Is season 7 different?

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I've only been watching Buffy for a year. I have FX, so I've seen every episode, but I'm can't really judge this, because I saw other seasons in such random order.

But my question is this:

Are the writers keeping us in the dark more this season than in previous seasons? There's a lot of speculation that goes on on this board. Is that typical for most seasons? I'm thinking primarily of season 3 and 5, maybe because they're my favorite but also because the story arcs IMO, were the strongest. So, thinking back to those seasons, were the viewers kept in the dark as much?

Maybe these two examples are where there was speculation:

In season three, the scoobies and the audience didn't know what they mayor would do until the end...(I forget this, since I know whenever I watch eps from that season, so I don't feel the suspense)

In season five, how the heck did Buffy wind up with a sister? I seem to remember that the monks told Buffy pretty early, and we saw Glory's scheme, so even if Buffy didn't know, we knew. Did the audience know Glory was a god before Buffy? I forget.

I have no idea if this post is coherent...basically my question is, is season 7 more suspensful?
 
It's all a matter of opinion. I didn't find Season 3 suspensful at all. There is alot of speculation going in to season 7 because there are just so many angles that could be taken and we're constantly debating rather Joss is trying to fool us or if we're picking up on a future lead. I didn't start coming to Buffy boards until Season 6 to discuss episodes. So to answer your question no, I didn't find people discussing season 6 angles near as much as this one. Most of the time I was reading shippers either support Spike and Buffy or hate the relationship all together. Very set in their opinions are these Buffy fans. I personally try to stay away from shipping any relationships because I know if what I wanted to happen didn't I would be disappointed. I'd rather just stay open to any possibilities 🙂

In season 5 Dawn just miraculously appeared at the end of an episode. Not to long down the road Willow cast a spell that yielded the side effect of Buffy being able to see Dawn wasn't real. We knew who the key was early, but didnt' really know what Dawn did. We didn't find out what Glory really was until the council told Buffy. But it was easy to speculate she was something beyond the demon plane.

I personally think season 7 has been very suspensful up until this weeks episode. Since Buffy has killed the Turok-han and saved Spike, we're at a point of "Okay.... what now?"
 
S3 and S5 were my favourites, and because the viewers were kept in the dark, but we just knew, something big was coming and we didn't really know what, and season 7 does that too and therefore, we have more to discuss, more to speculate on, it is indeed very suspesnful, and IMO the most suspensful season of B/A yet!
 
The tension is there in every season. Some season's you are on the edge of your seat and others, your not. In season 7 though, nobody's got an idea of whether SMG is leaving or not. Everybody is expecting it to be the last so it adds the tension.
 
??? ... I don't care wether Sarah is leaving, but I don't think this is the last season, maybe in this form, but in one way or another it will, I'm pretty confident about that! ... But leaving us in the dark about a lot of things, pretty much causes most of the suspense!
 
season 7

just finished watching season 6. strange ending cant wait for next one but as we have not got sky when will it be out on dvd or video .got to have it. Its driving me crazy not knowing.😡
 
Something new is happening in Season 7, and I don't think it's getting enough attention.

A new writer has appeared. Her name is Drew Goddard. (I assume she is female, because, you know--Barrymore.)

Goddard is a genuine FIND. She is responsible either as a cowriter or solo for the two best episodes thus far in the season (Conversations With Dead People, and Never Leave Me). She also wrote the classic Anyacentric episode Selfless.

I think it's possible Goddard is setting a new standard for Buffy writers and offering a fresh spark to the old guard. Jane Espenson cowrote CWDP for instance. It's the best thing she's ever written.

Is it possible the new-found suspense and quality in Season 7 could originate with this new writer--Drew Goddard?
 
Do you think Joss would let a newbee get so much freedom? ... then again maybe he saw her amazing talents?
 
Doesn't it seem at times that he moves his writer's around like soldiers--like some kind of strategy thing.

The lesser writer's (Greenburg, Kirshner) and the newbies get the filler episodes and sometimes the stand alone eps.

If he wants to move the arch along, or point to future possibilities, he either takes the reins himself or gives the job to his better writers. The denouement of the season only goes to his best.

This season he gave Goddard a stand-alone ep first, then when he saw what she could do, he gave her some meat to carve into. Still cautious however, he had Espenson co-write to supervise, kind of. After that he let her fly solo on an important ep.

That's the way it seemed to me anyway.
 
writers

I would agree with nerd4hire. Joss does tend to leave more inportant stuff to his known better writers. Letting other writers do the filler eps lets him evaluate their abilities plus it gives them a chance to show what they can do.

I don't know about anyone else but i think at the start of most seasons, and even half way through, i never knew how the season would end. Except with the buffy/ riley thing i new that had to end somewhere.
 
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