Did the earlier seasons include more emotions?

[Ripper666]

Sometimes I ask myself in which way the different seasons changed. I think they did, not only the characteristics of the actors and the way the include psecial effects!

I think the older seasons include more feelings, more emotions. They handled more relationships out than the later seasons. I mean there was Spike and Drusilla, Riley and Buffy, Angel and Buffy, Xander and Cordelia, Xander and Anja, Willow and Oz, Giles and Jenny... I loved this dealings under each character. I think after season 4 BTVS lost some of those moments. Unfortunately...

What do you think?

 

[VisionGirl]

No, I don't agree. The Body was amazing. And The Gift. Some of the Spuffy scenes were incredibly emotion-filled. The Dark Willow arc- Willow's grief was all-encompassing. And who could forget Anya walking down the aisle in tears, or my favorite Anya-centric episode: Selfless?

In other words: lots of emotion. Maybe different, they're not teenagers anymore.

 

[Ripper666]

Yes I see. But after all of your arguments I have to admit that in my oppinion the relationships between the actors had been better in season 2 and 3. Faith and Buffy, Cordelia and the Scooby Gang I missed that in some older epsiodes(Which does really NOT mean that they are worse, in contrary...) Of course there was a lot of emotion even in season5 to 6, but it was in a different way as you said... more between just 2 actors. In season 2 and 3 Faith for example had connections with Buffy, Xander and Giles. That made it more interesting than just Buffy/Dawn.

 

[zobothehobo]

Quite the contrary. I felt much more emotion in the last three seasons. I mean all of the emotionally charged episodes and scenes involving Dawn and her humanity... and then The Body and the emotional charge from Joyce's death. And then in the charge from Buffy's death, and then the charge from Buffy's resurrection... and the demise of Tillow and Xanya... and Giles leaving.. and Spuffy... and then Spike getting his soul... and then all of the emotional charge of season 7 with the pressure Buffy was under... and the relationships that developed in season 7... like the love that developed between Spuffy and the relationship between Killow. And Xanya's inability to really be done with each other... Sure it was less happy... but there was certainly emotion.

 

[Zeppo]

The earlier seasons were more emotional for me, as I find there was less metaphor's and more literal's. The emotional things came from the characters themselves rather than a situations they were put into. Arguably, because it was a bit less metaphorical, it was easier to relate to, imo. The gang was tighter then thus stakes always seemed a bit higher because there was more to loose. By the last few seasons there was already so much loss and less comradare that it was just a waiting game to see who or what would be inevitably next. With moments like Jenny's death, the arc of Suprise/Innocence, a child dying in Prophecy Girl, the allies lost in Becoming, the affairs of Lover's Walk to blowing up the nostalgic high school the first few years win it for me. (Moments like Dawn's realization of finding the key, to Willow's addiction, Xander's alter betrayal never hit me like the others did for various reasons. Though The Body, the Gift sacrifice and Xander telling Willow he loved her certainly did.)

 

[brinkster130]

I personally found the earlier seasons much more emotional than the later seasons. I was more invested in the characters during those seasons and found them more relatable so it was easier for me to sympathize with them when problems arose.

 

[VisionGirl]

The earlier seasons were more emotional for me, as I find there was less metaphor's and more literal's. The emotional things came from the characters themselves rather than a situations they were put into. Arguably, because it was a bit less metaphorical, it was easier to relate to, imo. The gang was tighter then thus stakes always seemed a bit higher because there was more to loose. By the last few seasons there was already so much loss and less comradare that it was just a waiting game to see who or what would be inevitably next. With moments like Jenny's death, the arc of Suprise/Innocence, a child dying in Prophecy Girl, the allies lost in Becoming, the affairs of Lover's Walk to blowing up the nostalgic high school the first few years win it for me. (Moments like Dawn's realization of finding the key, to Willow's addiction, Xander's alter betrayal never hit me like the others did for various reasons. Though The Body, the Gift sacrifice and Xander telling Willow he loved her certainly did.)

Well, certainly seasons 2 and 3 are my favorites, so I understand what you're getting at here, but I think of the last few episodes in season 5, with Buffy attempting to save Dawn and saying "I dont know what to do when everything gets stripped away"- gah! Season 5 (with Buffy's death & everything that led up to it) was maybe the pinnacle of emotion for the series.

 

[BuffyElevated]

I feel that the whole series does a great job of showing emotion. In the beginning, the emotion was probably heightened because, in your teen years, everything seems so much more serious and dramatic. But I don't agree that there was more emotion in the early years; it was just acted differently by the actors.

 

[TheAnnointedOne]

I think there was lots of emotion all the way through! Yup Season 2 for sure with the whole Buffy/Angel saga but I think Season 5 is more emotional than 3! Don't get me wrong I love S3 it's one of my favourites bc of Faith but S5 is so emotional - where do I start??! Joyce's growing illness ( and Buffy's hysterical crying in Listening to fear) the whole of The Body, Buffy and Dawn and The Gift - the last 10 mins are just heartbreaking and easily the most emotional! Parts of S6 were too like Buffy's disconnection and her breakdown to Tara in Dead Things stand out! So yer I think emotion runs through the whole series not just the earlier seasons.

🙂

 

[Zeppo]

Well, certainly seasons 2 and 3 are my favorites, so I understand what you're getting at here, but I think of the last few episodes in season 5, with Buffy attempting to save Dawn and saying "I dont know what to do when everything gets stripped away"- gah! Season 5 (with Buffy's death & everything that led up to it) was maybe the pinnacle of emotion for the series.

I definately agree with you on the state Buffy was for the last of season 5. That was sad. However, I just find that this is just an example of isolated sporadic moments of hightened tragedy (and stakes) in the later seasons rather than the overriding, long-arcing tragic themes of the early years, though anyone may disagree with me and that's ok. I think what adds to the emotion for me for early seasons is how young they all are. I could never imagine stabbing the love of my life with a sword to save the world at seventeen after already loosing 2 friends to death in their name.

 

[VisionGirl]

I definately agree with you on the state Buffy was for the last of season 5. That was sad. However, I just find that this is just an example of isolated sporadic moments of hightened tragedy (and stakes) in the later seasons rather than the overriding, long-arcing tragic themes of the early years, though anyone may disagree with me and that's ok. I think what adds to the emotion for me for early seasons is how young they all are. I could never imagine stabbing the love of my life with a sword to save the world at seventeen after already loosing 2 friends to death in their name.

I totally agree that being teenagers added to the intensity. The fact that they were having to deal with stuff at such a young age...plus the fact that as teens everything seems like it's the end of the world! Of course, with Buffy, it actually was LOL. (please don't get mad, those of you who are still teens, I'm not dissing you! Is that even still a "in" word: dissing? 😀) I think that as we get older, we simply just cannot break down all the time, even when difficult things happen to us. We have responsibilities: jobs, families, homes. So you can see that Buffy & gang handled things in a more adult fashion later on. I'm not saying it's "better", but more typically "adult."

 

[Icarium]

It depends on whether you count high level of annoyance, mild nausea or the desire to have a word with some of the writers about what drugs they were taking as emotional response. If you do, then yeah, the late seasons elicited a lot of emotion in me. Just not of the pleasant kind.

Seriously, earlier seasons had far better character development. Compelling believable characters are very much required for successfully manipulating the audience's emotions. In contrast, by S7 I didn't give a damn if Buffy lived or died in a horrible way. Pain and misery alone don't make a character compelling.

The earlier seasons were more emotional for me, as I find there was less metaphor's and more literal's.

There were less metaphors in the early seasons? I beg to differ.