Season 6 is my favorite season. I felt like it did an amazing job depicting depression. It helped me get through my first bout of depression when I was told I was too young to know what depression was. As someone who has had psychotic breaks and having a hard time figuring out what’s reality and what’s not I actually really loved it being depicted in the mental hospital episode. It’s easy to see it as unrealistic if you’ve never dealt with that… especially when reality is the worst option in your mind… I think these mental health struggles need to be shared and I admire BTVS for doing a concept season while still keeping overall series continuity. I love season 6 forever. I don’t think I would he alive without it to be honest.
As an avid Buffy fan who rewatched all seasons many times... yeah! Season 6 for the win :) I'm annoyed by all the people hating season 6 and acting as if it was clearly the worst season or something... man, like or dislike what you want, but don't tell me you know how "bad" a season or episode was because by now Buffy is literally a science and there will never be consensus about anything among us fans :D and that's how I like it :) just as long as we agree that there are always other opinions among us and they are just as valid :)
@@flowerchild8450 as has everything been since season 7, thats when Buffy the story died. when the show did. we should be happy we got that far, considering not even an audiobook can last a season, or just be buffy without some hidden agenda.
Hey Wesley might’ve only been on Buffy for a few episodes but bringing him on for Angel created the greatest character arc I’ve seen on TV. His character out grew so many.
Agreed! Wesley had one of the greatest character developments I've ever seen. When I occasionally rewatch Buffy, I'm always surprised at how goofy a character Wesley was. His character arc throughout Angel was incredibly well done.
I would urge people to watch the entirety of Angel just for Wesley’s character development. I rewatch Buffy for various reasons, depending on my mood - but when I rewatch Angel, it’s for Wesley. Even though it’s extremely depressing. It’s very well done.
I'm thinking of doing an experiment where I first show someone a scene of Wesley from Buffy Season 3, then show that person the scene of Wesley having Justine in his closet, and then tell them this is the exact same character, just to get the reaction.
A couple of counters: While there were characters who came and went with the seasons, the core group remained stable through the entire run: Buffy, Willow, Xander, and Giles, who did leave the series for most of Season Six, due the preferences of Anthony Stewart Head. The Season Four finale did have links to both the past season(s) and the season following. (On a personal note, I enjoy Season Four - none of the seasons was perfect - nothing is - but each of the seasons, even the weaker ones, had some excellent episodes, and each of them also had episodes that experimented and/or played with concepts). Tara did not spend most of Season Five in a magic-induced daze. In a season of 22 episodes, her daze lasted from the last section of Episode 19 to around end of midpoint of Episode 22. I would disagree with your argument about the lowering of stakes and disregard as well as repeated tropes in resurrecting Buffy, as the dangers are specifically noted and ignored by Willow especially, and 99% of the season deals with Buffy's reaction to being pulled back into the living world. Far from ignoring and disregarding, Season Six explores and questions the consequences and stakes. Do they do it perfectly? No, of course not. Do they pull away from the questions, though? Again, no. We've already seen an attempt to resurrect Joyce and why it was a nightmarish idea. We see that resurrecting Buffy was also a bad idea, at least all the way to the very last moments of the season, and this is why so many of the characters are portrayed "negatively". I do agree about the "Seeing Red" moment: if they wanted to show what Spike still was, there could have been other ways to do so. She says specifically that there was no pain, and no sense of anything except peace. She never says anything about having spent time with lost loved ones. The actor is Anthony Stewart Head, not Anthony Rupert Hall. Rupert is the first name of the character Giles. I am disagreement about "the Buffy you knew and the Buffy you didn't want to know": I personally found the Season Six Buffy intriguing and complicated; the Buffy of previous seasons could also have traits that made her less than perfect and sometimes a cause of impatience (for me). It contributed to her humanity in this eccentric environment, and for me Season Six was really no different in that regard. That goes for Willow and the other characters. I agree with the handling of Dawn in Season Six, and Season Seven. The moment between Anya and Spike is not planned or deliberate on the part of either character: both are frustrated, feeling deserted and unloved. It's a desperate reaching out for connection on the part of both. The Big Bad for Season Six, as Whedon suggested, is life itself. In terms of a tangible Big Bad, it's Willow, who starts her path to that title in Episode 1 of the season. Willow is not, and never had been only light hearted. From our first moment meeting her, she presents a core of insecurity, and a tendency to dislike herself. We note that she depends deeply on the very few people who are friends with her. We learn that her mother is distant and lacks empathy for her daughter. Far from being a cheat, Dark Willow is an organic outcome of the previous seasons, hinted at even in the fun and excellent "Doppelgangland". I do not say Season Six was bad. I say it was difficult, but purposefully so. I agree portions of the development of character and plot were rushed; that the impetus for Spike to leave town was not managed well, and that the character of Dawn lost focus. I do not agree that the various targets for each main character development was wrong, off-track or unreasonable, or that Season Six was a failure. For me, the only season that approaches "failure" was Seven. I do not agree that there is nothing in "Buffy" worth watching after Season Five. Therefore I disagree with your premise.
@@ktowniecity7269 That may be true, and it probably is. But it was a well-written and well-acted dumb teen drama with some very good, strong moments. By the same token, "Angel" was a noir rip-off with a standard-issue broody hero, but it was also well-written and well-acted.
I wish that they had built the Dark Willow storyline better. The narcissistic drug addict who loses control after the loss of a loved one, only to return to their former self and 😂 sensibilities, 😂 all because of a crayon, didn’t really work for me. It felt cheap. I was hoping for a well crafted story that built on all the groundwork that was already present for Willow. Shy, insecure, often bullied Willow became more confident in the later seasons but she still had scars and self doubt. Excessive use of magic as a metaphor for drug abuse was cheesy. Addiction is an illness, and grief can push someone into a downward spiral. It’s not a free pass for Willow to skate the same way Angel did as Angelus. He wasn’t really the one doing the evil, it was just a demon wearing his face. How the writers approached Willow using magic in the later seasons was very disappointing. After they created Dark Willow it was like they had written her into a corner and had no idea what to do with her character, so she became a pale imitation of who she once had been. I just wish that they had let her own her actions, and created a complex character who was capable of many things and struggled to find balance.
@@MusicRainfield I'd argue that the crayon isn't the thing that brings her back. Xander chose that story to recall former child Willow out any number from their shared life in Sunnydale. What brings her back is Xander's refusing to back down when she attacks him, and keeps repeating that he loves her. That's what does it. I agree that the addiction analogy is not well handled, but Willow's descent into what she becomes at the end of Season Six can easily be traced from Season One, where we see the core insecurity in her; the often-blind approach to that insecurity from her friends; the reliance on magic that begins to rear its head as early as Season Three; and the essential loneliness Willow experiences in her life, which means that people leaving her is more frightening and heart wrenching than it is for other people. It's different from Angel/Angelus, and I don't think you can draw as many parallels between him/them and Willow/Dark Willow as you might think you could. I do agree with you that Season Seven Willow, after her return to Sunnydale, is not developed well, but that's a consequence of the decision to bring in the Potentials, which caused a lag in the development of most of the core characters. We do see that Willow is afraid of herself ... true to form, actually, though for different reasons now, and she needs to overcome them for the big showdown finale. I agree it wasn't elegantly handled in Season Seven, but the outline of what should have been an organic end arc is there.
Spike's trademark coat cost $2,000 from a top fashion store. It was then run over repeatedly by a truck to give it that distressed look. James Marsters only read the scripts for his own scenes, as he was a fan of the show and didn't want to have the rest of the episode spoiled for him. Series creator Joss Whedon has said that the idea for Buffy came from all the horror movies he had seen featuring a helpless young blonde who would almost always be the first to die. He felt she needed a better image. Angel was originally conceived as nothing more than a weird guy who occasionally showed up to give Buffy vague advice. There were several ideas for his true identity tossed around, including that he was an actual angel who needed to complete a certain number of good deeds before being allowed back into Heaven, before his being a vampire was decided on literally while writing the episode with the reveal. Seth Green disliked being underutilized in season three, as he hated having to show up for work when he'd only have one or two lines the whole time. This is why Oz is absent midway through season four. Joss Whedon wanted to increase paranoia by making the vampires look like normal humans until it's time to feed and they transform into monsters. He wanted them to very clearly look like monsters though to ensure a certain level of fantasy on the show. It took 1 hour and 20 minutes to apply the facial prosthetic and just as long to remove it after filming. Alyson Hannigan is very good friends with singer Pink whose daughter is named Willow. After her birth, Hannigan praised her name choice on Twitter. The cast hated the library scenes, since they were full of exposition and took forever to film. They all celebrated when it blew up. Ranked #10 on Entertainment Weekly's list of the "100 Greatest Shows of All Time." Sarah Michelle Gellar's favorite episodes were The Prom (1999), Hush (1999), and The Body (2001). Sarah Michelle Gellar was unable to attend the wrap party, as she was busy filming Scooby-Doo (2002). There are just seven episodes in which no vampire appears. They are Witch (1997), The Pack (1997), I, Robot... You, Jane (1997), The Puppet Show (1997), Inca Mummy Girl (1997), Living Conditions (1999), and Fear Itself (1999). In the other ones, even when there are no vampire foes, there's always Angel, or Spike. Or both. The series is not based on the feature film Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992), but Joss Whedon's original screenplay, which had been heavily re-written to be more comedic. The Buffy comic book series adapted the screenplay, bringing the events of the movie in-line with the television show's continuity. Sarah Michelle Gellar disliked season six, because of the dark tone of the storylines. She also wasn't a fan of the extensive preparation that had to be done for Once More, with Feeling (2001). Spike's birth name William Pratt is also the birth name of iconic horror actor Boris Karloff. In Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992), Buffy says that her only life goals are to "graduate, go to Europe, marry Christian Slater, and die." Although Joss Whedon has repeatedly stressed that the movie should not be considered "canon" for the television show, by the end of it, Buffy actually accomplishes three of these goals, graduate, go to Europe, and die, although, not in that order. Buffy's full name is "Buffy Anne Summers". This was explained in Anne (1998), where Buffy said Anne is her middle name. Before he was turned into a vampire, Spike's name was William. Angel's real name was Liam.
13:48 Anya sleeping with Spike had nothing to do with Xander and was in no way an attempt to hurt him. Anya herself states “that wasn’t vengeance, it was solace”. She never even knew he would find out. Xander of course made it all about him because he’s an ass.
I usually agree with Vee’s opinions but on this one not so much. I am a huge Buffy fan since 97’ & a lot of his takes - though insightful - seem to be taken from an outsiders point of view & not someone who understands the nuances of the show.
I'm a huge Buffy fan as well. This video seemed 'off'. I've watched other Buffy videos with very thoughtful insights. Even though I might have disagreed with some of them, I could respect their opinion. But this seems to have been written by someone who didn't watch the series - or perhaps just skimmed through it.
No I believe u need in outside view because your view is biased because you are a fan people that are not fans or something they just watch it can give it in the objective view and I agree with him
James Marsters himself stated that he hated that scene. However, Whedon wanted it to happen because (although obvious) he didn't like Spikes character.
You think that vampire Spike never do a rape before? Maybe you have a trouble with memories but in season 3 he has about to rape Willow... He not just talk about blood. So that have actualy sense, Spike is still a monster. He rape people, he kill people. Chip not changing him that much.
Heartily disagree. Season 6 was one of the best. It is definitely a tonal shift from earlier seasons, but that is intentional and indeed expected. The earlier seasons were metaphors for trials and problems faced by teenagers still in the process of growing up, but season 6 was all about the problems of trying to be an adult. There were deep issues that were well addressed and amazingly well acted. Buffy's funk that lasted through much of the beginning of the season is one of the best on-screen depictions of clinical depression I have ever seen, and even as she comes out of it many of her challenges were just trying to deal with the mundane realities of adult life. It is so well done. I get it that it is your opinion, but it seems you completely missed the point. Season 6 is where the show grew up.
I have to disagree with the read of Anya vis a vis her hookup with Spike. It didn't come off like her seeking revenge, it was two brokenhearted people commiserating over their wounds and then seeking comfort and distraction physically. Plus, Anya was single at the time. Recently dumped. By Xander. She did nothing wrong here; Xander is the schmuck in this scenario (and most scenarios, if we're being honest). He left her at the altar, blew up their relationship, and then had the nerve to act like HE was the aggrieved party, throwing a viscious verbal tantrum. I will admit that Xander is my least favorite character, but I never hated him more than I did in that moment.
I agree that the potential Slayers was probably a misused plotline I really like the whole concept of Spike getting his soul back in the consequences of that for him
It's been stated multiple times that characters cannot return because you cannot tamper with the laws of nature. Giles literally said this at the beginning of the season, and even Buffy’s response to returning was that of pain because she was peacefully in heaven but has now returned to hell feeling the sorrow, which connects to Angel S2, which confirms why Buffy was feeling as such.
There's also the bit in Villains where Willow tries to bring Tara back. She doesn't have the urn and it's mentioned that it only worked for Buffy because she died through mystical means.
When he mentioned that I couldn't help but wonder if he'd actually watched the show. He even asked the question why did they not bring back Joyce - an entire episode was devoted to that very topic!
i mean i don't know what the spin is, because i'm not paying to listen to it, but around the time of your comment, there was an audiobook season released containing at least 3 dead buffy members, and the demo you can listen to sets it in current times so i don't know what any of them would be voicing.
The Big Bad of season 6 was depression. Everyone was depressed. Buffy because she was pulled out of heaven. Willow because she was a junkie. Tara because she couldn't help Willow. Xander because he left Anya at the altar. Anya because Xander left her at the altar. Dawn because everybody else was depressed and nobody seemed to care about her.
No, Angel was a good series. Buffy was a GREAT series. You started off with a misstep. Dying? S1/E12 was the first time. S5/E22 the second time. After that, still alive, although there was one brief drowning. Season 4 was a mess, but it was NOT a retelling of Frankenstein's Monster. You are missing the issue that happened with the "big bad" villain bowing out, requiring major rewrites. Season 5 ended as it did because it closed a major arc. I have the tee shirt! But the final two seasons were still very good. We got a Musical! And it provided a great episode. Also, Joyce did come back, briefly, before Dawn tore up the picture. Spike did come back in "Angel". Angel came back in Buffy S3. You strike me as a casual viewer.
@@tvguy61 - As well as Professor Walsh leaving, Seth Green (Oz) asked to be let out of contract as well. So they had two major characters abruptly leave the show in season 4 and had to scramble to do rewrites.
I agree that the writer of this video seemed like a casual viewer. He made multiple errors throughout the video, and didn't seem to understand any of the themes of the show. He even disliked it' humour! (I must admit, I LOVED the humour in Buffy!)
Principal Wood felt look like the Whedonverse version of Blade. So much so that the cover of Nikki Wood comic was a throwback to Blade's first appearance in Tomb of Dracula. He Strong and skilled enough to battle demons and vamps with out any empowerment. The only son of a slayer that we know of, i theorized that he inherited some strength from his mother. (Plus he was trained by her Watcher) But yea, he was a late eddition to the show....but then it was nice to see another character of color on a predominately white show (not that it matters that much, but a little authentic and sincere diversity is welcomed.....)
@darkservantofheaven I also find the concept of Dawn becoming the New Slayer and having Spike being a mentor / teacher to be a good idea on paper. The thing that would have made it interesting would be if Spike got his soul back via "the Powers that be" choosing him to become their champion and a guardian/protector to the new Slayer Dawn. What would make it even more interesting would be if Tara and Willow were also chosen as well and both got MASSIVE power boost from the Powers.
The Trio were good, they were human monsters. Also the episode with Riley returning helped to get Buffy back on track, the Scooby Gang weren't kids anymore, the Hellmouth is corrupting for adults. You have to learn to live with failure and bad choices
@@folkloreuh - I always felt that the quippyness was because Willow couldn't stand the extreme pain she was feeling. So she allowed the darkness to swallow her, and that stifled her emotions. She couldn't feel the emotions that make us human, such as love and empathy - she was all about vengeance. And quipping to others was like a cat playing with a mouse before she eat it. Just my humble opinion! :)
I'm sure someone has mentioned this, but just in case, Rupert Giles was played by Anthony Stewart Head, often known as Tony Head, and not 'Anthony Rupert Hall' as stated in the video.
Honestly I think season 6 is one of the better seasons; and the whole season is largely about why both bringing people back from death AND using the powerful magics involved is NOT a good idea. I do think “Seeing Red” handled a lot wrong; and while we needed to get both Spike and Willow where they ended up at the episode end; the writers didn’t understand the gravity of what they were playing with. That episode needed work.
As someone who had some struggles in his twenties I actually found season 6 quite relatable and liked it. Why I would've liked if Xander and Anya stayed together I don't think it was out of the realm of possibility. They clearly shoed how much he feared being like his father. Season seven was my least favorite. Honestly the potentials get almost no development so we hardly can care about them. The actor Anthony Head actually asked if he could be the villian this season and he was allowed to be killed and shown as one of the versions of the first I think that would've seriously messed with the scoobies's head.
Now THAT would have been interesting. The potential story just annoyed me. They should have spent more time explaining how the Hellmouth was making everyone crazy. At least that would explain why the Scoobies are so OOC the whole season.
Season 6 was more about the real world, and the horrible mundane things we have to do every day are scarier and more damaging than what they had to face in high school or fantasy creatures they came up against before
Everyone has their own answers as from best to least favorite, but I have never seen anyone say the show died.... until now. Most of the things the video has problems with have answers and if not answers head canon. That's what makes the show a true masterpiece. It has reasons to survive and has only grown stronger over the years.
Its kind bizare saying the show died when there are legions of fans till this day, it was picked up even after being canceled at season 5 and had a proper ending at season 7. Alsp, saying Angel was better its just kind weird to me. To each their own but even though I like Angel, the show is a bit of mess of great and mediocre episodes mixed together
@@AnatoleVGC I didn't say the show died. I said it's grown stronger. I was implying it hasn't died as it could have. Also, the show was never cancelled after S5, the distributing rights were just bought by UPN when The WB's contract expired.
And that's different from the other videos, how? As far as I can tell, every "the day X died," video are all about shows that still have a large fan base. The closest one that seems to actually have a reduced fan base is Star Wars. But even that has a gigantic fan base. They just don't like the new stuff.
@@propheinx2250 It's misinformation if you don't know it's a joke on the youtube channel itself, as I didn't when I wrote the comment. I don't watch the channel's videos. I came upon it as a Buffy fan.
It's strange that this review is saying that season 5 was intended as a series finale, when so many people from the show have said that every single season was viewed as the last season, as they were never sure if they'd get another one. And that continued right up until after Angel, season 5, when they got... oh... yeah... right... sorry.
@@tvguy61 I'd agree with that, but Buffy also forgave Angel pretty quickly after he killed Jenny Calendar. And dear god yes, Kennedy was too soon. I actually liked Kennedy, I just didn't like her and Willow becoming an item after five minutes. The potentials were sadly a mistake. They wanted a big battle at the end and needed soldiers, when, something more akin to the student body against the Mayor could have worked, just the town against the First Evil. But hindsight...
@@Christopher_Vose Kennedy just came across as a "Queen bee" character. Her character was a horrible person that never becomes a better/redeemable person and actually likes how horrible she is. She never redeems herself and is the biggest example of what happens when you give the powers of a Slayer to the WRONG type of person. She even instigated the mutiny against Buffy and turned Buffy's friends/family against her and kicked her out of her own house in the midst of an apocalypse.
@@Christopher_Vose They don't even use Kennedy as a foil to Buffy or Faith. Kennedy was also responsible for one of the potentials killing themselves due to her brutal militaristic attitude. This happened twice as a girl from Kennedy's previous school also killed herself because of Kennedy's mistreatment of her.
@@Christopher_Vose The whole town coming together to stop the first after all the years of family and friends being killed or going missing would have been great. And the only seasons that seem like they were written to be series finals to me are the odd seasons. Seasons 2,4,and 6 feel more like season finals.
Every season has its flaws, and I respect that every fan has seasons they prefer. But to write off Seasons 4-7 unequivocally is so narrow-minded. Buffy's death in Season 5 is far from "breezed past." It literally takes a whole season for to get over it. Most of your criticism of Season 6 is just "It's different than the high school seasons." Shows can and should change. That's the show's greatest strength. In another world, Buffy would have stayed in high school for 7 years, with the same characters, fighting the same villains, and having the same problems. There are hundreds of shows like that - take any procedural or old sitcom. If that's what you want, put on one of those. But don't box a TV show into the corner because you want it to be unchanging. Truly one of the worst takes I've ever heard about this show.
Accusing Anya of sleeping with Spike only to hurt Xander is the wrong take and kind of a gross perspective to have? Didn't hear anything about Spike doing anything wrong there, or Xander going way too far in his verbal assault on her. Hmmm I wonder why that could be... 🙄
Got a lot to unpick from this vid, but one I haven't seen others mention is about the Initiative. I think its mentioned that it kind of comes out of nowhere and I would disagree. Back on S2 its shown that there's a conspiracy element in how the authorities approach the supernatural when Snyder and a detective agree to cover up magical events surrounding the Sadie Hawkins dance with the "usual story, drugs" and actual acknowledgement of a hellmouth. This is expanded obviously with the mayor so if stands to reason that if local authorities know about it, the larger government sure do and will try to weponise it. Although it is perhaps a bit heavyhanded when it does appear.
Season 6 is my favorite! I love the dark direction, Dark Willow is my favorite big bad, and the trio are both fun and frightening. My only issue was the Buffy/Spike relationship which I never liked or bought.
season 6 is actually great, same with season 7. Who cares what the majority thinks, season 6 was wonderfully dark and different and the first evil and season 7's finale was badass.
My sister asked me to tape the second to last episode for her. Usually I would just go and do it,when she was on the phone. This one time though I was in the middle of something and then ended up forgetting. How many years later,I'm still hearing about it.
I think the OP meant when it first aired. I used to record Buffy episodes on VHS too. I'm pretty sure I have most if not all of season 6 somewhere in storage in a box.
Watching the team of potential slayers and the original gang kick Buffy out reminded me of when they did it in The Arrow. It felt so out of place, it didn't feel justified and it was frustrating to see an opinion I disagreed with being supported by the majority of the characters. I didn't like those scenes in both shows, but then again, I never liked the newer Arrow team members, so I might have been a bit biased there.
I wished they had given Spike and Buffy a chance to be together outside of sex but that bathroom scene really made me realize that the writers were done trying to make it a thing. It felt out of character even with him being evil. Him trying to kill her and her friends, yeah I can see that but the assault??? They should have done something else if they wanted to destroy relationship potential and remind us that he's evil.
Why is it out of character? It wasn't about the sex itself (as rape often isn't) but is about trying to prove to Buffy that she loves him. This is very much in line with his behaviour in Crush.
Think about it like a BDSM relationship. How many times did those 2 have sex / make out, whatever that started with Buffy saying "eww, NO"? Spike was simply too twisted up to recognize that THIS "No" was sincere.
Season 3 was my favorite and was when i felt it was at it's peak. I struggled through season 4 and 5 and was completely offput by season 6 it was middlingly better for 7 but like you stated i think it should have ended with season 5.....so please do give us your take on it's finale.
while I can get behind many of these points, S6 never had a "big bad". Not even Spike going to his absolute worst for a single episode. Not Dark Willow. Not even Warren. S6 is about dealing with death, loss, the pains of growing up. The gang was not ready to live without Buffy. Spike was not ready to be full on good. The Trio were nerds who were unable to let the highschool days pass and their cosplaying turned out super wrong because they were lead by the pervert mess called Warren. Willow basically became cool through "drug" abuse from S4 and let magic consume her because it was a way to leave her nerdy side. She falls down and then goes on a complete rampage without a beloved person to help and contain her. Which turns out to be Xander in the end after Giles let her basically absorb a counterspell to her own powers
This feels like it was made by someone who binged the show one time in order to make a youtube video about it. Lots of factual errors and a very surface-level "was also playing with my phone at the same time I was watching" sort of read on season 6 and the characters.
Personally i feel that it ended after Spike and Buffy relationship ended. But if anyone who hasn't read the Dark Horse cannon, its awesome. They picked off where season 7 left off. Plus Spike and Buffy are a couple!
Yeah, I think Buffy telling Spike that she loved him, in the finale, before he sacrifices himself, even though he knows it’s not yet real love, because Buffy got with him in her grief and anger(and she was horny by then). I mean they beat the hell out of one another, when they have sex for the first time. Sorry, I also don’t agree with Vee about there being no stakes. There was stakes in a majority of episodes, but seriously… The episode when Buffy is invisible, still cracks me up.
@CorbCorbin LOL, yeah, Buffy was truly messed up in season 6. However, ironically, Spike was the one person who saw it. But moreso, a empathetic ear for Buffy. When they finally "did it" in the old house. The metaphor for the building falling down was infact Buffys walks. Spike was the one to do it. She was becoming a shell but, in a way, helped her. In season 9, Buffy admitted she fell in love with Spike in season 6. And it's reflective in the way she was with him and vice versa. I found their relationship more authentic than her and Angel. But I couldn’t stand the rape scene. That was truly character assassination by Whedon. One could argue that was the beginning of the end of the show. Thank god for Dark Horse.
@@HellfireClub242 Reading that Xander and Dawn hook up, and Angel goes evil AGAIN and kills Giles. Gunn gets turned into a vampire and Connor has to kill him. This gets a big yawn from me because it's taking the worst of what Whedon does with both shows and keeps doing it.
Man... I think I blocked out the later seasons from my mind.... Yeah, Season 5 SHOULD have been the end. In short.... Buffy should have stayed dead. It's sad too. I remember really liking the show before Season 6. And... perhaps regrettably, it had a lot of influence on me. And my few attempts to write anything....
You can't make the claim that Buffy "died." At its heart, as Joss Whedon stated, was a coming of age story and meant to reflect the issues we face with aging and various growing pains. I didn't much care for seasons 4 or 5, but I thought BVS made a return to form with season 6 as stakes were raised as each member was dealing with maturity and the pitfalls that come along with it. Season 7 was like the now mature BVS team imparting their knowledge on a new generation of slayers so they don't make the same mistakes they did. No, Buffy never died, and despite all of the backstage turmoil, I hold out that we get to see a reunion season/movie to see where the characters wound up, like I thought it would be cool if Xander would assist Giles and reforming The Watchers Council as Buffy and Dawn run an academy training the newly empowered slayers with Willow as the "headmaster" or maybe principal of a new Sunnydale High.
Seriously? Imo Buffy never died. It has fans to this day and students still write essays about it. Season 4 had a superb selection of top notch stories in it. Man, did you even watch this show properly? lol
I don't think he did. He made multiple mistake in the video (wrong names, wrong facts, incorrect statements about the show, etc.). If he did actually watch it, it doesn't seem like he really paid attention.
I am of a different opinion about season six, it is one of my personal favorites. For me it is a representation of when you hit rock bottom, or grave, there is only pull yourself up and just try. It's ok not to be ok and then it is great to be ok. Also You can't train a person to be better, they have to choose it. I love season six.
In the final seasons there are lots of amazing memorable scenes in otherwise dodgy forgettable episodes. There are too many episodes set mostly in Buffy's house, including one where they cannot leave the house. It gets rather repetitive, especially for binge watching.
So, after listening to this I remember some of the last few seasons and....what I don't understand is why they didn't bring in the Principle/Son of the Slayer character to be a main part of Season 6. That story would have had soooo much more symbolic meaning following the death and resurrection of Buffy and the departure of Giles...it would have made soo much sense for that Character to play a pivitol role, especially given Spike's behavior in 6 compared to 7. What a missed oppurtunity.
I would too. I recently finished Buffy and have not finished Angel so it would be nice to watch fresh videos and have current conversation about it instead of talking in a thread 10 years old lol.
You might was to try the channel "The Passion of the Nerd". He creates extraordinarily well thought-out and insightful videos about both Buffy and Angel. It's really worth checking out.
I don’t know why I just watch a video of someone bashing my my favorite show. These opinions are wild. Season 4 was not the best but it wasn’t by any means bad. It had Hush and Restless. The military angle was interesting because how could all that supernatural activity just be ignored?? Tara was also not in a “magic induced daze for the entire season.” It was 3 1/2 episodes. And many many people often say that season 6 is their favorite because of how far they go with tackling depression and loneliness. And she died by mystical forces. That is the exception. People who die of natural causes cannot come back. She was also not spending time with her lost loved ones in heaven. She didn’t interact with other spirits. She said specifically that time didn’t mean anything and that she knew her friends would be okay. Did you even watch this show?? You also fail to say that a demon poisoned her which made her have those delusions. The trio was written to deceive the audience so we could be blindsided by Dark Willow. We were supposed not like them and be disappointed by them. Dark Willow was not supposed to resemble herself. That was the point. The fact that you called season 6 ground zero just tells me that you didn’t get it. Have you never experienced depression before? Self harm? Isolation? Substance abuse? The fact that you would dismiss the way this season tried to relate on these issues tells me that you haven’t.
Season 6 was essential because it showed that every single one of us is flawed, even heroes and demons. Every other show would just end on Buffy's sacrifice and not dare to think about the consequences or the grief that was left afterwards. I think it was a very bold and brave season. We all suffer and deal with grief, depression, rejection (and even finances) in such different ways that I think it's actually amazing that they we're able to express that in a fantasy/sci-fi tv show in such diverse and amazing ways. This season made me understand my feelings like any other piece of media could and I am forever grateful that I was lucky enough to experience it. Buffy will never die.
Personally, I don’t hate season 6. It’s main villain is often overlooked: depression and the real world, not the Trio. Buffy had to deal with her depression after coming back from Heaven while also dealing with being an adult without any parental figures in her life to help her, just like her friends and Willows addiction to magic. She went to Spike because it was a way for her to truly feel alive while being able to pretend it’s not “real”, because to her Spike is dead, so sleeping with him is something she can pretend isn’t real, and that relationship was very toxic and abusive and they both said no alot but kept getting in that bed willingly every single time. It’s why Spike forced himself on Buffy, because he genuinely believed she was just playing hard to get and didn’t actually mean no, because she never meant no before. When she pushed him off, he realized she actually meant it and realized he actually tried to R her, immediately being disgusted with himself and conflicted, because he doesn’t understand why he tried to do it or why he couldn’t go through with it. It’s the catalyst that he needed to finally decide to seek out a way to be what Buffy deserved, to get his soul back, because he loves too much to be a monster and is too much of a monster to be a man. For a while, this was ok for him, because at least Buffy somewhat liked him, but he couldn’t bear it anymore, he had to choose, and he chose to try, even if it killed him, to be a man, even if he’s a monster. The chip didn’t change him, the soul didn’t instantly purge him of his sins, but he put in the work and risked everything to be a better man, which is exactly why Buffy started to believe in him and forgive him. That doesn’t mean everything is fine and forgotten, in the comics, Buffy had a scene where she’s showering and Spike, who was her boyfriend at the time, went to see how the water was so he could shower after, and Buffy kicked him across the room out of instinct because she flashed back to when he tried to R her, and Spike understood and apologized for making her relive that, even if it was just a flashback. As for Willow, it was building all season to Dark Willow. The season is overlooked, and season 4 is the worst season
Season 6 is not the worst season and virtually no one thinks it is -- Season 7 exists, so it can't possibly be. Season 6 has good plots and good episodes, but yes, Season 5 would have been a better ending.
I think Chosen is a better ending, she changes the paradigm she was forced to suffer under the past 7 seasons rather than committing su*cide so she doesn’t have to deal with the hard choices life throws our way anymore.
@@folkloreuh I think the series finale only cements her character as the worst developed in the whole series. She spend the entire show complaining about being the Slayer. So, the show ends with her giving up her responsibilities as the Slayer to the Potentials? Meh.
@@x-man9473 I mean you can be wrong, that’s fine. Slayer = adult responsibility. As a kid she often tries to shirk it but she grows to embrace it more and more. What becomes the problem is being the only one & being cut off from others. In the finale she shares the power & connects with the world she had become isolated from due to needing to protect herself against losses as well resentment for the burden she bared alone.
9:25 - I just recently watched TheLexiCrowd's reaction to Buffy's series finale, which she released yesterday, so it is neat to see her referenced here.
I remember watching her reaction to ‘Seeing Red’ on Patreon and her commentary for it was literally just “No”. Which honestly was accurate for a first-time viewing of that episode.
A good way they show the complicated Buffy in Season 6 is her singing "I was always brave and kind of righteous. Now I find I'm wavering. Crawl out of your grave you'll find this fight just doesn't mean a thing."
The whole spike "assaulting" Buffy thing was to show that he thought he understood what love was but his baseline was Drusilla. She knew he didn't love her and couldn't but he didn't understand. The scene in question made him realize he couldn't truly love her without a soul. They were treating him like he wasn't evil and he was even starting to believe it. Him being the Dr showed that he was still doing evil stuff, just not directly to his new "friends". He had to have a moment to show it so obviously that it couldn't be excused.
I may be in the minority but I never quite understood why people loved spike and buffy together. Maybe cause of spike but that relationship despite him trying to gain a soul or whatever still stemmed from a really nasty place and lead to some really low points not only for buffy’s character but the show itself. That for me, I could never describe as love or anything close to the connection angel and buffy had imo
I think people liked that Spike was more flawed and eratic than Angel. In Buffy Angel didn't get a lot of range that he had in the Angel series where he really came into his own. I don't really have a preferred couple cause I like both couples just fine, but that's why I think people think the way they do.
I think that so many people love Spike and Buffy together is how well matched they ultimately become. It's a love story that evolves over six seasons, from her, a soulless vampire bent on making her his third Slayer killed, and she the chosen one, destined to slay vampires like him. His choosing to help Buffy to stop Angelus was the first stone in their relationship, where he turned against his own kind, his own side, for selfish reasons, but still, he was a hero on that day. It cost him his relationship with Drusilla, and sent him into a downward spiral of depression for a while. Even before he realised it, he used Harmony Kendall as a visual stand in for her, but she wasn't Buffy, and she never could be. When he, now chipped, went to shoot her with a shotgun, he found Buffy sitting on the porch, worried about her mother, Joyce Summers. In that moment, all the hatred drained away from him. He sat with her and tried to comfort her. Spike lacked a soul, he didn't have a conscious, had trouble determining what was right and wrong, and yet, over the seasons, he not only grew and changed as a character, but he chose to do it. While the bathroom scene was deeply out of character with what they had previously established, and it's kind of blown out of proportion (somewhat), that too was another stone in their relationship. It made him realise that something was dreadfully wrong, something that he was unable to deal with in his current soulless state. He fought for his soul. He wanted it. Spike was a real character, who was emotionally aware, supportive, and in his own way, kind and caring. He contrasts greatly with Angel, who became more selfish and creepy as we learned more about him, his motivations, and his choices. Angel had an affinity for underage girls. Drusilla was described as innocent, chaste, pure, and about to enter the convent when Angelus sired her. In that era, it would mean she was meant to be around 16 years old, even if the actress was older. When he first saw Buffy, he was sitting in a mostly blacked out car, viewing her across a parking lot, where she sat on the schools steps. This was a year before season 1, so she was 14-15 at the time. By mere sight alone, he decided that he had a crush on her, wanted to help her, and made significant changes to his life, moving cities, changing his bathing habits, clothing, diet, and personality to be what he thought she wanted. In Angel's series, he mentioned a young Russian ballerina in the past, the gypsy woman was underage, and so on. It got so bad that they even made jokes about it in universe. Angel likes pretty young petite girls, and ideally blonde. Angel was cursed with his soul, he lied, saying things like he had not fed on another person since that day, only for a flashback to reveal he fed on a recently dead diner employee, he hid things from the women in his life, from his friends, and even as Angel, there was real darkness in him. Angel's first action as a vampire was to kill his younger sibling, and then the rest of his family, his former neighbours, and their children. Spike's first action as a vampire was to sire his mother so she would no longer suffer from tuberculosis. Her personality changed drastically when he did, and as it wasn't the mother he knew and loved, he put her out of her misery. Human, vampire, chipped, or ensoulled vampire, Spike was the same man in all the ways that matter. Buffy saw the best of Angel, and it gradually got worse as she learned more about him, but it was a teenage crush. She wanted to please him. She saw the worst of Spike, and gradually, she inspired him to become a better man. He was always there for her when she needed someone, he understood her better than any of her friends, she could confide in him, he had genuine love and affection for her family. He understood her. It took time, gradually, like her kissing him on the lips after he nearly died to protect her and Dawn's secret from Glory, she used him as a crutch when she was suffering from PTSD after coming back from the dead for the second time, and yes, the bathroom scene... But he changed, she saw it, she had feelings for him, she refused to stake him so many times, when she could have. He made her smile, he made her laugh, he made her roll her eyes. She liked his company, even if she didn't want to admit it openly, and when he got his soul, when he gave that speech in the bedroom, she truly fell for him. She realised that she loved him. It didn't have to be sexual. They slept together for three consecutive days, just holding each other through the night. That was incredibly intimate. In Once More With Feeling, she sang about wanting the fire back, and in the finale, when she held his hand, when she finally admitted her love, their hands caught fire in a heart shaped pattern. Yes, he had his Han Solo moment, "no you don't, but thanks for saying so." And that was on him. She had come to love him as much as he loved her, but he still didn't think he was worthy of her. Spike probably needed two more seasons to get there, before he thought that he was finally worthy of her.
@Christopher_Vose I'm confused. When he went to get the old him back, he meant the version of him without the chip but the person/creature(I don't remember) that he asked gave him back the version of himself with a soul but didn't make him human. It wasn't like he went there for his soul back. He wanted revenge on Buffy and wanted to hurt her and the people she loved but couldn't do it because of the chip he had in his brain. He kept the mix up to himself and made it seem like it was done to be a better man. Am I just misunderstanding?
@@anikejulien7273 It was deliberately left vague when Spike said he wanted to be the man he was. Did he mean he wanted his chip out, and thus, he would be free to hurt humans again, or did he want his soul back, so that he could continue the journey? I'm not sure if the writers have ever spoken on that one, because it's certainly possible to read it as he wanted the chip gone, and instead, he was given a soul, but I tend to read it as he wanted to be a man again, with a conscience and a soul, he wanted to be more than he was capable of becoming in his current state. I just tend to subscribe that it's far more in keeping with his storyline that he found a shaman, or whatever it was, in Africa, who could give him a soul. He literally went to the ends of the Earth for this (Sunnydale, California is probably half way around the globe from wherever he was in Africa). But the monkey paw like be careful what you wish for is certainly another read. That's the fun thing about art. It's open to interpretation. For me, Spike is the breakout character, his emotional journey became one of the core aspects of the show. I love so many characters in it, even Angel, who I kind of disparaged earlier, but again, these characters are flawed. None of them are saints. But they try to better themselves, and that's a great moral for all of us.
Im not agree at all. Season 4 was weak but still good with some of the greatest episodes on television and season 5 is widely seen as one of the greatest seasons of all TV, it’s brutal, lovely and wonderful with incredible writing, character developpement and deepth and again the single best episode representation of death on television "The Body" and season 6 is controversial but people seem to love it more today than when it was airing because it speak to them and to me too. Season 6 is sad yes but not bad lol and the dark willow storyline is still on point. Season 7 is on the same level than season 4 but just like a said season 4 worth watching for plenty of stuff. And if Buffy only worked for 3 seasons (2 if you dion’t count season 1) Buffy The Vampire Slayer wouldn’t be widely seen as one of the greatest series of all time, even now .
you don't get to ask who asked for this when you're gonna spend 30 minutes talking about a show that, as far as the comments are concerned, you know nothing about. And not only that, you're not going to say a single new thing unless it's tonedeaf because of that lack of familiarity, everything that can be said about this show, has either been said, or will be put better by TPN when he completes his reviews. No one asked for THIS.
Restless was the one part of season 4 that fans remember fondly??? Come on, season 4 has some of the best and funniest episodes in the whole show... Pangs, Something Blue, Hush, A New Man, Who Are You?
The series stayed pretty great after S3, but it certainly became more of "Buffy the Everything Slayer" and "Buffy Goes Charmed." An argument could be made that vampires can only be the focal point of the slaying for so long, but the series kind of diminished Buffy's power by making "the magics" such a major part of the series in later seasons. By S7, Buffy isn't even the most capable character any longer -- or even that special (the numerous "Potentials" kind of made Buffy seem less "called," leading to a heavy-handed and predictable message about every girl having it within her to be a "Slayer"). I mean, why not just have Willow and the Coven kill all of the demons? I recently rewatched the series and it occurred to me that it may have been a good creative decision to make Buffy immune to spells and most other "magics." I suppose there's some metaphorical depth to Willow's "addiction to the magics," but it's a metaphor that just ended up being way too on the nose. I still love every season, but I think it's easy to argue that S3 was the height of the series, even without the series-best later episodes such as "The Body" and "Once More, with Feeling."
I'll never forget back in 2015 when I discovered that the my most valuable CD in my collection was the original release of the musical episode "Once More With Feeling" soundtrack. Buffy out there still appreciating in value!
Yes. You watched the same show. But he actually analyzed the show. He's not a fanboy/fangirl who swallows whatever quality the show throws at you, like most of its fanbase.
The entire series is definitely “must watch tv”. But it also definitely had its “issues”. For me, the show was not able to maintain the perfection that it achieved with S3. Which is an impossible thing to ask! Seasons 4-7 had their moments; more good than bad. And a few of those episodes were some its greatest. But none of those “entire” seasons come close to what was reached with S3. fwiw: I would think one’s opinion of the show is heavily influenced by when/how they watched it. To have watched it when they originally aired (along with “Angel”) brought a much different experience than what someone who could “binge watch” the entire series would create. I’ve rewatched the entire series (of each) multiple times since they first aired. And each time it feels “off” to how I “remember” it. It just isn’t the same show. So in a way, it’s not entirely fair to judge each season based off of today’s watching preferences without discussing that aspect.
I really like Season 6 but went into this video with an open mind. Some bits of it do suck, Giles leaving, the two relationships ending, Spike's "moment" and Buffy's character did suffer. But I liked Dark Willow and (unpopular opinion) I liked the 3 nerds. They felt like the perfect villains to show Buffy was not running at 100% any more. Willow's turn was a genuine "Oh shit" moment and the drug parallels felt earned. My opinion is Season 7 was the worst as they seemed to lose all the soul of the previous 6. It was nowhere near as funny, the characters have nothing interesting to say beyond "The First is Coming" or "From Beneath You It Devours". And then there were all the new annoying Potentials too. No, 6 was far better than 7 in my opinion.
Wooow it's shocking to see somebody MISUNDERSTAND Season 6 so extremely. It's like saying that "Into the Woods" should have finished with the 1st Act Finale... No, it shouldn't have... And while I do admit I'm not a huge fan of Season 7, Season 6 is definitely my favorite, up there with season 5 or possibly even better (this is subjective, both are EXCELLENT tho).
season 6 is disgusting Buffy would never use a guy and Spike, yes, he's a villain turned member of the Scooby Gang, but rape scenes shouldn't exist period
One thing I always defend: spike assaulting buffy. Now while I hate watching that scene, it actually made sense with spike's character. Remember the episode Lovers Walk? While it's written as a joke, Spike says "if I want dru back, I need to be the man she loved. I'll find her wherever she is, tie her up, torture her until she likes me again" Spike has always associated love with pain. He doesn't realize how wrong what he is doing to Buffy until he sees her shaking and tears in her eyes. That's when he realizes this isnt love, it's an unhealthy obsession. It's key to his character arch. Like I said, terrible to watch, but not out of character and is essential to him getting his soul back.
I normally like your videos, but it's a little difficult to take this one seriously when you mess up the actors' names. 😂 I liked most of season 6. Season 4 was the worst overall IMO.
11:30 Who the hell is "Anthony Rupert Hall"?? Hard to take you seriously, especially when speaking on what fans thought at the time, when you so completely mangle one of the main actor's names so badly...
[ Totally agree that Buffy should stay dead ] Dawn should have pick up the mentor of being the slayer ( that might keep the show on the air a bit longer ) as for Willow going to the darkside [ Honestly ] that angle should've been a lot better than her lover died ( the way how she died they might well say that she been shot by Castor Troy from Face/Off. )
I completely disagree with your point of view on this. To say that the creative integrity of the show went out the window with season 6 is just false and completely misguided… Season 5 was never “supposed” to be the end of the series. It was written in the way that it was written to serve as a potential series finale IN CASE the show was not picked up by another network for season 6 as it was looking unlikely that The CW would be renewing due to budgetary reasons. The intention was always to continue the story. Buffy is a story about growing up, and as someone who was a teenager, growing up alongside the Scoobies, I will say that Season 6 has helped me get through some of the darkest moments in my life. It has been a beacon of hope in the midst of despair and grief. Season 6 may not be for everyone but, for me, it’s really resonated over the years and its been one of the most influential and most impactful in my life of the entire series.
Season 6 is my favorite season. I felt like it did an amazing job depicting depression. It helped me get through my first bout of depression when I was told I was too young to know what depression was. As someone who has had psychotic breaks and having a hard time figuring out what’s reality and what’s not I actually really loved it being depicted in the mental hospital episode. It’s easy to see it as unrealistic if you’ve never dealt with that… especially when reality is the worst option in your mind… I think these mental health struggles need to be shared and I admire BTVS for doing a concept season while still keeping overall series continuity. I love season 6 forever. I don’t think I would he alive without it to be honest.
hated 6 with a passion
@@StewNWT Season 7 is much worse with all the annoying potentials especially Rhona and Kennedy.
Once More With Feeling FTW!
I like season 6
As an avid Buffy fan who rewatched all seasons many times... yeah! Season 6 for the win :) I'm annoyed by all the people hating season 6 and acting as if it was clearly the worst season or something... man, like or dislike what you want, but don't tell me you know how "bad" a season or episode was because by now Buffy is literally a science and there will never be consensus about anything among us fans :D and that's how I like it :) just as long as we agree that there are always other opinions among us and they are just as valid :)
Homie completely misunderstood literally every aspect of season 6
Exactly!
Season 6 was fuckin shit
@@flowerchild8450 I am sorry for you and anyone else who feels that way. Some people aren't cut out for shows that go deeper than "kill monster"
@@nickmandl my problem with it wasn’t that it was going deeper than “kill monster” lol it was that the writing was atrocious.
@@flowerchild8450 as has everything been since season 7, thats when Buffy the story died. when the show did. we should be happy we got that far, considering not even an audiobook can last a season, or just be buffy without some hidden agenda.
Hey Wesley might’ve only been on Buffy for a few episodes but bringing him on for Angel created the greatest character arc I’ve seen on TV. His character out grew so many.
Wesley and Cordelia had the best character development once they left Buffy.
Agreed! Wesley had one of the greatest character developments I've ever seen. When I occasionally rewatch Buffy, I'm always surprised at how goofy a character Wesley was. His character arc throughout Angel was incredibly well done.
I would urge people to watch the entirety of Angel just for Wesley’s character development.
I rewatch Buffy for various reasons, depending on my mood - but when I rewatch Angel, it’s for Wesley.
Even though it’s extremely depressing. It’s very well done.
I'm thinking of doing an experiment where I first show someone a scene of Wesley from Buffy Season 3, then show that person the scene of Wesley having Justine in his closet, and then tell them this is the exact same character, just to get the reaction.
A couple of counters:
While there were characters who came and went with the seasons, the core group remained stable through the entire run: Buffy, Willow, Xander, and Giles, who did leave the series for most of Season Six, due the preferences of Anthony Stewart Head.
The Season Four finale did have links to both the past season(s) and the season following. (On a personal note, I enjoy Season Four - none of the seasons was perfect - nothing is - but each of the seasons, even the weaker ones, had some excellent episodes, and each of them also had episodes that experimented and/or played with concepts).
Tara did not spend most of Season Five in a magic-induced daze. In a season of 22 episodes, her daze lasted from the last section of Episode 19 to around end of midpoint of Episode 22.
I would disagree with your argument about the lowering of stakes and disregard as well as repeated tropes in resurrecting Buffy, as the dangers are specifically noted and ignored by Willow especially, and 99% of the season deals with Buffy's reaction to being pulled back into the living world. Far from ignoring and disregarding, Season Six explores and questions the consequences and stakes. Do they do it perfectly? No, of course not. Do they pull away from the questions, though? Again, no. We've already seen an attempt to resurrect Joyce and why it was a nightmarish idea. We see that resurrecting Buffy was also a bad idea, at least all the way to the very last moments of the season, and this is why so many of the characters are portrayed "negatively".
I do agree about the "Seeing Red" moment: if they wanted to show what Spike still was, there could have been other ways to do so.
She says specifically that there was no pain, and no sense of anything except peace. She never says anything about having spent time with lost loved ones.
The actor is Anthony Stewart Head, not Anthony Rupert Hall. Rupert is the first name of the character Giles.
I am disagreement about "the Buffy you knew and the Buffy you didn't want to know": I personally found the Season Six Buffy intriguing and complicated; the Buffy of previous seasons could also have traits that made her less than perfect and sometimes a cause of impatience (for me). It contributed to her humanity in this eccentric environment, and for me Season Six was really no different in that regard. That goes for Willow and the other characters.
I agree with the handling of Dawn in Season Six, and Season Seven.
The moment between Anya and Spike is not planned or deliberate on the part of either character: both are frustrated, feeling deserted and unloved. It's a desperate reaching out for connection on the part of both.
The Big Bad for Season Six, as Whedon suggested, is life itself. In terms of a tangible Big Bad, it's Willow, who starts her path to that title in Episode 1 of the season. Willow is not, and never had been only light hearted. From our first moment meeting her, she presents a core of insecurity, and a tendency to dislike herself. We note that she depends deeply on the very few people who are friends with her. We learn that her mother is distant and lacks empathy for her daughter. Far from being a cheat, Dark Willow is an organic outcome of the previous seasons, hinted at even in the fun and excellent "Doppelgangland".
I do not say Season Six was bad. I say it was difficult, but purposefully so. I agree portions of the development of character and plot were rushed; that the impetus for Spike to leave town was not managed well, and that the character of Dawn lost focus. I do not agree that the various targets for each main character development was wrong, off-track or unreasonable, or that Season Six was a failure. For me, the only season that approaches "failure" was Seven.
I do not agree that there is nothing in "Buffy" worth watching after Season Five. Therefore I disagree with your premise.
Buffy is a dumb teen drama. Angel has so much more depth.
@@ktowniecity7269 That may be true, and it probably is. But it was a well-written and well-acted dumb teen drama with some very good, strong moments. By the same token, "Angel" was a noir rip-off with a standard-issue broody hero, but it was also well-written and well-acted.
Great comment. Totally agree.
I wish that they had built the Dark Willow storyline better. The narcissistic drug addict who loses control after the loss of a loved one, only to return to their former self and 😂 sensibilities, 😂 all because of a crayon, didn’t really work for me. It felt cheap. I was hoping for a well crafted story that built on all the groundwork that was already present for Willow. Shy, insecure, often bullied Willow became more confident in the later seasons but she still had scars and self doubt.
Excessive use of magic as a metaphor for drug abuse was cheesy. Addiction is an illness, and grief can push someone into a downward spiral. It’s not a free pass for Willow to skate the same way Angel did as Angelus. He wasn’t really the one doing the evil, it was just a demon wearing his face. How the writers approached Willow using magic in the later seasons was very disappointing. After they created Dark Willow it was like they had written her into a corner and had no idea what to do with her character, so she became a pale imitation of who she once had been. I just wish that they had let her own her actions, and created a complex character who was capable of many things and struggled to find balance.
@@MusicRainfield I'd argue that the crayon isn't the thing that brings her back. Xander chose that story to recall former child Willow out any number from their shared life in Sunnydale. What brings her back is Xander's refusing to back down when she attacks him, and keeps repeating that he loves her. That's what does it.
I agree that the addiction analogy is not well handled, but Willow's descent into what she becomes at the end of Season Six can easily be traced from Season One, where we see the core insecurity in her; the often-blind approach to that insecurity from her friends; the reliance on magic that begins to rear its head as early as Season Three; and the essential loneliness Willow experiences in her life, which means that people leaving her is more frightening and heart wrenching than it is for other people.
It's different from Angel/Angelus, and I don't think you can draw as many parallels between him/them and Willow/Dark Willow as you might think you could.
I do agree with you that Season Seven Willow, after her return to Sunnydale, is not developed well, but that's a consequence of the decision to bring in the Potentials, which caused a lag in the development of most of the core characters. We do see that Willow is afraid of herself ... true to form, actually, though for different reasons now, and she needs to overcome them for the big showdown finale. I agree it wasn't elegantly handled in Season Seven, but the outline of what should have been an organic end arc is there.
Spike's trademark coat cost $2,000 from a top fashion store. It was then run over repeatedly by a truck to give it that distressed look.
James Marsters only read the scripts for his own scenes, as he was a fan of the show and didn't want to have the rest of the episode spoiled for him.
Series creator Joss Whedon has said that the idea for Buffy came from all the horror movies he had seen featuring a helpless young blonde who would almost always be the first to die. He felt she needed a better image.
Angel was originally conceived as nothing more than a weird guy who occasionally showed up to give Buffy vague advice. There were several ideas for his true identity tossed around, including that he was an actual angel who needed to complete a certain number of good deeds before being allowed back into Heaven, before his being a vampire was decided on literally while writing the episode with the reveal.
Seth Green disliked being underutilized in season three, as he hated having to show up for work when he'd only have one or two lines the whole time. This is why Oz is absent midway through season four.
Joss Whedon wanted to increase paranoia by making the vampires look like normal humans until it's time to feed and they transform into monsters. He wanted them to very clearly look like monsters though to ensure a certain level of fantasy on the show. It took 1 hour and 20 minutes to apply the facial prosthetic and just as long to remove it after filming.
Alyson Hannigan is very good friends with singer Pink whose daughter is named Willow. After her birth, Hannigan praised her name choice on Twitter.
The cast hated the library scenes, since they were full of exposition and took forever to film. They all celebrated when it blew up.
Ranked #10 on Entertainment Weekly's list of the "100 Greatest Shows of All Time."
Sarah Michelle Gellar's favorite episodes were The Prom (1999), Hush (1999), and The Body (2001).
Sarah Michelle Gellar was unable to attend the wrap party, as she was busy filming Scooby-Doo (2002).
There are just seven episodes in which no vampire appears. They are Witch (1997), The Pack (1997), I, Robot... You, Jane (1997), The Puppet Show (1997), Inca Mummy Girl (1997), Living Conditions (1999), and Fear Itself (1999). In the other ones, even when there are no vampire foes, there's always Angel, or Spike. Or both.
The series is not based on the feature film Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992), but Joss Whedon's original screenplay, which had been heavily re-written to be more comedic. The Buffy comic book series adapted the screenplay, bringing the events of the movie in-line with the television show's continuity.
Sarah Michelle Gellar disliked season six, because of the dark tone of the storylines. She also wasn't a fan of the extensive preparation that had to be done for Once More, with Feeling (2001).
Spike's birth name William Pratt is also the birth name of iconic horror actor Boris Karloff.
In Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992), Buffy says that her only life goals are to "graduate, go to Europe, marry Christian Slater, and die." Although Joss Whedon has repeatedly stressed that the movie should not be considered "canon" for the television show, by the end of it, Buffy actually accomplishes three of these goals, graduate, go to Europe, and die, although, not in that order.
Buffy's full name is "Buffy Anne Summers". This was explained in Anne (1998), where Buffy said Anne is her middle name.
Before he was turned into a vampire, Spike's name was William. Angel's real name was Liam.
OZ was a useless character in my opinion. He was that typical “too cool” for anything and everyone. Always had a smart ass remark
13:48 Anya sleeping with Spike had nothing to do with Xander and was in no way an attempt to hurt him. Anya herself states “that wasn’t vengeance, it was solace”. She never even knew he would find out. Xander of course made it all about him because he’s an ass.
I won't deny that Xander is a Bunghole, but even though it was solice, would you expect Spike to keep that to himself and not rub it in Xander's face?
@@a-man2530I seriously doubt Spike would’ve ever mentioned it to Xander. Simply because it would hurt Anya..
@@goldenageofdinosaurs7192 And he wouldn't have wanted Buffy to know.
He really got that wrong. Anya was broken and reached out to someone for comfort. She wasn't trying to hurt Xander.
I always forget that buffy has the most cucks per capita than any other fan bases
I usually agree with Vee’s opinions but on this one not so much. I am a huge Buffy fan since 97’ & a lot of his takes - though insightful - seem to be taken from an outsiders point of view & not someone who understands the nuances of the show.
I'm a huge Buffy fan as well. This video seemed 'off'. I've watched other Buffy videos with very thoughtful insights. Even though I might have disagreed with some of them, I could respect their opinion. But this seems to have been written by someone who didn't watch the series - or perhaps just skimmed through it.
Yes.
Absolutely agree with this comment. He even said Anthony Steward Head's name wrong. This IS an outsider's perspective.
@@deborahblackvideoediting8697At least he tried... 😅
No I believe u need in outside view because your view is biased because you are a fan people that are not fans or something they just watch it can give it in the objective view and I agree with him
We all experience this show so differently. To me, things don’t start getting interesting until after high school is over.
Same. I love the high school years, but the real show starts at season 5
Same
Absolutely
4-6 are my favorite part of the series. Season 2 is also pretty great. Honestly, don't like 7 very much.
yeah season 6 is top 2 for me
I hated that they made Spike a rapist.
James Marsters himself stated that he hated that scene. However, Whedon wanted it to happen because (although obvious) he didn't like Spikes character.
@@HellfireClub242If he didn't like Spike's character he wouldn't of given him a soul
You think that vampire Spike never do a rape before? Maybe you have a trouble with memories but in season 3 he has about to rape Willow... He not just talk about blood.
So that have actualy sense, Spike is still a monster. He rape people, he kill people. Chip not changing him that much.
Not everybody can be likeable. I've realistically knew someone for years who just snapped about his rejection and did a similar attempt
Girl, stfu. He was already s rapist, murderer monster when he firts appeared . What show did you were watching?
Heartily disagree. Season 6 was one of the best. It is definitely a tonal shift from earlier seasons, but that is intentional and indeed expected. The earlier seasons were metaphors for trials and problems faced by teenagers still in the process of growing up, but season 6 was all about the problems of trying to be an adult. There were deep issues that were well addressed and amazingly well acted. Buffy's funk that lasted through much of the beginning of the season is one of the best on-screen depictions of clinical depression I have ever seen, and even as she comes out of it many of her challenges were just trying to deal with the mundane realities of adult life. It is so well done. I get it that it is your opinion, but it seems you completely missed the point. Season 6 is where the show grew up.
I have to disagree with the read of Anya vis a vis her hookup with Spike. It didn't come off like her seeking revenge, it was two brokenhearted people commiserating over their wounds and then seeking comfort and distraction physically. Plus, Anya was single at the time. Recently dumped. By Xander. She did nothing wrong here; Xander is the schmuck in this scenario (and most scenarios, if we're being honest). He left her at the altar, blew up their relationship, and then had the nerve to act like HE was the aggrieved party, throwing a viscious verbal tantrum. I will admit that Xander is my least favorite character, but I never hated him more than I did in that moment.
Also, Buffy had no reason to be mad either. She'd ended things with Spike.
I agree that the potential Slayers was probably a misused plotline I really like the whole concept of Spike getting his soul back in the consequences of that for him
It's been stated multiple times that characters cannot return because you cannot tamper with the laws of nature. Giles literally said this at the beginning of the season, and even Buffy’s response to returning was that of pain because she was peacefully in heaven but has now returned to hell feeling the sorrow, which connects to Angel S2, which confirms why Buffy was feeling as such.
There's also the bit in Villains where Willow tries to bring Tara back. She doesn't have the urn and it's mentioned that it only worked for Buffy because she died through mystical means.
When he mentioned that I couldn't help but wonder if he'd actually watched the show. He even asked the question why did they not bring back Joyce - an entire episode was devoted to that very topic!
i mean i don't know what the spin is, because i'm not paying to listen to it, but around the time of your comment, there was an audiobook season released containing at least 3 dead buffy members, and the demo you can listen to sets it in current times so i don't know what any of them would be voicing.
The Big Bad of season 6 was depression. Everyone was depressed. Buffy because she was pulled out of heaven. Willow because she was a junkie. Tara because she couldn't help Willow. Xander because he left Anya at the altar. Anya because Xander left her at the altar. Dawn because everybody else was depressed and nobody seemed to care about her.
No, Angel was a good series. Buffy was a GREAT series. You started off with a misstep. Dying? S1/E12 was the first time. S5/E22 the second time. After that, still alive, although there was one brief drowning. Season 4 was a mess, but it was NOT a retelling of Frankenstein's Monster. You are missing the issue that happened with the "big bad" villain bowing out, requiring major rewrites.
Season 5 ended as it did because it closed a major arc. I have the tee shirt! But the final two seasons were still very good. We got a Musical! And it provided a great episode.
Also, Joyce did come back, briefly, before Dawn tore up the picture. Spike did come back in "Angel". Angel came back in Buffy S3. You strike me as a casual viewer.
@@tvguy61 Professor Walsh was the big bad originally, but the actress quit mid season.
@@tvguy61 - As well as Professor Walsh leaving, Seth Green (Oz) asked to be let out of contract as well. So they had two major characters abruptly leave the show in season 4 and had to scramble to do rewrites.
I agree that the writer of this video seemed like a casual viewer. He made multiple errors throughout the video, and didn't seem to understand any of the themes of the show. He even disliked it' humour! (I must admit, I LOVED the humour in Buffy!)
I absolutely loved vampire Willow in "The Wish"!
Principal Wood felt look like the Whedonverse version of Blade. So much so that the cover of Nikki Wood comic was a throwback to Blade's first appearance in Tomb of Dracula.
He Strong and skilled enough to battle demons and vamps with out any empowerment. The only son of a slayer that we know of, i theorized that he inherited some strength from his mother. (Plus he was trained by her Watcher)
But yea, he was a late eddition to the show....but then it was nice to see another character of color on a predominately white show (not that it matters that much, but a little authentic and sincere diversity is welcomed.....)
@darkservantofheaven
Principal would should have been saved and added to the planned Spike the vampire spin-off.
@darkservantofheaven
I also find the concept of Dawn becoming the New Slayer and having Spike being a mentor / teacher to be a good idea on paper. The thing that would have made it interesting would be if Spike got his soul back via "the Powers that be" choosing him to become their champion and a guardian/protector to the new Slayer Dawn.
What would make it even more interesting would be if Tara and Willow were also chosen as well and both got MASSIVE power boost from the Powers.
It's really hard to say a show "died" when they, then follow it up with one of the best seaons of the show.
Season 6, although very sad and difficult to watch at times, was my favourite. I was surprised to hear him tear it apart so much.
The Trio were good, they were human monsters. Also the episode with Riley returning helped to get Buffy back on track, the Scooby Gang weren't kids anymore, the Hellmouth is corrupting for adults. You have to learn to live with failure and bad choices
I honestly really love season 6 because of the whole Dark!Willow plot
Season 6 is my favourite season
I love season 6 but I agree with Vee that Dark!Willow is a let down. I feel like she’s too quippy for the grief she’s experiencing.
@@folkloreuh - I always felt that the quippyness was because Willow couldn't stand the extreme pain she was feeling. So she allowed the darkness to swallow her, and that stifled her emotions. She couldn't feel the emotions that make us human, such as love and empathy - she was all about vengeance. And quipping to others was like a cat playing with a mouse before she eat it. Just my humble opinion! :)
I'm sure someone has mentioned this, but just in case, Rupert Giles was played by Anthony Stewart Head, often known as Tony Head, and not 'Anthony Rupert Hall' as stated in the video.
I was about to say this. A little less politely, haha.
That was one of very many errors in this video!
Honestly I think season 6 is one of the better seasons; and the whole season is largely about why both bringing people back from death AND using the powerful magics involved is NOT a good idea.
I do think “Seeing Red” handled a lot wrong; and while we needed to get both Spike and Willow where they ended up at the episode end; the writers didn’t understand the gravity of what they were playing with. That episode needed work.
I kinda liked not so much season 4 as a whole but Spike explaining Yoko Ono and the Beatles to Adam. It's a memorable telling for me personally.
As someone who had some struggles in his twenties I actually found season 6 quite relatable and liked it. Why I would've liked if Xander and Anya stayed together I don't think it was out of the realm of possibility. They clearly shoed how much he feared being like his father. Season seven was my least favorite. Honestly the potentials get almost no development so we hardly can care about them. The actor Anthony Head actually asked if he could be the villian this season and he was allowed to be killed and shown as one of the versions of the first I think that would've seriously messed with the scoobies's head.
Now THAT would have been interesting. The potential story just annoyed me. They should have spent more time explaining how the Hellmouth was making everyone crazy. At least that would explain why the Scoobies are so OOC the whole season.
Vampire Henchman Number 4 was always a character i wanted to see brought back!!!
You probably knew this, but Brian Thompson, the actor pictured as Vampire Henchman Number 4 (Luke) WAS brought back as the Judge the next season.
Season 6 was more about the real world, and the horrible mundane things we have to do every day are scarier and more damaging than what they had to face in high school or fantasy creatures they came up against before
Everyone has their own answers as from best to least favorite, but I have never seen anyone say the show died.... until now.
Most of the things the video has problems with have answers and if not answers head canon. That's what makes the show a true masterpiece. It has reasons to survive and has only grown stronger over the years.
Its kind bizare saying the show died when there are legions of fans till this day, it was picked up even after being canceled at season 5 and had a proper ending at season 7. Alsp, saying Angel was better its just kind weird to me. To each their own but even though I like Angel, the show is a bit of mess of great and mediocre episodes mixed together
@@AnatoleVGC I didn't say the show died. I said it's grown stronger. I was implying it hasn't died as it could have. Also, the show was never cancelled after S5, the distributing rights were just bought by UPN when The WB's contract expired.
@@Buffy8Fan im not saying you did. I agree with your comment. Im just talking about the video itself
And that's different from the other videos, how? As far as I can tell, every "the day X died," video are all about shows that still have a large fan base. The closest one that seems to actually have a reduced fan base is Star Wars. But even that has a gigantic fan base. They just don't like the new stuff.
@@propheinx2250 It's misinformation if you don't know it's a joke on the youtube channel itself, as I didn't when I wrote the comment. I don't watch the channel's videos. I came upon it as a Buffy fan.
It's strange that this review is saying that season 5 was intended as a series finale, when so many people from the show have said that every single season was viewed as the last season, as they were never sure if they'd get another one. And that continued right up until after Angel, season 5, when they got... oh... yeah... right... sorry.
@@tvguy61 I'd agree with that, but Buffy also forgave Angel pretty quickly after he killed Jenny Calendar. And dear god yes, Kennedy was too soon. I actually liked Kennedy, I just didn't like her and Willow becoming an item after five minutes. The potentials were sadly a mistake. They wanted a big battle at the end and needed soldiers, when, something more akin to the student body against the Mayor could have worked, just the town against the First Evil. But hindsight...
@@Christopher_Vose
Kennedy just came across as a "Queen bee" character. Her character was a horrible person that never becomes a better/redeemable person and actually likes how horrible she is. She never redeems herself and is the biggest example of what happens when you give the powers of a Slayer to the WRONG type of person. She even instigated the mutiny against Buffy and turned Buffy's friends/family against her and kicked her out of her own house in the midst of an apocalypse.
@@Christopher_Vose
They don't even use Kennedy as a foil to Buffy or Faith. Kennedy was also responsible for one of the potentials killing themselves due to her brutal militaristic attitude.
This happened twice as a girl from Kennedy's previous school also killed herself because of Kennedy's mistreatment of her.
@@Christopher_Vose
The worst thing about Kennedy is that no one calls her out on her behavior.
@@Christopher_Vose The whole town coming together to stop the first after all the years of family and friends being killed or going missing would have been great. And the only seasons that seem like they were written to be series finals to me are the odd seasons. Seasons 2,4,and 6 feel more like season finals.
I never knew willow and Wesley were married in real life
Love how Their initials connected
Willow-welsey
Allison-Alexis
What’s even weirder is Tara & Warren dated irl
Every season has its flaws, and I respect that every fan has seasons they prefer. But to write off Seasons 4-7 unequivocally is so narrow-minded. Buffy's death in Season 5 is far from "breezed past." It literally takes a whole season for to get over it. Most of your criticism of Season 6 is just "It's different than the high school seasons." Shows can and should change. That's the show's greatest strength. In another world, Buffy would have stayed in high school for 7 years, with the same characters, fighting the same villains, and having the same problems. There are hundreds of shows like that - take any procedural or old sitcom. If that's what you want, put on one of those. But don't box a TV show into the corner because you want it to be unchanging. Truly one of the worst takes I've ever heard about this show.
That train wreck of a season 7 is purportedly better than season 6? 😂 Thanks, I needed a good laugh today.
I think 7 is better for sure.
7 isn’t a train wreck but yea
Buffy is still my fav show of all time
Accusing Anya of sleeping with Spike only to hurt Xander is the wrong take and kind of a gross perspective to have? Didn't hear anything about Spike doing anything wrong there, or Xander going way too far in his verbal assault on her. Hmmm I wonder why that could be... 🙄
Got a lot to unpick from this vid, but one I haven't seen others mention is about the Initiative. I think its mentioned that it kind of comes out of nowhere and I would disagree. Back on S2 its shown that there's a conspiracy element in how the authorities approach the supernatural when Snyder and a detective agree to cover up magical events surrounding the Sadie Hawkins dance with the "usual story, drugs" and actual acknowledgement of a hellmouth. This is expanded obviously with the mayor so if stands to reason that if local authorities know about it, the larger government sure do and will try to weponise it. Although it is perhaps a bit heavyhanded when it does appear.
Season 6 is my favorite! I love the dark direction, Dark Willow is my favorite big bad, and the trio are both fun and frightening. My only issue was the Buffy/Spike relationship which I never liked or bought.
Eh I never thought of it as a real relationship, it was just an extremely toxic temporary thing.
@@minuette1752 She was cutting herself and Spike was the knife.
@@Argonnosi - Well put!
season 6 is actually great, same with season 7. Who cares what the majority thinks, season 6 was wonderfully dark and different and the first evil and season 7's finale was badass.
garbage opinion of garbage show
My sister asked me to tape the second to last episode for her. Usually I would just go and do it,when she was on the phone. This one time though I was in the middle of something and then ended up forgetting. How many years later,I'm still hearing about it.
Does she know she can get the series on Blu-Ray or DVD now?
I think the OP meant when it first aired. I used to record Buffy episodes on VHS too. I'm pretty sure I have most if not all of season 6 somewhere in storage in a box.
Watching the team of potential slayers and the original gang kick Buffy out reminded me of when they did it in The Arrow. It felt so out of place, it didn't feel justified and it was frustrating to see an opinion I disagreed with being supported by the majority of the characters. I didn't like those scenes in both shows, but then again, I never liked the newer Arrow team members, so I might have been a bit biased there.
I wished they had given Spike and Buffy a chance to be together outside of sex but that bathroom scene really made me realize that the writers were done trying to make it a thing. It felt out of character even with him being evil. Him trying to kill her and her friends, yeah I can see that but the assault??? They should have done something else if they wanted to destroy relationship potential and remind us that he's evil.
Why is it out of character? It wasn't about the sex itself (as rape often isn't) but is about trying to prove to Buffy that she loves him. This is very much in line with his behaviour in Crush.
Does anyone remember people can change that spike the whole thing? He saved the world
Think about it like a BDSM relationship. How many times did those 2 have sex / make out, whatever that started with Buffy saying "eww, NO"? Spike was simply too twisted up to recognize that THIS "No" was sincere.
Season 3 was my favorite and was when i felt it was at it's peak. I struggled through season 4 and 5 and was completely offput by season 6 it was middlingly better for 7 but like you stated i think it should have ended with season 5.....so please do give us your take on it's finale.
while I can get behind many of these points, S6 never had a "big bad". Not even Spike going to his absolute worst for a single episode. Not Dark Willow. Not even Warren. S6 is about dealing with death, loss, the pains of growing up. The gang was not ready to live without Buffy. Spike was not ready to be full on good. The Trio were nerds who were unable to let the highschool days pass and their cosplaying turned out super wrong because they were lead by the pervert mess called Warren. Willow basically became cool through "drug" abuse from S4 and let magic consume her because it was a way to leave her nerdy side. She falls down and then goes on a complete rampage without a beloved person to help and contain her. Which turns out to be Xander in the end after Giles let her basically absorb a counterspell to her own powers
The big bad is real life! I love this season and all it stands for.
I agree. The show felt weird in season 6. I had a hard time watching after season 4.
This feels like it was made by someone who binged the show one time in order to make a youtube video about it. Lots of factual errors and a very surface-level "was also playing with my phone at the same time I was watching" sort of read on season 6 and the characters.
Personally i feel that it ended after Spike and Buffy relationship ended. But if anyone who hasn't read the Dark Horse cannon, its awesome. They picked off where season 7 left off. Plus Spike and Buffy are a couple!
Yeah, I think Buffy telling Spike that she loved him, in the finale, before he sacrifices himself, even though he knows it’s not yet real love, because Buffy got with him in her grief and anger(and she was horny by then).
I mean they beat the hell out of one another, when they have sex for the first time.
Sorry, I also don’t agree with Vee about there being no stakes. There was stakes in a majority of episodes, but seriously…
The episode when Buffy is invisible, still cracks me up.
I've looked into the direction the comics go, and I'm glad the shows ended when they did.
@CorbCorbin LOL, yeah, Buffy was truly messed up in season 6. However, ironically, Spike was the one person who saw it. But moreso, a empathetic ear for Buffy. When they finally "did it" in the old house. The metaphor for the building falling down was infact Buffys walks. Spike was the one to do it. She was becoming a shell but, in a way, helped her. In season 9, Buffy admitted she fell in love with Spike in season 6. And it's reflective in the way she was with him and vice versa. I found their relationship more authentic than her and Angel. But I couldn’t stand the rape scene. That was truly character assassination by Whedon. One could argue that was the beginning of the end of the show.
Thank god for Dark Horse.
@Axetwin Season 7-11 were great. Season 12 was kind of lacklustre.
@@HellfireClub242 Reading that Xander and Dawn hook up, and Angel goes evil AGAIN and kills Giles. Gunn gets turned into a vampire and Connor has to kill him. This gets a big yawn from me because it's taking the worst of what Whedon does with both shows and keeps doing it.
Man... I think I blocked out the later seasons from my mind.... Yeah, Season 5 SHOULD have been the end. In short.... Buffy should have stayed dead.
It's sad too. I remember really liking the show before Season 6. And... perhaps regrettably, it had a lot of influence on me. And my few attempts to write anything....
I planned on putting Buffy on my Mount Rushmore of favorite tv shows until those last 2 terrible seasons.
What’s wrong with s6?
You can't make the claim that Buffy "died." At its heart, as Joss Whedon stated, was a coming of age story and meant to reflect the issues we face with aging and various growing pains. I didn't much care for seasons 4 or 5, but I thought BVS made a return to form with season 6 as stakes were raised as each member was dealing with maturity and the pitfalls that come along with it. Season 7 was like the now mature BVS team imparting their knowledge on a new generation of slayers so they don't make the same mistakes they did. No, Buffy never died, and despite all of the backstage turmoil, I hold out that we get to see a reunion season/movie to see where the characters wound up, like I thought it would be cool if Xander would assist Giles and reforming The Watchers Council as Buffy and Dawn run an academy training the newly empowered slayers with Willow as the "headmaster" or maybe principal of a new Sunnydale High.
Seriously? Imo Buffy never died. It has fans to this day and students still write essays about it. Season 4 had a superb selection of top notch stories in it. Man, did you even watch this show properly? lol
I don't think he did. He made multiple mistake in the video (wrong names, wrong facts, incorrect statements about the show, etc.). If he did actually watch it, it doesn't seem like he really paid attention.
@@deborahblackvideoediting8697 Agreed.
I am of a different opinion about season six, it is one of my personal favorites. For me it is a representation of when you hit rock bottom, or grave, there is only pull yourself up and just try. It's ok not to be ok and then it is great to be ok. Also You can't train a person to be better, they have to choose it. I love season six.
In the final seasons there are lots of amazing memorable scenes in otherwise dodgy forgettable episodes. There are too many episodes set mostly in Buffy's house, including one where they cannot leave the house. It gets rather repetitive, especially for binge watching.
Budget limitations probably.
"Party in my eye socket!"
- Zander's last line i think.
Xander's last line is a joke about all the shops that were destroyed.
So, after listening to this I remember some of the last few seasons and....what I don't understand is why they didn't bring in the Principle/Son of the Slayer character to be a main part of Season 6. That story would have had soooo much more symbolic meaning following the death and resurrection of Buffy and the departure of Giles...it would have made soo much sense for that Character to play a pivitol role, especially given Spike's behavior in 6 compared to 7. What a missed oppurtunity.
You've ever gonna do an episode on Angel
Would love more buffy/Angel videos Vee!
I would too. I recently finished Buffy and have not finished Angel so it would be nice to watch fresh videos and have current conversation about it instead of talking in a thread 10 years old lol.
@@anikejulien7273 agreed, currently on an Angel rewatch myself, other than season 4 it’s got to be up there with one of my favourite shows
You might was to try the channel "The Passion of the Nerd". He creates extraordinarily well thought-out and insightful videos about both Buffy and Angel. It's really worth checking out.
I don’t know why I just watch a video of someone bashing my my favorite show. These opinions are wild. Season 4 was not the best but it wasn’t by any means bad. It had Hush and Restless. The military angle was interesting because how could all that supernatural activity just be ignored?? Tara was also not in a “magic induced daze for the entire season.” It was 3 1/2 episodes. And many many people often say that season 6 is their favorite because of how far they go with tackling depression and loneliness. And she died by mystical forces. That is the exception. People who die of natural causes cannot come back. She was also not spending time with her lost loved ones in heaven. She didn’t interact with other spirits. She said specifically that time didn’t mean anything and that she knew her friends would be okay. Did you even watch this show?? You also fail to say that a demon poisoned her which made her have those delusions. The trio was written to deceive the audience so we could be blindsided by Dark Willow. We were supposed not like them and be disappointed by them. Dark Willow was not supposed to resemble herself. That was the point. The fact that you called season 6 ground zero just tells me that you didn’t get it. Have you never experienced depression before? Self harm? Isolation? Substance abuse? The fact that you would dismiss the way this season tried to relate on these issues tells me that you haven’t.
Awesome video - and FYI Giles is played by Anthony Stewart Head, sorry to be that guy!! Seriously amazing video and an easy fix🙏🏻✌🏻🧛🏻
I can't think of any significant episodes of season 7, aside from the last one. Which to be fair, is a cathartic episode to end on.
Conversations With Dead People
I agree with Argonnosi. 'Conversations With Dead People' is a real gem.
Came here to say Convos.
Oh, also the one with Anya's demonic origin story / ending. ("Selfless," i think?)
Season 6 was essential because it showed that every single one of us is flawed, even heroes and demons. Every other show would just end on Buffy's sacrifice and not dare to think about the consequences or the grief that was left afterwards. I think it was a very bold and brave season. We all suffer and deal with grief, depression, rejection (and even finances) in such different ways that I think it's actually amazing that they we're able to express that in a fantasy/sci-fi tv show in such diverse and amazing ways. This season made me understand my feelings like any other piece of media could and I am forever grateful that I was lucky enough to experience it. Buffy will never die.
Personally, I don’t hate season 6. It’s main villain is often overlooked: depression and the real world, not the Trio. Buffy had to deal with her depression after coming back from Heaven while also dealing with being an adult without any parental figures in her life to help her, just like her friends and Willows addiction to magic. She went to Spike because it was a way for her to truly feel alive while being able to pretend it’s not “real”, because to her Spike is dead, so sleeping with him is something she can pretend isn’t real, and that relationship was very toxic and abusive and they both said no alot but kept getting in that bed willingly every single time. It’s why Spike forced himself on Buffy, because he genuinely believed she was just playing hard to get and didn’t actually mean no, because she never meant no before. When she pushed him off, he realized she actually meant it and realized he actually tried to R her, immediately being disgusted with himself and conflicted, because he doesn’t understand why he tried to do it or why he couldn’t go through with it. It’s the catalyst that he needed to finally decide to seek out a way to be what Buffy deserved, to get his soul back, because he loves too much to be a monster and is too much of a monster to be a man. For a while, this was ok for him, because at least Buffy somewhat liked him, but he couldn’t bear it anymore, he had to choose, and he chose to try, even if it killed him, to be a man, even if he’s a monster. The chip didn’t change him, the soul didn’t instantly purge him of his sins, but he put in the work and risked everything to be a better man, which is exactly why Buffy started to believe in him and forgive him. That doesn’t mean everything is fine and forgotten, in the comics, Buffy had a scene where she’s showering and Spike, who was her boyfriend at the time, went to see how the water was so he could shower after, and Buffy kicked him across the room out of instinct because she flashed back to when he tried to R her, and Spike understood and apologized for making her relive that, even if it was just a flashback. As for Willow, it was building all season to Dark Willow. The season is overlooked, and season 4 is the worst season
Season 6 is not the worst season and virtually no one thinks it is -- Season 7 exists, so it can't possibly be.
Season 6 has good plots and good episodes, but yes, Season 5 would have been a better ending.
Season 6 is definitely the worst for me. I find it unwatchable.
I think Chosen is a better ending, she changes the paradigm she was forced to suffer under the past 7 seasons rather than committing su*cide so she doesn’t have to deal with the hard choices life throws our way anymore.
@@folkloreuh I think the series finale only cements her character as the worst developed in the whole series. She spend the entire show complaining about being the Slayer. So, the show ends with her giving up her responsibilities as the Slayer to the Potentials? Meh.
@@x-man9473 I mean you can be wrong, that’s fine. Slayer = adult responsibility. As a kid she often tries to shirk it but she grows to embrace it more and more. What becomes the problem is being the only one & being cut off from others. In the finale she shares the power & connects with the world she had become isolated from due to needing to protect herself against losses as well resentment for the burden she bared alone.
9:25 - I just recently watched TheLexiCrowd's reaction to Buffy's series finale, which she released yesterday, so it is neat to see her referenced here.
I remember watching her reaction to ‘Seeing Red’ on Patreon and her commentary for it was literally just “No”. Which honestly was accurate for a first-time viewing of that episode.
Glory as a villain it's mixed baggage
Glory was one of those villains who could have been brought back if she hadn't disappeared.
It was a shame that Giles killed Ben at the end.
Season six was a great metaphor for depression, and season 7 was amazing too, showed adult life and struggles.
A good way they show the complicated Buffy in Season 6 is her singing "I was always brave and kind of righteous. Now I find I'm wavering. Crawl out of your grave you'll find this fight just doesn't mean a thing."
Season 6 is my favorite season, thank you. 😅
But I respect Vee Infuso enough so that I can still watch this whole video. 👍
Angel is in no way better than Buffy. Not even close.
People that say that are delusional fanboys.
I'm sorry but Angel is not better than Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I'm a fan of both but the Slayer is number one ❤😊
In episode 18 of season 3, Buffy gained telepathy, which was the aspect of the demon, because what aspect means part or feature of something?
Vee:*finally uploads a Buffy vid*
*Immediately clicks on it*
I agree with Spike. That's a deal-breaker for me. That's not entertainment.
Yet killing is entertainment?
The whole spike "assaulting" Buffy thing was to show that he thought he understood what love was but his baseline was Drusilla. She knew he didn't love her and couldn't but he didn't understand. The scene in question made him realize he couldn't truly love her without a soul. They were treating him like he wasn't evil and he was even starting to believe it. Him being the Dr showed that he was still doing evil stuff, just not directly to his new "friends". He had to have a moment to show it so obviously that it couldn't be excused.
I may be in the minority but I never quite understood why people loved spike and buffy together. Maybe cause of spike but that relationship despite him trying to gain a soul or whatever still stemmed from a really nasty place and lead to some really low points not only for buffy’s character but the show itself. That for me, I could never describe as love or anything close to the connection angel and buffy had imo
I think people liked that Spike was more flawed and eratic than Angel. In Buffy Angel didn't get a lot of range that he had in the Angel series where he really came into his own. I don't really have a preferred couple cause I like both couples just fine, but that's why I think people think the way they do.
I think that so many people love Spike and Buffy together is how well matched they ultimately become. It's a love story that evolves over six seasons, from her, a soulless vampire bent on making her his third Slayer killed, and she the chosen one, destined to slay vampires like him.
His choosing to help Buffy to stop Angelus was the first stone in their relationship, where he turned against his own kind, his own side, for selfish reasons, but still, he was a hero on that day. It cost him his relationship with Drusilla, and sent him into a downward spiral of depression for a while.
Even before he realised it, he used Harmony Kendall as a visual stand in for her, but she wasn't Buffy, and she never could be. When he, now chipped, went to shoot her with a shotgun, he found Buffy sitting on the porch, worried about her mother, Joyce Summers. In that moment, all the hatred drained away from him. He sat with her and tried to comfort her.
Spike lacked a soul, he didn't have a conscious, had trouble determining what was right and wrong, and yet, over the seasons, he not only grew and changed as a character, but he chose to do it.
While the bathroom scene was deeply out of character with what they had previously established, and it's kind of blown out of proportion (somewhat), that too was another stone in their relationship. It made him realise that something was dreadfully wrong, something that he was unable to deal with in his current soulless state.
He fought for his soul. He wanted it.
Spike was a real character, who was emotionally aware, supportive, and in his own way, kind and caring. He contrasts greatly with Angel, who became more selfish and creepy as we learned more about him, his motivations, and his choices.
Angel had an affinity for underage girls. Drusilla was described as innocent, chaste, pure, and about to enter the convent when Angelus sired her. In that era, it would mean she was meant to be around 16 years old, even if the actress was older.
When he first saw Buffy, he was sitting in a mostly blacked out car, viewing her across a parking lot, where she sat on the schools steps. This was a year before season 1, so she was 14-15 at the time. By mere sight alone, he decided that he had a crush on her, wanted to help her, and made significant changes to his life, moving cities, changing his bathing habits, clothing, diet, and personality to be what he thought she wanted.
In Angel's series, he mentioned a young Russian ballerina in the past, the gypsy woman was underage, and so on. It got so bad that they even made jokes about it in universe. Angel likes pretty young petite girls, and ideally blonde.
Angel was cursed with his soul, he lied, saying things like he had not fed on another person since that day, only for a flashback to reveal he fed on a recently dead diner employee, he hid things from the women in his life, from his friends, and even as Angel, there was real darkness in him.
Angel's first action as a vampire was to kill his younger sibling, and then the rest of his family, his former neighbours, and their children. Spike's first action as a vampire was to sire his mother so she would no longer suffer from tuberculosis. Her personality changed drastically when he did, and as it wasn't the mother he knew and loved, he put her out of her misery.
Human, vampire, chipped, or ensoulled vampire, Spike was the same man in all the ways that matter. Buffy saw the best of Angel, and it gradually got worse as she learned more about him, but it was a teenage crush. She wanted to please him. She saw the worst of Spike, and gradually, she inspired him to become a better man.
He was always there for her when she needed someone, he understood her better than any of her friends, she could confide in him, he had genuine love and affection for her family. He understood her.
It took time, gradually, like her kissing him on the lips after he nearly died to protect her and Dawn's secret from Glory, she used him as a crutch when she was suffering from PTSD after coming back from the dead for the second time, and yes, the bathroom scene...
But he changed, she saw it, she had feelings for him, she refused to stake him so many times, when she could have. He made her smile, he made her laugh, he made her roll her eyes. She liked his company, even if she didn't want to admit it openly, and when he got his soul, when he gave that speech in the bedroom, she truly fell for him. She realised that she loved him. It didn't have to be sexual. They slept together for three consecutive days, just holding each other through the night. That was incredibly intimate.
In Once More With Feeling, she sang about wanting the fire back, and in the finale, when she held his hand, when she finally admitted her love, their hands caught fire in a heart shaped pattern.
Yes, he had his Han Solo moment, "no you don't, but thanks for saying so." And that was on him. She had come to love him as much as he loved her, but he still didn't think he was worthy of her. Spike probably needed two more seasons to get there, before he thought that he was finally worthy of her.
@Christopher_Vose I'm confused. When he went to get the old him back, he meant the version of him without the chip but the person/creature(I don't remember) that he asked gave him back the version of himself with a soul but didn't make him human. It wasn't like he went there for his soul back. He wanted revenge on Buffy and wanted to hurt her and the people she loved but couldn't do it because of the chip he had in his brain. He kept the mix up to himself and made it seem like it was done to be a better man. Am I just misunderstanding?
@@anikejulien7273 It was deliberately left vague when Spike said he wanted to be the man he was. Did he mean he wanted his chip out, and thus, he would be free to hurt humans again, or did he want his soul back, so that he could continue the journey? I'm not sure if the writers have ever spoken on that one, because it's certainly possible to read it as he wanted the chip gone, and instead, he was given a soul, but I tend to read it as he wanted to be a man again, with a conscience and a soul, he wanted to be more than he was capable of becoming in his current state.
I just tend to subscribe that it's far more in keeping with his storyline that he found a shaman, or whatever it was, in Africa, who could give him a soul. He literally went to the ends of the Earth for this (Sunnydale, California is probably half way around the globe from wherever he was in Africa).
But the monkey paw like be careful what you wish for is certainly another read. That's the fun thing about art. It's open to interpretation. For me, Spike is the breakout character, his emotional journey became one of the core aspects of the show. I love so many characters in it, even Angel, who I kind of disparaged earlier, but again, these characters are flawed. None of them are saints. But they try to better themselves, and that's a great moral for all of us.
@Christopher_Vose he was angry and wanted revenge, how could that mean he wanted his soul back?
Completely disagree. Seasons 5-7 are actually my favorite.
they technically did bring back buffys but dawn ended up ripping the photo before buffy could answer the door.
9:26 omg that's me :)
Yup. The one and only, Lexi. haha
I love love love this series, and world, even despite more recent revelations about the creator…. Great video V!
Thank you kindly!
Im not agree at all. Season 4 was weak but still good with some of the greatest episodes on television and season 5 is widely seen as one of the greatest seasons of all TV, it’s brutal, lovely and wonderful with incredible writing, character developpement and deepth and again the single best episode representation of death on television "The Body" and season 6 is controversial but people seem to love it more today than when it was airing because it speak to them and to me too. Season 6 is sad yes but not bad lol and the dark willow storyline is still on point. Season 7 is on the same level than season 4 but just like a said season 4 worth watching for plenty of stuff. And if Buffy only worked for 3 seasons (2 if you dion’t count season 1) Buffy The Vampire Slayer wouldn’t be widely seen as one of the greatest series of all time, even now .
you don't get to ask who asked for this when you're gonna spend 30 minutes talking about a show that, as far as the comments are concerned, you know nothing about. And not only that, you're not going to say a single new thing unless it's tonedeaf because of that lack of familiarity, everything that can be said about this show, has either been said, or will be put better by TPN when he completes his reviews.
No one asked for THIS.
Restless was the one part of season 4 that fans remember fondly??? Come on, season 4 has some of the best and funniest episodes in the whole show... Pangs, Something Blue, Hush, A New Man, Who Are You?
The series stayed pretty great after S3, but it certainly became more of "Buffy the Everything Slayer" and "Buffy Goes Charmed." An argument could be made that vampires can only be the focal point of the slaying for so long, but the series kind of diminished Buffy's power by making "the magics" such a major part of the series in later seasons. By S7, Buffy isn't even the most capable character any longer -- or even that special (the numerous "Potentials" kind of made Buffy seem less "called," leading to a heavy-handed and predictable message about every girl having it within her to be a "Slayer"). I mean, why not just have Willow and the Coven kill all of the demons? I recently rewatched the series and it occurred to me that it may have been a good creative decision to make Buffy immune to spells and most other "magics." I suppose there's some metaphorical depth to Willow's "addiction to the magics," but it's a metaphor that just ended up being way too on the nose. I still love every season, but I think it's easy to argue that S3 was the height of the series, even without the series-best later episodes such as "The Body" and "Once More, with Feeling."
i wish Johnathan would've lived instead of Andrew
To every true Buffy fan to heart, "goofy" doesn't mean "bad" .... 😅
I don’t care what you say , I love season 6 .. dark willow is everything !!
I'll never forget back in 2015 when I discovered that the my most valuable CD in my collection was the original release of the musical episode "Once More With Feeling" soundtrack. Buffy out there still appreciating in value!
her second death was mystical that's why they could bring her back
I’m sorry but all the criticisims you’ve levelled at the show…did we even watch the same show?
Yes. You watched the same show. But he actually analyzed the show. He's not a fanboy/fangirl who swallows whatever quality the show throws at you, like most of its fanbase.
@@x-man9473 But no one asked you? I’m asking the creator a question..
@@2010hassi Sure. But this is RUclips. When you respond in a public chat, others will respond.
@@x-man9473 …to statements, yes. Not to a question that wasn’t even addressed to you. But thanks for your input 😁
The entire series is definitely “must watch tv”. But it also definitely had its “issues”. For me, the show was not able to maintain the perfection that it achieved with S3. Which is an impossible thing to ask! Seasons 4-7 had their moments; more good than bad. And a few of those episodes were some its greatest. But none of those “entire” seasons come close to what was reached with S3.
fwiw: I would think one’s opinion of the show is heavily influenced by when/how they watched it. To have watched it when they originally aired (along with “Angel”) brought a much different experience than what someone who could “binge watch” the entire series would create. I’ve rewatched the entire series (of each) multiple times since they first aired. And each time it feels “off” to how I “remember” it. It just isn’t the same show. So in a way, it’s not entirely fair to judge each season based off of today’s watching preferences without discussing that aspect.
Nah I’m not having it. I love all buffy!
I really like Season 6 but went into this video with an open mind. Some bits of it do suck, Giles leaving, the two relationships ending, Spike's "moment" and Buffy's character did suffer. But I liked Dark Willow and (unpopular opinion) I liked the 3 nerds. They felt like the perfect villains to show Buffy was not running at 100% any more. Willow's turn was a genuine "Oh shit" moment and the drug parallels felt earned. My opinion is Season 7 was the worst as they seemed to lose all the soul of the previous 6. It was nowhere near as funny, the characters have nothing interesting to say beyond "The First is Coming" or "From Beneath You It Devours". And then there were all the new annoying Potentials too. No, 6 was far better than 7 in my opinion.
Wooow it's shocking to see somebody MISUNDERSTAND Season 6 so extremely. It's like saying that "Into the Woods" should have finished with the 1st Act Finale... No, it shouldn't have... And while I do admit I'm not a huge fan of Season 7, Season 6 is definitely my favorite, up there with season 5 or possibly even better (this is subjective, both are EXCELLENT tho).
season 6 is disgusting
Buffy would never use a guy and Spike, yes, he's a villain turned member of the Scooby Gang, but rape scenes shouldn't exist period
I love season 6 idk
I still enjoyed all 7 seasons of Buffy and all 5 seasons of Angel when I re-watch both seasons twice on DVD during the fall and winter seasons.
One thing I always defend: spike assaulting buffy. Now while I hate watching that scene, it actually made sense with spike's character.
Remember the episode Lovers Walk? While it's written as a joke, Spike says "if I want dru back, I need to be the man she loved. I'll find her wherever she is, tie her up, torture her until she likes me again"
Spike has always associated love with pain. He doesn't realize how wrong what he is doing to Buffy until he sees her shaking and tears in her eyes. That's when he realizes this isnt love, it's an unhealthy obsession. It's key to his character arch.
Like I said, terrible to watch, but not out of character and is essential to him getting his soul back.
I never got past season 4 but I'm currently searching for the dvds. Favorite episode is Becoming 1 and 2.
I normally like your videos, but it's a little difficult to take this one seriously when you mess up the actors' names. 😂
I liked most of season 6. Season 4 was the worst overall IMO.
11:30 Who the hell is "Anthony Rupert Hall"?? Hard to take you seriously, especially when speaking on what fans thought at the time, when you so completely mangle one of the main actor's names so badly...
Actually S6 is one on my favourites...
I thought season 7 was good I think you are being a bit harsh.
Omg i agree! I love it so much. It gets wayy too much hate
[ Totally agree that Buffy should stay dead ] Dawn should have pick up the mentor of being the slayer ( that might keep the show on the air a bit longer ) as for Willow going to the darkside [ Honestly ] that angle should've been a lot better than her lover died ( the way how she died they might well say that she been shot by Castor Troy from Face/Off. )
I completely disagree with your point of view on this. To say that the creative integrity of the show went out the window with season 6 is just false and completely misguided…
Season 5 was never “supposed” to be the end of the series. It was written in the way that it was written to serve as a potential series finale IN CASE the show was not picked up by another network for season 6 as it was looking unlikely that The CW would be renewing due to budgetary reasons. The intention was always to continue the story.
Buffy is a story about growing up, and as someone who was a teenager, growing up alongside the Scoobies, I will say that Season 6 has helped me get through some of the darkest moments in my life. It has been a beacon of hope in the midst of despair and grief. Season 6 may not be for everyone but, for me, it’s really resonated over the years and its been one of the most influential and most impactful in my life of the entire series.
Pretty hard disagree tho...😅