Buffy: The Vampire Slayer

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Speaking of Wesley, he's another Buffy alumni that gets excellent character development on Angel. When you get to season four of Buffy, I highly recommend watching it alongside Angel (1 episode of each at a time). It really enhancesthe experience for both shows, IMO.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Judging from all the less than enthusiastic comments I hear about Buffy season 4, I'll probably do that. It's been a loooooooooooong time since I saw Angel, anyway.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Forgot to mention that I finished season 3 and am now at the start of Angel season 1 / Buffy season 4.

I really did enjoy the build up throughout the season, and the mayor was an awesome villain on top of it. All in all, I would say it was the best season so far. Will keep watching.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I still think season 2 is my favorite, but season 3 is pretty damn close. Those 2 seasons, along with Angel season 5, are the pinnacle of the Buffy/Angel-verse as a whole, IMO.

[Avaitor]

Oh yeah, I finished the series earlier this week, and I forgot to do my rankings for it.

Season 1- 7/10

Historically, it's not hard to see why the show instantly stood out- there just wasn't anything like it. In terms of genre, all you really had were stuffy space operas like Star Trek and Babylon 5, anthologies like Tales from the Crypt, and The X-Files, which is ultimately a procedural with some mythology added in here or there. Right from the very beginning, Buffy mixed sci-fi and horror tropes with human experiences in a way that few other series did as successfully at that point. But most of the episodes aren't really that great here. The vision was there, but it took a little time for the writing to step up.

Season 2- 10/10

NOW we're talking. The show was really shaping itself up with the second season, from the surprise reveal of Spike and Dru, and all the way to Angelus' end. It also became justifiably dark in storytelling with the Angelus arc in particular, which is a thing of beauty. It didn't take long for the show to become a favorite for me after hitting season 2.

Season 3- 10/10

And season 3 was even better! Oz was a nice full-time addition to the cast, while Faith made a great contrast to Buffy, as the show continued to get darker. The Mayor also was a fantastic villain, working as both an evil force and a father figure for Faith. Not a weak bunch in this batch, honestly, and this is my favorite season overall.

Season 4- 8/10

Am I being too fair on this one? Maybe. But I agree with Joss that on an episode-by-episode basis, this is mostly a strong season. There's a ton of good individual episodes (not "Beer Bad", though), and the overarching structure is pretty decent at first, as it starts Buffy's life at Sunnydale U. I also give thumbs-up to not only bringing Spike into the fold, but letting Anya join the gang, and Tara making her way in as well. She especially brought a different energy to the show that was welcome. But yeah, there's definitely some issues. Adam is a boring villain. Riley is a boring love interest. The Initiative, in particular, are a boring plot device. There's definitely good here, but season 4 is rarely considered most people's favorites for a reason.

Season 5- 9/10

This is better than the last on many terms, including a stronger villain and overarching storyline, but I can't give it a perfect 10 for one reason- Dawn. Now, I'm not a Dawn hater, since she becomes a smarter, more likable character as the show goes along, but early on? It's tough to sympathize with her. To be fair, I have heard that she was originally going to be written as a younger character, until SMG suggested Michelle Trachtenberg, and that is definitely apparent in her first episode, but... yeah, no. Everything else though? Can't complain. Although Riley did overstay his welcome.

Season 6- 8/10

Part of me wants to give this a higher score, but there really are some problems with the season as a whole. While I understand the intent behind Buffy and Spike's romance, it gets uncomfortable fast, especially at the end when he abuses her. The Trio were another weak point, mostly. I give the show points for trying something a little different by making a group of powerless losers be the Big Bad for a change, and they do serve their purpose at times when they succeed at messing with Buffy. And with recent events, having someone like Warren end up as one of the most deadly bad guys on the series is hauntingly accurate to the show's feminist intents. But they do kind of suck, let's be real. I especially hate that Xander left Anya at the altar, which is one thing I can't forgive him for.

However, I'm totally here for Buffy's depression storyline, which is done quite well. Willow's character deconstruction isn't perfect, but I think it's another fascinating thing to see, especially since it has been building up for a while. And like season 4, there are enough great episodes to justify its existence.

Season 7- 8/10

This is also a season that I want to give a higher score, but c'mon, the Potentials. Too many to name, too little to define solid character for, and the one that they did (Kennedy) wasn't worth the venture. But the main storyline is tight, and a great way to end the TV show, with a hell of a finale in particular. It also redeems Spike's actions from last season, only if slightly, and sets up his potential for the final season of Angel.

So yeah. still a great show. I'll come back in a couple of weeks to rank Angel in its thread.

[Spark Of Spirit]

So far I don't see any point for Anya to be there except to make sexual references that have nothing to do with what is currently occurring.

Personally, I'm finding season 4 so boring because there's too much relationship stuff, which is always what I consider the least interesting aspect of any show. Angel season 1 has much less of this and as a whole I'm enjoying it much more.

[Avaitor]

Anya contributes more as the show goes along and she becomes closer to the group. At first, it seems that they wanted to make sure that pairing her and Xander up wasn't a mistake before she officially became a part of the Scoobies, which is why she's kind of by the sides so far.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Yeah, she develops and becomes a vital member of the cast later on. Riley, on the other hand, I could've done without.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Season 4 was so boring. Adam was a terrible villain. Hush was the only episode that held my interest.

Even the Spike crossover was better on Angel and the Faith episodes were superior there as well (really, a body-switching plot?). If you guys are right and season 5 is a step up, then good, because this did nothing for me at all.

[Avaitor]

The body switching episode is one of my favorites, actually. It's a great beginning towards Faith's introduction, which her Angel appearances further develop.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Season 5 of Buffy down and only one episode of Angel season 2 to go.

You guys were right, season 5 was a major improvement over the ultimately pointless season 4. The best material involved dealing with Joy's death and pretty much anything involving Spike. Anya did things and was made a much better character. Glory was a much better villain than Adam (a block of wood would have been a better villain than Adam), and the finale was really well done culminating in a noble decision on Buffy's part. Spike's crush was also incredibly hilarious.

A few negatives. Dawn was irritating. The way Riley was written out seemed very forced and out of character to me (not that I was particularly miffed to see him go) and some of the standalone episodes didn't do anything for me, though that's always been one of my personal issues with the show. Lastly, I didn't quite understand what they were going for with Ben. I guess they wanted to show she had a counterpoint that wasn't pitch black evil, but he didn't really do a whole lot and his personality in the finale was a bit... irritating, to say the least. All in all, it was a big step up from season 4, though not quite on par with 2 and 3 for me.

What's left in the last two seasons for me to look forward to? Any hints? 

[Avaitor]

I've read before that Adam was initially meant to be a lame villain, to highlight the fact that the Big Bad of season 4 was change, rather than a palpable threat. That makes me appreciate the season a little bit more, but it doesn't make up for the duller ends of it.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I think that season 6 is a bit lop-sided. On the one-hand, it has a lot of filler-ish stand-alone episodes, and the main plot doesn't really get going until around the second half. On the other hand,MIT has a great character arc for Willo, IMO, and the concluding episodes to the season are great. Also, OMWF is one of my favorite Buffy episodes.

As for season 7, I've heard mixed opinions on it from fans, but I found it to be solid, myself. People criticize the addition of the "Potentials" in that it takes away from focusing in the main cast, which I never really got since it's flat-out untrue. The "Potentials" are really only more of a concept, and of them only Kennedy gets any real focus. The main cast get tons of focus, end even get lots of closure to their own personal story arcs, leading to an excellent conclusion to the entire show. Sometimes I think people just like to complain without thinking about what they are saying in their critiques.

On another note, since you're almost on Angel season 3, I'd say you have a lot to look forward to with that. Some say it's the best season of the show. Personally I'd give that honor to season 5, but season 3 definitely deserves it's reputation as well. I have to say that, aside from Angelus himself, Holtz is easily my 2nd favorite villain of the Buffy/Angel-verse, which is admittedly in large part due to how his backstory is so closely intertwined with Angelus, to begin with. If there's only one aspect of the season that I hate, it's a certain romance that is pushed by the writers, and feels completely forced and out of place. I know that some fans outright despise it. I don't particularly care for it, myself, but it's easy enough for me to look past it and enjoy the rest of the season for what it is. It gave the series so much potential to be even bigger and better than before....which unfortunately was killed by season 4, but never let it be said that season 3 was not the perfect set-up for true television greatness.

[Avaitor]

I don't think that the Potentials necessarily steal screentime away from the better characters (if anything, Andrew does, and I kind of like him myself), but their presence always felt a little disappointing, since most of the girls were really just... there. I'd be fine with the girls getting some screentime, but most of them didn't make much of an impact, even Miranda from Lizzie McGuire or Felicia Day. Only Kennedy and Millie from Freaks and Geeks seemed to have any memorable material. It felt like a bit of a waste to me.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I already did my list for Angel. And as promised, here's what I came up with for Buffy:

10. Once More, with Feeling (6-07)
9. Chosen (7-22)
8. Innocence (2-14)
7. Hush (4-10)
6. The Body (5-16)
5. Becoming Part 1/2 (2-21/22)
4. Dopplegangland (3-16)
3. Graduation Day Part 1/2 (3-21/22)
2. Passion (2-17)
1. Fool for Love (5-07)

Next I'll probably do a list of my top 10 favorite Monk episodes.