Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Ranking Every Season From Worst To Best
5. Season 6
Why It Was Great
Another transitional year - a change of networks, and bringing Buffy back from the dead - this one handled things better than before, and in turn gave us the darkest season of BTVS ever.
Buffy's attempts at dealing with her return, and the depression that came with it, was beautifully handled, culminating in the incredible musical episode Once More With Feeling. On the whole it deals with adult themes well, through the Buffy arc and Willow's magic-as-drug abuse. While it meandered with The Trip, Tara's tragic demise gave way to Dark Willow, a hugely powerful witch and frightening turn for a beloved character.
Why It Wasn't
Things were guilty of getting too dark at times, which worked for some of the arcs but also meant it got further away from some of Buffy's core strengths. And before getting to Dark Willow, we had to contend with the Trio, three idiot geeks who fancied themselves supervillains, but lacked the power and charisma required.
Tara's death doesn't get the attention it deserves in the immediate aftermath, while in the same episode Spike attempts to rape Buffy, which is rather horrible to witness, and only serves to develop his character. Throw in the breakup of Xander and Anya, and you've got a thoroughly bleak season that isn't all that easy to sit through again.
Best Episode: Once More With Feeling (S6 E7)