Favorite BtVS Season

[Guest JMA]

I'm going to go with season one. I have a soft spot for it, as I first started watching then.

[Hank Kingsley 0]

Season 5. I haven't seen all of season 6 or 7, but season 5 was just so PERFECT (okay, the opener wasn't, but it brought the 'primal' theme.) The theme of family was so great, and "The Gift" brought together EVERYTHING from the season, which is partly what makes it the greatest episode ever (imo, of course). Other great episodes were Fool for Love, The Body, Intervention, and I Was Made to Love You. What I've seen of season 6 brings it to second, though, of course because of Once More With Feeling, but also Bargaining, Life Serial, Tabula Rasa, Smashed, Seeing Red, and Grave.

[Tawren 0]

Season 3. It's perfect. The writing, the emotion, the PAYOFF, all incredible. My rankings:

 

3

2

5

4

6

1

7 (I HATED this season...every episode seemed the same, new characters thrown in by the bushel, cop-outs galore [ex. axe of power, everyone is a slayer, Faith's back, etc.])

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

Season 2, perfect build, awesome heel turn that ends in the most emotional season finale I've ever seen.

[Guest JMA]

Season 2, perfect build, awesome heel turn that ends in the most emotional season finale I've ever seen.

I agree that the season two finale is the best one in the series. It was just...perfect.

 

I suppose I should rank my favorite seasons (from favorite to least favorite):

 

1

2

3

5

7

4

6

 

It's kind of hard to rank them. Each season has at LEAST one great, thought provoking episode.

[HarleyQuinn 0]

Season 3, just loved the season arc and the many great episodes it brought(Doppelgangland, The Wish, The Zeppo, Graduation Day Parts 1 & 2, etc.)

 

Plus it introduced us to Faith which was a nice bonus

[Mole 0]

I said I would never do this again - rank the seasons of Buffy - but I have to!

 

5 - Everything worked so well. There wasn't ONE episode that was a throw a way, every episode connected to the next one. Plus, Glory is just so hot.

 

3 - Faith and the Mayor were the best Big Bads put together. I love everything about this season, and the only reason it isn't #1 is because the beginning of the season wasn't that strong. Plus the fact we never got a real reason why Angel came back.

 

6 - I think this season is VERY underrated. I like it because it was very dark and I love it when shows go there. The Big Bad was kind of weak (the Geek Trio were the REAL Big Bads) but it was made up for it with everything else. Plus, I love the story arc with Willow, one of my favorite of all time.

 

2 - This season used to rank higher, but there were too many "monster of the week" episodes. Even though Angelus was an AWESOME Big Bad, along with Spike and Dru, there were too many throw a way episodes. The finale was one of my favorite of all time though; the ending was SO bittersweet.

 

7 - I really like this season, but they could have done so much more with it and that is why it is ranked low. Some people don't understand it, but I have watched the season about 3-4 times now, so I get everything.

 

4 - Blah, this season never did much for me. Don't get me wrong, I liked it, but it isn't anywhere near as good as any other season. Plus, it introduced Riley.

 

1 - It was the beginning, and Joss was just getting the groove. It's weird because this is the first season I saw in whole (when it came out on DVD) and I loved it. Now that I look back at it; I don't really love it anymore.

[chaosrage 0]

I just saw Normal Again for the first time. That was awesome. I love the ending. I guess FX did too because it's the first time they went to the credits instead of cutting to a stupid todd tv commercial. It's too bad the Angel series takes away all doubt.

 

5

2

3

6

4

1

 

I haven't seen all of 7, I'm not too sure about 2 and 3, but 5 is staying.

[Hank Kingsley 0]

Ranking the seasons? Hmm...

 

5

6

3

4

2

1

 

I've seen enough of season 6 to be able to rank it, but not so much on season 7. S2, while the Angelus arc was great, had too many filler episodes. 3 and 4 were great, but imo they can't touch the other two. 1 is a fun season, but way behind the others.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

5

 

Cause shit, it's season 5!

[Mole 0]

What about the others, RRR?

[fazzle 0]

I'd say season 3. 2 had the better story arc, but it also had too many crappy throwaway episodes.

 

 

Overall:

 

3

2

4

1

7

6

5

[Youth N Asia 0]

We've only done this a million times.

 

I picked season 3...although seasons 2, 4, and 5 are tired for 2nd with me. I just think 3 was the most solid from front to back, I love the high school class fighting the mayor...even though his change was dumb.

 

But season 2 has the best build up to an ending

[Guest JMA]

Guess I should explain my choices as well.

 

1 - GREAT season and the one that started it all. From the opening scene (with Darla) to the final battle with The Master (very underrated villain). In hindsight, the focus on vampires rather than other demons was nice. The Buffy/Angel/Xander/Willow dynamic ruled. You had Xander loving Buffy, Buffy loving Angel, Angel loving Buffy but don't being able to get close to her, and poor Willow pinning away for clueless Xander. That's something I really missed in the later seasons - Xander having the hots for Buffy. I didn't really like it when they developed a sibling relationship.

 

For some reason, the less spectacular special effects made the action seem more real to me. Another plus was SMG looking her hottest in this season (I think even she has said that). When Buffy first came on the concepts they were using were all new and different to me. I didn't really know what was going to happen next. The high-school, the Bronze, Cordelia, Nerd Era Willow, ect. All great stuff. Oh, and Principle Flutie getting eaten. I didn't see that coming.

 

2 - This season, as stated above, had the best season finale. I never expected Joss and co. to turn Angel evil. And man, was he ever evil. This was our first contact with the magnificent bastard himself, Angelus. We were also introduced to Spike and Dru, two of my favorite characters. Not to mention Willow and Xander started to date other people. I think Joss made the right call by never having them in a serious relationship. I thought Oz was a great addition. His calm demeanor and subtle quips were hilarious.

 

3 - Ah, the season of Faith and the Mayor. Okay, so now Buffy has defeated the self-proclaimed Vampire King and her boyfriend (quite possibly the sickest vampire ever). The seeds were layed in season two about a conspiracy in the town of Sunnydale. Enter Mayor Richard Wilkins III. Evil, but polite and non-vulgar. A very different kind of villain. You could hate him, but you didn't really want to. His interaction with Faith made this season. We also had the final battle at Sunnydale High, exactly where the battle should be. It was a true mark-out moment to see all the students come together against their oppressors. And Angel and Buffy finally separate, leading to Angel's own spin-off.

 

5 - Not a bad season by any means. However, the opener was quite possibly the campiest episode of Buffy ever created. In her first appearances, Dawn struck me as kind of obnoxious and annoying (and not in a good way). But I guess that's how little sisters are supposed to act. I softened up to her later on, though.

 

At first the Spike loving Buffy thing felt weird. But I grew to accept that as well. Glory was interesting as Buffy had fought vamps and demons before, but never a god. Like the Mayor, Glorificus was quirky and thus entertaining. Although I'm kind of surprised Ben was never mentioned again after this season.

 

7 - Hey, it's the last season. And Buffy went out with a loud bang. Buffy had beaten vampires, demons, cybernetic demonoids, robots, ghosts, invisible girls, witches, nerds, and even a god. What else was left? Evil itself. The First Evil (aka The First) was first introduced in season three. We always knew it would pop-up again, but never when or where. Many fans suspected it was behind the whole "from beneath you it devours" thing. When it finally did appear...wow.

 

In this season we learned more about the Slayer mythos. We also saw the many girls who had the potential to be Slayers. Caleb, The First's vessel, ruled. A religious fanatic who worships evil -- GOLD. Spike with a soul was interesting to see, as were the uber-vamps. Seeing Angel show up was a true mark-out moment. As was seeing Spike sacrifice himself. In the end, Sunnydale was destroyed. A good end for a great series.

 

4 - We're winding down now. Season four was something of a transitional one. Joss seemed to be looking for a new way to go. Although Riley wasn't that good with Buffy and it SUCKED to see Oz go, this season produced one of the top ten Buffy episodes (IMO) "Hush." The episode was so innovative that it saved season four.

 

6 - Not really a bad season per say, but I saw the others as being just a bit better. Although the dark nature and rampant sex was new and interesting, this season also gave birth to "Double Meat Palace." That being said, it also gave birth to "Dead Things" (a GREAT episode). Not to mention Willow vs. Buffy, six years in the making.

 

This was a tough decision as I've watched the series from the end to the beginning. I've watched it grow from a cult hit to a mainstream phenominon. It's been quiet a ride. I can safely say it's my favorite show ever. Bar none.

[HarleyQuinn 0]

Correction JMA, The Body was in Season 5 although 6 did give us Normal Again

[Guest JMA]

Correction JMA, The Body was in Season 5 although 6 did give us Normal Again

Oh wait, I was thinking of the wrong title.

 

I said "The Body" but I meant the episode where Warren kills Katrina. My bad.

 

Edit: I meant "Dead Things," not "The Body." Again, my bad. I'll be sure to fix it in my above post.

[Youth N Asia 0]

"Hush." The episode was so innovative that it saved season four.

I don't buy that. Season 4 did have "Beer Bad," but was very solid from beginning to end. And if you break down single episodes I think it had more great ones then any other season.

 

Fear Itself

Something Blue

Hush

A New Man

This Year's Girl

Who Are You

Superstar

Primeval

Restless

 

But it's a matter of opinion I guess, but I really liked season 4, I was a mark for Adam.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

2 - This season, as stated above, had the best season finale. I never expected Joss and co. to turn Angel evil. And man, was he ever evil. This was our first contact with the magnificent bastard himself, Angelus. We were also introduced to Spike and Dru, two of my favorite characters. Not to mention Willow and Xander started to date other people. I think Joss made the right call by never having them in a serious relationship. I thought Oz was a great addition. His calm demeanor and subtle quips were hilarious.

 

Giles finding Miss. Calendar dead was also a classic moment from season 2.

[Youth N Asia 0]

2 - This season, as stated above, had the best season finale. I never expected Joss and co. to turn Angel evil. And man, was he ever evil. This was our first contact with the magnificent bastard himself, Angelus. We were also introduced to Spike and Dru, two of my favorite characters. Not to mention Willow and Xander started to date other people. I think Joss made the right call by never having them in a serious relationship. I thought Oz was a great addition. His calm demeanor and subtle quips were hilarious.

 

Giles finding Miss. Calendar dead was also a classic moment from season 2.

No doubt. "Passion" is the best show they've ever done, my all time fav.

[Guest JMA]

2 - This season, as stated above, had the best season finale. I never expected Joss and co. to turn Angel evil. And man, was he ever evil. This was our first contact with the magnificent bastard himself, Angelus. We were also introduced to Spike and Dru, two of my favorite characters. Not to mention Willow and Xander started to date other people. I think Joss made the right call by never having them in a serious relationship. I thought Oz was a great addition. His calm demeanor and subtle quips were hilarious.

 

Giles finding Miss. Calendar dead was also a classic moment from season 2.

Agreed. That was just brilliant.

 

Joss has never been afraid to off main characters. I liked Jenny, but her death really got Angelus over.

[Guest JMA]

"Hush." The episode was so innovative that it saved season four.

I don't buy that. Season 4 did have "Beer Bad," but was very solid from beginning to end. And if you break down single episodes I think it had more great ones then any other season.

 

Fear Itself

Something Blue

Hush

A New Man

This Year's Girl

Who Are You

Superstar

Primeval

Restless

 

But it's a matter of opinion I guess, but I really liked season 4, I was a mark for Adam.

I probably did oversimplify things. You're right, there were other good episodes in season four. But I still think Hush is the best ep to come out of that particular season.

 

Parker was kind of iffy though. On one hand, it makes sense for Buffy to fall for a guy on the rebound and for him to sleep with her and leave. On the other, they didn't really do much with him after that. Kind of a Ben situation there. I'm not really sure if I like what they did or not. Hence the use of the word "iffy." What did you think of the Parker situation if you don't mind me asking?

[chaosrage 0]

Not to mention Willow and Xander started to date other people. I think Joss made the right call by never having them in a serious relationship.

Bah. That's the biggest flaw in the series. Okay, Willow had a crush on Xander for years, she's crying when he sleeps with Faith, and Xander's slowly starting to fall in love with her. They almost kiss in the beginning of season 2 and they do kiss in season 3 but it's wrong because they don't want to break up their relationships. Yet they still can't resist each other and it breaks up Xander/Cordelia. They kept teasing it and teasing it and then all of a sudden Willow's gay and Joss wants you to forget everything that happened.

[Ravenbomb 0]

5

6

7

3

2

4

1

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

7

3

6

5

2

4

1

[HarleyQuinn 0]

3

5

2

6

4

1

7

 

Seasons 3 and 5 alternate depending on the mood. Sadly I think I'll end up hating Season 7, despite liking the other seasons, for Kennedy alone as well as the other SIT's suddenly gaining slayer powers, Caleb getting killed like he was nothing, etc.

[Guest The Notorious CRD]

I went with Season 3 because it just rocked so much. It and Season 2 are some of Joss Whedon's best work IMO. Really, though, I'm more of an Angel fan than I am a Buffy fan.

[Guest JMA]

Not to mention Willow and Xander started to date other people. I think Joss made the right call by never having them in a serious relationship.

Bah. That's the biggest flaw in the series. Okay, Willow had a crush on Xander for years, she's crying when he sleeps with Faith, and Xander's slowly starting to fall in love with her. They almost kiss in the beginning of season 2 and they do kiss in season 3 but it's wrong because they don't want to break up their relationships. Yet they still can't resist each other and it breaks up Xander/Cordelia. They kept teasing it and teasing it and then all of a sudden Willow's gay and Joss wants you to forget everything that happened.

I did find it annoying when she cried over Xander getting laid. I mean, what was the point? They weren't dating and she basically blew him off in favor of Oz. You could argue that she did it because she was his friend, but that sounds lame to me. I honestly think Willow somehow wanted both Oz AND Xander (which isn't very realistic).

 

I could buy Willow falling for Tara, but not as fast as she did. It is quiet a transition. The feeling I got from Willow is that she isn't REALLY gay (well, she is but not exclusively). I always thought she fell in love with Tara despite her gender, not because of it. For someone who can literally bend reality to her will, gender shouldn't really be that big of a deal. I do think she was sexually attracted to Xander and Oz, as well as Tara. But that's only a theory.

[chaosrage 0]

I did find it annoying when she cried over Xander getting laid. I mean, what was the point? They weren't dating and she basically blew him off in favor of Oz. You could argue that she did it because she was his friend, but that sounds lame to me. I honestly think Willow somehow wanted both Oz AND Xander (which isn't very realistic).

 

Well it's not unusual for someone to be torn over two people. She still had a crush on Xander but she fell in love with Oz. That's gotta be confusing. Then she had the same problem with Tara and Oz.

 

I could buy Willow falling for Tara, but not as fast as she did. It is quiet a transition. The feeling I got from Willow is that she isn't REALLY gay (well, she is but not exclusively). I always thought she fell in love with Tara despite her gender, not because of it. For someone who can literally bend reality to her will, gender shouldn't really be that big of a deal. I do think she was sexually attracted to Xander and Oz, as well as Tara. But that's only a theory.

 

Willow was obviously sexually attracted to Xander, it's not like she wanted to kiss him or play footsie with him or anything when she was with Oz, she just couldn't help herself. That's another reason I can't stand S4. They just dropped the storyline and never brought it up again. Allright, most of the time one of the two was always in a relationship. But not at the beginning of S7. That would have been the perfect way to end the series. At least it would give Xander and Willow SOMETHING to do in S7.

 

This is even more than just the entire storyline leading up to it though. I mean they were perfect for each other. Everybody wanted to see it. Fuck Joss for not doing it.

[Guest croweater]

**Cries because he just wrote his big ass analysis of the seasons and had it deleted by the evil computer**

 

 

...

 

...

 

**looks around for sympathy............... with puppy dog eyes**

[Youth N Asia 0]

I wish they wouldn't have turned Willow totally gay...I think it would have worked better that Tara had just been so special to her that an exception had to be made. But after that the stuff with Kennedy did nothing for me and was pretty pointless.

 

Parker worked in some ways and failed in other...it's normal for girls to have a college fling where they're just flat out used...but then again why is she so broken up over it? She's a friggin Slayer.