Is she dead or isn’t she? After a long summer, Buffy jumps ship and finds new life on the UPN. But is her resurrection a triumph or a disaster?
The admittedly jaded gurlies (sans Michelle, who was off galavanting in Europe) gather up their lasting issues with the show and chat about the sixth season premiere.
[Amanda] when the mister asked me to rate it for him, i gave it a B+
[ Melynee] And I think I’d agree with you.
[Amy] hmmm. i’d say B.
[ Melynee] Um. The first thing I have to say is that, as unsure as I thought I would be about Aly’s hair, I. Uh. Thought she was really frickin’ hot.
[Amy] oh yes, i was thankful the annoying blond streaks seemed to go away
[Amy] while i loved – LOVED – the xander/willowy goodness, everything having to do with buffy and dawn annoyed me. and anya. please. kill. her. off.
[Amanda] yes! the xander/willowness! i thought about you so much, Amy! because! they were there for each other. like they haven’t been in a long time.
[ Melynee] Aside from her hotness, though, one of things that I really liked about the ep was that it seemed to be a return to the gang of old. And yes. Anya needs to go. Quickly.
[Amy] the ep (and i know i’ve said this before) made me want to write them again. and i haven’t written them in ages. haven’t *wanted* to.
[ Melynee] But I wanted there to be recognition of the W/X-ness! They didn’t seem to realize what was going on!
[Amanda] i thought for sure, that the engagement was anya’s red shirt. and while willow might never come back to xander, i’d just be happy if he were free of her.
[Amy] it was, lun. it made me so happy and fuzzy. i liked tara, too – there were smidgens of her, but not too much. it was really all about w/x.
[Amy] anya’s red shirt, wil?
[Amy] i think, if joss is smart, he’ll have to have w/x recognize the stuff that’s going on. at least they’re friendly again.
[ Melynee] I suppose I could also take Xander’s unwillingness to announce the engagement as a subconscious desire for it not to happen. Aside from the obvious non-timeliness of it.
[ Melynee] I don’t want you to think I didn’t appreciate the W/X, ‘cuz I did. I loved it. But I’m greedy. I wanted at least one of them to consciously realize what they were doing.
[Amanda] you know, red shirt in the way that she’ll be dead. soonly.
[Amy] oh, i know. i know. i guess i’ve been so used to NOTHING between w/x that i was simply thrilled that they were together in a very w/x way, if not with starry-love-eyes.
[ Melynee] I truly hope you’re right, Amanda. Because I really thought Anya had progressed over the last season, and then this week she was right back to where she started. Only with blonde hair, now.
[Amy] damn, i hope so, wil.
[Amanda] but i think that’s an EXCELLENT point about that xander isn’t announcing it for a reason.
[Amy] oh yes! the fucking farrah faucet hair! i was all cringey.
[Amanda] i wonder if he secretly thinks the gang won’t approve.
[ Melynee] We don’t! We don’t approve!
[Amy] i think he knows they won’t. and he’ll be seen as “fuck-up” xander, who doesn’t think things through
[Amy] think he mentioned it to giles? or that he really hasn’t told anyone?
[Amanda] i’ll bet he hasn’t told a soul.
[ Melynee] I bet no one knows.
[ Melynee] Also, Giles! Bastards!
[Amanda] but. if and when he tells someone. it’d better be willow, first. and in private.
[Amanda] and she had better REACT to it.
[Amy] damn straight. if willow doesn’t do anything – UGH! i’ll be so fed up.
[Amy] i am very upset about giles. i mean, sure, it’s a logical progression, but it’s too early. and too early in the show.
[Amanda] that’s all i’m saying. and now i’ll gladly turn my ire on giles! because i cried!
[ Melynee] I know, I know, he has a family he misses. But damn ASH!
[Amanda] i KNEW that giles would save willow for last. i knew it. and i couldn’t help remembering all the giles/willow fic out there.
[ Melynee] And he was just gone. Thank god they had the scene in the airport, or I would have been furious. And yes, Amanda–that’s *exactly* what I was thinking. And then feeling very guilty.
[Amy] lol – yeah, i knew he was going to wait. actually, i was hoping that there wasn’t any giles/dawn fic out there.
[ Melynee] One of the things that bothered me the most about it was that I felt like, throughout the course of the sp, we got to see how everyone was dealing with Buffy’s death. But while we saw that Giles was at a loss as to what to do now, i didn’t feel like we really saw how Buffy’s death affected him, personally.
[Amanda] i thought that they would give him a picture. of him and buffy. as a going away gift.
[Amy] giles was definitely fringe-guy
[ Melynee] Oh god. That really would have killed me.
[Amanda] and, also. i thought that someone would point out that giles was, basically, leaving a bunch of teenagers to care for dawn.
[Amanda] i would almost have believed it more, if grief had driven him away.
[Amy] i was really, truly surprised that they did it so early
[Amy] yeah, the scene was a total throwaway w/the buffybot
[ Melynee] I think you’re exactly right, Amanda. Giles has changed, but not so much that he should willingly have left Dawn with no official adult supervision.
[ Melynee] Witches, vampires, ex-demons and robots aside.
[Amanda] the buffybot, was, to me a plot contrivance. i me, she obviously was. but here, more so. to have her saying such sweet things, that would have meant so much, coming from the real buffy.
[Amanda] driving the stake a little deeper. if you will.
[ Melynee] If Spike’s little comment about her being irreparable this time doesn’t hold true, I’m going to be very displeased.
[Amanda] what a lovely segue. SPIKE!
[Amy] yeah, the first few seasons they did a good job with long-lasting issues. the past few, it’s like a typical sitcom w/things being swept under the rug after 30 min
[Amanda] oh, spike.
[Amy] i think spike’s reactions have been the most, i dunno, real?
[Amanda] i think that’s absolutely correct!
[Amanda] the ending, on the tower, was so, so long. way too long. given that it was only my two least favorite characters. and i was begging out loud for spike to show up. to give it some realness.
[ Melynee] I agree. Well, Spike, and when Willow thought the spell had failed. I think the work those two did this episode was amazing.
[Amy] although i really felt for willow, when she started to accept that buffy was “gone.” that, yeah.
[ Melynee] Gone. Heh.
[ Melynee] The tower. Yes. Could it just have collapsed, already?
[Amy] (okay, have to say here that the tower thing creeped me the fuck out. i know that this show seems to do things and have them show up in ‘real life,’ so they needed to tweak. but dude, with everything that’s gone on? i did NOT need to see it fall. or them on top as it crumbled. no.)
[ Melynee] (All joking aside, I agree, Amy. The collapse made me wince to watch.)
[Amy] (i was curled up and cringing. it was painful. but that’s all i’ll say.)
[Amy] and, yes, wil. too damn long – dawn had started to grow on me last season, but that scene just reiterated how much i do not like buffy and dawn.
[Amanda] and. i railed against buffy’s stupid bug-eyed crying face all last season. and then. to have it show right back up. damn. i was swearing that i’d never watch again.
[Amy] one thing going for the buffybot – she’s not a crybuffy, and that was refreshing
[Amanda] marti noxon always did love to make the girls cry.
[Amy] which other eps did she do?
[Amanda] as i remember, she’s responsible for many of willow’s crying jags after oz.
[ Melynee] I’m very interested to see how they deal with Buffy coming back. Because they’re clearly setting it up as a not completely good act. And I hope they don’t just make quick reference to it and move on. It should take a while for things to be “normal,” again, if they ever can be.
[Amanda] but actual ep names are escaping me.
[ Melynee] I think Gwen told me she wrote most of the Buffy/Angel stuff, right?
[Amy] oh dear. marti’s a b/a ‘shipper? and she’s in charge of the show this season?
[Amanda] thank god “angel” is on a different network.
[ Melynee] Well, she’s sort of constrained, given the separate network thing. Hopefully that’ll keep it to a minimum.
[Amy] that was the beauty of the show, once upon a time, letting things take their time to unravel. i hope they return to that
[Amanda] i’m rooting for buffy and spike! but i think that might just be because i want to see spike. in. um. sexy ways.
[Amy] when faith was buffy, and coming onto spike… that was nice. yes. yes.
[Amanda] let’s talk about themes!
[Amanda] vampire in a hanson t-shirt, and xander is a BSB fan! i thought, surely, our boys couldn’t be far behind.
[ Melynee] I’m all about Spike and anyone, so Buffy’s fine with me. Plus, I want to see more exploration of what it means that’s Spike’s becoming “good.” What does that mean, since he’s supposedly soul-less?
[Amanda] buffy, also, is boybandolicious.
[Amy] oooh! yes! i was disappointed that xander didn’t have nsync lust
[Amanda] spike is becoming more good, as willow is becoming more bad.
[ Melynee] Yes! Can we finally have a season where the Big Bad comes from *inside* the group?
[Amy] lun – i’ve always been intrigued by the idea that it’s not Angel being prophesized about, but Spike.
[Amy] well, they’ve exhausted outside nemeses. (is that the correct plural?) it would make sense
[Amanda] they can’t do worse than the pig-faced biker gang, frankly.
[ Melynee] And wouldn’t it be so much more interesting to see it happen? It would be going back to the more allegorical Buffy of old.
[Amy] oh, they were creepy. i miss sunday. she would have been great to keep around.
[Amanda] and oh, how i long to return to the buffy of old.
[ Melynee] Did anyone else think the episode could have been a half hour shorter, with most of the scenes cut out?
[Amanda] (i need to point out that me and my co-viewer decided that xander is starting to look and sound like DB Sweeny, circa “The Cutting Edge”)
[ Melynee] (Like the hair! But he still needs to lose about twenty pounds. Which, I know, is so wrong.)
[Amy] if it’s willow, it would also delve into the repercussions of working with magic. because willow is pretty much following in giles’ footsteps
[Amanda] she brought back, whatever it is that comes back in the next ep. just like giles brought forth eygon.
[Amy] exactly
[Amy] which is more of a reason that giles needs to stick around. or, how they’re going to bring him back
[Amanda] only, if you believe the rumor mill, ASH isn’t really coming back much.
[ Melynee] *sigh* On a totally shallower note, was anyone else bothered that they buried Buffy in stilettos? No spoilers! None!
[Amy] spooooiiiiiiiiileeeeeeeeeers – heh
[Amy] someone at work mentioned that it was kind of odd that no one noticed the big tombstone, and they had to have some big burial. she had a good point.
[Amanda] on a sort of disturbing note, did anyone else encourage dawn to crawl into spike’s lap and have a good cry? anyone? no? okay.
[Amanda] yes. we thought the same thing. about the headstone. i don’t care if it was in a hidden corner of the cemetery. for ghoulies and demons and vamps, there really aren’t sacred hidden parts of cemeteries.
[ Melynee] So true about the tombstone! Although, how many demons, etc. know the details of her human identity
[Amy] oh, i’m sure enough do. sure, they call her “the slayer,” but enough other refer to her as “buffy”
[ Melynee] I mean, locals recognize her, but how many know her name/other pertinent info?
[Amy] i know sunnydale is blissfully ignorant, but i’d think SOMEONE would notice. sure the buffybot was around, but…
[ Melynee] It is problematic.
[Amanda] i thought it was ridiculous that they let the buffybot go out slaying by herself.
[Amanda] was like asking for someone to short-circuit her.
[Amy] that was awfully silly. i’m glad they finally destroyed her.
[ Melynee] Please, let them have finally destroyed her.
[Amy] (even if she was responsible for one of the most AMUSING scenes last year… spike. against the wall. smoking. buffybot. standing up. wiping mouth.)
[Amanda] (i never saw that episode!)
[Amy] (dude, it was fabulous)
[ Melynee] (Oh my god! I totally forgot about that!)
[Amy] (my jaw was SO on the floor)
[Amanda] but. okay. overall. i thought it was a satisfying two hours. but i have fears that i was set up to want things i couldn’t have. like lots of spike. and willow/xander.
[Amy] if they could get rid of anya, buffy and dawn, i’d be happy
[Amanda] two out of three ain’t bad.
[Amanda] and bring back giles!
[Amanda] and make spike naked!
[Amy] oh yes!
[Amanda] these are the things i want.
[Amy] faith.
[ Melynee] I was pleased. But, as per usual, I get excited about all the possibilities when the show is fresh. I’m mostly just glad the gang seems to be a cohesive unit, now.
[Amy] it should be “faith, the vampire slayer”
[Amanda] and faith! i want her on my list, too.
[Amy] dancing, grindy-faith
[ Melynee] I love Faith. But, as much as Buffy annoys me, i find her story more compelling as the “hero.”
[Amy] ah, see, i disagree. especially after all the faith development they’ve done on “angel.”
[ Melynee] But it’s another redemption story–which we’ve got with Angel and now Spike. Whereas Buffy was, originally, sort of the Everygirl.
[Amy] hmmm. i dunno. i don’t think i can see past the annoyance 😉
[Amanda] yeah. me, either. i sort of hate buffy. a lot.
[Amanda] but, here’s to the coming season!
[ Melynee] I hate what she’s become. I love what she stood for originally.
[Amy] i’m actually looking forward to next week. haven’t felt that way in a while
[ Melynee] And yes! To all the things the show can still do right!
[Amanda] cheers! woo!
2001-10-01