Buffy The Vampire Slayer: The Complete Sixth Season Talkback (Spoilers)

[Fone Bone]

Okay, this came out a couple of week's ago and I thought I'd do the Talkback.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer: The Complete Sixth Season

Willow ressurrects Buffy from the dead which leads to a confrontation with her abuse of magic by Giles; Buffy adjusts to life back on Earth and reveals to Spike that she was ripped out of heaven; Xander and Anya prepare for their wedding; Tara leaves Willow for using too much magic which sends Willow into a downward spiral endangering Dawn; Willow vows to quit magic cold turkey; Giles leaves for England; Buffy starts a torrid affair with Spike; a major Scooby is killed turning a beloved character evil; Everybody sings.

Okay I'm halfway through the DVD set and I've found commentary by Marti Noxon and David Fury on Bargaining Parts 1 and 2, commentary from Joss Whedon on Once More, With Feeling, David Fury's production Diary on Once More, With Feeling, Buffy karaoke on Once More With Feeling, Buffy Goes to Work featurette on Doublemeat Palace, A Panel discussion of the cast and crew, Buffy the Vampire Slayer TVOgraphy.

There's also an easter egg.

Spoiler:

I've only seen one so far, but you go to Once More, With Feeling to the language selection. Highlight "English for the hearing impaired", go left to highlight a hidden "B". Press it to view a hidden clip about the phenomenom of Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

Comments? Additional Easter Eggs?

[Ruffian]

I'm done reviewing the entire season and have yet to get through all the special features.

The season itself I actually like. I couldn't say that when it was on the air, but I think I like it even better than Season 5 now. *gasp* I also finding myself relating to Buffy a lot: on your own, watching younger sibling, things falling apart when mom's not around, problems in friendships/relationships. Although, I understand that now about the series it doesn't make it profound or enlightening, not like some other life lessons I've felt about from earlier seasons.

There were also quite a bit of episodes I liked too. Bargaining was a great opening, probably the best since Season 1. Doublemeat Palace felt like a throwback to classic Buffy (high school years) with a little bit of that horror movie vibe. Life Serial and Flooded were fun pieces of the real life challenges that Buffy faces. Once More With Feeling is the most interesting exercise Joss has done for an episode for BtVS. Normal Again is my favorite episode of the entire season. I liked the question of whether this Buffyverse was real or not, and at the end Buffy finally got to say goodbye to her mom. That was really touching and a great way for Buffy to snap out of her depression. There wasn't really an episode I despised, but I still dislike the Buffy/Spike relationship and Willow's addiction to magic. I understand how it works in the season, but it doesn't mean I have to like it.

Special features wise this set is great. I'm pleasantly surprised that the A&E TVography was included. I had taped it last year on A&E, but that tape eventually got taped over to record the series finale of Angel. So I'm glad to have a copy of that. The season overview I've always liked. The Once More with Feeling behind the scenes I really enjoyed too. The bloopers were not much. Just blunders, not anything too funny.

[Adam Tyner]

I wrote one of my typically novel-length reviews of the set, if anyone's bored, or if anyone's not bored but wants to be.

[Fone Bone]

I wrote one of my typically novel-length reviews of the set, if anyone's bored, or if anyone's not bored but wants to be.

I can't access it because of my dial-up connection. Did you find any extra easter eggs?

[Adam Tyner]

No, I'm pretty sure that's it. That's the only one on the other region sets.

[Fone Bone]

Okay, here's my review:

Bargaining Parts 1 and 2: Probably the greatest season premiere since "When She Was Bad". Lots of cool effects and the Buffy-bot was adorable. I loved how Buffy came back and it wasn't a cheat. Willow killing that dear scared the frell out of me. Spike taking care of Dawn was cool. I really like the retooling of the opening credits. Bummed that Giles was going to only be a guest star from now on. Score: ****.

After Life: Powerful episode as Buffy gets readjusted to life after resurrection. Sarah Michelle Gellar's face when she sees her mother's picture for the first time was an amazing performance. Spike's confrontation with Xander was awesome as Xander realized Willow might not have told him everything. Buffy telling Spike she was ripped out of heaven MADE the episode. ****1/2.

Flooded: Enter the nerds. Cute trio, a far cry from their maliciousness later in the season. The idea of making Buffy a sex bunny is played for laughs here but later on we'll see not all geek fantasies are what they're made out to be. Best scene: Giles shellaching Willow for her arrogance in raising Buffy and Willow's scary reply. ***1/2.

After Life: The Trio makes Buffy's life hell. Okay episode, but the best part is Buffy's night out with Spike and her drunken accusassion of him cheating at kitten poker. Bonus points to the ep for introducing Clem. ***1/2.

All the Way: A clever Halloween outing (we learn Spike watches the Great Pumpkin) in which we are duped into believing a creepy old man is the ep's big bad only to have him killed by Dawn's vampire crush. A little too thick with the teen angst but decent none-the-less. ***.

Once More, With Feeling: The Musical. Best episode of the year. Joss Whedon's songs are all catchy and clever as EVERYBODY'S secrets come spilling out. Love the demon Sweet played by Hinton Battle. Favorite songs : Where Do We Go From Here, Let Me Rest in Peace, I'll Never Tell, and Something to Sing About. One off the best endings ever as Buffy and Spike finally kiss while trumpets blare. *****.

Tabula Rasa: Willow goes too far with magic and causes everyone to get amnesia. Very funny with Giles confusing Spike as his son Randy (harkening back to Restless) and a REAL loan shark demanding kittens. Funniest part: Xander getting his memory back of the first time he saw King Ralph. Great Song at the end too (Goodbye to You). ***1/2.

Smashed: Amy finally gets deratted and Willow starts to go off the deep end while Spike tells Buffy she "Came back wrong" by painlessly smacking her, which leads to VERY rauchy sex in an abandoned building. ****.

Wrecked: Buffy wakes up in disgust next to Spike but their "relationship" is far from over. Willow finally goes off the deep end by endangering Dawn, making her vow to give up magic cold turkey. A little preachy, but powerful none-the-less. ***1/2.

Gone: The Trio accidently zaps Buffy with an invisibility gun which she has fun with (guilt free sex with Spike!) but soon endangers her. Meh. **1/2.

Doublemeat Palace: Buffy takes a job in fast food (and acts like she's turning tricks down at the dock) and is alarmed to see her coworkers vanish. Are they the secret ingredient? Y'know, for such a controversial episode, it really is kinda lame and lacking in bite (so to speak). **.

Dead Things: Warren, Jonathon, and Andrew try to make Warren's ex-girlfriend their sex slave, which brings up implications of rape unforseen to Jonathon and Andrew. Warren kills her (accidently?) and they decide to frame Buffy for the murder. As Spike refuses to let her turn herself in she beats him in a powerful scene. At the shocking end Tara tells Buffy she came back from the dead fine and Buffy collapses into her lap after admitting her tryst with Spike and that she was using him. "Please don't forgive me..." Powerful stuff. ****.

Older and Far Away: Dawn accidently makes a wish to a vengeance demon and causes the gang to be stuck at the Summers residence. I liked how Tara was protecting Buffy from Spike and the connection between Spike/William and Halfrek/Cecily. But Buffy's constant epiphanies are getting annoying. **.

As You Were: Great episode as fan favorite Riley Finn returns. Turns out he's married now and Buffy is kicking herself. He catches her in bed with Spike who turns out to be the criminal he was after. He tells her he still thinks she's the greatest woman he's ever known (Awwww!). After he leaves with his wife and a proper goodbye, Buffy breaks up with Spike. He knows she's serious because she calls him "William". ****.

Hell's Bells: Xander and Anya's wedding collapses. Y'know just because Joss loves tragedy doesn't mean we don't want to see at least ONE happy couple. Awful episode and seems to be punishing the fans for no good reason. 0 stars.

Normal Again: Buffy hallucinates she's in a mental institution and leads to a cop-out ending where the audience is led to believe in a St. Elsewhere type reality. 1/2 star.

Entropy: Spike and Anya find comfort in each other's arms while Xander learns the awful truth about two of the women he loves. Willow and Tara get back together. Despite the happy ending this episode was too depressing and the ending was undercut by what happens next episode. *.

Seeing Red: The Trio makes a last stand against Buffy who defeats them with Jonathon's help. In a shocking scene Spike tries to rape Buffy. Mad with anger and guilt he leaves town vowing that when he comes back Buffy will see a change. Xander and Buffy make up as Warren comes back in revenge. He shoots Buffy but Tara gets caught in the cross-fire too. Willow looks up, eyes blazing red. A VERY provacative, shocking, and scary episode. Back on track. ****1/2.

Villians: Willow tries to bring Tara back with no luck so she goes to the magic shop and sucks dry all the books for power. After healing Buffy she goes after Warren. Buffy, Xander, and Anya arrive too late as she flays him alive. She says "Two to go" then vanishes. Another shocking episode. ****.

Two to Go: Buffy and the gang race to save Andrew and Jonathon from Willow while Spike continues to go through trials to get what he wants. Buffy and Willow finally get into a confrontation as Willow delivers the line of the night: "Oh Buffy. You so need to have every square inch of your ass kicked." Buffy is losing and Willow proclaims: "Now there's no one on this earth powerful enough to stop me". After she is knocked back by a magic spell we see Giles! "I'd like to test that theory..." Best. Cliffhanger. EVER! And I thought Becoming Part 1 left me wanting more! Awesome ep: *****.

Grave: Willow tries to destroy the world. Buffy finally steps up for Dawn. Giles is gravely injured. Andrew and Jonathon bolt for Mexico. Willow is defeated by Xander's love for her. The episode ends with Spike shreiking as his soul is restored. Fantastic finale to a shaky year which with Spike getting his soul back sets us up for year seven. Did he mean to get his chip out and the demon tricked him? Or was he after his soul all along? Stay tuned. Great Sarah MacLachlan song at the end too. Every Buffy season should end with one. *****.

Special Feautures: Let's see I found six commentaries (seven if you count Bargaining as two episodes), a Buffy TVOgrophy, a panel discussion with the cast and crew, blooper reel, an Easter Egg, Season Six Overview, Buffy Goes to Work featurette, David Fury's Journal on the Musical, and Buffy Karaoke. Yeah, that's enough to warrant *****.

Overall Grade: *****.