Best Season Six Episodes

POSTED BY: Ringwraith
UPDATED: Tuesday, July 9, 2002 18:20
VIEWED: 11315
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KOOKYTREE

Saturday, July 6, 2002 3:18 PM

Of course everyone, including me, loved and loves Once More With Feeling, but apart from that, Bargaining (both parts) were, IMO, the closest this season got to the height of previous years. My problem with this season wasnt the increase in dark and depressing themes, which I think were actually appropriate, more the bad way in which they were handled and written. I liked Life Serial too, but Normal Again just leftme a bit cold, except for the great stuff between Buffy and her parents, and the speech the doctor gave which took the mick out of the series.

Oh yeh and I thought the bit when Buffy flipped over the bed to catch Dawn was hilarious, intentionally or otherwise.

Stay kooky.

NOVAGRASS

Saturday, July 6, 2002 3:48 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by kookytree:
My problem with this season wasnt the increase in dark and depressing themes, which I think were actually appropriate, more the bad way in which they were handled and written.
Stay kooky.

That is *exactly* how I feel, though I believe I enjoyed more episodes than you did (namely, Grave, Seeing Red, and Two to Go.) If the middle episodes had possessed the writing I've come to expect from Buffy, I'd be able to say this season was the best. As it is, I enjoyed it more than any other, but I guess it's an insult to say it's the best and ignore all of the bad stuff.

--Dylan Palmer, aka NoVaGrAsS--

The Ultimate Buffy-Angel Quote Generator™

ZICSOFT

Saturday, July 6, 2002 6:53 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Novagrass:

That is *exactly* how I feel, though I believe I enjoyed more episodes than you did (namely, Grave, Seeing Red, and Two to Go.) If the middle episodes had possessed the writing I've come to expect from Buffy, I'd be able to say this season was the best.
]

I sort of go along with that. Actually, I don't think there were that many really bad episodes. On any other show they would have been written off as something inevitable, like a batting slump.

From my POV, the problem is that the season as a whole is a failure. Not because it's "too dark" -- as I've said before, there are a lot of dark elements in this series. But because the whole "Willow becomes Evil" arc, which should have held together the whole season, just didn't work. It had a strong beginning ("maybe you shouldn't piss me off") and a strong end ("I'll make it all go away"). But there was basically nothing in between except unimaginative soap opera, and the occassional good, even great, standalone story.

MILLERNATE

Saturday, July 6, 2002 11:15 PM

Quote:

I sort of go along with that. Actually, I don't think there were that many really bad episodes. On any other show they would have been written off as something inevitable, like a batting slump.

In hindsight (and as a great post by Dylan helped me see) it wasn't that most of the episodes were actively bad. I only count about 5 episodes as really bad (Wrecked, As You Were, Smashed, Entrophy, and Older and Far Away) and one of those episodes (Entrophy) was listed as one of the top 7 episodes for the year in a Usenet poll. It was more that there were an awfull lot of "who cares average" level episodes (Pretty much everything inbetween Wrecked and Normal Again excluding Dead Things and As You Were).

On the original topic: despite my ranting elsewhere I did enjoy *large* parts of this season, despite actively hating others. My list of favorites from this season are as follows (it should also be noted that I missed Hell's Bells for the sake of both the pro and anti arguments of episodes):

1. Once More With Feeling (if I were to tell you how often I rewatched this tape you'd back away and call me a loon

).

2. Tabula Rasa - an interesting reversal of the usual Buffy approach. Usually Buffy has a dark plot leavened with humor, this episode had a light comedic plot wiht a tremendous dark character arc undercutting it. Very interesting and quite good.

3. Two to Go - This gets ranked higher than Grave because this is the only episode of Buffy to get me to stand up out of my couch and yell "Oh Yeah" at the end (I'm sure most of you who saw the episode know why).

the other favorites:

4. Normal Again
5. Grave
6. Seeing Red
7. Dead Things

There were a few other episodes that I liked but here were the "Best of the best", the first candidates to get rewatched, etc.

NOVAGRASS

Sunday, July 7, 2002 1:21 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Zicsoft:

From my POV, the problem is that the season as a whole is a failure. Not because it's "too dark" -- as I've said before, there are a lot of dark elements in this series. But because the whole "Willow becomes Evil" arc, which should have held together the whole season, just didn't work. It had a strong beginning ("maybe you shouldn't piss me off") and a strong end ("I'll make it all go away"). But there was basically nothing in between except unimaginative soap opera, and the occassional good, even great, standalone story.

I believe it was The Succubus Club's interview that addressed something about the evil Willow storyline having to be pushed back. I'm pretty sure Jane Espenson said that Evil Willow was supposed to emerge much earlier in the season, but since too many fans had guessed it would happen, they pushed it back toward the end. This could account for the mid-season abandonment of the concept... so that people would be shocked and surprised when Willow went wicked.

--Dylan Palmer, aka NoVaGrAsS--

The Ultimate Buffy-Angel Quote Generator™
BUFFY: I know what you want to do, Willow, but listen to me: the forces inside you are incredibly powerful. They're strong, but you're stronger. Just remember - you're still Willow.
WILLOW Let me tell you something about Willow: she's a loser. And she always has been. Everyone picked on Willow in junior high, high school, up until college with her stupid mousy ways and now -Willow's a junkie.
BUFFY: I can help.
WILLOW: The only thing Willow was ever good for... - the only thing going for me - were those moments – just moments – when Tara would look at me and I was wonderful. And that will never happen again.

ZICSOFT

Sunday, July 7, 2002 1:36 AM

Quote:
I only count about 5 episodes as really bad (Wrecked, As You Were, Smashed, Entrophy, and Older and Far Away).

Hmm, I'm not sure I disliked any of the above, and at least one of them I enjoyed a lot.

I think its pretty pointless to trade lists of eps we personally hated. All 6 seasons have eps that are thoroughly despised by many fans. It's more interesting to talk about what specific things you didn't like (or did like), either in individual eps or in the season as a whole.

ZICSOFT

Sunday, July 7, 2002 1:42 AM

Quote:
I believe it was The Succubus Club's interview that addressed something about the evil Willow storyline having to be pushed back. I'm pretty sure Jane Espenson said that Evil Willow was supposed to emerge much earlier in the season, but since too many fans had guessed it would happen, they pushed it back toward the end. This could account for the mid-season abandonment of the concept... so that people would be shocked and surprised when Willow went wicked.

God, I hope that you or JE got that wrong. (Links?) I really hate shows that are market- or focus-group driven. They have no point. And Mister Whedon has always been too driven by his personal visions to work that way. If Mutant Enemy has become another purveyor of Give Them What They Want, then I'm adding my vote to those who think Whedon should scale back.

NOVAGRASS

Sunday, July 7, 2002 1:53 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Zicsoft:
Quote:
I believe it was The Succubus Club's interview that addressed something about the evil Willow storyline having to be pushed back. I'm pretty sure Jane Espenson said that Evil Willow was supposed to emerge much earlier in the season, but since too many fans had guessed it would happen, they pushed it back toward the end. This could account for the mid-season abandonment of the concept... so that people would be shocked and surprised when Willow went wicked.
God, I hope that you or JE got that wrong. (Links?) I really hate shows that are market- or focus-group driven. They have no point. And Mister Whedon has always been too driven by his personal visions to work that way. If Mutant Enemy has become another purveyor of Give Them What They Want, then I'm adding my vote to those who think Whedon should scale back.

I'm probably wrong. She also mentioned that they planned on bringing Giles back earlier too, but didn't for some reason... so maybe I got confused between the two... but I swear she said something about it.

It was an audio interview that isn't hosted on the site anymore, but if it is it'll be here... http://www.thesuccubusclub.com

I think Haken listened to it? Could he confirm whether or not this was said?

--Dylan Palmer, aka NoVaGrAsS--

The Ultimate Buffy-Angel Quote Generator™
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MOJOECA

Sunday, July 7, 2002 2:30 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Zicsoft:
God, I hope that you or JE got that wrong. (Links?) I really hate shows that are market- or focus-group driven. They have no point. And Mister Whedon has always been too driven by his personal visions to work that way. If Mutant Enemy has become another purveyor of Give Them What They Want, then I'm adding my vote to those who think Whedon should scale back.

I heard JE interview as well. She did say that the arc was pushed back, though I don't recall her saying why. But if the audience is seeing something coming a mile away, you can't just push on, you have to make a left turn.

In addition, I think the storyline likely was pushed back just by the nature of the story. Tara's murder is a switch to full tilt evil. Deux ex Willow had to be an explosion, not a slow burn.

EDIT NOVAGRASS: IIRC, JE said Giles not coming for the wedding (reason for which was cut from HB) was to add weight and suprise to his return in TTG. Also said that it was always planned for him to return at that moment (in TTG).

--- Joe

ZICSOFT

Sunday, July 7, 2002 9:02 PM

OK, not only is this version of the JE story about a completely different character, it ignores the "official" reason Giles was written out -- so that Head could spend more time in England and less in California. Which, with all due skepticism, is probably more or less true.

I'm sure they had all kinds of reasons for doing the Dark Willow arc the way they did. I'm not going to try to second guess Noxon and Co. -- it's not as if I could do better. But speaking purely as a fan, I found the middle part of the arc to be totally disconnected from the previous development of the character -- not to mention pretty boring.

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