While Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s last two seasons are not up to par with the rest of the show’s run, I still think that these final outings get too much hate from its large fandom, and I think I know the reason why. It is fair to say that not everything about Joss Whedon’s work has aged particularly well. The plentiful allegations of workplace harassment make a lot of the more superficial feminist themes in his work painfully cringeworthy and disingenuous, and there are aspects of his quip-heavy writing style that were already hopelessly outdated.
Videos by ComicBook.com
That said, it takes a lot more than one lone writer to make a classic TV show, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer is undoubtedly a ‘90s TV masterpiece. Although Sarah Michelle Gellar’s central performance as the title character held the series together, there isn’t a weak link in the show’s sprawling ensemble cast. Buffy the Vampire Slayer introduced a new level of gravitas to teen genre TV, with its thoughtful storytelling and tragic twists ensuring the show felt mature despite its inherently playful premise.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 6’s Mistakes Don’t Outweigh Its Best Moments
That said, I can see why Buffy the Vampire Slayer seasons 6 and 7 are usually regarded as the show’s worst outings. Although 4 also gets some flak, that season at least has the excuse of being such a clear transitional year, and as bad as standalone episodes like “Beer Bad” and “Pangs” might be, there are also classics like “Who Are You” and “Hush.” In contrast, seasons 6 and 7 have a bigger problem.
Like the earlier classic mystery series Twin Peaks, Buffy the Vampire Slayer didn’t plan its entire plot out in advance, so the show struggled to come back from the title character’s apparent death in season 5’s finale. Written as a potential series finale in case the show wasn’t renewed, season 5 ended with Buffy sacrificing herself to save the gang and the world, resulting in one of TV’s saddest deaths.
That is, until her fate is undone immediately in season 6. To be fair to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the show doesn’t write off Buffy’s temporary death as nothing, but this is where viewers tend to start struggling with seasons 6 and 7. The outings are markedly darker in tone since Buffy has been through an unimaginable trauma, and this has reshaped not only her, but the entire Scooby gang.
The Fandom’s Seasons 6/7 Hate Highlights An Awkward Reality About Buffy The Vampire Slayer
While there is a dropoff in quality and a tonal shift, there’s also a lot of great stuff in these outings as Buffy thinks about her purpose after looking death in the face. For every regrettable plot like Tara’s death, there is a brilliant outing like “Once More, with Feeling” or “Conversations with Dead People.” Seasons 6 and 7 managed to make the series a more mature version of itself without losing its usual appeal, something few teen shows have managed so late in their run.
Considering how much shows influenced by Buffy the Vampire Slayer, from Riverdale to Pretty Little Liars, had fallen apart by their respective sixth and seventh seasons, it is clear that the ‘90s show is being held to a higher standard. However, like season 2, part 2 of the earlier cult classic Twin Peaks, I think the reason Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s last seasons are so disproportionately disliked is because the show had a perfect natural endpoint and continued beyond it, frustrating viewers who knew the next ending was unlikely to be as satisfying.
