The ranking thing is hard because I liked different things about different seasons. For example, I think that from a critical standpoint Season 6 as a whole was better done and more daring than seasons 4 and 5, but much of it was so joyless that I feel no urge to rewatch (front 3, back 3, and OMWF being exceptions). Meanwhile, episodes from 4 and 5 that I find technically inferior still have enough fun packed into each hour to make me watch again and again.
In general, I think of seasons 1-3 as a whole different animal: snappy dialogue and characterizations, embarrassment of riches in terms of cast, "high school is hell" metaphor working well to provide cohesive tapestry of main arc and subplots. Plus, it's all still shiny and new and there aren't any other projects dividing the team's creativity.
1 is last because I wasn't a huge fan of the standalones, but then again S2 had many as well, but the whole Angelus thing bumps it up really quick. S1 was just too short for me and I wish we could have had more of the first year of Buffy and co.
For me, 1 is last mostly because of the acting. Now, although I haven't watched everything or even most non-ME things the original cast has done, in theory, I would give any of their work a shot. But I just don't think most of them had a great grasp on their characters - particularly SMG and DB. After season 1, in the BtVS series at least, SMG and DB just "are" Buffy and Angel, respectively, and I can think of no higher compliment. In the case of ASH's Giles, my interpretation is that the retooled him, so that he wouldn't be quite such a ponce, although you can, in theory, leave the meta out of it, and just decide that as Giles became more comfortable around these children, he dropped the ponce act.
In general, although I love to watch season 1, all of it, I am conscious - in rewatch - that I probably wouldn't have stuck with the show had I started watching then. I am also conscious of this feeling that the writers, directors, and actors were constantly adjusting (as in fine tuning) pretty much everything. Now, that always happens when a series is new. There are very forgivable changes, like The Three being able to stick their fingers inside Buffy's door before she slams it shut in the episode, Angel, or the idea that Giles would order the Time/Life Demon Book Series, or not know about magic. But still, they're there.
Ironically, although they're at the top of my list, I also think seasons 3 and 2 had some REAL stinkbombs, but Matt's final paragraph above (if you ignore season 1) sums up most of why they'll still always be my favorites.
"high school is hell" metaphor working well to provide cohesive tapestry of main arc and subplots.
I know it's *the* cliche, but in rewatching the eps in order it has struck me just how much this is true. The villian was usually B plot-- sort of a driving force to create the conflicts of high school, but not the singular conflict of an episode. E.g., parent-teacher night horror is heightened by Spike; career day, the same.
Yeah, the cheerleader ep was on yesterday, and when Giles said, "It was my first casting," I yelled, "Liar!" I fanwank it it into him having told himself that he'd never mess with magic again after Ethan and the rest.
Well, technically he and Ethan were
summoning
so maybe he was compartmentalising his magic use.
t /fanwanking
edit - connie I
just
sent you an e-mail. The ironing is delicious.
Elena--insent. The rooster crows at noon.
In general, although I love to watch season 1, all of it, I am conscious - in rewatch - that I probably wouldn't have stuck with the show had I started watching then. I am also conscious of this feeling that the writers, directors, and actors were constantly adjusting (as in fine tuning) pretty much everything.
I think most Buffy fans who didn't see S1 the first time around, would have stuck with it if they had. It was just so different and there was nothing else to compare it to.
In my mind (it's kind of silly), I rank and separate the seasons by the look of the show. They switched the film they used after S2 and I've never gotten used to it (I know this is stupid, but S3-5 look slightly too cinematic and "good" to me. I like the cramped and dark version of BtVS.) Seasons 3 through 5 seem very bright and pretty, and 6 & 7 seem sort of amateurish (except for the Whedon episodes). Especially this year, the lighting and the shots on BtVS were really uninspired.
The way the show looked did kind of relate to the stories. S1 & 2 episodes were constantly trying something new, and they hadn't worked out all the kinks yet, but it was exciting. The stories and arcs for S3-5 were polished, professional, and scope-y. S6 & 7 were all over the map--really uneven, and in my sometimes bitter opinion, coasting on the success of the first 5 years.
So, I don't think it relates to the actual quality of the seasons, but I rank 2 first (and I consider S1 as an adjunct to S2), then 3, 4, & 5 tie for second place (although that can change depending on my mood), then there's 6, and then there's 7.
Maysa, you may have just explained something that ocurred to me before about the cinematography. Back in Season 1 and (to a lesser extent) Season 2, there were a lot of darkly-shot scenes, but they were high contrast dramatic dark where you could still tell what was going on. Later seasons got away from the dark a lot of the time (I believe I've made comments about keylights following Our Heroine on her patrols through the graveyards), and scenes that were shot in low light tended to have everything fade into obscurity.
