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6.1 Bargaining (1) Anya: "I was being patient, but it took too long." This was a wonderful opener slash resurrection episode with a snappy, witty script. Willow and Tara are now living in Buffy's house, and keeping Buffy's death a secret. Life really has stopped, and everyone has been in limbo. Giles has been saying he's going to leave, and not going. Anya is still waiting for Xander to commit and announce their engagement. And they're all living with Buffy's shadow, the Buffybot, which must subconsciously encourage them to keep pretending Buffy isn't dead. The way Giles and Dawn treated the BuffyBot made me think about ghosts. I had a feeling before I saw this episode that Spike wouldn't be able to bear looking at the BuffyBot with Buffy gone, and I was right. And Spike as a babysitter is impressive, and not in the babysitting sense. He's being himself, and that self is clearly not evil. Why would he continue all summer with the Scooby gang, killing vamps and protecting Dawn, if he was still evil? The way he slammed the cards on the table and said he wasn't leaving Dawn alone to be hurt again said it all for me. I hated seeing Giles go, and that airport scene was a two-hankie event. I understand why Anthony Stewart Head wants to go and I think the new series in England is a cool idea, but I hate the idea of this series without Giles. I hope The Buffy Powers That Be bring him back regularly, like they promised. Willow has jumped right past Giles and is now in charge, giving telepathic orders, which is new and frightening. She has talked herself into believing that Buffy's soul is trapped in a hell dimension, but we don't know that, do we? And sacrificing a fawn? How could Willow do that? She has moved light years away from first year fluffy, nerdy Willow, and she's heading into disturbing territory. I'm not sure how I feel about it. What price is Willow going to pay for raising Buffy? Bits and pieces: -- The series has jumped networks and now airs on UPN. The "previously on" was two minutes long and covered the entire five year length of the series. -- Parts one and two of "Bargaining" were originally aired on the same night. -- Anthony Stewart Head was not in the cast for the first time; he was listed as a guest star. "Alyson Hannigan as Willow" has taken his place in the credits. -- Xander was the voice of reason here, which was very interesting. He didn't want to raise the dead, and he was worried about the consequences. Xander has grown up. -- In the airport scene, Tara did an imitation of Joss Whedon doing "grr argh." The Mutant Enemy logo with the real "grr argh" has been moved to right after the Whedon Noxon credit; it used to be at the end of the credits. -- I declare Spike the winner of the season premiere hair review; his hair is mussed like it was at the end of season five, and looked great. Xander's was way too short. And for some reason, every female in the now predominantly female cast had the same hairstyle. What's with that? -- And what's with the numerology? Willow was wearing the number 11 in a circle, Xander was wearing the number 13, and Dawn was 07. -- Nicholas Brendon was noticeably heavier, and looked his age. This made the references to the Scoobies not being able to buy alcohol seem odd. Quotes: Xander: "I know, I know, I don't have to talk when I answer you. But I saw 'The Fury,' and that way lies spooky carnival death." BuffyBot: "That'll put marzipan in your pie plate, bingo." Willow: "I got her head back on, didn't I? And I got her off those knock-knock jokes." BuffyBot: "Ooh, who's there?" Xander: "You know, if we want her to be exactly..." Spike: "She'll never be exactly." Xander: "I know." Tara: "The only really real Buffy is really Buffy." Giles: "And she's gone." BuffyBot: "'If we want her to be exactly she'll never be exactly I know the only really real Buffy is really Buffy and she's gone' who?" Xander: "House of chicks, relax. I am a man, and I have a tool." Anya: "You know, I used to punish people like this when I was a demon. I made them double-check spreadsheets for all eternity." Tara: "You found the last known urn of Osiris on eBay?" Anya: "Yeah, from this desert gnome in Cairo. He drove a really hard bargain, but I finally got him to throw in a limited edition Backstreet Boys lunchbox for a friend." Xander: "Excuse me? Who made you the boss of the group?" Anya: "You did." Tara: "You said Willow should be boss." Anya: "And then you said, Let's vote, and it was unanimous." Tara: "And then you made her this little plaque, that said 'Boss of Us,' you put little sparkles on it..." Giles: "I'm testing her responses after her injury. I see no harm in imparting a little Eastern philosophy." Anya: "Well, I just think that, the concept of chi might be a little, you know, hard for her to grasp. You know, she's not the descendant of a long line of mystical warriors. She's the descendant of a toaster oven." Three out of four stakes. More in part two, Billie |
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