SPOILER ALERTS

Well, after four movies and one video game review, I don’t have to feel guilty about watching another disc of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. So, Nicole and I finally started the sixth season, which was the show’s first  season on UPN instead of the WB. There will actually be no official cross-overs with Angel this season because Angel was on the WB still although Buffy had changed stations. While, it’s way too early in the season to make any judgment calls about its overall quality, I’m noticing a slightly more comedic tone than season five due to the Big Bad’s being a bumbling trio of nerds (but more about that later). However, it’s still of the generally higher quality that I’ve come to expect ever since season five.

The first episode was actually a two-parter so during these four episodes, we got three stories, but they’ve all served to set up the main thrusts of the season. After spending the entire summer gathering the materials and ensuring that its even possible, Xander, Anya, Tara, and Willow (the primary person responsible and/or even capable of doing the spell) resurrect Buffy through dark magic that should have been beyond their control. The Scoobies were convinced that they were plucking Buffy from torment in a Hell-dimension but Spike was correct in his belief that Buffy had been taken from Heaven instead. After getting over the initial shock of returning to the terrors and hardships of being alive in Sunnydale, Buffy and the Scoobies have to battle a demon that crossed into their dimension through a rift caused by Buffy’s resurrection spell. Later, Buffy has to come to terms with the financial realities of being the Slayer and lacking a steady income. We are also introduced to the season’s Big Bads (until Willow turns evil anyways), a trio of nerds hell bent on taking over Sunnydale, except they’re horribly incompetent and currently serve as comic relief.

“Bargaining” (parts one & two) gave a reasonable enough excuse for Buffy’s resurrection, and the series itself couldn’t exist without its titular character so I don’t blame the show for bringing her back, but I have a long-standing problem with the constant death and resurrection of comic book characters, like Superman, Batman, and Captain America (they’ve all died and been brought back to life in the last twenty years). When a character dies and is brought back to life instantly, it ruins the emotional impact of killing such a beloved and iconic character. At least DC waited twenty years before bringing Barry Allen back as the Flash after they killed him in Crisis on Infinite Earths. “After Life” was fantastic at dealing with the moral consequences of bringing someone back from the dead, especially since Buffy was in Heaven and not in Hell. Also, the different possessions that the characters suffered from were super creepy, particularly Anya’s possession. “Flooded” balanced the comedy of the ridiculously nerdy and inept Trio against the more serious problems that Buffy faced when she finds out how broke she is.

I’m really sad that Giles is going to be playing such a minor role this season. He left at the beginning of the season but returned when Buffy was resurrected. Giles has always been one of my favorite characters on the show and his paternal affection for Buffy mixed with his intelligence and occasional dark moments make him one of the most compelling characters on the show. I’m not sure when he finally leaves for good (until he returns for the end of the series) but it will be a very sad day. While I thought they could have played up his departure scene at the airport a little more, the hugs he shared with Willow and Xander were still quite touching. Also, Spike has finally been robbed of any of his toughness or edge this season as he’s finally gone completely over to the good guys. While I still like Spike, I miss his darker sides that we really aren’t seeing anymore. He was so much fun because of his never-ending joie de vivre and it’s kind of gone now that he’s spent the last season and a half pining over Buffy.

Well, Nicole and I will be hopefully breezing through this season nearly as quickly as we did through season five. I can’t wait for the next disc because now I’m finally going to be able to watch the musical episode, “Once More with Feeling.” I’ve been salivating at the mouth for this episode ever since I found out the show had a musical episode, and I’m really wanting to know how it fits into the show’s continuity and why it’s a musical episode. I hope there’s an in-universe reason for it being a musical other than Joss Whedon just felt a little musical that day. So, far the Trio are terrible at being villains but they’re sort of hilarious so they’re still better than Adam. Of course, the Master was better than Adam so it isn’t saying too much. As soon as I post this review, I’ll be jumping right into more Buffy. I’m really dreading the big death this season because I’m growing really fond of Tara. 😦

Disc Score: A-