PART V: Parting Thoughts -- Biene

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Date Posted: 17:49:11 05/27/03 Tue
Author: 3Strikes
Subject: PART V: Parting Thoughts

...Some time later...

It is my sad duty to inform you that this Reviewer has been viciously attacked by the benighted Grasshopper. I've got the teeth mark to prove it! Knocked me out cold and ran away. Can't quite remember why. Could be it has something to do with the preceding paragraphs. Anyhoo, now that we've discussed Whedon's last message, it's time to wrap it all up.

As shown in Part I, the last 2 seasons, and especially Season 7, have been a compendium of dropped arcs, clumsy execution, terrible misjudgements (death of Tara, the Attempted Rape) and poor planning. But that is by far the lesser Evil. No. The greatest Atrocity is that each and every single one of the characters and their journey have been sacrificed on the Altar of Buffy's Cookie Dough, in the Existentialist Abattoir of Joss Whedon's *Vision*, under the Knife of his laughable conception of Female Empowerment. Some characters completely (Tara, Xander, Giles), others to a lesser extent (Dawn, Willow, Anya, Faith and Spike). They have been sacrificed for a vision of Life and the Universe as a morass of mediocrity, pettiness, small ideals, and people of little worth or consequence.

For this *Story* (pardon the sarcasm) and the bleeding Dogma it is built upon:

Giles fans have been cheated.
Anya fans have been cheated.
Dawn fans have been cheated.
Xander fans have been cheated.
Tara fans have been cheated.
Willow fans have been cheated.
Faith fans have been cheated.
Spike fans have cheated.
And fans of Pre-S6 Buffy have been cheated.

It's no surprise then that for the past 2 seasons, the most touching moments are those which have nothing or little to do with Existentialist Buffy, and have no direct impact on her journey of self-examination/discovery.
Anya speech in Hell's Bells.
Willow and Xander in Hell's Bells.
Willow and Tara's reconciliation in Entropy/SR
Willow and Giles in Lessons
Anya in Selfless, Anya and Xander in Selfless
Dawn and Xander in Potential
Willow and Xander in Empty Places.

If Whedon were Rodin, the last 2 years of BTVS could be likened to The Thinker..if it were sculpted out of the Stinkiest of Elephant Dung. Crafted with purpose, pretty to look at from a distance, and appreciate on a purely noetic level, excellent fodder for ivory tower discussions...but unbearable on close inspection unless you're wearing a military grade gas mask, wholly lacking in emotional resonance, murderous to the journey of all save Buffy, deficient in Scope and Scale, unbelievably trite and pedestrian in their resolution, whacky and hypocritical in their portrayal of female empowerment, Season 6 and 7 have ultimately been rejected by an increasing proportion of the show's primary audience (the numbers speak for themselves). Whedon did such a good job depicting Disengagement, he actually suceeded in disengaging his audience. Now, THAT is a Tour de Force. Almost as great a Tour de Force in fact, as turning Buffy from a flawed Human Hero, generous and brave, into a shallow, callous dogma spewing
Slaver. That too was a sight to behold. Exactly like watching an accident in slo mo.

Allow me to finally conclude this review by giving the Show's Creator something he may not want, but definitely needs... A piece of this fan's mind...

For Seasons 6 and 7, and what you've done to the characters I love...

...F#$% You Joss Whedon, you and the Existentialist French Donkey you rode in on.

PS: The last statement only applies to Seasons 6 and 7. I'm still bullish on the show, even if to do so, I have to disregard and cut out the gangrenous final 2 years.

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