Yes, the fact that she's a long way from perfect helps, as does the fact that the world generally craps on her from a great height. Much of her snark is really just a prickly cocoon of self-reliance that she's developed as a defence.

I'm enjoying this season because it feels as if the show has come into focus. The dialogue is sharp in that way that early Buffy was sharply written, and the individual episodes are distinctive in themselves while forming part of a greater whole. It feels crisp.