Rating: 
Summary: Clash of the Titans
Review: Many fans of the show believe that the two best seasons were the third and fifth, and I definitely see where they are coming from. While I believe that the third was a little better than this one, I must say that this one was a close second. This season starts off with an amusing confrontation between Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Count Dracula (Rudolph Martin). At the end of the season premiere, we are thrown a real curveball; a new character named Dawn (Michelle Tractenberg), who it seems is Buffy's sister. For those of you who have just started watching Buffy, and have not yet seen or know anything about this season, you may be a little confused. Afterall, in the four previous seasons, there has never been any mention of Buffy's sister, although there have been hints. Anyway, we are soon introduced to Ben (Charlie Weber), an intern at the hospital who develops a crush on Buffy. At first, Buffy has eyes only for Riley (Marc Blucas), until he leaves to go fight in Belize, and then Buffy develops feelings for Ben. But Ben has a dark secret; he is somehow connected to a creature named Glory (Clare Kramer), a creature who turns out to be a God from a Hell Demension. Glory is like no one Buffy has ever met; stronger, faster, and has more stamina than any villain Buffy has ever met. Fortunately, she isn't the smartest one. Anyway, Glory needs something called "The Key" in order to fulfill her master plan, and Buffy will do anything to protect it.
In this season, the gang is put the toughest trials that they have ever been through, especially near the end of the season when Willow's (Alyson Hannigan) lover loses her mind, Spike (James Marsters) begins falling in love with Buffy, and Buffy learns Dawn's true nature.
As great as this season was, there were naturally some flaws, problems, and gray areas. Beware, this paragraph contains spoilers. Okay, I always thought that the Slayer had about the same strength as vampires did, but when Spike tried to pick up Olaf the Troll's hammer, he couldn't even lift it an inch off the ground. However, Buffy could wield it better than Olaf himself. Second, I don't understand why Ben never killed himself. I know that he didn't want to die, but he had to have realized that it would have been for the good of the cause. On that same note, why was Dawn so angry at him; I know that she didn't want to die either, but her death would have saved millions. Finally, the way Ben/Glory died was a little anti-climactic. Here is this God, who twice before had beaten Buffy's butt, but at the end, Buffy wailed on her. The fight they had was great, but then, when she turned back into Ben, Buffy left him to live. She knew that the only way to kill Glory was to kill Ben. Then Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) came and strangled him. I just never pictured Giles as a killer.
The end of this season is very powerful and sad; it could have made a good series finale, but I'm glad that Joss Whedon decided to keep the show going. All of the actors did incredible jobs, the stories were amazing this season, and the emotions were better than ever. Some episodes to check out are Buffy vs. Dracula, The Replacement, No Place Like Home, Checkpoint, Blood Ties, Intervention, Spiral, Weight of the World, and The Gift.
Rating:
Summary: Life is the Ultimate Challenge
Review: I have to laugh when I think that the first show I saw was the one in which Spike commissions a "Buffy" Robot. Had I stopped watching the show at that point, I would not be writing a review for the fifth season. To appreciate this show, you have to watch all the episodes from day one! This is the season where we discover "Dawn's" true nature in its fullest form. It takes the entire season to figure out how the "key" works, although we realize how the key was made. Glory knows she needs the key, but the viewer is left in the dark for almost the entire season. We also soon realize that Buffy's family situation is going to be the most challenging aspect of her life. Slaying vampires is old hat and a stake here and there is not enough to magically keep the viewers attention. What was needed was intense drama to move from one season to the next. However, everything seems to be normal (the usual suspects and monsters) on the Buffy planet until the third DVD when we realize this season is going to be slightly more than emotionally trying. Not that any of the other seasons have been a walk in the light. Here again, Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) must endure great emotional suffering and draw from her experiences with loss to again save the world. Buffy is beyond horrified when she realized that she has the power to save the world, but has absolutely no power over her mother's fate, her sister's reality and her boyfriends mission. Buffy's mind plays tricks on her and then Buffy's friends get tricked. There is a lot of trickery going on. As a viewer you will be interested in how the show plays a few tricks on you too. Spike and Buffy get a bit closer in many ways and Spike tries to explain that Buffy needs some "monster in her man." She definitely seems to be outgrowing her sweet boyfriend. I started to have a soft spot in my heart for Spike when he was sitting next to Buffy, almost comforting her after she realized her mother's life is in danger. While Buffy's emotions go on a wild roller coaster of fear, sorrow, despair and anger, Willow starts to take center stage. It is Willow who becomes powerful and Buffy who has to learn about sacrifice and the loss of power. Xander also appears in an amazing scene where he is wise and sensitive. This was refreshing after all the times when they portray Xander as less than his obviously heroic self. He has charming characteristics, which are underplayed in most of the show. My heart always skips a beat when he acts like Buffy's protector. It is just so adorably knight-like. The entire issue of "Glory" brought a new sense of "impossibility" to this season. Not only is Glory a goddess, she takes both a male and female form and is apparently born into the body of a man. Of course, anyone who is religious will immediately figure out what is going on and will start to analyze all the aspects of Glory's personality and power. Unfortunately, the web is so tightly woven, it is almost impossible to separate the demonic destructive characteristics of Glory from the healing powers of the doctor she inhabits. Eventually the two become one and we are left with a horrifying scene in which Giles must decide the fate of the world. The violence towards monsters seems appropriate, but in this season the violence turns into a questionable action. Not only are the "monsters" in the form of beautiful women, the violence is directed in extreme amounts against Glory to the extend that I just wished it would end so we could go on to Buffy fighting creatures that looked evil. While there are implied messages about seeing beyond outer appearances, I worried about the extent of the violence towards creatures that looked very much like real-life women. I also did not enjoy the way they portrayed Joyce and how they focused so much on the morbidity of her situation. It didn't give her much dignity. The flashbacks during the Joyce scenes made the entire situation so horrifying that the viewer is just as disappointed as Buffy when we realize the reality of the situation. (I'm trying not to give too much away.) There are a few humorous moments, which might not seem to be obviously humorous. Like, the advertisement promoting Christmas sales in the magic store. I guess they were determined to celebrate all religious holidays. I missed the more playful humor from previous seasons. Spike adds his witty comments, but the playful banter seems to have been replaced by life-threatening illnesses and life-changing choices. Although Anya does try to keep things playful and yet even her humor starts to grate on you as the season ends. We want to shake her and say: "Hello, and how long have you been watching human's interact?" Anya is still extremely likeable and I think she added bursts of interest when all the other characters seemed to get a bit lost within their emotions. When she cries, we know she has finally become human. It is one of the more poignant and endearing moments. We finally realize why Xander is madly in love with her. I also enjoyed the special features, especially the "Buffy Abroad" featurette where we then get to hear Xander and Buffy conversing in French and are reminded why this show has such a universal appeal. The "Demonology" featurette is filled with witty humor and the "Casting Buffy" featurette is quite interesting. Overall, I loved this season and felt it gave many of the characters a chance to shine. Dawn and Willow really come into their own during this season. I think the season ending was just one of the most beautiful moments in the entire Buffy show. We finally understand the gift. ~TheRebeccaReview.com
Rating:
Summary: Stop Downing Dawn
Review: Just like any fan of the show Dawn had to grow on you. At times you want to just put you fist throught her heart but that point was she was jsut a girl that was fault of magic. She didn't ask to be the key. I think Joss and the rest of gang couldn't have made a better season until season 7 but 2 is still by far the best. Buffy gets better each year and I can't wait to complete me set
Rating:
Summary: would have been better without Dawn
Review: This definitely isn't the Best season of Buffy but it's still really good. The only part I don't like in this season is Dawn, Buffys mom dying and Buffy herself dying . Dracula is my favorite episode in this season and the Buffy-bot episodes were wonderful. However, I really hate that they didn't give everyone their memories back that would have made the show a LOT better. I have been watching Buffy since it first started and this season is the 2nd worst season the WORST season is the 7th 1 (it's really sad) , my favorite seasons were seasons 3 and 4 ,I wish they would have left Riley on the show, at least until they killed Buffy so we could have see his reaction. Another really good thing about the Buffy dvds is that they are in full screen format instead of widescreen format like other shows are ( what's the sense of having a big tv screen if you only use the middle of it? ) I reccommend this season 5 dvd set to everyone , if you like Charmed , Angel or Dark Angel you will LOVE this show.
Rating:
Summary: Well, it is my favorite season
Review: I know it may not be popular with all Buffy-philes, but season 5 is my fav. The story hangs together so well. Even the episodes that seem to not be connected with the over-all plot arc (at the time), turn out to be connected by the end. While Glory is certain not as awesome a villian as Angelus, her combination of whimsical and raging psychotic behavior is entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: Buffy gets better
Review: There is no such thing as a bad season of Buffy; at its worst this show stumbles into the territory inhabited by some of the TV poor-cousin clones such as Alias or Charmed. At its best, Buffy is unmatched for the quality of writing and a skilled ensemble of actors who add depth and affection to their characters. Season Five demonstrates yet again that Joss is never prepared to just tread water with his show, taking new twists and featuring possibly the best "big bad" of all the series.
Rating:
Summary: Well worth watching....now let's get Season 6 out!
Review: I agree with everything that's been said here so far. I'm glad to FINALLY see some outtakes from earlier seasons. That's been missing from the earlier DVD's. I wish the DVD's would come out sooner also. My wife/daugthter let me have mine for Christmas and so I didn't get to watch it until just this past week. But being the DVD nut I am, I watched the entire season's episodes back-to-back! And, after watching about 6 episodes my 11 year old daughter started to watch with me. So with the end of each episode I was treated to a scream of "next episode!" or "next disk!" until we finished up with a marathon Buffy watch on New Year's Eve that ended with "The Gift" just after the new year rang in. My daughter said it was the best Buffy's she had watched with me yet!
Rating:
Summary: BUFFY at the top of her game in great season 5
Review: After having defeated the Initiative and their Frankenstein-like creation Adam, it seems like Buffy the Vampire Slayer can finally catch up on both her college studies and her Slayer training. However, she finds herself facing one of her greatest challenges when a fashion-plate hell-goddess makes her appearance in Sunnydale. Complicating matters are the serious illness of Buffy's mother, the sudden appearance of a previously unknown little sister, and the unwanted affections of former foe Spike. For many fans, this fifth season of the popular cult TV hit, marked a high point in the series. From its opening homage to the classic Dracula films to its tragic cliffhanger, this season was awash with classic moments. Some of the best single episodes occurred during this season including the fun "A Fool for Love," which reveals Spike's true origin, as well as "The Body," a truly classic examination of how death affects the family and friends left behind. As always, Sarah Michelle Gellar is a treat to watch in the title role, while Anthony Stewart Head provides both support and humor as her mentor, Giles. Alyson Hannigan is sweet and humorous as Buffy's best friend, Willow. James Marsters continues to delight with his wry portrayal of the vampire Spike, while Claire Kramer is appropriately goofy and dangerous as the hell-goddess Glory. Special mention must go to Kristine Sutherland, who turns a touching performance as Buffy's mom in her last full season on the show. The DVD once again features the usual mix of art galleries, featurettes and director/writer commentaries. This time, we actually get an outtake reel from the show as well, mainly from the show's 3rd season. BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER's 5th season continues the high standard set when the show first aired, making this set a must-own for fans of Buffy and of quality TV in general. Definitely one to recommend.
Rating: 
Summary: Good episodes, Special Features aren't great
Review: Okay, you either love or hate Season 5; pick your side. I'm not going to address that here - I want to talk about the DVD set itself. And I've got to say I'm finding the Special Features of this set to be a little lacking. I haven't watched all the featurettes yet, but I haven't been terribly impressed so far. The Demonology could have been cool, but they don't show near enough demons, and don't even touch on Glory (I know, Hell God, not a demon, but c'mon - the major season baddie). Actually, they don't seem to address Glory much of anywhere. Maybe they do on the "Season 5 story" or on the DVD-ROM part, but I haven't looked. The Casting Buffy one really just kinda glossed over the characters - would a screen-test or two been too much to ask? The Natural Causes one is interesting...but Joss Whedon also does commentary during "The Body" so I don't understand why it's there. It was an excellent, Emmy-Worthy episode, but there was that little thing in Season 5 about killing off the title character and they barely seem to address that anywhere. It's not like Season 4 when "Hush" was the stand-out episode and having lots of details on the filming was a bonus. They also picked some odd episodes for writer commentary. Fool for Love, okay, pretty cool episode. And Real Me introduced Dawn, so also understandable. But why "I Was Made to Love You"? And why not "The Gift"? And why didn't they put the "Previously On Buffy the Vampire Slayer" for "The Gift" anywhere on this set? The episodes are great, I'm glad to have them. But for such a pivotal season, the features don't seem to address Season 5, which is a disconnect.
Rating: 
Summary: GARBAGE
Review: Dawn SHOULD have DIED at the end. She is SO annoying. Miss Trachtenberg comes off like a little rich girl whose daddy had connections in Hollywood, and begged like the trash she is to get a part on the show. What a terrible actress. She had a few "cute" moments, but for the most part was AWFUL. She deserved to be SLAPPED for copping such an attitude. I HATED her character. They should have spent more time on Anya. Now she is GREAT. She should have her own spin-off. So should Willow & Tara. Nearly everyone was GREAT this season, EXCEPT Dawn. Ugh. What a disaster putting her in the show was. Buffy should not have had to waste so many tears on that little wench. The other MAJOR problem is that this show was composed with a wide, 1.78:1 aspect ratio, yet all you get here is the "standard" 1.33:1 square ratio, and it the cropping is obvious in MANY shots. WHY NOT GIVE THE PEOPLE A CHOICE, JOSS WHEDON!!! RELEASE ALL FUTURE BUFFY BOX SETS IN WIDESCREEN! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!?! DO IT!!
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