The Gift

In which the world is going to end, Tara gets sane, the bot gets beheaded, Dawn gets cut, Xander gets engaged, Giles gets tough, Spike gets tossed, Ben gets dead, and Buffy gets to rest in peace.

Official back-of-box synopsis:

Glory's plan opens the dimension gate, putting Dawn in jeopardy. Buffy makes the ultimate sacrifice, choosing between her own life and the life of a loved one.

Links:

This episode's page at http://www.restlessbtvs.com/, the Restless BTVS Trivia Guide

This episode's page at http://www.vrya.net/bdb/, the Buffyverse Dialog Database

Cross-reference:

episodes featuring literary references:

• Some Assembly Required
  "Thank you, Cyrano" -- Giles responds to Buffy's val-speak advice on wooing Jenny
• Band Candy
  The gang are getting "all Willy Loman" with the candy
• Bad Girls
  Faith, Lady-MacBeth-like, scrubs away at an already-clean shirt
• Enemies
  Faith is less punctual than Godot
• The Prom
  Buffy quotes Frost -- "miles to go"
• Fear, Itself
  Willow calls Oz "Brutus" and then has to explain the reference...
• New Moon Rising
  Buffy threatens to get William-Burroughsy with Colonel MacNamara
• Crush
  Dru riffs on Othello: "We can love quite well. If not wisely."
• this episode
  Spike's "we band of buggered" echoes Henry V

episodes in which major characters die:

• Prophecy Girl
  Buffy drowns, if not permanently
• Passion
  Jenny
• Becoming (part 2)
  Buffy sends Angel to hell to save the world
• The Wish
  Another reality in which Xander, Willow, Cordelia, Angel and Buffy all die
• The Body
  Joyce
• Seeing Red
  Tara
• Chosen
  Anya. Spike.
• this episode
  Buffy saves the world a lot, rather than let Dawn die

episodes with one-off credit sequences:

• Superstar
  Jonathan-centric credits
• Once More, With Feeling
  Musical-style "overture" credits
• Seeing Red
  Amber Benson moves up from "Special Guest Star" to "Starring"
• this episode
  images from all 99 previous shows

Cast:

• Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy
• Sarah Michelle Gellar as The BuffyBot
• Alyson Hannigan as Willow
• Nicholas Brendon as Xander
  

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• Anthony Stewart Head as Giles
• James Marsters as Spike
• Emma Caulfield as Anya
• Amber Benson as Tara
• Michelle Trachtenberg as Dawn
• Charlie Weber as Ben
• Clare Kramer as Glory
• Joel Grey as Doc
• Todd Duffey as Murk
• Craig Zimmerman as Minion #1
• Josh Jacobson as Teen
• Tom Kiesche as Vampire