What did you like better: the earlier seasons of Buffy or the later seasons?

[Priceless]

I prefer the later seasons. There is a bit of a nostalgia factor for season 1-3, but I find Buffy and the scoobies far more relateable in the later seasons. Buffy is my favourite character and in the early seasons she often seemed so whiny, wanting a normal life, hating being the Slayer and not being able to combine the two satisfactorily. I much prefer and adult Buffy, Family-centric in S5, dealing-with-the-dark S6 Buffy, and even The General Buffy of S7 - those versions of Buffy are much more appealing to me then teen-girl Buffy, and become even more so the older I get.

 

[S Rou]

I enjoy rewatching the early seasons more. The characters are far more fresh and act like real human beings - unlike the later seasons where they seem to have lost their humanity and common sense like in Flooded and Empty Places. On a more bias level, I love High School Xander way, way, way, way more than Adult Xander. He's far more charming and brave and central in the early seasons.

You have a very interesting otp. For me, my otp for Xander is with Anya, but my absolute otp of all it's is Bangel. So I can't complain that you're shipping spike with someone other than Buffy 🙂

 

[RomanticSoul]

I might like the later Seasons more if they had actually allowed the Scoobies to grow up. As it stands, the only one who actually seemed to enter adulthood was Xander. Giles in S6-7 especially is like a different character. Willow is always looking for the path of least resistance and uses magic to achieve it. Buffy constantly chooses a path that will ensure she is miserable just so she can whine about her hardships. Buffy and Willow are also the ones with the least morality in the later years (not counting characters like Anya, Spike, Andrew as they are sociopaths). These two were 10 times more adult in the early Seasons.

 

[sosa lola]

You have a very interesting otp. For me, my otp for Xander is with Anya, but my absolute otp of all it's is Bangel. So I can't complain that you're shipping spike with someone other than Buffy 🙂

My OTP is actually very popular in the Slash corner of fandom. 😀 I used to read Spander (Spike/Xander) fanfiction before watching the show - it only took watching The Zeppo to make me fall head over heels in love with Xander and decide to read fanfic about him as I was pissed at the end when none of his friends knew about him saving their lives.

 

[Bluebird]

Early seasons for me too. I think S1-4 are almost perfect, so I would choose them over S5-7. From the beginning of season 5 onwards the show felt more forced, with Spike needing to be in every episode even if there wasn't a space for him, and just the general malaise of the characters. For me the characters felt more like caricatures of themselves as the years went on. Like cartoon characters that must be easily distinguished from each other - bad boy, witch, slayer etc. Rather than human beings.

 

[sosa lola]

For me the characters felt more like caricatures of themselves as the years went on. Like cartoon characters that must be easily distinguished from each other - bad boy, witch, slayer etc. Rather than human beings.

That's the biggest reason why I prefer the early seasons.

 

[Stoney]

It is always interesting to hear such differing opinions. I just think the characters consistently gained layers/depth throughout the course of the series as we saw the ways everything they had experienced and the people they had been played a part in the ways they responded to the current. That progressive nature of the series is what makes it really stand out as such an exceptional piece of work for me. 🙂

 

[S Rou]

I might like the later Seasons more if they had actually allowed the Scoobies to grow up. As it stands, the only one who actually seemed to enter adulthood was Xander. Giles in S6-7 especially is like a different character. Willow is always looking for the path of least resistance and uses magic to achieve it. Buffy constantly chooses a path that will ensure she is miserable just so she can whine about her hardships. Buffy and Willow are also the ones with the least morality in the later years (not counting characters like Anya, Spike, Andrew as they are sociopaths). These two were 10 times more adult in the early Seasons.

I don't think Anya is a sociopath. I always thought of her as redeemed from her past.

 

[Stoney]

Both Spike and Anya's sacrifices at the end of the series are the result of the paths to redemption and heroism they have taken, I don't think it is fair for either by the series end. Andrew is a bit further back in the process in S7, but he too is working on developing and growing to function as a worthwhile member within the group. All part of the progressive layering that the characters go through. 🙂

 

[Priceless]

Both Spike and Anya's sacrifices at the end of the series are the result of the paths to redemption and heroism they have taken, I don't think it is fair for either by the series end. Andrew is a bit further back in the process in S7, but he too is working on developing and growing to function as a worthwhile member within the group. All part of the progressive layering that the characters go through. 🙂

Agreed. S2 Spike and S3 Anya would never have made the sacrifices that S7 Spike and Anya did, and that's progression for their characters, to see a world outside of themselves and want to help preserve it for others, that's actually an amazing thing considering their characters began as deeply self-obsessed demons only wanting to fulfil their own wants and needs.

 

[Bop]

If all you have to do to redeem yourself for killing thousands of people is to die in a battle on the side of good then being redeemed means nothing to me.

 

[Priceless]

If all you have to do to redeem yourself for killing thousands of people is to die in a battle on the side of good then being redeemed means nothing to me.

It's not only about redemption, it's about character progression within the show, and for Anya and Spike, willingly fighting for the world is a character progression, because they wouldn't/didn't do that when they were first introduced to the show. Their sacrifices may have redeemed them a little, or not at all and redemption may be a continuing process, not a 'one big gesture' thing, that's down to our (and their) individual feelings on the subject.

 

[Bop]

It's not only about redemption, it's about character progression within the show, and for Anya and Spike, willingly fighting for the world is a character progression, because they wouldn't/didn't do that when they were first introduced to the show. Their sacrifices may have redeemed them a little, or not at all and redemption may be a continuing process, not a 'one big gesture' thing, that's down to our (and their) individual feelings on the subject.

It was certainly progression for Anya but it just didn't come across as something that was a large step to her redemption. I think it was the beginning of her redemption arc, which sadly wasn't allowed to continue because she died.

 

[Zenseem]

The middle seasons (3, 4 and 5). That was the highest point of the show in my opinion.

 

[Priceless]

It was certainly progression for Anya but it just didn't come across as something that was a large step to her redemption. I think it was the beginning of her redemption arc, which sadly wasn't allowed to continue because she died.

I agree with you, Anya was well on the road to redemption imo, but her death cut that journey short. I do think Anya did a lot of good as a human

 

[S Rou]

I agree with you, Anya was well on the road to redemption imo, but her death cut that journey short. I do think Anya did a lot of good as a human

Im assuming by your picture you've read the comics. I havent but plan to. Is Anya in them? I saw a picture of her spirit supposedly spending to Xander. Is it really her or is it someone pretending to be her? Is there any indication of what she's doing in the afterlife? Hell? Heaven? Is she with Tara waitjng for the day willow and Xander die?

 

[Priceless]

Im assuming by your picture you've read the comics. I havent but plan to. Is Anya in them? I saw a picture of her spirit supposedly spending to Xander. Is it really her or is it someone pretending to be her? Is there any indication of what she's doing in the afterlife? Hell? Heaven? Is she with Tara waitjng for the day willow and Xander die?

Good questions. The ghost of Anya isn't actually Anya, but a spirit made by D'hoffryn, though she does come to think of herself as Anya. Having her around helps Xander deal with his own past, and ghost-Anya helps the scoobies defeat the seasons Big Bads. Hope I haven't spoilt it too much if you do eventually read the comics. We don't really see the classic 'heaven' and 'hell', and I don't think we've ever seen Tara in the comics, or not in the main seasons arcs.

 

[S Rou]

Good questions. The ghost of Anya isn't actually Anya, but a spirit made by D'hoffryn, though she does come to think of herself as Anya. Having her around helps Xander deal with his own past, and ghost-Anya helps the scoobies defeat the seasons Big Bads. Hope I haven't spoilt it too much if you do eventually read the comics. We don't really see the classic 'heaven' and 'hell', and I don't think we've ever seen Tara in the comics, or not in the main seasons arcs.

I meant to say "talking to Xander." Not spending. My spell check is horrible.
 

Good questions. The ghost of Anya isn't actually Anya, but a spirit made by D'hoffryn, though she does come to think of herself as Anya. Having her around helps Xander deal with his own past, and ghost-Anya helps the scoobies defeat the seasons Big Bads. Hope I haven't spoilt it too much if you do eventually read the comics. We don't really see the classic 'heaven' and 'hell', and I don't think we've ever seen Tara in the comics, or not in the main seasons arcs.

I thought we did see tara in the comics. What is going on in this picture? Is this really her? Like I said, I haven't read them and don't worry about spoilers.

 

[WillowFromBuffy]

I have a tendency for binary thinking.

I meant to say "talking to Xander." Not spending. My spell check is horrible.
 

I thought we did see tara in the comics. What is going on in this picture? Is this really her? Like I said, I haven't read them and don't worry about spoilers.

Oh, oh! I know this.

Spoiler: Tara

Willow is asked to chose a spirit guide. Tara is put forward as a possibility, but Willow says she won't speak to a fake Tara and that she wants the real Tara to rest. Then she skinny dips with a snake lady.

 

[Priceless]

@S Rou We did see Tara, I'd forgotten. I thnk that was in a Willow stand alone comic Wonderland, were Willow is given the chance to bring Tara back, just as her guide, but decides not to.