THIS WEEK’S MENTAL OBSTACLE: Guilt. Buffy blames herself for Dawn’s apparent fate.
ANALYSIS: Buffy’s feelings of failure have reduced her to a zoned-out zombie, which seems completely out of character for Buffy. But she feels tremendous guilt for once having wished it would all be over—for wishing she didn’t have to be the one to save the world and fight Glory—and now she believes that is what ultimately let Glory prevail.
But Glory is also acting out of character, struggling with unfamiliar feelings of human emotions as she prepares to sacrifice Dawn in order to open the portals. Apparently the barrier between Ben and Glory is slowly blurring so that some of his humanity is seeping into her consciousness. Unfortunately, Ben also fears dying. Although he wants to help Dawn, he ultimately can’t sacrifice himself to do so.
Once Willow convinces Buffy she still has time to help Dawn and that she hasn’t done anything wrong, Buffy snaps out it. Although she knows the odds are against her, she refuses to give up hope that somehow she can save both Dawn and the world. She has to figure out a way.
WHAT SCREENWRITER DOUG PETRIE HAS TO SAY: During this episode, producers were already working around her Scooby-Doo schedule, so making Buffy catatonic was a way of accommodating her absence. “We knew some weeks in advance what her schedule would be like, but we had the second-to-last episode of the season and no Buffy. What do you do? Joss and I were both big fans of the Dr. Strange comics. Dr Strange was a mystic magician who lived in Greenwich Village, New York, and could leave his body. His astral self would go off on these adventures.”
IT’S A MYSTERY: Before the Key was human, how was it used to open the portal? With Dawn, it’s her blood, but an energy ball wouldn’t have blood.
BLOOPERS: After Glory has one of her minions put ash on Dawn’s face, it disappears then reappears from one shot to the next.
OF SPECIAL NOTE: Ben is twenty-five years old.
100. “The Gift”
(MAY 22, 2001)
Director: Joss Whedon
Teleplay: Joss Whedon
Recurring cast: Clare Kramer (Glory); Charlie Weber (Ben); Amber Benson (Tara)
Guest cast: Joel Grey (Doc); Todd Duffey (Murk); Craig Zimmerman (minion #1); Josh Jacobson (teen); Tom Kiesche (vampire)
Plot: Buffy makes the ultimate sacrifice as her final gift to the world.
THIS WEEK’S APOCALYPTIC RITUAL: Dawn’s blood will start the dissolution of the portal walls separating the dimensions and can only be stopped by her death.
INTRODUCING: Xander and Anya’s engagement.
ANALYSIS: The loyalty of Buffy’s friends is again reinforced by their willingness to face horrible death rather than just kill Dawn and stop the Glory threat in its tracks. Facing a common enemy, personal bickering is replaced by somber support and concern. Even Spike’s contributions are welcome, as they realize what’s at stake is bigger than all of them combined. And again, their combined strength as a team almost prevents the ritual from starting. Once Willow drains Glory’s brain and channels it back into Tara, restoring her sanity, their combined powers keep the minions at bay while Buffy wails on Glory with Olaf’s hammer. But even then, when Ben reappears, she simply can’t bring herself to kill him and finish off Glory for good—in part because she probably believed the worst was over. But what slips the gang up was the unaccounted-for variable of Doc, whom Spike had left for dead, but who took it upon himself to start the bloodletting.
Dawn is ready to give her life to stop the apocalypse. But Buffy has an epiphany that, since Dawn was created out of her blood, she could stop the dimension-walls from breaking down. This suddenly gives Buffy a clear understanding of her life’s purpose and what her true gift is meant to be.
THE REAL HORROR: Coming up short. Although Buffy soared into eternity without fear and in peace—in part, perhaps, because she believed her mother waited for her on the other side—those left behind were left in anguish, particularly Spike, who felt he’d failed to keep his promise to the lady he loved.
LITERARY ALLUSION: The Saint Crispin’s Day speech mentioned by Spike is from Shakespeare’s Henry V, Act IV, Scene III:
“But we in it shall be remembered—
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he today that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s Day.”
OF SPECIAL NOTE: The “Previously on Buffy” montage contains images from all five seasons of the show.
This is the last original episode to air on the WB network. The WB added a note at the end of the episode thanking the cast and crew for their efforts.
SEASON SIX
Sixth-year overview: After giving her life to save Dawn, Buffy is resurrected by Willow. However, being dragged away from the embrace of what Buffy believes was Heaven, leaves her initially resentful. Now forced to resume the daily struggle that is life, with bills to pay and responsibilities to keep, Buffy has just as many internal demons to confront as she does offered by the Hellmouth. But in the end, the greatest horrors Buffy sees this year are committed by very human adversaries, and her most powerful foe will come from her own inner circle.
SEASON FIVE REGULAR CAST
Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers)
Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris)
Emma Caulfield (Anya)
Michelle Trachtenberg (Dawn)
James Marsters (Spike)
Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg)
101. and 102. “Bargaining (Parts I and II)”
(OCTOBER 2, 2001)
Director: David Grossman
Teleplay: Marti Noxon (Part I); David Fury (Part II)
Recurring cast: Anthony Stewart Head (Rupert Giles); Amber Benson (Tara)
Guest cast: Franc Ross (Razor); Geoff Meed (Mag); Mike Grief (Klyed); Paul Greenberg (Shempy vamp); Joy DeMichelle Moore (Ms. Lefcourt); Bru Muller (teacher); Robert D. Vito (cute boy); Harry Johnson (parent #1); Kelly Lynn Warren (parent #2); Hila Levy (pretty girl); Richard Wharton (homeowner)
Music: “Permanence” (playing in the biker bar), by Static X, from Machine
Plot: Willow resurrects Buffy. Giles decides to return to England.
THIS WEEK’S LEATHER-CLAD FOES: The Hellions, a demon biker gang who terrorize Sunnydale after word spreads that the Slayer is really a robot.
INTRODUCING: The Urn of Osiris. Because Buffy did not die a natural death, but was killed by mystical energy, Willow performs a spell using the urn to resurrect Buffy from the grave. Buffy’s new hair color is noticeably darker than in Season Five.
ANALYSIS: Spike feels he failed to keep Dawn from being cut by Doc, which directly led to Buffy’s death. This is still a raw wound so Spike has become Dawn’s most ardent protector. Spike is also obviously deeply pained by Buffy’s death, which is why he has no interest in the Buffy-bot’s affections: it’s too painful a reminder that the real Buffy is no longer here. Likewise, Giles doesn’t want to stay in Sunnydale for the same reason, compounded by his guilt over having failed his Slayer.
The decision to try and resurrect Buffy could be seen as selfish, but Willow’s worries show their hearts are in the right place. The idea of Buffy possibly being stuck in the Hell dimension her death closed shut, suffering eternal agonies, is too much for them to bear. The major oversight is they neglect to realize that if she did reanimate, she would do so in a coffin buried six feet underground. So when the spell works, Buffy suddenly finds herself buried alive and the terror of it traumatizes her.
Buffy’s question about whether she’d been sent to Hell as she looks down from the tower where she leapt to her death, is a good clue that wherever Buffy’s spirit had been, she wasn’t suffering. So being back on Earth, confronted
with having to face the Hellmouth again, results in the rage she unleashes on the biker demons looting the town. It also is the source of the pain Buffy feels, realizing the struggle is about to start all over again.
* * *
DEMONIC POSSESSION
Someone who has their personality and body taken over by a demon is said to be possessed. Although most people still associate possession with projectile peasoup vomit and scary children with bad skin who can rotate their heads (thank you, Linda Blair), there are other, more accepted signs of demonic possession. In the Middle Ages, anyone displaying unusual behavior or a strange personality was often suspected of being possessed by the Devil. This is why so many old, ugly, or poor people were accused of being possessed.
The Catholic church still defines signs of true possession as someone displaying: superhuman strength, often accompanied by fits and convulsions; changes in personality; having knowledge of the future or other secret information; and being able to understand and converse in languages not previously known to them. Also on the list of other signs or symptoms for declaring demonic possession are having sexual thoughts; changes in the voice, becoming a deep, rasping, menacing, guttural croak; and, most important, a violent revulsion toward sacred objects and texts.
* * *
THE REAL HORROR: Having to start over. Whether it’s losing everything to a natural disaster, getting fired, or ending a relationship, few people enjoy the daunting task of starting over. In Buffy’s case, she has to resume the burden of being the Chosen One.
IT’S A MYSTERY: If they wanted to keep Buffy’s death a secret, why would they bury her with a headstone announcing where she was buried? Even if it was in the woods, the Hellmouth has plenty of creatures who might lurk there.
OF SPECIAL NOTE: Osiris was the Egyptian god of the afterlife. After being murdered, Osiris was brought back to life by his wife Isis, who also happened to be his sister.
This is the first episode to air on UPN.
When aired in the U.K., several scenes were cut in their first showings: the snake, Willow killing the deer, and Buffy in her coffin. However, fans got a chance to see the full episode during a special “Buffy Night” on the Sky One network.
A scene where Willow kills a fawn to get the blood she needs for the spell, was edited out because producers thought it was too disturbing.
Anthony Stewart Head is now listed as a recurring “Special Guest Star.”
Alyson Hannigan gets a credit promotion—now listed last: “And Alyson Hannigan as Willow.”
103. “After Life”
(OCTOBER 9, 2001)
Director: David Solomon
Teleplay: Jane Espenson
Recurring cast: Amber Benson (Tara)
Guest cast: Lisa Hoyle (demon)
Plot: Willow’s reincarnation spell has an unintended side effect. Buffy tries to readjust to life.
THIS WEEK’S MANIFESTATION: A bodyless demon created as a by-product of the reanimation spell takes turns possessing the bodies of the Scoobies. It is destined to die … unless it can kill Buffy.
ANALYSIS: Although there is still a below-the-surface tension between Xander and Spike, the others seem to have accepted him now, especially Dawn. Ironically, Spike is the only one Buffy can be honest and open with, because he didn’t have anything to do with her reanimation, and because she doesn’t have to worry about hurting his feelings. Plus Spike understands death in a way the others can’t.
Buffy feels alienated from the world she once knew and is drawn to Spike as a result. When he finally gets to apologize for failing her, it’s clear his feelings for her have evolved past the “lust” phase of first being in love. There’s a depth in his response to her, although Spike is Spike, so there’s little chance he’s gone completely soft.
Because Willow mistakenly believes she saved Buffy from Hell, she doesn’t understand why Buffy doesn’t seem more appreciative at being brought back. Buffy finally understands that and tells them the lie they want to hear, swearing Spike to secrecy because she never wants them to know they dragged her out of Heaven.
THE REAL HORROR: Having to put up a false front. Sometimes, to spare the feelings of others, we have to pretend. Although part of Buffy wants to scream at losing Heaven, she doesn’t, because she doesn’t want to hurt the feelings of the people she loves.
104. “Flooded”
(OCTOBER 16, 2001)
Director: Douglas Petrie
Teleplay: Douglas Petrie and Jane Espenson
Recurring cast: Anthony Stewart Head (Rupert Giles); Danny Strong (Jonathan); Adam Busch (Warren); Tom Lenk (Andrew); Amber Benson (Tara)
Guest cast: Michael Merton (Mr. Savitsky); John Jabaley (Tito); Brian Kolb (bank guard)
Plot: Buffy discovers she’s broke. Three friends aspire to be master villains.
THIS WEEK’S DEMON-FOR-HIRE: M’Fashnik, a mercenary demon who sells his services to the highest bidder.
INTRODUCING: The latest Sunnydale crime cartel. Sunnydale High’s “Least Likely to Succeed” band together in a life of crime to keep themselves swimming in money, toys, and—hopefully—girls. The three include Jonathan—last seen in Episode 73, “Superstar”—the robot-building Warren, and Andrew, whose brother Tucker trained a pack of hellhounds to attack the prom during Buffy’s senior year.
ANALYSIS: Her emotions aren’t the only thing Buffy has to worry about. Now that her mother is no longer there to run the household, Buffy has to face the realities of paying bills. After taking care of hospital bills and expenses for almost five months, Buffy discovers she is almost broke. Not only is she overwhelmed by this unexpected pressure, she is spending so much effort trying to pretend she’s happy to be back that she simply pulls away even more, emotionally, from the others.
Giles’s confrontation with Willow about the forces she tampered with sets the stage for a growing uneasiness over Willow’s reliance on magic and her fascination with the darker magics. Her upset at being harshly reprimanded by Giles also allowed us to see the first hint of the kind of anger Willow is capable of, if pushed. She knows she’s powerful and she likes using that power.
Buffy, on the other hand, seems emotionally muted since her return. It’s as if she has had to keep herself in constant check in order to avoid letting the truth slip out. More and more she finds a kind of solace with Spike, who at this point is demanding nothing of her—other than to be there if she needs him.
THE REAL HORROR: Debt. Buffy is more daunted by how she is going to keep a roof over her and Dawn’s head than she’s been by most anything the Hellmouth has thrown at her.
IT’S A MYSTERY: Why did Andrew just happen to have Buffy’s address on a piece of paper in his pocket?
OF SPECIAL NOTE: Tom Lenk, who plays Andrew, was one of Harmony’s minions in Episode 80, “Real Me,” during Season Five.
105. “Life Serial”
(OCTOBER 23, 2001)
Director: Nick Marck
Teleplay: David Fury and Jane Espenson
Recurring cast: Anthony Stewart Head (Rupert Giles); Danny Strong (Jonathan); Adam Busch (Warren); Tom Lenk (Andrew); Amber Benson (Tara)
Guest cast: Paul Gutrecht (Tony); Noel Albert Guglielmi (Vince); Enrique Almeida (Marco); Jonathan Goldstein (Mike); Winsome Brown (woman customer); Christopher May (male customer); David J. Miller (rat-faced demon); Andrew Cooper Wasser (slime-cover demon); Richard Beatty (small demon); James C. Leary (Clem); Jennifer Shon (Rachel); Jabari Hearn (Steve); Derrick McMillon (Ron); Clint Culp (bartender); Mark Ginther (horned demon); Alice Dinnean Vernon (mummy hand)
Music: “Kidnapper Song” (plays during bar scene), by the Masticators, from Masticate!; “Boom Swagger Boom” (also during bar scene), by Murder City Devils, from Murder City Devils
Plot: Buffy is put through a series of frustrating tests by the Trio. Also, Buffy gets drunk.
THIS WEEK’S REALITY-ALTERING TOYS: Through a combination of witchcraft and high-tech gizmos, Warren, Jonathan, and Andrew put Buffy through a series
of “tests” and compete to see who can give the Slayer the most fits.
INTRODUCING: Kittens as the ante of choice for demon poker.
ANALYSIS: Buffy feels as if she’s failing at everything. She feels out of her intellectual league when she tries to audit some college classes; she can’t keep the job Xander got her because her strength causes resentment among the other laborers; and something is messing with her by altering reality.
Buffy just wants to escape and since death isn’t really an option anymore, she ends up at Spike’s and gets drunk. Spike believes what Buffy really needs is to get back in touch with the Slayer within and to worry less about the niceties, and aggravations, of everyday life. He knows the reason she feels out of place in the regular world is because she is out of place. Buffy has become more at home in the dark, fighting monsters, than dealing with such life basics as financial obligations and holding down a paying job. Slaying is her calling and vocation and takes up most of her emotional energy.
As the Trio is able to confound Buffy with their “tests,” their confidence grows and they begin to believe they aren’t just playing at being supervillains, but cumulatively are a worthy opponent for the Slayer. To them, it’s like a real-life video game, but they play with no regard for the consequences their actions might bring.
THE REAL HORROR: Feeling ill-equipped. It’s one thing to take on a challenge when you feel up to the task; quite another when you feel as if you don’t even possess the necessary tools to succeed. While Buffy may have superhuman strength and impeccable Slayer instincts, she feels she lacks everyday skills.
106. “All the Way”
(OCTOBER 30, 2001)
Director: David Solomon
Teleplay: Steven S. DeKnight
Recurring cast: Anthony Stewart Head (Rupert Giles); Amber Benson (Tara)
Guest cast: John O’Leary (Kaltenbach); Kavan Reece (Justin); Amber Tamblyn (Janice); Dave Power (Zach); Charles Duckworth (Glenn); Dawn Worrall (Christy); Emily Kay (Maria); Adam Gordon (Carl); Steven Anthony Lawrence (chunky kid); Sabrina Speer (girl); Chad Erikson (guy); Dominic Rambaran (paramedic #1); Anthony Sago (paramedic #2); Lorin Becker (witch-woman); Lily Jackson (witchy-poo)
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