The Comforting Misery of Buffy S6
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- Опубликовано: 28 сен 2024
- Or what Buffy S6 taught me about trauma, mental illness and abusive relationships.
Twitter: queeredupguy
Letterboxd: letterboxd.com/vncsmoraes
Sources & Citations:
"Domestic Violence and Abuse." HelpGuide. www.helpguide....
"Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder." National Institute of Mental Health. www.nimh.nih.g...
"Statistics." National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. ncadv.org/stat...
Angelakis, I; Gooding, P; Tarrier, N; Panagioti, M (25 March 2015). "Suicidality in obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD): A systematic review and meta-analysis". Clinical Psychology Review. Oxford, England: Pergamon Press. 39: 1-15. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2015.03.002
Rutenberg, Jim. "'Buffy,' Moving to UPN, Tries to Be WB Slayer." The New York Times, 21 April 2001. www.nytimes.co...
The first time I watched buffy, I was in a deep depression and I found season six incredibly cathartic and comforting. While I acknowledge how problematic it is and not to everyones taste, I still really appreciate it and am glad that it exists.
Buffy season 6 was a cathartic tragedy.
Same. Late high school were some really hard years & this season came on at that time and I found it so comforting
Same!!! Same times a billion!!! Well said! I feel exactly the same way! When I first watched season 6 I absolutely loved it and related the unadulterated realism of the internal conflicts the characters go through as well as the overarching themes of the season. My love has only grown as I've gotten older. It is beautiful and honest and speaks to me on so many levels! Again well said! Loved your post!! 💞😊👏🏻👍🏻👌🏻😉
I also went through it and it felt good to see it played so well. Really helped me to see different prospettive on life.
Yes same anytime I’m going through a depression. I always turn on Buddy season 6 .
I didn't find the magic addiction arc problematic at all. It's a perfect example of the duality of things. And mirrors the struggles buffy is going through. As a person who has struggled with depression most of my life, I related to buffy so much in season 6. But I tended toward toxic relationships rather than drugs and alcohol. Seeing the two side by side in the show really helped me, 1st see the connection, and 2nd better understand addiction.
Yeah, I think there are few not so well-written parts about Willow’s arc with addiction but for the most part it is a very realistic storytelling of what addiction is like and how easily and quickly it can destroy healthy and well-working relationships..
I think the problem people have with it may be because they don’t understand what’s really going on with the character. Why it becomes a physical addiction as well as an emotional one. And they also don’t consider that perhaps it’s written the way it is on purpose because the arc is seen from the outside looking in. As in it mostly plays out through the lens of characters thoughts and emotions that IS NOT an addict. We don’t actually see the arc from Willow’s perspective at all besides from a few confession scenes. Whereas with Buffy’s depression,… it’s always the inside looking out. We’re watching the arc through her lens which is why everything is so dreary and dull.
There's also the Dawn storyline, which I think is very underrated in season 6. But purposely so, I believe. She went from a teenage girl who was the center of everything. Hunted by a hell god and with the worst case of an identity crisis any of us will every know. And now she's...normal. Ignored. Abandoned by all the authority figures in her life. No one is really paying attention to her at all, and so she's suffering this quite depression with identity and abandonment issues which eventually develop into kleptomania. I know a lot of people don't like Dawn, but man do I feel bad for her during season 6. The girl has zero stability in her life lol
Great video! I grew up watching Buffy and when i became an adult and lost my mom at 23 i understood the body. When my dad died and i suffered alcoholism I understood season 6. This show really is about growing up and it isnt always sunsets and flowers.
That's what make it so heartbreaking. All of us who grew up with Buffy, as kids we enjoyed the humour, fights and monster stories. And as we grew older we related to their pain and unhappiness
This Was thoroughly entertaining , I started watching Buffy at season 6 on the TV when I was around 12. I became obsessed with the show.Season 6 is brilliant but emotionally exhausting to watch. She quickly became my hero. When I got the box set and I watched season 1 and saw the peppy young and generally happy girl, it makes it more heartbreaking
Randomly stumbled on this video in a binge of Buffy video episodes. So much of what you said about depression and finding comfort in the misery struck a chord with me and how I've dealt with the pandemic. I also started watching Buffy during this pandemic and it's now my all-time favourite show. Just thank you for making this beautiful essay and for your vulnerability.
This is such a touching video.
Season 6 is my favourite season. It spoke to me at 16 and on a rewatch a few years ago I understood it so much more profoundly. Buffy’s depression - her emptiness - felt so real. Like you I saw myself.
As an example of depression, I find season 6 the perfect depiction of how i, personally, experience it, which I usually describe like this:
The most common description of depression is "a hole so deep it feels like you'll never climb out of it", and people offer you help in line with this depiction; they offer you helplines/rope, so you can climb out of the hole, and escape it. Leave it. My depression isn't like that.
I live on a street. On my street, the streetlights are out. They are broken. Some don't have bulbs, some have frayed or chewed wires, a few are snapped in half, etc. My street is dark. I can walk through it, but I can't repair the streetlights, because I can't see what I'm doing, because the streetlights are broken. Sometimes, I get a torch, and it lets me fix a streetlight, before the torch breaks. Then, I have 1 working streetlight. But that isnt enough. I need at least half of them working, not one. And it keeps flickering, so I have to keep checking it, so I don't spend enough time repairing the others while I have the light to see. By the time I finish fixing another streetlight, the first one is broken again. And that's if I'm lucky. If I'm lucky, the first light holds out long enough to get a second light going.
If I'm unlucky, the first light breaks, and I'm plunged back into darkness. Which is fine, I can still walk around. Im not trapped in a hole. But, I can't do anything else. I can't take the trash out, I can't find my friends, I can't see what I'm doing, so I can't exercise outside, or enjoy it. All I can do, is go to my house, leave my house, and walk up and down my street.
And when people try to help, they offer me helplines/rope. But I can't use them. I need bulbs, and torches, and wiring. I need someone who can help me fix the streetlights, or at least, hold the torch while I do it. The rope is useless to me. But when I ask for help, all I'm given is rope. And then I get yelled at for not trying harder to climb out of my hole, that I'm taking up a lot of rope, and that everyone is tired of me never using the rope. "Its like you don't even WANT to get out of the hole!"
But I'm not in a hole. Im fine. I live on a street, just like you. But, all my streetlights are broken.
(Im currently in therapy + medicated, which is helping me. But, admittedly, it's still not helping enough. I have 1 streetlight on right now. That's enough to see the next one, but no further.)
this was such a great comment. perfectly describes how i feel
I know this is over a year old, but I just wanted to say that I hope things are going a little better for you. My streetlights are fucked as well.
Let’s both keep trying to hang in there & hopefully we can fix a streetlight or two..
This is how I feel about Angel. Everyone talks about Buffys depression but no one talks about Angels
Like in Season 2 of Angel the series and the episode Amends
'The Body' was one of the hardest episodes for me to watch. I remember watching it on first-run and I was so uncomfortable and in awe. I wept. I wasn't ready for that moment. Seeing her body blurred out ion the background and then hearing her use the word "Mom" getting weaker with each utterance...it hit me square in the feeling. Tara's death was equally surprising and came out of nowhere but though that hit me hard, it didn't affect me like 'The Body'.
In his prime, Whedon was a legend. Buffy is still and will likely always be a go-to watch for me. I can watch the entire series first to last again and again. Not many TV series' can boast that kind of rewatchability.
Buffy managed to showcase real life human and social issues in such a profound and yet absurd manner.
only one critique for this essay - everything else was phenomenal.
Spike's relationship with Buffy the entirety of season 6 has been her saying "no" and then doing the opposite. so in the scene of the attempted rape, i genuinely think that Spike thought it was one of those "no but wait yes" moments. because when Buffy does push him away you can see the way he kinda is like "wait, this wasn't one of your games?
it's toxic - no doubt about it but it wasn't one sided. Buffy used Spike while she knew he felt more for her than she did for him, also while saying no but doing the opposite. of course he's gonna get mixed signals.
that's my only critique really and it's more of a personal opinion. i love the rest of this essay
I thought so as well. I'm almost certain "the rainbow in the room" touched base on that aspect, but did not mention S06E19 "Seeing Red" specifically.
Wow... nope. Just nope. I've seen a lot of people (and I mean A LOT) finding excuses for all the dark and evil s**t Spike did over his run, but that's the first time I saw anyone try to find an excuse for that scene!
That scene was so shocking even to him, the soulless vampire, he went out and got himself a soul! Even he can't make excuses there!
I kinda agree with you. I’ll probably never forgive Whedon for Seeing Red. I believe James Marsters said in an interview that this scene was “inspired” by one of the writers’ real life experience except she was the one who took advantage of her partner. And for me it made much more sense (of roles were reversed) because while watching s6 I found Buffy more abusive than Spike, especially in their sexual relationship (not that he was perfect either but still).
I get that they needed that scene to explain Spike’s quest for his soul but I wish it was done more gracefully.
@@anastasialovesoranges Yes that was the inspiration. I saw Buffy as worse as well. This seen actually made me vomit the first time I watched it, so painfully.
@@anastasialovesoranges Yes I heard that as well. The writer was convinced that if she forced herself onto her partner, he would take her back and all would be forgiven. I think that this one scene completely made up some people's minds about Spike as an unforgivable character - and for that- I wish they would have created a different scenario that would have driven him to get his soul back instead of this. I also found Buffy extremely abusive to him. Not only because she was completely misleading him while knowing how much he loved her, but she would literally punch and hit him at the drop of a hat for ANYTHING he would say. It was unfair. He was her punching bag - physically and emotionally and (unpopular opinion) I actually think Spike is the one who didn't deserve Buffy.
It also bothers me how everyone was able to forgive and forget every other demon's past behavior's, including Angel's, but not Spike. Angelus was much more evil and vile, but everyone forgave him because he had a soul. Spike didn't get that redemption even after getting a soul. Let's not forget that Spike could've still done a lot of damage while he had the chip. He couldn't physically hurt them, but he could've aligned with other vampires or demons that were out for the Scoobie gang and gave them intel on them, but he didn't. He started acting as a good guy long before he got his soul, and it wasn't just because of the chip. Also - both William and Spike have always been sentimental, emotional men. They love their women hard, only to be the ones left hurt in the end. Don't forget that Angelus slept with Drusilla only to hurt Spike.
I will always be team Spike!
can totally relate to "didn't catch the Gyarados"
edit: but seriously tho, as problematic as this season is, it's also my favorite because it shows the characters progressing through trauma and depression and addiction, and yet... coming out the other side. That gives me hope.
I have OCD too. It’s so exhausting. I’ve had depression the last couple years also because my OCD has become overwhelming. I didn’t like season 6 much when it first aired. I did a series rewatch not long ago, and it hit me so differently now. I UNDERSTAND it finally, because I’ve lived it.
If Buffy didn't have such an emotional impact on me on my roughest time, I would have a hard time picking between Charmed and BTVS
This is a great video essay! As a fellow season 6 fan, I love that there's a little more season 6 love out in the world. My only criticism would be that I'd suggest you add subtitles because there were a few words I didn't quite catch.
The "arc" of seasons 5 through 7 for Buffy and Spike is absolutely brilliant, in my opinion (A lot of people don't seem to care for season 7, and I love it. It's about being an adult and being aware of your legacy, so she becomes a teacher, showing her sister the world and then the potentials, trying to leave the world better than it was when she found it.. As well, kind of embracing her role as a mom figure, which was forced upon her in season 5. Also, I'm a teacher, so maybe I'm biased, hehe...). And season 6 is the most poignant and disastrously human and vulnerable, and that's why I love it. (Even though, yeah, the canon of what magic is gets messed with, but while I was watching it, I didn't really mind that much. It makes sense, honestly; all that power flowing through your veins; if you just use it all the time, life gets easier--but also loses its meaning because what's the point of life if you're not at least working for it a little?)
You made me tear up, I too in rewatches as an adult and going through mental ilness love Buffy's journey in this season as well. Lovely essay
I clicked on a more recent video, and am happy you have improved your audio & speaking cadence. I liked this a lot, esp. the ending.. As someone who has been fighting this battle for 27 years, I thought the parallels that you drew were insightful. In almost all cases, depression is triggered by an event*, and leads to self-medication, be it through sex, food, religion, ("Wicca"/magic) or drugs, etc.. It's also been said that depression is anger turned inward, as well as the inability release the past.
If someone said they were mad or hurt about being cut off in traffic two weeks ago, it would seem silly, but one event can cause a TRAUMA that causes a personality disorder or depression for years. That is why I liked that you tied Buffy's depression and addiction to Spike to her Traumatic return to Earth. (Thank you for aknowledging that "Spuffy" was codependent manipulation & not love. I crushed on Spike, too, but some Spuffy shippers don't have a problem with Seeing Red!)
I, too, have OCD, and hope that one day, like me, it will exhaust you it release. I still check my locks, but I let go of perfection. Sterilizing my pocket change may have come in handy during a pandemic, but then again, it looks like ppl who were doing that with their groceries, wasted time. I wish you the best in the future! Thanks again for the clear insights on "Spuffy".✌
How do you not have more subscribers?
Because the sound sucks. You only understand every other word.
Wonderful, raw, honest, and beautiful. Thank you. I hope you’re doing better, my friend.
Season 6 is my favorite season
Okay I just started watching season 6, I stopped watching religiously around season 4 maybe (now over 20 years ago) and I'm starting to remember why I didn't make a bigger effort to keep up, or buy the DVDs. The thing about Spike, at the start of the season, is that every actor keeps saying how evil Spike is, over and over again. But in every scene he's actually in, we see him as relatable and flawed, embarrassingly so in the Buffy-love-robot. It's too pathetic to be evil, frankly I think resembles real mental illness more than what Buffy goes through (yes I have depression, too, more than that I was a therapist for a few years in my late 20s). All the bad things he's supposedly done are mainly given as bits of history trivia, or past incidents where, in context he doesn't seem too bad. I think that over the whole series, Zander(or is it Xander?) does more horrible things to Buffy than Spike does. But Xander's behavior is immediately forgiven by the gang. He's been hypnotized and possessed and cowardly in more than just the funny goofy sidekick way. I hate his character arc, or lack thereof, and I hate his character more as I watch the episodes. I'd even accept the premise that he's fundamentally good, it's just that he's never called out for the bad he does. He's just lovable, goofy Xander.
I'm finding this pattern where characters say something over and over again in a lot of films I re-watch as videos. The characters have dialog the says again and again how bad, or how good, a certain character is, or crazy or even funny, even when its totally contrary to what is shown or in the plot of episodes past, or when the other characters act in a way that better fits. I don't know if I'm going to get through this. I'll probably watch Five by Fives Takes video before I try.
What a great analysis. It is great that you talked about S6 Spuffy, so many of the fans are way too into Spike to realise how toxic that relationship was.
Thanks for your vulnerability and honesty. This was such a resonant take
Thank you for sharing your experience. This really spoke to me.
Buffy was the only thing that got me through one of the worst depressions in my life. For a couple of years, it was on repeat for me. I have a hard time watching it now, unless I feel myself slipping into the dark again. It is my canary in a coal mine. I love it. I hate it. I am so grateful for it.
Such a beautifully made video essay, thank you for this ❤ I teared up at the end when you said "the hardest thing in this world is to live in it." You put into words why season 6 has always made me uncomfortable to watch, while also being one of my favourite seasons of Buffy - or any show, ever. It holds a mirror up to humanity. Our most miserable and joyous moments. We can't have one without the other. It's such a masterpiece and really points to the power of the show that people are still relating it to their life and finding comfort in it 🙌
Season 3 is my favourite Buffy season and then it's 6
What a beautiful video. As both a lover of Buffy and a person who has battled depression his entire life I too can identify so much with Buffy's journey in season 6. A few years ago I was fortunate enough to find a wonderful therapist to work through all of the trauma in my past, yet even after six years of therapy I still go through my ups and downs. I find externalizing is my go-to way of trying to fight my way out when I feel deep down in the abyss of depression. I even started a blog where I write about it, and more recently started composing music. We all find our own ways of coping, but most important is to know that we are not alone. Thank you for this wonderful video.
I can relate to what you are saying and thanks for articulating it with the episodes so well.
Thank you for putting so much of yourself into this video. I find it somewhat brave that you can say personal things like these to make a better point about the show -and possibly help other people.
I saw the season 6 when I was dealing with the same things, and it helped me so much. The singing episode is one of my favourites because it feels, or at least felt, like stages of depression, from not knowing what's going and freaking out to trying to understand, but being scared of being without it again, then grabbing the first moments of happiness, then phases where you can find the strength to decide to do your best to get better but you're still scared to let go, and taking action...
And that's also the magic of the show: I've been watching it since I was 3, and I'm now 24, but everytime I see it I see it in a different light, and it never stops being relevant to my life.
The other reason people hate Season 6 is because watching it live we all thought it was over. There were rumors another network was picking it up. Then UPN gave them 6&7. Then we got the most DESPRESSING season of Buffy. It was a really bad transition as far as production.
This video is so thoughtful and beautiful. Thank you.
What you say about mental illness and responsibility make me think you should watch the show crazy ex girlfriend. It treat those subjects amazingly.
(Everyone should try to watch it).
As someone who is struggling with deep sadness & grief if not, having a hard time staying alive. Especially after the recent loss of my adopted mom, this season of the series is the most deeply moving and expressive in what it’s like to be in the depths of darkness if not deep despair. 😥💔😔 I think that season 5’s episode of “The Body” the loss of Buffy’s mom and feeling the true weight of all that she’s endured. “The Weight Of The World” was the shift and start of what season 6 would look like, you said it best. It’s a powerful though dark season that expresses. To me wanting to leave this world, trauma, grief, even suicidality as someone who’s going through it now. I feel this a lot since my mom passed, like what’s the point of remaining in this world, truly the hardest thing is to live in this world.😣 I appreciate this review and your being open and vulnerable about your struggles as well.
I was six years old when season 6 came out. My mum is a massive Buffy fan and she always let me watch it with her. I only remember being scared by one monster (the loan shark) which is funny because he was more of a goofy character. Seasons 6 will always be my favourite season. I was a introspective and anxious child so the idea of living in heaven but being sent back to earth made me sympathise with Buffy so much. I also loooove musicals so “Once More With Feeling” is my fave ever!
When I first watched season 6 I absolutely loved it and related to the unadulterated realism of the internal conflicts the characters go through as well as the overarching themes of the season. My love of this season has only grown as I've gotten older. It is beautiful and honest and speaks to me on so many levels! I have suffered from depression/melancholy my whole life. Even as a child (once I started school) I viewed life through a lens of cynicism and pessimism. I am a deeply sensitive, caring and empathetic person. I often refer to myself as an emotional sponge. Before starting school I saw the world as a loving and magical place. Once I ventured out into the real world I realized how very wrong I was and have felt like Buffy does in season 6 ever since. Every couple years I rewatch the series. I have done so since I was in high school. I'm 39 now and I have watched the series more times than I could count over the last 20+ years and in some ways it speaks more to me now than it did when I was younger. I relate to Buffy even though I'm a guy but I still relate to her in so many ways. I feel exactly like her when she says, “Everything here is ... hard, and bright, and violent. Everything I feel, everything I touch ... this is hell.” - Buffy
I have always felt different than others, isolated and lonely even in a room full of friends. My dad was not in my life like Buffy's dad. Also like Buffy I have time and again chosen toxic and self-destructive activities to lessen my pain in the hope I would feel something close to joy for a moment (which never works). I have always felt like I saw the world differently than most and felt things so deeply that I feel as though my heart will crumble into dust at any moment. Finally like Buffy I feel broke and cursed as if happiness and peace of mind were never meant for me. Like God himself has punished me by putting me into a world where there is so much pain and misery and evil while also gifting (cursing) me with the innate ability to feel it all so intensely that it is debilitating. So that is why season 6 is my favorite and will always be because it will forever speak directly to me like no other show before or since. 😥💔
its so hard to hear you. Every s sound is so loud
Thank you for your honesty and vulnerability 💕 this was a great analysis of a series I truly love
I don’t really have the words to properly articulate the feelings and stuff this video brought up …. You made me cry ….. and I’m grateful to you 🫶
A lot of what you said touched me, as it appears it has touched many others. Good analysis, I recently rewatched season 6 of this amazing show and you summed up a lot of thoughts that were going through my head. It's nice to know I'm not alone in these thoughts, even though it often feels that way. Thank you.
I was watching buffy for the first time when I was 17 and just had years of my mother and best friend being basically incapacitated by depression and burn-out behind me and was still going through it with them. At the same time I was just trying to hold on myself and being a carer for my little sister and my mother because, well, she couldn't do it and my father didn't know how to. And when she kinda could again, I didn't trust her to do it anymore, I never let her get close again.
I always loved season 6 with all my heart. It gave me comfort, it made me feel seen, it helped me understand and it gave me hope. It was painful in a way that mirrored my own pain and the pain I saw every day, which is a kind of pain I still search for in fiction to this day. I don't know if this means I have depression as well and it just feels different than it looked in my loved ones.
The moment when buffy realizes her own responsibilities is one of the hardest for me as well - I always wished and still do that my mother had ever learnt that lesson to maybe eventually be able to see her children through her pain.
Thank you so so much for this beautiful video; just yesterday I was wondering once again why in the world this season is not recognized and beloved for its beautiful misery. Sending you all my love.
Thank you!
@@therainbowintheroom3038 Could you talk about Buffy Session 7 ? :)
As someone who suffers from depression and anxiety, and all the insecurities that come with it, I found no comfort at all in Season 6. Point of fact, I found it deeply disturbing, wretched and with very few qualities. I will praise the musical, as it was an audacious piece, and I will credit the acting as they had to be at their best to make anything of what was a season that put simply, was misery for misery's sake.
None of the major plot points worked for me. Not allowing Xander and Anya to marry actually killed off any potential drama for them and made Anay pretty much superfluous. Spike's twisted sexuality and his attempted rape of Buffy was such a vile thing to watch that I almost stopped after that episode. And whilst the writers might have seen this as the moment where his redemption arc truly started, I saw it as the moment where his right to exist on the show ceased and season 7 was actually morally bankrupt in part by trying to turn him into a hero.
As for Willow, I never accepted their pathetic "magic as drugs" thing, given the heavy handed way it was pushed. I always saw Willow's journey as someone drunk on power, not addicted to a substance, and the fact the writers didn't know the difference shows scant regard logic. Worse, given the way the "addiction" storyline was then handled, I actually felt they did a grave disservice to those who deal with addiction to have it displayed in such a weak, cartoonish way.
As for the death of Tara, it was completely unnecessary and was only there for shock value, not for story value. But by then I realised that Joss and Co weren't interested in story, only shock value.
Season 6 remains for me the worst season of Buffy by quite some distance. The order I place the seasons in are: 3,5,4,2,1,7,6. The UPN years screwed the show over and I for one found it disgusting how they had perverted the show from something challenging but entertaining to something callous and sadistic. But then again, its Joss, so callous and sadistic come with the territory
I loved this video. Buffy S6 is so cathartic. Great work!
I saw a harsh critique of s6 and 7. I can only conclude the critic is very young. In my 70th year, I know darkness is a very common aspect of nearly every life, and my own experience is far less horrific than the majority of humanity.
I think the writers made mistakes with Spike's charactization over the series. He's supposed to be an evil demon who's just basically neutered by his chip ut he has more humanity without a soul than Angel does. We have literal proof of that from the big blue guy. And he does love Drusilla even if it's twisted. He does selfless things for Buffy without a soul. It makes no sense. I don't think the writers really knew what they were doing with him. Add onto that James Marsters' ridiculous charisma. I think that's why people struggle to truly recognise the issues with Spuffy and continue to ship them. There's so many times when Spike is there for Buffy in a way her best friends aren't or can't be. They do share a certain connection and the writers should have explored the nuances of that more. They assassinated his character completely in Seeing Red and then tried to walk it back in season 7. Personally, the biggest issue with their relationship, and I think the entire series, is that he tried to rape her and she forgave him. I think that's a terrible message and it's sloppy writing. They took it too far.
Thank you for making this video!
I think season 6 is one of the best of the entire series. When I watched it for the first time I had no idea what depression was and yet the show was so well written that I could still empathize with Buffy's emotions and understand her actions. And rewatching it after having experienced depression it was incredibly relatable and oddly comforting. It's not always painless but it definitely can be cathartic to watch a character go through the same struggles you've been through and it managed to make me feel truly understood. I especially liked how the showed the ugly parts of it all with the self-destructive behavior and lashing out at other people based on self-hate. Most shows wouldn't dare to show their main character in such a toxic light.
I hope you are better now.
I dont understand why people keep saying Spike left for the chip removal lol he went to fight for his soul for Buffy it was said like a million times. And he didn't need to remove his chip to literally hurt her so and this was a toxic relationship on both ends which makes me sad cause you knew Spike really did love her.
Loooove that scene when Buffy is walking past the angel statue and the wings hover behind her! So sad!
It was quite something, back in the day. It felt like there was a community of people who actually understood each other.
Alas, that didn't really last.
What gives you the idea that Spike intended to have his chip removed so he could return and kill her?
Thank you so much for this video
I’ve suffered from depression my entire adult life. I feel you Bruh
Great video. But the part about Spike leaving to get his chip removed actually isn't true. His intent all along was to get his soul. His anger before leaving, I believe, is toward himself (and to mislead viewers). He kept hearing over and over that what separated him from Angel was the soul, and the word "soulless" was used over and over to justify why there could be nothing between them, and in fact, why he couldn't be treated decently by some of the scoobies. And he was right, at least as far as Buffy was concerned, in that, in that state, as much as he could be kind, he wasn't able to love purely. (Though I mean, there are a TON of people WITH souls who only love selfishly). I think the difference is, somewhere in there was a good guy, but also in there was a monster. But people only mentioned the monster. He knew he had gone too far and he wanted to do the ONE thing that might get Buffy to love him, which was to get his soul back. Except, when he came back, he loved her but no longer wanted to POSSESS her as he did without a soul.
One of the best shows ever. Of course, one should not cherry-pick episodes, as it is best watched in order to have the full impact, the full character growth, the full descent into madness and destruction and the rise out of it. Season 5 and 6 were darker than 1-4. A lot of deaths of beloved characters, a lot of changes, hardship. Most was resolved in S7, but I was still hoping for more seasons. The comic was not a good replacement. Now I rather hope they never touch this precious series and defile it with a "reboot" or another spin-off (Angel was OK, thou). I do not think they could rekindle the spirit of the original and just do it for money.
Wow. I don't have words.
Thank you for that!
With regards to spike and buffy relationship i find that the fsndom always have very different interpretations of him and his telationship with buffy, and often contraeictory opinions. I blame this on how the writers seemed to not be consistent when writting him and looking to the interviews and thw stuff we know now it was clear there wasnt a clear idea about what to make of him, some wanted him as love interest others as a villain.
I didn't like Angel as much because i felt like it was trying to hard to be dark and yet season 6 is my favorite of Buffy's.Maybe there's just something from Angel's story that doesn't resonate with me as much
Season six is my favorite. And I like the magic addiction story line. It takes me back to season 1 with Amy's mom and expands on that. I do think it was a little dragged out and there's a couple minor annoyances, such as Anya constantly being knocked out. But I can overlook that.
Season 6 is the best, most adult, most relatable season and I love it. I have gone through some incredibly dark times myself. I was at a point where I completely gave up. I was just going through life, not caring and wanting to be alone. I was very lucky to meet a very nice guy and eventually felt comfortable enough to go out with him. Sadly, he was also in a bad place and we had a couple of rough years. It never got abusive but it was like, he loved me but could not believe that I loved him too. If that makes sense. We finally had an understanding and laid it out on the line through honesty. After that our lives improved. We have been married for 13 years now. 10 of those years have been wonderful. Don't get me wrong. Life isn't perfect. I still have dark thoughts and I have a hard time trusting others. I've had thousands of dollars stolen from me from family and "friends". I've been called ugly by "friends". I have been used and treated like garbage and sometimes people still try to talk down to me. I have a lot of anger built up and I have completely lost it on people who probably didn't deserve it. I'm just at the point to were any little comment will set me off. Honestly, my husband is the only person I trust because of what we went through together. I still hate myself sometimes but I am better now than I was years ago and I feel like with each passing year I become more comfortable with myself. I still don't trust others and probably never will. I wish you the best of luck. Just know, you are not alone
I gotta say, Buffy the Movie was hilarious,
it is a great fun movie.
Get a big bag of popcorn!!
I was worried cause the TV show
Came off as more serious than the movie,
I thought it was based on a Comix series?
But Google is too caught up with the TV show,
I couldn't get past the TV show Comics.
The movie is not a TV series it is a stand-alone,
well worth the watch stodgy critics didn't like it.
But everyone that watched did, it was almost a cult classic. IMHO
i really willows addiction arc i was speechlesa
Love s6 that is all
You want horror? Then look no further than the actions of "Chairman Mao"; he in his antics regularly gives fully grown men well-accustomed to the real world nightmares!
Can you make more buffy videos 😅❤
It was Charmed😂😂😂😂😂
Season 6 is my go to comfort default
* I truly hope this finds you safe and content
I think you should withhold the judgement of your own actions and how they affect others for when you are better, with a clearer mind... It's such a cliché to say that 'it doesn't matter if one suffers from a mental disorder, one is still responsible for one's own actions'... that isn't the case in most instances... there's dissociation, depersonalization, derealization, and many other symptoms that alter or inhibit one's ability to react or act in a adaptative/socially acceptable way, and people should understand and try to help or remove themselves, because insisting on the culpability of the mentally incapacitated can worsen the condition and impede the recovery process.
Carry on, and try to not punish yourself for expectable reactions.
Is this where I am?
It’s good that it exists, but S6 is a problem because it loses the balance between character and plot that all of the previous seasons had.
BtVS is a show about characters with real lives who also have supernatural struggles to contend with. S6 removes the supernatural plot and struggles for the most part, and replaces them with angst or PSA-bad analogies like Magic=Drugs.
Plus, please STOP saying S6 is about ‘rEaL LiFe’. S5 had just as many real-life situations to contend with, or had everyone forgotten the Joyce and Dawn storylines?
Also, it’s disingenuous to suggest people didn’t like S6 then, or now, because they ‘’weren’t grown up’’. I’ve been through very similar depression as is portrayed here, and I still don’t like the season. Depression is a big issue and I’m glad the show tackled it, but it doesn’t make S6 good.
i love you
I still don't get how a woman as put together as Joyce didn't have life insurance, and where the hell was Buffy's dad?
Plot holes, Plot holes everywhere for added unnecessary drama, hell if Buffy had cut down on her wardrobe expenditure she would have been able to pay the mortgage. Also in s5 Giles got paid retroactively from when he was fired in s3, but it didn't occur to anyone to get Joyce's mortgage paid off or give Buffy a stipend.
she did have life insurance but most of it was spent on hospital bills and careless financial management by willow/tara while buffy was dead
There a reason why I dont like that Spike and Buffy got together in comics :/
And that's fair enough but you're not factoring in he chose to change maybe it's too painful - and that's fine too. They're not real people and their experiences don't map completely onto real life - you are and should believe whatever helps you care for yourself.
Wow did the timing of when to make this and predicting suck...
I cant understand a word
In addition, sinful conduct is *extremely* addictive, in and of itself; so it does fit that the spiritual sins she was engaging in would be very addictive.
This season nearly made me quit watching. It had its moments, mostly involving spike but the rest was utter garbage. Trash, waste of time. The way all the sudden willow is dumbledore mixed with a God? It was un earned, sudden, and 100% unbelievable... most importantly, stupid. The spike story is the ONLY redeeming part of s6
You’re entitled to your wrong opinion, it’s fine.
The part when she reveals the peace that she was ripped away from by people she loved was so damn heartbreaking. BTVS handled mental health in a fascinating and unique way that I'm still impressed by. Many of us have dealt with depressive episodes and for me it's just another layer that made Buffy a relatable character
What a beautiful essay. I remember when I watched season 6 for the first time, I was probably around 13 or so and I didn't understand Buffy at all. I found her behavior appalling, how she wasn't paying attention to her friends. But when I was older and I re-watched the show, after having gone through depression myself, I understood her to an extent that I had never been able to before. Same with the relationship between Spike and Buffy, which I hadn't recognized for what it was as a kid - as an adult I could see the unhealthy behavior, the self-harming search for control, because I myself had gone through a period of self-destructive behavior.
But I think that's probably why the season is so contentious. To someone who has never experienced anything like what Buffy is going through, it can be a disconcerting and alienating season. When you can't relate to the feelings the main character is going through, it's hard to connect. But when you do relate, it's incredibly comforting.
How's that quote go, again? Something like, "Great art should disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed."
I have indeed been through very similar pain to Buffy, and I still heavily dislike season six. I dislike it for its lack of balance and disregarding what made the show good in the first place.
@@ilyanagalen9320well Season Six still has the musical episode. S7 is better tho. Not as good as season 1-3 but still good..
Spike's quest was, and ALWAYS WAS, to get his soul restored for Buffy, despite any misleading leaks we may have put out that you fell for." -- [Buffy writer and producer] David Fury on the Bronze Beta, 11/19/02
Yes, thanks. (And the chip was not preventing him to kill buffy since it didn't work on her anymore)
Yea you gotta understand that the buffy community confuses head cannon with actual cannon
@@jonathansoko1085 *canon
Ye that’s why I hate Spuffy haters. They dont HAVE to be a fan that’s fine but judging Spikes relationship with Buffy BEFORE he got his soul back is REALLY unfair. Angel was cursed with a soul. He didn’t even earn it. Spike fought for his soul
amazing video. it's really, really, really AMAZING but spike's quest wasn't about get his chip off, it was about getting his soul back because he wants buffy to see how much he cares for her and will do everything to prove he can be a good person.
DEFINITELY one of the best characters in the show
pera, tu é brasileiro???
When I first watched Buffy, I was going through depression and suicidal thoughts. Season six portrayed Buffy herself as exactly how I felt, numbness, bad decision making, and completely misunderstood by her friends included. Season six made me feel less alone and actually was part of what helped me get out of that space. Season six even helps me avoid falling into depressive episodes when I feel myself slipping back into those unhealthy habits and though patterns. So it almost hurts when people treat S6 like the bastard child, cause it’s so profound and comforting and amazingly done
Moderator: "At the end of the finale, I thought Spike wanted to get the chip out, not get his soul back?"
[Buffy creator] Joss Whedon: "Noooo.... but you were meant to think that. I personally devised something called 'a plot twist'." -- At the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences panel "Behind the Scenes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer", 6/18/02
I don't mean to be rude, but your emphasis on the Spike soul restoration (which in text is not what his intentions were, that doesn't change because the writers were misdirecting us from the twist of the season's cliffhanger, and also is something i didn't touch on at all) makes me feel like you either missed or did not pay attention to the entire point of the video.
@@therainbowintheroom3038 sorry if you feel that way, english is not my first language, and I jist tried to help with some info that I had. You dont need to be so rude.
@@innocentevilis
Wow. Your first comment had *perfect* punctuation, spelling, and grammar. I wish more ppl on YT wrote as you did, especially as this is your 2nd language.
@@alysiamerdavid-wasser9165 🤣 clearly a copy & paste situation, comment is verbatim
@@therainbowintheroom3038 But it DOES matter, because it influences what you state the story's intention to be.
I always thought that Joyce possibly developed her brain tumor from the monks messing with her memories
Same, but I'm glad they didn't go with that, opting for a natural death by natural causes instead.
Season 6 was deep sad complex and really more focus on feelings and dark moments some characters are going through . I'm so grateful that we got the chance to have that season. Thank you for your beautiful video about it and sharing your struggles thoughts realization and how you can relate to it
This is beautiful. Thank you.
Thank you so much for this video. Season 6 gets so much hate. But as someone who's been in Buffy's position, this season changed my life.
A little late, but thank you, for sharing.
This is a great video. I think you have excellent understanding of the metaphors of the show, and you connected them to real-life parts of your experience to create truly valuable ideas.
If you'll indulge me, I'd like to share my own interpretation of Buffy & Spike. The way I see it, it's a relationship where one partner was professing their love on a daily basis, and I other literally told them "you're just a thing! I just use you for sex!" then beat them up, then expected them to run errands to assist them with her job, all why denying their relationship to everyone else. Buffy wasn't "also abusive" she WAS the abusive one, for most of the relationship. At the very last moment, Spike snaps in the bathroom, and assaults her, which distracts everyone's attention away from what happened before that, which yeah, that's fair. I don't want to sound like I am defending Spike's actions in the bathroom, that is not my intent. I'm just saying that for the season up until that point I kept thinking "Buffy is the abusive one, here." Spike actually loves her and wants a relationship. Buffy beats him until he bleeds, f**ks him whenever she wants, and tells him how he's nothing to her and he doesn't deserve love. They are both doing unhealthy things, but what she's doing to him is way worse than what he does to her, at least at first.
Lol I hope you grew up in the last few years and realize how horrible your comment is.
This is so powerful. Thank you for making it and sharing your story. I know nothing I can say can make it better because I've definitely been in that hole and that's why season 6 means so much to me too. But just know you arent alone.
I never read the Spike relationship as abusive and this makes me really question what I have learnt about relationships to be honest. Buffy is clearly consenting (aside from THAT scene), but from a deeply unhealthy place - and the nuance is that the pleasure is actually a form of self punishing and boundary pushing. This is when I feel buffy is at her most humane, experiencing the simultaneous weight and buoyancy of life when we get caught in ‘human doing’ - love this show
I'd argue it was abusive in both ends. Death Things is proof of it
nah, he clearly manupilated her for few seasons, and in the 6th one she was vulnereble enough, so he used it. He capitalized on her misery as a true narsissist which i think "not having a soul" is a metaphore for
@@svetakirko8427soulless Spike is still MILES better than soulless Angel. Not once did Buffy EVER depend on Angelus. Only Angel. But there was an episode in S5 where Buffy asks Spike to watch Dawn and Joyce. She’d never trust Angelus to do that. Once Spike goes over the line in “Seeing Red”, he finally goes to get his soul. He’s a commendable character because he FOUGHT for his soul. While Angel was cursed with one.
@@lessismore8533 absolutely, i see it like that too
The way you explain this is truly amazing. Struggling this year very deeply and issues I thought I overcame keep reminding myself that it’s a continuing process.
I wish you continued strength 💙
Thanx for sharing. Thank you for opening up about your personal struggle. I'm going thru depression now and I back then. I loved this season!
I rewatched Buffy with my mom during the pandemic and I related to Buffy so much during seasons 5 and 6, especially since I'm around her age now and my life felt like it stagnated in the past couple of years, kind of like how her life stagnated in season 6. The pandemic didn't really help much at all because I was constantly worrying about my loved ones catching COVID and dying, which made the episode where Joyce dies much more impactful. Watching Buffy again as a young adult made me realize a lot of things about myself that I've either never noticed before or been ignoring. It's a show that I've first watched when I was very young and it has been a big influence on me throughout my life. It's definitely a show that grows with you the older you get, so I can't wait to watch it again when I'm around Joyce's age to see if I could understand her perspective better.
Thank you for this video. I feel exactly the same. I watched this season back when I was 15 or something and I didn’t enjoy it at all. Now as an adult, I LOVE this season. It absolutely captures how depression feels. Thank you for sharing your story ❤
Hey hun investing in good audio equipment and clearly annunciating your words would get you a lot of subscribers. You're a great wtiter but it's hard to hear you.
( also edit is because I originally wrote this before I realized the overall theme. This is beautiful and insightful and like everybody else I appreciate you sharing.)
First time viewer and instant fan. Subscribed. ❤️
This season was so relatable. Great video ❤
I love season 6 of buffy besides buffy and spike getting together which I really didn't like because there relationship was so toxic and the villains of the season who are totally lame I still enjoy it
Thank you 🙏
This is beautiful. Thank you for this