Change one thing in S5

[Tome]

As the thread title says, if you could change ONE thing in season five, what would it be? Personally I would have changed the storyline for Riley. I know I'm not part of the majority with this, but I liked Riley, and I hoped Buffy would catch up to him in 'Into The Woods'. Not only that, but Riley didn't seem to integrate to the Gang well. He didn't talk one on one with anybody really, 'cept Xander I guess. So except for Buffy, he had no link. He didn't have a personal goal either... He was way underused, and it would have been nice to see more backstory about him.

Your turn!

 

[Hale Caesar]

Never introduce Dawn to the show

 

[caritas08]

Good question. I like Season 5, so it's kind of hard. I think I would have given a less over the top villain. Someone more Wolfram &Hartlike who could be really menacing and pose more of an intellectual challenge for Buffy and Giles. In fact, I think I would like a season that focuses mostly on Giles, even if it is called Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Maybe make the Watcher's Council end up being the big bad.

I like Glory but after Adam, I really need a more subtle, Mayor like villain.

 

[Zeppo]

Actually, I would've maybe changed what happened with Riley too. I liked him.

But what if Dawn had died? I think that would be momentous, in a sense that they saved the world yet Buffy failed the most important goal she had arguably ever set for herself: to keep her sister safe.

We wouldn't have even needed Buffy to come back from the grave to get her depressed, I think that would've done the trick. Dawn's ok enough in my eyes but I may have appreciated her more if she only had that short amount of time on the show. It would've been pretty adult and the show would almost surpass it's own expectations with the results. I believe, anyway.

 

[Icarium]

One change? I propose a very minor one - Riley would use a wooden stake on Spike, not a plastic one.

 

[Tome]

But what if Dawn had died? I think that would be momentous, in a sense that they saved the world yet Buffy failed the most important goal she had arguably ever set for herself: to keep her sister safe.

We wouldn't have even needed Buffy to come back from the grave to get her depressed, I think that would've done the trick. Dawn's ok enough in my eyes but I may have appreciated her more if she only had that short amount of time on the show. It would've been pretty adult and the show would almost surpass it's own expectations with the results. I believe, anyway.

Yea, but then we wouldn't have had the really emotional ending with Buffy dying, everyone's reaction and so on... I don't think I would have teared up over Dawn dying. Even though some people might have... tears of joy that is. 😉 Sorry, I had to!

 

[wickedtiger86]

I'd have Spike leave the creepy mannequin of doom in the trash heap.

No need to bring that home man. No need.

 

[Zeppo]

Yea, but then we wouldn't have had the really emotional ending with Buffy dying, everyone's reaction and so on... I don't think I would have teared up over Dawn dying. Even though some people might have... tears of joy that is. 😉 Sorry, I had to!

True, we'd trade emotional impact for shock: the Scoobies weren't smarter than the system, there was no clever way out.

I could see Buffy actually quitting: afterwards walking down the street in sadness, hearing a vampire attack in the alley she passes and instead of acting on it just simply acknowledges it's there and keeps walking. Credits.

There's tons of stuff that can be taken from there for the following season. I was just thinking it would eliminate the stupidity and the confusion about the ressurection in season 6.

 

[NY State of Mind]

Originally I would of said putting Dawn but now I'm so used to it that eh...I can't even answer now and I don't care about Riley unless they kept him and somehow got him to be an interesting character

 

[zobothehobo]

Buffy would be nicer to Spikey.

 

[sisterofmercy]

Buffy and Riley would have broken up a lot sooner.

 

[Goby]

Just for you Tome...........


During "The Body" we see Joyce in heaven, happy and in love, with her soulmate, Principal Snyder.
::rolf::

 

[BuffyElevated]

As the thread title says, if you could change ONE thing in season five, what would it be? Personally I would have changed the storyline for Riley. I know I'm not part of the majority with this, but I liked Riley, and I hoped Buffy would catch up to him in 'Into The Woods'. Not only that, but Riley didn't seem to integrate to the Gang well. He didn't talk one on one with anybody really, 'cept Xander I guess. So except for Buffy, he had no link. He didn't have a personal goal either... He was way underused, and it would have been nice to see more backstory about him.

Your turn!

I agree; I wish Buffy would have caught Riley in time.
I just wish Riley would have gotten a better deal in Season 5 altogether. I don't like the direction the writers took him at all.

 

[Abbeycat]

The Buffybot.😀 haha. Although, it was put in to good use when it fooled vampires and others into thinking she was the real slayer when Buffybot was used in battle and patrolling like when they attacked Glory's place and etc.

 

[brinkster130]

There are only two things I would change.

The first: Riley and his story line, I would have loved it if he hadn't left Sunnydale. They could have kept him around longer and given him more of a story; maybe tell us more about his military past.

The second: Having Dawn die at the end instead of Buffy. Like [MENTION=10496]Zeppo[/MENTION] said Dawn's death would of had a huge effect on Buffy. Plus I liked his idea of it pushing Buffy to quit and walk away from the slayer gig all together. That would have made for a very interesting story-line.

 

[Kean]

As much as I love Riley, I am happy he moved on from Buffy. Because quite frankly, staying with her was killing him.

I just wish we got to see what happened when he left.

I would change it so that Spike either a) was dusted once his obsession with Buffy was outed or have him go off with Dru when she came back. Anything but him making sad puppy eyes at Buffy, desperate even the slightest bit of attention.

What I would really want is for Buffy to stay dead, but that's a S6 wish really, isn't it?

 

[nightshade]

I would have liked for Riley to have job, he was a soldier and psychology major, he could have worked somewhere. This could have given him some purpose other than being "Buffy's boyfriend"

 

[sk]

But what if Dawn had died? I think that would be momentous, in a sense that they saved the world yet Buffy failed the most important goal she had arguably ever set for herself: to keep her sister safe.

We wouldn't have even needed Buffy to come back from the grave to get her depressed, I think that would've done the trick. Dawn's ok enough in my eyes but I may have appreciated her more if she only had that short amount of time on the show. It would've been pretty adult and the show would almost surpass it's own expectations with the results. I believe, anyway.

I really like this idea. Not that I have a problem with Dawn and would like her dead or anything.
Just think it would just be very interesting to see Buffy fail and how she would handle it.

Even though I guess we saw that already at the end of season 2 and the beginning of season 3. But this could've been quite different.

/SK

 

[Wesley Junior]

I would have changed two things in S5.

Number 1: I would have switched Dawn with Faith.

Think about it for a moment.

This would begin in S4....

Faith wakes up from her coma with a case of amnesia. Buffy takes her under her wing, feeling responsible for putting her in the coma in the first place. Joyce gives Faith a place at stay in her house. At some point, Faith regains her memories and must choose between seeking revenge aganist Buffy and embracing her post-coma life. Faith eventually decides to let go of revenge. By the end of the season, Joyce decides to adopt Faith which would make her Buffy’s adoptive sister.

Then in S5...

Faith is adjusting to life as a Summers while Buffy discovers that Faith is the Key. The Key was enclosed in the form of a Slayer so the Slayer essence could aid her in defending herself from those seeking her. But the combination of Key and Slayer essences would have a tendency of stirring up problems for the possessor’s mentality which explains Faith’s troubled behavior in S3. So they plant her in the life of another Slayer (Buffy) to be the Key’s guide and protector. Faith never existed before S3.

Number 2: Like Zeppo suggested, Buffy fails to save the day by the end of S5. Having Faith be the one who die instead of Dawn would give the death more emotional weight and impact on the characters. Overwhelmed by both the deaths of her mother and a woman who Buffy has come to love as a sister which wasn't without a lack of trying, Buffy quits being a Slayer.

 

[Taake]

I would change it so that Spike either a) was dusted once his obsession with Buffy was outed or have him go off with Dru when she came back. Anything but him making sad puppy eyes at Buffy, desperate even the slightest bit of attention.

Hear hear!
I would have had him go off with Dru again preferrably, loved those two crazy kids together.

It was this season Spike just became plain painful to watch (and committed some of his worst offenses in my mind. I don't enjoy stalking made into 'cute' entertainment) so I would much rather have had him go off into the sunset being his old evil self with no need of apologists defending his creepiness.