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Buffy
Episode Air Date 10/02/01They pulled it off! Quite a relief for those who spent the last few weeks wondering how Joss Whedon's staff would bring Buffy back from the dead without too many corny horror movie images. It is a good sign when you know from the start how an episode will end and still wonder how it's going to play out.
Led by Willow, the surviving Scooby Gang has decided to return Buffy to her slayer-dom. Because she was killed by mystical energy, Buffy's soul was never put to rest. So unlike in the case of Joyce Summers, resurrection could actually work this time. Willow seems fueled by guilt to bring Buffy back, even at the expense of a cute little deer. All the while Anya looks for opportunities to announce her and Xander's engagement, still learning about the delicacy of timing. With all this scheming going on, Spike ends up in charge of babysitting Dawn. While portraying the broken hearted forced-to-be-a-good-guy role, James Marsters comes across like he too feels guilty about not loving Buffy enough to keep her alive. Don't get me wrong, Spike's paternal protectiveness of Dawn, combined with those sulky washboard abs, makes Spike all the more delicious on UPN.
Meanwhile, Giles is planning his return to England to cope with his watcher's remorse, leaving the magic shop to Anya. Without a slayer to watch over, Giles has no real role in Sunnydale. The Scooby gang tracks Giles down just before he boards his flight to tell him they'll be all right, but conveniently forgets to tell him they're planning on bringing back his slayer that night. Willow explains that if the spell works, Giles will come back. This leaves things open for Anthony Stewart Head to return for guest spots to possibly promote his new spin-off on the BBC, Ripper.
The Buffy-bot from last season is up and running, reprogrammed so that no one suspects Buffy is gone. A gang of biker road pirates - the Hellians - find out that the slayer is really just a toy and promptly roll into Sunnydale for a fun-filled itinerary of looting, thrashing and general abuse. Their intent is to be expected, but their timing throws a wrench in the resurrection cauldron.
Complete with the fight scenes we've come to expect and the supernatural plot twists, the sixth season is looking to be quite intriguing. The dynamic among the lesbian witches, the ex-demon and the wannabe man-witch (Manwich?) was slightly lacking. We need Buffy's witty presence in future episodes. With Giles gone, Spike has to step up to play a larger role.
The bad guys from this episode set the standard pretty high for the coming season. The make-up was grotesque yet beautifully done and the characters had a nice balance of grossness and vulgarity. It's nice to have a villain without the threat of Buffy eventually kissing him.
If you've never followed Buffy in the past, this is a great point to jump on. It combines the funniest episodes of The X-Files with supermodel quality women. Since Buffy just started re-running on FX last week (and a first season DVD set due on January 15, but more on that later -- nosy editor Derek), there has never been a better chance to jump on the Buffy Bandwagon.
