Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Every Season Ranked Worst To Best

It's hard to judge Season Seven, as it was the final season of the show. This meant expectations were higher than ever for the writers to outdo themselves - which at times they did, and at others they didn't.

The First Evil was a poor antagonist that worked better on paper than in practice, and the lack of emotional connection made it a weak final enemy for Buffy to face. The staging for their final confrontation, on the other hand, was exceptional. Likewise, the choice to bring back the school and a focus on the Hellmouth were all inspired ideas that managed to both feel fresh yet nostalgic at the same time.

Faith was a more than welcome return in the latter part of the season, as was Giles. The image of Willow activating all the Potential Slayers who stood with the Scoobies against the vampire hoard is an incredibly satisfying finale.

Despite that, Anya's understated death feels like a disservice to the character, and Spike's sacrifice to save the world is immediately undercut when he is brought back on Buffy's spinoff Angel (even if he is amazing in that show's final season).

Ultimately, the show went big and the spectacle is there, but certain choices regarding characters could've been better. It's a good season, but it needed to be brilliant.