The Writers

[stakey]

So I know we always focus on favourite/least favourite characters/actors/episodes etc but never really talk about the writers.

So I was wondering who likes who and who doesnt like whoevers writing style.etc.

Me personally, Im a BIG fan of the all mighty Espenson. I adore her episodes and find she likes to focus more so on Xander and Giles, who occassionally get ignored by some of the other writers.
Plus she is always spot on with the funny.
Iv also always thought it was a same Drew Goddard came in so late in the game because his season7 episodes were class. 'Selfless'/'dirty girls' are two of my favourites. Selfless being my all time favourite Buffy episode along with Chosen.

Two Iv never really enjoyed would be the other Drew (Z.Greenberg) and Rebecca Rand Krishner.
I kinda think that Drew doesnt really pace out his plots all that well and his episodes drag and become boring. 'Killer in me' would be an exception however.
R.R.K Iv never been a fan of. I dont think she handled Hells Bells very well at all, and two of her season 7 episodes 'potential'/'touched' were the two weakest of the entire season. Im sorry but 'potential' is horrendous and quite frankly my most hated episode out of all 7 seasons. Its so frigging DULL!

[snizapman6294]

My favorites are Drew Goddard, Marti Noxon, Joss Whedon (of course), Jane Espenson... the only writer i find kind of annoying is Drew Greenberg... his writing is slightly sub-par and he always sounds like he's gonna cry...

[Iceeh★]

Drew Goddard for the win!
Selfless is one of my all time favorite Buffy episodes, it was just plain epic. And he wrote Wolves at the Gate, which was an amazing arc!

[dane5by5]

The writers of BtVS and Angel were all very talented and I could talk about them all day. It's hard to pick favourites, however, excluding Joss Whedon; Marti Noxon and Drew Goddard were perhaps the two strongest writers.

After "Wolves at the Gate", I had an intense appreciation for Drew Goddard, considering he wrote some of my favourite episodes of BtVS/Angel in the brief time he was on staff (Selfless, Lies My Parents Told Me, Dirty Girls, Lineage, Damage) it was his outstanding arc in Season Eight that really secured his place as a "favourite", his voice epitomised "Buffy" and it translated to the comic medium seamlessly, perhaps even more effectively than JW's in TLWH and TOYL.

Marti Noxon wrote the more melodramatic episodes like "Forever" and "The Wish", and the two best season openers, "Bargaining, Part 1" and "Buffy Vs. Dracula". I like the sad episodes and considering Marti didn't have the opportunity to write the BIG sad episodes like "The Body" and "Becoming, Part 2" no one else wrote an aftermath quite like her.

The worst writer on either show was definitely Tracey Forbes. I have no idea why she was hired. The episodes she wrote were not ruined by conceit, but by execution, and we can't blame anyone else for that, she was the one with the writers credit.

Rebecca Rand Kirshner wrote some very strong scripts such as "Tough Love" and "Tabula Rasa" which are great episodes, even "Touched" was a nice episode that lacks appreciation. I don't know why so many people think she was a weak writer.

The thing about the writers of BtVS/Angel is almost every one had the niche, their style, yet they could still write the opposite of that with incredible sophistication, like Jane Espenson writing "After Life"! It was such a surprise, it was so dark and heartbreaking that you would never guess she wrote it. I think that's indicative of the level of talent the writing staff of both shows possessed.

[Spiked]

Well, my absolute favorite is obviously Joss. After season 1, he didn't write a single episode that I wasn't fond of (well, aside Ted, but I don't count that one because technically, he co-wrote it).

But aside from that, my favorite's gotta be Jane Espenson. People usually compliment her on her humor, which is great, but her dramatic writing is incredible as well (After Life is a real gem)...plus, she can write Spuffy scenes better than any other writer, which is a major plus. A couple other great ones are Drew Goddard (in fact, if he came earlier, he'd probably be my absolute favorite. His episodes were definitely the high points of season 7) and Doug Petire (aka the master of all things Buffy and Faith). I suppose Marti Noxon wrote some great episodes, too, but some of her scenes seemed a little melodramatic and it was painfully obvious that she was biased towards certain characters.

As for my least favorite, definitely Tracey Forbes. She only wrote a few episodes, but the only one I could even stand was Something Blue.

[Just Willow]

My favorites would have to be Joss, Marti, Doug and David Fury.

I mean, you can't not love Joss, and I love Doug because, like Spiked ^^ says, he's the master of Buffy and Faith.

Marti and David i love mostly due to the commentary of Bargaining 1 & 2. If you haven't heard it, go watch it right now. So many hilarious jokes there!! Plus, they wrote the season six finale episodes, which make me cry no matter how many times i've seen them.