Perhaps Buffy's transformation in Seasons 5-7 was believable but it's still very unpleasant to watch. (Hell, Seasons 6 & 7 leave such a bad taste in my mouth, they're the only 2 seasons of a Joss Whedon series that I don't own on DVD. I try to forget that Seasons 6 & 7 ever happened except when they're absolutely necessary to further the plots of the last couple seasons of Angel.)
I agree that having only one Slayer in all the world doesn't make much sense. When I was new to the show, I must have missed that part. I had assumed that there were multiple slayers dispersed throughout the world. That was how I figured you could have other Slayers around like Kendra & Faith. (I missed Buffy's death in "Prophecy Girl," so I didn't understand that explanation.)
I would agree that that period from "Dad" through "Forgiving" is the most critical turning point for the character, but I think the process was much more gradual than that. He was a completely mockable figure from "Bad Girls" through "Graduation Day, Part 2." When he moved over to Angel, he was still mostly comic relief but at least he displayed a private self-awareness about his buffoonery in episodes like "Parting Gifts" & "I've Got You Under My Skin." The first glimmers of sliding towards darkness didn't really appear until "Five by Five" & "Sanctuary." But they still didn't have any problem playing the character for laughs. I think goofy Wesley's final regular* appearance came in early Season 2 with "Guise Will Be Guise." In the latter half of Season 2, after Angel fired him, Cordelia, & Gunn, he became a much darker, more commanding figure. The moment in "Reprise" where he stands up to Angel would have been absolutely impossible for Wesley a year earlier. Nor can I imagine the writers taking Season 1 Wesley to such a dark place as they did in "Billy," where his latent misogynistic side nearly kills Fred. Pretty much all of Seasons 2 & 3 was spend building Wesley up to his eventual "Dad"-"Forgiving" breakdown. But even then, it took a few more episodes for him to work up to the shotgun-toting badass we all love from Season 4. I think the final turning point was when he saw him in bed with Lilah in "Tomorrow." We were like, "Awwww yeah! My boy Wesley tapped dat!"
*= I say "final regular appearance" because he did descend back into goofiness a couple other times post-"Guise Will Be Guise." Of course, there was his regression to his 17-year-old personality in "Spin the Bottle." There was also the goofy ballet dream sequence from the deleted scenes of "Waiting in the Wings."
Do you still have it? Could you post it again?
Well, I was trying to keep it to vague generalities, talking more about how I felt about the character's attitude rather than any specific events. Plus, the OP said that he'd already seen all of Angel prior to watching any Buffy.
I love the scene where Anya tries to buy a beer.
"I.D.?"
"I'm 1100 years old! Just give me a freaking beer!"
I agree that having only one Slayer in all the world doesn't make much sense. When I was new to the show, I must have missed that part. I had assumed that there were multiple slayers dispersed throughout the world. That was how I figured you could have other Slayers around like Kendra & Faith. (I missed Buffy's death in "Prophecy Girl," so I didn't understand that explanation.)
I would agree that that period from "Dad" through "Forgiving" is the most critical turning point for the character, but I think the process was much more gradual than that. He was a completely mockable figure from "Bad Girls" through "Graduation Day, Part 2." When he moved over to Angel, he was still mostly comic relief but at least he displayed a private self-awareness about his buffoonery in episodes like "Parting Gifts" & "I've Got You Under My Skin." The first glimmers of sliding towards darkness didn't really appear until "Five by Five" & "Sanctuary." But they still didn't have any problem playing the character for laughs. I think goofy Wesley's final regular* appearance came in early Season 2 with "Guise Will Be Guise." In the latter half of Season 2, after Angel fired him, Cordelia, & Gunn, he became a much darker, more commanding figure. The moment in "Reprise" where he stands up to Angel would have been absolutely impossible for Wesley a year earlier. Nor can I imagine the writers taking Season 1 Wesley to such a dark place as they did in "Billy," where his latent misogynistic side nearly kills Fred. Pretty much all of Seasons 2 & 3 was spend building Wesley up to his eventual "Dad"-"Forgiving" breakdown. But even then, it took a few more episodes for him to work up to the shotgun-toting badass we all love from Season 4. I think the final turning point was when he saw him in bed with Lilah in "Tomorrow." We were like, "Awwww yeah! My boy Wesley tapped dat!"
*= I say "final regular appearance" because he did descend back into goofiness a couple other times post-"Guise Will Be Guise." Of course, there was his regression to his 17-year-old personality in "Spin the Bottle." There was also the goofy ballet dream sequence from the deleted scenes of "Waiting in the Wings."
Do you still have it? Could you post it again?
I find it funny that people are already talking about season seven already. It's like they completely ignored the topic title.
Well, I was trying to keep it to vague generalities, talking more about how I felt about the character's attitude rather than any specific events. Plus, the OP said that he'd already seen all of Angel prior to watching any Buffy.
We had an "18 and under" club when I was in high school. It stayed open just fine.I'm still struggling with the idea that there's a groovy cool club for high schoolers in Sunnydale. How does that place stay open with kids hanging out and only buying cokes all night?
But you will find out later that The Bronze actually does serve alcohol to people who are old enough. It's not just a for high school kids.
I love the scene where Anya tries to buy a beer.
"I.D.?"
"I'm 1100 years old! Just give me a freaking beer!"
