R E V I E W S
"Bargaining"
(Season 6, Episode 1 & 2)
Written by: Eric Teall
I must say that I was glad that I never saw Dawn with a stake in her hand, pretending to be Vampire Slayer Junior. Some of the marketing for this season had me scared. The Dawn teaser and the Anya teaser stand out as prime examples of why I was nervous about the show's move to UPN. Thank God that Joss, Marti, and crew are able to give us a very satisfying season premiere.
Although the first half of this episode suffers from some of the same pacing problems as the first half of "The Gift", in both cases it is understandable. Especially with the raising Buffy from the dead thing, the writers really needed to earn Buffy's return, and they accomplish it admirably. The force of Xander's reluctance ("This is heavy stuff, Willow.") and Willow's determination ("No one is changing their mind!") quickly create a sense of the immensity of the task before them and the dire consequences such a resurrection might bring. As with all Buffy season premieres, we must remember that the characters have been waiting as long as we have for these moments, and the gravity with which the Scoobies approach the resurrection immediately ties in with the audience's anxiousness.
The only real complaint I have about the first hour is Giles' departure. All of it makes sense, but it doesn't seem to fit stylistically. Everything else in the first half serves to establish both the frustration over Buffy's absence and the necessity of her return. The initial graveyard chase demonstrates how much the group needs Buffy's physical prowess, and the parent-teacher conference demonstrates the need for her experience and personal perspective. The rest of the first hour really shows just how hard it's been to live without her and just how hard it is to bring her back. All of this raises the tension that we know must be released in the second half.
So what's up with the tearful departure in the middle of all this? I'm not denying that Giles needed an exit; I'm not denying that it should have happened in the first hour, because he certainly would have had something to say about Buffy's possible return. I'm saying that the scene does not serve to heighten the suspense; in fact, it interrupts it. It doesn't fit with the rest of this hour, and that is the fault of the writers and the director. Look at every great Buffy episode and you'll find that the entire thing moves in one direction; there is this sense of time marching on, shoving the characters forward to meet their fate. This scene is one of the key elements to this episode's five stake rating, because it stops that forward motion completely, and that is something that simply shouldn't happen.
Of course the performances are wonderful all the way around. Everyone will rave about Gellar's turn as the Buffybot, and she's good, no doubts there. Anthony Stewart Head remains one of my favorite actors, and James Marsters is terrific as well. I think real credit needs to be given to Emma Caulfield here, though. Anya is as blunt as ever, but Caulfield projects this in a way that clearly demonstrates that her character has grown and matured over the last two seasons. Besides, the daffy smile she gives Giles after their spat over the statue is just priceless. Ha ha!
The second hour does not give the actors as much to work with as the first part, with the notable exceptions of Sarah Michelle Gellar as the resurrected Buffy and Michelle Trachtenberg's Dawn, both of whom have their real moments in the second half. Gellar falls a little too hard on the cavegirl style she used in "Beer Bad" (4-04), but I'm not sure I could say what she should have done differently. Trachtenberg's acting varies in quality, with both high points (at the top of the tower, pun only half-intended) and low (her lines to Buffy when they embrace at the end, although the material she's given there is admittedly awful). Still, both ladies have the skill to make me sit rigidly still in my chair, hoping that neither of them falls off the tower. I know Buffy's supposed to live through the episode, but it freaked me out.
The rest of the episode is classic Buffy, almost to the point of being self-parody. The biker demons are too much for me. There seem to be very few "traditional" demons around anymore, and these guys are just cheesy, especially when they keep destroying that one block of Sunnydale's downtown. Xander also has some good lines, but they can't bring this episode completely out of its mediocrity. I'm thinking specifically of, "That's something you don't see everyday… Unless you're US!" and "How long have you known your girlfriend's Tinkerbell?" These two elements provide both genuine danger and humor, but they are not particularly memorable.
In the end, though, I felt satisfied at the end of the episode. I've never been particularly fond of Buffy The Vampire Slayer's season premieres, anyway. They have too much to do in establishing the basic storylines for the next few episodes, and one of the main strengths of Buffy is the ongoing storylines, which simply can't spring forth, Athena-like, full grown from Joss's head. I've started thinking about this as "Phantom Menace Syndrome," because for all of that film's shortcomings (*cough* dialogue! *cough*), it is doubly cursed with having to start everything, to lay down all the groundwork for the next two films. Lucas has said as much, and the Buffy premieres back up that basic premise.
So, with "Phantom Menace Syndrome" firmly in mind, this stands out as one of the best Buffy premieres so far, and promises great things to come over the next thirty-six weeks or so.
Rating: 5/6 Stakes
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