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Buffy the Vampire Slayer
When we last left our friends in the Scooby gang, they had just defeated a hell goddess who was determined to destroy the fabric of the universe in order to return to her own dimension. But the price was too great. Sure, they saved the world (again), but Buffy died in the process. I mean, how are you going to have a show called “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” without Buffy?
Season 6 Premiere: Bargaining (parts one and two)
Directed by: David Grossman
Written by Marti Noxon (part 1), David Fury (part 2)
SPOILER WARNING:
Buffy lives!
(Well, duh.)
OK, no big surprise there. The question is, how? How could she be brought back without cheapening her sacrifice? If death itself is merely a temporary inconvenience, how do you maintain any suspense in a show that regularly depicts mortal danger? I’ll confess, going in I was completely skeptical. But somehow the writers managed to find a way to do it by asking not how, but why?
Human beings die on this show quite frequently, and yet (with one exception) no serious attempt has been made to bring them back. Comparisons with last year’s “The Body” are inevitable. In that episode, one of the best this series has ever done, Joyce died. Period. Buffy’s own mother was gone, and no reprieve was possible. When her younger daughter Dawn wanted to resurrect her through sorcery, most of the others (including Buffy) rejected this as an appalling and unnatural act. But if it’s not OK for Joyce, then why Buffy?
The key was not in comparing Joyce’s situation, but Angel’s. We’re told that because Buffy’s death was at the hand of mystical forces, then it’s not just possible but necessary to try to bring her back. Otherwise her soul might be doomed to wandering in torment in some otherworldly realm. At least, that’s Willow’s story. And she manages to convince three of the others to help her. (They keep it a secret from Giles, though. Significant? Stay tuned...)
So at least the story doesn’t devalue death. But was the story good? Well, yes, it was a very good episode. Or at least it would have been, had it been just one episode. But it was actually two, and as such there were scenes that felt a little padded out. It started off well enough, though, with Buffy’s friends trying to maintain the appearance of no change. Conveniently, they still have the “Buffybot” (created last year by a scientific genius with serious girlfriend issues) so no one but they know about the Slayer’s death.
Nevertheless, things are changing. Giles’ grief is turning to depression, and seeing no place for himself in Sunnydale anymore, he puts the Magic Shop in Anya’s greedy little hands and returns to England. Meanwhile, a vampire has discovered that the “Slayer” is actually a robot and spills the secret to a gang of biker demons, who then decide to go on a rampage through the now undefended town. By an awful coincidence, they arrive just as Willow, Tara, Xander and Anya have gathered at Buffy’s secret gravesite and begun the spell that they hope will revive her.
Of course they’re interrupted at a crucial moment. They flee back to town convinced that the spell has failed with no chance to try again. But the spell did not fail, and for reasons that I won’t give away here (although you could probably guess), the consequence is pretty horrifying.
The remainder of the episode deals mainly with the Sack of Sunnydale. Xander, Tara, Anya and an exhausted Willow regroup at the Magic Shop while babysitter Spike is on the run with Dawn. Buffy is wandering the town in shock and what looks like a bad case of sleeping in your contact lenses. Storefronts are trashed, homes are invaded, and fires burn everywhere. The friends finally hook up with Buffy again just as a group of demons corner them in an alley. Much fighting ensues, and one badly strung out slayer (plus a few friends) manages to chase off what an entire police department couldn’t.
When it’s over, Buffy runs away from her friends again, drawn to the top of Tower from which she originally fell to her death. Dawn spots her and follows her up, and in her Big Emotional Scene begs Buffy to come back down. Buffy doesn’t react until the Tower begins to fall down. She finally snaps out of it and manages to grab hold of Dawn and a rope; instead of falling ten stories to their deaths, the two of them fall two or three stories to their apparently-not-even-serious-injury.
The Tower scene exemplifies what I didn’t like about the premier. It was just too long. There was nothing special about Dawn’s speech, and it felt like the writers were over-indulging their chance to do the Big Dramatic Scene. The prolonged scene on the Tower gave the viewer time to wonder why, after three months, the Tower chose that moment to fall down. The prolonged showing of demons trashing the town gave the viewer time to wonder where the cops had gone. The prolonged goodbye to Giles at the airport gave you time to think about checking out the Internet to get some details on his spin-off show.
This episode had plenty of great moments, but they weren’t the Big Dramatic Scenes. They were the quick reactions, the rapid and frequently hilarious dialog, or the sudden shock at seeing one of the characters do something completely out of character. Compare Dawn’s way-too-long “I miss you Buffy” speech to the little moment at the beginning where the Buffybot continues to gush over Spike. He instantly shoots it a look that could kill, and savagely reminds Willow to fix it. The end. And we immediately see just how heartbroken he is.
In short, it was a good beginning. (In long, it got the season started without too much cheesiness.) But there were plenty of signs that the events of the premier will have continuing consequences, enough to hook you in to another great season. And that is all we ask for.
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