Discussion of 6.08 "Tabula Rasa" - Aired 11/13/01 (UPN-US)

[hoponlilmama]

Ranks alongside Something Blue as one of the funniest episodes. It's not all laughs, of course, but that's the part I choose to focus on.

 

[TamsinValencia]

Dawn's giggle is so cute.

 

[Ethan Reigns]

Loved the loan shark. That was actually one of their better animal-based demons.

 

[NoShip]

I always use the loan....shark to get friends into Buffy. It gives everyone a good laugh. That plus "goodbye to you" almost always wins them over.

 

[TamsinValencia]

Mr. Loan Shark.
Credentials: Original, Sophisticated villain.
One of the more attractive bankers.

 

[Trenzalore]

Rewatching this now and…what exactly was Willow’s plan with casting the spell on Buffy?

If Buffy forgot she was in heaven, the gang would have blamed Willow, especially after her fight with Tara the night before. Tara would have gotten upset and left her for breaking her promise to do no magic for a week, and for messing with Buffy’s mind. Giles would have been furious too. So yeah, it wouldn’t have gone over very well.

Is this kind of a plot hole?

 

[NotASlayer]

Rewatching this now and…what exactly was Willow’s plan with casting the spell on Buffy?

If Buffy forgot she was in heaven, the gang would have blamed Willow, especially after her fight with Tara the night before. Tara would have gotten upset and left her for breaking her promise to do no magic for a week, and for messing with Buffy’s mind. Giles would have been furious too. So yeah, it wouldn’t have gone over very well.

Is this kind of a plot hole?

I think this episode and the previous one were simply leftover ideas that were shoehorned into the season without anything remotely resembling thinking, especially as both were promptly ignored after they were over.

 

[Trenzalore]

I think this episode and the previous one were simply leftover ideas that were shoehorned into the season without anything remotely resembling thinking, especially as both were promptly ignored after they were over.

So the musical was a leftover idea? I suppose it was in a way, since it was the only desirable creative opportunity left for Whedon as an auteur.

Just rewatched the clip of Willow's spell to clarify. She included only Buffy and Tara in her incantation for memory loss, but even if their memories were altered, the rest of the gang would still react badly and Willow would be exposed. There were simply too many witnesses to Buffy's confession during "Once More with Feeling" and her fight with Tara the night before. So still not sure how Willow thought she could get away with wiping their minds without any repercussions.

 

[NotASlayer]

So the musical was a leftover idea? I suppose it was in a way, since it was the only desirable creative opportunity left for Whedon as an auteur.

Just rewatched the clip of Willow's spell to clarify. She included only Buffy and Tara in her incantation for memory loss, but even if their memories were altered, the rest of the gang would still react badly and Willow would be exposed. There were simply too many witnesses to Buffy's confession during "Once More with Feeling" and her fight with Tara the night before. So still not sure how Willow thought she could get away with wiping their minds without any repercussions.

All the events of OMWF were completely ignored by the series anyway, so I doubt any attempt was made to consider how Willow would get away with it.

 

[CardboardGhost]

All the events of OMWF were completely ignored by the series anyway

I don't think that's true at all. Spike and Buffy do talk about the kiss at the end later, Anya and Xander's duet foreshadows "Hell's Bells," Dawn is shown stealing from the Magic Box and does get caught later, Giles makes his decision to leave during this episode, we get a flashback to OMWF later with a new Anya solo... this thread is literally for an episode in which the plot revolves around the reaction to a specific moment in OMWF, Tara realizing that Willow had cast a spell on her. The only thing that was actually left unresolved in this episode is the fact that Xander summoned the demon on purpose. All of the relevant plot information does continue to matter, though.

 

[NotASlayer]

I don't think that's true at all. Spike and Buffy do talk about the kiss at the end later, Anya and Xander's duet foreshadows "Hell's Bells," Dawn is shown stealing from the Magic Box and does get caught later, Giles makes his decision to leave during this episode, we get a flashback to OMWF later with a new Anya solo... this thread is literally for an episode in which the plot revolves around the reaction to a specific moment in OMWF, Tara realizing that Willow had cast a spell on her. The only thing that was actually left unresolved in this episode is the fact that Xander summoned the demon on purpose. All of the relevant plot information does continue to matter, though.

Anya and Xander realised they had problems they needed to talk about and ignored it. Giles realised how much he was needed and ignored it. Buffy wasn't able to break free of her abuser until he literally went up in smoke. Willow didn't make any effort to deal with her issues. Buffy said they needed to come together as a family and they ignored it. That's what I mean by ignored. Every revelation the characters had was totally ignored. Nobody learned a thing. You can remove both episodes without changing the season at all.

OMWF was where the season could have been turned around and returned to being Buffy. Instead, that and this episode are where the series well and truly died.

 

[CardboardGhost]

Anya and Xander realised they had problems they needed to talk about and ignored it.

Yes, because talking about it is uncomfortable and, from a writing standpoint, creates drama. The problems were already there, OMWF is the first time it is pointed out to the audience that these problems are going to be an issue. It's the start of their arc in this season, of course they can't just talk it out immediately.

Giles realised how much he was needed and ignored it.

That's... literally the opposite of what happens in this episode. "Standing" is entirely about how he needs to stop sheltering Buffy so that she can grow as a person. I don't like that Giles leaves; it's an incredibly stupid writing move that was forced by the fact that Head wanted to return to England. But it's blatantly false to say that Giles "realized how much he was needed" when specifically talking about what happens in OMWF. He realized that Buffy was relying on him too much* and he wanted her to be able to stand on her own, so he leaves. He makes this decision in OMWF and it is a decision that does have lasting repercussions in the rest of the series.

*Again, I agree with the common consensus that Giles leaving in season six is incredibly forced and that it's absurd to act like Buffy was being lazy or putting too many of her responsibilities on Giles. She did not do that, anyone with eyes can see she did not do that, but the show is telling us that she did and that this is why Giles leaves.

Buffy wasn't able to break free of her abuser until he literally went up in smoke.

I don't see how this is supposed to be a rebuttal to my argument that that the events of OMWF are relevant to the rest of the series. If anything, it proves it. The kiss at the end of this episode is the start of the Spuffy relationship, or at least the start of there being a romantic and/or sexual aspect to that relationship. You originally said that the events of OMWF are "ignored by the series," but you admit yourself that the Spuffy relationship, which begins in this episode, continues to influence Buffy as a character until the final episode.

Willow didn't make any effort to deal with her issues.

You're right. She makes effort to avoid them. Which she faces consequences for, such as her girlfriend leaving her.

Buffy said they needed to come together as a family and they ignored it. That's what I mean by ignored. Every revelation the characters had was totally ignored. Nobody learned a thing.

The characters ignoring things and the series ignoring things are two different ideas entirely. All of the major character arcs this season somewhat revolve around a refusal to acknowledge things, and the fact that things often go badly as a result of that is literally an example of the show taking advantage of what was already shown to the audience. If Xander and Anya talk things out, then they either have a breakup that is kind of sad and awkward, or they post-pone the wedding because Xander admits he isn't ready. "Hell's Bells" is a dramatic episode that only works because Xander has refused to face these insecurities, so the audience has to actually know that he has them. If Willow and Tara talk things out and Willow doesn't cast the memory spell on Tara, they never break up and Willow never has to actually learn not to rely on magic, since she apparently gets it right after a couple of conversations. The Dark Willow arc doesn't work if Willow listens to Tara's concerns about magic from the start, because then it comes out of nowhere. Yes, OMWF is all about characters revealing things they haven't wanted to talk about, but the reasons why they don't talk about it fuel a lot of the drama of the season (for better and for worse--even as someone who really likes season six, I can admit that the quality of the writing is wildly inconsistent).

It's not as accurate to say "Nobody learned a thing." It's more like "Everyone is learning things they don't like knowing about and wish they could stop knowing." Of course they can't learn every lesson that makes things work out okay. We're not even halfway through the season.

You can remove both episodes without changing the season at all.

I disagree. They're really important for communicating to the audience what issues the characters are trying to avoid dealing with. And, as established, these episodes do have really important plot points in them: why Giles leaves, why Tara breaks up with Willow, and the start of the Spuffy relationship. These things set in motion a ton of the plot for this season. They had to happen somewhere or the rest of the plot has to change, and they happened to happen in OMWF and Tabula Rasa.

Tabula Rasa is also one of the last truly lighthearted episodes and I think that's important for pacing purposes as well. The first few episodes of the season are really heavy, and I don't think any episode after Tabula Rasa comes even close to being able to be described as "funny" other than maybe Doublemeat Palace. It's a moment of breathing room between the first several episodes, where everyone is adjusting to Buffy's return, and the rest of the season, where Buffy's relationship with Spike gets progressively worse and Willow gets progressively out of control.

OMWF was where the season could have been turned around and returned to being Buffy. Instead, that and this episode are where the series well and truly died.

Agree to disagree on this. I think it's more accurate to say that it changed than to say it died, and a lot of people like how different season six is.

 

[NoShip]

Agree to disagree on this. I think it's more accurate to say that it changed than to say it died, and a lot of people like how different season six is.

Yes. Agree to disagree. S6 is the worst season of Buffy. A lot of people despise how different S6 is.

 

[hoponlilmama]

That's... literally the opposite of what happens in this episode. "Standing" is entirely about how he needs to stop sheltering Buffy so that she can grow as a person. I don't like that Giles leaves; it's an incredibly stupid writing move that was forced by the fact that Head wanted to return to England. But it's blatantly false to say that Giles "realized how much he was needed" when specifically talking about what happens in OMWF. He realized that Buffy was relying on him too much* and he wanted her to be able to stand on her own, so he leaves. He makes this decision in OMWF and it is a decision that does have lasting repercussions in the rest of the series.

The thing with that is, 'Standing' came before Buffy's big reveal that she was in heaven and now "lives in hell". There's a difference between wanting someone to stand on their own, and then telling someone to 'stand alone' when you discover they're depressed and suicidal.

Buffy pleads with him after to stay:

GILES: I've taught you all I can about being a slayer, and your mother taught you what you needed to know about life. You ... you're not gonna trust that until you're forced to stand alone.
BUFFY: But why now? Now that you know where I've been, what I'm going through?
GILES: Now more than ever. The temptation to give up is gonna be overwhelming, and I can't let-
BUFFY: So I won't! No giving up. You can be here, and I can still be strong.

The writers really fumbled this one. A better excuse for Giles leaving should've been made - some great ideas were offered up here on the forum. I think that's what NotASlayer means by Giles ignoring how much he was needed. Not only for Buffy - but leaving Willow who he can see is heading down a dangerous path with magic.

 

[NotASlayer]

Yes, because talking about it is uncomfortable and, from a writing standpoint, creates drama. The problems were already there, OMWF is the first time it is pointed out to the audience that these problems are going to be an issue. It's the start of their arc in this season, of course they can't just talk it out immediately.


That's... literally the opposite of what happens in this episode. "Standing" is entirely about how he needs to stop sheltering Buffy so that she can grow as a person. I don't like that Giles leaves; it's an incredibly stupid writing move that was forced by the fact that Head wanted to return to England. But it's blatantly false to say that Giles "realized how much he was needed" when specifically talking about what happens in OMWF. He realized that Buffy was relying on him too much* and he wanted her to be able to stand on her own, so he leaves. He makes this decision in OMWF and it is a decision that does have lasting repercussions in the rest of the series.

*Again, I agree with the common consensus that Giles leaving in season six is incredibly forced and that it's absurd to act like Buffy was being lazy or putting too many of her responsibilities on Giles. She did not do that, anyone with eyes can see she did not do that, but the show is telling us that she did and that this is why Giles leaves.


I don't see how this is supposed to be a rebuttal to my argument that that the events of OMWF are relevant to the rest of the series. If anything, it proves it. The kiss at the end of this episode is the start of the Spuffy relationship, or at least the start of there being a romantic and/or sexual aspect to that relationship. You originally said that the events of OMWF are "ignored by the series," but you admit yourself that the Spuffy relationship, which begins in this episode, continues to influence Buffy as a character until the final episode.


You're right. She makes effort to avoid them. Which she faces consequences for, such as her girlfriend leaving her.


The characters ignoring things and the series ignoring things are two different ideas entirely. All of the major character arcs this season somewhat revolve around a refusal to acknowledge things, and the fact that things often go badly as a result of that is literally an example of the show taking advantage of what was already shown to the audience. If Xander and Anya talk things out, then they either have a breakup that is kind of sad and awkward, or they post-pone the wedding because Xander admits he isn't ready. "Hell's Bells" is a dramatic episode that only works because Xander has refused to face these insecurities, so the audience has to actually know that he has them. If Willow and Tara talk things out and Willow doesn't cast the memory spell on Tara, they never break up and Willow never has to actually learn not to rely on magic, since she apparently gets it right after a couple of conversations. The Dark Willow arc doesn't work if Willow listens to Tara's concerns about magic from the start, because then it comes out of nowhere. Yes, OMWF is all about characters revealing things they haven't wanted to talk about, but the reasons why they don't talk about it fuel a lot of the drama of the season (for better and for worse--even as someone who really likes season six, I can admit that the quality of the writing is wildly inconsistent).

It's not as accurate to say "Nobody learned a thing." It's more like "Everyone is learning things they don't like knowing about and wish they could stop knowing." Of course they can't learn every lesson that makes things work out okay. We're not even halfway through the season.


I disagree. They're really important for communicating to the audience what issues the characters are trying to avoid dealing with. And, as established, these episodes do have really important plot points in them: why Giles leaves, why Tara breaks up with Willow, and the start of the Spuffy relationship. These things set in motion a ton of the plot for this season. They had to happen somewhere or the rest of the plot has to change, and they happened to happen in OMWF and Tabula Rasa.

Maybe they showed the audience the problems, but neither episode had any effect on the events of the series. Everything would have still turned out just the way they did without either episode. Events happened despite OMWF, not because of it. That's why it can be removed.

Tabula Rasa is also one of the last truly lighthearted episodes and I think that's important for pacing purposes as well.

I find it anything but lighthearted, thanks to the awfulness of the season. Willow, after mind raping and actually raping Tara, decides to mindrape Tara again and this time throws in an attempt to mindrape Buffy as well. And accidentally mindrapes everyone. Anything but hilarious.

Agree to disagree on this. I think it's more accurate to say that it changed than to say it died, and a lot of people like how different season six is.

You seem to agree with me? I said that Buffy died because it stopped being what it was, and you say it stopped being what it was and that's why people like it.

And @hoponlilmama is right. OMWF showed that Giles left Buffy, despite knowing she was seriously depressed - and abandoning someone in that state is not letting them "stand on their own"; it's cruelly leaving them to suffer. Giles, once he knew there were serious problems, not just minor issues, should have stayed. And with Willow, not only did Giles know she had problems, and was worried about them, abandoned her as well, despite literally knowing people who could help her. It can rightly be argued that everything that went wrong with Willow from this point was Giles's fault.

 

[CardboardGhost]

The thing with that is, 'Standing' came before Buffy's big reveal that she was in heaven and now "lives in hell". There's a difference between wanting someone to stand on their own, and then telling someone to 'stand alone' when you discover they're depressed and suicidal.

Buffy pleads with him after to stay:

GILES: I've taught you all I can about being a slayer, and your mother taught you what you needed to know about life. You ... you're not gonna trust that until you're forced to stand alone.
BUFFY: But why now? Now that you know where I've been, what I'm going through?
GILES: Now more than ever. The temptation to give up is gonna be overwhelming, and I can't let-
BUFFY: So I won't! No giving up. You can be here, and I can still be strong.

The writers really fumbled this one. A better excuse for Giles leaving should've been made - some great ideas were offered up here on the forum. I think that's what NotASlayer means by Giles ignoring how much he was needed. Not only for Buffy - but leaving Willow who he can see is heading down a dangerous path with magic.

I agree that Giles leaving is handled incredibly poorly. My point wasn't that "Standing" is a great explanation for Giles leaving, just that it is the explanation we are given, which is better than no explanation at all. They at least tried to make Giles leaving a significant plot point rather than just writing him out between seasons. That doesn't mean the effort was very good, but it's important to make note of, in my opinion.

Maybe they showed the audience the problems, but neither episode had any effect on the events of the series. Everything would have still turned out just the way they did without either episode. Events happened despite OMWF, not because of it. That's why it can be removed.

I still entirely disagree with this. There are plot points that set in motion a lot of the rest of season six, as I've said; I would agree if your point is that these plot points didn't have to happen in a musical, but they still had to happen somewhere. OMWF could be replaced, but not removed. Same with "Tabula Rasa." Same with most episodes where the MotW is a plot device to reveal something about the characters or the world. Why did it have to be a musical? Why did it have to be amnesia? Why did it have to be this monster, or that monster? Because the writers thought it would be cool. The fact that the premise is somewhat arbitrary doesn't mean that the episode isn't important to the plot.

As I've already said, I'll concede that the series does ignore that Xander summoned Sweet on purpose, and I do think ignoring that was incredibly stupid. But Tara definitely doesn't ignore learning that Willow had tampered with her memory, Giles definitely doesn't ignore that he has decided to leave (although as @hoponlilmama points out, he does ignore new information that should make him reconsider that decision, which is a criticism I agree with), and the show as a whole does not ignore Xander and Anya's problems but rather shows them ignoring them so that it builds to a bigger dramatic turn later. I genuinely don't understand what you think is being forgotten after this episode unless your criticism is just that the characters don't fix their problems immediately after, which I not only don't see as a problem but would actively consider to be bad storytelling.

I find it anything but lighthearted, thanks to the awfulness of the season. Willow, after mind raping and actually raping Tara, decides to mindrape Tara again and this time throws in an attempt to mindrape Buffy as well. And accidentally mindrapes everyone. Anything but hilarious.

I can agree that the actual circumstances of the episode are horrifying and have far reaching implications and also find the actual script of the episode to be funny. I don't think it's impossible for something to be both upsetting and also comedic.

I'm not going to try and convince you that you should find it funny, but I would like to rephrase my actual argument to say that "Tabula Rasa" is the episode most clearly intended to be comedic relief. My original statement was more of an opinion (I would describe the episode as lighthearted) when what actually matters to this discussion is the role it serves in the narrative, which is a contained episode where everyone believes that they are someone else and gets into secondhand embarassment inducing scenarios as a result. It's framed by the dark undertones to Willow's behavior and the dramatic reveal at the end that she caused all this, but what happens in the middle is a pretty simple mistaken identity-causes-shenanigans plot. Whether or not you or I individually find it funny is not really relevant to my point that this is a season that has very few episodes that serve as comedic relief, and this episode sort of marks that turning point.

You seem to agree with me? I said that Buffy died because it stopped being what it was, and you say it stopped being what it was and that's why people like it.

I agree that from this point on it is different. I disagree with the idea that the show "died." You said that the ways the show changed mean that it is no longer Buffy:

OMWF was where the season could have been turned around and returned to being Buffy.

The idea that the show needed to "return to being Buffy" implies that it has become something else entirely. That it died and was replaced. I do not agree with this. It would be blatantly incorrect to act like season six is no different from the seasons that came before, but I don't think it's so different that it stops being Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

I personally like that season six is different because, to me, it shows that there was a willingness to experiment and to let the show develop in new ways compared to what we had seen before. Season six is very hurt by the fact that the writers clearly had no plan, but they could have so easily tried to recreate the basic format of one of the earlier seasons indefinitely, and they didn't; they could have tried to drag the show out by just reheating the same kinds of episodes over and over. Instead they went in a new direction. The show didn't die; it evolved. I wish I could have seen season six with consistent writing, and I wish season seven actually had episodes that felt distinct instead of feeling like a movie spliced into twenty parts, but I at least have to appreciate that these seasons introduce new ideas we haven't seen before and puts the characters in new situations, difficult situations. There's a lot to hate about that change, but there's a lot to like, especially because these are the same characters at the core. There still are MotW style episodes, though not nearly as many. If there's ever a point where the show dies and stops truly being Buffy the Vampire Slayer as we've known it, I would argue that it's when season seven introduces souled Spike who acts exactly the same and then pretty quickly abandons any MotW style episodes in favor of the Potential-themed soap opera. Completely undoing the lore up to this point and then wandering around through the same episode for hours on end... as inconsistent as season six was, at least most of the episodes actually have their own semi-contained plot.

And @hoponlilmama is right. OMWF showed that Giles left Buffy, despite knowing she was seriously depressed - and abandoning someone in that state is not letting them "stand on their own"; it's cruelly leaving them to suffer. Giles, once he knew there were serious problems, not just minor issues, should have stayed. And with Willow, not only did Giles know she had problems, and was worried about them, abandoned her as well, despite literally knowing people who could help her. It can rightly be argued that everything that went wrong with Willow from this point was Giles's fault.

Huge agree with all of this.

 

[hoponlilmama]

I agree that Giles leaving is handled incredibly poorly. My point wasn't that "Standing" is a great explanation for Giles leaving, just that it is the explanation we are given, which is better than no explanation at all. They at least tried to make Giles leaving a significant plot point rather than just writing him out between seasons. That doesn't mean the effort was very good, but it's important to make note of, in my opinion.

It's a decent explanation - at that moment in time. As NAS was saying and as I mentioned above, his decision to still leave after he learns of Buffy's truth - it looks horribly poor.

It's only carried somewhat due to ASHs talented acting skills. He tried to sell it as best as he could. A number of other better reasons could've been given for Giles to leave - a family member who has died/is close to dying and he must go back to England. The Council has called him back - which could've tied in perfectly with s7.

Sloppily handled by the writers.
I get what you're saying, it just irks me. Every time I watch it, I want to skip that part. Or yell at the television. Not quite sure which one!

 

[NoShip]

If there's ever a point where the show dies and stops truly being Buffy the Vampire Slayer as we've known it, I would argue that it's when season seven introduces souled Spike who acts exactly the same and then pretty quickly abandons any MotW style episodes in favor of the Potential-themed soap opera. Completely undoing the lore up to this point and then wandering around through the same episode for hours on end...

S7 might be where Buffy died, but, S6 is where Buffy fell off a cliff. There is no example of a successful TV show, and, at the end of S5, Buffy was very successful, making the kinds of changes in story-telling and tone and characterization that S6 did and remaining popular with its audience (Normally you see radical changes when a show is failing and there is nothing to lose).

Why?

Because radical changes cause the current audience to quickly stop watching while it takes a two to three seasons to build up a new audience that can replace the old audience.

At the time S6 was very unpopular. It proved Whedon wrong about the posting boards being a better marker of audience position than ratings analysis and market research. More Arrogant and Stupid than Bold.

And, Buffy never recovered. The main reason for S7's problems was SMG refused to sign up for S8 so S8's storylines were shoehorned into S7. SMG refused to sign up for S8 because of how she was coerced in S6. SMG was coerced in S6 because of the rediculous recharacterizations of Buffy that SMG couldn't abide.

So, S6 is where Buffy broke down, even though, there is a large, and growing, part of the modern audience that absolutely adores it.

 

[TamsinValencia]

If I was a lawyer I would change my name to Joan, so I don't blame Buffy.

 

[NotASlayer]

I'm not going to try and convince you that you should find it funny, but I would like to rephrase my actual argument to say that "Tabula Rasa" is the episode most clearly intended to be comedic relief.

I agree with that, and include OMWF in that, and written differently and in an earlier season they would have been fun. And if written differently in this one the same would apply, but you would need to rewrite the entire season. To me, those are two episodes that should have had Ethan Rayne behind them.

If there's ever a point where the show dies and stops truly being Buffy the Vampire Slayer as we've known it, I would argue that it's when season seven introduces souled Spike who acts exactly the same and then pretty quickly abandons any MotW style episodes in favor of the Potential-themed soap opera. Completely undoing the lore up to this point and then wandering around through the same episode for hours on end... as inconsistent as season six was, at least most of the episodes actually have their own semi-contained plot.

Season six is when the series was staked in the heart. Season seven was when they nailed the coffin shut. In a show that is supposed to be about female characters, three of the five female actors either quit or refused to come back after S6. Season seven has a very accurate depiction of a woman who has been broken by abuse and saw the show go completely 180, from being one about a strong female character fighting vampires to a show about an abusive male vampire.

S6 was not so much about trying new ideas, but completely lacking them in the first place. That's why the "teen is addicted to drugs by a trusted friend" soap opera plot became "magic is now drugs."

S7 might be where Buffy died, but, S6 is where Buffy fell off a cliff. There is no example of a successful TV show, and, at the end of S5, Buffy was very successful, making the kinds of changes in story-telling and tone and characterization that S6 did and remaining popular with its audience (Normally you see radical changes when a show is failing and there is nothing to lose).

Why?

Because radical changes cause the current audience to quickly stop watching while it takes a two to three seasons to build up a new audience that can replace the old audience.

At the time S6 was very unpopular. It proved Whedon wrong about the posting boards being a better marker of audience position than ratings analysis and market research. More Arrogant and Stupid than Bold.

There seem to be three main reasons why a show undergoes a tonal change; a lack of viewership and a last minute attempt to save it, a lack of ideas or a new showrunner trying to leave their own imprint. S6 seemed to have the last two. There is no way more guaranteed to kill a show than a tonal change, because everyone still watching liked the previous tone, and if they liked a different one better, they would have stopped watching. So you end up with a loss of viewership that is effectively impossible to replace. The only show that has ever possibly recovered from such is Doctor Who, simply because it has a soft reboot mechanism built in.

So, S6 is where Buffy broke down, even though, there is a large, and growing, part of the modern audience that absolutely adores it.

I suspect that this has something to do with the, essentially, and understandable, nihilism, that a lot of younger viewers have these days. The season confirms that life is pointless, miserable and doomed. I myself fail to see the point in nihilism.