Graduation Day (part 2)

In which the gang graduates from High School, Angel drinks Buffy's blood, Faith shares Buffy's dreams, the Mayor ascends, Snyder is eaten by a giant snake, Wesley whimpers, Willow gets some more, and the school goes boom.

Official back-of-box synopsis:

When the Mayor finds out about Faith, he sends his henchman after Buffy, who runs to Angel and offers him some of her own blood to save him. Then Buffy, armed with Faith's knife, joins the rest of the students for graduation, which turns into a ceremony that no one will ever forget.

From the old WB Buffy website:

ASCENSION IS AT HAND IN THIS GRIPPING CONCLUSION - As the hours tick away to the fateful graduation of Sunnydale High School's Class of 1999, the impending doom of the Mayor's ascension and transformation into pure demon hangs heavy with Buffy. With Angel near death, Buffy must risk her own life and defy the orders of the Watchers Council in order lead a campaign to save the world.

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 big school events:

• Homecoming
  Buffy fights off an array of assassins, and takes on Cordelia in a battle to be Homecoming Queen
• The Prom
  Buffy promises the gang a good time even if she has to kill every single person on the face of the earth
• this episode
  "Man, just ascend already." The class of 1999 are fully armed under their gowns...

episodes featuring dream sequences:

• Welcome To The Hellmouth
  Buffy's dreaming the very first time we see her
• Teacher's Pet
  Xander fantasises about being a rock god with Buffy at his feet
• When She Was Bad
  Buffy dreams that Giles attacks her
• Innocence
  Buffy's dream tells her Jenny's keeping secrets
• The Prom
  Buffy and Angel in a nightmare wedding
• Hush
  A spooky little girl with the answer to the mystery of the Gentlemen
• Restless
  The First Slayer invades the dreams of Willow, Xander, Giles and Buffy in turn
• The Weight Of The World
  Buffy's locked in a recurring dream from which Willow has to rescue her
• this episode
  Faith gives Buffy hints on how to defeat the mayor, plus something about 7-3-0...

episodes in which vampires bite Buffy:

• Prophecy Girl
  Buffy is powerless against the Master
• Buffy vs. Dracula
  The Dark Master has Buffy hypnotised.
• this episode
  There's only one way to save Angel

episodes where the Mutant Enemy guy is different:

• Becoming (part 2)
  he "needs a hug"
• Amends
  wears a Christmas hat
• Once More, With Feeling
  he sings "grr-arrgh" (it's Joss' voice)
• Storyteller
  The "we are as gods" one.
• Chosen
  He turns to the camera for a moment
• this episode
  he wears a mortar-board hat

Cast:

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

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• Anthony Stewart Head as Giles
• Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia
• David Boreanaz as Angel
• Mercedes McNab as Harmony
• Armin Shimerman as Principal Snyder
• Seth Green as Oz
• Danny Strong as Jonathan
• Larry Bagby as Larry
• Eliza Dushku as Faith
• Harry Groener as The Mayor
• Alexis Denisof as Wesley
• Ethan Erickson as Percy
• Paolo Andres as Dr Powell
• Susan Chang as Nurse
• Tom Bellin as Dr Gold
• Samuel Bliss Cooper as Vamp Lackey