Buffy: “Lessons”

I may be a little late to this party, but while re-watching the episode “Lessons,” I wondered about the significance of The First taking on the appearance of each season’s Big Bads in reverse order at the end of the episode, and ending with Buffy. That is, it starts out looking like Warren, then Glory, Adam, The Mayor, Dru, The Master, and finally Buffy. So why end with Buffy? She was never the Big Bad, was she? But I have two theories:

  • Buffy is the first Big Bad because she’s a Slayer, and the Slayers were given demon power to fight the demons, so she is a Big Bad, in a way.
  • Buffy being a Big Bad could also foreshadow the events of Season 8, which saw the Slayers being seen by the general population as evil due to their power. I mean, this is also how people saw them in the past, owing to their demonic infusion.

Also, I think the final shot of Buffy in the season 7 credits is actually The First. I can’t place the shot, but if it is, why close on The First and not Buffy herself, the way the previous seasons’ credits did? If y’all have any thoughts, I’m interested in hearing them!

[Edit:] Thank you, the internet. You have provided Buffy fans with a way to collaborate and put together the entire list of clips used in all of the title sequences ever (like seriously there’s a separate one for “Superstar”). And I was right! The closing shot in season 7 is The First. So, why close on The First instead of Buffy? It doesn’t seem correct that it means that evil is now the star of the show, or that it’s taking over, or something. Hmm, but apparently the Buffy wiki page says that the closing shot of season 6 isn’t Buffy either, and it’s the Buffybot. Maybe Joss is just messing with us. That would be his way, wouldn’t it.

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