Buffy Season 8 Recap - Time of your Life - Part 3 + 4 (Conclusion)

Questions answered in these issues:
Why has Future Willow transported Buffy into the future?
Who is Twilight's 'inside man' within Buffy's operation?
Who was Buffy talking to on the phone? (In Time of your life part 1)






Fray has left Buffy to read through the Slayer diaries, Buffy is surprised at what she has read, there is only a few references, some of them positive but most of them “dire” and at least one reference that is too ridiculous to even believe. Buffy created a whole Slayer army and there is barely even a mention of what they go on to do, the better world she has been striving for has become a poverty stricken dystopia where there is only one half of a Slayer. Buffy sheds a tear “wow, spoiler alert”. Fray enters and tells Buffy that they have a lead, some Lurks that are hiding out at an unusual place, they should go and beat some information out of them. As they leave Fray asks Buffy if the books helped, “I don’t know” she tells Fray “I didn’t read the ending”.

Xander and Dawn are riding through the woods when Xander falls off, Dawn stops and asks if he is ok. He says he is fine, he was just distracted, the tunnels that the Slayers escaped from will lead them in the other direction, there is a chance they wont be able to reunite with them anytime soon. Xander gets up and tells Dawn that they need to escape the woods as soon as possible before something bad happens. A voice comes from behind him, they turn around to see a large walking tree with a human face, it tells them that they are forbidden from entering these woods and must be punished. Xander tells it that there are scarier things than a walking tree chasing them and to just allow them to get out of the woods and everyone will be happy. The tree continues his threat and then pauses, “whats scarier than us?”.

Fray has allowed Buffy to drive the flying car, they are swerving all over the place which Buffy (and Fray) find amusing. Buffy asks Fray what they are actually looking for, Fray points towards a parked ambulance and tells her that it is unusual to see an ambulance in this area. They look down to see vampires attacking humans, Fray tells Buffy to turn the car and go down there. Buffy tells her that is the wrong move, it’s only a hunting party and they need to find the source. Fray is shocked that Buffy refuses to help out, Buffy tells her to look at the “big picture” they need to find Harth and the Madwoman not kill some worthless vampires. Fray leaps from the car and tells Buffy that she can “look” all she wants but Fray is going to continue doing THEIR job. Fray swiftly kills the vampires and walks over to the human, she looks at her neck wound and tells her she will be okay. Fray begins mutters to herself about Buffy “looking at the big picture”, that’s for unattached government officials, not Slayers. Future Willow steps forward and tells Fray that she can’t begin to hate Buffy, it will only make it harder to kill her.

Present Willow is sat on her bed reading through books, Kennedy tells her to relax a little. Willow tells her that Buffy is stuck in some possible horrible future, she needs to save her. Kennedy asks why she cant just talk to Saga Vasuki, and Willow tells her that it’s a possibility but she will need help doing it, kennedy asks how she can help. We now see Willow lying on her back biting her lip clearly in the climax of sexual pleasure, Saga stands over her. Saga wondered when Willow would return, Willow cuts her off “you lied to me” she tells Saga. Saga tells her that she lied for a reason, Willow asks who told her to lie but Saga simply responds “someone I trusted” who we now know is actually Willow, but a future version. Willow tells Saga that only someone who is deep rooted in dark magic could have achieved the time portal. Saga tells her that the portal will reopen later that night at twelve PM again. Either Willow will work out how to reopen it or it will reopen itself, either way it is prewritten and will definitely happen. Saga asks Willow to promise her something, when the portal reopens which it will, she should reach through to retrieve Buffy but under no circumstances should she see what is on the other side. Willow begins to ask her why, but Saga tells her to simply trust her then strokes her face lovingly before Willow fades away and returns to our reality.






Fray asks Future Willow if she is the “Madwoman”, she accepts that she has probably been called that by many people. Fray says that she assumed she would be a vampire, but she is neither vampire nor quite human either. Willow tells her that she hasn’t been human “for some time now”. Fray tells Willow that she will not be able to separate her and Buffy, but Willow tells her that Fray and Buffy want different things. She begins to use her magic to create an image, Fray stands to attack but Willow tells her that she is weak and this is the most powerful magic she can handle. She has something to show Fray, and Fray allows Willow to show her.

Buffy follows a vampire group back to their head quarters and finds the location of Harth and his vampire army but it is too big to tackle alone so she returns to Fray’s apartment. She enters and finds Fray’s sister Erin there instead. Buffy and Erin bond while they wait for Fray to return, both of them have younger sisters who ignore their advice and Buffy begins telling her that she used to consider joining the police force. Erin asks her why she wanted to be a police officer, but more importantly why does she choose to be a Slayer. Before Buffy can answer she is stunned to the floor by a ray gun. Erin looks up and asks Fray why she shot Buffy, and Fray tells her that she is going to save the world.

“I hate history” Future Willow tells us. Not the subject, she loved learning about it, but when you live through history, its horribly depressing. Buffy is tied to a chair and unconscious. Willow looks at her and remembers fondly Buffy’s features, especially her nose. This Willow seems different to the evil Willow we saw in season Six, she seems more depressed than full of rage, perhaps this Willow has had decades to control the dark magic inside of her. Fray tells Willow that no matter what she says or what she shows her she refuses to kill a Slayer but Willow tells her that she just needs to stop Buffy from returning to her time. Erin suggests sending Buffy back but Fray tells her that if they allow Buffy to return the future will change because Buffy has seen it and Fray’s world will cease to exist. Buffy finally wakes up and yells at Willow, “why are you evil again??” she then realises what triggered it before and asks if Kennedy is okay. Willow tells her blankly that she is two hundred years old, how does Buffy think Kennedy is. Buffy looks up at Fray Erin and Future Willow, “why is nobody on my side anymore?”.

Harth has arrived at the watchers library “I have a few questions of my own” he tells the women. Buffy whispers to Erin that she should probably untie her, Harth is annoyed with Willow, she told Harth that Buffy’s arrival and then return to her time would cause Fray’s world to happen but has told Fray that Buffy’s arrival and then return would lead to the destruction of Fray’s world. Harth asks why Willow has been lying to them and she tells them all that is to cause death, Fray asks whose death she is trying to cause but Willow tells her cryptically that history has taught her that while the person that dies is important, the person who kills them is more important. Fray tells Willow once again that she will not kill another Slayer but Willow tells her that if Buffy makes it to the rooftop at midnight, Fray’s world will cease to exist. Fray is reluctant to believe her, but Willow simply taunts her, asking if she is willing to call her bluff. Harth tells the women below that he has a way to solve the problem and that is to kill them all, Willow tells Harth to leave but he refuses, and tells Willow that she is not powerful enough to stop him and his vampire army. Willow tells him that she doesn’t plan to fight him alone and Fray's friend Gunther begins shooting at Harth and his vampires inside a flying car that has guns on it. While this was happening, Fray’s four armed monkey has been untying Buffy’s ropes who is now free to escape.

Buffy grabs her Scythe, punches Erin to the floor and shoots Fray with the ray gun that she was shot with earlier. She apologies to them but tells that she doesn’t care for their world, she needs to go back to hers. Buffy breaks through a wooden door and begins her climb to the rooftop, Willow tells Buffy that she can’t go home yet because she still has things to do in this time but Buffy doesn’t hear her because she has already left.

We return to Xander, Dawn and the mythical creatures in the woods. They are preparing to get rid of the magical soldiers that Amy and Warren have sent. The ghostly figures walk forward and is unsure if they can even hit them physically when suddenly they become corporeal, Xander barely has a moment to understand what is going on before the Slayers attack the soldiers and swiftly destroy them all. Dawn asks Xander if he is proud of his “squad” and Xander smiles.

Buffy climbs the building where she was transported 24 hours earlier, as she gets to the top Fray stands before her. Fray tells her that she can’t let her leave. Buffy tells Fray that Willow just wants them to fight, “it's who kills who” she reminds Fray. Fray asks Buffy if she can promise that when she leaves, Fray’s world won’t cease to exist, Buffy tells her that she knows she cant promise that. Fray tells her that Buffy is looking at the “big picture” again to which Buffy agrees, the fate of the world is her prerogative. Fray lunges at Buffy and they begin to fight, Willow bites her lip with anticipation “soon…” she says to herself.



As they fight, Buffy thinks of a strategy, she is aware that while they are fighting on Fray’s home turf, Fray is outnumbered, Buffy has the Slayer connection that Fray does not. As Buffy and Fray bounce off of each other in battle, it becomes clear that Buffy has been strategically weakening the water tower on which they are fighting on, it breaks and the water washes Fray off the building as Buffy gradually reaches the spot that transported her here.











Warren Amy and Twilight are watching the battle between Xander’s Slayers and the mystical soldiers through a looking glass. Warren tells Twilight that its obviously Amy’s fault that it didn’t kill them all, his part of the attack worked fine and the explosion did kill some Slayers whereas Amy’s spell was easily reversed by witches in training, as they bicker Twilight walks off and begins to talk to a man who’s face is obscured by shadow. The man has the Twilight symbol carved into his chest like all Twilight fanatics. Twilight laughs at the couple arguing “young love, isn’t it depressing?” he asks the man. The man agrees but tells Twilight that he’ll never tell Buffy that, as far as she is concerned he is her ever “faithful” he is her “inside man”, he laughs, when they had their secret meeting in new york she even got dressed up, he thinks Buffy is pathetic, too obsessed with living in the past. He steps from the shadows and reveals his identity, the man who Buffy thinks is working on the inside for her, the man who is actually working for Twilight, is Riley.











Kennedy and Willow stand on one side as the portal opens, Willow is blindfolded like she promised to Saga. As Buffy walks towards the portal Fray charges at her “NO!” she screams, Buffy calmly tells Fray “no”, turns around with her fist and breaks Fray’s scythe. She tells Fray sorry and knocks her out with one punch. Future Willow is now standing between the portal and Buffy, she asks Buffy if she is apologising to Fray for failing and creating this bleak future. Buffy doesn’t respond and simply tells her that she will kill her to get to the portal in time, Future Willow looks at her sadly and tells her that she also knows that she will have to kill Future Willow to get to the portal. Suddenly everything sinks into Buffy and she realises what Future Willow’s plan is, Future Willow told her exactly how to escape, she told her that its important who kills who, Future Willow has manipulated this whole event so that Buffy has to kill her. “Why does it have to be me?” Buffy asks her, Willow looks down sadly “long story”. Buffy plunges the ‘stake’ end of the scythe into Future Willow’s chest, mystical energy crackles around them and strikes down from the sky. Buffy sheds a tear as she removes the scythe and Willow's eyes return to a normal colour rather than the deep black when she is using black magic and then falls down lifeless, Fray makes one final run to stop Buffy from leaving but present Willow reaches through the portal and grabs Buffy. Buffy is pulled through and the portal closes. Buffy immediately hugs Willow and tells her how much she loves her then collapses into an embrace crying. We return to Fray’s world, Erin walks up behind Fray as Fray tells her how she failed again, Erin kneels down next to her and tells her that Buffy’s gone and their world still exists, “what does that mean?” Fray asks her sister, “it means it was a good day” Erin replies as we leave Fray and Erin kneeling next to Willow’s dead body.