Is Season Seven Worth Watching?

[u/reystreasure]

as a warning, this post will probably come off as Anti-Spike/Anti-Spuffy. I haven’t been apart of this community long enough to know if that’s a divisive opinion or not, lol. I’ve watched the show sporadically over the past two years. I really enjoy BTVS as a whole; characters like Buffy, Giles, and Cordy are what make it fun for me + the supernatural elements.

My fave seasons are 2-3 and 5-6, even though I know a lot of people don’t like how dark and depressing season six is (I liked it as an exploration of Buffy’s depression). I also know that’s the season where Spuffy really ‘begin’, and this was fine for me, since I didn’t see them as this epic, romantic ship to be rooting for; moreso like a vehicle for Buffy’s emotional deterioration. My issue comes with the assault in Seeing Red — and what I’ve heard about Season Seven. I’ve basically gotten a chunk of the final season spoiled and know it’s very divisive, but I do see that a lot of Spuffys adore this season. Personally, the relationship makes me uncomfortable because of Spike’s actions and I don’t know if I’d want to watch a season where their relationship is at the forefront. Spike as a character is irredeemable to me and I find it highly unrealistic that Buffy would keep him around, much less fall in love with him after 6x19.

I want to know if I should watch the last season despite this, or if it’s not worth it. Will I basically be miserable the entire time or should I power through anyway?

[u/destroythejoy]

Oof I’ve re-written this comment several times because I have a lot of thoughts I’m trying to convey on this matter.

This is literally coming from someone who has finished the whole show through for the first time as we rang in the new year. I found myself getting really invested in the complexities of the Buffy and Spike relationship in the second half of the show as I binged through it quite quickly. I was (and still am) bouncing between shipping it and also just appreciating it for the complex story about a toxic relationship that it is. And of course the assault scene just made it all the more tricky. I agree with folks that season 7 doesn’t make it at the forefront of the plot. And I personally don’t think the show made it into a grand romance necessarily, but the season does tackle the complexities of their relationship in a way I found quite interesting (but do wish we spent more time processing similarly to other plot lines this season) . And ultimately, made me think deep about the complexities of liking this relationship and Spike as a character — which I think is valuable in and of itself.

[u/reystreasure → u/destroythejoy]

Thank you! I think a lot of my perception was because of how popular they’ve become with newer, younger fans (mainly on Twitter) that rlly hype up their relationship as this big romance, which I personally don’t see. I’ll definitely get to binge watching s7 soon.

[u/destroythejoy → u/reystreasure]

Would love to hear your thoughts post binge!

I will say that I understand the perception and interpretation as a grand romance from folks — and I say this a hopeless romantic who kept joking to my friend that I hope Spike and Buffy end this show getting married (spoiler that I guess that doesn’t happen lol). But yeah, I am old enough to also understand that a simple redemptive and romantic happy ending would have not been an interesting or satisfying ending to this complex, toxic, and nuanced storyline for me personally.