There is an image towards the end of this episode where Buffy stands around with Dawn, Kit, and Carlos in the new Sunnydale High School and it made me smile. Buffy had become Giles or what Giles had been to Buffy, Willow, and Xander. This seemed to be a great declaration of a return to the beginning of the series, not to replace it, but to pay to it the respect that the creator's had for it. But then the relentlessly dull and dimwitted fan boys clamored and the plot line, along with Kit and Carlos, disappeared like a sullen schoolgirl. So we were left with twenty Buffies coupled with the lonely and abrasive Dawn, who are basically the same character, except Dawn isn't the chosen one. But all that aside, this is a typically fit episode from Whedon with zombies, a charming new principal, a standard "I hate speeches" speech, and a great Twilight Zone reference. The only jarring aspect is the unspoken of separation of the gang. My favorite scene is the last, where The First shifts between all of the previous villains to announce itself.
8 out of 10.
8 out of 10.