Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Bargaining

Bargaining
Season 6, Episodes 1 & 2
Airdate	October 2, 2001
Production Number	6ABB01/6ABB02
Written by	Marti Noxon (Pt. 1) David Fury (Pt. 2)
Directed by	David Grossman
← 5x22 The Gift	6x03 → After Life
Buffy the Vampire Slayer — Season Six

Bargaining is the first and second episodes of the sixth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the one-hundred and first and one-hundred and second episodes overall.

Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Emma Caulfield (Anya), Michelle Trachtenberg (Dawn Summers), James Marsters (Spike)

and Alyson Hannigan (Willow)

Special Guest Star: Anthony Stewart Head (Rupert Giles)

Guest Starring: Franc Ross (Razor), Amber Benson (Tara)

Co-Starring: 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)

Plot Overview

With the Buffybot being utilised to keep both the world and underworld from knowing that the Slayer’s dead, the Scoobies are still grieving. However, without the knowledge of the others, Willow, Xander, Anya, and Tara have been plotting to take advantage of a rare opportunity to resurrect Buffy from the dead.

Notes

Monster of the Week

• The Hellions: A gang of no good demons with an affinity for motorcycles, the Hellions' backstory is not expressly laid out for the viewer. They are an opportunistic horde who live for destruction and chaos.

Body Count

#	Whom	By Whom	How	Where
1	Vampire	Spike	Set Ablaze	Graveyard
2	Vampire	Buffy-Bot	Staked	Graveyard
3	Vampire	Razor	Decapitated	Biker Bar
4	Buffy-Bot	The Hellions	Drawn and Quartered	Street
5	Hellion	Xander	Axed	Alleyway
6	Hellion	Buffy	Stabbed	Alleyway
7	Hellion	Buffy	Broken Neck	Alleyway
8	Hellion	Buffy	Impaled	Alleyway
9	Razor	Tara	Axed	Alleyway

Arc Advancement

Characters

• Anya: The magic shop is left under the control of Anya, although Giles is still a legal partner in the business.

• Giles: Giles returns home to England after accepting that Buffy is dead and his work is effectively over.

• Buffy: Buffy is resurrected from the dead as a result of Willow's spell.

Referbacks

• Nightmares: One of Buffy's fears is being buried alive. In this episode she fights her way out of being buried alive in her coffin.

• The Gift: The final scenes take place on the spot of the metal tower from the fifth season finale. There is also a flashback to events from the episode.

Trivia

The Show

• Previously On: The recap broadly covers major plot points, including the introduction of the characters, Buffy's relationship with Angel, Spike and his chip; all before recapping Season Five. This was presumably done to get new viewers initiated who hadn't watched before the network move. In syndication, this recap only includes the Season Five portion.

• Mutant Enemy: When the gang is giving Giles parting gifts, Tara pulls out a monster finger puppet as a reminder of Sunnydale and says, imitating the monster, "Grr Arg." This is a reference to the soundbite that plays during the Mutant Enemy (the studio which produces the series) company card at the end of each episode.

• Music: The music playing in the biker bar is a clip from "Permanence" by Static-X played on a loop.

Behind the Scenes

• Original Title: This episode was originally titled "Hell", after Buffy's assumption that her soul has been sent to the underworld after seeing the disaster around her.

• Credits Change-Up: As of this episode, Anthony Stewart Head is no longer in the opening credits of the series. He is, however, still credited as a special guest star. His final credit of "Actor as Character Name" has been replaced with "Alyson Hannigan as Willow".

• Filming Locations: The scenes at the airport were filmed at Long Beach Airport between Los Angeles and Orange County.

• Where's Joss?: This is the second season premiere which Joss Whedon did not direct or co-direct, the other being the first episode of the series.

• Alteration: In the version released on video in the United Kingdom, the note left by Giles is read by a voiceover of Giles instead of Xander.

• Deleted Scenes: Several scenes were cut from the episode including comments about vampires taking prescription medication, several scenes before the classroom scene with Dawn and Buffy-Bot and Xander mentioning that he wanted to buy a bottle of alcohol for Giles, but the homeless man in front of the store wouldn't buy it for them. A scene showing Willow killing the fawn in sacrifice was also cut due to it being too horrific.

Quotes

• Spike: Oh, poor Watcher. Did your life pass before your eyes? Cuppa tea, cuppa tea, almost got shagged, cuppa tea?

• Willow: (about Buffybot) And I got her off those knock-knock jokes.

Buffybot: Oh, who's there?

Xander: You know, if we want her to be exactly --

Spike: She'll never be exactly.

Xander: I know.

Tara: The only really real Buffy is really Buffy.

Giles: And she's gone.

Buffybot: "If you want her to be exactly, she'll never be exactly, I know, the only really real Buffy is really Buffy and she's gone" who?

• (Anya and Giles are fighting)

Xander: Okay, when I'm marvelling at the immaturity, be scared.

• Xander: Just be patient.

Anya: I was being patient, but it took too long.

• Anya: (about the Buffybot) She's not the descendant of a long line of mystical warriors. She's the descendant of a toaster oven.

• Xander: Now, I know we've been going straight because I've been following the North Star.

Willow: Xander, that's not the North Star. It's an airplane.

• Willow: We’ve got bigger problems. Demons.

Xander: Demons. Ah, there's something you don't see very day. Unless you're us.

• Spike: Let's fly, pigeon!

• Xander: Oh, no.

Willow: What?

Xander: No. How could we -- So stupid!

Willow: Xander!

Xander: Our spell. Our resurrection spell worked like a magic charm. We brought you back to life, Buffy. Right where we left her.

Willow: Oh, God.

Xander: In her coffin.

• Razor: So you got a witch in the mix.

Tara: More than one.

Xander: I happen to be a very powerful man-witch myself.