Same here. Season 5 is absolutely my favorite; when I think of it, the first things that pop into my mind are all positive (which is definitely not true for many of the other seasons). And despite my current overwhelming and all-consuming Buffy-hate, I actually did like her quite a bit the first time I saw season five.
You're right about the relationships. After season five, they never did achieve that kind of believable and truly touching emotional bonds between characters. I really think it's because they took the time for the little moments--Giles listening to the song from "Band Candy" and mourning Joyce, Spike reaching out to touch Dawn's hair, Willow taking care of insane Tara--which they tended to gloss over in later seasons. In season five, they SHOWED us why these relationships meant something, instead of TELLING us what we were supposed to think.
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Date: 2003-06-20 07:58 am (UTC)You're right about the relationships. After season five, they never did achieve that kind of believable and truly touching emotional bonds between characters. I really think it's because they took the time for the little moments--Giles listening to the song from "Band Candy" and mourning Joyce, Spike reaching out to touch Dawn's hair, Willow taking care of insane Tara--which they tended to gloss over in later seasons. In season five, they SHOWED us why these relationships meant something, instead of TELLING us what we were supposed to think.