Buffy The Vampire Slayer

It’s a grim turning point in the "Buffyverse." For fans, these last five episodes are bittersweet. It’s the closing hours of Joss Whedon’s "Buffy The Vampire Slayer." The traditional Tuesday night rush to our televisions sets sadly concludes May 20.

Take comfort though. With the end of the series looming, opportunities to nudge the show to a higher level are clear. Whedon undoubtedly will go for broke here, making a bold statement to both fans and his TV-producing peers. An epic ending seems on the horizon (as insiders and rumor mills continue to report). After all, with acclaimed episodes such as "Once More With Feeling" and "Hush" under Whedon’s creative belt, how could he settle for anything less?

"Dirty Girls," penned by Buffy newcomer Drew Goddard ("Selfless," "Never Leave Me," "Lies My Parents Told Me"), marks the beginnings of a five-part showdown with The First evil and its minions.

The fate of the slayer legacy continues on a downward spiral as The First accelerates an unrelenting campaign for world domination. Just when events couldn’t seem darker, another major player arrives, a former man of God known as Caleb (Nathan Fillion). Allied with The First, and armed with a gift for menacing sermons, Caleb sweeps into Sunnydale and effortlessly delivers a serious blow to the Scoobies and slayer potentials.

Like most of Sunnydale’s big bads, Caleb’s dialogue is a hoot. However, despite his smirk-inducing rants, Fillion brings a wickedly dangerous posture to Caleb. In short order he sets his character up to stand among Sunnydale’s greatest villains.

By this point in the series, fans are left to contemplate Giles’ (Anthony Stewart Head) role in the season. He speaks out, offering advice, but Buffy is dismissive and even irritated by his questionable suggestions. The former Watcher seems to be on his last leg of usefulness! The possibilities of his eventual fate is an interesting dimension.

Faith’s (Eliza Dushku) return brings further tantalizing developments. Her and Spike (James Marsters) shine once again, especially during an encounter in Buffy’s basement. And who can overlook Andrew’s (Thomas Lenck) fantastic overview of Faith’s history, complete with an unexpected fight sequence with a famous science fiction race!

By the episode’s conclusion, little hope remains for our heroes. We’ve witnessed this before, but the overpowering nature of it says this is something far worse. We have a number of slayer potential deaths, a demoralized Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) — with good reason — and Xander (Nicholas Brendon) facing his first serious injury. This is a time when Whedon’s unpredictable storytelling will run rampant. Though it may mean death for some of our most beloved characters, the results will certainly cement the series as one of TV’s greatest.

Rating: A

The next new episode, "Empty Places," airs in most locations at 8 p.m., April 29 on UPN.

TV Guide summary: As Sunnydale’s residents evacuate en masse, Faith rallies the demoralized potentials while an emotionally fragile Buffy endures another run-in with Caleb.

Bryant Griffin is a member of the SyFy Portal staff, and is based near Tampa, Fla.