Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season Six DVD (2001-2002)

Life sucks. That seems to be an ongoing theme in the sixth season Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Season Five left us devoted fans in a state of bewilderment. We knew that UPN had bought the show for two years, but our beloved heroine had done a 50 story swan dive in order to save the world… again. Whether it was because UPN had much, much, much less worries about censoring pesky things like sex and violence, or because everyone is just plain growing up, Season Six is full of pain, depression and somber moments.

In terms of the characters, Buffy is no longer the happy-go-lucky girl. She’s been pulled out of death, into a world where she still has to fight monsters and demons… but now she’s fighting loneliness and debt too. Spike is, in my opinion, the most self-tortured character. He’s not quite a man, but he’s not the monster he once was either. He believes that he’s in love with Buffy, and no one seems to believe it but him. Tara and Willow talk at one point about The Hunchback of Notre Dame in a thinly veiled Spike metaphor. Quasimodo shouldn’t be looked at as a selfless hero. He never had a good sense of right and wrong. What he did, he did for the love of a girl, and no other reason. Sounds very much like our sexy, blonde Vampire. Giles, with no Slayer to watch, has returned to England. After her resurrection, however, he comes back to try and pick up the pieces of Buffy’s life, only to realize he’s not the father so much as the enabler. Dawn is just a normal teenaged ball of raging hormones and emotions. Only she knows that she wasn’t created to become a normal girl, so she’s not quite sure what she is supposed to be doing or feeling. Xander, who has always been the heart of the Scoobies, does some things this Season to prove that he’s still that, but does some others to remind us that he’s still got a lot of growing up to do, and he’s still motivated by selfish actions the majority of the time. Anya, who has come such a long way in learning to be human… makes a few impulsive (and fine, bad) decisions but through it all remains one of the most consistent characters.

And finally, Willow and Tara. Whether you liked their relationship or not, this season shows the depth of their love. It has always been insinuated that Tara loved Willow and Willow liked having Tara around. It’s very interesting to watch how Willow is humbled and made to realize that she needs and loves Tara every bit as much as Tara loving her. Like any junkie getting off on their drug of choice, Willow become more and more dependent on magicks, and even Tara isn’t able to reach her.

Overall, this season was harshly criticized as being too dark, losing the light, campy feeling that had set the show apart from so many others. While I agree it has a darker, overall feeling, I believe that it went where it had to go. We’d seen what happens when everything works out for our beloved characters. Now we get to see what happens when life happens. Oh, and since it was on UPN, there are some steamy sex scenes worthy of late night Cinemax!


********** The Very Lengthy Episode Guide **********
Note: due to the nature of giving an episode-by-episode summary, there are some season spoilers. If you do not want to be spoiled, read the Introduction, and skip this section!

6.1 and 6.2 ~ Bargaining Original Airdate: October 2, 2001. Part 1 Written By: Marti Noxon. Directed By: David Grossman. Part 2 Written By: David Fury. Directed By: David Grossman. 10/10.
Spike: Oh, poor Watcher... has your life passed before your eyes - cup of tea, cup of tea, almost got shagged, cup of tea?

The Scoobies are trying to live as normal a life as possible since Buffy died (and the WB sold them to UPN). Giles returns to England, as he has no Slayer to watch anymore. The night he leaves, Willow, Tara, Anya and Xander call upon the Egyptian god, Osiris, to bring Buffy back. They are interrupted by some looting, forcing Buffy to dig herself out of her coffin after her soul is restored from who-knows-where.

6.3 ~ After Life OA: October 9, 2001. W: Jane Espenson. D: David Solomon. Rating: 9/10.
Buffy: How long was I gone?
Spike: 147 days yesterday. Uh, 148 today. Except today doesn't count, does it?

The fact that UPN has much less aversion to sex and violence on prime time starts to show in this episode when a hitchhiking demon starts possessing the Scoobies. In one of the first episodes that actually made me cover my eyes like a little girl, I got to watch Dawn breathe fire and Anya cut her own face with a knife… There were some very creepy moments. Buffy confides to Spike that she thinks she is in hell now because her friends ripped her out of heaven.

6.4 ~ Flooded OA: October 16, 2001. W: Jane Espenson And Douglas Petrie. D: Douglas Petrie. Rating: 7/10.
After doing her first bit of research, Dawn: That's a weird place for a horn. Oh, that's not a horn.

Jonathan (from Superstar), Warren (Robot creator from I Was Made to Love You) and another guy, Andrew (who claims to be the brother of Tucker Wells, who summoned the hell beasties in The Prom), have banded together to take over Sunnydale. They are true nerds (Star Wars collectibles at every turn) and you’re never quite sure if they’re endearing or just plain annoying.

6.5 ~ Life Serial OA: October 23, 2001. W: David Fury And Jane Espenson. D: Nick Marck. Rating: 7/10.

Each member of the trio take a turn at testing the Slayer. One puts her through time distortions, one makes her fight demons and the other makes her repeat the same thing over, and over, and over… until she gets it right. During all this, Buffy is just trying to cope with being alive. And being broke.

6.6 ~ All The Way OA: October 30, 2001. W: Steven S. Deknight. D: David Solomon. Rating: 8.5/10.
Buffy: What happened to Xander?
Giles: He kept poking me with his hook. I sent him over to Charmed Objects. With any luck, he'll pick the wrong one and end up in an alternative dimension inhabited by a 50-foot Giles that squishes annoying tv pirates.

Pulling the old “I’m sleeping at the other girl’s house”, Dawn and her friend, Janice, meet up with two boys on Halloween for a little harmless mischief (ha! Did Dawn forget where she lives?). Xander and Anya finally announce their engagement. Tara expresses concern about Willow relying on magic way too much. So what does Willow do to prove her wrong? Why, she casts a forgetting spell on Tara. Same thing I would do, of course.

6.7 ~ Once More, With Feeling OA: November 6, 2001. W And D: Joss Whedon. Rating: 15/10.
Dawn: Oh, my God. You guys will never believe what happened at school today.
Buffy: Everybody started singing and dancing.
Dawn: I gave birth to a pterodactyl.
Anya: Oh, my God. Did it sing?

Someone conjures a demon that makes everyone sing their deepest secrets and desires. This whole episode is absolutely amazing. If you’re interested, you can read about each song at my review of the musical soundtrack.

At the end of the episode, Buffy spills the beans about being pulled from heaven, and her and Spike end with the smoochies.

6.8 ~ Tabula Rasa OA: November 13, 2001. W: Rebecca Rand Kirshner. D: David Grossman. Rating: 8/10.
Spike: We kissed, Buffy.
Buffy: So.
Spike: We... we kissed, you and me all Gone with the Wind, with the rising music and the rising... music.

After Tara found out about the mind violation in the previous episode, Willow promises to forgo all magic for one week, so that Tara will stay… and then promptly casts another spell intended to make Tara forget that she already made Tara forget, and to make Buffy forget that she had been in heaven. The spell goes wrong, and everyone in the Magic Box forgets who they are, and hilarity ensues. Anya and Giles think they’re engaged, Willow and Xander (“Alex”) think they’re together. Buffy makes up a name for herself (“Joan”) and Spike, who is wearing a borrowed suit, thinks his name is “Randy” and that, because of the accent, he must be Rupert’s son.

At the end of the episode, Michelle Branch guest stars, singing a heart wrenching rendition of Goodbye to You as Giles leaves (for good) for England and Tara leaves Willow.

6.9 ~ Smashed OA: November 20, 2001. W: Drew Z. Greenberg. D: Turi Meyer. Rating: 8/10.
Buffy: Spike, when I was kissing you, you know I was thinking about Giles.
Spike: I always knew there was something between you two.
Buffy: What? Ew! Gross!

Note from Stef: I read a review of this episode the day after it aired, and the reviewer claimed that many parents were positively shocked at the raunchy display of sex that happens at the end of this episode and more than likely shut the television off… and promptly retired to the bedroom.

Willow returns Amy (yes, rat-Amy) to her normal self and Spike learns that his chip doesn’t stop him from hurting Buffy.

6.10 ~ Wrecked OA: November 27, 2001. W: Marti Noxon. D: David Solomon. Rating: 7/10.
Xander: Anya has a theory. She thinks that Martha Stewart froze that guy.
Anya: Don't be ridiculous. Martha Stewart isn't a demon. She's a witch.
Xander: Please, she-- really?
Anya: Of course. Nobody could do that much decoupage without calling on the powers of darkness.

Amy introduces Willow to a blacker, junkie kind of magic and Willow is immediately hooked. She puts Dawn in danger and pleads for forgiveness and help.

6.11 ~ Gone OA: January 8, 2002. W And D: David Fury. Rating: 7.5/10.

The trio have created an invisibility gun and Buffy gets caught in the cross-fire. At first it’s all fun and games (Xander walks in on Spike doing naked push-ups in bed!), but when the other invisible objects start disintegrating, the gang has to find a cure quickly. A woman from Social Services threatens to remove Dawn from Buffy’s care if things don’t change.

6.12 ~ Doublemeat Palace OA: January 29, 2002. W: Jane Espenson. D: Nick Marck. Rating: 5/10.

Desperate for cash, Buffy takes a job at the local fast food joint, and soon suspects the “secret ingredient” to be connected to the high employee turn over rate. This is, hands down, the lowest rating I’ve ever given any episode.

6.13 ~ Dead Things OA: February 5, 2002. W: Steven S. Deknight. D: James A. Contner. Rating: 9/10.
Spike: You try to stay with them. But you always end up in the dark places, with me.

The trio play with mind control, and when it goes wrong, they decide to play with time and space dimensions, leaving Buffy to believe she’s responsible for the death of a human girl.

6.14 ~ Older And Far Away OA: February 12, 2002. W: Drew Z. Greenberg. D: Michael Gershman. 7/10.
Tara: I thought vengeance demons only punished men who wronged women?
Halfrek: That's just Anya's trip. I prefer to be more well-rounded. And actually, we prefer 'justice demons'.

As Spike eventually asks, you’d think that Buffy would just learn not to celebrate her birthday anymore. Dawn (who was harshly criticized as being way too whiny this season) makes an idle wish to her odd-pendant-wearing guidance counselor that people would just stop leaving. Poof! None of the people gathered at the Summer’s house to celebrate the Slayer’s birthday are able to leave. Emotions get out of control.

6.15 ~ As You Were OA: February 26, 2002. W And D: Douglas Petrie. Rating: 8/10.
Buffy: Tell me you love me.
Spike: I love you, you know I do.
Buffy: Tell me you want me.
Spike: I always want you. It's-
Buffy: Shut up.

A happily married Riley Finn returns to Sunnydale on a secret ops mission, wife in tow. This causes Buffy to rethink her whole Spike-makes-me-feel-alive actions, and she calls him “William” for the second time in the series (she only seems to do that when she’s trying to let him down gently).

6.16 ~ Hell's Bells OA: March 5, 2002. W: Rebecca Rand Kirshner. D: David Solomon. Rating: 7/10.
Spike: It's nice to watch you be happy--for them, even--I don't see it a lot. You glow.
Buffy: That's because the dress is radioactive.

A nervous bride. The demon guests fighting with the human guests. Bridesmaid dresses from hell. Spike bringing a skank date. What else can go wrong at Anya and Xander’s wedding? Oh wait, that’s right. Maybe the groom doesn’t show up.

6.17 ~ Normal Again OA: March 12, 2002. W: Diego Gutierrez. D: Rick Rosenthal. Rating: 9/10.

Being poisoned by a demon causes Buffy to believe she lives in an insane asylum and that these last six years, her sister and her friends are just one big hallucinatory trip. She becomes convinced that the only way to sever this delusional tie is to kill those things that tether her to that life.

6.18 ~ Entropy OA: April 30, 2002. W: Drew Z. Greenberg. D: James A. Contner. Rating: 8/10.
Tara: There's so much to work through. Trust has to build again, on both sides...You have to learn if you're even the same people you were, if you can fit in each other's lives, it's a long and important process and can we just skip it? Can you just be kissing me now?

Anya does something that can be blamed on pure painful impulse, and has accepted D’Hoffryn’s offer to become a Vengeance Demon again, but she can’t curse Xander herself. Willow taps into the trio’s cameras, hidden everywhere that Buffy is. Spike and Anya seek love-scorned-solace in each other… in front of the camera.

6.19 ~ Seeing Red OA: May 7, 2002. W: Steven S. Deknight. D: Michael Gershman. Rating: 9/10.

Warren gains an item that renders him invincible until Jonathan helps Buffy defeat Warren. Spike tries to force Buffy to realize and admit her feelings for him (in a very disturbing scene). Warren tries to use good old-fashioned human weapons on Buffy as he storms in on her with a gun.

6.20 ~ Villains OA: May 14, 2002. W: Marti Noxon. D: David Solomon. Rating: 8/10.
Xander: You said it yourself, Will--the magic's too strong. There's no coming back from it.
Willow: I'm not coming back.

After Osiris won’t bring Tara back, Willow goes to the Magic Box to suck dry every word of black magic they have. She then goes on a Warren-hunt.

6.21 and 6.22 ~ Two To Go and Grave OA: May 21, 2002. W: Douglas Petrie. D: Bill Norton. Rating: 10/10.
Andrew: We've got maybe seconds before Darth Rosenberg grinds us all into to Jawa burgers and not one of you bunch has the Midichlorians to stop her.
Xander: You haven't had even a tiny bit of sex have you?

Anya: I care if you live or die, Xander. I’m just not sure which one I want.

Xander: The first day of Kindergarten, you cried because you broke the yellow crayon. And you were too afraid to tell anyone. You've come pretty far. Ending the world, not a terrific notion. But the thing is, yeah. I love you. I love crayon-breaking-Willow and I love scary-veiny-Willow. So if I'm going out... it's here. If you want to kill the world, then start with me. I've earned that.

Spike has left town to perform tests that will restore him to his former self (so Buffy can get what she deserves). Willow doesn’t stop with Warren. The magic has taken over and she gets more and more powerful as the group struggles to find a way to save her… save her life and her mind.


********** DVD Extras **********

~ Audio Commentary by Marti Noxon and David Fury on Bargaining
~ Audio Commentary by Joss Whedon on Once More with Feeling (Note from Stef: Definitely watch OMwF with the commentary on, after you’ve already seen it in its entirety)
~ Audio Commentary by Drew Z. Greenberg on Smashed
~ Audio Commentary by David Soloman and Rebecca Rand Kirshner on Hells Bells
~ Audio Commentary by Rick Rosenthal and Diego Gutierrez on Normal Again
~ Audio Commentary by James Contner and David Fury on Grave
~ Featurettes: "David Fury's Behind the Scenes of Once More with Feeling," (Note from Stef: Definitely worth watching) "This is my Verse, Hello! Buffy Karaoke," and "Buffy Goes to Work"
~ "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Television with a Bite" episode of A&E's TV-ography
~ Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Panel Discussion
~ Outtakes
~ Season Six Overview
~ Interactive Game Trailer
~ DVD-ROM Buffy Demon Guide


********** Cast and Characters **********

in the opening credits…
Sarah Michelle Gellar… Buffy Summers
Nicholas Brendon… Xander Harris
Emma Caulfield… Anya
James Marsters… Spike
Michelle Trachtenberg… Dawn Summers (From 5.2)
Alyson Hannigan…Willow Rosenberg

recurring characters, never to be added to opening credits…
Anthony Stewart Head… Rupert Giles
Danny Strong… Jonathan
Adam Busch… Warren
Tom Lenk… Andrew

recurring character, in one episode’s opening credits…
Amber Benson… Tara


******* Miscellaneous Notes and Trivia **********

~ In the season premiere, at the airport when Giles is leaving… if you look just behind Dawn (when she is sitting with Giles) you can see James Marsters (Spike) sitting in the background.

~ In episode 1.10 (Nightmares), one of Buffy’s fears is the fear of being buried alive. Is that the same as coming back to life buried in a coffin? Yeah, I thought so too.

~ Joss Whedon learned to read and play music just to fulfill his dream of writing a musical episode.

~ The episode where Buffy and Spike have wicked sex as the building falls down around them (Smashed) was investigated by the FCC for indecency, though eventually cleared of all wrongdoings.

~ The same actress who plays Anya’s Vengeance Demon friend, Halfrek (Kali Rocha) played Spike’s love interest in Fool for Love, before he was turned into a Vampire. That is why when she sees him at Buffy’s birthday party, she’s taken aback for a moment and says “William?”


********** Related Reviews **********

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season One, Season Two, Season Three, Season Four, and Season Five

Angel, Season One