Spoiler Slayer

As Seasons go, this was probably one of the best for spoilers, with lots of quality spoiler sources to be had. In terms of spoiler sources, both Hercules at AICN and Michelle at the Cross and Stake provided spoilage for just about every episode this season, most of it extremely accurate. Wendy at the SpoilerZone and Sweetie at Beyond Surrender also pitched in to fill some of the blanks, while other sources such as the Kitten Board (GiftOfAmber and BBOvenGuy) and Fraz at Fan Forums provided either shooting reports or information available through media channels. Credit should also go to Leoff, Loey, and Dori for their excellent work on the Wildfeeds.

While we still had a large amount of false spoilage to sort through, there seemed to be not as much floating around. In fact, most of it could be attributed more to speculation than any actual spoilage. Unlike previous seasons, most of it was either obviously false or quickly refuted. In fact, the spoiler that came under the most fire during the season ended up being true in the end (Tara dying).

Which probably set up one of the biggest fan outcries and debates of the season. I fully expected the issue of the season would be the Buffy/Spike relationship, but once the confirmation that Tara would die came, Buffy and Spike took a backseat to Willow and Tara. I originally intended to address this further, but in the end I think I’ve already said my piece. I don’t see it as a slam against the actress, an example of the so-called ‘lesbian-cliche’ (and why doesn’t anyone ever talk about the ‘infant cliche’, surely the actor who played baby Connor is pretty ticked that he was replaced with a teenager), or anything that was a surprise. Joss has pretty well demonstrated that nobody is safe when it comes to killing off characters

I did like the overall tone and feel of the season, though there were more than a few rough spots. My two biggest complaints would be the heavy-handed addiction storyline through ‘Smashed’ and ‘Wrecked’, and the spotty handling of the Spike/Buffy relationship during February Sweeps (for example, in one episode she won’t touch him, then in the next she’s sleeping with him again). I would have liked to see a bit more continuity between the different phases of the relationship.

What I really enjoyed is how this season really focused on the three core Scoobies, and their relationships with each other and with the Scooby Gang. This was crucial in terms of their personal relationships, where the core Scoobies were faced with dilemmas that love couldn’t overcome. Love couldn’t bring Buffy and Spike together, because of what they were. Love couldn’t save Willow from falling into addiction, nor could it save Xander from his fears. All of their actions could also be seen as being done in the name of love. Buffy wants to feel, so she connects with the only person she thinks will love her unconditionally. Willow doesn’t want to lose Tara’s love, so she tries to use magic to keep it. Xander doesn’t want to get married not because he doesn’t love Anya, but because he loves her too much.

I also liked the interplay between Buffy and Willow. I mentioned early on this season that I could see hints that there could be a power-struggle of sorts within the Scooby Gang, especially between Buffy and Willow. While it was a subtle issue, it was present throughout most of the season. In the beginning, it focused more on Giles and Willow, but in the end it was obvious that Willow’s issue had nothing to do with the magic itself, but the power involved. Though I wish that there had been more use of Xander, or at least some better positioning of his character. Did he manage to do anything right this season? Dawn also falls into this category, as she also seemed underutilized this season. However, her and Anya were repositioned nicely in the finale few episodes, so good things are likely on the horizon for these characters.

In the end, I think that Season Six was a very solid season. Still not as good as Season Two, but I’m skeptical that the storyline in that season will ever be topped. In terms of character development, all the characters (with the exception of Xander) have progressed in some way, though not all are positive. Buffy has a new lease on life and may finally have come to terms with how to relate to Dawn. Anya, while once again a demon, has realized what vengeance is and is not. Spike, well I could spend hours talking about him. Next season is going to be all about Spike, though if that’s good Spike or evil Spike, we’ll have to wait and see. The same holds true with Willow, the next step in her journey is going to be interesting. While I have no doubts that her character can come back from an act like killing Warren, it’s not going to be simple. At season’s end, we’re left with only one burning question

Where Do We Go From Here?