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kudaThe 25 Worst Seasons of Great TV Shows
23. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 6
(UPN; October 2, 2001 - May 21, 2002)
Buffy's fifth season finale was one for the record books, but the events of that excellent
episode created some serious problems its following season. The result was a sixth
run that didn't quite fit the tone of a show that had built its reputation on its ability to shift
focus from deeply earnest scenes to more light-hearted moments. Yes, Buffy's weakest
season ended up earning more critical accolades than most of the other low points on
this list, but fans still feel some discomfort with its somber events.
www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/01/25-worst-seasons-great-tv-shows/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-season-6
Now everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I am tired of how some sites are down on
Season Six and Seven of BTVS. I think Season Six was amazing in how it handled life
changes of the characters. Depression is a fact of life. Many fans of the show found
Buffy's depression a bonding moment. She was so powerful, but deep down, she was
just one of us. Flawed and scared. Willow had her own arc of finding a way to deal with
her power as a witch and how her actions affected those she cared about in life. Xander
made grown up plans and then freaked out breaking Anya's heart. Giles left, came back
and left again. Spike finally got his crumb and his heart broken as well. Dawn came into
her own as a person. Season Six wasn't weak to me.
I find it interesting that this article didn't include Season Four of Angel. That was a horrible
mess. Cordy sleeping with Conner???? There isn't enough brain bleach in the world to get
rid of that image. Also the photo this site used for BTVS isn't from Season Six, it's from Season
Seven. Makes me wonder if the writer of the article isn't a Bangel fan and it colored their opinion.
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no subject
Date: 2013-01-22 05:53 pm (UTC)WTF??????????????
I admit I watched Weeds waaayyy past the time I was no longer enjoying it, I suppose out of habit (but then again there was another person watching it with me; had I been by myself I would have stopped.) And I've occasionally (not often) read novels or fanfic with a sinking feeling about where things are going when I should just put it down. But I don't believe that the author/creator/show etc OWES ME anything.
That line of thinking you quote makes no sense to me except as a rationale and an excuse to cover the awkward fact that the person's enjoyment comes directly from how much they hate the show now. (I railed about the Buffy comics quite a bit last year after finding them the first time, and I have to admit that I probably enjoyed the ranting - with like-minded ranters. So, it gave me one way to interact with, and to enter into, BtVS fandom that was more immediate and more visceral than just reading fics and meta. I got to blow off steam, express genuine distaste and horror, and found a way I could walk in the door of fandom. I've since moved on from that (the comics aren't worth the trouble, but they are troubling in their real-world implications IMO), because I can't sustain that for any length of time.
But I suppose some people can, and any strong emotion - including and especially fannish squeefulness and/or rage - is more easily sustained when others share the same feelings. It keeps the fires burning, it feeds on itself, and creates a sense of community or fitting in. And perhaps it also serves as a safe outlet for emotions that can't be expressed elsewhere, towards one's boss, spouse, neighbors, the world (Think of the presidential elections here in the US - or I suspect nearly any country - where suddenly EVERYONE is interested in politics, where people gets swept up in waves of enthusiasm. It's the same thing.)
So I can make that response make sense on an intellectual level, but maintaining that? It must be exhausting at some point.
no subject
Date: 2013-01-23 06:12 pm (UTC)Oh yeah absolutely acceptable if people wanna get together and complain about stuff, with a specific comm that I am thinking of it is slightly different, see the old fans of Who [of which I am one] like to be .... Shall we say, elitist and all knowing about Who, newbie fans are not considered true or real fans at all and get shouted down time and again, or their posts utterly ignored. There is an atmosphere of don't speak up or the more knowledgeable fans will put you in your place...
... I got very, very tired of it after a while cos I am all inclusive and no show could last without the fans [arrived in the last 4 years or have been there 40] so at the end of series 4 something happened and a *lot* if not all of the old Who fans were up in arms about the plot decision. [also a lot of new fans were too] I got so worked up about it cos I understood the plot and thought it made sense, so I posted a poll on that comm, I asked about the plot, gave an example and asked people to vote on if they would have done what The Doctor did or not...
... Now the most vocal and active of that comm had done nothing but post hate and loathing about it and shouted down a few newbies too, so when the result came and I had 18% against what he did but 82% saying they agreed it was [happily] shocking because not one post had been made in favour of it and *lots* against it. This showed me that there is a silent majority on that comm who actually love the show but mostly do not speak up cos of the old Who fans.
Also I once gave an opinion, in comments to another post, mentioning an opinion about some fans... If I Buffy-ise the statement I would have said "I think Buffy never loved Spike, but don't tell the Spuffy fans cos they get quite annoyed at that opinion lol!" ... Within 5 minutes a moderator had commented saying "We'll have less of the negative talk about Spuffy fans" I discovered she had frozen her comment and deleted mine... ??? So really it is the moderators imho that are to blame for that comm and it's a real pity cos it could be all inclusive and a great place for fans to meet, it just isnt.
Anyway I went TOTS off track, sorry lol
I said to the person who made the comment. "Well why not come back to the show when a new showrunner takes over, you clearly hate RTD and his ideas?" Their reply? None, my comment was deleted and me asked to refrain from "agitating" the members... No but rly.
no subject
Date: 2013-01-23 08:18 pm (UTC)That actually doesn't surprise me in the least. With the safety of anonymity, the internet is an ideal breeding ground for folks with an axe to grind or VERY STRONG FEELINGS to come together. They can rant and rave as loudly as they'd like, thinking they won't hurt anyone and no one knows who they are anyway. (I realize there are exceptions to that, but it's easy to spout off while typing on a keyboard than when looking someone in the eye.)
But long before the internet, manufacturers' and PR people used to have a rule that every letter they received from a customer (whether angry or satisfied) represented X number of customers who didn't bother to express their feelings.
Of course with the internet, expressing an unpopular opinion carries the risk of being "shouted down" and attacked, unfortunately.
I'm often amused however by how one person's statements are considered "inflammatory" and someone else's are just fine when it comes to internet forums - but for the most part I stay well and truly clear of fan forums at the moment.
no subject
Date: 2013-01-24 12:38 am (UTC)You're so right. I had this with our first batch of kids [we had a family young, then made another in middle age] when the internet was young and new and they would say or do things they would *never* have said or done were the person standing there. I hear from the High School they attended 82% of all problems within the school are caused by something relating to social media outside of school.
People not only feel anonymous but they also feel comfortable and protected, cos they're in their home with a drink and perhaps the telly on in the background, utterly safe as our natures dictates. Warm, safe, home, and therein lies the problem cos for the first time in human history we can reach and read the globe from that "cave" of ours. Unfortunately my saying human bring up a whole new issue, cos in my experience the vast majority of human beings on the planet are annoying berks; thus unfortunately this means that all those Neanderthal looking and [frankly] bloody berks out there [of which outnumbers the rest of us] suddenly they, those people, you know the kind I mean, mouth breathers and sniffers of their index fingers, they have a voice, it's terrifying is what it is and as terrible as it sounds, mixed with contradiction though it be to my every instinct and beliefs, some people just shouldn't have a voice... They really shouldn't.
It can also be extended to the webs at large, the vile things I read on yourtube comments for no reason at all, it makes he gag, very occasionally I argue with someone despite having learned these people are gonna be these kinds of knob headed people if my blood pressure is about to kill me or not, so I shouldn't risk it and click away, don't engage and forget. lol
What irks you most about the webs? Oh and you're a Buffy fan, best season for you and why? You don't have to answer, I blathered on so long I wanted to ask.