Bargaining, Part 1 and 2

Bargaining, Part 1 and 2
Written by Marti Noxon and David Fury
Directed by David Grossman

Original Airdate: October 1, 2001

Plot: The sixth-season of Buffy open with the Scooby gang trying to hold down the fort in Sunnydale by fighting demons and using the Buffy-bot to make it appear as if Buffy is still alive and kicking. However, after the Buffy-bot is injured in battle a vampire spreads the word that the Slayer isn't what she used to be, bringing a group of demon bikers to Sunnydale. Meanwhile, Willow and the rest of the Scooby gang have a dangerous plot to bring Buffy back from the dead...

Review

Warning: The SPOILERS that are contained ahead are not touched by mystical energy. If you read on and have not yet seen the sixth-season premiere of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, you will find major SPOILERS just ahead for "Bargaining." If you want to see it unanaware, I suggest you turn back now.

In short: A good start to the season.

It's the mark of a good cliffhanger when you find yourself knowing exactly what the resolution must be in order for the series to continue, but yet you're still interested enough to tune in to find just exactly how the heroes will get out of it. In my limited TV watching time, there's really only been one major cliffhanger that had me as rivetted to the edge of my seat and as eager for a season-premiere at this year's season-ending cliffhanger for Buffy--Star Trek: The Next Generation's "Best of Both Worlds."

In a lot of ways, the circumstances are very similiar for both shows. Both shows were coming off what a lot of fans and critics considered to be strong years. Both shows seemed to be reaching new heights of popularity. Both shows had risky cliffhangers (though I'd argue that TNG's had a bit more risk to it because there was the slimmest possiblity that yes, they would kill of Captain Picard) that left people buzzing, talking and speculating for months. And both shows had highly anticipated season premieres--in which certain things had to happen. In TNG, it was that the Enterprise crew would probably rescue Captain Picard and they had to defeat the Borg. For Buffy, it was the fact that Buffy would have to come back from the dead (heck, unless you've been living in a cave or didn't watch any show on UPN EVER, you knew this would happen). The real question for both shows was how would they do it--and would it work and be believable and not just a dance our way out of this corner we've painted ourselves into type of deal.

Well, for TNG, I'd argue that it wasn't as successful as I'd hoped for. I consider "Best of Both Worlds, Part 1" to be without a doubt the greatest episode TNG ever did while I always find that "Part 2" was a bit of a dissapointment. A lot of that had to do with opportunities missed--not only in that episode but way lay beyond in the entire fourth season (for example, you've got the Federation fleet basically dessimated and destroyed by the Borg, but yet the Romulans do not seize the chance to topple the Federation or at least expand their empire).

As for Buffy, time will tell.

But I will tell you that coming out of "Bargaining" I'm very encouraged by the fact that it looks as though the events of "The Gift" and really all of last year aren't going to be neatly dealt with in one episode and then brushed aside without any other consideration. This is Buffy. This is Joss Whedon. There will be consequences. And woah-boy, will they be big.

The thing was, I think the show really played with our expectations in so many ways. For one, I will admit that after Willow and company had performed the resurrection spell that we'd eventually see Buffy come back like some cliche out of an old action movie. I honestly expected a scene like we saw in Innocence with carnage occuring and, perhaps, the Scooby gang in trouble, only to see Buffy step up, offer a witty comment and then start kicking demon butt. But that is not what happened. What was truly interesting was that once Buffy was resurrected, she said very little. Her only words were to Dawn if I remember correctly and even then it took a set of circumstances such as those leading up to Buffy's death to snap her back to reality. The final scene up on the tower was probably the most powerful and emotionally moving of the show. It really clicked and it showed the strong bond of sisters that developed over the course of last year between Buffy and Dawn--a trend that I'm glad to see will continue in season six.

Another way the show played with expectations was the fact that early on, we saw Buffy. Yes, it turned out to be the Buffy-bot, but it was disconcerting. One thing I did find odd was that in the montage of clips shown to start the episode, no mention was made of the Buffy-bot. Certainly, those of us who have followed the show from WB to UPN would be completely aware of this fact--some like me, even more obsessively so than others--but there might be casual fans (like some of that 12 million audience that saw Enterprise in which Buffy promos were run twice during every commerical break) who tuned in and might have been confused. A few quick clips of the Buffy-bot from last year might have helped, even though I think the script did a good job of explaining that, yes, it was a robot. But a bit of history helps things make a bit more sense--such as Spike's reaction to her.

And it was interesting that in a season premiere for Buffy and while the plotline did revolve around bringing Buffy back, how much of the show really dealt with the Scooby gang. Certainly I feel as though Xander got a lion's share of screen time--screen time that he didn't always get last year. He did have some moments, yes, but they seemed few and far between.

In a lot of ways, "Bargaining" reminded me of "Anne" from season three. In both stories, we see the Scooby gang trying to cope with the loss of Buffy. The biggest difference was that in "Anne" there was the glimmer of hope that Buffy would return, while here there was virtually no hope that she'd come back. And I loved the dark turn the story took once Willow felt the spell had failed and the the Scooby gang was doomed as was all of Sunnydale. It was a dark story for a season-premiere but one that I think ended on an interesting note for the entire season.

And certainly it has set up a lot of things for the coming year.

The biggest is, of course, the consequences of the spell. I'd heard from Joss, as early as the day after "The Gift" that Buffy was dead, but she was coming back. And that meant there would be some huge consequences. Well, I'm eager to see what they are. For one, Buffy certainly wasn't herself just quite yet. Part of me wonders if that's because she's been in some other dimension all these months. We certainly saw what being trapped in another dimension did to Fred over on Angel, which makes me wonder if the two shows will play off each other in this subtle way by contrasting how both Fred and Buffy assimilate returning to our world. That would be the type of subtle, intelligent crossover that Joss could get away with without ticking off execs at the WB.

Another consequence of the spell has to be its affect on Willow. Certainly, I get the idea that Willow is far more powerful that we've been led to believe. If anything the scene with the deer in the forest brings that to light. And I think Willow is dabbling with forces that she really doesn't understand or can control. And she's obviously hiding something from the Scooby gang. I can only imagine what their reaction would be if she told them exactly how she got the blood for the ritual. (On a side note, the direction of the scene with the deer was simply great. We never directly what happened but with the cuts, it was far more effective and chilling).

Finally, we've got to wonder--and based on the previews for next week, this will come up soon--did anything follow Buffy through? By opening the door, what will come through it besides Buffy?

I also wonder if Buffy will have any memories of what happened to her. And then there's the whole issue of how quickly will Giles come back when he learns of the spell?

Which brings up another interesting point for the season--how well will Buffy functions without her Watcher? Will the Council allow it? Or was Buffy's being dead enough to life the hold the council has on her? Those are some questions that beg for answers.

The next plotline that I think is being set-up is the tension between Xander and Anya. It certainly seems as if Xander is attempting to hide the engagement, for some reason. While Xander is motivated by what he feel are good reasons, you can't help but wonder if there are some deep rooted things at work here--such as maybe secretly hoping that things might work out with Buffy. I'm not saying this is going to happen, but it's an idea based on the overall character arc that we've seen Xander go through the past five years. And I have to admit that Anya's idea to share their happy news as a way to perk up their friends during the dark time was a nicely done touch. The more Anya is on the show, the more I like her. Her character has really grown beyond what could have been a one-note character into one of the more effective and realized characters on the show. Yes, we can all have a good laugh at Anya's love of money, but in times of need, she always steps up and stands with the gang. I like the depth that we see in her from time to time and the fact that while she does give comic relief, that's not her ONLY role in the Scooby gang.

Emotionally, there was so much going on here that it's almost easy to overlook the demon plotline. Certainly there were times I felt it was hit and miss. I found it hitting when the demon bikers took on the Buffy-bot, thus leading them to Willow and the gang and setting events in motion. However, I found the way the the lead biker seemed to keep coming back like Mike Myers in one of those Halloween movies to be a bit much. I think at some point the demon just needed to stay down. To quote Back to the Future II, "Stay down and shut up!" And certainly having his attack the gang again in the final segment felt like it robbed us a bit of the splendid interaction between Buffy and Dawn on the tower, which I could honestly have seen more of.

But that seems to be a theme--or at least it used to be--of some of Marti Noxons' stories--good emotional plotline, not always the best demon plotline. I know that the credits stated that part one was by her and part two by David Fury, but you could see their fingerprints on both parts. I don't think you want to have two writers working on a two-part story like this one and not have them work together.

Well, I guess that's about it for now, except a few small things...

--Spike's overprotective attitude toward Dawn was superbly done. Anyone also get undertones of Angel there in his guilt over not being able to save Buffy?

--As I said before I loved the scenes with Dawn on the tower. Easily the most rivetting scene of the story.

--Buffy-bot at parent's day was a riot. I loved the way her very literal, over the top and perky attitude set the whole chain of events in motion.

--I'd be remiss if I didn't point out how GREAT Sarah Michelle Gellar was in this story. She brought the Buffy-bot superbly to life and yet she also brought Buffy to life as well. She conveyed so much without saying a word in the second half of the story.

--Is it the end of the Buffy-bot?!? Part of me hopes not, but part of me wonders if the number of times this ruse can be used has come to an end.

--Giles departure was nicely handled. Certainly this was something that had been set up last year in Buffy vs. Dracula and it was nice to see it come to fruition here.

--Allyson Hannigan did a grat job as Willow.

--I loved the opening sequence with the gang hunting down the vampire. Seeing Willow as the field general in Buffy's absense was a great idea.

--Opening and ending credits change. Interesting that Marti Noxon is now listed as an executive producer. All I can say is, "You go, Marti!" (For those of you who are new, I usually love Marti Noxon stories). And it's interesting to see Allyson Hannigan as Willow. I wonder if this is foreshadowing. Maybe having her character name on the credits might get her that Emmy nod that she deserves. (And and here I'd promised myself I wouldn't bring up the fact that despite the fact that this show is so damn good, it NEVER gets the Emmy respect it deserves!!)

Anyway, that wraps it up, for now. All-in-all a good start to the season. I'm encouraged that the overall quality trend of season five seems to be continuing. Bring on the season six. I'm ready for the ride.

My rating: 8.5 (out of 10.0)

Next up: Buffy's resurrection has brought something else with her to our world...

"Demons, that's something you don't see every day...unless you're us!"

--Xander.