Bat]]<br />[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1788130 Katie Gray] — [[Unidentified Indian Slayer (Chosen)|Indian Girl]]<br />[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0127530 Lisa Ann Cabasa] — [[Injured Girl]]<br />[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1280361 Ally Matsumura] — [[Unidentified Japanese Slayer|Japanese Girl]]<br />[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1177445 Kelly Wheeler] — [[Unidentified school Slayer|School Girl]]<br />[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1173971 Jenna Edwards] — [[Unidentified trailer Slayer|Trailer Girl]]<br />[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1788146 Julia Ling] — Potential with Power #2
| {{CastActor|name=Nathan Fillion|character=Caleb}}}}
 
  +
|uncredited = [[Dania Ramirez]] — [[Caridad]]<br />[[Kristy Wu]] — [[Chao-Ahn]]<br />[[Erik Betts]] — Uber-Vamp #2<br />[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0481159 Ana Maria Lagasca] — Potential Slayer<br />[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1864508 Anna Lauren Long] — Potential Slayer
| gueststarring = {{CastGroup|{{CastActor|name=David Boreanaz|character=Angel}}
 
| {{CastActor|name=Tom Lenk|character=Andrew Wells|billed=Andrew}}
 
| {{CastActor|name=Iyari Limon|character=Kennedy}}
 
| {{CastActor|name=Sarah Hagan|character=Amanda (Slayer)|billed=Amanda}}
 
| {{CastActor|name=Indigo|character=Rona}}
 
| {{CastActor|name=D. B. Woodside|character=Robin Wood|billed=Principal Wood}}}}
 
| costarring = {{CastGroup|{{CastActor|name=Felicia Day|character=Vi}}
 
| {{CastActor|name=Mary Wilcher|imdb=0928143|character=Shannon}}
 
| {{CastActor|name=Demetra Raven|imdb=1496302|billed=Girl at Bat}}
 
| {{CastActor|name=Katie Gray|imdb=1788130|billed=Indian Girl}}
 
| {{CastActor|name=Lisa Ann Cabasa|imdb=0127530|character=Injured Girl}}
 
| {{CastActor|name=Ally Matsumura|imdb=1280361|billed=Japanese Girl}}
 
| {{CastActor|name=Kelly Wheeler|imdb=1177445|billed=School Girl}}
 
| {{CastActor|name=Jenna Edwards|imdb=1173971|billed=Trailer Girl}}
 
| {{CastActor|name=Julia Ling|imdb=1788146|billed=Potential with Power #2}}}}
 
| uncredited = {{CastGroup|{{CastActor|name=Dania Ramirez|character=Caridad}}
 
| {{CastActor|name=Kristy Wu|character=Chao-Ahn}}
 
| {{CastActor|name=Erik Betts|billed=Uber-Vamp #2}}
 
| {{CastActor|name=Ana Maria Lagasca|imdb=0481159|billed=Potential Slayer}}
 
| {{CastActor|name=Anna Lauren Long|imdb=1864508|billed=Potential Slayer}}}}}}
 
 
}}
 
}}
   
"'''Chosen'''", the final episode of ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'', is the twenty-second episode of the [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer#Season Seven|seventh season]] and is the one hundred forty-fourth episode altogether. It was written and directed by [[Joss Whedon]]. It originally broadcast on May 20, 2003.
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"'''{{PAGENAME}}'''", the final episode of ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'', is the twenty-second episode of the [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 7|seventh season]] and is the one hundred forty-fourth episode in the series. Written and directed by [[Joss Whedon]], it originally broadcast on May 20, [[2003]] on [[UPN]].
 
"Chosen" depicts the events leading to and including the final battle between the [[Potential Slayers]], organized by [[Buffy Summers|Buffy]] and her friends and [[The First Evil]].
 
   
 
==Synopsis==
 
==Synopsis==
  +
FINDING YOUR DESTINY — After finishing off [[Caleb]] and sending [[Angel]] off with thanks for [[The Amulet|the amulet]] he delivered, [[Buffy Summers|Buffy]] returns home to find [[Dawn Summers|Dawn]] back, despite her best efforts at shipping her off to safety. [[Spike]] confronts Buffy on her kissing of Angel and after reconciling, she is visited by the [[First Evil|First]], whose taunts give Buffy an idea of how she and her army can defeat the First's [[Turok-Han|Ubervamp]] minions. After informing everyone of the plan to enter the [[Hellmouth]] and finish the war against the First once and for all, a sleepless night is ahead before the new day arrives.
At the conclusion of their kiss, Buffy takes a second to bask in [[Angel]]'s presence before asking him why he travelled to Sunnydale. Angel tells her he has all the information on what's been happening, and knows that the First is responsible. Buffy tells him that this time it's plans are more ambitious than there were during Angel's last encounter with it as now its raising an army. Before Angel can respond, Angel is knocked out by [[Caleb]], who survived his stab wound and is now bleeding black blood from his mouth and eyes.
 
   
  +
==Summary==
Buffy and Caleb's fight begins anew, but Buffy is able to best him again and this time kills him for real by slicing him in two from the crotch up using the [[Scythe]]. Angel recovers ready to take on Caleb himself, but finds two fresh halves waiting for him. Angel therefore gives her the information he obtained as well [[The Amulet|an amulet]] intended to be worn by someone ensouled, yet more than human. He tells her he will fight alongside her, but she turns him down, and he asks for a reason why. She tells him that if she fails to stop the First, she's going to need a second front and needs and [[Angel Investigations|his team]] to organize it. Angel suggests that she actually wants him to leave because of [[Spike]]. The two discuss Spike's soul, and Buffy's feelings for him. He shows obvious jealousy and annoyance about the fact that Buffy has feelings for Spike (as well as the fact Spike has a soul, claiming that he was doing it before it was cool). Buffy in turn, annoyed by his childish and possessive attitude he has towards her, questions his maturity, asking ''"Are you twelve?". ''Buffy refuses to confirm if she is in love with Spike and denies he is her boyfriend, but confesses that she does have deep feelings for him. When Angel warns her that the relationship would never work, Buffy brings up their own tortured romance. When Angel asks about the future, and if he has a place in it (which is basically asking if there's a chance they could ever get back together) Buffy explains, using a cookie-baking analogy, that she still doesn't know who she is or the person she's going to become and needs more time to find out. Angel agrees to leave and turns over the amulet to her, telling her he'll organize the second front and asks her to make sure he doesn't need it. As he walks into the shadows, echoing his very first appearance, Buffy tells him there might be a future for them, but it will be a long time coming, if ever. He walks off after saying "I ain't getting any older."
 
  +
At the conclusion of their kiss, Buffy takes a second to bask in Angel's presence before asking him why he traveled to Sunnydale. Angel tells her he has all the information on what's been happening, and knows that the First is responsible. Buffy tells him that this time it's plans are more ambitious than there were during Angel's last encounter with it as now its raising an army. Before Angel can respond, Angel is knocked out by Caleb, who survived his stab wound and is now with a black liquid dripping from his mouth and eyes.
   
  +
Buffy and Caleb's fight begins anew, but Buffy is able to best him again and this time kills him for real by slicing him in two from the crotch up using the [[Mʔ|Scythe]]. Angel recovers ready to take on Caleb himself, but finds two fresh halves waiting for him. Angel therefore gives her the information he obtained as well an amulet intended to be worn by someone [[Soul|ensouled]], yet more than human. He tells her he will fight alongside her, but she turns him down, and he asks for a reason why. She tells him that if she fails to stop the First, she's going to need a second front and needs and [[Angel Investigations|his team]] to organize it. Angel suggests that she actually wants him to leave because of Spike. The two discuss Spike's soul, and Buffy's feelings for him. He shows obvious jealousy and annoyance about the fact that Buffy has feelings for Spike (as well as the fact Spike has a soul, claiming that he was doing it before it was cool). Buffy in turn, annoyed by his childish and possessive attitude he has towards her, questions his maturity. Buffy refuses to confirm if she is in love with Spike and denies he is her boyfriend, but confesses that she does have deep feelings for him. When Angel warns her that the relationship would never work, Buffy brings up their own tortured romance. When Angel asks about the future, and if he has a place in it (which is basically asking if there's a chance they could ever get back together) Buffy explains, using a cookie-baking analogy, that she still doesn't know who she is or the person she's going to become and needs more time to find out. Angel agrees to leave and turns over the amulet to her, telling her he'll organize the second front and asks her to make sure he doesn't need it. As he walks into the shadows, echoing his very first appearance, Buffy tells him there might be a future for them, but it will be a long time coming, if ever. He walks off after saying "I ain't getting any older."
[[Image:722_Chosen1.jpg|thumb|left|The First tries to taunt Buffy.]]
 
   
Back at the house, [[Dawn Summers|Dawn]] angrily kicks Buffy's leg for having [[Alexander Harris|Xander]] [[End of Days|try]] to take her away from [[Sunnydale]]. Buffy grudgingly allows her to stay. Spike is in the basement, working out his anger on a punching bag with a crude drawing of Angel's face on it. Buffy arrives and sees this, causing her to be irritated, stating they someday she should put them in a room and let them fight out their problems and that she has "had enough jealous vampire crap for one night." He asks for the amulet, whose exchange he had witnessed from the shadows, and she explains that it is very powerful and meant only for a champion. She then hands it to him. Buffy tells Spike coyly that [[Faith Lehane|Faith]] still sleeps in her bedroom and she has nowhere to sleep. Spike says he doesn't want Buffy downstairs with him, because he still has his pride. When Buffy starts to walk upstairs, he says he doesn't have any pride at all when it comes to her and he says she can stay.
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Back at the house, Dawn angrily kicks Buffy's leg for having [[Alexander Harris|Xander]] try to take her away from [[Sunnydale]]. Buffy grudgingly allows her to stay. Spike is in the basement, working out his anger on a punching bag with a crude drawing of Angel's face on it. Buffy arrives and sees this, causing her to be irritated, stating they someday she should put them in a room and let them fight out their problems and that she has "had enough jealous vampire crap for one night." He asks for the amulet, whose exchange he had witnessed from the shadows, and she explains that it is very powerful and meant only for a champion. She then hands it to him. Buffy tells Spike coyly that [[Faith Lehane|Faith]] still sleeps in her bedroom and she has nowhere to sleep. Spike says he doesn't want Buffy downstairs with him, because he still has his pride. When Buffy starts to walk upstairs, he says he doesn't have any pride at all when it comes to her and he says she can stay.
   
Later that night, Buffy finds herself unable to sleep and paces the basement as Spike sleeps. Suddenly [[The First Evil|the First]] appears to her in the guise of Caleb, unhappy that she killed its lieutenant but notes that there's an army of the undead waiting to rise. Once it does, and the forces of evil outnumber the good the scales will tip in the First's favor and it will become corporeal. The First then shifts into Buffy's form and taunts her, reminding her that she's the slayer, and she's alone as there is only ever one Slayer in the whole. The First disappears as Spike wakes, and Buffy tells Spike she's realized something she hadn't considered... they're going to win.
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Later that night, Buffy finds herself unable to sleep and paces the basement as Spike sleeps. Suddenly, the First Evil appears to her in the guise of Caleb, unhappy that she killed its lieutenant but notes that there's an army of the undead waiting to rise. Once it does, and the forces of evil outnumber the good the scales will tip in the First's favor and it will become corporeal. The First then shifts into Buffy's form and taunts her, reminding her that she's the slayer, and she's alone as there is only ever one Slayer in the whole. The First disappears as Spike wakes, and Buffy tells Spike she's realized something she hadn't considered... they're going to win.
   
The next morning, Buffy unveils her plan to the rest of the Scoobies asking their opinon. They're all shocked at the radical sounding plan, but Giles declares it to be ''"bloody brilliant"'' allowing him and Buffy to reconcile their recent arguments. Willow is concerned since she'll be required to perform the spell required, having never done anything so powerful before. Buffy then reveals the plan to the potentials off-camera. Afterward, [[Willow Rosenberg|Willow]] expresses her concerns about using magic again to [[Kennedy]]. She says this is the most powerful magic she will have attempted and asks Kennedy to kill her if it turns bad. Faith and [[Robin Wood|Principal Wood]] also have a discussion while preparing the school for the battle. Wood demonstrates that he understands her defensiveness over getting emotionally involved with men and asks her to give him a chance after the battle. During the night, Buffy goes to the basement, where she apparently spends her last night with Spike.
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The next morning, Buffy unveils her plan to the rest of the Scoobies asking their opinion. They're all shocked at the radical sounding plan, but Giles declares it to be "bloody brilliant" allowing him and Buffy to reconcile their recent arguments. Willow is concerned since she'll be required to perform the [[spell]] required, having never done anything so powerful before. Buffy tells the plan to the [[Potential Slayer]]s. Afterward, [[Willow Rosenberg|Willow]] expresses her concerns about using magic again to [[Kennedy]]. She says this is the most powerful magic she will have attempted and asks Kennedy to kill her if it turns bad. Faith and [[Robin Wood|Robin]] also have a discussion while preparing the school for the battle. Wood demonstrates that he understands her defensiveness over getting emotionally involved with men and asks her to give him a chance after the battle. During the night, Buffy goes to the basement, where she apparently spends her last night with Spike.
   
  +
The next morning, everyone arrives at [[Sunnydale High School|Sunnydale High]] in a yellow school bus. The Potentials head to the [[Seal of Danzalthar]] in the basement while Kennedy helps Willow set up her spell in Principal Wood's office. After trying to give a farewell speech, [[Andrew Wells|Andrew]] is dragged off by [[Anya Jenkins|Anya]]. Dawn leaves to set up her post with Xander, determined to see her sister again. Principal Wood leaves to wait at his post for [[Rupert Giles|Giles]]. The core four share a moment talking about going to the mall after saving the world which causes Giles to say "the earth is definitely doomed". Xander and Willow walk down the hallway with Buffy before each one peels off, leaving Buffy walking alone to the seal. She meets the Potentials, Faith, and Spike, and the Potentials and Slayers cut their hands to open the seal with their [[blood]]. They climb down the hole in the ground and come face to face with the army of Turok-Han. The Ubervamps spot Buffy, Faith, and the Potentials, and charge towards them. "Come on, Will," Buffy pleads.
[[Image:151019_buffy_l.jpg|thumb|Buffy telling her plan to the potential slayers]]
 
   
  +
Willow sits in Principal's office, the Scythe before her. While chanting [[Slayer Activation spell|a spell]], she places her hands upon the weapon, and both she and the Mʔ lights up in an ethereal glow and her hair turns white, the opposite of Dark Willow. Buffy's final speech to the Potentials had revealed that Willow is channeling the essence of the Mʔ in order to activate Potentials all over the world. Defying the tradition of only one Slayer per generation, Willow's spell will raise an army strong enough to do battle with The First. As Willow performs the actual magic, Kennedy tells Willow that she is a goddess. "And you're a Slayer," Willow replies. Willow then lies on the floor, exhausted and exclaiming "That was nifty!", as Kennedy takes the Scythe to Buffy, who is deep in the fight with Faith and Spike against the army of the Turok-Han, now numbering in the thousands.
The next morning, everyone arrives at [[Sunnydale High]] in a yellow school bus. The Potentials head to the [[Seal of Danzalthar|seal in the basement]] while Kennedy helps Willow set up her spell in Principal Wood's office. After trying to give a farewell speech, [[Andrew Wells|Andrew]] is dragged off by [[Anya Jenkins|Anya]]. Dawn leaves to set up her post with Xander, determined to see her sister again. Principal Wood leaves to wait at his post for [[Rupert Giles|Giles]]. The core four share a moment talking about going to the mall after saving the world which causes Giles to say ''"the earth is definitely doomed"''. Xander and Willow walk down the hallway with Buffy before each one peels off, leaving Buffy walking alone to the seal. The Potentials, Faith, and Spike are waiting, and the Potentials/Slayers cut their hands to open the seal with their blood. They climb down the hole in the ground and come face to face with the army of [[Turok-Han]]. The Ubervamps spot Buffy, Faith, and the Potentials, and charge towards them. "Come on, Will," Buffy pleads.
 
 
[[Image:722_Chosen2.jpg|thumb|left|Willow channels the essence of the Scythe.]]
 
 
Willow sits in Principal Woods' office, the Scythe before her. While chanting a [[Slayer Activation spell|spell]], she places her hands upon the Scythe, and both she and the Scythe light up in an ethereal glow and her hair turns white, the opposite of Dark Willow. A flashback to Buffy's final speech to the Potentials reveals that Willow is channeling the essence of the Scythe in order to activate Potentials all over the world. Defying the tradition of only one Slayer per generation, Willow's spell will raise an army strong enough to do battle with The First. As Willow performs the actual magic, Kennedy tells Willow that she is a goddess. "And you're a Slayer," Willow replies. Willow then lies on the floor, exhausted and exclaiming "That was nifty!", as Kennedy takes the Scythe to Buffy, who is deep in the fight with Faith and Spike against the army of the Turok-Han, now numbering in the thousands.
 
   
 
As she pauses to give orders, Buffy is stabbed through her abdomen from behind by one of the Turok-Han and falls to the ground. She passes the Scythe to Faith and asks her to hold the line. As she lies on the ground, she sees several newly activated Slayers fall, including [[Amanda (Slayer)|Amanda]]. In the halls of the school, a few Turok-Han make it to the surface and attack the group guarding the entrances. A small group of [[Harbingers of Death|Bringers]] also appear and attack. During the battle, Anya is cut down by a Bringer.
 
As she pauses to give orders, Buffy is stabbed through her abdomen from behind by one of the Turok-Han and falls to the ground. She passes the Scythe to Faith and asks her to hold the line. As she lies on the ground, she sees several newly activated Slayers fall, including [[Amanda (Slayer)|Amanda]]. In the halls of the school, a few Turok-Han make it to the surface and attack the group guarding the entrances. A small group of [[Harbingers of Death|Bringers]] also appear and attack. During the battle, Anya is cut down by a Bringer.
   
Andrew fights until he is overwhelmed. Principal Wood is brutally stabbed by a Bringer who is then killed by Giles. Xander and Dawn take on some Turok-Han who are disintegrated by sunlight when Dawn throws open a skylight window, but more follow. In the [[Hellmouth]], The First then appears to Buffy as a mortally wounded copy of herself, sarcastically saying "Oh no. Ow. Mommy, this mortal wound is all... Itchy." It then kneels down in front of her and mocks her attempt to stop its plans: "You pulled a nice trick. You came pretty close to smacking me down.", before asking Buffy "What more do you want?" Ordering The First to "get out of my face!" Buffy arises with renewed determination and knocks several Turok-Han off the ledge. Other Slayers are reinvigorated as well. The First disappears.
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Andrew fights until he is overwhelmed. Principal Wood is brutally stabbed by a Bringer who is then killed by Giles. Xander and Dawn take on some Turok-Han who are disintegrated by sunlight when Dawn throws open a skylight window, but more follow. In the Hellmouth, the First then appears to Buffy as a mortally wounded copy of herself, taunting her. It then kneels down in front of her and mocks her attempt to stop its plans: "You pulled a nice trick. You came pretty close to smacking me down.", before asking Buffy "What more do you want?" Ordering The First to "get out of my face!" Buffy arises with renewed determination and knocks several Turok-Han off the ledge. Other Slayers are reinvigorated as well. The First disappears.
   
  +
Just then, Spike's amulet consumes him in blue light and blasts a hole upward into the sky. The sunlight is channeled through the amulet and in powerful rays that begin dusting the Ubervamps. The ground begins to shake and rocks tumble. The surviving Slayers start to flee. Buffy tells Spike to do so as well, but he insists on finishing it. They share a quiet moment as the world crumbles around them. With tears in her eyes, Buffy tells Spike she loves him, to which he replies "No you don't. But thanks for saying it." He orders her to leave as he has to stay and finish the job. Buffy leaves and Spike disintegrates as the Hellmouth collapses.
[[Image:722_Chosen3.jpg|thumb|Spike: I mean it! I gotta do this.]]
 
   
  +
On the way out of the school, the Slayers find Andrew crouched in a corner. Xander yells for Anya, but doesn't see her dead and mangled body lying nearby. Dawn pulls him out. Faith is the last onto the bus and it pulls away, with Dawn looking through back for Buffy. Buffy, in the meantime, has climbed to the roof of the school and is running along rooftops trying to outrun the enlarging crater. She leaps onto the top of the bus. Watching as the bus speeds off out of town, the entire town collapses into itself.
Just then, Spike's amulet consumes him in blue light and blasts a hole upward into the sky. The sunlight is channeled through the amulet and in powerful rays that begin dusting the Ubervamps. The ground begins to shake and rocks tumble. The surviving Slayers start to flee. Buffy tells Spike to do so as well, but he insists on finishing it. They share a quiet moment as the world crumbles around them. With tears in her eyes, Buffy tells Spike she loves him, to which he replies "No you don't. But thanks for saying it." He orders her to leave as he has to stay and finish the job. Buffy leaves and Spike disintegrates as the [[Hellmouth]] collapses.
 
   
  +
The ground stops shaking. Everyone gets off the bus. Xander asks Andrew about Anya's death. He comforts Xander by telling him that Anya died saving Andrew. Faith looks after a wounded Robin. While Kennedy, [[Violet|Vi]], and a few others tend to the wounded Slayers, everyone joins Buffy as they look at the large crater which was once Sunnydale. Giles asks how this could've happened, since everyone either died or is alive and with them. Buffy answers: "Spike." Giles mentions that they should go to Cleveland as there's another Hellmouth there and lots more work to do. An exhausted Faith responds "Can I push him in?" The Scoobies look at the devastation of Sunnydale. Then, Dawn asks Buffy: "What are we going to do now?" Buffy smiles.
On the way out of the school, the Slayers find Andrew crouched in a corner. Xander yells for Anya, but doesn't see her dead and mangled body lying nearby. Dawn pulls him out. Faith is the last onto the bus and it pulls away, with Dawn looking through back for Buffy. Buffy, in the meantime, has climbed to the roof of the school and is running along rooftops trying to outrun the enlarging crater. She leaps onto the top of the bus. Watching as the bus speeds off out of town, the entire town collapses into itself.
 
[[File:Anyakilled.jpg|thumb|220x220px|Anya dies like a hero.]]
 
The ground stops shaking. Everyone gets off the bus. Xander asks Andrew about Anya's death. He comforts Xander by telling him that Anya died saving Andrew. Faith looks after a wounded Principal Wood. While Kennedy, [[Vi]], and a few others tend to the wounded Slayers, everyone joins Buffy as they look at the large crater which was once Sunnydale. Giles asks how this could've happened, since everyone either died or is alive and with them. With sad eyes, Buffy answers with one word: ''"Spike''.''"'' A silence follows, as everyone remembers their fight. Giles mentions that they should go to [[Cleveland]] as there's another [[Hellmouth]] there and lots more work to do. An exhausted Faith responds "Can I push him in?" The Scoobies, together with Faith and Dawn, look at the devastation of Sunnydale. Then, Dawn asks "What are we going to do now?" Buffy slowly begins to enigmatically smile as she contemplates the future ahead of her.
 
   
 
==Continuity==
 
==Continuity==
  +
*In his first appearance to Buffy in Sunnydale ("Welcome to the Hellmouth"), Angel walked out of the shadows. In this, his last appearance to Buffy in Sunnydale, he backed into the shadows, as he did in his departure from the series in "[[Graduation Day, Part Two]]".
*Despite her previously stated beliefs about killing humans which nearly caused her to turn herself into the police after apparently killing [[Katrina Silber]], Buffy shows no hesitation at all in killing [[Caleb]], presumably due to his great power and how evil and unstoppable he was.
 
  +
*Irritated by the jealousy between Spike and Angel, Buffy says "I should just put you two in a room so you can wrestle it out." This comes to pass in "[[Destiny]]".
*Buffy's "cookie analogy" highlights her very young age. She essentially tells Angel that she is not ready to settle down as she is not entirely done growing up. This was used to highlight Buffy's youth as in later seasons she was portrayed as being older than she was, following her mother's death and her parental role to Dawn, as well as her increasing duties as a Slayer.
 
  +
*Buffy and Giles made up again after Giles betrayed her in "[[Lies My Parents Told Me]]" when Buffy assures Giles she appreciates his opinion.
*Irritated by the jealousy between Spike and Angel, Buffy says "I should just put you two in a room so you can wrestle it out.' This comes to pass in '[[Destiny]]'.
 
  +
*Buffy refers to her deselection as a leader in "[[Empty Places]]" with the sentences "I hate that there's evil, and that I was chosen to fight it. I wish, a whole lot of the time, that I hadn't been. I know a lot of you wish I hadn't been either."
*Buffy and Giles made up again after Giles betrayed her in "[[Lies My Parents Told Me|Lies My Parents Told Me"]] when Buffy assures Giles she appreciates his opinion.
 
  +
*The red hooded cape Andrew wears while playing RPG is a part of the costume Buffy wore for [[Halloween (holiday)|Halloween]] in "[[Fear, Itself]]".
*Buffy refers to her deselection as a leader in [[Empty Places|"Empty Places]]" with the sentences "I hate that there's evil, and that I was chosen to fight it. I wish, a whole lot of the time, that I hadn't been. I know a lot of you wish I hadn't been either."
 
  +
*The scene in which Giles, Buffy, Xander, and Willow are together in the hallway before they eventually split off into their separate parties mirrors a scene in "[[The Harvest]]", in which Buffy, Xander, and Willow ignore Giles completely, and walk off talking to each other about how Buffy could get herself kicked out of school, leaving Giles to remark to himself "the earth is doomed."
  +
*The core four split up in the exact reverse order that they met Buffy in "[[Welcome to the Hellmouth]]", Giles whom she met last leaves first, then Willow whom she met second and Xander whom she met first is the last to part.
  +
*Robin Wood becomes the only known principal to survive his tenure at Sunnydale High School, as opposed to [[Robert Flutie|Flutie]]'s death in "[[The Pack]]" and [[Snyder]]'s in "Graduation Day, Part Two".
  +
*Potential Slayers in the world become actual Slayers, with the attendant physical strength, instincts, and visions. This is explored further in the ''Angel'' episode "[[Damage]]".
  +
*In opposition to her fear of turning into "Dark Willow" by using such powerful magic she turns into "White Willow", showing she recovered from her magic addiction.
  +
*When Buffy asks what the group wants to do tomorrow, Xander replies "Well, mini-golf is always the first thing that comes to mind." This is a call back to "[[When She Was Bad]]", where he suggested the same thing after destroying the very first Big Bad of the series, the [[Master]].
  +
*In the final scene between Spike and Buffy, she tells him "I love you." and he replies "No you don't." This is pretty much mirroring the scene in the alley in "[[Dead Things]]". to which he tells her "I love you" and she responds "No you don't."
  +
*Buffy told Spike she loved him, echoing [[Cassandra Newton|Cassie]] when she told him "She'll tell you. Someday." in episode "[[Help]]".
  +
*Spike returns from his apparent death to be resurrected nineteen days later in the ''Angel'' episode "[[Conviction]]," and plays a major part in that series until its conclusion.
  +
*Spike once again destroys the "Welcome to Sunnydale" sign, after his arrivals in town in episodes "[[School Hard]]" and "[[Lovers Walk]]".
  +
*Andrew's exaggerated storytelling abilities ("[[Storyteller]]", "[[Dirty Girls]]") are finally useful when he comforts Xander by saying Anya died saving his life.
  +
*Giles mentioned the existence of a Hellmouth in Cleveland. [[Rupert Giles (Wishverse)|Wishverse Giles]] repeated news over the phone that Cleveland was in bad condition, presumably due to demons ("[[The Wish]]").
  +
*Seven Potentials survive the final battle, including Vi, Rona, Kennedy, Chao-Anh, and Shannon. Of the three original Potentials Giles brought to Sunnydale ("[[Bring on the Night]]"), only Kennedy survives.
   
  +
==Appearances==
*Stunt woman Ming Liu portrays a newly activated Slayer in the final battle. Ming Liu previously portrayed Xin Rong in [[Fool For Love]] as the Slayer killed by Spike. She is seen on-screen in this episode, ironically with Spike, as they both fight the [[Turok-Han]], and then again onscreen after Buffy begins to fight back after being taunted by the First. During a string of scenes depicting the Slayers over-powering the Turok-Han Vampires she can be seen wielding an axe against one of the Vampires.
 
  +
===Individuals===
  +
*[[Amanda (Slayer)|Amanda]]
  +
*[[Angel]]
  +
*[[Caleb]]
  +
*[[Caridad]]
  +
*[[Chao-Ahn]]
  +
*[[First Evil]]
  +
*[[Rupert Giles]]
  +
*[[Alexander Harris]]
  +
*[[Anya Jenkins]]
  +
*[[Kennedy]]
  +
*[[Faith Lehane]]
  +
*[[Rona]]
  +
*[[Willow Rosenberg]]
  +
*[[Shannon]]
  +
*[[Spike]]
  +
*[[Buffy Summers]]
  +
*[[Dawn Summers]]
  +
*[[Violet]]
  +
*[[Andrew Wells]]
  +
*[[Tucker Wells]] {{Om}}
  +
*[[Robin Wood]]
  +
*[[Injured Girl]]
  +
*[[Unidentified Indian Slayer (Chosen)]]
  +
*[[Unidentified Japanese Slayer]]
  +
*[[Unidentified school Slayer]]
  +
*[[Unidentified softball Slayer]]
  +
*[[Unidentified trailer Slayer]]
  +
===Organizations and titles===
  +
*[[Key]]
  +
*[[Potential Slayer]]
  +
*[[Scooby Gang]]
  +
*[[Shadowmen]] {{Om}}
  +
*[[Slayer]]
  +
*[[Watcher]]
  +
*[[Witch]]
  +
===Species===
  +
*[[Demon]] {{Om}}
  +
*[[Human]]
  +
*[[Turok-Han]]
  +
*[[Vampire]]
  +
===Events===
  +
*[[Apocalypse]] {{Om}}
  +
*[[Battle at the Hellmouth]]
  +
*[[Duel in the Guardian's crypt]]
  +
===Locations===
  +
*[[Sunnydale]]
  +
**[[1630 Revello Drive]]
  +
**Cemetery
  +
***[[Guardian's crypt]]
  +
**[[Maple Court]]
  +
***[[Meyer Sports and Tackle]]
  +
***[[Sun Cinema]]
  +
**[[Hellmouth]]
  +
**[[Sunnydale High School]]
  +
**[[Sunnydale Mall]] {{Om}}
  +
===Weapons and objects===
  +
*[[5C506V6]]
  +
*[[The Amulet]]
  +
*[[Blood]]
  +
*[[Bringers' knife]]
  +
*[[Mʔ]]
  +
*[[Seal of Danzalthar]]
  +
*[[Soul]] {{Om}}
  +
*[[Spike's duster]]
  +
*[[Stake]]
  +
===Rituals and spells===
  +
*[[Slayer activation spell]]
   
  +
==Death count==
*The vampire that stabs Buffy is seen to be slain by Vi right after stabbing her.
 
  +
*Caleb, bisected by Buffy with the Mʔ.
*Andrew's exaggerated storytelling abilities are finally useful when he comforts Xander by saying Anya died saving his life.
 
  +
*One Turok-Han, dusted by Amanda.
  +
*Three Turok-Hans, dusted by Vi.
  +
*One Turok-Han, dusted by Buffy.
  +
*Four Turok-Hans, dusted by Buffy with the Mʔ.
  +
*One Turok-Han, beheaded by Giles.
  +
*Two Turok-Hans, beheaded by Anya.
  +
*One Turok-Han, snapped by Spike.
  +
*Three Turok-Hans, dusted or cut in two by Faith with the Mʔ.
  +
*Three Turok-Hans, burned by the sun, by Dawn.
  +
*Anya Jenkins, cut in two by a Harbinger of Death.
  +
*One Harbinger of Death, killed by Giles with a sword.
  +
*Two Turok-Hans, dusted by Rona with the Mʔ.
  +
*Amanda, neck snapped by a Turok-Han.
  +
*Several Potential Slayers, killed by Turok-Hans.
  +
*The remnant hundreds of Turok-Hans, all burned with a pure light by Spike.
  +
*One Harbinger of Death, killed by Andrew with a sword.
  +
*Spike, himself burned by sunlight.
   
  +
==Behind the scenes==
*The scene in which Giles, Buffy, Xander, and Willow are together in the hallway before they eventually split off into their separate parties mirrors a scene in "[[The Harvest]]", in which Buffy, Xander, and Willow ignore Giles completely, and walk off talking to each other about how Buffy could get herself kicked out of school, leaving Giles to remark to himself "the earth is doomed." In this episode, the same thing occurs when Buffy, Xander, and Willow ignore Giles completely and walk off talking to each other about Xander's new look and what they could do at the mall when the battle is over. Giles is still left standing there alone, looking back at them, where he comments that "The earth is definitely doomed." The Core Fore split up in the exact reverse order that they met Buffy, Giles whom she met last leaves first, then Willow whom she met second and Xander whom she met first is the last to part.
 
  +
[[File:Buffy the vampire slayer " Chosen " episode promo trailer !|thumb|right|200 px|Original UPN Promo for "Chosen"]]
   
*In his first appearance to Buffy in Sunnydale,<ref>"[[Welcome to the Hellmouth]]"</ref> Angel walked out of the shadows. In this, his last appearance to Buffy in Sunnydale, he backed into the shadows.
 
 
*Giles mentioned the existence of a Hellmouth in Cleveland. [[Rupert Giles (Wishverse)|Wishverse Giles]] repeated news over the phone that Cleveland was in bad condition, presumably due to demons.<ref>"[[The Wish]]"</ref>
 
 
*[[Robin Wood]] is now the only known principal to survive his tenure at [[Sunnydale High School]].
 
 
*Buffy told Spike she loved him, echoing Cassie when she told him "She'll tell you. Someday."<ref>"[[Help]]"</ref>
 
 
*Buffy saying "I love you" to Spike is the exact opposite of what she told him five seasons ago in the season that they first met, when she says "I hate you" in that season's finale.
 
 
*Sunnydale is destroyed and the Hellmouth there closed. The First is foiled in its plans.
 
 
*All potential Slayers in the world are now actual Slayers, with the attendant physical strength, instincts, and visions. This is explored further in the ''Angel'' episode "[[Damage]]."
 
 
*After changing the world and activating all the Potentials a rift is formed between Buffy and Dawn which would become apparent in ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight|Season Eight]]''.
 
 
*The change made by [[Buffy Summers|Buffy]] and [[Willow Rosenberg|Willow]] has consequences that are revealed in ''[[Season Eight]]''. This huge change triggers [[Twilight]].
 
*In opposition to her fear of turning into "[[Dark Willow]]" by using such powerful magic she turns into "White Willow", showing she recovered from her magic addiction.
 
 
*Spike returns from his apparent death to be resurrected nineteen days later in the ''Angel'' episode "[[Conviction]]," and plays a major part in that series until its conclusion. After this, Spike becomes a champion in his own right.
 
 
*Spike once again destroys the [[Welcome to Sunnydale sign]]: this time it initially survives the destruction of Sunnydale only to fall into the crater moments later.
 
 
*Buffy's final line in the show is "Spike." Anya's is "Bunnies." Caleb's is "You don't have the...". Dawn, the youngest character has the final line on the show.
 
 
*The red hooded cape Andrew wears while playing ''Dungeons & Dragons'' is a part of the costume Buffy wore in [[Fear, Itself]]."
 
*Dawn refers to herself as 'Junior Watcher', establishing the role she will play in the vast army of Slayers created.
 
*After failing to send Dawn away, Buffy accepts her role in the oncoming battle and as a full-valued member of the Scoobies, something she struggled with since Dawn's first appearance in her wish to protect her.
 
*The last shot of the series is of Buffy with Faith in the background—the two longest serving Slayers after all the newly activated ones.
 
*Although Buffy is by no means alone in the final scene, she is without a male partner, bringing home the point that she doesn't need to rely on anyone but herself.
 
*When Buffy asks what the group wants to do tomorrow, Xander replies "Well, mini-golf is always the first thing that comes to mind." This is a call back to the first episode of season 2, where he suggested the same thing after destroying the very first big bad of the series, [[The Master]].
 
 
*Seven Potentials survive the final battle, including Vi, Rona, Kennedy, Chao-Anh and Shannon. Of the 3 original Potentials Giles brought to Sunnydale only Kennedy survives.
 
 
== Body Count ==
 
*Caleb, vertically bisected (groin first) by Buffy with the Scythe
 
*One Turok-Han vampire, dusted by Amanda
 
*Three Turok-Han vampires, dusted by Vi
 
*One Turok-Han vampire, dusted by Buffy
 
*Four Turok-Han vampires, dusted by Buffy with the Scythe
 
*One Turok-Han vampire, betrayed by Giles
 
*Two Turok-Han vampires, betrayed by Anya
 
*One Turok-Han vampire, snapped by Spike
 
*Three Turok-Han vampires, dusted or cut in two by Faith with the Scythe
 
*Three Turok-Han vampires, burned by the sun, declenched by Dawn
 
*Anya Jenkins, cut down by a Harbinger of Death
 
*One Harbinger of Death, killed by Giles with a sword
 
*Two Turok-Han vampires, dusted by Rona with the Scythe
 
*Amanda, neck snapped by a Turok-Han vampire
 
*Several potential slayers, killed by Turok-Han vampires
 
*The remnant hundreds of Turok-Han vampires, all burned with a pure light by Spike
 
*One Harbinger of Death, killed by Andrew with a sword
 
*Spike, himself burned by his pure light (but not forever)
 
 
== Behind the Scenes ==
 
 
===Production===
 
===Production===
  +
*In an interview before this episode aired, writer/director Joss Whedon said: "If nobody cries... then I've definitely failed. It's really emotional — you're supposed to laugh, cry, and gasp with excitement — as well as take away a beautiful feminist message."<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/buffy/interviews/joss2003/page1.shtml "The crying game"]. ''BBC'', 2003. Retrieved July 24, 2019.</ref>
[[File:Buffy the vampire slayer " Chosen " episode promo trailer !|thumb|right|220 px|Original UPN Promo for "Chosen"]]
 
*In a BBC interview before this episode aired, writer/director Joss Whedon said "If nobody cries... then I've definitely failed. It's really emotional - you're supposed to laugh, cry, and gasp with excitement - as well as take away a beautiful feminist message." He acknowledges that the magic unleashed from the Scythe in this episode is "somewhat convenient," but as a writer, it was more important for him to get to the show's message of empowerment by showing what Willow's magic and Buffy's status as the Slayer means to each of them. He also admits that the Turok-Han vampires in this episode are far easier to kill than in previous episodes (in which Anya noted their tough breastbones make staking them extremely difficult) because "Again, I was more interested in the showing the empowerment than I was in the continuity."
+
*Whedon acknowledges that the magic unleashed from the in this episode is "somewhat convenient," but as a writer, it was more important for him to get to the show's message of empowerment by showing what Willow's magic and Buffy's status as the Slayer means to each of them. He also admits that the Turok-Hans in this episode are far easier to kill than in previous episodes (in which Anya noted their tough breastbones make staking them extremely difficult) because "Again, I was more interested in the showing the empowerment than I was in the continuity."{{cite}}
  +
*Whedon knew he "wanted to kill somebody... brutally and suddenly and never really pay it off. I wanted a death that was a real middle-of-the-battle death — the opposite of the Spike death, perfect, noble." [[Emma Caulfield]] stated at the beginning of season 7 that this would be her last season on ''Buffy'', even if the show was renewed for another season, and so Caulfield was happy to have Anya be the character who was killed. She is the fourth owner of the Magic Box to be killed in the series and means that every one of the "core four" has lost a significant other during the series: Willow losing Tara, Giles losing Jenny, Buffy losing Angel/Spike.{{Cite}}
 
  +
*Whedon said on the [[DVD commentaries]] for this episode that David Boreanaz was only available for 7 hours to film his scenes and that the core four would never die.
*Whedon knew he "wanted to kill somebody... brutally and suddenly and never really pay it off. I wanted a death that was a real middle-of-the-battle death—the opposite of the Spike death, perfect, noble." [[Emma Caulfield]] stated at the beginning of Season 7 that this would be her last season on ''Buffy'', even if the show was renewed for another season, and so Caulfield was happy to have Anya be the character who was killed. She is the fourth owner of The Magic Box to be killed in the series and means that every one of the 'Core Four' has lost a significant other during the series: Willow losing Tara, Giles losing Jenny, Buffy losing Angel.
 
 
*While writing this episode, Whedon apparently wanted to have the Powers That Be grant Buffy one wish. She would arrive at Willow's door and say that she had a wonderful time shopping for shoes; Willow would ask if she had used her wish on buying shoes. Buffy would then step aside and reveal Tara, Willow's late girlfriend, standing in the doorway, alive and well again. This idea was not used because of scheduling issues with Amber Benson, the actress who plays Tara.
 
*In the original script the conversation between Buffy and Angel was supposed to be longer making Angel reveal to Buffy that he loved Cordelia and also that he had a son, making Buffy the only one that knew of Connor. This was ultimately changed so not to confuse too much of Angel's storyline with Buffy's.
 
 
*Whedon said on the final DVD Commentary that David Boreanaz was only available for 7 hours to film his scenes and that the core four would never die.
 
 
 
*[[Sarah Michelle Gellar]], [[Nicholas Brendon]], [[Alyson Hannigan]], [[Anthony Stewart Head]], and [[David Boreanaz]] are the only actors to have appeared in the first and final episodes of the series. [[Charisma Carpenter]] ([[Cordelia Chase]]) is the only original cast member to not appear.
 
*[[Sarah Michelle Gellar]], [[Nicholas Brendon]], [[Alyson Hannigan]], [[Anthony Stewart Head]], and [[David Boreanaz]] are the only actors to have appeared in the first and final episodes of the series. [[Charisma Carpenter]] ([[Cordelia Chase]]) is the only original cast member to not appear.
  +
*According to Joss Whedon in the DVD commentary, he decided that Amanda would be the only Potential present during the RPG scene so that [[Sarah Hagan]] could get some more screen time since her character would get killed off at the climax of the episode.
 
*Gellar's stirring speech was shown in two parts in this episode, but it was filmed as one scene, half of which was deleted in the editing room (DVD commentary). 
 
*According to Joss Whedon in the DVD commentary, he decided that Amanda would be the only Potential present during the Dungeons and Dragons scene so that [[Sarah Hagan]] could get some more screen time since her character would get killed off at the climax of the episode.
 
 
 
*The [[Mutant Enemy Productions|Mutant Enemy]] monster is actually animated in this one (as opposed to just a paper monster walking across the screen) and growls at the viewers, in a way saying goodbye to them as well.
 
*The [[Mutant Enemy Productions|Mutant Enemy]] monster is actually animated in this one (as opposed to just a paper monster walking across the screen) and growls at the viewers, in a way saying goodbye to them as well.
 
 
*The rousing battle music during the final battle between all the Slayers and the enemy is the same used on the season seven DVD title menus.
 
*The rousing battle music during the final battle between all the Slayers and the enemy is the same used on the season seven DVD title menus.
  +
*Whedon wrote the last scene of this episode at the same time as the season opener.{{Cite}}
 
*Whedon wrote the last scene of this episode at the same time as the season opener.
 
 
*There are several alternative scripts on the internet. Some have Anya surviving, Xander dying to save Dawn while others feature cameos from a whole host of memorable characters like The Master, Glory, Joyce, and the Mayor.
 
   
 
===Broadcast===
 
===Broadcast===
 
*"Chosen" attracted 4.9 million viewers on its original first run. Although those numbers seem low compared to earlier seasons, it was actually one of the highest rated episodes of the season as viewership at this point in the show had diminished.
 
*"Chosen" attracted 4.9 million viewers on its original first run. Although those numbers seem low compared to earlier seasons, it was actually one of the highest rated episodes of the season as viewership at this point in the show had diminished.
  +
*The 30-second television ad begins with the mention of sponsor Acuvue Cam, cutting to a montage of clips from "Chosen," such as Caleb threatening, Buffy and Spike in the Hellmouth, Willow enchanted, and Buffy knocking three Turok-Hans off a cliff. It also features clips from previous episodes of the season, such as Xander lighting a match ("[[Get It Done]]"), the Hellmouth seal ("Storyteller"), and Buffy rising from the floor in ("[[Never Leave Me]]"). Throughout the ad, the voiceover utters: "The end is here… Be there when the Slayer takes her last stand. Will this be Buffy's final hour? Or her finest hour? The earth shattering series finale…" The ad concludes with a final mention of Acuvue Cam.
  +
*[[The WB]] chose to announce that Spike would be joining the cast of Angel a week before this episode aired, a move that was criticized due to it lessening the impact of Spike's death in the Hellmouth towards the end of this episode.
   
  +
===Deleted scenes===
*The 30-second television ad begins with the mention of sponsor Acuvue Cam, cutting to a montage of clips from "Chosen," such as Caleb threatening, Buffy and Spike in the Hellmouth, Willow enchanted, and Buffy knocking three Turok-Hans off a cliff. It also features clips from previous episodes of the season, such as Xander lighting a match ("[[Get It Done]]"), the Hellmouth seal ("[[Storyteller]]"), and Buffy rising from the floor in ("[[Never Leave Me]]"). Throughout the ad, the voiceover utters: ''The end is here… Be there when the Slayer takes her last stand. Will this be Buffy's final hour? Or her finest hour? The earth shattering series finale…'' The ad concludes with a final mention of Acuvue Cam.
 
 
*Warner Bros. chose to announce that [[Spike]] would be joining the cast of [[Angel (series)|Angel]] a week before this episode aired, a move that was criticized due to it lessening the impact of Spike's death in the Hellmouth towards the end of this episode.
 
 
===Deleted Scenes===
 
 
*An exchange between Dawn and Vi was cut:
 
*An exchange between Dawn and Vi was cut:
 
:'''Dawn:''' "And the Master grabbed Buffy from behind and bit her. She tried to move, but he was too strong. He fed on her blood and tossed her in the water, cackling insanely as the bubbles rose around her and she slowly drowned to death."
 
:'''Dawn:''' "And the Master grabbed Buffy from behind and bit her. She tried to move, but he was too strong. He fed on her blood and tossed her in the water, cackling insanely as the bubbles rose around her and she slowly drowned to death."
:'''Vi:''' "Do you have any ''other'' stories?"
+
:'''Vi:''' "Do you have any other stories?"
 
:'''Dawn:''' "She gets up again. It's very romantic. Guys, you gotta stop worrying. It's Buffy. She always saves the day."
 
:'''Dawn:''' "She gets up again. It's very romantic. Guys, you gotta stop worrying. It's Buffy. She always saves the day."
   
=== Pop Culture References ===
+
===Pop culture references===
  +
*During Giles, Andrew, Amanda, and Xander's RPG session, Giles is attacked by Andrew's [http://hrwiki.org/wiki/Trogdor Trogdor the Burninator], from ''[[wikipedia:Homestar Runner|Homestar Runner]]''.
*Willow's spell ended with the line "Oh, my Goddess." This is the title of the season 5 finale of ''[[Wikipedia: Charmed|Charmed]]''. It is doubtful Willow was actually referring to Charmed, and not simply using this common phrase.
 
  +
*Buffy asks Angel: "Are you just going to come here and go all Dawson on me every time I have a boyfriend?", implying that Angel's jealousy over her echoes that of [[w:c:dawsonscreek:Dawson Leery|Dawson Leery]], the lovelorn and sensitive title character of the ''[[wikipedia:Dawson's Creek|Dawson's Creek]]'' series, which also aired on The WB.
 
  +
*Spike thought the amulet he had to wear made him look like the actress [[wikipedia:Elizabeth Taylor|Elizabeth Taylor]].
*'''[[wikipedia:Dungeons & Dragons|Dungeons &amp; Dragons]]:''' Giles, Andrew, Amanda, and Xander play the popular role-playing game (or a simulacrum of it) the night before the final battle.
 
  +
*Xander refers to adopting a new look to suit his eyepatch and considers a secret agent style, referencing the comic book character [[wikipedia:Nick Fury|Nick Fury]].
 
  +
*In reference to the mall's destruction, Xander lists the [[wikipedia:Gap Inc.|Gap]] clothing retailer, [[wikipedia:Starbucks|Starbucks]] coffeehouse chain, and [[wikipedia:Toys "R" Us|Toys "R" Us]] toys retailer.
*'''Trogdor the Burninator''': During Giles, Andrew, Amanda, and Xander's D&D game, Giles is attacked by Andrew's [http://hrwiki.org/wiki/Trogdor Trogdor the Burninator] , a popular creation of Strong Bad from [http://www.homestarrunner.com Homestar Runner], of which Whedon is a fan.
 
 
*'''[[Wikipedia: Dawson's Creek:|Dawson's Creek]]'':''''' When Angel returns to help Buffy and shows jealously toward Spike, Buffy gets annoyed and says "Are you just going to come here and go all Dawson on me every time I have a boyfriend?" implying that Angel's jealousy over her echoes that of Dawson Leery, the love-lorn and sensitive title character of the show, which also aired on the WB.
 
*'''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Taylor Elizabeth Taylor]: '''Spike thought the amulet he had to wear made him look like the famous actor Elizabeth Taylor.
 
 
*Xander refers to adopting a new look to suit his eyepatch and considers a secret agent style, referencing Nick Fury from Shield.
 
   
=== Goofs, Bloopers & Continuity Errors ===
+
===Goofs, bloopers & continuity errors===
*When Buffy, Willow, Xander, and Giles are left alone just before the fight and casually discuss their plans for tomorrow a member of crew (although possibly Dawn) can be seen behind Xander just before Buffy begins to speak. Also a member of crew (although similarly this could be Robin Wood) is seen in the background behind Giles as he says "aren't we going to discuss this?".
 
 
*When fighting, running on the buildings and on the bus Buffy has pointed shoes; when the bus stops and she jumps down from it, she is wearing different shoes; next shot she wears pointed shoes again.
 
*When fighting, running on the buildings and on the bus Buffy has pointed shoes; when the bus stops and she jumps down from it, she is wearing different shoes; next shot she wears pointed shoes again.
 
*When Buffy is evacuating the school through the hallway, she is holding the scythe right-side up, but in one quick shot where she stands as the building crumbles she is holding the scythe up-side down and in the next shot when she exits the building she is holding the scythe right-side up again. Changing wielding of a cold weapon (though being a "magical" one as it is) is a good relief from weariness, itch and hand sweat, unless you are wearing gloves (which Buffy doesn't) so it's reasonable that she rolled and moved her grasps.
 
 
 
*During the scene where the newly-activated Slayers are fighting the Turok-Han army, Amanda impales an ubervamp with a seemingly double-pointed wooden spear. However, it can be seen the side she impales the ubervamp with is blunt even though it can be heard from a sound-effect that it died afterwards.
 
*During the scene where the newly-activated Slayers are fighting the Turok-Han army, Amanda impales an ubervamp with a seemingly double-pointed wooden spear. However, it can be seen the side she impales the ubervamp with is blunt even though it can be heard from a sound-effect that it died afterwards.
*When Andrew goes to give his thank you/goodbye speech in the school hall, Anya standing on his left. She says "nobody cares you little monkey" and puts her arm around him. As they walk away, she magically appears on his right side with her arm still around him.
+
*When Andrew goes to give his thank you/goodbye speech in the school hall, Anya standing on his left. She says "nobody cares you little monkey" and puts her arm around him. As they walk away, she appears on his right side with her arm still around him.
  +
*When Spike is dreaming he says "I'm drowning in footwear." but both Netflix and Hulu's subtitles say "I'm drowning in Cool Whip."
   
 
===Awards===
 
===Awards===
*The episode was nominated for both a 2003 Emmy Award in the Category of Special Visual Effects for a Series, and for the 2004 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form.
+
*The episode was nominated for both a 2003 Emmy Award in the category of "Special Visual Effects for a Series",<ref name=":1">[http://www.emmys.com/shows/buffy-vampire-slayer "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"]. ''Television Academy''. Retrieved July 24, 2019.</ref> and for the 2004 Hugo Award for "Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form".<ref>[http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/2004-hugo-awards/ "2004 Hugo Awards"]. ''The Hugo Awards''. Retrieved July 24, 2019.</ref>
   
 
===Music===
 
===Music===
*[[Robert Duncan]]<nowiki> - ''Recap / Angel and Buffy Kiss''</nowiki>
+
*[[Robert Duncan]] "Recap / Angel and Buffy Kiss"
*<nowiki>Robert Duncan - ''Finishing Off Caleb''</nowiki>
+
*Robert Duncan "Finishing Off Caleb"
*<nowiki>Robert Duncan - ''Angel Leaves''</nowiki>
+
*Robert Duncan "Angel Leaves"
*<nowiki>Robert Duncan - ''The Necklace''</nowiki>
+
*Robert Duncan "The Necklace"
*<nowiki>Robert Duncan - ''The First Visits Buffy''</nowiki>
+
*Robert Duncan "The First Visits Buffy"
*<nowiki>Robert Duncan - ''Buffy's Plan''</nowiki>
+
*Robert Duncan "Buffy's Plan"
*<nowiki>Robert Duncan - ''The Chosen''</nowiki>
+
*Robert Duncan "The Chosen"
*<nowiki>Robert Duncan - ''Willow and Kennedy''</nowiki>
+
*Robert Duncan "Willow and Kennedy"
*<nowiki>Robert Duncan - ''The Night Before / Off to War Part 1 / the Old Gang / Off to War Part 2''</nowiki>
+
*Robert Duncan "The Night Before / Off to War Part 1 / the Old Gang / Off to War Part 2"
*<nowiki>Robert Duncan - ''The Last Battle''</nowiki>
+
*Robert Duncan "The Last Battle"
*Robert Duncan - "Every Girl, A Slayer"
+
*Robert Duncan "Every Girl, A Slayer"
*Robert Duncan - "Slayer Victory"
+
*Robert Duncan "Slayer Victory"
*Robert Duncan - "The Final Fight"
+
*Robert Duncan "The Final Fight"
*<nowiki>Robert Duncan - ''The War Against Evil''</nowiki>
+
*Robert Duncan "The War Against Evil"
   
 
===International titles===
 
===International titles===
  +
*'''Armenian:''' "Ընտրվածները" (Chosen)
*'''German''': Das Ende der Zeit - Teil 2 (''The End of Time - Part 2'')
 
  +
*'''Czech:''' "Vyvolená" (Chosen)
*'''French''': La Fin des temps - Partie 2 (''The End of Time - Part 2'')
 
  +
*'''Finnish:''' "Vapauden Voitto" (Victory of Freedom)
  +
*'''French:''' "La Fin des Temps — Partie 2" (The End of Time — Part 2)
  +
*'''German:''' "Das Ende der Zeit — Teil 2" (The End of Time — Part 2)
  +
*'''Hungarian:''' "A Kiválasztott" (The Chosen One)
  +
*'''Italian:''' "La Prescelta" (The Chosen One)
  +
*'''Japanese:''' "選ばれし者" (Chosen One)
  +
*'''Polish:''' "Wybrana" (Chosen)
  +
*'''Portuguese (Brazil):''' "A Escolhida" (The Chosen One)
  +
*'''Romanian:''' "Aleși" (Chosen)
  +
*'''Russian:''' "Избранные" (Chosen)
  +
*'''Spanish (Latin America):''' "El Elegido" (The Chosen One)
  +
*'''Spanish (Spain):''' "La Elegida" (The Chosen One)
  +
  +
===Adaptations===
  +
*The book ''[[Chosen: The One]]'' includes a novelization of this episode, along with all season 7.
  +
*The final scene of this episode is included as an illustration for the ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer Adult Coloring Book]]''.
  +
*[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer action figures|''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' action figures]] of Willow, Buffy, Xander, Faith, and Giles were produced based on their respective appearances in this episode.
  +
*One [[Deluxe action figures|Deluxe action figure]] of Kennedy and two of Willow were produced based on this episode as well.
   
 
===Other===
 
===Other===
  +
*Stunt woman Ming Liu portrays a newly activated Slayer in the final battle, having previously portrayed [[Xin Rong]] in "[[Fool For Love]]".
*Season Seven explores the fundamental separateness between the Slayer and other people, which the series finale turns upside down. As J. Lichtenberg points out in her essay on heroism in the Buffyverse, Buffy is a hero because she makes her own rules. "Finally an adult, Buffy rejects the fate laid out for her by the [[Watchers Council|Council of Watchers]] and a couple of old men millennia ago," Lichtenberg writes. "She finally achieves her goal of normality - not by changing her own nature, but by making others like her."
 
  +
*Spike speculates that Angel wears lifts in his shoes to make himself appear taller. James Marsters would later confess to wearing lifts during his first guest appearance on ''Angel''.{{Cite}}
   
  +
==Gallery==
*''SFX'', a British sci-fi magazine, called "Chosen" the 8th best episode of Buffy (number one was "[[Hush]]").
 
  +
===Promotional stills===
  +
<gallery widths="100" spacing="small" orientation="portrait">
  +
Chosen Angel 01.jpg
  +
Chosen Angel 02.jpg
  +
Chosen Willow Giles.jpg
  +
Chosen Xander.jpg
  +
Buffy-emma-caulfield-anya.jpg
  +
Chosen Faith 01.jpg
  +
Chosen Faith 02.jpg
  +
Chosen Willow Spike.jpg
  +
Chosen Willow Spike Faith.jpg
  +
Buffy chosen speech still.jpg
  +
Chosen Robin.jpg
  +
Chosen Rona.jpg
  +
Chosen Dawn.jpg
  +
S7stills161 Xander Andrew.jpg
  +
S7stills127 Xander Andrew.jpg
  +
Chosen Buffy.jpg
  +
Chosen Buffy Dawn.jpg
  +
Chosen Giles Dawn Buffy.jpg
  +
</gallery>
   
  +
===Behind the scenes===
*Whedon kept the Slayer's scythe prop after this final episode.
 
  +
<gallery widths="100" spacing="small" orientation="portrait">
 
  +
Chosen Whedon 02.jpg
*In classic Buffyverse style, writers and producers retire a set, in this instance [[Sunnydale]] in its entirety, by utterly destroying it. 
 
  +
Chosen Joss Whedon.jpg
*This episode begins Joss Whedon's style of killing major characters at the end, as well as sparing the final antagonist (as The First cannot be killed). The former would be repeated in ''Angel'', ''Firefly/Serenity'', ''Dollhouse'', and ''The Avengers'', and the latter would be repeated in ''Angel'' and ''Serenity'' (as ''<nowiki>Dollhouse'</nowiki>''s main antagonist is killed off and the Marvel Cinematic Universe is currently ongoing where Whedon referred to Thanos as "the ultimate overlord of villainy and darkness" and may or may not follow the pattern with him). Interestingly enough, Spike's death shares similarities with Coulson's death in ''The Avengers'', since both are popular characters and both are revived in a spinoff.
 
  +
Joss whedon and ubervamps chosen behind the scenes.png
*Spike speculates that Angel wears 'lifts' in his shoes to make himself appear taller. James Marsters would later confess to wearing lifts during his first guest appearance on Angel.
 
  +
Chosen Michelle Trachtenberg Joss Whedon.jpg
 
  +
Chosen Whedon 01.jpg
==Gallery==
 
  +
Chosen Whedon 03.jpg
<gallery spacing="small" widths="150">
 
  +
B7x22 Gellar 01.jpg
Chosen15jpg-1e72-2053d.jpg
 
Buffy chosen.jpg
+
B7x22 Gellar 02.jpg
  +
Buffy chosen behind the scenes 2.jpg
Buffy_chosen_behind_the_scenes_2.jpg
 
  +
B7x22 Whedon Gellar Trachtenberg.jpg
  +
B7x22 Head.jpg
  +
B7x22 Trachtenberg Gellar Brendon.jpg
  +
Buffy cast chosen.jpg
  +
Buffy7.jpg
  +
B07 Scoobies1.jpg
  +
B7x22 Whedon Gellar.jpg
 
Buffy-season-7-episode-22-chosen-behind-the-scenes-scans-02-mq.jpg
 
Buffy-season-7-episode-22-chosen-behind-the-scenes-scans-02-mq.jpg
Buffy-season-7-episode-22-chosen-behind-the-scenes-scans-03-mq.jpg
 
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
 
   
 
==Quotes==
 
==Quotes==
 
{{QuoteBlock
 
{{QuoteBlock
  +
|Buffy|"OK, I'm cookie dough. I'm not done baking. I'm not finished becoming whoever the hell it is I'm gonna turn out to be. I make it through this, and the next thing, and the next thing, and maybe one day I turn around and realize I'm ready. I'm cookies. And then, you know, if I want someone to eat— or enjoy warm, delicious cookie me, then... that's fine. That'll be then. When I'm done."
|Caleb|"Are you ready to finish this, bitch?!"
 
  +
|Angel|"Any thoughts on who might enjoy— Do I have to go with the cookie analogy?"
  +
|Buffy|"I'm not really thinking that far ahead. That's kind of the point."
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{QuoteBlock
 
{{QuoteBlock
  +
|Anya|"Oh, God. I'm terrified. I didn't think... I mean, I just figured you'd be terrified, and I would be sarcastic about it."
|Buffy|"I was thinking about shopping. As per usual."
 
|Willow|"Oh. There’s an Arden B. in the new mall."
 
|Xander|"Oh, good. I could use a few items."
 
|Giles|"Well, now aren’t we gonna discuss this? Save the world or go to the mall?"
 
|Buffy|"I’m having a wicked shoe craving."
 
|Xander|"Aren’t you on the patch?"
 
|Willow|"Those never work."
 
|Buffy|"Never."
 
|Giles|"And here I am, invisible to the eye, not having any vote."
 
|Xander|"See, I need a new look. It’s this whole eye patch thing."
 
|Buffy|"Oh, you could go with full black secret agent look."
 
|Willow|"Or the puffy shirt, pirate slash..."
 
}}
 
{{QuoteBlock
 
|Angel|"Oh... Well... That's great. Everyone's got a soul now... You know, I started it. The whole having a soul? Before it was all the cool new thing."
 
}}
 
{{QuoteBlock
 
|Buffy|"I love you."
 
|Spike|"No, you don't. But thanks for saying it."}}
 
{{QuoteBlock
 
|Dawn|"We destroyed the mall? I fought on the wrong side."
 
|Xander|"All those shops, gone. The Gap, Starbucks, Toys 'R' Us. Who will remember all those landmarks unless we tell the world of them?"
 
}}
 
{{QuoteBlock
 
|Willow|"The darkest place I've ever been, this is what lies beyond that. This is too important for me..."
 
|Kennedy|"Buffy believes in you."
 
|Willow|"You know, Buffy, sweet girl; not that bright."
 
}}
 
{{QuoteBlock
 
|Andrew|"We will defend it with our very lives."
 
|Anya|"Yes, we will defend it with his very life."
 
|Xander|"And don't be afraid to use him as a human shield."
 
|Anya|"Good. Yes. Thanks."
 
}}
 
{{QuoteBlock
 
|Buffy|"I just realized something, something that really never occurred to me before. We're gonna win."
 
}}
 
{{QuoteBlock
 
|Angel|"I'm gettin' the brush off for Captain Peroxide. It doesn't necessarily bring out the champion in me."
 
|Buffy|"You're not getting the brush off. A-Are you just going to come here and go all Dawson on me every time I have a boyfriend?"
 
|Angel|"Aha! Boyfriend."
 
|Buffy|"He's not. But he is in my heart."
 
|Angel|"That'll end well."
 
|Buffy|"What was the highlight of our relationship? When you broke up with me or when I killed you?"
 
}}
 
{{QuoteBlock
 
|Anya|"Come on, let's go assemble the cannon fodder."
 
|Xander|"That's not what we're calling 'em, sweetie."
 
|Anya|"Not to their faces. What am I, insensitive?"
 
}}
 
{{QuoteBlock
 
|Spike|"Most people don't use their tongues to say hello. Or, I guess they do, but..."
 
}}
 
{{QuoteBlock
 
|Giles|"I used to be a highly respected Watcher, and now I'm a wounded dwarf with the mystical strength of a doily."
 
}}
 
{{QuoteBlock
 
|Faith|"It's pretty radical, B."
 
|Giles|"It's a lot more than that. Buffy, what you said, it-it-it flies in the face of everything we've ever—every ''generation'' has ever done in the fight against evil. I think it's bloody brilliant."
 
|Buffy|"You mean that?"
 
|Giles|"If you want my opinion."
 
}}
 
{{QuoteBlock
 
|Anya|"Oh, God. I'm terrified. I-I didn't think... I mean, I-I just figured you'd be terrified, and I would be sarcastic about it."
 
 
|Andrew|"Picture happy things. A lake, candy canes, bunnies..."
 
|Andrew|"Picture happy things. A lake, candy canes, bunnies..."
 
|Anya|"Bunnies! Floppy, hoppy, bunnies!"
 
|Anya|"Bunnies! Floppy, hoppy, bunnies!"
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{QuoteBlock
 
{{QuoteBlock
  +
|Buffy|"Buffy: So here's the part where you make a choice: What if you could have that power... now? In every generation, one Slayer is born... because a bunch of men who died thousands of years ago made up that rule. They were powerful men. This woman is more powerful than all of them combined. So I say we change the rule. I say my power... should be our power. Tomorrow, Willow will use the essence of the scythe to change our destiny. From now on, every girl in the world who might be a Slayer... will be a Slayer. Every girl who could have the power... will have the power... can stand up, will stand up. Slayers... every one of us. Make your choice. Are you ready to be strong?"
|Willow|"Did you find out anything about the scythe?"
 
|Buffy|"It slices, dices, and makes julienne preacher."
 
|Giles|"Caleb?"
 
|Buffy|"I cut him in half."
 
|Willow|"All right!"
 
|Anya|"He had that coming."
 
|Xander|"Hey, party in my eye socket, and everyone's invited. Sometimes I shouldn't say words."
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{QuoteBlock
 
{{QuoteBlock
  +
|Spike|"Gotta move, lamb. I think it's fair to say school's out for bloody summer."
|Buffy|"So here’s the part where you make a choice. What if you could have that power, now? In every generation, one Slayer is born, because a bunch of men who died thousands of years ago made up that rule. They were powerful men. This woman is more powerful than all of them combined. So I say we change the rule. I say my power should be '''our''' power."
 
  +
|Buffy|"Spike!"
}}
 
  +
|Spike|"I mean it! I gotta do this."
{{QuoteBlock
 
  +
|Buffy|"I love you."
|Caleb|"Stupid girl, you can’t stop me. You don’t have the ba..." ''(Buffy swings the Scythe up into Caleb’s crotch, cutting him off mid-sentence)''
 
  +
|Spike|"No, you don't. But thanks for saying it. Now go! I wanna see how it ends."
|Buffy|"Who does, nowadays?" ''(she yanks the Scythe up through Caleb’s body cutting him in half and killing him)''
 
}}
 
{{QuoteBlock
 
|Spike|"Now, go!" ''(Buffy runs)'' "I wanna see how it ends."
 
}}
 
{{QuoteBlock
 
|Buffy|''(Dawn kicks Buffy in the shin)'' "Ow."
 
|Dawn|"Dumbass." ''(Buffy looks at Xander)''
 
|Xander|"Don’t look at me. This is a Summers’ thing. It’s all very violent."
 
}}
 
{{QuoteBlock
 
|Giles|"I don't understand. What did this?"
 
|Buffy|"Spike."
 
}}
 
{{QuoteBlock
 
|Spike|"I can feel it, Buffy."
 
|Buffy|"What?"
 
|Spike|"My soul. It's really there. Kind of stings."
 
}}
 
{{QuoteBlock
 
|Spike|"Gotta move, lamb. Think it's fair to say, school's out for bloody summer."
 
}}
 
{{QuoteBlock
 
|Willow|"This goes beyond anything I've ever done. It's a total loss of control, and not in a nice, wholesome "my girlfriend has a pierced tongue" kinda way."
 
}}
 
{{QuoteBlock
 
|The First as Buffy|"Oh no... Ow! Mommy, this mortal wound is all... Itchy. You pulled a nice trick. You came pretty close to smacking me down. What more do you want?"
 
|Buffy|"I want you to get out of my face."
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{QuoteBlock
 
{{QuoteBlock
  +
|Xander|"We saved the world."
  +
|Willow|"We changed the world. I can feel them, Buffy. All over. Slayers are awakening everywhere."
  +
|Dawn|"We'll have to find them."
  +
|Willow|"We will."
  +
|Giles|"Yes, because the mall was actually in Sunnydale, so there's no hope of going there tomorrow."
  +
|Dawn|"We destroyed the mall? I fought on the wrong side."
  +
|Xander|"All those shops gone. The Gap, Starbucks, Toys "R" Us. Who will remember all those landmarks unless we tell the world about them?"
  +
|Giles|"We have a lot of work ahead of us."
  +
|Faith|"Can I push him in?"
  +
|Willow|"You've got my vote."
  +
|Faith|"I just want to sleep, yo, for like a week."
  +
|Dawn|"I guess we all could, if we wanted to."
  +
|Willow|"Yeah. The First is scrunched, so... what do you think we should do, Buffy?
  +
|Faith|"Yeah, you're not the one and only chosen anymore. Just gotta live like a person. How's that feel?"
 
|Dawn|"Yeah, Buffy. What are we gonna do now?"
 
|Dawn|"Yeah, Buffy. What are we gonna do now?"
 
}}
 
}}
   
== References ==
+
==References==
{{Reflist}}
+
{{References}}
  +
[[Category:Episodes featuring Faith]]
 
  +
[[de:Das Ende der Zeit, Teil 2]]
[[Category:Crossover episodes]]
 
  +
[[fr:La Fin des temps, partie 2]]
[[Category:Two-part episodes]]
 
  +
[[nl:Chosen]]
[[Category:Season Finales]]
 
  +
[[Category:Buffy-centric episodes]]
 
  +
[[Category:Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes]]
 
[[Category:Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 7]]
 
[[Category:Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 7]]
[[Category:Slayer Line-centric episodes]]
 
[[Category:Witchcraft-centric episodes]]
 

Revision as of 02:14, 26 November 2019

Note: This article is about the episode. For other uses, see Chosen.

"Chosen", the final episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, is the twenty-second episode of the seventh season and is the one hundred forty-fourth episode in the series. Written and directed by Joss Whedon, it originally broadcast on May 20, 2003 on UPN.

Synopsis

FINDING YOUR DESTINY — After finishing off Caleb and sending Angel off with thanks for the amulet he delivered, Buffy returns home to find Dawn back, despite her best efforts at shipping her off to safety. Spike confronts Buffy on her kissing of Angel and after reconciling, she is visited by the First, whose taunts give Buffy an idea of how she and her army can defeat the First's Ubervamp minions. After informing everyone of the plan to enter the Hellmouth and finish the war against the First once and for all, a sleepless night is ahead before the new day arrives.

Summary

At the conclusion of their kiss, Buffy takes a second to bask in Angel's presence before asking him why he traveled to Sunnydale. Angel tells her he has all the information on what's been happening, and knows that the First is responsible. Buffy tells him that this time it's plans are more ambitious than there were during Angel's last encounter with it as now its raising an army. Before Angel can respond, Angel is knocked out by Caleb, who survived his stab wound and is now with a black liquid dripping from his mouth and eyes.

Buffy and Caleb's fight begins anew, but Buffy is able to best him again and this time kills him for real by slicing him in two from the crotch up using the Scythe. Angel recovers ready to take on Caleb himself, but finds two fresh halves waiting for him. Angel therefore gives her the information he obtained as well an amulet intended to be worn by someone ensouled, yet more than human. He tells her he will fight alongside her, but she turns him down, and he asks for a reason why. She tells him that if she fails to stop the First, she's going to need a second front and needs and his team to organize it. Angel suggests that she actually wants him to leave because of Spike. The two discuss Spike's soul, and Buffy's feelings for him. He shows obvious jealousy and annoyance about the fact that Buffy has feelings for Spike (as well as the fact Spike has a soul, claiming that he was doing it before it was cool). Buffy in turn, annoyed by his childish and possessive attitude he has towards her, questions his maturity. Buffy refuses to confirm if she is in love with Spike and denies he is her boyfriend, but confesses that she does have deep feelings for him. When Angel warns her that the relationship would never work, Buffy brings up their own tortured romance. When Angel asks about the future, and if he has a place in it (which is basically asking if there's a chance they could ever get back together) Buffy explains, using a cookie-baking analogy, that she still doesn't know who she is or the person she's going to become and needs more time to find out. Angel agrees to leave and turns over the amulet to her, telling her he'll organize the second front and asks her to make sure he doesn't need it. As he walks into the shadows, echoing his very first appearance, Buffy tells him there might be a future for them, but it will be a long time coming, if ever. He walks off after saying "I ain't getting any older."

Back at the house, Dawn angrily kicks Buffy's leg for having Xander try to take her away from Sunnydale. Buffy grudgingly allows her to stay. Spike is in the basement, working out his anger on a punching bag with a crude drawing of Angel's face on it. Buffy arrives and sees this, causing her to be irritated, stating they someday she should put them in a room and let them fight out their problems and that she has "had enough jealous vampire crap for one night." He asks for the amulet, whose exchange he had witnessed from the shadows, and she explains that it is very powerful and meant only for a champion. She then hands it to him. Buffy tells Spike coyly that Faith still sleeps in her bedroom and she has nowhere to sleep. Spike says he doesn't want Buffy downstairs with him, because he still has his pride. When Buffy starts to walk upstairs, he says he doesn't have any pride at all when it comes to her and he says she can stay.

Later that night, Buffy finds herself unable to sleep and paces the basement as Spike sleeps. Suddenly, the First Evil appears to her in the guise of Caleb, unhappy that she killed its lieutenant but notes that there's an army of the undead waiting to rise. Once it does, and the forces of evil outnumber the good the scales will tip in the First's favor and it will become corporeal. The First then shifts into Buffy's form and taunts her, reminding her that she's the slayer, and she's alone as there is only ever one Slayer in the whole. The First disappears as Spike wakes, and Buffy tells Spike she's realized something she hadn't considered... they're going to win.

The next morning, Buffy unveils her plan to the rest of the Scoobies asking their opinion. They're all shocked at the radical sounding plan, but Giles declares it to be "bloody brilliant" allowing him and Buffy to reconcile their recent arguments. Willow is concerned since she'll be required to perform the spell required, having never done anything so powerful before. Buffy tells the plan to the Potential Slayers. Afterward, Willow expresses her concerns about using magic again to Kennedy. She says this is the most powerful magic she will have attempted and asks Kennedy to kill her if it turns bad. Faith and Robin also have a discussion while preparing the school for the battle. Wood demonstrates that he understands her defensiveness over getting emotionally involved with men and asks her to give him a chance after the battle. During the night, Buffy goes to the basement, where she apparently spends her last night with Spike.

The next morning, everyone arrives at Sunnydale High in a yellow school bus. The Potentials head to the Seal of Danzalthar in the basement while Kennedy helps Willow set up her spell in Principal Wood's office. After trying to give a farewell speech, Andrew is dragged off by Anya. Dawn leaves to set up her post with Xander, determined to see her sister again. Principal Wood leaves to wait at his post for Giles. The core four share a moment talking about going to the mall after saving the world which causes Giles to say "the earth is definitely doomed". Xander and Willow walk down the hallway with Buffy before each one peels off, leaving Buffy walking alone to the seal. She meets the Potentials, Faith, and Spike, and the Potentials and Slayers cut their hands to open the seal with their blood. They climb down the hole in the ground and come face to face with the army of Turok-Han. The Ubervamps spot Buffy, Faith, and the Potentials, and charge towards them. "Come on, Will," Buffy pleads.

Willow sits in Principal's office, the Scythe before her. While chanting a spell, she places her hands upon the weapon, and both she and the Mʔ lights up in an ethereal glow and her hair turns white, the opposite of Dark Willow. Buffy's final speech to the Potentials had revealed that Willow is channeling the essence of the Mʔ in order to activate Potentials all over the world. Defying the tradition of only one Slayer per generation, Willow's spell will raise an army strong enough to do battle with The First. As Willow performs the actual magic, Kennedy tells Willow that she is a goddess. "And you're a Slayer," Willow replies. Willow then lies on the floor, exhausted and exclaiming "That was nifty!", as Kennedy takes the Scythe to Buffy, who is deep in the fight with Faith and Spike against the army of the Turok-Han, now numbering in the thousands.

As she pauses to give orders, Buffy is stabbed through her abdomen from behind by one of the Turok-Han and falls to the ground. She passes the Scythe to Faith and asks her to hold the line. As she lies on the ground, she sees several newly activated Slayers fall, including Amanda. In the halls of the school, a few Turok-Han make it to the surface and attack the group guarding the entrances. A small group of Bringers also appear and attack. During the battle, Anya is cut down by a Bringer.

Andrew fights until he is overwhelmed. Principal Wood is brutally stabbed by a Bringer who is then killed by Giles. Xander and Dawn take on some Turok-Han who are disintegrated by sunlight when Dawn throws open a skylight window, but more follow. In the Hellmouth, the First then appears to Buffy as a mortally wounded copy of herself, taunting her. It then kneels down in front of her and mocks her attempt to stop its plans: "You pulled a nice trick. You came pretty close to smacking me down.", before asking Buffy "What more do you want?" Ordering The First to "get out of my face!" Buffy arises with renewed determination and knocks several Turok-Han off the ledge. Other Slayers are reinvigorated as well. The First disappears.

Just then, Spike's amulet consumes him in blue light and blasts a hole upward into the sky. The sunlight is channeled through the amulet and in powerful rays that begin dusting the Ubervamps. The ground begins to shake and rocks tumble. The surviving Slayers start to flee. Buffy tells Spike to do so as well, but he insists on finishing it. They share a quiet moment as the world crumbles around them. With tears in her eyes, Buffy tells Spike she loves him, to which he replies "No you don't. But thanks for saying it." He orders her to leave as he has to stay and finish the job. Buffy leaves and Spike disintegrates as the Hellmouth collapses.

On the way out of the school, the Slayers find Andrew crouched in a corner. Xander yells for Anya, but doesn't see her dead and mangled body lying nearby. Dawn pulls him out. Faith is the last onto the bus and it pulls away, with Dawn looking through back for Buffy. Buffy, in the meantime, has climbed to the roof of the school and is running along rooftops trying to outrun the enlarging crater. She leaps onto the top of the bus. Watching as the bus speeds off out of town, the entire town collapses into itself.

The ground stops shaking. Everyone gets off the bus. Xander asks Andrew about Anya's death. He comforts Xander by telling him that Anya died saving Andrew. Faith looks after a wounded Robin. While Kennedy, Vi, and a few others tend to the wounded Slayers, everyone joins Buffy as they look at the large crater which was once Sunnydale. Giles asks how this could've happened, since everyone either died or is alive and with them. Buffy answers: "Spike." Giles mentions that they should go to Cleveland as there's another Hellmouth there and lots more work to do. An exhausted Faith responds "Can I push him in?" The Scoobies look at the devastation of Sunnydale. Then, Dawn asks Buffy: "What are we going to do now?" Buffy smiles.

Continuity

  • In his first appearance to Buffy in Sunnydale ("Welcome to the Hellmouth"), Angel walked out of the shadows. In this, his last appearance to Buffy in Sunnydale, he backed into the shadows, as he did in his departure from the series in "Graduation Day, Part Two".
  • Irritated by the jealousy between Spike and Angel, Buffy says "I should just put you two in a room so you can wrestle it out." This comes to pass in "Destiny".
  • Buffy and Giles made up again after Giles betrayed her in "Lies My Parents Told Me" when Buffy assures Giles she appreciates his opinion.
  • Buffy refers to her deselection as a leader in "Empty Places" with the sentences "I hate that there's evil, and that I was chosen to fight it. I wish, a whole lot of the time, that I hadn't been. I know a lot of you wish I hadn't been either."
  • The red hooded cape Andrew wears while playing RPG is a part of the costume Buffy wore for Halloween in "Fear, Itself".
  • The scene in which Giles, Buffy, Xander, and Willow are together in the hallway before they eventually split off into their separate parties mirrors a scene in "The Harvest", in which Buffy, Xander, and Willow ignore Giles completely, and walk off talking to each other about how Buffy could get herself kicked out of school, leaving Giles to remark to himself "the earth is doomed."
  • The core four split up in the exact reverse order that they met Buffy in "Welcome to the Hellmouth", Giles whom she met last leaves first, then Willow whom she met second and Xander whom she met first is the last to part.
  • Robin Wood becomes the only known principal to survive his tenure at Sunnydale High School, as opposed to Flutie's death in "The Pack" and Snyder's in "Graduation Day, Part Two".
  • Potential Slayers in the world become actual Slayers, with the attendant physical strength, instincts, and visions. This is explored further in the Angel episode "Damage".
  • In opposition to her fear of turning into "Dark Willow" by using such powerful magic she turns into "White Willow", showing she recovered from her magic addiction.
  • When Buffy asks what the group wants to do tomorrow, Xander replies "Well, mini-golf is always the first thing that comes to mind." This is a call back to "When She Was Bad", where he suggested the same thing after destroying the very first Big Bad of the series, the Master.
  • In the final scene between Spike and Buffy, she tells him "I love you." and he replies "No you don't." This is pretty much mirroring the scene in the alley in "Dead Things". to which he tells her "I love you" and she responds "No you don't."
  • Buffy told Spike she loved him, echoing Cassie when she told him "She'll tell you. Someday." in episode "Help".
  • Spike returns from his apparent death to be resurrected nineteen days later in the Angel episode "Conviction," and plays a major part in that series until its conclusion.
  • Spike once again destroys the "Welcome to Sunnydale" sign, after his arrivals in town in episodes "School Hard" and "Lovers Walk".
  • Andrew's exaggerated storytelling abilities ("Storyteller", "Dirty Girls") are finally useful when he comforts Xander by saying Anya died saving his life.
  • Giles mentioned the existence of a Hellmouth in Cleveland. Wishverse Giles repeated news over the phone that Cleveland was in bad condition, presumably due to demons ("The Wish").
  • Seven Potentials survive the final battle, including Vi, Rona, Kennedy, Chao-Anh, and Shannon. Of the three original Potentials Giles brought to Sunnydale ("Bring on the Night"), only Kennedy survives.

Appearances

Individuals

Organizations and titles

Species

Events

Locations

Weapons and objects

Rituals and spells

Death count

  • Caleb, bisected by Buffy with the Mʔ.
  • One Turok-Han, dusted by Amanda.
  • Three Turok-Hans, dusted by Vi.
  • One Turok-Han, dusted by Buffy.
  • Four Turok-Hans, dusted by Buffy with the Mʔ.
  • One Turok-Han, beheaded by Giles.
  • Two Turok-Hans, beheaded by Anya.
  • One Turok-Han, snapped by Spike.
  • Three Turok-Hans, dusted or cut in two by Faith with the Mʔ.
  • Three Turok-Hans, burned by the sun, by Dawn.
  • Anya Jenkins, cut in two by a Harbinger of Death.
  • One Harbinger of Death, killed by Giles with a sword.
  • Two Turok-Hans, dusted by Rona with the Mʔ.
  • Amanda, neck snapped by a Turok-Han.
  • Several Potential Slayers, killed by Turok-Hans.
  • The remnant hundreds of Turok-Hans, all burned with a pure light by Spike.
  • One Harbinger of Death, killed by Andrew with a sword.
  • Spike, himself burned by sunlight.

Behind the scenes

File:Buffy the vampire slayer " Chosen " episode promo trailer !

Original UPN Promo for "Chosen"

Production

  • In an interview before this episode aired, writer/director Joss Whedon said: "If nobody cries... then I've definitely failed. It's really emotional — you're supposed to laugh, cry, and gasp with excitement — as well as take away a beautiful feminist message."[1]
  • Whedon acknowledges that the magic unleashed from the Mʔ in this episode is "somewhat convenient," but as a writer, it was more important for him to get to the show's message of empowerment by showing what Willow's magic and Buffy's status as the Slayer means to each of them. He also admits that the Turok-Hans in this episode are far easier to kill than in previous episodes (in which Anya noted their tough breastbones make staking them extremely difficult) because "Again, I was more interested in the showing the empowerment than I was in the continuity."[citation needed]
  • Whedon knew he "wanted to kill somebody... brutally and suddenly and never really pay it off. I wanted a death that was a real middle-of-the-battle death — the opposite of the Spike death, perfect, noble." Emma Caulfield stated at the beginning of season 7 that this would be her last season on Buffy, even if the show was renewed for another season, and so Caulfield was happy to have Anya be the character who was killed. She is the fourth owner of the Magic Box to be killed in the series and means that every one of the "core four" has lost a significant other during the series: Willow losing Tara, Giles losing Jenny, Buffy losing Angel/Spike.[citation needed]
  • Whedon said on the DVD commentaries for this episode that David Boreanaz was only available for 7 hours to film his scenes and that the core four would never die.
  • Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Anthony Stewart Head, and David Boreanaz are the only actors to have appeared in the first and final episodes of the series. Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase) is the only original cast member to not appear.
  • According to Joss Whedon in the DVD commentary, he decided that Amanda would be the only Potential present during the RPG scene so that Sarah Hagan could get some more screen time since her character would get killed off at the climax of the episode.
  • The Mutant Enemy monster is actually animated in this one (as opposed to just a paper monster walking across the screen) and growls at the viewers, in a way saying goodbye to them as well.
  • The rousing battle music during the final battle between all the Slayers and the enemy is the same used on the season seven DVD title menus.
  • Whedon wrote the last scene of this episode at the same time as the season opener.[citation needed]

Broadcast

  • "Chosen" attracted 4.9 million viewers on its original first run. Although those numbers seem low compared to earlier seasons, it was actually one of the highest rated episodes of the season as viewership at this point in the show had diminished.
  • The 30-second television ad begins with the mention of sponsor Acuvue Cam, cutting to a montage of clips from "Chosen," such as Caleb threatening, Buffy and Spike in the Hellmouth, Willow enchanted, and Buffy knocking three Turok-Hans off a cliff. It also features clips from previous episodes of the season, such as Xander lighting a match ("Get It Done"), the Hellmouth seal ("Storyteller"), and Buffy rising from the floor in ("Never Leave Me"). Throughout the ad, the voiceover utters: "The end is here… Be there when the Slayer takes her last stand. Will this be Buffy's final hour? Or her finest hour? The earth shattering series finale…" The ad concludes with a final mention of Acuvue Cam.
  • The WB chose to announce that Spike would be joining the cast of Angel a week before this episode aired, a move that was criticized due to it lessening the impact of Spike's death in the Hellmouth towards the end of this episode.

Deleted scenes

  • An exchange between Dawn and Vi was cut:
Dawn: "And the Master grabbed Buffy from behind and bit her. She tried to move, but he was too strong. He fed on her blood and tossed her in the water, cackling insanely as the bubbles rose around her and she slowly drowned to death."
Vi: "Do you have any other stories?"
Dawn: "She gets up again. It's very romantic. Guys, you gotta stop worrying. It's Buffy. She always saves the day."

Pop culture references

  • During Giles, Andrew, Amanda, and Xander's RPG session, Giles is attacked by Andrew's Trogdor the Burninator, from Homestar Runner.
  • Buffy asks Angel: "Are you just going to come here and go all Dawson on me every time I have a boyfriend?", implying that Angel's jealousy over her echoes that of Dawson Leery, the lovelorn and sensitive title character of the Dawson's Creek series, which also aired on The WB.
  • Spike thought the amulet he had to wear made him look like the actress Elizabeth Taylor.
  • Xander refers to adopting a new look to suit his eyepatch and considers a secret agent style, referencing the comic book character Nick Fury.
  • In reference to the mall's destruction, Xander lists the Gap clothing retailer, Starbucks coffeehouse chain, and Toys "R" Us toys retailer.

Goofs, bloopers & continuity errors

  • When fighting, running on the buildings and on the bus Buffy has pointed shoes; when the bus stops and she jumps down from it, she is wearing different shoes; next shot she wears pointed shoes again.
  • During the scene where the newly-activated Slayers are fighting the Turok-Han army, Amanda impales an ubervamp with a seemingly double-pointed wooden spear. However, it can be seen the side she impales the ubervamp with is blunt even though it can be heard from a sound-effect that it died afterwards.
  • When Andrew goes to give his thank you/goodbye speech in the school hall, Anya standing on his left. She says "nobody cares you little monkey" and puts her arm around him. As they walk away, she appears on his right side with her arm still around him.
  • When Spike is dreaming he says "I'm drowning in footwear." but both Netflix and Hulu's subtitles say "I'm drowning in Cool Whip."

Awards

  • The episode was nominated for both a 2003 Emmy Award in the category of "Special Visual Effects for a Series",[2] and for the 2004 Hugo Award for "Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form".[3]

Music

  • Robert Duncan — "Recap / Angel and Buffy Kiss"
  • Robert Duncan — "Finishing Off Caleb"
  • Robert Duncan — "Angel Leaves"
  • Robert Duncan — "The Necklace"
  • Robert Duncan — "The First Visits Buffy"
  • Robert Duncan — "Buffy's Plan"
  • Robert Duncan — "The Chosen"
  • Robert Duncan — "Willow and Kennedy"
  • Robert Duncan — "The Night Before / Off to War Part 1 / the Old Gang / Off to War Part 2"
  • Robert Duncan — "The Last Battle"
  • Robert Duncan — "Every Girl, A Slayer"
  • Robert Duncan — "Slayer Victory"
  • Robert Duncan — "The Final Fight"
  • Robert Duncan — "The War Against Evil"

International titles

  • Armenian: "Ընտրվածները" (Chosen)
  • Czech: "Vyvolená" (Chosen)
  • Finnish: "Vapauden Voitto" (Victory of Freedom)
  • French: "La Fin des Temps — Partie 2" (The End of Time — Part 2)
  • German: "Das Ende der Zeit — Teil 2" (The End of Time — Part 2)
  • Hungarian: "A Kiválasztott" (The Chosen One)
  • Italian: "La Prescelta" (The Chosen One)
  • Japanese: "選ばれし者" (Chosen One)
  • Polish: "Wybrana" (Chosen)
  • Portuguese (Brazil): "A Escolhida" (The Chosen One)
  • Romanian: "Aleși" (Chosen)
  • Russian: "Избранные" (Chosen)
  • Spanish (Latin America): "El Elegido" (The Chosen One)
  • Spanish (Spain): "La Elegida" (The Chosen One)

Adaptations

Other

  • Stunt woman Ming Liu portrays a newly activated Slayer in the final battle, having previously portrayed Xin Rong in "Fool For Love".
  • Spike speculates that Angel wears lifts in his shoes to make himself appear taller. James Marsters would later confess to wearing lifts during his first guest appearance on Angel.[citation needed]

Gallery

Promotional stills

Behind the scenes

Quotes

Buffy: "OK, I'm cookie dough. I'm not done baking. I'm not finished becoming whoever the hell it is I'm gonna turn out to be. I make it through this, and the next thing, and the next thing, and maybe one day I turn around and realize I'm ready. I'm cookies. And then, you know, if I want someone to eat— or enjoy warm, delicious cookie me, then... that's fine. That'll be then. When I'm done."
Angel: "Any thoughts on who might enjoy— Do I have to go with the cookie analogy?"
Buffy: "I'm not really thinking that far ahead. That's kind of the point."
Anya: "Oh, God. I'm terrified. I didn't think... I mean, I just figured you'd be terrified, and I would be sarcastic about it."
Andrew: "Picture happy things. A lake, candy canes, bunnies..."
Anya: "Bunnies! Floppy, hoppy, bunnies!"
Buffy: "Buffy: So here's the part where you make a choice: What if you could have that power... now? In every generation, one Slayer is born... because a bunch of men who died thousands of years ago made up that rule. They were powerful men. This woman is more powerful than all of them combined. So I say we change the rule. I say my power... should be our power. Tomorrow, Willow will use the essence of the scythe to change our destiny. From now on, every girl in the world who might be a Slayer... will be a Slayer. Every girl who could have the power... will have the power... can stand up, will stand up. Slayers... every one of us. Make your choice. Are you ready to be strong?"
Spike: "Gotta move, lamb. I think it's fair to say school's out for bloody summer."
Buffy: "Spike!"
Spike: "I mean it! I gotta do this."
Buffy: "I love you."
Spike: "No, you don't. But thanks for saying it. Now go! I wanna see how it ends."
Xander: "We saved the world."
Willow: "We changed the world. I can feel them, Buffy. All over. Slayers are awakening everywhere."
Dawn: "We'll have to find them."
Willow: "We will."
Giles: "Yes, because the mall was actually in Sunnydale, so there's no hope of going there tomorrow."
Dawn: "We destroyed the mall? I fought on the wrong side."
Xander: "All those shops gone. The Gap, Starbucks, Toys "R" Us. Who will remember all those landmarks unless we tell the world about them?"
Giles: "We have a lot of work ahead of us."
Faith: "Can I push him in?"
Willow: "You've got my vote."
Faith: "I just want to sleep, yo, for like a week."
Dawn: "I guess we all could, if we wanted to."
Willow: "Yeah. The First is scrunched, so... what do you think we should do, Buffy?
Faith: "Yeah, you're not the one and only chosen anymore. Just gotta live like a person. How's that feel?"
Dawn: "Yeah, Buffy. What are we gonna do now?"

References

  1. "The crying game". BBC, 2003. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  2. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". Television Academy. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  3. "2004 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. Retrieved July 24, 2019.