Buffy - S4E21

Primeval
First Aired: Tuesday May 16, 2000

After the emotions ran high, the Scoobies are now divided, thanks to Spike's plan to help Adam. They are able to get the courage to face their demons before they have to face the real demon threat; Adam's ultimate plan is to unleash all threats in the Initiative.

At the end of the previous episode, the Scoobies have gone their separate ways because of things said. As they each try to deal with their feelings, Riley has had his behavior modification chip activated by Adam. The chip makes him completely subservient to Adam whose final stages are about to begin. Spike shows up and ultimately figures out his plan to separate the Scoobies has one fatal flaw; how will Willow get the disk information to Buffy if they are strained? Spike encounters Buffy and tries to persuade her to make up with "reds" in order to get the information and Buffy begins to realize what may have happened. Calling an importune meeting, the four core Scoobies meet and discuss how Spike was the one giving them the wild thoughts. They make up and start working together again just in time to take on the Initiative. They try to infiltrate the base again, but are ambushed by the commandos. Elsewhere, Adam shows Riley his new lab as well as his new experiments; Professor Walsh and Forest. Adam then begins his next phase by cutting the power and unleashing the demons in the Initiative. Buffy and the others escape capture and make their way to 314, where they think the secret lab is located. While Giles, Xander, and Willow set up for their spell, Buffy encounters Riley and the others. Forest and he square off, enraging Riley to the point where be gets enough willpower to remove the chip from his chest and takes on Forest himself while Buffy goes to find Adam. Buffy is no match for Adam and he has upgraded himself with an arm cannon, which he uses to chase Buffy into hiding. At that moment, the three others complete their spell and are infused with Buffy, giving her their power as well. With untold power, Buffy is able to rip out Adams power source and destroy him. Riley is also able to kill Forest while Spike saves the Scoobies, who are drained from the spell. The episode ends with a government panel discussing their failure while scenes of the escape orchestrated by Buffy are shown.

Awesome episode all around. This is how all seasons finales of Buffy feel; epic to a T. While the final fight scene between Buffy and Adam could have been a little more fleshed out, the action sequences in the Initiative's central area was amazing. While the action soared, so did the drama and humor, which was still intact. This season did depict college life, where you drift away from high school friends, but these friends have something stronger than simple friendship keeping them together. It was heartwarming to see the core four be the main focus and power behind the confrontation. Great stuff.

Score: 5 / 5