What is your biggest complaint about season 7?

[Tranquillity]

I'm a huge fan of season seven - the more I watch it, the more i love it.
But this thread is for criticisms...

The one thing i can think of is the Potentials - I like the idea of the potentials but all those girls needed personality transplants; none of them were likeable...except maybe Vi, she was sweet, oh and Molly she was cute too.

Re: Spike being tortured by the first - didn't the First want Spike to be its 'Dark Warrior' and join his side?
"Choose a side, choose our side" Dru/the First says to him (or something along those lines)
The trigger/song was to get him out and about and drinking human blood again and so the first would have control over him. But the torture was to get him to join their side - I think the First bargained that no one would come to his rescue, so he would be tortured, humiliated and broken but most importantly, he would be Angry that he'd been abandoned and so would join the First's faction against the Slayer. But that's not what happened, Buffy did rescue him and that put a spanner in the First's plans. At least that's my theory.

He got a soul and now he's one third monster, one third dim-wit, one third sorry sad sack.

I believe the same thing happened to Angel after he got his soul too, what witht the brooding and the indecisiveness and the eating rats. Call it a period of adjustment 🙂

 

[wehappyfew]

I like Buffy's speeches.
Esp. the one at the end of Bring on the Night. It gives me chills.
She seems more powerful. This isn't the girl whining about being able to go on dates and slay at the same time.
This is a woman who knows she's a badass and can kick some evil ass.
The speeches show Buffy's growth...so does her mom hair.
Both may be "boring" to some....but, I think they're really significant. I don't see them in Season 8 at all.
In fact, in response to some speech given to her, her mere response is " 'kay"

 

[fly on the wall]

I like Buffy's speeches.
Esp. the one at the end of Bring on the Night. It gives me chills.
She seems more powerful. This isn't the girl whining about being able to go on dates and slay at the same time.
This is a woman who knows she's a badass and can kick some evil ass.
The speeches show Buffy's growth...so does her mom hair.
Both may be "boring" to some....but, I think they're really significant.

I agree, I like the speeches.

And about Giles wanting Spike dead...I think Buffy was WAY too hard on Giles, and I think a lot of the viewers were, too. So he was concerned about the uncontrollable serial killer in a basement full of young vulnerable girls, who are the only hope that the world has in this fight against evil...that's wrong of him?

Anyways, complaints. I could pick apart Chosen, but I've decided to let that episode be. I know what Joss intended with it, and I've accepted it as a good episode, even if it is a bit rushed, etc. My main problem with S7 is, as others have said, the Potentials and the lack of our favorite characters. They all seemed so detached because of this...very few heart-wrenching, stand-out moments of S7. There's no Prophecy Girl, no Innocence/Becoming Pt 2, no Graduation Day, no The Gift/The Body, no Grave/OMWF/Bargaining...hell, even S4 (which I think is worse than S7) at least had some really incredible moments like in Hush...I don't know. I like Season Seven, but I don't love it and it could have (should have?) been much better.

 

[Blair Waldorf-Bass]

-The First should've been scarier. To tell you the truth, Caleb was actually a lot more scary than the oh-so-go-throughable Big Bad. While the First's introduction was a bit frightening, it stopped being scary after that. T_T

-The Potentials. Now, what they stood for is great. But they ended up mostly being annoying and half the time I was staring at the screen I was wondering, "Oh dear god, will they just SHUT UP?" or "When're the annoying ones going to die?"

-Kennedy. She was annoying, frustrating, and a horrible girlfriend. No wonder nearly everyone out there hates her. Iyari Limon (or whatever her name is) didn't help at all either. The acting was blehck, and her voice and the way she carried herself was just plain annoying overall.

-What the heck happened to Giles this season? I really didn't like him at all, whereas in season six (well, the few times he was there, anyway) he was as loveable and funny and caring as ever.

-Buffy treating Spike differently at random times. This really bugged me how at the end of "First Date," she tells him that she's not ready for him to leave. Then in the next episode, "Get It Done," she yells at him just because she needs someone to vent out her anger on since she's pissed at the potentials. Major setback in character growth there.

-Anya suddenly hating on Buffy. That was really weird and didn't add loveability to her character, which I'd always found so fresh and amusing before.

-Jonathan's death. No one seems to really care about his death that much except for Andrew.

-Dawn. This was a biggie. In season five she was a bit annoying at first, but then she became loveable and fun. Season six - enjoyable, relatable at times, and growing, although there were some setbacks like the fact that she acted way below her maturity level at times. In this season, however, she just has this air around her that screams, "I'm Dawn, and I'm annoying!"

-More but will probably end up thinking of them once I post this. 😛

 

[Joan the Vampire Slayer]

My probleme with S7 is that it needed to be two seasons, because so much was going on and so many "important" characters were pushed aside.

Sadly, the season will always lose points with me because I think Xander, Willow, Giles, Dawn and Anya should get as much attention and storyline as Buffy and Spike. It won't matter if it wasn't the last season, but sorry, since it's the last season, the main characters should be the focus.

I guess I'm the minority on here and because I love S7. But I agree with the Potentials - I hated that storyline. I mean, it was an alright idea...but they're just so annoying. Rona....ugh.
Also, Kennedy is awful - def agreed there. 🙂
Personally, I thought Nathan was fab as the First's minon or whatever. I love Dirty Girls, and Lies My Parents Told Me is one of my fav eps of the series. I really liked the Wood/Spike arc as well...
I gues I'm a wierdo.
I guess if you're not into Spuffy, or lots of talking, S7 wouldn't be that great.

 

[Blair Waldorf-Bass]

I guess I'm the minority on here and because I love S7.

*raises hand* Season seven's my favorite! Although I know it's not the best one, what makes it my favorite is the Spike and Buffy storyline. 🙂 Season five is the best one, of course, hands down, but season seven just makes me smile every time I watch it. 🙂

 

[crabby patty]

The potentials and releasing there slayer power. OK it was a good idea to fight the big bad. But I would of prefered it if they didnt get to keep the power and had to go back to there lives, as I feel now with season 8 it is just a mess with all these slayers!

 

[sosa lola]

I agree. It's easier to enjoy S7 if you're a Spuffy fan. It's obvious the writers paid lots of focus and attention on the Spuffy storyline, and it's weird to see a Spuffy fan not enjoying the season for that. Sadly, those who are not into Spuffy and are more into other characters won't find the season that enjoyable. It would have been better if there was more focus on the main characters seeing as it's the last season.

Thank God we have S8 now. There's a lot of focus on Xander, Willow and Dawn to make up for it.

 

[Kana]

Yeah, the whole fact that Buffy's feminist message was messed up because essentially she did the same thing as the shadowmen. The other potentials (whom she didn't consult) didn't as for that power or responsibility. It wasn't a particularly strong message of empowerment in that respect.

I also agree about the potentials. There were too many characters to care about.

Also the Wood storyline had potential but again it was rushed.

 

[Primal Slayer]

Chosen should have been 2 hours (UPN would have probably given Joss an extra episode if he asked)

and

Spike was to focused on during S7. The main focus should have been on the core 4.

 

[SpikesAngel]

I'm a Spuffy-fan so I really enjoyed all those cute scenes with them (Touched is my favorite episode) but besides that I didn't really like S7 that much. The potentials were so annoying! Always complaining about everything Buffy said or did. As if they could've done it better. And Kennedy... After Tara I probably wouldn't have liked anybody but Kennedy was so awful, I really thought it was a joke. And the thing with Kennedy was the only storyline Willow got which was really shocking for me since she's one of my favorite characters. The others didn't have one at all and though I did kind of like Chosen, the final episode should've been much better! Altogether I expected the last season to be better.

 

[Crazy Flakes]

The Potentials, of course!

I really liked the way season 7 started out, actually. I liked how the group dynamic was coming back after it sort of faded towards the middle of season 6, and there were some really great episodes, like Selfless and Conversations With Dead People. But after the Potentials came in, the focus of the show turned away from the Scoobies and towards a bunch of new characters that none of the viewers really gave a rat's ass about. And it certainly didn't help that none of these new characters were even remotely interesting or enjoyable to watch (aside from Vi...I loved her.) Instead of a show about Buffy, or even Buffy and her friends, it became a show about a bunch of annoying teenage girls who were trying to face their destiny.

I just wish they'd scrapped the idea of the Potentials in the writers' room...the comics would be so much better without the whole "army" thing, and, if some absolutely wonderful miracle occurs and Joss does decide to make a movie, he has to worry about casting and writing for all of these new Slayers. Besides, General Buffy is my least favorite incarnation of her character (yes, I even preferred whiny season 6 Buffy to her.)

 

[PurplePoof]

Yeah, the whole fact that Buffy's feminist message was messed up because essentially she did the same thing as the shadowmen.

I think the feminist message was damaged more by Spike being the one who ultimately saved the day in Chosen.

 

[palabravampiress]

^ *I* think the feminist message was undermined by Angel swooping int o save the day all White Knight like. Grr! What was with that? Could the feminist warrior icon please be allowed to take out the misogynistic uber minion without the help of a man? Pretty please? I mean, come on! If she had to have help, why couldn't it have been Willow, Faith, or even one of those horrible Potential girls? ANY of those would have had more meaning and fit the themes of the season better than the sudden and well-timed appearance of a past lover. It would be one thing if he'd swooped in to save Buffy from an uber vamp or something, but from the misogynistic guy?! That's really a girl power moment, don't you think?

I agree with WA and a few others in that I think season 7 was packed way too full of plot, most of which did not center on the core four. With heavy themes like potential, feminism, and redemption being bounced around from minor character to minor character, it was really hard to keep track of what was going on. One season just wasn't enough time. I think the writers needed to scrap about half of their ideas so that we could have had time to focus on the ones that remained. A lot of 1s and 0s have already gone into explaining that opinion, so I'll just add an "I concur" and be done.

Also, I didn't like the Big Bad. Awesome Villains like the mayor, Glory, and Angelus had charismatic personalities that made me want to root for them even though they were the bad guys. By contrast, the First was too bland. It stopped being scary and interesting right around the time when I figured out that all it had going for it was the "Na-na-na-na-boo-boo" attack and an army of vampires that could only exit one at a time from a stupid doorway requiring way too much in the way of human bodily fluids to open. Honestly, I thought the First's plan was half-baked at best. It may have been the first evil, but it was sooooo not the smartest. What WAS its plan, anyway? To send the uber vamps out into the world and destroy mankind? I've seen Dru come up with more feasible plans than that! Buffy could have just stood over the doorway and lopped off the uber vamps' heads one by one. All in all, Caleb was a brilliant idea for a Big Bad and would have made a much better (and more tangible) arch nemesis for the season. I think the First was a decent concept, but it would have packed more punch in a novel than in a TV show. You really need strong visuals for TV; an intangible villain just doesn't cut the mustard.

So, yeah: I disliked season 7 because they tried to cram too much into one season and because I didn't find the Big Bad to be very engaging.

 

[Primal Slayer]

^ *I* think the feminist message was undermined by Angel swooping int o save the day all White Knight like. Grr! What was with that? Could the feminist warrior icon please be allowed to take out the misogynistic uber minion without the help of a man? Pretty please? I mean, come on! If she had to have help, why couldn't it have been Willow, Faith, or even one of those horrible Potential girls? ANY of those would have had more meaning and fit the themes of the season better than the sudden and well-timed appearance of a past lover. It would be one thing if he'd swooped in to save Buffy from an uber vamp or something, but from the misogynistic guy?! That's really a girl power moment, don't you think?

I think thats taking the whole feminist thing a bit to far. Does it really matter she had minor help dealing with a misognsitic guy? All Angel did was punch Caleb. Buffy did all the slicing and dicing, all the dirty work.

 

[Joan the Vampire Slayer]

I'm a Spuffy-fan so I really enjoyed all those cute scenes with them (Touched is my favorite episode) but besides that I didn't really like S7 that much. The potentials were so annoying! Always complaining about everything Buffy said or did. As if they could've done it better. And Kennedy... After Tara I probably wouldn't have liked anybody but Kennedy was so awful, I really thought it was a joke. And the thing with Kennedy was the only storyline Willow got which was really shocking for me since she's one of my favorite characters. The others didn't have one at all and though I did kind of like Chosen, the final episode should've been much better! Altogether I expected the last season to be better.

Most of us agree with you.

I love your avatar 🙂

 

[palabravampiress]

I think thats taking the whole feminist thing a bit to far. Does it really matter she had minor help dealing with a misognsitic guy? All Angel did was punch Caleb. Buffy did all the slicing and dicing, all the dirty work.

In the grand scheme of things? No. It doesn't matter. We still had a happy, share-the-power, feminist ending. Buffy still led the attack that closed the Hellmouth. She even, as you said, still sliced and diced Caleb. Compared to season 7's bigger problems, it's really just a little niggle.

Even so, I do wish it was Willow or Faith or someone actually involved in the season that had helped her with Caleb (if anyone had to). Angel's sudden appearance just as Buffy was having some trouble with the Little Bad seemed out of place and sort of jarring anyway. I think it just bothers me even more because of who Buffy is fighting at the time and because we don't get to see enough of the main Scoobies in this season as it is. Then there's the fact that Angel's got some major issues going on at home to consider -- like coma Cordy, for instance. Basically, I found the entire scene out of place and out of character for a lot of reasons of which the slightly anti-feminist tone is only one. I don't think it's a huge issue, but I do think it's at least worth mentioning. One scene does not make or break a season, but I do think it's a prime example of a situation in which the writers undermined some of their own characters and themes by shoving in extraneous material.

 

[Primal Slayer]

It would have been nice to have one last Buffy/Faith patrol scene and have both of them take Caleb out just for old times sake.

 

[BuffyElevated]

My biggest complaint was that Kennedy got so much screen time. I hated her character and thought her relationship with Willow was so forced. 🙁 I also wish they would have given Giles more to do.

 

[Joan the Vampire Slayer]

^ *I* think the feminist message was undermined by Angel swooping int o save the day all White Knight like. Grr! What was with that? Could the feminist warrior icon please be allowed to take out the misogynistic uber minion without the help of a man? Pretty please? I mean, come on! If she had to have help, why couldn't it have been Willow, Faith, or even one of those horrible Potential girls? ANY of those would have had more meaning and fit the themes of the season better than the sudden and well-timed appearance of a past lover. It would be one thing if he'd swooped in to save Buffy from an uber vamp or something, but from the misogynistic guy?! That's really a girl power moment, don't you think?

I agree with WA and a few others in that I think season 7 was packed way too full of plot, most of which did not center on the core four. With heavy themes like potential, feminism, and redemption being bounced around from minor character to minor character, it was really hard to keep track of what was going on. One season just wasn't enough time. I think the writers needed to scrap about half of their ideas so that we could have had time to focus on the ones that remained. A lot of 1s and 0s have already gone into explaining that opinion, so I'll just add an "I concur" and be done.

Also, I didn't like the Big Bad. Awesome Villains like the mayor, Glory, and Angelus had charismatic personalities that made me want to root for them even though they were the bad guys. By contrast, the First was too bland. It stopped being scary and interesting right around the time when I figured out that all it had going for it was the "Na-na-na-na-boo-boo" attack and an army of vampires that could only exit one at a time from a stupid doorway requiring way too much in the way of human bodily fluids to open. Honestly, I thought the First's plan was half-baked at best. It may have been the first evil, but it was sooooo not the smartest. What WAS its plan, anyway? To send the uber vamps out into the world and destroy mankind? I've seen Dru come up with more feasible plans than that! Buffy could have just stood over the doorway and lopped off the uber vamps' heads one by one. All in all, Caleb was a brilliant idea for a Big Bad and would have made a much better (and more tangible) arch nemesis for the season. I think the First was a decent concept, but it would have packed more punch in a novel than in a TV show. You really need strong visuals for TV; an intangible villain just doesn't cut the mustard.

So, yeah: I disliked season 7 because they tried to cram too much into one season and because I didn't find the Big Bad to be very engaging.

Yeah. I know that Joss wanted Angel to come back to give some sort of closure to thier relationship...and allude that they might have a future together. Yet, with the popularity of Spuffy, he also wanted to please them as well.

But I hate that scene where Bangel kiss. It just seems too fake and staged. A "friendly" kiss? Whatever. And with Spike watching? Just plain wierd. And poor Spike...

About Spike saving the world: I guess they just wanted someone else to save the world because Buffy had saved it so many times before? That was Spike's last stand at redeeming himself. It was needed, I felt.

But don't get me started on that "I love you." from Buffy. I don't believe it, never have, felt it was forced and unnessesary. I think Joss just wanted to please the Spuffies and the Bangelites. In my opinion, Buff never loved Spike like she loved Angel. I wish she had, he deserved it, but sadly, I do not believe her when she says that. He loved her for sure - she just never felt the same way*

I agree about the First. Also, I remember when I was initally watching the season, I was a bit confused, what with The First taking the image of people whom had died...I was like, what's going on?

I guess the writers just had a lot of stuff they wanted to get out there...

* My opinion. 🙂 Don't yell at me, fellow Spuffies!