LJ and Buffy (not related)

[butterfly]

I love the new look for lj. It's clean. Love the white space - as that's just what I do on my site - leaving the borders empty so that everything has that... empty border of lightness. In fact, lj strongly reminds me of my own site now, though I've gone with a more cream-colored background as opposed to white. My brother would remember what generation it is specifically, but lj is now a website generation higher than it was (I think it's 3rd now, as opposed to 2nd).

Been thinking about Buffy and I've figured out which seasons were my favorites for each regular.

Buffy: Season Six. I identified with her so much that season. I've been that Buffy. I've never seen depression portrayed so accurately on tv. Everything she did that season made so much sense to me. Because it all hurts so bad. Why do people depend on you? Can't they see you can't handle it? My mom never could do a Giles, but I certainly did a Buffy on her, responsibility-wise.

Xander: Season Three. He goes through everything in this season and really does wonderfully. Oddly, this is probably the season with the least amount of possibly 'shippy B/X moments as both of them are caught up in the disintergration of their last relationships.

Willow: Season Four. Losing Oz and going through that pain - then finding Tara. Tara is my favorite Scooby significant other ever. Massive levels of love for Willow for realizing how amazing Tara is.

Giles: Season Five, when he's found a renewed purpose in life. He's great that season.

Cordelia: Season Two. It's the Xander/Cordy relationship, which I've always liked. Just not as much as B/X.

Angel: Season Three. Used to be Season Two, because! Angelus. But now that I love Angel, I really like him in Season Three because we get to know him a bit better and see more of his various sides (I'm a funny guy).

Oz: Season Three. He's gold in every moment that he's in, in third Season. Most of my memorable Oz moments are from Season Three.

Spike: Season Seven. I like Souled!Spike. Although I enjoyed Evil and Loving It!Spike, I never liked him.

Anya: Season Seven. She finally learns what it is to be human in every way.

Riley: Season Five. I didn't really like him until we saw him totally disintegrate and then rabbit. I may have issues.

Tara: Season Six. Odd how my favorite moments for Will's SOs are when they say 'no' to her. And Tara was just plain wonderful this season, with everyone.

Dawn: Season Seven. She really grew up the last season. Loved seeing her become a woman.

Stats:
Season Two - 1
Season Three - 3
Season Four - 1
Season Five - 2
Season Six - 2
Season Seven - 3

Comments

[lasultrix.livejournal.com]

Poor, poor Riley! My heart just broke for him in Season Five. Because it couldn't work out with Buffy, through absolutely no fault of either of them, and the show portrayed that in such a subtle way early on, and then... *weeps*

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

It was great! I really liked him in that season, because I could see that he was a good guy, just not right for Buffy. So yes, he touched my heart in S5.

[imation23.livejournal.com]

I always think that the reason Riley fell apart was because he realised that the *reason* Buffy chose him was so that she wouldn't get hurt again - he was the 'safety guy', which he really didn't want to be - he wanted to be someone Buffy fell deeply in love with. Didn't happen.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Yeah. She was everything to him and he was 'safe' to her. He wasn't a guy she thought she'd ever cry over.

[superplin.livejournal.com]

I think I need to go back and rewatch the earlier seasons (oh, the chore!) but off the top of my head, I pretty much agree with your assessments. In particular S6 Buffy, S4 Willow and S7 Dawn.

Willow really came into her own when she went off to college, and that was fun to watch (of course, that's also where her intellectualism and "wanting to help" started to edge toward that shaky combination of arrogance and insecurity that made her so dangerous later on).

The only S7 I cannot stand to rewatch is Him, because I don't like humiliation for a cheap laugh, and everything about Dawn (and, for that matter, Buffy) in that episode makes me cringe, except the last 5 minutes. Aside from that moment, S7 converted me from barely tolerant to a committed Dawn fan, and now I can even appreciate her moments in earlier seasons. (I, uh, used to have major Dawn issues; I think it's the name thing.)

And what you said about S6 Buffy. So have been there myself; I was completely inside her head every step of the way.

Fun post!

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Dawn bothered me in Him until I knew it was a spell. Now I can watch it and not be bugged, because she wouldn't have chosen to act that way.

Yeah, Willow totally blossomed in college.

I've never been as close to a character's headspace as I have been to S6 Buffy. When people complain about what she did, I always want to ask them if they've ever been depressed. Because maybe you have to have been there to understand.

[breathe-again.livejournal.com]

I think I agree with you almost completely on what you've said here. I need to get back to Season 3 and check out Xander (since it's been forever since I've watched it).

I personally think Season 2 is Angel's best, but that's because I have this wacked out love for Angelus. It also helps that David plays him so damn well.

Surprisingly I did like Season 7 Spike, because at first I didn't at all. I prefer Spike in Season 2 but I like how his journey has brought him to this point.

Dawn? Your comment just put the biggest smile on my face. So many people are quick to judge her as the bratty little sister (see Season 5) but she's gone through so many transformations by the end of the show. I just wish they could have shown more of that in Season 7 instead of focusing so much on the potentials.

On another note, I was watching Welcome to the Hellmouth & The Harvest the other night. My B/X love was out in full force and I thought of you. There's a possibility icons might come out if it. :-) Poor me has no BtVS icon to use on this post.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

S3 Xander is the Xander of Willow-fling and buying Cordy a dress for prom and having sex with Faith and thinking it meant something and a million other things.

And yeah, I almost picked S2 for Angel.

Dawn was great in S7. Can't imagine the show without her. She was totally essential to S5-7. And she went through the three stages of teenagerness that I remember - bratty, abandoned, accepting.

And yay! I think that the B/Xness is strongest in S1, latter part of S2, and S5-7.

[liliaeth]

Well I've never even seen B/X after season one, since Buffy only sees him as a brother and I just love brother-sister type of connections.

But in season categories, I'd put
-Buffy: season three, kind, responsible, bit edgy

-Spike: season five or seven, not sure, falling in love with Buffy, heartbreaking

-Xander:season five, getting responsible, in love with Anya, before the bullying of season six

-Willow: season one, I've hated her since season two

-Giles: season five, wise, fatherlike without patronizing Buffy.

-Angel:Angel season one, except for his treatment of Buffy in any of the crossover eps, definitely pushed me away from ever wanting the B/A ship again.

-Riley: season five, he finally became a human being instead of a mary Sue

-Cordelia: season two of Angel, still the bitch, but caring for people around her

-Oz, never made much of an impression

-Tara, season six after she and Willow broke up, she finally grew a backbone

[sugarhigh9104.livejournal.com]

Wow. With like two exceptions I would have picked the exact same season for each character. When I read the EW article with Sarah, where she said it was hard for her to identify with Buffy in Season Six, I was like, well don't worry because plenty of us did.

Oz: Season Three. He's gold in every moment that he's in, in third Season. Most of my memorable Oz moments are from Season Three.

I just watched The Zeppo and the conversation between Oz and Xander is the best example of why I loved Oz so much that season.

Xander: Is it because of the way you express things in short, non-commital phrases?
Oz: Could be.

LOVE.


Ant

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Yes. He was amazing. So much love for S3 Oz?

And ooo! What are the two exceptions for you?

*is madly curious*

And I'm actually so impressed that even though she apparently hasn't felt that way, Sarah made me totally feel Buffy's depression. She was amazing.