Season 8 chest baring - this my truth, tell me yours

[sombrefan]

I enjoyed the forty issue run far more than Season 6. And thought it was better than Seasons 4 and 7.

Comments

[2maggie2.livejournal.com]

I'm a fan of season 8. Season 6 is much like it -- tremendous ambition -- questionable execution. Though I think if you put a gun to my head, I still chose season 6. But it's a close call. If you ask me tomorrow, I might go with season 8.

Season 4 is hugely underrated. Less ambitious, but really much tighter than most people realize.

But I'll give you season 7. That was an underwhelming season.

[simonf.livejournal.com]

Season 4 had some very good episodes but overall I thought it was incoherent. It probably didn't help that the actress who played Walsh had to leave and Joss and co had to rewrite that particular plotline and bring Adam to the forefront.

[2maggie2.livejournal.com]

The Adam arc is a mess. It's also not the point of the season. As a narrative of the Scooby's transition from high school and their on-going developmental issus, it's a tremendous season. The character developments are really tightly done. So if you think of the real arc as leading up to the Scooby break-up (and somewhat superficial make-up) and as a huge set-up for the three seasons that follow, it's an impressive season. It's also very well-done as the transition from Buffy's Angel years into her Spike years.

[simonf.livejournal.com]

It didn't flow well for me. And I think they were trying to cram too much in. No Angel! You must like Riley! Gasp at the X-Files elements! etc etc.

[2maggie2.livejournal.com]

I don't think we were ever supposed to like Riley. That ship got launched in an episode that's pointedly called "doomed". But different strokes and all that.

[sueworld2003.livejournal.com]

Jesus Christ, really?? Oh dear....

[eilowyn.livejournal.com]

You got some balls being this honest. I gotta respectfully disagree, but damn, that's brave of you.

[simonf.livejournal.com]

If the fandom police come and get me, I'll go down fighting.

[norwie2010.livejournal.com]

They'll come at night when You're asleep and not expecting them! ;-)

[gillo]

S6 is my personal favourite season, so I'm not likely to agree with you there. I haven't yet read #40, but up to the penultimate issue I'd rate it on a par with S1 and significantly below all the others. Some bits of it really don't make sense to me, still - and I have read all the summaries and spoilers I could get my hands on.

[norwie2010.livejournal.com]

I love season 6. Enjoyment? That's probably the wrong word for it but i admire the authors for their courage to go where they went.

As for season 8 being "great": it has it's moments. But, unfortunatly, the problems are too grave for me to truly mark it as a good season. (Hey, You asked for it! ;-))

[vamp-mogs.livejournal.com]

In my opinion, S8 is MUCH better than S7 and at least as good as BtVS S1. I honestly don’t know where I’d rank it overall.

[angearia.livejournal.com]

I don't know if I can say it's definitely better than Season 7. There's ways in which it is, like in how the greater cast all got arcs (Dawn and Xander got better development, and Willow's improved), but then Season 8 really messed up with Angel and just like in Season 7, Giles faded to the background for most of it. Season 8 did a better job with the new characters though.

It depends on what you're comparing, I suppose. If it's writing? I dunno. But acting & directing over Jeanty EVERY TIME. It's just... there's no comparison there. Reading the Buffy & Spike scene in #40 made me wish for the actors so I could capture the nuance better.

I feel like because they're different mediums that the comics are already suffering a severe handicap. So it would take a PERFECT comic (writing and art) to make it as good as a televised season. And I think Season 9 might get there, but that Season 8 is too severely flawed both in writing (there are some serious WTF moments and also loss of focus) and art (SMG was always always on, compare this to Jeanty's hit and miss art).

[boot-the-grime.livejournal.com]

Totally agree with you, especially with this:

It depends on what you're comparing, I suppose. If it's writing? I dunno. But acting & directing over Jeanty EVERY TIME. It's just... there's no comparison there.

I feel like because they're different mediums that the comics are already suffering a severe handicap. So it would take a PERFECT comic (writing and art) to make it as good as a televised season. And I think Season 9 might get there, but that Season 8 is too severely flawed both in writing (there are some serious WTF moments and also loss of focus) and art (SMG was always always on, compare this to Jeanty's hit and miss art).

The only televised season of BtVS that S8 might be better than in season 1.

[angearia.livejournal.com]

The only televised season of BtVS that S8 might be better than in season 1.

Yes! I was just thinking about editing in that very statement.

[norwie2010.livejournal.com]

Don't You dare to diss season 1! ;-)

[angearia.livejournal.com]

Season 1 has lots of goodness going on, but the execution... well, they didn't hit their stride right away.

[vamp-mogs.livejournal.com]

I agree that acting and directing will always > comics but I was judging it based solely on the writing, as that's the only way S8 would ever have a chance.

For me, S8 seemed more ambitious and more "alive" than S7 did. I think the first 19 issues is a stronger group of stories than pretty much all of S7 and I get more enjoyment out of issues such as A Beautiful Sunset, The Chain, Anywhere But Here, Issue #40, Turbulence, or even Always Darkest, than I do pretty much all of the episodes in S7.

As you say, S8 gave far better development to the supporting cast like Xander, Dawn and Willow and the new slayers are far better than the Potentials. I also prefer what they did with Faith in the comics than in that season and I liked that we had such a variety of "episodes" as opposed to just being stuck in the Summers house nearly all season.

[me-llamo-nic.livejournal.com]

I thought Reptile Boy and Doublemeat Palace were better than any and all parts of Season 8, but it takes all kinds.

[treadingthedark.livejournal.com]

Like apples and oranges. Season 8 Buffy was not my Buffy.
I agree with those who think that every season of the show was vastly more enjoyable than season 8.
The medium is part of it, but I also enjoyed After the Fall a thousand times more than season 8.
The spacefuck made me wish people didn't know I was a Buffy fan.