Worst season?
- Thread starter Anya2012
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Jordan
Nude Croc Wrestler
Washburne
Protector of the key.
Season 6 the worst? It´s probably my favourite season all together. Even though it surely wasn´t the first time I watched it. But the more times I´ve watched it the more I like it. Still hate Warren though but Jonathan and Andrew I like. But I won´t deny that season 7 helped with that. Yes, the season is very dark with the exception of the trio. But I like the whole idea of "Life as the big bad".
Favourite episodes are OMWF (how shocking), Tabula Rasa and Seeing red despite the ending. And unlike many people I´m not that fond of the character. The idea is great but something about her just bugs me. Maybe it´s her arrogance.
Favourite episodes are OMWF (how shocking), Tabula Rasa and Seeing red despite the ending. And unlike many people I´m not that fond of the character. The idea is great but something about her just bugs me. Maybe it´s her arrogance.
Jordan
Nude Croc Wrestler
Washburne
Protector of the key.
Ohh, this is so bad. I forgot the important "Dark Willow". Now there´s the corner where I can stand in shame? :blush: So more like "And unlike many people I´m not that fond of the character Dark Willow." I love Tara!
Jordan
Nude Croc Wrestler
Oh! I knew there was another charachter you were referring too!. I hate communication over the Internet. 🙂
Washburne
If I had written corectly and you´ve misunderstood me it had been one thing but now I just messed up. Totally my fault. I´m glad you pointed it out though so I could correct it.
Jordan
Nude Croc Wrestler
Kinslayer it's ok! I didn't mean to come off correctional. I hadn't noticed your mistake, I thought it was me ^.^.
Aly Fan
MeowCluck!
I absolutely adore season 6!! I think it's one of the best...that and no. 3. Dark Willow is my favourite villian of all time..and i think that all the episodes in the season were highly important to the advancement of the story arc for at least one if not all of the characters. I can understand why some people wouldn't like it because it is too dark and maybe that is one of the things i like about it but i don't think it should ever really be catagorised as one of the worst seasons.
silentxautumn
Witchy McWitch Witch
I agree that there were some terrible episodes in S6 (Wrecked, Doublemeat Palace), but all-in-all, it was a great season. I mean simply starting with Buffy's resurrection/messing with the deep, dark magic was...well, something I can't put into words at the moment. But it was a great start. And it includes my absolute favourite episode, Tabula Rasa, which managed to make me laugh, "aww" out loud, smile like an idiot, feel ashamed (at Willow) and cry to no ends all in under an hour. No one can forgot OMWF, of course, as it probably resonates in the heads of many with the catchy songs and whatnot. Other notable episodes would be After Life, Entropy (simply for the beautiful ending), and Seeing Red. And I agree with The Kinslayer about the whole life being the big bad thing quite likeable because that is how it is.
season 7 is the weakest i disliked a lot about it , season 6 was actually pretty good if watched again, yes it was very dark but it was the right way to go, things got darker in the scoobies lives they werent teachers anymore they were in the adult world and as we all know it can be a dark place
S
silentxautumn
Definitely have to agree with this. I can't really bring myself into watching Season 7 much at all.
SlayerFest98
Townie
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2009
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- 2
Season 6 was one of favorite seasons!! Not just because I got to see Spike practically naked for alot of it. But because I liked how everyone went thru their own life struggles. Even though the whole Spuffy story was messed up I think alot of people related to it. ( Of course I don't mean struggling from being pulled out of heaven) But I think like I said alot of people could relate to Buffy's inner struggles.
First, a bit of disclaimer. I haven't watched S7, in fact I finished S6 today, so since my first post here will mostly be bashing of S6, feel free to think me a troll or just ignore me. And I apologoize for the legth of the post.
You know, I think it is a very weird season. It has some episodes which instantly became my favourites but it also has for me the vast majority of cringe-worthy moments in the series so far. I do suspect than on a rewatch my opinion of it will probably increase but I right now I firmly believe that while the idea of making a darker and edgier season was great, time and again the execution left a lot to be desired.
On the one hand, the season is supposed to be about maturity and real life problems - but on other hand once Giles, the father figure, leaves, the Scoobies start behaving like idiots more often than not. The plot relies heavily on them behaving like morons for its progression. Especially on Giles being out of the loop because apparently he just couldn't help Buffy from time to time when she needed it, it was presented as either him doing everything for her or never getting in touch with her at all. Is that the realism and maturity the show was striving for? I don't think so. I am fine with characters making mistakes
but in this case they seemed to be making plenty of out of character mistakes for the sake of more angst and "grittiness".
Also, the show lost much of its previous subtlety and became too preachy. Willow's story was an extremely heavy-handed morality tale about drugs which was utterly retarded retcon because the same thing could have been achieved much better if magic was no drug and she simply liked the power that went with it. The Trio - a morality tale about nerds and the dangers of escapism. Xander's wedding - a morality tale about the seriousness of marriage. Buffy coming back - "the road to hell is paved with good intentions" anyone? Doublemeat Palace - fast food is bad. And so on. All these things could have worked so much better if they were handed more subtly, IMO. For instance, there was no need whatsoever to make Xander look like an utter fool for falling for that demon's tricks in Hell's Bells. He could have gotten cold feet and refused to marry just by seeing his relatives' behaviour or merely thinking hard about his future. Of course, him behaving as if he had all but forgotten that his folks quarrelled until he saw it at the wedding didn't help.
More on the lack of subtlety thing - the final episodes were dramatic enough with Willow trying to kill the Trio and losing her humanity in the process but no, let's make try to destroy the Earth too and give her a cliched scary gothic junkie chick look. As if her behaviour wasn't frightening enough on its own. Oh, and let's show off we have much bigger special effects budget now. I actually laughed out loud (like Giles in the final episode 🙂) when I saw Willow pulling the Terminator and chasing a car with that heavy truck.
100% agreed. Way too many contrived coincidences in order to increase the angst level. While I loved Tara, I actually liked the way she was killed off totally by chance and not in a stereotypical heroic fashion. But the fact that she and Willow had just gone back together was a bit too much. It felt like the writers were deliberately giving their fans something to be happy about before the tragedy. Tragic coincidences do happen all the time in real life, true, but the sheer number of them in season 6 beggared belief. Off the top of my head - everyone just happening to see Anya and Spike caught in the act, Buffy's father never ever showing up, even though he looked a nice guy in early seasons, the Trio deciding to play tricks with Buffy just when she decided to find a job, Amy turning into a magic junkie buddy of Willow just when she least needed such a acquaintance (yes, I know Willow turned her back into human but Amy was so different before, I guess being a rat does change people 🙂), Buffy's inability to earn money (hello, she could have blackmailed Doublemeat to the hell and back, if she wanted or find any of the big number of jobs where her supernatural strength would come in handy). But this would have ruined the preachiness of "finding job is hard, kids". It's similar to Willow complaining she had nothing except magic and Tara, never mind she could have gotten a high paying job in high tech firm way back in season 2 (IIRC) and is always portrayed as the smartest of the group. Xander's storyline in seasons 4-5 did a much better job of showing what it's like to find a job and leave childhood behind, IMO. Buffy and Willow's main storylines in S6 feel like artificial attempts to make their lives harder, no matter reason, logic or plot and character consistency. On the one hand Willow's extremely proud of her magic skills and wants to (ab)use them whenever she can but on the other she has no confidence in herself in any other area of life. Just doesn't ring true.
OK, rant over. Now, in order to show that I am not a troll, I will also say what I loved about this season. First, "Once More with Feeling". "Walk Through the Fire" sends shivers down my back every single time I listen to it, the team spirit on the verge of being ruined is so poignant. Tara's love song is brilliant too and the bunny song is probably the most hilarious thing in the entire season. "Tabula Rasa"'s comedy parts are pure gold but I really disliked how it ends so abruptly after the spell is broken. Giles trying to save Dawn from her vampire boyfriend. Anya is great all season long. Actually Anya and Spike a lot of times feel more human than the rest of the Scoobies who out of the blue seem to get depressed so easily as if trying to outperform each other.
"Normal Again" is absolutely fascinating too, I loved how even Spike saw some flaws in the "plot" of Season 6. 🙂 Buffy's birthday is hilarious and has a great Tara/Willow moment. And in that episode for once in this season, an issue is not blown to the proportions of a world crisis. I mean, of course, Dawn's stealing problems. Funnily enough, with all her selfishness and whining, I found her a better character this season than in the previous ones. Shortly put, treating someone like a kid is a great way to make them behave childishly, so I could totally see where Dawn was coming from. Buffy feeling free when invisible was an interesting idea. So basically, the episodes less related to the main plotline seem to appeal to me more. That said, Dead Things was quite chilling and riveting too. Buffy really should have looked to Angel as an example to how to do penance for your sins in such a situation, though. Spike was right on money - saving life is a much better thing to do than rot in jail. Especially if you are the one with a habit of saving the world about twice per year. 🙂
You know, I think it is a very weird season. It has some episodes which instantly became my favourites but it also has for me the vast majority of cringe-worthy moments in the series so far. I do suspect than on a rewatch my opinion of it will probably increase but I right now I firmly believe that while the idea of making a darker and edgier season was great, time and again the execution left a lot to be desired.
On the one hand, the season is supposed to be about maturity and real life problems - but on other hand once Giles, the father figure, leaves, the Scoobies start behaving like idiots more often than not. The plot relies heavily on them behaving like morons for its progression. Especially on Giles being out of the loop because apparently he just couldn't help Buffy from time to time when she needed it, it was presented as either him doing everything for her or never getting in touch with her at all. Is that the realism and maturity the show was striving for? I don't think so. I am fine with characters making mistakes
but in this case they seemed to be making plenty of out of character mistakes for the sake of more angst and "grittiness".
Also, the show lost much of its previous subtlety and became too preachy. Willow's story was an extremely heavy-handed morality tale about drugs which was utterly retarded retcon because the same thing could have been achieved much better if magic was no drug and she simply liked the power that went with it. The Trio - a morality tale about nerds and the dangers of escapism. Xander's wedding - a morality tale about the seriousness of marriage. Buffy coming back - "the road to hell is paved with good intentions" anyone? Doublemeat Palace - fast food is bad. And so on. All these things could have worked so much better if they were handed more subtly, IMO. For instance, there was no need whatsoever to make Xander look like an utter fool for falling for that demon's tricks in Hell's Bells. He could have gotten cold feet and refused to marry just by seeing his relatives' behaviour or merely thinking hard about his future. Of course, him behaving as if he had all but forgotten that his folks quarrelled until he saw it at the wedding didn't help.
More on the lack of subtlety thing - the final episodes were dramatic enough with Willow trying to kill the Trio and losing her humanity in the process but no, let's make try to destroy the Earth too and give her a cliched scary gothic junkie chick look. As if her behaviour wasn't frightening enough on its own. Oh, and let's show off we have much bigger special effects budget now. I actually laughed out loud (like Giles in the final episode 🙂) when I saw Willow pulling the Terminator and chasing a car with that heavy truck.
100% agreed. Way too many contrived coincidences in order to increase the angst level. While I loved Tara, I actually liked the way she was killed off totally by chance and not in a stereotypical heroic fashion. But the fact that she and Willow had just gone back together was a bit too much. It felt like the writers were deliberately giving their fans something to be happy about before the tragedy. Tragic coincidences do happen all the time in real life, true, but the sheer number of them in season 6 beggared belief. Off the top of my head - everyone just happening to see Anya and Spike caught in the act, Buffy's father never ever showing up, even though he looked a nice guy in early seasons, the Trio deciding to play tricks with Buffy just when she decided to find a job, Amy turning into a magic junkie buddy of Willow just when she least needed such a acquaintance (yes, I know Willow turned her back into human but Amy was so different before, I guess being a rat does change people 🙂), Buffy's inability to earn money (hello, she could have blackmailed Doublemeat to the hell and back, if she wanted or find any of the big number of jobs where her supernatural strength would come in handy). But this would have ruined the preachiness of "finding job is hard, kids". It's similar to Willow complaining she had nothing except magic and Tara, never mind she could have gotten a high paying job in high tech firm way back in season 2 (IIRC) and is always portrayed as the smartest of the group. Xander's storyline in seasons 4-5 did a much better job of showing what it's like to find a job and leave childhood behind, IMO. Buffy and Willow's main storylines in S6 feel like artificial attempts to make their lives harder, no matter reason, logic or plot and character consistency. On the one hand Willow's extremely proud of her magic skills and wants to (ab)use them whenever she can but on the other she has no confidence in herself in any other area of life. Just doesn't ring true.
OK, rant over. Now, in order to show that I am not a troll, I will also say what I loved about this season. First, "Once More with Feeling". "Walk Through the Fire" sends shivers down my back every single time I listen to it, the team spirit on the verge of being ruined is so poignant. Tara's love song is brilliant too and the bunny song is probably the most hilarious thing in the entire season. "Tabula Rasa"'s comedy parts are pure gold but I really disliked how it ends so abruptly after the spell is broken. Giles trying to save Dawn from her vampire boyfriend. Anya is great all season long. Actually Anya and Spike a lot of times feel more human than the rest of the Scoobies who out of the blue seem to get depressed so easily as if trying to outperform each other.
"Normal Again" is absolutely fascinating too, I loved how even Spike saw some flaws in the "plot" of Season 6. 🙂 Buffy's birthday is hilarious and has a great Tara/Willow moment. And in that episode for once in this season, an issue is not blown to the proportions of a world crisis. I mean, of course, Dawn's stealing problems. Funnily enough, with all her selfishness and whining, I found her a better character this season than in the previous ones. Shortly put, treating someone like a kid is a great way to make them behave childishly, so I could totally see where Dawn was coming from. Buffy feeling free when invisible was an interesting idea. So basically, the episodes less related to the main plotline seem to appeal to me more. That said, Dead Things was quite chilling and riveting too. Buffy really should have looked to Angel as an example to how to do penance for your sins in such a situation, though. Spike was right on money - saving life is a much better thing to do than rot in jail. Especially if you are the one with a habit of saving the world about twice per year. 🙂
H
HABEAS CORPSES
good god this is a long post but i read it and i agree
HABEAS CORPSES
good'yay idea'yay an'yay
I love all the seasons of buffy so basicay the only one i could think of dislikeing more than others is season 1 only because there simply is not enough episodes to make some of the story arcs completely effective but alot of that is made up for in season two so i suppose that does not really count
I didn't like Season 6 that much (only one worse was Season 1). I thought it started strong, got bad in the middle, finished ok. Major reasons for my dislike:
1. Magic as drugs. I have no problem with the concept, but the execution was just poor. Going to the magic crackhouse was just beating you over the head with the metaphor. If they had done it in a more subtle way, it could have been a lot better.
2. The dialogue/writing for most of the season was not up to par. The writing has always been one of BtVS strengths, especially the dialogue. While it was ok, it lacked the spark of other seasons. Yes, there were less jokes, but that was understandable considering the subject matter. But there was a lack of cleverness that other seasons had. Only one Whedon episode didn't help.
3. Guns. I don't think they fit well in the Buffyverse. If Buffy can be killed by a handgun, from some amateur who can't even aim....why do we not see more Vampires with guns? We know they can use them (Darla). Buffy comments a couple times that guns are never useful, which seems too preachy and doesn't make much sense in the context of the episodes.
4. Wrecked, Gone, Doublemeat Palace- thats a string of 3 episodes that I really didn't like. Even S1 didn't have 3 bad eps in a row
5. Giles leaving. I understood Anthony Steward Head wanted out, so the writers needed to figure out a way. But the reasoning seemed very rushed and silly.
1. Magic as drugs. I have no problem with the concept, but the execution was just poor. Going to the magic crackhouse was just beating you over the head with the metaphor. If they had done it in a more subtle way, it could have been a lot better.
2. The dialogue/writing for most of the season was not up to par. The writing has always been one of BtVS strengths, especially the dialogue. While it was ok, it lacked the spark of other seasons. Yes, there were less jokes, but that was understandable considering the subject matter. But there was a lack of cleverness that other seasons had. Only one Whedon episode didn't help.
3. Guns. I don't think they fit well in the Buffyverse. If Buffy can be killed by a handgun, from some amateur who can't even aim....why do we not see more Vampires with guns? We know they can use them (Darla). Buffy comments a couple times that guns are never useful, which seems too preachy and doesn't make much sense in the context of the episodes.
4. Wrecked, Gone, Doublemeat Palace- thats a string of 3 episodes that I really didn't like. Even S1 didn't have 3 bad eps in a row
5. Giles leaving. I understood Anthony Steward Head wanted out, so the writers needed to figure out a way. But the reasoning seemed very rushed and silly.
jesterjay
Potential
Worst season for me is Season 5. Introducing Dawn threw me for such a spin that I actually stopped watching when it was on the tube. It wasn't until a few years later that I picked up the DVDs and saw the full span of the seasons.
Still don't have much love for Dawn.
Still don't have much love for Dawn.
P
Perny
Guest
I can't say it enough: Of all the seasons, 4, and 7 are compeating in the cathegory "Worst season"!
palabravampiress
Bidet of Evil
Umm, guys? This thread is for discussion of the question of whether or not season 6 is the worst season and why you feel that way. Don't just say "Season X is the worst season" and be done with it! Where's the fun in that?
Anywho, I hear you guys on the magic-as-drugs metaphor being a little too heavy handed what with Willow taking Dawn to the magic crack house and all. I can forgive that one transgression, though, for the novelty of seeing Dark Willow taken down by the power of Xander's love. In the end, I really liked getting to see Willow's long hinted-at dark side and revisiting the importance of Xander's role within the group.
As far as the character sprouting issues for the sake of making the season dark and edgy goes, I think the issues that they sprouted were all pretty well embedded in their characters from the get-go: Xander has always dealt with insecurity regarding his family and their status; Buffy always confronted her mortality and her slayer side; Willow always went a little too far with power; Anya always had issues with human vulnerability; and Giles always faced conflict between his fatherly feelings toward Buffy (and the rest of the group) and his position as Watcher. Bringing these issues to the fore all at once was a bit of a plot device, but I don't think these issues sprouted out of nowhere. I think they were all legitimate issues that needed to be explored.
Anywho, I hear you guys on the magic-as-drugs metaphor being a little too heavy handed what with Willow taking Dawn to the magic crack house and all. I can forgive that one transgression, though, for the novelty of seeing Dark Willow taken down by the power of Xander's love. In the end, I really liked getting to see Willow's long hinted-at dark side and revisiting the importance of Xander's role within the group.
As far as the character sprouting issues for the sake of making the season dark and edgy goes, I think the issues that they sprouted were all pretty well embedded in their characters from the get-go: Xander has always dealt with insecurity regarding his family and their status; Buffy always confronted her mortality and her slayer side; Willow always went a little too far with power; Anya always had issues with human vulnerability; and Giles always faced conflict between his fatherly feelings toward Buffy (and the rest of the group) and his position as Watcher. Bringing these issues to the fore all at once was a bit of a plot device, but I don't think these issues sprouted out of nowhere. I think they were all legitimate issues that needed to be explored.
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