Only vaguely apropos of the discussion, I'm seriously (or as seriously as I consider anything, mind you) considering writing a half-assed essay looking at S5/6 as a critique of the state of mental health care and knowledge in this country.
(Where we start by looking at the actual factual suicidal dive followed by the resurrection as a metaphor for suicide attempts/hospitalization/release. It works really well up through Normal Again, actually. I've got this whole thing about the scene where Spike doesn't stay to make sure she takes her meds worked out in my head.)
(I think I need a hobby.)
But, this is an acceptable hobby!
Isn't it?
I'd love to read that essay, Plei.
And it might even inspire me to actually to write the half-assed theological essay using Angel and Spike's ensoulments as metaphors for various theories of free will vs. divine election.
And it might even inspire me to actually to write the half-assed theological essay using Angel and Spike's ensoulments as metaphors for various theories of free will vs. divine election.
I vaguely recall at some point comparing Spike to a Lutheran POV of salvation, where Angel's head space was (natch) Catholic. Grace vs. Works.
But, this is an acceptable hobby!
That's all the validation I need...
Buffy: 5, 3, 4, 2, 6, 1, 7
Angel: 4, 2, 1, 3
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
See, while Angel-the-character is very Catholic, in my scheme, his salvation is Calvinistic, since the soul was something imposed upon him without any choice on his part. Spike, OTOH, got a Wesleyan salvation--he couldn't actually redeem himself without a soul, but he took the first step of seeking one.
Gloom: Your rankings are much like mine, at least in Buffy.
Buffy: 5 3 (6 4 2) 1 7
Watch from the beginning 3 step love Joyce's "Honey, try not to get kicked out" . Flutie's "Whoa!", Willow's "Not legally".
Seasons
3: best arc from the beginning, even development without a misstep, every episode matters, and Richard Wilkins III
2 good arc best finish, a couple of marking time episodes
4. I liked Riley and the Inititive 'K? overall arc below 3 and 2 but some great best. episodes. ever. Pangs, Something Blue, Hush, Restless
1. still finding it's feet, as yet merely the best TV show running, and they were all so young and full of hope. poor things, they had no idea what was in store.
6. I like it. It had some great episodes. but still rank it low from lost promise. It went off rails "Smashed, Racked, Gone, Double meat" mid season, but it was still Willow's season. Started so well Killing Bambi, and her "I'm telling you nothing will go wrong" response to Xander's "What if something goes wrong?" (That's not answering the question Will - but I think you knew that) and flaying Warren Mears "water cooler vengeance"
5. peaks were a little lower than other seasons , but death was her gift
7. Again started and finished well, but after Selfless and Conversations the depression in the middle was so wide. PLus why did none of them say "Just who are you and what have you done with Giles"?
Usual lurker with a first post! Woo. Had to weigh in on the Buffy love (and not-love). Watched from Season 1 (Praying Mantis lady was my first episode!) but Joss
owned
me at "Lie to Me."
While watching Season 6, I hated it. It just hurt SO much. But then again, I felt the same way about Season 3 - the whole "Faith as the dark side of Buffy" stuff just killed me, and all of the Buffy/Angel "can't be together but I need you" stuff as well. I just remember watching every week and cringing because I felt for everyone so much, and the same thing in Season 6.
However, the end of 6 (specifically the Return of Giles, I think) redeemed 6 for me... except for one thing. Initially, after S5 ended, interviews surfaced with Joss & Co. saying, "The theme of Season 6 will be "Oh grow up"." But then the theme turned out to be Buffy's depression and Willow's power issues (which as many others have pointed out took a left turn at Alberquerque and missed the boat). OK, so that's the theme.
But then Buffy's depression didn't resolve in the way that depression usually resolves. No one helped her (except one crying jag on Tara, which was lovely in a heartbreaking way). No therapy, no meds (not that I expected to see either literally, but a supernatural equivalent maybe?) and not even a gradual learning to cope. We had several points in the season in which Buffy seemed to take a turn for the better, then bam! Back to depression. (Which, a friend of mine pointed out, is consistent with real mental health... but I kept expecting them to be the start of a gradual upswing.)
And then at the end? Buffy has an epiphany, grows up, and lets go of the depression. NOOO! We're back to the first theme, but those two themes - like the themes of magic and drugs - are unmixy things. Recovering from depression is not an equivalent to maturing as a person. Seeking help for depression could be! Heck, laughing with Giles about her life could be! But not the way it played out. Unless we were meant to see the last scene as confirmation for her growth earlier in the episode? Dunno. It lost me.
So I don't know. Overall, I think they took great risks with S6; it was just a tough story to tell over a whole season. When it was funny, it was uproarious, I thought. But man, when it hurt, it
hurt.
(By the way, hello everybody! I'm constantly amazed at the great conversations here and how discussions never evolve into flames. Amazing! Sorry for the long post! And I would post my seasons ranking, but I can't decide other than Season 7 = bad. And I think Prophecy Girl is THE Buffy episode. Hits every note. Gorgeous. :) )
(ETA: I realized that in my long post I never made my other point, which was, if they're going to do "real" problems (according to some interview I read back then, they decided to do realism, not metaphors) then I wanted to see real solutions! Thus my rant about healing Buffy's depression. I wanted to see her do it, fight those inner demons and win, not lose to them and then just poof! All better.)
