I have been a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer since some time in early season two when my girlfriend told me to give it a watch. I did and was almost instantly transformed into a fan. I went back and watched all of season one. I loved it. I then followed through with the rest of season two. I loved it. I continued to watch season three each week. I loved it.
However, ever since season three ended, I have not loved the show. I only thought season 4 was okay, season five was mostly forgettable (except the last three episodes) and season six was an utter waste of my time and had very very few redeeming features.
I haven't "grown out" of Buffy. Some people tell me this and I am incredibly insulted by such a statement. I still love the first three seasons with all my heart. I adore them. I cry during them, that's how much I love them. It's not like I watched the first three seasons as a child and so have tons of nostalgia for them. There is obviously some, but it's not the main factor. Otherwise I'd be feeling that love for season four by now, and I mostly just see it as a lot of missed oppertunitys and bad episodes. I also still love Angel (the show) and I tune into that every week. It's not as good as the first three seasons of Buffy, but it's still a great show, and I love it to death. The fact is I just don't like Buffy after season four. Not because of some lame excuse of it being my fault, but because the show changed and I didn't like it.
What changed? Many things. The characters have not been as enjoyable, they have not been as close, they have not interacted with each other as well. Practically all ties to the metaphors are gone (except overly done stupid ones like magic as a substance abuse problem.) The show has stopped with any slayer lore such as Buffy's prophetic dreams, or anything to do with Buffy being a slayer other then killing demons. There has been lapses in believable continuity such as Buffy being placed in a mental institute for a few weeks after learning she was a slayer. There hasn't been a main vampire villain season early season four! The only vampire we have seen more then one episode since season three is Spike and Harmony.... speaking of which...
Spike has been totally castrated and put into an totally unrealistic and, to put it quit bluntly, TERRIBLE and STUPID role. This was the evil character of season two. He was always funny, he was always great... but he was also always the bad guy. He's not anymore. He has changed into someone who is in love with Buffy, someone who hangs around with the gang. And oh, that's not the worst part. The worst part is that the gang LETS HIM. Buffy actually has had sex with Spike. Yes, Buffy has had sex with Spike. The fact that this has happened has utterly and totally undermined the show.
And no, it's not that I don't like change, I just don't like stupid, pointless, unrealistic change. Like Spike becoming this way. For god's sake, in the TV Guide reader survey he and Buffy are listed as a choice for "Couples that should just get together already!" right beside Ross and Rachel from friends. If that's not a sign of how the show has slid, I don't know what is.
Plenty of changes happened in the first three seasons. Willow grew up. Xander grew up. People grew together. People grew apart. Cordellia has changed so much since season one of Buffy. Just look at her on Angel now. And I love that show. So no, it's not that there's been change and I just don't like change. But when ever character has become utterly destroyed...
Buffy has become so depressed that she sleeps with Spike. Utter garbage. Xander (when he actually DOES something) just acts like a shell of his former self. Willow, HAH, Willow has been totally butcherd. The whole "I don't float pencils because it makes me crash cars" storyline was utter trash which made no sense. When Xander was confronting Willow in season six's finale... I just didn't give a damn. I was almost asleep. The two characters have hardly even talked to each other in three years and I just wasn't buying it.
And some things matter more then others... the fact there are no vampires on the show anymore isn't a big deal. The destruction of the characters has just seemed to me like bad writing... and that is a VERY big deal. But the fact that season six just had no real redeeming features for me just really was the last straw. Even seasons four and five had great finales which I really enjoyed. Season six's finale just pissed me off and nearly put me to sleep.
What I'm trying to say is that I wont be watching the show anymore, and obviously that puts a damper on a site about the show. Right now I don't know what I'm going to do. Obviously, I still love the show's first three seasons, but it's hard to do a scientific site if you don't factor in all the seasons. I don't think I could do a theory on something and not know if it's been proven wrong by something seen on the show later on.
I still love Angel. It's a great show. But I can't just get information from there and ignore it from the other show.
So basically, just consider this site on hiatus. If anyone has any thoughts, feelings or ideas they'd like to share, go ahead and email me. I have no idea what's going to happen to the site... and I hope you can understand my reasons.
