The End of Buffy the Vampire Slayer *spoilers to come*

[DinoDoc]

[JohnT]

I emphatically disagree with Dino. How can you dislike a season with OMWF, Tabula Rasa, Life Serial, and DoubleMeat Palace?

OK, well maybe I'm kidding a little with that last one. But seriously, Season 6 was great, possibly my favorite Buffy season ever.

Season 7, however, made me hold my nose.

[The Andy-Man]

presumably it finished cos all its original fan base have now grown up.

[JohnT]

Did you ever watch the show regularly, Andy?

[The Andy-Man]

you must be joking

[JohnT]

How is a question a joke? Did you watch it?

[Starchild]

Season 1 was the background season. It established the framework of the Buffyverse and laid the ground rules.

Season 2 is the love vs duty season. The major arc, ie, Angelus, was about Buffy's love of Angel vs her duty to kill Angelus. In the end, duty prevailed and Angel met the pointy end of a sword. As we've seen so often before, Buffy then fled to L.A. to try and escape her destiny. She never would come to terms with what it means to be the Slayer until Season 5 and only truly accepts her role in Season 7.

Season 3 is the season of graduating. Mainly highschool but also graduating into your role in life. Willow starts to move deeper into magic, setting herself up as the future most powerful witch in the Western Hemisphere. Buffy rejects Faith's philosophy of being better than normal people and grounds herself firmly in the idea that a Slayer is a protector (class protector umbrella. awww). Giles rejects the Council's cold logic in favour of his own love for Buffy. Great contrast between Buffy and Giles vs Faith and the Mayor (I for one do believe the Mayor cared for Faith in his own way). Angel and Cordelia even get in on it, both realising that the life they wanted isn't possible and accept that Sunnydale is no longer the place for them.

Season 4 was the season about growing apart. The Scoobies had less time together in this season than in any other. The metaphor of Adam, a demon-human-machine hybrid (literally all parts brought together) vs the increasingly fragmented Buffy Gang sums up Season 4. The gang had to really come together (Sumerian speaking UberSlayer spell!) to defeat Adam. Restless was an outstanding episode that explored Slayer mythology, introducing questions that we wouldn't get answered until Season 7 (DreamAdam: "All creatures get angry. Though you and I come to it by other means." Buffy: "We're not demons." DreamAdam: "Is that a fact?") and set up the opening for Season 5.

Season 5 is about growing up and accepting responsibility. Xander settles down with a steady job and girlfriend. Willow accepts her sexuality and confidence in magic. Buffy finds her life altered beyond compare and instead of whining about it or trying to find a way to de-alter it, she accepts the fact. When the time comes, Buffy makes the ultimate sacrifice and embraces her destiny.

Season 6 is summed up as "life hurts." Buffy's torn out of heaven, Willow loses Tara, Dawn's being ignored, Xander breaks Anya and his heart, it's all here! Pain all around and the lesson is, you can't give into that pain (cue Buffy just going through the motions or evilWillow) but you've got to rise above it and reconnect with people you care about and who care about you (yellow crayon!). The Geeks are nothing more than a nuisance. In any other season, Buffy could have slapped them aside but in this one, she was so focused on her own pain that three nerds nearly defeat her. If you get consumed by your pain, you'll be tripped up by the smallest things. Nice touch showing how human evil is perhaps the worst of all. Warren, with one gun, caused more mayhem than anyone (even the mighty Glory!) did with all their evil plans.

Season 7 was all about the metaphysics of Buffy. The origins of the Slayer, the nature of evil, the difference between using and abusing magic. I thrive off mythos so I loved it. We got it all answered in this season. The link between the Slayers and demons, the origins of the Watchers, the insidious nature of the First (in the hearts of every man, woman, and child.). Ooooh, twas nice.

Of course, questions are still unanswered. With thousands of new Slayers, who is going to train and guide them so we don't end up with a dozen Faiths in the world? What's happened to the First? Is Dawn still the Key in human form or is the a human who used to be the Key?

[OneFootInTheGrave]

Thanks Starchild... that was great, at least I know how it finished... personally I thought she died... but well I guess they couldn't have killed her, perhaps she will be in angel now and than

Yes I watched all the seasons, mostly on tape, or on TV but basically season 6 and 7 sucked from my perspective, and even Angel gets a dull episode now and than as opposed to the first two seasons, but the latest few were great again... I thought that angel is getting sloppy too in the middle of this season, but than they got his soul out and the interest and enemies are back on track now this is just my 2c...

just to say exactly all that relationship stuff was too dull... started with Groosilak leaving Cordie, than Cordie loves Angel, comes back but slleps with his son , Wes with - what was her name W&H girl, Wes actually from a fun guy at the beginning transformed into a "super hero guy" that still is in love with Fred who actually splits up with Gun because of the mad professor killing... good that they haven't had a threesome with Lorne... I mean that was too much distraction from a normally fun apocalyptic plots... as they have lost the idea what to film about... but luckily they almost killed Cordie and killed W&H girl, they are all nice and single again, and have fun with some monsters... if I wanted to watch a relationship show I'd stick with Home and Away or the Coronation Street... but they are going to the roots again around now

[Whaleboy]

Buffy, while good, is still a load of moral relativist, subjective BS that we have had forced down our throats for years in the form of Star Wars, Superman, Bat man, etc etc, the whole good vs evil, good guys vs the evil bad guys who can do no right and only exist to hurt and all the other subjective BS one expects when forced into an ethnocentric role.

The only series that showed hope of escaping that was Star Trek Voyager and Enterprise, but we'll see how the latter turns out.

Nonetheless, the Buffy thing, for what it is, is still very well made and produced, and kudos to the writers, if not their philosophies.

[DinoDoc]

Eh?

[Whaleboy]

In simple terms, forcing down our throats the notion of good vs evil, and not mentioning that such concepts are inherently fallacious, simply minded, simplistic and largely irrelevant in this post spanish inquisition era.

[DinoDoc]

In simple terms, forcing down our throats the notion of good vs evil, and not mentioning that such concepts are inherently fallacious,

Then where did you get the rant about "moral relativist, subjective BS" rather than ranting about objective morality when it sounds like you actually believe in moral relativist, subjective BS?

[JohnT]

Maybe he doesn't really know what he's talking about?

Bet he'll also argue that the following terms are not opinions, but objective fact:

"inherently fallacious, simply minded, simplistic and largely irrelevant"

[St Leo]

Elijah, you are hurting our cause when you confuse the name of our cause with that of the enemy.

Actually, Buffy was very light-hearted and self-mocking about the whole Good vs. Evil silliness.

[Mao]

Hmmm...small kind of unrelated question: How did Babylon 5 and ST: DS9 end? I *NEVER* caught the series finales of these two, and have always been pissed about it. Can anyone fill me in?