I do appreciate the message - that it's open ended because "it's important to keep fighting"
It was just so bleak that I was kind of shocked. I remember being stunned when Lorne killed Lindsey.
Didn't Illyria say to Gunn "you don't have long left?"
Poor Gunn. I think his forthcoming death was pretty much implied, right there.
The sad thing is that it had already been a tough year for Gunn. He was still blaming himself for Fred's death. Also, I don't think the group ever moved on from Cordy's death.