Hmm.. I think I preferred S3 over S2, mainly because of ED (okay, I'm shallow ), and the fact that the cast had obviously jelled more, and seemed to work better

It's got to be season 3 for me although season 2 is really close..season 4 has to be the worst though.

-Milky-

2 or 3, I can't quite decide

I have to say Season 6 so far has some quite interesting/exciting prospects. It has caught my interest a lot more than what Buffy/Angel has done for a long while before now.

My fave season has to be S4 Buffy.

Least fave season, 4! Without a doubt!

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by Desire
My fave season has to be S4 Buffy.

Least fave season, 4! Without a doubt!

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did you mean to say that? or is that a typo?

My favourite is series 2, cos thats the one that sucked me in Series 6 looks like being a classic though!

Mine has to be season 3, just because thats when I first started watching it. Least favourite is season 4, but its so hard to choose because they all have stand out episodes, like Hush.

Oh who am i kidding, I love them all. Except that one with the puppet...

(Edited by maisie19 07/03/2002 13:56)

Season 2 ... nothing they have done since has touched the 'My boyfriend turned into a psychopath after we had sex' storyline.

The perfect blend of adolescent relationship angst and vampire mythos and the most heartbreaking season ending (even including Season 5).

After that, 3 edges season 1 on stronger writing and a more mature cast, 4 was generally stronger than 5 but both were poor. 5 had a great finale but also the 'worst episode ever'.

Strangely, 6 actually seems to be reversing the trend a little in recent weeks. Here's hoping.

Also torn between seasons 2 and 3... i think 3 may have the slightest of edges

I want to say something in defense of season 4, kind of...

I think season 4 was very much a season of 2 halves, i thought the first half was great, the 'vetting' of spike, Buffys intro to uni life, the teasing intro of the Initiative, a very funny angel crossover, Hush, etc.

I think however the wheel really came off in the second half, which was a hell of a mess. by the time you took out the 2 relatively stand alone faith eps, the oz ep, the crap one with buffy hardly in, the post 'finale' restless etc, the actual screen time spent developing the initiative after mid season wasnt half enough to work.

Adams motivation changed from week to week, never really working as a villain figure, little or no time was given to spikes 'rejection' by other demons, and the big finish, usually a significant (plot wise) effort was a no brainer youd expect from lesser shows.

BTW i think 3 is probably the best season on a strict average of its episodes, but 2 did reach the highest heights.

Season 2 - because of 'Passion' and the whole Angelus arc
Season 3 - because of Faith

I think the turning point in the show was the end of the third season. As Monster said in his adeptorial, since then the show appears to have lost that 'seemingly intangible “extra”'.

I think the initial probelm with season four was that so much changed in such a short space of time. Obviously given the finale of the previous season a lot of the scenary had to change. Add to this the loss of some of the most popular characters and the too hasty introduction of new characters (Riley especially was pushed from 'bit part' to major character within a matter of a couple of episodes) and you've got a very different show from what had gone before. Willow even remarks on an all too rare visit to the Bronze (about seven episodes in I think) how it's nice to have a 'comfort blankie', a memory of the past. But in my opinion, this was too little of the past.

There were some standout episodes in season four though, 'Hush' and 'Something Blue' to name a couple, and I think the real deep seated problems arrived in season five...

Firstly, I felt the plot was a little contrived. It was almost as if Joss decided he wanted Buffy to have a sister, then came up with an over-elaborate plot to bring it about, rather than let the plot develop naturally. Secondly, the show had pretty much lost its humour. Xander and Buffy especially seemed to become much more serious and even Spike seemed to lose a lot of the humour he'd had in previous series. I suppose that's just part of the programme showing the growing up process, but I think one of the things that made the first three series of Buffy so good was that humour, and I feel it's not the same show without it

I also agree with Inc on the 'worst episode ever' tag. Although on second thoughts, there have probably been worse, but IMO none more overrated. Maybe that's just a reaction to being disenchanted with the episodes building up to it

Anyway, things look to be on the improve again with season six

Well, I'm going for 2 but it's also a close tie with 3. For me it's definitely the Angel storyline that makes them stand out from the rest.

I'm always the one standing to one side and saying you're all wrong... I love 'em all - personally I don't see why anyone has a problem with 4 or 5, both of which had some great episodes and the arcs worked for me. Mind you, I'm one of two people I know who liked "Restless" ...

If I had to be pushed for an answer, it's S3 - it had so much going on (Trick, Faith, the Mayor), that all meshed together by the end - and it had Evil Willow

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by Incandenza
Season 2 ... nothing they have done since has touched the 'My boyfriend turned into a psychopath after we had sex' storyline.

The perfect blend of adolescent relationship angst and vampire mythos and the most heartbreaking season ending (even including Season 5).

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The heart breaking bit is the choreography in the sword fight right

I really liked season 3...like all the seasons, it had its bad episodes, but they made up for it with the brilliant eps, like the season finale. I loved the story arc that they had going with the Mayor, and it was good to watch how it developed slowly - I think that they pulled that off really well.

As well as having a good story arc, it was also nice to watch eps that went away from the story slightly, like Band Candy (I LOVED that ep )

Saying that though, 'Becoming' was a stunning piece of TV

it's so hard to choose.

Season 1 and 4 are not favourites, however much i loved the latter half of Season 5, the start took a long time to get off the ground and for me only picked itself up once riley had left. Season 2, 3, and what i've seen of 6 for me i think

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by Mr Bob
(quotes)

did you mean to say that? or is that a typo?

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No, that was a typo!

My fave is S2 I'm a sucker for Angelus too - and they are all so young then! Also, I think S1 and 2 are much more about vampire slaying unlike the later series.

I suppose you can only watch so much stake-age before you grow tired, but I sometimes wonder what the point of an episode was... in S4 sometimes they just seemed like 'fillers'. At least in S5 the arc was pretty much from the first until the last episode.