Was Buffy dreaming it all

nyarlothothep

Saw the episode Normal Again and ok you see her getting poisoned by the demon but this happens in her constructed universe. When she wakes up in the asylum they refer to her death as being a time when she returned to reality in terms of her psyche. As with these types of episodes you're left in doubt as to whether its real or not, the cause of the delusion could be attributed to the demon sting, however on the other hand that could just be her pysche grasping at getting back to reality.

In addition when she rationalizes about her role as the slayer and relationship with Spike she realizes that its all really absurd, however life in itself is absurd so which reality is more real? The one which was consistent or the one which was fantastical but absurd? The ending really leaves everything that happened in the series in doubt. On the other hand she wasn't properly cured yet so one could expect her to lapse back into the alternate reality.

gene the cow

well ive always tot tat it was jst an alternate reality more than antin in buffys world its real but in an alternate reality she's in the asylum

Sudden Valley

I think JW left the ending scene there just to tease the audience. Despite the more realistic nature of the asylum reality which was more likely : having 6 years of events/conversations in the vampire world being false or the few hours of lucidity in the asylum reality being false (being what seemed like a catatonic state for the six years). The asylum reality didn't even have a plausible explanation for why she was in that state for six years and why she woke up.