Using the hammer and sickle to kill the demon slavers was also a nice touch.
I’m finishing up season 6, my first watch. I don’t know how I feel about it, the thing is, I can’t point at any specific thing and say “that was a terrible plot idea, what were you guys thinking?” But I kind of feel like… I don’t know, taken together everything in this season is too much. Like, I have no problem with Xander leaving Anya because he’s afraid he’ll be abusive, I have no problem with magic addicted Willow, I have no problem with Dawn’s abandonment issues, and so on. Hell, while I still don’t like them much, I actually kind of like how they’re approaching the nerd trio – where Jonathan and the summoner guy are more complicit than evil, and just spineless to stand up to Warren. I was even surprised that they handled Warren’s attempted mind control rape of his ex fairly well.
Taken apart, all of these are totally serviceable ideas, but together they just form this kind of mish-mash of soul crushing plots. Like, if we’re going to get all this other shit, they could have at least given us a happy wedding. Or if Tara is gonna die they could have given Buffy a better job, or whatever. Does anyone else feel this way about season 6?
Absolutely. Exactly what I think. For me the series ended with The Gift. Season 6 has some very good episodes, and even some good ideas, but it just isn’t the same anymore. It becomes a drag. Season 7 should never have been made.
For me, all the problems of season 6 are forgiven by the musical.
Exactly. “Once More, With Feeling” gets them a pas for all sorts of shit.
Fuck that. Breaking up Xander’s wedding ruined any good will I had left for season 6. Aside from the final stretch of Season 7, I pretty much skip everything after “The Gift” during rewatches.
Can someone explain why Season 7 is terrible? I’m two episodes from finishing it and I… uh… really enjoyed it. I thought it was fun. I can agree with the negative assessment of Angel Season 4, I got to the episode where Gunn calls it a “turgid supernatural soap opera” and I can’t say I disagree with the man. But I really like Buffy S7 so far, the only thing I don’t like is that the First is kind of stupid and doesn’t fuck with them more in Buffy’s body. I’m willing to accept that I have no taste, but I don’t get why everyone thinks it’s so terrible. Something about Spike getting too much screen time (not sure why people think that, especially compared to the Spike Train Wreck Variety Hour that was Season 6), and Kennedy sucking (I like her) and… yeah, I don’t get it.
Conversations with Dead People was excellent, for sure. But a large part of the early season, with Buffy speechifying in the house to a bunch of girls, was pretty tedious.
My buddy is back in town and we watched another couple of episodes.
First one (typed while he was running to go get some burgers): 303(?)-the intro of Faith. Minor continuity error–I think we were told before and since that all Watchers were men. Giles referred to Faith’s Watcher as “she”. No big, just a raised eyebrow moment. I love Joyce’s confrontation with Snyder (“I believe what my daughter is trying to say, “Mr” Snyder, is nyahh-nyahh-n’yahh-yah”
I’m getting a little sick of the hamfisted Joyce acting like Buffy came out of the closet/gay stuff. The analogy kinda-sorta works for X-Men. It does NOT work for Buffy. Also, it makes Joyce sound like a moron (“I’ve done everything but march in the Slayer-pride parade” :rolleyes: )Joyce’s real fear and expression of absolute shock when she found out Buffy had died for a few minutes was worth more than the entire scene.
Faith’s accent gets much, much stronger, doesn’t it? It’s barely there now and I remember it as being more intense. How old is Faith? Like 20 or so? She’s certainly older than Buffy and the gang.
The “We’re Contractually Obligated To Put Angel In This Episode” dream sequence had about 15% less suck than the previous couple. This is a good trend. I recall Angel gets a “Get out of Hell Free” pass early this season. I hope it’s soon because really, even this dream sequence kinda sucked, just less badly so than the slo-mo-on-the-beach tampon commercial episodes.
I remember Mr. Trick now and, along with the cowboy vampires from the last season, he was never used to his potential. I know he doesn’t make it out of the season. I think the Mayor eats him…which was sad. He’s great.
The final fight involving Faith was nicely choreographed, and I like Buffy finally opening up about what happened to Angel.
304(?)-The first of several VERY SPECIAL EPISODES. In this LIFETIME/ABC AFTERSCHOOL SPECIAL episode, we learn, in the most hamfisted, poorly written way, the incredibly controversial point of view that “Spousal abuse is a BAD THING”. A sledgehammer to the face has more subtlety and nuance. Other than that crappy “TEEN DRINKING IS TEH BAD” ep in…um…S4? (Bad Beer?), this is the one that is the most preachy and tedious.
Oz’s costume still looks terrible. Every time I see it, all I can think of is the Pakuni(?) from the early Land of the Lost seasons. That said, Seth Green steals every scene he’s in and it’s a shame he left so soon into the show.
The other effects were kinda lame too. The glow-y “Mr. Hyde” serum was just lightstick juice (I cut one open once…same stuff) and the Dr Jekyll->Mr Hyde transformation was obviously inspired (aka “ripped off from”) Evil Dead 2 or 3.
Angel is back sooner than I expected and A) I hope he doesn’t stay in caveman mode long–it’s boring. B) How’d “Animal Angel” get pants on, belt buckled and shoes tied? Because he kinda…couldn’t.
We never did find out what happened to the window in the library when Xander fell asleep. Somebody broke/opened it.
Also, didn’t we just have a whole ep about Buffy coming clean/being honest with her friends? Because…she kinda forgot the lesson pretty much entirely. I’m not sure why she’s covering up for brain-dead Angel. But, on the heels of last week’s episode, it’s stupid that she is.
Yeah. I totally felt this way as well. It was just a reboot of all Xander’s growth since S3.
Fun fact, Eliza Dushku the real person is three years younger than SMG, seven years younger than Allyson Hannigan, eight years younger than Emma Caulfield, and ten years younger than Nicholas Brendon.
The character was never given an age onscreen, but I think she was supposed to be 18.
…blink…my guesses for actor’s ages from oldest to youngest would have been:
Angel-I’d have guessed that David-whatshisname was 35 or so (I know from above that he wasn’t, but he looks old)
Drusilla–30-ish
Spike/Faith-28-ish
Oz-26ish (I don’t buy him as 18 at all)
Xander/Buffy-25ish (again, I know from above she’s older than that)
Willow-22ish.
From your post, my perceptions are totally wrong. 
Season 3 was filmed in 1998. In 1998, the listed actors turned the following ages:
Angel - 29
Drusilla - 33
Spike - 36
Faith - 18
Oz - 24
Xander - 27
Buffy - 21
Willow - 24
You were pretty close on most of them, but hooo boy were you off on Spike and Faith. It’s funny that you listed them together as the same age, since they’re the youngest and the oldest in the list.
Heh–with Spike, I can rationalize it as “Well, it’s the silly-looking bleached hair that made him look younger”. With Faith, I got nuthin’.
Just saw “Homecoming”. Great episode with a couple of quibbles (and with one horrible fuckup).
- Loved that Cordie and Buffy still have some differences.
- Loved more of Mr. Trick (I know the character dies fairly soon, which is a huge shame. He’s more interesting than Drusilla)
- The mayor. Yah!
- The remaining cowboy brother. Gortch. Yay.
- Willow in that dress, plus Cordie and Buffy in their prom-dresses (and Faith, for that matter) were their hottest ever. And Buffy finally has a haircut that doesn’t look stupid.
The quibbles:
- Scott’s breakup was way, WAY too timed/contrived. And I liked Scott. AND it would have been nice for Buffy to break up with him.
- For the ending to work, we needed to see the other homecoming queens do…something…anything beforehand. Or people getting annoyed by Buffy/Cordie.
- Blech on Angel/Buffy. Also, why isn’t he still a badly-acted beast-man (I like DB. but his beastman-inarticulate Angel was just…sad)
- I don’t buy Willow helping Cordie over Buffy. At all. Xander’s “I’m her boyfriend” excuse is fair. Willow’s “I feel guilty for kissing you” isn’t.
The huge fuckup (and it’s typical for the Buffyverse)
The Xander/Willow thing.
A) Xander is a slightly dim, generally average kid that has two (2) admirable qualities. 1) He’s crazy-brave (he stood up to Angelus in the hospital. Kid’s got bowling-ball-sized balls of brass and 2) He’s crazy-loyal. He wouldn’t do that to Oz. Period, end of sentence. It would be disloyal.
B) Xander/Willow just sucks. They’ve spent 2-3 seasons telling us that Xander/Willow see each other as brother/sister and then, POOF out of the blue? Nah. I don’t buy it.
C) We don’t know this yet, but it’s the first of many, MANY proofs that in the Buffyverse any sort of romantic/sexual connection leads to unspeakable pain. I don’t know if it’s Joss or that Marni Noxon(?) lady, but one of the two has major issues with the idea of a relationship.
D) Oz is great. Fucking up his relationship with Willow (especially this early on) is just bad storytelling.
Two questions.
- We see Buffy pull some kid aside while campaigning for prom queen. Jonathon. Buffy gives him a cupcake and he says Cordy gave him (say) $10.00. The only one of the three Tara-killers I can remember is Andrew. But he looks familiar. Is he one of the three?
- Settle a bet with my buddy and me. I say that whatshisname…the big gay football player is still alive because he gets eaten by the Mayor at the season finale. My buddy says “No, he died during the zombie attack in 302”. Please let us know who owes who a pizza.
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Yes, Jonathan is one of the trio. Funnily enough, Andrew was the only one who didn’t appear ahead of season 6 (he’s the younger brother of the guy who summoned the flying monkeys because they couldn’t get the original actor from that episode to come back).
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Larry was killed by the mayor, yes.
Larry Blaisdell | Buffyverse Wiki | Fandom
My recollection is that they spent 2-3 seasons telling us that Xander sees Willow as a sister, while Willow has huge crush on Xander. Poor Willow then has to suffer through Xander being obsessed with new girl Buffy.
Willow being super into Xander for so long is its own fuckup, in a way.
“Hello, gay now!” not "“Hello, gay then!”
Yeah, the Xander/Willow infidelity thing made perfect sense to me. Willow had been pining for Xander since the first episode. She screws up, obviously, by kissing Xander, but it was somewhat understandable that she’d slip when the guy shed been crushing on most of her life suddenly starts showing interest in her. Likewise, I totally bought that Xander, once he was no longer the center of Willow’s universe, would sabotage both his and Willow’s relationship to get her back, because Xander is basically awful.
That sort of shit is what immature people get up to all the time. It’s perfectly believable that two people would ruin their relationships with other people over a meaningless kiss that they didn’t even really want. Lots of people grow out of that once they’re out of high school, but plenty of people are still pulling ridiculous stunts like that into their 40s and 50s.