Buffy and Angel's break-up was absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt, inevitable. The back-end of this season has been deliberately inconsistent in regards to their relationship. They've dated, they've been on a break, they've shared a bed. The status of their relationship is constantly changing, a symptom of a coupling that can never truly be consummated, in any form. The problem is that they're ridiculously in love with one another (an emotion that can't just be ended), and that they can't exactly leave their 'social circle' with both of them existing in the same world and the same town. As the (much) older party, it's Angel who needed to initiate the break-up, knowing that in the long run it'll save both of them.
The Prom continues this season's theme of growing up and moving on. Along with the break-up, we have Buffy and her friends experiencing those last days of childhood. They're really adults after graduation, they have to be responsible for themselves for the first time in their lives, and have to maneuver through situations with an adult perspective for once. Buffy is determined to save the prom from being attacked, desperate to ensure her friends get that one last night of carefree happiness.
The prom also features two of the most beautiful moments the show ever produced. For one, there's the final confirmation that people have actually noticed Buffy and what she has done over the last three years, in a wonderful moment where she's given the Class Protector award. It's also fitting that, following the events of Earshot, it's a seemingly together Jonathan who hands it to her. The second moment is in Buffy and Angel's final dance, The Sundays' gorgeous Wild Horses cover playing in the background. It really feels like the end for the high school years, and for them as a couple.
Cordelia looked beautiful here, and I loved that Xander's purchasing of her dress wrapped up their feud. Xander really screwed her over, and I was happy that he finally made it up to her. Elsewhere, Anya's interaction with Xander is unexpected but sweet, especially her wildly inappropriate idea of conversation at the prom. The hellhound story is pretty inconsequential, but I guess they had to throw some kind of monster plot in there somewhere. The videotapes (Prom Night IV!) were hilarious, though.
The Prom drags a little at points, but in the end is a visually stunning and quietly tender conclusion to Sunnydale High, and Buffy and Angel's long-lasting relationship. With the finale right around the corner, it's a fitting pre-closer episode. A-
Credits
Guest stars Kristine Sutherland (Joyce Summers); Alexis Denisof (Wesley Wyndam-Pryce); Brad Kane (Tucker Wells); Emma Caulfield (Anya)
Writer Marti Noxon Director David Solomon
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