Guest Starring: 
     
 Anthony Stewart Head: 
 (Giles) 
   
 Franc Ross: 
 (Razor) 
   
 Geoff Meed: 
 (Mag) 
   
 Mike Grief: 
 (Klyed) 
   
 Joy DeMichelle Moore: 
 (Ms Lefcourt) 
   
 Bru Muller: 
 (Teacher) 
   
 
 
  1. Bargaining, Part 1.  
   
  The Scoobies are coping with Buffy's death, but a plan is hatched to bring her back from hell.  
   
  Great quotes:  
   
 
Scary Willow.
  • Spike asks Giles: "Did your life pass before your eyes? Cup of tea, cup of tea, almost got shagged, cup of tea."
  • Xander: "House of chick relax, I am a man and I have a tool, tools, lots of plural tools in my box. Oh sandwiches, men like sandwiches."
  • Anya is getting neurotic about Xander not announcing their engagement. Xander: "Be patient" Anya: "I was being patient, but it took too long... this whole marriage thing was your stupid idea; I didn't ask to be crazy."
  • Willow: "Here lies the warrior of the people; let her cross over!"
  
  Fantastic moments:  
   
 
  • The Buffy-bot misunderstands a 'knock knock' joke. Very funny.
  • Xander challenges Willow after she tells them all that they're going to bring Buffy back, "Who made you boss?" he asks. It turns out that Xander insisted Willow should be the boss, "You said 'let's vote' and it was unanimous" and he even "... made a little plaque that said 'Boss of us'..." which he then put sparkles on.
  • Spike kills a vampire who is strangling Giles by casually setting fire to his jacket while having a fag, very cool.
  • Willow mercilessly slaughters a bambi for a spell ingredient. This is an awesomely shocking moment which signals a dark twist for Willow as a character, the fact that she hides what she has done from the rest of the Scoobies makes matters more disturbing.
  • Willow finds a mystical 'urn of Osiris' on Ebay. She says that she also picked up a limited edition Back street Boys lunchbox for - Xander coughs - 'a friend'.
  
  Duff Bits:  
   
 
  • Why have Willow and Tara moved into Buffy's house? Shacking up in your friends' house after she dies with the pretence of 'looking after' her younger sister is, when you think about it, nothing more than morbid freeloading.
  • Why is the Buffy-bot sleeping in Buffy's bed?
  
  Dean's comments:  
   
 
Giles departs Sunnydale.
Don't worry folks, BtVS may be on a new network and Buffy may be dead, but it's still the same show. At least that's what the pre-credits sequence was probably designed to re-assure everyone of; with it's re-cap of the entire series and quick cut to a figure running through a graveyard the audience is quickly familiar with the territory. As usual so many things are instantly different about the new season, only this time it's more fundamental; Willow is in charge, Giles is leaving and there is no Buffy. The opening attempts to comfort everyone despite these changes, but an exchange between Tara, Spike and Giles - three characters who are utterly out of place in each others' company - is, although funny, somewhat unnatural. This is the essence of 'Bargaining's problem, that it is more of a necessary bridge between the events of 'The Gift' and what the writers want to do with season 6 rather than a great episode of BtVS. As such, there is a lot to cram into this episode; and by the end all we really want is to see the real Buffy back out of the ground and back to her arse-kicking, wise-cracking self. Well that ain't gonna happen for at least half the season. The best bits of the episode are the gags surrounding the Buffy-bot's attempted integration into society and the disturbing emergence of darkness in Willow's magical powers.		 
   
 6/10 
 
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