She Alive, Damnit! (It's a Miracle!)

Episode 6.1: Bargaining: Part 2. Original Airdate 10.2.01 

"As a gang of demon bikers attack, the Scooby Gang is chased away from Buffy's grave thinking that the resurrection was a failure. They do not realize that the Slayer is alive ... right where they left her. Buffy is awake but disoriented and afraid as she must claw her way out of her own grave. Buffy may be alive again, but the trauma she suffers is far from over."

Zelda's Thoughts:

• God, poor Buffy. She looks so terrified.
• "We got trouble, right here in Hellmouth City." I love a good Music Man reference in the morning.
• I mean, Willow's acting it well, but it's hard to buy into the despair when we know the spell worked.
• But it is interesting to see - maybe this is the first time since Buffy died that Willow's accepted her death. "She's gone, Buffy's really gone." I mean that's what the title means. The bargaining stage of grief. Willow's finally moved to acceptance. (bad timing, Willow)
• Yay fresh oxygen for Buffy!
• God, and the first thing she sees is her own tombstone. And when she walks the Only Street in Sunnydale, it's all fire and destruction. No wonder she asks if this is hell. She wakes up inside a horror show. Not what Willow planned. Willow thought hugs and gratitude and safety. Simple and clean.
• Anya is amazing in this whole scene but "I hate the woods. All those woodsy trees." The lines themselves are great, but she finds such interesting and surprising ways to say them. Emma Caulfield is a national treasure.
• That's a good sitter, Spike. Make sure Dawn has a helmet.
• Daniel and I just got excited to see a female in with the Demon Biker Gang. Equality is nice.
• I love the bot's face when she realizes she's looking at Buffy. Sudden hope. And then she's quartered, medieval style.
• Once again, the Scoobies can't tell Buffy apart from a robot. Before it was because they didn't know there was a bot. This time, they didn't know there was a Buffy.
• It's interesting that Xander figures it out. Willow couldn't, she was so focused on the spell, she missed the trees.
• Buffy looks so small, so lost, so young.
• "Pull a rabbit out of a hat?" // "Don't do that, why would she do that?" Again, Emma's delivery is utter perfection. In less skilled hands, Anya just wouldn't work as a character. (notice how rarely Tara is funny. just saying)
• Buffy may not be processing everything, but the fighting is in her body, in her blood. She won't let herself be beaten up by some measly demon biker.
• Iconic shot on the motorcycle! Love it. 

• "It's just a machine, Dawn." // "I know." But this is still the second time she's seen her sister lifeless on the ground.
• "Where did I go? I was here ... here. But then I ran away. No, not me ... the other Buffy."
• And just like the April bot, the bot runs out of juice mid-sentence, mid-smile, mid-thought.
• Hah, Dawn rounds the corner and sees a demon impaled on a pipe. Buffy's been here! Expert Tracker, Dawn Summers.
• God, that Buffy gravitates to the tower as the last familiar place, the last place she knew was solid and clear, when she knew what she had to do.
• And when she says, along with her memory, "Dawnie, I have to." And the music is back from The Gift, and I'M HAVING A LOT OF FEELINGS.
• "Is this hell?" Her voice is so small. She's sad, but she just wants to know. If that is what this is, and what she has to deal with now.
• This whole speech at the end of Dawn's, it's another bargaining. "I promise I'll do better, I will ... I need you to live."
• Buffy doesn't want to stay. Buffy doesn't know how to stay. But she can't let Dawn be hurt. That was the whole point, after all, when everything was clear and she knew what to do. Protect Dawn. Save Dawn.
• And it keeps coming. The tower keeps trying to kill her, over and over. Until it collapses.
• Dawn cries and hugs Buffy and says "You're home." And Buffy is alive, but her eyes are dead.
• They may end up being all over the place with Buffy's arc this season (and by "may" I mean "will"), but they freaking nailed the two-part opener.

Daniel's Thoughts:

• “Less talk, more running away”
• Split up?  Xander, you live in a horror movie world.  You know that’s not a good idea.
• There’s that giant tombstone that….any vampire could have seen.
• Fuckkk….Poor Buffy.  Being in that coffin…I can’t even imagine.
• I mean they didn’t even bring shovels.  What was their plan if it worked?
• I love Anya/Tara scenes and there should be a lot more of them.
• Dawn, get away from the freaking window.
• SMG’s stunt double comes out of the grave, cut to SMG with absolutely no dirt on her head.
• I love that they show Buffy’s point of view, all unfocused.
• “I hate the woods…”
• I mean.  Where are they going, Dawn and Spike.  What makes them think they’d be safer in the streets?
• They…could go see if Faith’s more sane…you know, if they need a slayer so badly.
• Buffy walks up to the demon gang.  Brave or just a cloud of confusion?
• Aww, the pulling a part of Buffybot.  So sad.  Especially that Buffy can see this…and again, sadness or utter confusion or both?
• I think Anya has so many good points.  All of Xander’s excuses for not telling the gang about their engagement are such bullshit.
• Yeah, Xander.  You have this one right.  You were all a bunch of idiots for not digging her up.
• You’d have at least thought Anya would have thought of it.  She’s the logical one.
• “You’re gonna what, pull a rabbit out of your hat?” “Don’t do that, why would you do that?”
• Buffy just got pulled out of Heaven, (spoiler!), you don’t want to mess with her.
• The Buffybot without her arms and legs – it’s so well done.

• Dawn’s face when she realizes.
• SMG is so good this episode; her reactions and facial expressions.
• I love that they brought the tower back.  It’s such a neat full circle.
• Oh the music.  The Buffy jumping to her death music.  I can’t hear this on my iphone without tearing up a bit.
• “The tower was built by crazy people and I don’t think it’s holding up well.” Truth.
• “Is this hell?”  Aww, Buffy. Yes, it is.
• Dawn’s in trouble.  That’s what snaps Buffy out of it.
• And there goes the horrible tower that really the city of Sunnydale should have taken down.  Who is the new mayor? Is he evil?  Probably.

Favorite Lines:

Zelda:

~Buffy

Daniel: “Willow and I always know how to find each other.” “With Yoga?”  -Tara/Anya

Arc/Continuity Stuff:

• First mention of Tito
• Recurring: Tara, Xander's desire for male friends, Anya's fear of rabbits
• Tara's tinkerbell guiding light that she sends to Willow is something we first saw Willow attempt in Fear, Itself

Stats:

Anya's Hair - long, blonde, loose
Dead Humans - 0
Dead Undeads - 7 (RIP Buffybot)
Dead Flashbacks - 0
Giles Unconscious - WHO KNOWS
Giles Cleans His Glasses - WHO CARES
Buffy Breaks a Door - 0
Buffy Breaks a Coffin - 1
Evil Reveal - 0
Unevil Reveal - 0
Shenanigans Called - 0
Apocalypse Called - 0