Best season ever?

I really liked season 3 and 5. The fifth season(outside of Glory) felt really real. Joyce's death, Buffy & Dawn siblings relationship and the rest of the Scoobie gang. Season three though had the best villain for me(The Mayor!), and you also had a bunch of really awesome episodes like Band Candy, Lover's Walk, The Wish, Amends, Helpless ect... Only thing missing was Spike, even though there was a LOT of characters in the mix already.
 
I've long felt that S5 was the tops. It's got Dawn, Anya, Spike, some backstory about the Slayers. The Body episode was heartbreaking. And the season finale was crushing. I remember watching the season finale and screaming at the TV...."NO!"

But last month I got the Chosen Collection. I've been rapidly watching every episode in order. It's been a long time since I was able to to that. And this time I don't have to wait 7 days between episodes.

Now, I have to admit that S2 is by far and away the best. The long season arc with Angel and Buffy was shocking when it was new. But just as much so a decade later. Innocence and Becoming are some of the best episodes of the entire series.
 
Hm, I've never really liked S3, and I remember practically NOTHING about it. 😀 My personal fav is season six, but, maybe I'll like S3 if I watch it again? 😀
 
I think season 2 had the best arc of the seven years but season three is the most consistently brilliant season of the entire series in my opinion. I liken it to the run that Dollhouse season 2 just went on when we had fantastic ep after fantastic ep. Season three went on a season long winning streak, the only downside I saw was Gingerbread.
 
I am close to finish season 7, and I have to say season 3 has some of the best stuff! Angel is back, Buffy comes back to Sunnydale and deals with the fact that she killed Angel(and he's back!), that she ran away and the new Slayer,Faithy!

I really liked "The Wish",Doppelgangland","Amends" Graduation Day pt1&2", "The Prom","Earshot","Helpless", "Lovers Walk"(cause Buffy realises she loves Angel so much that she can't just be friends with him! <3). I think season 3 is the centre of "Buffy the series" meaning. She wants to be part of the world, she stuggles to be both a Slayer and a student, we see alternate realities(vamp Willow) and the interaction of the Chosen Two.

A more carefree Faith struggling to be part of Buffy's world. Also Buffy is now an "adult" Slayer and practically doesn't need Giles as a Watcher(although she will always need him) as we saw in Helpless. She can deal with problems because she is smart.Not just because she is the Slayer.

I think it's probably the best season of BtVs.I find it hard to decide cause season 2 and season 5 are also very well written.
 
It would be a very, very close call between 2 and 3. Lets look at 3:

Pros:
- Faith, amazing character that brought something new and extraordainary to the show.
- The Buffy/Faith relationship and subtext. As a hardcore Fuffy shipper, episodes like Bad Girls and Enemies were like heaven to me.
- The Mayor. A truly different villain, he was completely evil yet warm, kind, funny, and genuinely cared about Faith.
- A movement away from Monster-of-the-week type episodes to an arc-based story. Granted this really started back with "Innocence", but it was good to have a whole season like that. Which leads to...
- Greater consistency with the quality of episodes. There aren't really any episodes that I'd classify as really poor in S3, Gingerbread and Dead Man's Party are the closest it gets, but even they're still pretty watchable.
- Some of the funniest lines in the history of the show, such as in Doppelgangland ("I'm an evil, bloodsucking fiend! Look at my outfit!"), The Zeppo ("Is this a penis metaphor?"), Graduation Day ("We could attack the mayor with hummus.") and Band Candy ("Woo, Summers, you drive like a spazz!") :lmao:
- Possibly the strongest core cast the show has ever had in Buffy/Xander/Willow/Giles/Cordelia/Oz/Angel/Faith.

Cons:
- Lack of stand-out episodes. The greater consistency came at a price - almost every episode was of a high quality, but not many reached the stage of brilliance. Only Graduation Day resides in my top ten.
- The Buffy/Angel relationship. I think it was dragged out and became dull and tedious in S3. They really didn't have enough story left in them for a whole season, and it showed. Too overdone, dreary and angsty.
- The Willow/Xander relationship. Really didn't like it. Too forced. It's incredible how the two had so much chemisty as friends, but introduce romance into the equation and all chemistry goes down the toilet.

I think that yes, this is my favourite season, I love it to bits, but there are still some problems with it. Overall, I'd say it goes:

3
2
5
4
1
6

I haven't seen S7 yet. 4 and 5 switch on an almost daily basis (they even switched while I was writing this post). 2 and 3 are miles ahead of everything else, and 6 had a couple of good 'uns but large parts of it were so horrendously awful they made me want to tear all the skin off my face.
 
Buffy 3 and 6, probably because as well as good season long arcs these seasons had the best individual episodes ie: Lovers Walk, Band Candy, The Zeppo in season 3 and Tabula Rasa, OMWF in season 6..
Angel 1 and 5, because I think they had what seasons 2, 3 and 4 lacked which was a lighthearted element, which made them infinitely more watchable.
 
A
anne92998
Yeah it's a tough battle between S3 and S6. I mean aside from OMWF you had Hells Bells and Two To Go. Top notch
I'd say season 3 is my favourite, even if it's hard to pick. It just feels like classic Buffy. Almost every episode is a stonker, and it has the bad Faith arc. Got to love that.
 
Kean
Kean
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E
Eleftheria
exactly...classic Buffy!I feel that too that's why I like it so much
Flannen
Flannen
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B
BillyidolwannaB
S3 is really stonking. It stonks all over the others :)
I would say s3 is my personal favorite. All of the episodes are solid & there's really no fillers IMO. It's the last season with Buffy & Angel and their story is heartbreaking to watch. Plus we get Faith & she improves every scene she's in. She is just amazing.
 
Season 3 is definitely my favorite. Mayor Wilkins was sooooo awesome. I loved his dialogue, how he'd go from something scary and ominous and seamlessly into wholesome and funny. 😀 He was the epitome of 'love-to-hate villain'. I loved his relationship with Faith. I thought it was oddly sweet.

"A package is arriving tomorrow night from Central America. Something - and I can't stress this enough - something crucially important to my ascension. Without it... well, what would tollhouse cookies be without the chocolate chips? A pretty darn big disappointment, I can tell you!"


"My god, what a feeling. The power of these creatures. It suffuses my being. I can feel the changes begin. My organs are shifting, merging, making ready for the Ascension. Plus these babies are high in fiber, and what's the fun of becoming an immortal demon if you're not regular, am I right?"


Mr. Trick: I like 'Marmaduke'.
Mayor Richard Wilkins: Oh! Eww. He's always on the furniture. Unsanitary.

😀
 
E
Eleftheria
Although the Mayor was the villain of the season...strangely I like him just because Faith finally found a father in him
I personally consider season 2 to be the best with season 3 as a close second. I feel that season 2 had the best overall story of any season and that it was such an exciting time in the BtVS series. Season 1 got their foot in the door but this is where they had to show that they had staying power and start to truly develop a dedicated audience. I also consider season 2 to be the perfect combination between the real world and the mystical, where the supernatural isn't everywhere like in later seasons. A good example of this would be that during the summer break btwn S1 and S2, Xander and Willow didn't even see a single vamp of demon whereas during the break btwn S2 and S3 the scoobies are up to their ears in the forces of darkness without Buffy.

I consider Season 3 to really be where the Buffyverse as we know it started to take shape. The show was pretty firmly planted on TV and you can tell that the writers are really starting to hit a stride that continues throughout the rest of the series. What I consider to stand out most about S3 is the overall quality of the season. There really isn't that many episodes that aren't of truly excellent quality and it's one of my favorite seasons to re-watch (also because the mayor is probably my all-time favorite villain).

The only real criticism I have for S3 is that it started a couple trends that I feel they went overboard with in later seasons; the main one being devaluing men in order to establish Buffy as a strong, independent woman. Her father started to change from a loving parent who wanted to stay involved in her life to an absentee father who could care less about his family and the Watchers' Council began their transformation from an order meant to guide the Slayer on her journey to stodgy old Brits who thought of Buffy as little more than a tool for their own purposes. Those aren't really direct criticisms of S3 though as the episodes involving those themes were very well made but they set up the ground work for the extremes that they took the story in later seasons. It definitely got a little much in S5 when Buffy's father could care less about Joyce dying and Buffy and Dawn being all alone or the revelation in S7 that the Watchers' Council was formed by cowardly shamans who forced such a terrible responsibility on innocent young girls.
 
ToShanshuInLA disagrees: I liked the silliness of Slayerfest.
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I don't necessarily disagree--I like elements of the plot, I just don't like how it was framed (ie: as "Slayerfest", which makes it sound too much like a bad metal-head tour). The idea behind it, and even the execution of it, and the rest of that episode in general, all of that is some of my favorite material from the season. Trick, in general, is okay but I don't care for the actor.
 
Season 3 is definitely my favourite. I flip-flopped between 5 and 3 for a while, but rewatches made me realise 3 was my number one. I love the dynamic of the group in this season, and the addition of Faith is a bonus. But the Bangel stuff? Could do without it.
 
I love Sn 3 because it was dark and the writers balanced high school/real life with the slayer/supernatural side better than in the previous seasons.
 
Let's see.... season 3 introduces Faith, has the wonderific Mayor Wilkins III, toys with Buffy going dark, actually turns Faith dark, introduces Wesley (even if he's a pounce), has fantastic stand alones in Band Candy and the Zeppo.... is it even a question? Season 3 is my all time favorite and the best season IMO.
 
My fav is still season 5 right now. It's the season that when I first watched the series, hit me the most. Very emotional season.
 
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