Why was Buffy the Vampire Slayer ended after season 7? Reasons explored

About twenty-one years ago, Buffy the Vampire Slayer concluded its exciting run. The main reason behind this was that the main cast of the group, being young and in the early stages of their careers, couldn't commit indefinitely to the show.

In the 144th and final episode of season 7, titled Chosen, Sarah Michelle Gellar's character, the titular monster killer, shared her power with girls worldwide who could be her successors, enabling her to confront the First Evil with a small army of slayers.

The finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer sparked numerous ethical debates. The portrayal of consent in the episode raised concerns regarding women's physical autonomy, leading to ongoing discussions about its implications almost twenty years after it originally aired.

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A glimpse into Buffy the Vampire Slayer finale season 7

Buffy, in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, was born with the ability to make her the Slayer when it's her time to be awakened, she was known as the Chosen One or the Slayer. Following the death of the previous Slayer and her arrival at Sunnydale High School, Buffy was left to hunt out and eliminate vampires and other evil entities.

Throughout the seven seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Buffy confronted demons, vampires, and even human adversaries. She stopped the end of the world and went out of high school to face adulthood with her buddies, the Scooby Gang. Despite its inclusion of magical creatures and humor, the show never stopped portraying its characters as sophisticated human (or supernatural) individuals.

Throughout the series, she encountered significant evil and devastation, officially facing death three times. The entire series was built around the grand finale and confrontation between the evil unleashed in Sunnydale at the Hellmouth's gates and Buffy, along with her army of wannabe Slayers.

The last season of the show examined what it meant to be a Slayer and the sacrifices that were necessary to live. All of a sudden, potential Slayers were being sought out globally, and the Slayer line was in jeopardy of extinction. It was a dismal, gloomy season that revealed Buffy's life as the Slayer hurt her.

But as usual, she came back stronger than ever and managed to vanquish the TV show's last antagonist by fulfilling every promise and becoming a full-fledged Slayer.

However, Sarah Michelle Geller, who portrayed Buffy, expressed that her involvement with the show had concluded. Moving forward with the project without her didn't seem feasible. Given that the movie and the TV program started several years apart and that Gellar eventually established herself as the true Buffy Summers.

The casting switch between Kristy Swanson and Sarah Michelle Gellar was hardly noticeable. Despite Buffy's temporary demise in season 5 and her resurrection in season 7, it still evoked a sense of closure and farewell.

Continuing Buffy the Vampire Slayer without Gellar wouldn't have been advisable for creator Joss Whedon. Exploring spin-off ideas or focusing on other characters, like Faith, may not have captured the essence of the original series.

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Although season 7 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer has faced criticism for its mediocre conclusion, it serves as a full-circle pivot, bringing the series to its starting point. After battling the First Evil, the height of evil, the Slayer was forced to share her load with an army of potential slayers.

Buffy's character developed significantly over the course of the seven seasons, but one recurring motif was her sense of isolation and aloneness, even though the Slayer line was permanently altered by her death in the first season.