Damn was this dark. It was very good, but very dark. There were some great episodes to it though. From the first episode where Buffy claws her way out of the grave to the last where Willow nearly ends the world, it was a wild ride.
Willow- I've seen several people say they don't like Willow in these later seasons, but I still do. I guess I'm like Xander I love yellow crayon breaky Willow and evil veiny Willow. She's awesome. Her struggle with addiction was very well done and the loss of Tara was just painful. God, did I love watching her kick Buffy's ass in the last few episodes. Not because I dislike Buffy, but simply because I love the fact that Willow is the more powerful of the two. It's pure bias, I admit.
Giles- He wasn't in this season very much, I know. Still though there is one scene that makes up for all of his absence. Willow: "There's no one in the world powerful enough to stop me now. *suddenly she's slammed across the room by an energy ball* Giles: "I'd like to test that theory." I got chills down my spine.
Xander: I liked Xander a lot here. I'm sure a lot of people think he did Anya wrong, but I never liked her so I don't care because she annoys me. I'll get more into his speech to Willow at the end of the last episode below when I discuss themes.
Dawn- I don't care how many haters she has. I'm a big fan of Dawny. I loved watching her and Buffy fighting side by side. When she cut off that demon's head and was like "what you don't think I've been watching you?" Great scene. Haters going to hate, but I love Dawny.
Trio- They were okay and it was neat to see Buffy face humans, but I felt they were weak villains. I mean after a god, a group of human nerds is a big step down. I also don't think Johnathan fit in. He was never shown as the type of person who could go along with rape and murder, yet he never challenged them when they killed Warren's ex.
Tara- I was really sad when she died. I really liked her and it doesn't help that everything I've heard about Willow's next love interest sounds really bad.
Buffy- She was very much out of things this season, but Sarah portrayed it well. Watching her struggle with readjusting and taking care of Dawn was interesting. Her relationship with Spike, however? Just no. I love Spike, but honestly he isn't a good boyfriend, I dread seeing him turn into an Angel wannabe.
Spike- He's awesome. He always makes me laugh. However, the rape scene really made it hard to like him for a little while. I do like it though, because it showed the monster that lives within Spike. It's a testament to his strength that he showed any regret or remorse. Though, I do wonder. Was he trying to restore his soul or did the demon just twist his wish at the end there?
Themes/overall thoughts:
This was a very "real" season. Buffy and her friends struggled with death, loss, and addiction. Willow's arc dealing with the loss of Tara and her addiction to magic was really interesting
Friendship- One thing I loved was Xander's speech to Willow. I normally hate when shows talk about friendship, because so often they butcher the concept and turn it into some fluffy unrealistic thing. Buffy did it right, Xander said he loved Willow and he did. Not romantically, but in someways I think true friendship can be a stronger type of love than romantic love. Friendship isn't just "hey let's hang out and go to the movies or whatever" it's about sacrifice, helping each other through dark times, ultimately real friends can be as close or even closer than blood family.
Willow- I've seen several people say they don't like Willow in these later seasons, but I still do. I guess I'm like Xander I love yellow crayon breaky Willow and evil veiny Willow. She's awesome. Her struggle with addiction was very well done and the loss of Tara was just painful. God, did I love watching her kick Buffy's ass in the last few episodes. Not because I dislike Buffy, but simply because I love the fact that Willow is the more powerful of the two. It's pure bias, I admit.
Giles- He wasn't in this season very much, I know. Still though there is one scene that makes up for all of his absence. Willow: "There's no one in the world powerful enough to stop me now. *suddenly she's slammed across the room by an energy ball* Giles: "I'd like to test that theory." I got chills down my spine.
Xander: I liked Xander a lot here. I'm sure a lot of people think he did Anya wrong, but I never liked her so I don't care because she annoys me. I'll get more into his speech to Willow at the end of the last episode below when I discuss themes.
Dawn- I don't care how many haters she has. I'm a big fan of Dawny. I loved watching her and Buffy fighting side by side. When she cut off that demon's head and was like "what you don't think I've been watching you?" Great scene. Haters going to hate, but I love Dawny.
Trio- They were okay and it was neat to see Buffy face humans, but I felt they were weak villains. I mean after a god, a group of human nerds is a big step down. I also don't think Johnathan fit in. He was never shown as the type of person who could go along with rape and murder, yet he never challenged them when they killed Warren's ex.
Tara- I was really sad when she died. I really liked her and it doesn't help that everything I've heard about Willow's next love interest sounds really bad.
Buffy- She was very much out of things this season, but Sarah portrayed it well. Watching her struggle with readjusting and taking care of Dawn was interesting. Her relationship with Spike, however? Just no. I love Spike, but honestly he isn't a good boyfriend, I dread seeing him turn into an Angel wannabe.
Spike- He's awesome. He always makes me laugh. However, the rape scene really made it hard to like him for a little while. I do like it though, because it showed the monster that lives within Spike. It's a testament to his strength that he showed any regret or remorse. Though, I do wonder. Was he trying to restore his soul or did the demon just twist his wish at the end there?
Themes/overall thoughts:
This was a very "real" season. Buffy and her friends struggled with death, loss, and addiction. Willow's arc dealing with the loss of Tara and her addiction to magic was really interesting
Friendship- One thing I loved was Xander's speech to Willow. I normally hate when shows talk about friendship, because so often they butcher the concept and turn it into some fluffy unrealistic thing. Buffy did it right, Xander said he loved Willow and he did. Not romantically, but in someways I think true friendship can be a stronger type of love than romantic love. Friendship isn't just "hey let's hang out and go to the movies or whatever" it's about sacrifice, helping each other through dark times, ultimately real friends can be as close or even closer than blood family.
