I love season 7

[Cast No Shadow]

Every so often a "rank seasons from worst to best" topic will come up, and generally season 7 is on my worse half. Recently though, S7 has been my 'go to' season, I've started to enjoy it a lot more. I'm not sure if its because it's one of the seasons I've watched the least so I find it more interesting?

Has your opinion changed over time/at all?

 

[Nathan]

When I first watched it I was like "OMG this is really epic". The build up to the final episode was brilliant; the whole "most of us will probably die" speeches; the army of uber vamps; the fact that no one could physically see The First made it one of the best Big Bad's in Buffy.

But looking back; I felt it was over hyped to be honest. The conclusion felt kinda rushed and it seemed a little too easy for them to win the battle if I'm honest. Just my opinion though...

 

[Gum Gnome33]

I enjoy this season for the Spuffy factor. But that's about it!

 

[patriot1123]

I hate season 7 because it didn't have any Giles in it. Oh sure, at times there was this guy who looked a lot like Giles, but he wasn't really Giles.

Can't stand what the writers did with Giles in season 7.

 

[zobothehobo]

I love season 7. I love the beginning and I love the end. I love who the characters are in this season best... INCLUDING Buffy and Willow. ESPECIALLY Buffy. A lot of people think she's bossy, mean, and distant... but she's exactly the kind of leader I want to be. The First was a little lame... I mean the idea of "the first evil" is great... but the actuality of "this force that can only talk to you and come to you in the visual form of someone else... that can also coerce something else to come hit you" is kind of... not great. But that doesn't take away from me loving this season.

 

[orpheusxi]

The first couple of episodes were great. Everything else not so much

 

[RipperGilesFan]

I hate season 7 because it didn't have any Giles in it. Oh sure, at times there was this guy who looked a lot like Giles, but he wasn't really Giles.

Can't stand what the writers did with Giles in season 7.

I definitely came to the right place 😉 I hate season 7 for the same reasons. And then it has my most hated episode ever in it as well. Can't believe what they did with the Buffy/Giles relationship in Lies my parents told me. If they at least would have come up with a reason for the changes in his character, I might not have hated it as much as I do.

 

[patriot1123]

That's my most hated episode also. I do think the look they exchanged in Chosen, when Giles said Buffy's plan was "bloody brilliant," indicated that they repaired their rift, but that episode, and the way Buffy shuts the door in her mentor's face, really hurts.

 

[RipperGilesFan]

Yeah I know the rift was mended by that moment, but why that whole episode was necessary for is something I still don't get. Giles going behind Buffy's back like that, and that whole scene with her shutting the door on him, I can't even watch the episode because of that moment. really hated it.

 

[ticonderouga]

I actually really liked Ssn 7, and generally watch it fairly frequently. Although I do think Spuffies tend to like it more then most, I still think that there are several great episodes and while first was kind of lame, Caleb and the ubervamps were both pretty awesome bad guys. However, I do think that the whole potential arc was overdone, for the most part I thought that the season did what it set out to do, which was to finish the show.

As for the comments about the direction that the show took with Giles, I think that the reason why they did this has to do with the nature of a mentoring relationship. Sooner or later the protege has learned all they can from their mentor and then the nature of the relationship must change. Although Giles had been saying the same thing about Buffy needing to do things for herself. However, Giles' actions forced him to realize the same thing, that although Buffy would always listen to his advice and council the mentoring part of their relationship had ended.

 

[Valjavertjinn]

Aside from the relationship between Buffy and Giles being shattered, I really liked Season 7. The First is #2 on my favorite villain list, because I think that he/she/it is really cool. And I actually LOVE the potential arc! I love it how Buffy's house practically turns into a military camp. This is my 3rd favorite season overall.

 

[Goby]

There are some really great moments in Season 7. There are a couple great episodes. The fact is (IMHO) that BtVS had run out of steam. They said everything they needed to. It ended at exactly the right time.

It may be one of the "less great" seasons, but it's still better than 99% of all the TV shows out there. Bad Buffy is still great TV.

 

[Hale Caesar]

I hate this season with a friggin passion. It's honestly just a dumbed down version of the show.

BtVS has always been some of the highest quality TV ever produced, and even though there were seasons that weren't as strong, like Season 4, it always had individual episodes that were pieces of art, an example being Hush, Once More With Feeling, The Body, Surprise/Innocence, The Zeppo, and Prophecy Girl, among others. Season 7 has none of those, there are no episodes that take risks or try to do anything special, the only one I feel comes close is "Storyteller", but it doesn't hold up to some of the other great episodes. I never liked The First either, he isn't the worst, and I did like how he manipulated everyone, but I give more credit to the actors. Overall, I just found him generic

And then there's the Potentials....I don't think I've ever hated something more on TV in my life. This is what ruined the season for me, but I would like to say the concept could have worked, but it was just poorly executed. My main complaint is that the Potentials got more focus than Xander, Giles, Willow, and Dawn....WHY!?!? Why would you make the last season of the show ignore the characters that made the show great in the first place, IT MAKES NO SENSE. No one likes these Potentials more than the Core Four (I feel pretty safe saying this), so why push these annoying ass characters?

Xander and Giles didn't do anything all season, unless you want to include Xander dating Ashanti. And another complaint, why was Faith in this season? She is such a dynamic and interesting character...instead the writers brought her back to have sex with Robin Wood, WTF. She did reconcile with Buffy and become more of a leader, but the expense was even less focus on the characters. She should have stayed on Angel, at least that season was well thought out (well except the Jasmine part) and she could have achieved the exact same things.

No, No, No, there's more. Why did the writers not use this season to fix the Scoobies relationship? It is clearly broken, or not as strong as in seasons 1-3 (you can take your pick). Instead we got Buffy telling Giles she had nothing else to learn from him...WTF, and what's even worse she never apologized. Then we have the Scoobies not spending their last night together, instead they all chose someone else. And who's idea was "Chosen"? Buffy has always been about subversion, and being original, but what we got was some generic giant battle, which was good, but should not have been the conclusion to a 7 year story, especially one as good as Buffy. Thank goodness "Not Fade Away" was way better...

And Kennedy sucks.

 

[sosa lola]

I liked the first six episodes, but then it went downhell. I think Buffy, Spike and Spuffy was very well written. But everything else, not so much.

 

[Ripper666]

Well I start season 7 now (that means i will watch the first episode in one hour!) and now I am really interested in the season! After your posts I think that it is a little bit like season 4 some like it some hate it. In fact I don't like the idea about the three other slayers. Look how it will be!

 

[Hale Caesar]

Well I start season 7 now (that means i will watch the first episode in one hour!) and now I am really interested in the season! After your posts I think that it is a little bit like season 4 some like it some hate it. In fact I don't like the idea about the three other slayers. Look how it will be!

The difference is Season 4 (while being mediocre) had some exceptional stand-alone episodes like Hush, Restless, Pangs and some others. Season 7 does not. Every episode is forgettable and the show does nothing "revolutionary", if you look at the season as a big picture you will clearly see the show is running out of steam

 

[Ripper666]

Yes I know what you mean. there a lot of those "forgottable" episodes. But I still love the first episode of season 7. It donà„t goes out of my mind. Don't know why. It's the one with the three ghosts in the new opened school! This episode was amazing!

 

[kittenpoker]

I love season 7.

I think the potentials element brought up a lot for me that I hadn't really thought about in terms of the process of becoming the slayer... some talked about having watchers, so I assume in some cases a girl is given a watcher and told that she may one day be "activated" or "called" -whatever the word - may one day become the slayer. So, she's made aware of all of this slayers, vampires, demons, etc... the whole world right under our normal world that most humans are unaware exists.... But then others, seemed to have no idea about any of it until the bringers started to hunt them down.... And buffy (I know the movie isn't considered canon) but she had no idea about any of it and suddenly she's told she *is* the slayer.... so anyway, I find all that interesting.....

The giles thing.... I do think it was out of character for him to go along with wood's plan to kill spike - especially knowing it stemmed from a desire for revenge. But I think that giles was extremely hurt by buffy's decision to remove spike's chip. I don't think that he ever really got over angelus torturing him (I mean, does anyone ever really get over torture?) - and I think in his mind he sort of had it that all vampires no matter how "good" always had the potential in them to go "bad"... maybe....and I think it was that that set him off for what he did with wood. If you remember she didn't seem to even take his warnings seriously, pretending he was talking about her earrings when he warned her that it may be dangerous.

And I adore spike's transformation and growth process as a result of having gotten his soul.

And buffy gets to make that great pun when she kills caleb "he had to split"

lots of good here

🙂

 

[ticonderouga]

There are a few stand out episodes in season 7, ones that did truly unique things: Conversations with Dead People, and entire episode where none of the main characters interact in any way, comes to mind. I thought Showtime was a great episode, especially the end. Also, the arc that begins with the arrival of Faith, in Dirty Girls and ends with Chosen I find to be a well told epic. Especially Touched, End of Days, and Chosen. In fact I've found that there are only two episodes in season 7 that I will frequently skip, and those are Him and The Killer Inside Me, both episodes had there moments but were the worst of the season IMHO.

 

[shadcat]

I hate this season with a friggin passion. It's honestly just a dumbed down version of the show.

BtVS has always been some of the highest quality TV ever produced, and even though there were seasons that weren't as strong, like Season 4, it always had individual episodes that were pieces of art, an example being Hush, Once More With Feeling, The Body, Surprise/Innocence, The Zeppo, and Prophecy Girl, among others. Season 7 has none of those, there are no episodes that take risks or try to do anything special, the only one I feel comes close is "Storyteller", but it doesn't hold up to some of the other great episodes. I never liked The First either, he isn't the worst, and I did like how he manipulated everyone, but I give more credit to the actors. Overall, I just found him generic

And then there's the Potentials....I don't think I've ever hated something more on TV in my life. This is what ruined the season for me, but I would like to say the concept could have worked, but it was just poorly executed. My main complaint is that the Potentials got more focus than Xander, Giles, Willow, and Dawn....WHY!?!? Why would you make the last season of the show ignore the characters that made the show great in the first place, IT MAKES NO SENSE. No one likes these Potentials more than the Core Four (I feel pretty safe saying this), so why push these annoying ass characters?

Xander and Giles didn't do anything all season, unless you want to include Xander dating Ashanti. And another complaint, why was Faith in this season? She is such a dynamic and interesting character...instead the writers brought her back to have sex with Robin Wood, WTF. She did reconcile with Buffy and become more of a leader, but the expense was even less focus on the characters. She should have stayed on Angel, at least that season was well thought out (well except the Jasmine part) and she could have achieved the exact same things.

No, No, No, there's more. Why did the writers not use this season to fix the Scoobies relationship? It is clearly broken, or not as strong as in seasons 1-3 (you can take your pick). Instead we got Buffy telling Giles she had nothing else to learn from him...WTF, and what's even worse she never apologized. Then we have the Scoobies not spending their last night together, instead they all chose someone else. And who's idea was "Chosen"? Buffy has always been about subversion, and being original, but what we got was some generic giant battle, which was good, but should not have been the conclusion to a 7 year story, especially one as good as Buffy. Thank goodness "Not Fade Away" was way better...

And Kennedy sucks.

Agree with just about everything! Though, I do think Faith was necessary. Afterall, the plot was about destroying the slayer line - which meant they'd go after her.

Ugh at the gigantic battle. It was such a hot mess. Suddenly the Uber Vampires were SO easy to kill? 😱 (It took Buffy a long time to kill just one of them..and she got beat badly) Secondly....it was day time! A little bit of sun light would of sufficed. Why on earth were Andrew, Anya, Giles, Xander, Dawn fighting in the school? There was no reason for them to battle against the Uber Vampires that got loose. (Unless I'm mistaken and they were just fighting bringers?) Either way...only Willow + the Slayers were needed. Everyone else was just at risk - especially considering how powerful the Uber Vamps were supposed to be.