A review by darylnash
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Last Gleaming by Scott Allie, Joss Whedon

4.0

After the hot mess of Season Eight, Joss comes in to wrap things up and tease us with Season Nine. I'm not sure it was the wisest decision for him to apologize in the afterward, but at least it was honest. Season Eight was all over the place, with no coherent plotline other than the vague threat of Twilight, never truly realized until the tone deaf and ridiculous Retreat story arc set him and the Slayers to all-out war. And Joss is right in his apology, this is not what Buffy is about. Buffy is about teenage angst made real in the form of monsters. It's one of the misunderstandings of theme and downfalls of the later seasons of the TV show as well. But Joss is a talented guy (not to mention the rollicking assist he had from Brad Meltzer in the previous arc), and he manages to tie up the "big budget" shenanigans in a way that creates an almost ideal setting for Season Nine. And it was entertaining, too. Except for

Spoiler

Giles' death. Was that really necessary?

So I'm looking forward to reading Season Nine. After it's completed. In about five years.