Buffy stakes out some harsh new ground in Season Six

Six down, one to go...I'm starting to get rather jealous with my viewing of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." With the knowledge that I only have 22 new episodes to go, I want to savor them...but I know as soon as I pick up the seventh season on DVD, I'm gonna down them all within a few weeks. Or maybe days.

I love this show. If you yourself aren't a fan of the series, and are unfamiliar with the characters and premise, you can get up to speed by reading my linked reviews at the bottom of this page. Because by the 6th Season, there's quite a bit of backstory to go through.

The sixth season takes Buffy and her allies through their darkest season yet. Which means--that's pretty darn dark. Having already lost her mother in previous seasons, and she herself dying in the closing moments of season five, how could "Buffy" possibly get any darker?

Well, for starters, the season opens with Buffy being dead. She jumped from a crazy person-built gantry through a dimensional rift to save the world--and she died. Well, her friends have a hard time accepting that, and even though she's dead and buried, she's not forgotten. This opening had a very similar feel to the Season 3 opening, where Buffy leaves Sunnydale to live an anonymous life, ditching her friends. Same feeling here, with the Scoobies trying valiantly to fight the vampires and assorted demons without her. This time they've got an old Buffy Robot that's been kicking around since Warren the Geek built him for Spike. So it looks like they've got Buffy, but...they don't.

Buffy's return, which should be a joyful occasion, is marred by her really not wanting to be back--and the season gets darker from there. It seems like this season the writers and producers said, "how sadistic can we possibly be to each person and relationship in the series, and still have people watch?" Because each character falls, and each relationship breaks in succession. Which makes for dramatic television, but it's not necessarily fun to watch.

Characters that Buffy's always been able to rely on, like Giles and Willow, turn and leave the group in surprising, but not necessarily unforeseen ways. Giles leaves the Scooby Gang completely to return to his native England--and since he hasn't officially been Buffy's Watcher for several years by this point, that's something I saw coming. Willow's betrayal is more gradual...her use of magic becomes an addiction, and like you've seen in other series' "Very Special Episodes," she has to break that addiction. Other betrayals are more subtle, ranging from infidelity to shoplifting...but every character turns on others in the course of the season.

The relationships break apart too. Non-romantic relationships, like Buffy and Giles, are shattered. Romantic relationships that have been the stable centers of happiness for the Scoobies, like Xander and Anya or Willow and Tara, are put through the wringer. Because these relationships have been the foundation for so much of the series, having them all falter seems out of character and rings false. Part of that could be watching 9 months of epiosdes in the course of only two months--the compressed version of the series you get watching it later on DVD makes the "bad" parts of the season pile up, like they all happen at once.

There are some bright spots in the season as well--the much-hyped musical episode "Once More, With Feeling" lived up to the hype. All of Sunnydale breaks into song with an episode that despite being a musical, still manages to be in character, relevant, and progresses the story for each of the characters. Good thing it happens early in the season so it can be a somewhat cheery musical (with a few minor chords) instead of a tragic opera, complete with hell opening up to swallow the Scoobies and all of Sunnydale. The songs are great (and yes, I've already got the soundtrack), and even though some of the actors are only mediocre singers, that makes the premise all the more real. Well...as real as a musical about a Vampire Slayer can be.

Another, rather surprising high point: the big villain for this season is actually a triad of geeks. The Evil Trio consists of three nerds from Sunnydale High who have all been minor threats to Sunnydale before. Warren, their leader, specialized in building robots (he's the one who built the aforementioned Buffybot). Jonathan has been a recurring character since the first season, and he's alternately been a threat and a victim over the years. The third guy is Andrew, who's more a running gag than a true threat--"it's Warren, Jonathan, and...some other guy." Andrew reportedly sicced some hellhounds on the school play in retaliation for some slight, and has "a way with demonic animals." So these three gang up like they're the Legion of Doom, and are the source for much of the comedy for the Sixth Season. Goodness knows it needed a bright spot. From the fast and furious Star Wars and Star Trek references to their collections of comic books and action figures...well, lets say they hit pretty close to home sometimes. Ahem.

The last arc of the season is a long-overdue consequence of of the Trio's meddling, and the Scoobies are finally united against a common foe. Who happens to be one of their own, gone bad. The losses are heavy, the fighting is big, and it's a climax and solution worthy of the series. It's a darkly fitting end to a dark season, and I'm hoping for a brighter seventh (and final) season.

Even though the season is dark, the cast, characters, writing, and production values are still what we've come to expect from "Buffy" -- a superior series. Enjoyable even when everyone on screen is miserable, this is a great program. If you haven't ever gotten into it, you should start with the first season and work your way through the series from there. Like I've done. Because it's a fantastic series that's become a touchstone for other programs. Without "Buffy," there wouldn't have been a "Smallville" or other current series, and its echoes will be felt for years to come. So check it out. You know you should.

MORE BUFFY REVIEWS:
Buffy Season One http://www.epinions.com/content_148969197188
Buffy Season Two http://www.epinions.com/content_158297394820
Buffy Season Three http://www.epinions.com/content_161138445956
Buffy Season Four http://www.epinions.com/content_173637602948
Buffy Season Five http://www.epinions.com/content_178931404420

Angel Season One http://www.epinions.com/content_173638848132
Angel Season Two http://www.epinions.com/content_179964251780
Angel Season Three http://www.epinions.com/content_186518638212

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER PALz
SERIES 1
Buffy http://www.epinions.com/content_180773293700
Willow http://www.epinions.com/content_180776570500
Xander http://www.epinions.com/content_180782665348
Giles http://www.epinions.com/content_180819103364
The Master http://www.epinions.com/content_180851216004
Darla http://www.epinions.com/content_180860325508
Angel http://www.epinions.com/content_180931825284

SERIES 2
Buffy http://www.epinions.com/content_189857631876
Cordelia http://www.epinions.com/content_189858156164
Spike http://www.epinions.com/content_189858352772
Oz http://www.epinions.com/content_189857894020
Drusilla http://www.epinions.com/content_189858483844
Jenny Calendar http://www.epinions.com/content_189858680452