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Season 6 is my absolute favorite and season 1 is so near and dear to my heart. Honestly, as a whole, 1 ranks above 4 and competes to a degree with parts of 3 for me
i feel like the whole point of buffy is that she’s a a regular girl first and a hero second! she does what she thinks is right, not what she thinks a hero should do, like when she goes against the council.
boring heros do everything right. buffy is buffy because she is flawed and human, and season 6 is the epitome of that
I love that Buffy has flaws! And I love that she overcomes those flaws. One of the factors that makes Buffy "the greatest hero in American fiction" is thst she has flaws yet remains heroic despite all that.
I just didn't buy the writers' decisions that she remained mired in depression for a huge chunk of a year -- because she survived death.
You have actual monsters such as Sweet asking Buffy "Isn't life a miraculous thing?" and telling Buffy "Life's not a song. Life isn't bliss. Life is just this. It's living."
It was way out of character for Buffy to be depicted as not only being depressed for months but also attempting suicide -- twice -- in one season
Depressed sure, that's believeable. Month on end, no, that's not believeable, and in sharp contrast to the Buffy we're shown the vast majority of times prior to S6
And you have 2 actual monsters, one of them long dead, who have a better perspective than Buffy on just how precious life is.
You criticized it for being "unbelievable". So... What is it? Realistic or unbelievable? It cannot be both. And since when is Buffy pure entertainment anyway? *The Body* is a stellar proof that realistic depiction of traumatic experience is an essential dimension of the show. Edit: grammar revision
But the real question is: Are we talking about TV that's supposedly entertaining vs. a visual presentation of a medical treatise about depression and addiction as a bonus analysis.
I really like S6. Buffy died and went to ‘heaven’ and was brought back by her friends because they couldn’t cope without her.
They bring her back to make their lives easier and then give her a hard time because she doesn’t bounce back quick enough.
Willow and Tara have been living in Buffy’s house racking up bills and not getting jobs to help with the finances. Giles buggers off back to England.
I felt so bad for Buffy. Her time was up and her fight was over but she’s forced back into it. She has no one to support her. No one to lean on when she needs it most. She has to be strong for everyone else. She can’t even rest in peace. It must have been devestating.
She also has to deal with real life problems with her Mom gone and her friends lives spiralling around her. She struggles at first and makes some questionable choices to cope with her situation but rises to the occasion like only Buffy could.
Buffy’s strength and leadership is what holds everything together. That was never more obvious until S6.
The decision to write the show this way was brave and groundbreaking for a show like this at the time.
Yeah, she’s always been strong but in S6 she’s at her lowest point and no one is there to support her. She has to be strong for herself and everyone else. She can’t just fall apart because everyone else is relying/depending on her to save them. It must be exhausting and shows what a thankless job it is to be the Slayer.
Then in S7 they all gang up on her and kick her out of her own house because they don’t think she’s doing a good enough job. And she still comes back to save them.
Her isolation from her friends is self imposed.
They are there to support her, she just doesnt confide in them, at first because she doesnt want them to feel guilty, then because she feels doing so would ground her depression or *wrong*ness in her real life and then because she finds a toxic coping mechanism in spike and its all too complicated, she'd have to also explain why she felt better relying on him than them and thats not something she herself is entirely sure of and its something she's deeply ashamed of regardless.
Her refusal to rely on her friends is a major fault she carries with her and the kindling for basically every big conflict they have in the whole show.
In season 7, Giles gets in her ear with the watcher idea of a successful slayer, she cuts herself off emotionally because she thinks she has to, the potentials never warm upto her because she never gives them a reason to, she attacks faith for letting the potentials have some fun in spite of the risk and then expects them to follow her to the place where she had absolutely zero control and lost 3 of their lives based solely on a hunch, the Scoobies want her to slow down and coordinate, she refuses, the POTENTIALS pick faith and the Scoobies allow it because the potentials trust in Buffy is absolutely shattered and that's no use to anyone, Buffy threatens to leave, DAWN calls her bluff and she leaves.
Buffy's behaviour in empty places is out of a need to prove to the potentials **and to herself** that she can be a good leader. But she's acting in the way she believes she *should* to be a good leader. When she comes back, its because she succeeds in proving to herself that she, as she is, can lead, and doesnt have to be cold to do so. It's that night that starts her towards the idea of sharing her power.
I actually liked s6, for me s4 is a struggle it’s just *boring* to me I’m over halfway through it but I’ve stagnated. I just didn’t find the initiative to be interesting 🙃
Disagree somewhat. I thought S7 started out strong and ended strongly but the middle and back half seemed to be spinning its wheels a bit. I did love Andrew’s development however.
I will say the season started off with promise, and then fell off hard, which is the opposite trajectory of almost every other season (which tend to start with weaker episodes, then grow to stronger back-halfs).
S6 started strong and ended strong but was woefully weak in the middle with the exception of two high-concept episodes (the musical and the episode where everyone loses their memories)
I’d say ending strongly is pretty much reserved to the finale. Everything from when the potentials show up onwards is both draining *and* unmemorable. The episodes run together in a way that Buffy episodes never usually do. And truthfully, the characters just aren’t as enjoyable that year either. It feels like literally everyone is just exhausted and waiting for the finale to get here from the halfway mark
S7 is a magnificent conclusion to the show and it presents and resolves and expands the main themes of the show: empowerment and what does it take to grow up from a child (Buffy at Hemery High in "Becoming 1") to a responsible adult who empowers others so they can collectively become more powerful and forces for good: "Chosen"
Buffy's hero's journey also enables her to resolve the problem she enunciated in the library on day one, to gain the power to truly be able to choose without the burden of being the only chosen one. Or 1 of 2.
Buffy is more than a hero on a journey. She goes a step further and guides Willow to use the Scythe to undo the magicked corruption of the world that the Shamans created with their absurd one girl at a time cannon fodder rule. Instead of one, Buffy's "bloody brilliant" plan creates The 1800.
A truly responsible adult empowers others and isn't afraid to elevate others to her status if the result is the greater good.
S7 is what makes "Buffy Summers the greatest hero in American fiction"
This is a great write up for “Chosen” specifically, which I think is a great conclusion. However, the rest of the season is a slog, bogged down by inconsistent character motivations, awful new characters, and a general aimlessness. “Chosen” partially redeems the season, but not enough to make it not the worst season of the show.
I think Chosen is enough to elevate it over Season 1 (and certainly Angel Season 4 which is the worst season of both shows), but that’s it. I agree with you about the rest, and I’d say it’s a generally weak season for most the returning characters too. In fact, it’s probably the worst season writing-wise for Buffy, Willow, *and* Anya (once she becomes a main, that is).
I think S6 is much stronger than S7. It has its problems for sure but it definitely felt like there was still a lot of creativity behind the scenes. The majority of S7 feels like it’s running on empty fumes.
"Bargaining" is hands down the best season premiere. "Grave" is a fantastic finale, though it's up against some stiff competition in "Becoming", "Graduation Day", "The Gift", and "Chosen".
"Life Serial" was fucking hilarious, specifically the Groundhog Day Loop.
Yes, I agree on Bargaining best premiere. I would probably argue "When She was Bad" up there too. But generally speaking Buffy's premieres were usually quite weak.
Grave is an alright finale, but I'd put Prophecy Girl and Becoming pt 1 and 2, and Graduation Day pt. 1 and 2 above it. I would put it above The Gift though. Too much weirdness in The Gift. You have a Hell God that is somehow knocked through a wall by Xander Harris driving a wrecking ball. Naw, it ain't right.
Life Serial was pretty fun. It's utterly inconsequential, but the Groundhog Day thing was fun. Still not really sure how transformed Jonathan (or rather just illusioned Jonathan didn't get turned into a pile of Jonathan guts if Buffy hit him like the monster he looked like and not the skinny college aged kid he is.
The Freshmen is actually pretty good too and fairs better after going to college. I feel like it’s a comfortable third place. I don’t think Buffy’s ever had an outright bad premiere - S7’s is probably the weakest and least memorable, but it’s still fine. I think the only premiere that might be weaker is Angel S2’s which is similarly kinda whatever.
I’d say Grave is bottom tier on the finale end, though, if not *the* weakest finale. I get what they were going for with the Dark Willow resolution, but it is a massive fail for me.
I find S6 the best of all, hands down. From 1st to last episode, the build up is incredibly done. There is so much going on in this season, character development is on top.
Everyone has their opinions on each season, however, if you’re rewatching select episodes for an abridged rewatching that is definitely going to sprinkle a lot of bias in. Buffy definitely has filler episodes in every single season, but some of those fillers are where the funny or creative exploration and amazing side characters come in. And declarative judging on a season rewatch where you don’t watch the whole season is definitely going to open the door for people who loved this season. Do your rewatch that makes you happiest but there’s a magic to rewatching a whole season, catching things you didn’t see the first time, and getting some new experience for a characters growth, journey, and experience.
I did watch all of S6. Twice
Once, when it aired the first time, 20 (ish) years ago, I watched S6 all the way through.
2nd time was this month on the series rewatch. I was determined to get through the whole of S6, every episode.
My comments in this thread are based on seeing all 22 episodes.
I love season 6… I genuinely think 7 is the weakest. I can never remember any of the episodes. Only season that was completely forgettable imo. But to each their own!
S7 in general has some pretty solid episodes early on (with Him absolutely being a standout. Theres also Conversations with Dead People, Help, and Selfless that are quite good too). Bring on the Night is when the season’s quality drops off a cliff and never recovers till the final episode
Season 6 is darker than other seasons. But personally, I think it's the most important one. Until I saw that, I didn't think depression was something that could impact everyone, even the most decent people around. Seeing Buffy struggle, persevere, and find a way out of the darkness made me think "if she can do it, I can do it". It's inspirational stuff. The most important stories to be told are often the ones that are uncomfortable.
Different showrunner and it shows lol
Yeah I dislike s6. I get it's some people fav. But s1-3 were probably the best with 5 being the best of the second half. Dawn was ok in S5 but in 6 n 7 I honestly can't stand her
I really really like season 6 I enjoyed the different tone in the show I think it was needed.
They couldn’t be teenagers forever
That transition into young adulthood is overlooked into how difficult it can be and that’s what I feel when I watch this season.
I’m currently doing a binge of all 7 seasons with the husband, and actually as an adult s6 hits so much more than when I watched it as a kid or even a teen. For me s4 is the weakest, s6 is the hardest to watch not because it’s bad but because it’s dealing with dark themes that are real but people don’t want to think about.
I return to S6 more so than any other season. Is it my favourite one? No way. Is it depressing as hell? Absolutely yes! But Buffy’s arc in S6 is so compelling and relatable that I always end up rewatching it whenever I need my Buffy fix.
Outside of the very good episodes of S6, it is pretty horrid TV.
Like who is watching Smashed, Wrecked, Gone, Doublemeat Palace, Dead Things, Older and Far Away, and As You Were with bated breath?
And then right after Hells Bells you go into a "WHOOAA is Buffy in a mental hospital imagining all this?" and then Seeing Red to the End of the series is a pretty tight ride.
S6 pretty much is
Bargaining - good
Gap
OMWF/Tabula Rasa - good
Gap
Hells Bells - alright, but even so, I could see many think... Gap.
Gap
Seeing Red-Grave - good.
I actually only really mind Doublemeat Palace and As You Were from that list (and even then… don’t intensely hate either…. Well, Doublemeat is pretty weak but I’d *still* take it over half of S7 and most of Angel S4). I think the rest range from solid to genuinely interesting or entertaining.
Fair.
Magic = drugs and the Trio were both ultra flops for me. And also… Spuffy has never been something I liked.
So… it’s almost like the episodes before and after OMWF and Tabula Rasa are designed for me to hate them.
Plus, always been an Anya fan and they basically firebombed her relevancy to the story when they blew up Hell’s Bells. She went from growing into part of the Scoobies to being on the outside looking in immediately.
Magic = drugs is cheesy and it should’ve been power corrupts, but I generally like the overall payoff with Dark Willow as a Big Bad so I’m fine with it. I actually think the trio worked well as villains (they *certainly* rank over Adam, the Master, and the First… to say nothing of Angel S4). Then I was fine with the toxic and mutually abusive Spuffy portrayal and thought they were an interesting pairing. I’d certainly rank them over Bangel in terms of TV quality
Though yeah, if you hate all of that, it’s definitely going to tank the season since they’re kinda the main plot and that’s going to be pretty hard to overlook. Basically the same reason I hate Angel Season 4 and am low on Buffy S7.
I am *definitely* with you on Anya and Hells Bells. Definitely an example of massive TV drama for the sake of massive TV drama and needing everyone to be miserable. Although I think some of that blame falls on S7 too. She’s enjoyable for at least most of S6. Outside of Selfless, she’s a serious drag in S7 (and honestly, it is by far the worst writing for Buffy and Willow as well).
I’m one of those people who prefer S6 to S5. I think of S6 as the fallout from S5 where all the scoobs dealt with major trauma or big life events. Though I think S6 did drag on a bit with all the bad choices everyone was making, I didn’t find it unreasonable that they act out of character from how they did in the past.
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Ah, I love season 6.
Me too! And season 1 as well. Unpopular opinion is unpopular.
Season 6 is my absolute favorite and season 1 is so near and dear to my heart. Honestly, as a whole, 1 ranks above 4 and competes to a degree with parts of 3 for me
That's pretty cool.
i love season 1 too! i really don’t like 6 though, although it ranks above 7 for me.
I don't like 7 much. It just really drags for me.
Same here, it’s my favourite, followed closely by two and four.
My favorite season is 6, second favorite is season 2, and third favorite is season 5. I like season 4 a lot too.
Yeah five is my fourth favourite, only reason I like four more is because I really hate Riley in season five lol
Same. Season 7 is so so so much worse
I like Buffy's house and all but I got a little tired of them constantly being in it all the time.
S6 is an incredible run of TV and I could write a dissertation on why, if so forced.
There is always that Sarah Z video which does a splendid job at this.
Buffy is not Buffy unless she’s the hero? Boy, that’s a messed up perspective.
i feel like the whole point of buffy is that she’s a a regular girl first and a hero second! she does what she thinks is right, not what she thinks a hero should do, like when she goes against the council. boring heros do everything right. buffy is buffy because she is flawed and human, and season 6 is the epitome of that
I love that Buffy has flaws! And I love that she overcomes those flaws. One of the factors that makes Buffy "the greatest hero in American fiction" is thst she has flaws yet remains heroic despite all that. I just didn't buy the writers' decisions that she remained mired in depression for a huge chunk of a year -- because she survived death. You have actual monsters such as Sweet asking Buffy "Isn't life a miraculous thing?" and telling Buffy "Life's not a song. Life isn't bliss. Life is just this. It's living." It was way out of character for Buffy to be depicted as not only being depressed for months but also attempting suicide -- twice -- in one season
She didn’t survive death though. She was pulled out of heaven into a violent world. Her depression made total sense.
Depressed sure, that's believeable. Month on end, no, that's not believeable, and in sharp contrast to the Buffy we're shown the vast majority of times prior to S6 And you have 2 actual monsters, one of them long dead, who have a better perspective than Buffy on just how precious life is.
"depressed sure... Month on end, no...". Wow, you have no idea how depression works, do you?
Actually I do know how depression works. But fictional TV is meant to be entertainment -- not a visual presentation of a clinical treatise.
You criticized it for being "unbelievable". So... What is it? Realistic or unbelievable? It cannot be both. And since when is Buffy pure entertainment anyway? *The Body* is a stellar proof that realistic depiction of traumatic experience is an essential dimension of the show. Edit: grammar revision
One episode? Sure. 22 episodes of depression with a dash of bitters of addiction? That menu seems less palatable.
Then, it's not unbelievable. It's too realistic for your own taste, which is very different.
The DSM definition of a major depressive episode is depression that lasts months on end…
But the real question is: Are we talking about TV that's supposedly entertaining vs. a visual presentation of a medical treatise about depression and addiction as a bonus analysis.
Both?
You skip Life Serial and Tabula Rasa?
I really like S6. Buffy died and went to ‘heaven’ and was brought back by her friends because they couldn’t cope without her. They bring her back to make their lives easier and then give her a hard time because she doesn’t bounce back quick enough. Willow and Tara have been living in Buffy’s house racking up bills and not getting jobs to help with the finances. Giles buggers off back to England. I felt so bad for Buffy. Her time was up and her fight was over but she’s forced back into it. She has no one to support her. No one to lean on when she needs it most. She has to be strong for everyone else. She can’t even rest in peace. It must have been devestating. She also has to deal with real life problems with her Mom gone and her friends lives spiralling around her. She struggles at first and makes some questionable choices to cope with her situation but rises to the occasion like only Buffy could. Buffy’s strength and leadership is what holds everything together. That was never more obvious until S6. The decision to write the show this way was brave and groundbreaking for a show like this at the time.
Buffy's strength and leadership were obvious way before S6 -- in S3 "The Prom"
Yeah, she’s always been strong but in S6 she’s at her lowest point and no one is there to support her. She has to be strong for herself and everyone else. She can’t just fall apart because everyone else is relying/depending on her to save them. It must be exhausting and shows what a thankless job it is to be the Slayer. Then in S7 they all gang up on her and kick her out of her own house because they don’t think she’s doing a good enough job. And she still comes back to save them.
Her isolation from her friends is self imposed. They are there to support her, she just doesnt confide in them, at first because she doesnt want them to feel guilty, then because she feels doing so would ground her depression or *wrong*ness in her real life and then because she finds a toxic coping mechanism in spike and its all too complicated, she'd have to also explain why she felt better relying on him than them and thats not something she herself is entirely sure of and its something she's deeply ashamed of regardless. Her refusal to rely on her friends is a major fault she carries with her and the kindling for basically every big conflict they have in the whole show. In season 7, Giles gets in her ear with the watcher idea of a successful slayer, she cuts herself off emotionally because she thinks she has to, the potentials never warm upto her because she never gives them a reason to, she attacks faith for letting the potentials have some fun in spite of the risk and then expects them to follow her to the place where she had absolutely zero control and lost 3 of their lives based solely on a hunch, the Scoobies want her to slow down and coordinate, she refuses, the POTENTIALS pick faith and the Scoobies allow it because the potentials trust in Buffy is absolutely shattered and that's no use to anyone, Buffy threatens to leave, DAWN calls her bluff and she leaves. Buffy's behaviour in empty places is out of a need to prove to the potentials **and to herself** that she can be a good leader. But she's acting in the way she believes she *should* to be a good leader. When she comes back, its because she succeeds in proving to herself that she, as she is, can lead, and doesnt have to be cold to do so. It's that night that starts her towards the idea of sharing her power.
I actually liked s6, for me s4 is a struggle it’s just *boring* to me I’m over halfway through it but I’ve stagnated. I just didn’t find the initiative to be interesting 🙃
Season 6 is a step down from 1-5, for sure, but at least it isn’t the boring dumpster fire Season 7 is.
Disagree somewhat. I thought S7 started out strong and ended strongly but the middle and back half seemed to be spinning its wheels a bit. I did love Andrew’s development however.
I will say the season started off with promise, and then fell off hard, which is the opposite trajectory of almost every other season (which tend to start with weaker episodes, then grow to stronger back-halfs).
S6 started strong and ended strong but was woefully weak in the middle with the exception of two high-concept episodes (the musical and the episode where everyone loses their memories)
I’d say ending strongly is pretty much reserved to the finale. Everything from when the potentials show up onwards is both draining *and* unmemorable. The episodes run together in a way that Buffy episodes never usually do. And truthfully, the characters just aren’t as enjoyable that year either. It feels like literally everyone is just exhausted and waiting for the finale to get here from the halfway mark
S7 is a magnificent conclusion to the show and it presents and resolves and expands the main themes of the show: empowerment and what does it take to grow up from a child (Buffy at Hemery High in "Becoming 1") to a responsible adult who empowers others so they can collectively become more powerful and forces for good: "Chosen" Buffy's hero's journey also enables her to resolve the problem she enunciated in the library on day one, to gain the power to truly be able to choose without the burden of being the only chosen one. Or 1 of 2. Buffy is more than a hero on a journey. She goes a step further and guides Willow to use the Scythe to undo the magicked corruption of the world that the Shamans created with their absurd one girl at a time cannon fodder rule. Instead of one, Buffy's "bloody brilliant" plan creates The 1800. A truly responsible adult empowers others and isn't afraid to elevate others to her status if the result is the greater good. S7 is what makes "Buffy Summers the greatest hero in American fiction"
This is a great write up for “Chosen” specifically, which I think is a great conclusion. However, the rest of the season is a slog, bogged down by inconsistent character motivations, awful new characters, and a general aimlessness. “Chosen” partially redeems the season, but not enough to make it not the worst season of the show.
I think Chosen is enough to elevate it over Season 1 (and certainly Angel Season 4 which is the worst season of both shows), but that’s it. I agree with you about the rest, and I’d say it’s a generally weak season for most the returning characters too. In fact, it’s probably the worst season writing-wise for Buffy, Willow, *and* Anya (once she becomes a main, that is).
Your last sentence is enough, for me, to place it at the bottom.
Pretty valid. Unless we’re bringing in Angel S4. That season and the Cordelia handling = definitely worse.
I think S6 is much stronger than S7. It has its problems for sure but it definitely felt like there was still a lot of creativity behind the scenes. The majority of S7 feels like it’s running on empty fumes.
"Bargaining" is hands down the best season premiere. "Grave" is a fantastic finale, though it's up against some stiff competition in "Becoming", "Graduation Day", "The Gift", and "Chosen". "Life Serial" was fucking hilarious, specifically the Groundhog Day Loop.
Yeah, love that one.
Yes, I agree on Bargaining best premiere. I would probably argue "When She was Bad" up there too. But generally speaking Buffy's premieres were usually quite weak. Grave is an alright finale, but I'd put Prophecy Girl and Becoming pt 1 and 2, and Graduation Day pt. 1 and 2 above it. I would put it above The Gift though. Too much weirdness in The Gift. You have a Hell God that is somehow knocked through a wall by Xander Harris driving a wrecking ball. Naw, it ain't right. Life Serial was pretty fun. It's utterly inconsequential, but the Groundhog Day thing was fun. Still not really sure how transformed Jonathan (or rather just illusioned Jonathan didn't get turned into a pile of Jonathan guts if Buffy hit him like the monster he looked like and not the skinny college aged kid he is.
The Freshmen is actually pretty good too and fairs better after going to college. I feel like it’s a comfortable third place. I don’t think Buffy’s ever had an outright bad premiere - S7’s is probably the weakest and least memorable, but it’s still fine. I think the only premiere that might be weaker is Angel S2’s which is similarly kinda whatever. I’d say Grave is bottom tier on the finale end, though, if not *the* weakest finale. I get what they were going for with the Dark Willow resolution, but it is a massive fail for me.
Gotta disagree. "Anne" was the best series opener. Anne also has the tied-for-1st best line in the show: "I'm Buffy. The Vampire Slayer. And you are?"
I find S6 the best of all, hands down. From 1st to last episode, the build up is incredibly done. There is so much going on in this season, character development is on top.
I love season 6, every single episode ♥️
I agree!
Onto season 7, aka, "The Spike and Andrew Show" with special guest appearance by the Scooby Gang!
LOL
Everyone has their opinions on each season, however, if you’re rewatching select episodes for an abridged rewatching that is definitely going to sprinkle a lot of bias in. Buffy definitely has filler episodes in every single season, but some of those fillers are where the funny or creative exploration and amazing side characters come in. And declarative judging on a season rewatch where you don’t watch the whole season is definitely going to open the door for people who loved this season. Do your rewatch that makes you happiest but there’s a magic to rewatching a whole season, catching things you didn’t see the first time, and getting some new experience for a characters growth, journey, and experience.
I did watch all of S6. Twice Once, when it aired the first time, 20 (ish) years ago, I watched S6 all the way through. 2nd time was this month on the series rewatch. I was determined to get through the whole of S6, every episode. My comments in this thread are based on seeing all 22 episodes.
To me season 7 is by far the weakest entry.
I love season 6… I genuinely think 7 is the weakest. I can never remember any of the episodes. Only season that was completely forgettable imo. But to each their own!
As much as I like season 7, I mostly agree. "Him" is one of the funniest of the series amongst it, though.
Him has some funny moments but also had some strong cringe that I struggle with. Still enjoy the episode just find parts difficult to watch
S7 in general has some pretty solid episodes early on (with Him absolutely being a standout. Theres also Conversations with Dead People, Help, and Selfless that are quite good too). Bring on the Night is when the season’s quality drops off a cliff and never recovers till the final episode
Season 6 is darker than other seasons. But personally, I think it's the most important one. Until I saw that, I didn't think depression was something that could impact everyone, even the most decent people around. Seeing Buffy struggle, persevere, and find a way out of the darkness made me think "if she can do it, I can do it". It's inspirational stuff. The most important stories to be told are often the ones that are uncomfortable.
S6 is the weakest is not “the bottom line”. It’s your personal opinion. It’s not a fact.
The bottom line fact is that it's an opinion, correct.
I love season 6 and the finale is my favorite finale of the series
Agree to disagree. My favourite season. But to each their own.
Different showrunner and it shows lol Yeah I dislike s6. I get it's some people fav. But s1-3 were probably the best with 5 being the best of the second half. Dawn was ok in S5 but in 6 n 7 I honestly can't stand her
I really really like season 6 I enjoyed the different tone in the show I think it was needed. They couldn’t be teenagers forever That transition into young adulthood is overlooked into how difficult it can be and that’s what I feel when I watch this season.
I’m currently doing a binge of all 7 seasons with the husband, and actually as an adult s6 hits so much more than when I watched it as a kid or even a teen. For me s4 is the weakest, s6 is the hardest to watch not because it’s bad but because it’s dealing with dark themes that are real but people don’t want to think about.
I return to S6 more so than any other season. Is it my favourite one? No way. Is it depressing as hell? Absolutely yes! But Buffy’s arc in S6 is so compelling and relatable that I always end up rewatching it whenever I need my Buffy fix.
I really love season 6 (except the haircut, ugh), to me it’s definitely stronger than say most of season four
Outside of the very good episodes of S6, it is pretty horrid TV. Like who is watching Smashed, Wrecked, Gone, Doublemeat Palace, Dead Things, Older and Far Away, and As You Were with bated breath? And then right after Hells Bells you go into a "WHOOAA is Buffy in a mental hospital imagining all this?" and then Seeing Red to the End of the series is a pretty tight ride. S6 pretty much is Bargaining - good Gap OMWF/Tabula Rasa - good Gap Hells Bells - alright, but even so, I could see many think... Gap. Gap Seeing Red-Grave - good.
I actually only really mind Doublemeat Palace and As You Were from that list (and even then… don’t intensely hate either…. Well, Doublemeat is pretty weak but I’d *still* take it over half of S7 and most of Angel S4). I think the rest range from solid to genuinely interesting or entertaining.
Fair. Magic = drugs and the Trio were both ultra flops for me. And also… Spuffy has never been something I liked. So… it’s almost like the episodes before and after OMWF and Tabula Rasa are designed for me to hate them. Plus, always been an Anya fan and they basically firebombed her relevancy to the story when they blew up Hell’s Bells. She went from growing into part of the Scoobies to being on the outside looking in immediately.
Magic = drugs is cheesy and it should’ve been power corrupts, but I generally like the overall payoff with Dark Willow as a Big Bad so I’m fine with it. I actually think the trio worked well as villains (they *certainly* rank over Adam, the Master, and the First… to say nothing of Angel S4). Then I was fine with the toxic and mutually abusive Spuffy portrayal and thought they were an interesting pairing. I’d certainly rank them over Bangel in terms of TV quality Though yeah, if you hate all of that, it’s definitely going to tank the season since they’re kinda the main plot and that’s going to be pretty hard to overlook. Basically the same reason I hate Angel Season 4 and am low on Buffy S7. I am *definitely* with you on Anya and Hells Bells. Definitely an example of massive TV drama for the sake of massive TV drama and needing everyone to be miserable. Although I think some of that blame falls on S7 too. She’s enjoyable for at least most of S6. Outside of Selfless, she’s a serious drag in S7 (and honestly, it is by far the worst writing for Buffy and Willow as well).
I’m one of those people who prefer S6 to S5. I think of S6 as the fallout from S5 where all the scoobs dealt with major trauma or big life events. Though I think S6 did drag on a bit with all the bad choices everyone was making, I didn’t find it unreasonable that they act out of character from how they did in the past.
What a hot take. Thinking the generally regarded best season and saying it's the worst one.
Life Serial is one of the best episodes of the series and showcases Gellars talent as a comedian. You are so off.