Could Season 6 have worked as Buffy's final season?

[Sommers Summers]

I could see season five being the finale very easily, but season 6 brings up so many new issues with the characters that it needs season 7 to end on.

Agreed on that S6 couldn't be the ending. But they should have ended it at the end of Season 7. The Season 8 books seem to be very confusing, and not totally understandable. Season 7 should have been the end, or even just a few closing eps after Season 6 to wrap up the loose ends.

 

[AustCF]

There were way to many loose ends, and no closure for the characters for it to have worked as the series finale. Spike getting his soul, and all the drama we wanted to see happen with Willow the next season, Tara's death, etc. We needed to see certain things properly dealt with.

 

[Icarium]

The First Evil really brought home to roost the idea that everyone has darkness within him or herself and that in the end, we can each be our worst enemy. No one wants to face this. Such a theme shatters the illusion that the only kind of enemy is external.

Yes, they never had that theme in the show before. Oh, wait - The Pack, The Dark Age, The Wish, Helpless, The Initiative, Angel's arc, Faith's arc, Anya's arc, Dark Willow. Really, the show is full of examples of good guys going bad and/or betraying the cause. People didn't like The First Evil because he was a joke of a villain. How exactly did he bring out the theme anyway - he didn't manage to tempt anybody. If anything the Scoobies betrayed each other more often when The First wasn't around in previous seasons. I am positively sick and tired of the allegations that people who didn't like S6-7 coudln't deal with the theme, the darkness or whatever.

To get back on topic, S6 would have been a terrible finale. Probably better than Chosen but that's not exactly an achievement one should be proud of.