Season 4 is hands down my favorite season. I was shocked when I learned most fans rank it near the bottom. Spike really comes into his own and bridges the transition from side character to main character beautifully.
Hard agree! It’s not my favourite season but it’s up there. Hush, something blue, fear itself, pangs, this year’s girl & who are you, superstar, restless... sooooo many incredible episodes
The only reason why season 4 ranks so low for me is because I see soooo much potential in the storyline, with humans being the bad guys, some of the best episodes of the series and I really feel like the ball was dropped hard. Otherwise it would definitely be my favorite. The Initiative could have been a great bad group, even after Walsh's death, and I feel like Adam was a disappointing cop out for an exploration into Human vs Demon discussion. AtS did a great dive into the discussion, but BtVS kept the humans:good, demons:bad the entire show which I think goes against the theme of growth and learning.
I thought I was alone. Season 4 has its flaws and awkward moments, but it was the first season featuring our heroes beyond high school. It was awkward and painful and such a thrilling ride! The best episodes of the entire show happen in season 4 and even the bad episodes have some wonderful and fun moments!!
For Point 1, I agree. "It just wasn't used to it's full potential" is how I would describe a majority of season 4. Mind you, I don't think it's the worst season. That's one of my unpopular opinions :P
Hard agree about the Initiative. It further sells the point that the supernatural is a part of the WORLD and doesn't end at Sunnydale. The Government takes an interest in the supernatural just like they obviously would in the real world.
I completely agree with your first point! I always thought they should’ve gone with the “we’re using demons as military weapons” angle and have the initiative itself be the big bad of season 4
I love Andrew, but I can't tell if its because I genuinely like him, I'm desperate for some gay male representation, or I just think Tom Lenk is just really attractive.
This is one of my favourite episodes just because it was so human and normal until the robot part. Man hits on parent, man doesn't like kid, man decides to be abusive to get his way. They could have seriously strung this out a little longer and made it really insane. Buffy being terrified for an episode she'll go to jail for killing a man while dealing with her slayer duties. Wow, we need a book or something on this.
That’s because they never knew what to do with an ensouled Spike. He should have become sort of a punk poet type, getting back to his sensitive side but with an edge.
Yes, absolutely! I liked him in season 4 as well when he was chipped and eternally disgusted by the Scoobies. I really didn't enjoy when he went all sappy and love-struck, in season 5, they took away his badass card.
I love this show, but every time I watch it I’m like, who don’t they ever train Willow and Xander and the other scoobies? Like, get them in on some of Buffy’s training sessions and give them some basic fighting skills. They’re expected to support Buffy on the hell mouth, constantly put in danger, yet they never get to learn even basic skills to defend themselves? It’s touched on a bit with Dawn in season 6/7, but that’s it. It’s like - well they’re just weak puny humans, so why bother?
I've always thought so! I get that the idea was that Buffy was supposed to be the superhero and if the others can defend themselves it's not that fun, but from a practical standpoint it just doesn't make sense. Like, even if they're bad at physical combat, at least target practice with a crossbow or something (since BtVS is not gun friendly). It's the same thing in Angel, Fred has little to no defense training despite working with a man who might turn into a killer without any notice.
Jonathan should've been the one that received redemption in season 7 not Andrew. Andrew's role as a season 7 regular felt really random whereas Jonathan was a character on the show for much longer.
Season 4 has some of the best episodes of the series. I focus more on the other stories and episodes rather than focusing on the overall initiative plot. I also think season 7 is the worst. It was alright until they brought in the potentials and focused too much on them.
They weren’t that bad, but it felt like they just APPEARED out of nowhere and then in the next episode she was obviously brushing them aside to try and hide them.
I don’t agree. He never coped well with her being tougher than him. And all his “I need to be needed” crap was lame. She DID need him but he wanted to dictate how she expressed that.
The trio were actually really great villains (and my favourite villains in the show), they were incels before incels was a thing and displayed the dangers of toxic masculinity before most people were even familiar with the term.
There were terrifying. I've known men like warren.....who really do hate women because of some idea that they aren't being given what they deserve. They were a warning about incels before we had a word. Their stuff is always hard to watch.
YES. The Buffy fandom tends to do this weird thing where people act like despicable characters equates to bad characters. Well really I guess a lot of media consumers do that. I have never understood the dislike they receive as villains - yeah they are irritating and ineffectual for about half the season and then uncomfortably and frighteningly misogynistic for the other half, but that is exactly the point. Even at the time they were a spot-on critique of toxicity in geek culture, and the outcast becoming cruel and malicious themselves, and that commentary has aged fantastically and proved extremely prescient in this age of incels and misogynistic gatekeeping in fandom, and even in light of the revelations that Joss Whedon was at best a Jonathan or an Andrew, if not sometimes even a Warren.
I like season 6 because of the darkness and real word consequences. When Buffy climbs out of that dark whole both metaphorically and literally at the end of season 6 I have never been prouder.
Season 6 is incredible. It rips the characters from their ''safe''enviroment and we see them battle their inner demons rather than outer. It was nice seeing them so imperfect
I'm watching S6 for the first time at the moment (never watched beyond S5 before) and one thing I have to say I really dislike is how Spike is becoming such a central character, like he's the only one who can possibly offer support and comfort to Buffy.
Yup, I really don't like the vibe of Season 5, even if there are some good episodes and ideas. I really dislike Glory and a lot of the feeling of the season.
The most unpopular opinion I have about the show is probably that I don't think Xander wasn't that bad. He messed up and wasn't a great guy all the time, but he was generally there for his friends and tried to do the right thing. He hasn't aged super well in some situations, making him come off as sexist and having super fragile masculinity, but he genuinely was a product of the times, and as the series went on, I genuinely think he got a lot better as the character matured.
I maintain that Xander is a very realistic teenage boy of that time period. He had his flaws but what character in this show doesn't? His just grate on people harder than others because of how much more annoying it is when he's at his worst.
I've been watching a few late 90s shows recently. There's a lot of casual racism that shocked me in Marial Law. Then I was watching Seven Days and Frank literally assaulted Olga in a meeting and it felt gross. She said no, he kept rubbing her leg with his foot. So gross. Back then though, I didn't think much of it because guys used to pester girls constantly on tv and never took no for an answer, things like unwanted footsy etc was normal. Look at the Fresh Prince or Saved by the Bell. Xander has aged a lot better then a lot of characters I used to watch on tv.
Willow being bisexual and not simply a lesbian. She had a full blown relationship with Oz, not to mention the times when she was exploring her attraction to Xander.
As a bi woman I feel this. But at the same time I respect the show decision to make her a lesbian so that the romance with Tara wasn’t seen as a phase/experimentation. I do also know lots of people who identify as lesbians despite having plenty of relationships and sex with men in the past. Ultimately no-one was ever going to be happy with a definitive answer on her sexuality.
As a bi woman, I agree, but I understand that it really wouldn't go well with viewers at the time, I mean, 20 years later and there are still people who don't believe bisexuality exists. But I do find it strange that no one questions her (that I can remember, I don't remember much about s4), I think there could have been a line about her previous relationships missing something, or she'd always had a feeling there was something different and she didn't want to admit it, or some tv line like that, bc the way it was done it's like she just flipped a switch.
I really loved how her "good girl" wardrobe in season 3 acted as a visual representation for her contrast with Faith. I think it stayed within Buffy's style enough to remain subtle and not too obvious, and really added to the visual storytelling. To me it's a great example of one of the reasons Buffy is so good, because it's not just the writing or the acting, but even things like hair and makeup have way more thought and care put into them than I see in a lot of other shows.
I literally just finished my first watch through ever just a few minutes ago. I'm kind of surprised to see so many people didn't like season 7. I kind of thought it was the best season.
I share that opinion. I think 7 did a great job bringing the whole show full circle and showing just how much everyone has been through and grown as a result.
The stunt doubles in season 1 & 2 looked like weight lifters. In one episode I genuinely thought they had put a blonde wig on a man because the shoulders on the stunt double were so huge.
I’m not sure how unpopular this opinion is, but Buffy’s friends treated her terribly A LOT of the time, and I think it’s a rather heartbreaking oversight that she doesn’t end up with better friends.
Season 5 is not as good as seasons 4 or 6. It has its moments, but it overcompensates for season 4 being light on the villain plot by giving Glory way too much screen time, when for much of the season she doesn't really have very much to do narratively. Seasons 4 and 6 on the other hand are excellent because they lean so hard into the character arcs and personal stories
When I saw the OP I immediately thought "boy do I have an unpopular opinion, I bet no one's written that one" and here you (and those who upvoted it) are!
It would be great to have seen more exploration of Giles's character and trauma. I understand why they didn't do that, because the show is about Buffy, but it would have been interesting to see that he doesn't actually have his shit together, his whole life has been dedicated to being a Watcher in order to redeem himself from the sins of his youth, and he struggles to find any identity for himself outside of that role in Buffy's life. There are lots of big, complicated emotions to pick apart in the Giles-Buffy dynamic, and I wish I could see more of it!
The last seasons are f*cked up. Too much happening all at once. And I still have a hard time accepting that Dawn was engraved not only in her memory but her Mother’s. Also I used to love Willow but she treated Buffy so badly, using her apartment along with others knowing how financially unstable she was. Buffy is bearing everything and people aren’t really trying to help her with her mental health. She needs serious rests. Xander was one of my favourite character, but he didn’t have chemistry with Anya. The directors could have found a better excuse for Giles’ departure than abandoning her. And finally Evil Spike > Nice Spike
Spuffy is the worst pairing and how people talk about it being the best is rather concerning. Spike was much better as an antagonist and it would have been much more interesting if he decided that he liked to help the Scoobies because it was better to be on the winning side for once. His obsession with Buffy butchered his character.
The entire Buffy/Spike storyline was very forced and never felt genuine for me. It was fairly clear they just needed something to do with Spike to keep him around, because he was a popular character.
SAME!!! Season 1 get so much undeserved hate but it’s so enjoyable!! And it’s exciting because it’s setting everything up and we have so much to look forward to!!
Of course Riley’s not that bad. He’s a goddamned Labradoodle in camo pants. His character isn’t bright enough to have internal conflict. He’s a large lump of All American Farm Boy™️ and if brain cells were gunpowder he couldn’t blow his nose.
Spike was his best as a character when he was with Drusilla. Soulless Spike was best Spike and their chemistry was so good. They should have stayed together.
This shouldn't be a marginal opinion, it's insane that people condemn two college students performing constant unpaid labor (caring for Dawn, maintaining the Buffybot, slaying duties) for not covering the bills of the Summers household with their dorm budget, when there wasn't an ounce of evidence that either character was ever financially parasitic. Tara, in particular, goes on providing loads of support for Dawn after Buffy's return, yet she is castigated as a freeloader. It's appalling.
I don't like Faith. I feel like her "cool girl" attitude is forced and I find Eliza Dushku's acting subpar at times. The scene where she is talking about wrestling the alligator feels like a bad audition.
Omg I can't agree more. I don't understand why people like her, she had the potential to be so interesting (and she's hot as hell) but something about Eliza's acting just made faith come off like a pickme and her demeanour was irritating. I still have the line "I used to ride with a guy years back who liked to dress me up like a schoolgirl" while she does that awkward gyration burned deep into my brain.
He was also a horrible friend to Buffy and Willow throughout the entire series. Sure he had his moments, but he had some messed up expectations about how friendship works.
ok you asked for it. The more I think about it the less I like Riley. Not just boring but utterly worthless. He's everything everyone hates about Xander but he gets a pass somehow.
Tillow was groundbreaking and I'm glad the relationship happened, but I don't actually like them as a couple. The actresses didn't really have romantic/sexual chemistry, and Tara was really underdeveloped as a character. I can't even think of any way to describe Tara other than "nice." The only relationship that brought any layers out of Tara's character was her friendship with Buffy in S6, but even then, she was pretty bland.
I really enjoyed her friendship with Buffy and I wish they would’ve explored that more. It would have been nice for Tara to be more than cute, sweet, but bland arm candy. The times I really enjoyed Tara was when she stepped into her own and took charge ie breaking up with Willow and then the speech when they got back.
Xander is overhated, people are too clouded by their attachment to Buffy on how they digest other characters, OMWF is the most overrated of the episodes held in the highest regard. The Mayor wasn't that great of a villain or positive influence on Faith and with how much everyone calls out the hero's for their flaws I'm surprised the Mayor has avoided think pieces for how problematic he actually was for Faith's development.
Do people say that the Mayor was a good influence on Faith? I think people mostly emphasize that despite being evil, he genuinely loved Faith (hence human weakness), not that he was a good role model for her or set her on the right path.
Vampires make no sense. They're too easy to stake. It's got to be harder than that to drive a wooden stake through a human ribgage. They don't breathe but they get out of breath. Their hearts don't beat but they bleed. They're always horny but how does the blood get down there to have that one moment of perfect happiness?
Willow is pretty awful and hardly ever suffers real consequences for her actions. People like her because of Alyson's performance and because she starts off a cut nerd/becomes a powerful 'goddess'.
Yeah, Spike’s obsession with Buffy was a gross predator thing, which was fine when he was a soulless evil vamp and it was one sided. But the writers crossed a line by putting them together. I do not understand why anyone ships Spuffy.
Spike sticking around from seasons 4 - 7 reduced the quality of the show for me. Like for as great as those seasons were his part in the show felt like a gimmick. A convenient plot device to use. And kinda a by default.
Hard agree, he was such a great and compelling villain when he burst in in season 2, even at the start of season 4 with the gem of Amara - he even got a great episode in season 1 of Angel from that.
Tara and Willow reeks of “WE ARE SCARED TO REALLY WRITE THIS STUFF.” However, having grown up with no representation at all, it was better than no lesbians at all. Or Xena and Gabrielle style nudge nudge wink wink stuff.
Season 4 is hands down my favorite season. I was shocked when I learned most fans rank it near the bottom. Spike really comes into his own and bridges the transition from side character to main character beautifully.
Hard agree! It’s not my favourite season but it’s up there. Hush, something blue, fear itself, pangs, this year’s girl & who are you, superstar, restless... sooooo many incredible episodes
The only reason why season 4 ranks so low for me is because I see soooo much potential in the storyline, with humans being the bad guys, some of the best episodes of the series and I really feel like the ball was dropped hard. Otherwise it would definitely be my favorite. The Initiative could have been a great bad group, even after Walsh's death, and I feel like Adam was a disappointing cop out for an exploration into Human vs Demon discussion. AtS did a great dive into the discussion, but BtVS kept the humans:good, demons:bad the entire show which I think goes against the theme of growth and learning.
I thought I was alone. Season 4 has its flaws and awkward moments, but it was the first season featuring our heroes beyond high school. It was awkward and painful and such a thrilling ride! The best episodes of the entire show happen in season 4 and even the bad episodes have some wonderful and fun moments!!
One of the scoobies should have been turned for real
For Point 1, I agree. "It just wasn't used to it's full potential" is how I would describe a majority of season 4. Mind you, I don't think it's the worst season. That's one of my unpopular opinions :P
Hard agree about the Initiative. It further sells the point that the supernatural is a part of the WORLD and doesn't end at Sunnydale. The Government takes an interest in the supernatural just like they obviously would in the real world.
Wait, Incs Mummy Girl is unpopular? I really like that episoder.
I completely agree with your first point! I always thought they should’ve gone with the “we’re using demons as military weapons” angle and have the initiative itself be the big bad of season 4
I found Andrew a hilarious addition to the show.
I don't think I think about inca mummy girl enough to hate her lol. She was fine?
Agree except for last one. Has to be Giles.
I love Andrew, but I can't tell if its because I genuinely like him, I'm desperate for some gay male representation, or I just think Tom Lenk is just really attractive.
1.Riley was alright and probably the right guy for Buffy. The writing held him back
Listen up, Little Lady, the Ted Buchanan arc could’ve spanned 3-4 episodes.
Ooooh I like this! It would have been way creepier
This is one of my favourite episodes just because it was so human and normal until the robot part. Man hits on parent, man doesn't like kid, man decides to be abusive to get his way. They could have seriously strung this out a little longer and made it really insane. Buffy being terrified for an episode she'll go to jail for killing a man while dealing with her slayer duties. Wow, we need a book or something on this.
I prefer Spike without a soul
That’s because they never knew what to do with an ensouled Spike. He should have become sort of a punk poet type, getting back to his sensitive side but with an edge.
But with the chip?
Agreed. Becoming Pt 1 to Lover’s Walk Spike is the best version of Spike. He may be love’s bitch, but at least he’s man enough to admit it.
Yes, absolutely! I liked him in season 4 as well when he was chipped and eternally disgusted by the Scoobies. I really didn't enjoy when he went all sappy and love-struck, in season 5, they took away his badass card.
I think he overstayed his welcome personally…
I love this show, but every time I watch it I’m like, who don’t they ever train Willow and Xander and the other scoobies? Like, get them in on some of Buffy’s training sessions and give them some basic fighting skills. They’re expected to support Buffy on the hell mouth, constantly put in danger, yet they never get to learn even basic skills to defend themselves? It’s touched on a bit with Dawn in season 6/7, but that’s it. It’s like - well they’re just weak puny humans, so why bother?
Absolutely. It's too unrealistic, even in this universe.
I totally agree, like they all still go out and patrol so why is it that the one with super strength is the only one who gets to know how to fight
I've always thought so! I get that the idea was that Buffy was supposed to be the superhero and if the others can defend themselves it's not that fun, but from a practical standpoint it just doesn't make sense. Like, even if they're bad at physical combat, at least target practice with a crossbow or something (since BtVS is not gun friendly). It's the same thing in Angel, Fred has little to no defense training despite working with a man who might turn into a killer without any notice.
Jonathan should've been the one that received redemption in season 7 not Andrew. Andrew's role as a season 7 regular felt really random whereas Jonathan was a character on the show for much longer.
Season 6 was my favorite. Wish verse Buffy was the hottest Buffy.
I wish Buffy's style had remained as campy as season 1.
The cheesy horror movie style of season 1 is so much fun to me. Season 1 is always one of my favorite seasons.
I think season 2 perfectly blends the campiness of season 1 (Frankenstein, Fish Monsters, etc) with the drama that elevated the show.
Some of mine:
I totally agree that they pinned Dawn in that spoiled brat role for way too long and didn’t let her character grow.
Season 4 has some of the best episodes of the series. I focus more on the other stories and episodes rather than focusing on the overall initiative plot. I also think season 7 is the worst. It was alright until they brought in the potentials and focused too much on them.
The First's evil plan was the stupidest plan of all the Big Bad evil plans.
Agreed. The First was pretty boring.
The bangs weren’t that bad
That everyone probably knows WHAT bangs is so telling 😂.I agree with you though
She looked cute!
They weren’t that bad, but it felt like they just APPEARED out of nowhere and then in the next episode she was obviously brushing them aside to try and hide them.
i STILL want those bangs!! <3 xx
I liked her hair with the light blonde streaks in season 3. I got downvoted for it before, so I guess it's an unpopular opinion.
Riley wasn’t a bad guy, he just made some bad choices. He was good for Buffy for a while there.
I agree in full. It was the least toxic relationship Buffy had.
Riley was a little boring, but he was certainly likable and she needed more normal presence
I don’t agree. He never coped well with her being tougher than him. And all his “I need to be needed” crap was lame. She DID need him but he wanted to dictate how she expressed that.
Agree. If they both could have bent, just a little bit, I think they might have made it.
The trio were actually really great villains (and my favourite villains in the show), they were incels before incels was a thing and displayed the dangers of toxic masculinity before most people were even familiar with the term.
There were terrifying. I've known men like warren.....who really do hate women because of some idea that they aren't being given what they deserve. They were a warning about incels before we had a word. Their stuff is always hard to watch.
YES. The Buffy fandom tends to do this weird thing where people act like despicable characters equates to bad characters. Well really I guess a lot of media consumers do that. I have never understood the dislike they receive as villains - yeah they are irritating and ineffectual for about half the season and then uncomfortably and frighteningly misogynistic for the other half, but that is exactly the point. Even at the time they were a spot-on critique of toxicity in geek culture, and the outcast becoming cruel and malicious themselves, and that commentary has aged fantastically and proved extremely prescient in this age of incels and misogynistic gatekeeping in fandom, and even in light of the revelations that Joss Whedon was at best a Jonathan or an Andrew, if not sometimes even a Warren.
I agree with this
Willow and xander made perfect sense prior to anya.
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Foamy
I like season 6 because of the darkness and real word consequences. When Buffy climbs out of that dark whole both metaphorically and literally at the end of season 6 I have never been prouder.
Season 6 is incredible. It rips the characters from their ''safe''enviroment and we see them battle their inner demons rather than outer. It was nice seeing them so imperfect
Beer bad is funny. It’s dumb but far from the worst episode of the series.
I love Beer Bad. Xander trying to be the schmoozy bartender is hilarious
This fandom over hypes Buffy and Spike’s relationship
I'm watching S6 for the first time at the moment (never watched beyond S5 before) and one thing I have to say I really dislike is how Spike is becoming such a central character, like he's the only one who can possibly offer support and comfort to Buffy.
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I hated that season back in the day, but I've come around on 5 compared to 6&7. I'll always like 2-3 the best tho
Yup, I really don't like the vibe of Season 5, even if there are some good episodes and ideas. I really dislike Glory and a lot of the feeling of the season.
If Buffy hadn’t died at the end of 5 the entire season would have fallen into obscurity imo
From about Season 5 onwards I could’ve done without Xander……..
I'm actually a huge Xander fan and I still kind of agree.
He doesn’t get much to do other than talking Willow off a cliff, which is arguably his best moment.
The most unpopular opinion I have about the show is probably that I don't think Xander wasn't that bad. He messed up and wasn't a great guy all the time, but he was generally there for his friends and tried to do the right thing. He hasn't aged super well in some situations, making him come off as sexist and having super fragile masculinity, but he genuinely was a product of the times, and as the series went on, I genuinely think he got a lot better as the character matured.
I maintain that Xander is a very realistic teenage boy of that time period. He had his flaws but what character in this show doesn't? His just grate on people harder than others because of how much more annoying it is when he's at his worst.
I've been watching a few late 90s shows recently. There's a lot of casual racism that shocked me in Marial Law. Then I was watching Seven Days and Frank literally assaulted Olga in a meeting and it felt gross. She said no, he kept rubbing her leg with his foot. So gross. Back then though, I didn't think much of it because guys used to pester girls constantly on tv and never took no for an answer, things like unwanted footsy etc was normal. Look at the Fresh Prince or Saved by the Bell. Xander has aged a lot better then a lot of characters I used to watch on tv.
The "HD" version on Amazon Video looks HORRIBLE.
This is actually not an unpopular opinion, but rather a really unfortunate fact. Lots of mistakes were made with the HD re-master:
Buffy x Spike was gross and I wish it never happened. Him being the friend nobody liked was already a great dynamic.
he should have been killed for those demon eggs, but buffy has a double standard for her loves then anyone else.
I.LOVE. XANDER!!!
I don’t mind Xander and thought he was a useful part of the team
Willow being bisexual and not simply a lesbian. She had a full blown relationship with Oz, not to mention the times when she was exploring her attraction to Xander.
As a bi woman I feel this. But at the same time I respect the show decision to make her a lesbian so that the romance with Tara wasn’t seen as a phase/experimentation. I do also know lots of people who identify as lesbians despite having plenty of relationships and sex with men in the past. Ultimately no-one was ever going to be happy with a definitive answer on her sexuality.
Yes the bierasure really bothers me.
As a bi woman, I agree, but I understand that it really wouldn't go well with viewers at the time, I mean, 20 years later and there are still people who don't believe bisexuality exists. But I do find it strange that no one questions her (that I can remember, I don't remember much about s4), I think there could have been a line about her previous relationships missing something, or she'd always had a feeling there was something different and she didn't want to admit it, or some tv line like that, bc the way it was done it's like she just flipped a switch.
Dingos ate my baby were terrible. Especially the singer. Other bronce bands were much better.
Dingoes Ate My Baby played their instruments as if they had plump Polish sausages taped to their fingers!
Oh my GOD! Not an attack on my beloved Devon
The Trio is the most interesting season-long antagonist
Buffy vs Dracula might be my favorite season opener!
Buffy's hair and look in Season 3 were fine.
I really loved how her "good girl" wardrobe in season 3 acted as a visual representation for her contrast with Faith. I think it stayed within Buffy's style enough to remain subtle and not too obvious, and really added to the visual storytelling. To me it's a great example of one of the reasons Buffy is so good, because it's not just the writing or the acting, but even things like hair and makeup have way more thought and care put into them than I see in a lot of other shows.
I literally just finished my first watch through ever just a few minutes ago. I'm kind of surprised to see so many people didn't like season 7. I kind of thought it was the best season.
I share that opinion. I think 7 did a great job bringing the whole show full circle and showing just how much everyone has been through and grown as a result.
The stunt doubles in season 1 & 2 looked like weight lifters. In one episode I genuinely thought they had put a blonde wig on a man because the shoulders on the stunt double were so huge.
I’m not sure how unpopular this opinion is, but Buffy’s friends treated her terribly A LOT of the time, and I think it’s a rather heartbreaking oversight that she doesn’t end up with better friends.
I loved dark willow and I liked the Xander was the one who “defeated” the big bad. I think the crayon story is super cute.
They should never have tried to redeem Spike after he tried to assault Buffy
Spike without his soul is a bad guy.
I prefer Spike with Dru. That relationship had the right amount of chemistry, love and chaos. It was so entertaining lol
Pretty much all of the toxic character traits people post on about on here are the reasons why I like those characters.
Well, it was nice knowing you all:
Take my upvote for Cancer Patient Roswell Guy. That is his name, now and forevermore.
I agree I never liked the spike/soul idea - the character was at his best in seasons 1-5 after that I pretty much switched off from him.
Season 5 is not as good as seasons 4 or 6. It has its moments, but it overcompensates for season 4 being light on the villain plot by giving Glory way too much screen time, when for much of the season she doesn't really have very much to do narratively. Seasons 4 and 6 on the other hand are excellent because they lean so hard into the character arcs and personal stories
When I saw the OP I immediately thought "boy do I have an unpopular opinion, I bet no one's written that one" and here you (and those who upvoted it) are!
Season 7 is easily the worst season.
That's a pretty common sentiment around here
Giles went way too easy on Angel in season 3. He had every right to just declare he never wanted to so much as look at Angel again after the torture.
It would be great to have seen more exploration of Giles's character and trauma. I understand why they didn't do that, because the show is about Buffy, but it would have been interesting to see that he doesn't actually have his shit together, his whole life has been dedicated to being a Watcher in order to redeem himself from the sins of his youth, and he struggles to find any identity for himself outside of that role in Buffy's life. There are lots of big, complicated emotions to pick apart in the Giles-Buffy dynamic, and I wish I could see more of it!
Seasons 1,2&3 are all you need.
The last seasons are f*cked up. Too much happening all at once. And I still have a hard time accepting that Dawn was engraved not only in her memory but her Mother’s. Also I used to love Willow but she treated Buffy so badly, using her apartment along with others knowing how financially unstable she was. Buffy is bearing everything and people aren’t really trying to help her with her mental health. She needs serious rests. Xander was one of my favourite character, but he didn’t have chemistry with Anya. The directors could have found a better excuse for Giles’ departure than abandoning her. And finally Evil Spike > Nice Spike
Spuffy is the worst pairing and how people talk about it being the best is rather concerning. Spike was much better as an antagonist and it would have been much more interesting if he decided that he liked to help the Scoobies because it was better to be on the winning side for once. His obsession with Buffy butchered his character.
The entire Buffy/Spike storyline was very forced and never felt genuine for me. It was fairly clear they just needed something to do with Spike to keep him around, because he was a popular character.
Maybe it’s the time and place I was introduced to it- but I love Once More With Feeling. I listen to the soundtrack a LOT.
I like season 1 more than all of seasons 4-7 combined.
SAME!!! Season 1 get so much undeserved hate but it’s so enjoyable!! And it’s exciting because it’s setting everything up and we have so much to look forward to!!
I agree, season 1 is definitely the most enjoyable to watch, season 4 and on gets really heavy
Riley wasn’t that bad. This is the hill I will die on.
Of course Riley’s not that bad. He’s a goddamned Labradoodle in camo pants. His character isn’t bright enough to have internal conflict. He’s a large lump of All American Farm Boy™️ and if brain cells were gunpowder he couldn’t blow his nose.
I hated glory and still roll my eyes when watching her or even at the mention of her. I agree that she has way too much screen time.
For an all powerful hell God she does way too much sitting around and moping
You know I’m starting to think there’s a connection between Glory and Ben…
I think the show should have ended at the season 5 finale.
Spike was his best as a character when he was with Drusilla. Soulless Spike was best Spike and their chemistry was so good. They should have stayed together.
10/10 agree! I miss actually interesting vamps of the earlier seasons
Tara and Willow weren’t freeloaders. They kept the household running, took care of Dawn, and kept up the sham that the Slayer was still alive.
This shouldn't be a marginal opinion, it's insane that people condemn two college students performing constant unpaid labor (caring for Dawn, maintaining the Buffybot, slaying duties) for not covering the bills of the Summers household with their dorm budget, when there wasn't an ounce of evidence that either character was ever financially parasitic. Tara, in particular, goes on providing loads of support for Dawn after Buffy's return, yet she is castigated as a freeloader. It's appalling.
Buffy and Angel are end game he cared a lot about her and let her be who she is.
Love u & all ur wonderful opinions!!
I actually didn't mind "the" scene in Empty Places.
I liked Willow and Xander together, although I do not condone cheating.
I don’t like Buffy and Spike together.. Like I don’t hate their relationship but I don’t like it either
6th and 7th season are still pretty bad.
Season 4 was brilliant.
Spike is severely overrated and way outstayed his welcome.
Tara was very strong and complex.
Xander gets too much hate.
I don't like Faith. I feel like her "cool girl" attitude is forced and I find Eliza Dushku's acting subpar at times. The scene where she is talking about wrestling the alligator feels like a bad audition.
Omg I can't agree more. I don't understand why people like her, she had the potential to be so interesting (and she's hot as hell) but something about Eliza's acting just made faith come off like a pickme and her demeanour was irritating. I still have the line "I used to ride with a guy years back who liked to dress me up like a schoolgirl" while she does that awkward gyration burned deep into my brain.
I don’t know if it’s unpopular, but I thought Xander got really annoying as the series went on.
That's a very popular take.
That's the opposite of how I see him. When he started out, he was possessive, moody, and borderline an incel.
This is not unpopular at all.
He was also a horrible friend to Buffy and Willow throughout the entire series. Sure he had his moments, but he had some messed up expectations about how friendship works.
I love Xander and think he is a good representation of guys his age at that time.
Yes! Agreed on all three points!
All the Ben-Glory are connected jokes are old and tiered, not very funny and certainly not witty nor unique.
Dawn is a great character.
ok you asked for it. The more I think about it the less I like Riley. Not just boring but utterly worthless. He's everything everyone hates about Xander but he gets a pass somehow.
I love Beer Bad. Buffy is so funny in this episode!
Tillow was groundbreaking and I'm glad the relationship happened, but I don't actually like them as a couple. The actresses didn't really have romantic/sexual chemistry, and Tara was really underdeveloped as a character. I can't even think of any way to describe Tara other than "nice." The only relationship that brought any layers out of Tara's character was her friendship with Buffy in S6, but even then, she was pretty bland.
I really enjoyed her friendship with Buffy and I wish they would’ve explored that more. It would have been nice for Tara to be more than cute, sweet, but bland arm candy. The times I really enjoyed Tara was when she stepped into her own and took charge ie breaking up with Willow and then the speech when they got back.
Tara becomes interesting when she serves as a confidante to Buffy, then they kill her.
The romance was mostly boring, forced and cringey. Luckily there was enough horror, action and humor to compensate.
Honestly don’t really have any unpopular opinions about the show. It’s one of my favorites of the 90’s, and the cast are simply brilliant.
Nothing really…I’ve said it before we could have had more POC but it was the last 90s and early 2000s.
Xander is overhated, people are too clouded by their attachment to Buffy on how they digest other characters, OMWF is the most overrated of the episodes held in the highest regard. The Mayor wasn't that great of a villain or positive influence on Faith and with how much everyone calls out the hero's for their flaws I'm surprised the Mayor has avoided think pieces for how problematic he actually was for Faith's development.
Do people say that the Mayor was a good influence on Faith? I think people mostly emphasize that despite being evil, he genuinely loved Faith (hence human weakness), not that he was a good role model for her or set her on the right path.
Season 4 is my favourite.
There wasn’t enough seasons
Season 1 is the funniest.
If Riley didn't succumb to his pride in Season 5, he would've been Buffy's best boyfriend.
The character Tara was a waste of space. It was like they had a mop and decided to make it a character.
Tara and Oz were both too good for Willow, who didn’t have the emotional maturity to treat either of them well.
Vampires make no sense. They're too easy to stake. It's got to be harder than that to drive a wooden stake through a human ribgage. They don't breathe but they get out of breath. Their hearts don't beat but they bleed. They're always horny but how does the blood get down there to have that one moment of perfect happiness?
Willow is pretty awful and hardly ever suffers real consequences for her actions. People like her because of Alyson's performance and because she starts off a cut nerd/becomes a powerful 'goddess'.
Ok, so, I'll just hold out my BuffyFan card and wait for someone to rip it out of my hand now.
Spike and Buffy? Nah
No one else has said it? Alright.
Season 4 is my favorite season
Hated Spike in Buffy, loved him in Angel
Spuffy killed the show.
Yeah, Spike’s obsession with Buffy was a gross predator thing, which was fine when he was a soulless evil vamp and it was one sided. But the writers crossed a line by putting them together. I do not understand why anyone ships Spuffy.
Hard agree.
Spike sticking around from seasons 4 - 7 reduced the quality of the show for me. Like for as great as those seasons were his part in the show felt like a gimmick. A convenient plot device to use. And kinda a by default.
Hard agree, he was such a great and compelling villain when he burst in in season 2, even at the start of season 4 with the gem of Amara - he even got a great episode in season 1 of Angel from that.
The Riley storyline should of been Xander's.
I like Riley. He's just a normal dude for the most part.
Spike should have been turned back into an outright villain in season seven.
Spike got old fast.
I hate Once More, with Feeling.
Season 4 may have the weakest arc and the worst new characters, but it has the strongest episodes of any season.
tara-willow Is terrible and slows the show down
Tara and Willow reeks of “WE ARE SCARED TO REALLY WRITE THIS STUFF.” However, having grown up with no representation at all, it was better than no lesbians at all. Or Xena and Gabrielle style nudge nudge wink wink stuff.
I hated the whole Dawn plot line…
Why do you dislike Tara, Fred, and Willow? I’m just genuinely curious - I’m not being argumentative or anything.
spike is a far better, more interesting character than angel
This ain't unpopular, especially here
Buffy’s baby bangs were cute.
I think Adam is a cool villain, he's just squandered.
More than Nathan Fillion?
Xander is my favourite character
I like Xander.
I kind of wish Spike hadn’t shown up in Angel Season 5.