[continued from previous message]   
      
   him, then she plunged a sword through his stomach and sent him to hell. The   
   worst part is that it's all Xander's fault. He never told Buffy that Willow   
   was performing the spell. Had he done so, Acathla might never have woken and   
   Angel may have been back to normal. Even though this was mentioned in later   
   seasons, no character ever blamed him. The audience is a different story.   
   Still, in the moment, Buffy did what she had to do: she saved the world. And   
   broke our hearts.   
      
   3 BUFFY SUMMERS   
        Death is her gift. This was the prophecy from the First Slayer that   
   Buffy couldn't figure out until the very end. Many interpreted the prophecy   
   to mean that Buffy should sacrifice Dawn. Buffy refused to put her sister in   
   harm's way, much to the chagrin of Giles—and the audience. So, a battle   
   royale occurred, the likes of which viewers hadn't seen in five seasons of   
   the show. With their valiant effort, the gang actually succeeded in   
   defeating Glory, a hell goddess. But there was the tiny loose end of her   
   worshiper, Doc. He opened the portal and Buffy flung herself off the tower   
   to close it. She died to save the world, making her the bravest character TV   
   has ever seen.   
      
   2 TARA MACLAY   
       Of all the deaths on Buffy, Tara's was by far the most senseless.   
   Everyone else either sacrificed themselves or was murdered, but Tara was   
   victim to a stray bullet. A minor geographical mistake is what did her in.   
   Warren, having grown tired of being schooled by Buffy one too many times,   
   showed up at the house and opened fire. One of his bullets killed Tara, who   
   wasn't even in the backyard where the whole thing went down. In Buffy, like   
   in life, nobody is safe. Tara was in her bedroom sharing a quiet moment with   
   Willow, as the two had just reconciled. Then, poof. Gone. No Scooby Gang   
   plan, no weapon, no magic could have stopped Tara's death. That's what makes   
   it a tragedy.   
      
   1 JOYCE SUMMERS   
       Even with some deaths along the way, the Scoobies have managed to   
   eliminate every one of their threats. But they're no match for cancer. Joyce   
   had her ups and downs at the hospital but just when it looked like the   
   cancer was gone, she had a fatal brain aneurysm. Buffy finding her dead on   
   the couch was more disquieting than any monster of the week or any Big Bad,   
   could ever hope to be.   
       "The Body" was one of the saddest episodes in TV history but one of the   
   most accurate, in terms of dealing with death. Joyce's passing shattered the   
   Scoobies in ways they never thought possible. Everyone responded   
   differently. Buffy went numb; Dawn cried hysterically; Xander punched a   
   wall; Willow fretted over appropriate clothing. But perhaps the most   
   emotional response was Anya's. New to human life, her approach to death is   
   like a child's. She repeatedly asked insensitive questions, like "Are they   
   going to cut the body open?". When she gets chastised, Anya breaks down   
   because she's never had death explained to her. "No one will explain to me   
   why."  The real tragedy is that nobody has the answer.   
      
   David   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)