Warning: This is a very long blog, full of my opinions and rants.  Please feel free to skim through and read the parts you're interested in.  As always, commenting is appreciated.

Last week I finally finished viewing every season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I started my Buffy dvd marathon about eight months ago (I've also been vieweing Angel, as well), and it's a bittersweet feeling knowing that I'm finally done with the series.

I'd heard about the series for a long time, but had never given it a chance. I thought it would be a silly show that would bore me, and I never bothered to give it one hour of my week. Finally three years after it ended I finally decided to rent season one from my local video store. I wasn't wildely impressed. It was good, but some of the episodes I had to force myself to watch. I'd heard many people say that the episodes only get better, though, so I pushed myself through, and midway through season two I knew I was addicted.

Alias has long been my favorite show, and I still think it is. I do think Buffy is better, though. Alias first two seasons I still think beat anything else, but overall Buffy had a better series run. It was more focused while Alias wandered off and lost it's way in some of it's later seasons, and Joss Whedon does season arcs like nobody's business. He also is constantly refrencing back to past events (he never dropped the Amy as a rat storyline), which is a real special treat for fans who have seen the show from beginning to end. Not many series are as good as continuity. I also loved all the flashbacks the series had, showing how our four favorite vamps: Spike, Angel, Drusilla and Darla came to be.

Alright, let's get on with the season countdown already. Here the seasons in order from my least favorites to my favorites. Warning: There are spoilers for each season in their season reviews, so don't read how I felt about a season if you haven't seen it yet.

Season One:

Buffy had a good first season. It was a brilliant mix of horrory, comedy and melodrama, and it introduced great characters that were instantly relatable. It was just nowhere near as good as the series would get. The Master was fun, but he was never a truly menacing villian. When I viewed some of the episodes a second time after I'd already completed the series, I liked them a lot more. Which is probably because I love the characters a lot more now then when I first was introduced to the series, and I have an emotional attachment to them. It's also fun to see the core scooby gang before all the other characters came along.

Favorite Episodes: "Angel" was a great episode, and was the first hint at what the series truly had to offer. "Prophecy Girl" was a fantastic season finale.

Season Four:

I am not a big fan of season four. The Initative plot was the main reason why; those zombie soldiers in the season finale were so cheesy, they actually made me cringe. I also was never a big fan of Riley. Maybe because he was just too ordinary, but Angel and Spike always interested me more. The season was also a little choppy, and just didn't seem as cohesive as other ones. It's one of the only seasons to truly depict the gangs college years, though, (in later seasons almost everybody drops out), so its unique and defenitely deserves a vieweing on that part. The season was also the beginning of Willow's relationship with Tara, who has always been one of my favorite characters of the series, and Zander's relationship with the always hilarious ex-demon Anya.

Favorite Episodes: Despite a less than stellar arc, the season did offer very many good stand alone episodes. Including Hush (Buffy's most frightening episode), Living Conditions (an hilarious episodes about the pains of college roomates), The Harsh Light of Day (the beginning of Buffy/Angel's first crossover episode) and This Year's Girl (which features the return of one of my favorite characters: Faith).

Season Seven:

Season seven was good way to end the series. The First was the ultimate villian for Buffy, and that fight in the hell mouth in the series finale was the perfect way to end the series. It wasn't the strongest season, though, which I mostly attribute to how the second half of the season was almsot one very long slumber part. Way too many whiny potentials that distracted from the main gang. And can I add how pissed off I was when Buffy got kicked out of her own house? (Sorry, it wasn't too long ago I viewed that episode, so the memories still actively in my mind.) Overall, though.... Spike with a soul, the destruction of the council, the introduction of the ubervamps: the season was action-packed and highly enjoyable, and I was very satsified with the way Joss ended the series. Oh, and I have to give a shout-out to Andrew. Loved the character. He was hilarious, and provided great comic relief during serious episodes.

Favorite Episodes: "Never Leave Me" was an emotional, jam-packed episode. "Conversations with Dead People" also blew me away, and "Lies My Parents told Me" was also great (I can never get enough Spike backstory). But the the winner is defenitely "Chosen".

Season Six:

Season six was darkest season and one of the most emotional. And I absolutely loved it. Buffy getting ripped out of heaven by Willow was heartbreaking (Willow's face when Buffy tells her the truth in "Once More, with Feeling" always gets me every time), and it was the toughest season for our hero as she struggled to live in a world that she didn't want to be in. It also was the beginning of the Spike/Buffy relationship, which I am a big fan of. The season began intenesely with Buffy's ressurection, and ended on just an emtional not with Willow almost ending the world. Magic as a metaphor for drugs was well done, and Willow's departure in the dark arts is truly chilling. I loved all the character development in season six, and I didn't even mind that there was not truly threatening villian (the Trio was pretty funny, at least).

Favorite Episode: The musical "Once More, with Feeling" is the clear winner for me. One of my favorite episodes of the entire series in fact.

Season Five:

It was hard for me to decide between season's six and five, but I think ultimately I liked season five better. Glory was a great villian. Scary and yet hilarious at the same time. The way the writers introduced Dawn was great, and I never hated her the way other fans did. I was happy that Riley finally left this season. The death of Buffy's mother was the most emotional episode Joss has ever created. The season was full of action, emotion and drama. It was a fantastic season.

Favorite Episodes: "Into the Woods" is really good; Riley's departure always gives me goosebumps. "Fool for Love" was fantastic, as is "Family" (When I truly feel in love with Tara) and "Blood Ties". The clear winner for me is "The Body", though.

Season Two:

What the writers did with Angel and Buffy's relationship this season knocked my socks off. The Angel arc in the second half of the season was fantastic; never have I seen a show take such a chance as this one did. Angulus was such horrible villian because of the way he was determined to hurt Buffy and her friends. The season is also notable for the introduction of Spike and Drusilla, who quickly became two of my favorite characters. This was the season where the show began to grow up and become a masterpiece. The only negative note is that you have a bundle of filler episodes at the start of the season, but there are plenty of fantastic episodes to make up for it.

Favorite Episodes: "Surprise" and "Innocence" is the best two parter the series has ever done. "Passion" made me cry. I loved Jenny and her death was just so cold and horrible, and Giles pain afterwards was heartbreaking. "Becoming" parts 1 and 2 are my favorite, though.

Season Three:

The best season arc = the best season. I loved Faith. The good slayer who turned bad and then good. Eliza Dushku was a great actress and she did such a good job at displaynig Faith's inner demons. Buffy's struggle to reintegrate into the gang after she ran away was also a great plot. Plus there's the Mayor (one of my favorite villians) and senior year for the gang. I also really liked Oz and Willow's relationship and Zaner's with Cordy. This season was the ultimate Buffy season. That Faith/Buffy fight scene in "Graduation Day" really wowed me the first time I saw it.

Favorite Episodes: "Graduation Day" parts 1 and 2. I really liked that the students of Sunnydale finally fought back. Plus, there's "The Wish" and "Doppelgangland". Both fantastic episodes just for evil Willow.

Top Ten Characters:

10. Andrew                      05. Angel

09. Giles                          04. Spike

08. Tara                           03. Faith

07. Anya                           02. Buffy

06. Drusilla                       01. Willow