4. I have thinky thoughts about it and CoE and death and show structure and Going to War Television Style. In the end, everyone will probably be angry.

I look forward to hearing those thoughts, whether I agree or not. While I can see similarities, I tend to think Buffy worked in a way that CoE didn't. But there's also fandom similarity in that there are loads of people who consider S6 & 7 to have had such a personality transplant (esp S7) as to no longer be the same show.