Bargaining, Part One

Infobox Television episode
Title=Bargaining, Part One


Series=Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Season=6
Episode=1
Airdate=October 2 2001
Production=6ABB01
Writer=Marti Noxon
Director=David Grossman
Guests=Anthony Stewart Head
(Giles)
Franc Ross
(Razor)
Amber Benson
(Tara)
Geoff Meed
(Mag)
Paul Greenberg
(Shempy)
Episode list=List of Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes
Prev=The Gift
Next=Bargaining, Part Two

"Bargaining, Part One" is the Season 6 opener of the television show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer".

Plot synopsis

The Scooby Gang patrol in the absence of the Slayer. Willow and her growing powers lead the efforts and the gang with telepathy and other magic from a perch on top of a crypt. She's even repaired the Buffybot, who helps the group slay several vampires. Willow and Tara are living at the Summers home with Dawn and the Buffybot. Willow tried to make the robot more normal, but her tuning never really goes quite like planned.

The Buffybot is sent out with Dawn for Parent Day at Dawn's school. Despite some odd comments and tense moments, the Buffybot doesn't cause much of a scene and isn't suspected of not being real. At the magic shop, Giles is packing up his items in preparation for his return to England. Anya is torn between the idea of losing Giles and taking over the shop on her own.

That night, Spike stays with Dawn while the rest of the gang has a meeting. Dawn suggests that Spike can leave, but he is determined not to leave her to be hurt ever again and starts a card game. The Buffybot hunts a vampire, but gets hit with a bottle and her motion skills are impaired. The vampire realizes the Slayer is a robot and quickly leaves. Anya has found — on eBay of all places — the last Urn of Osiris. Willow's pleased and announces their plans to bring back Buffy the next night. She stresses that Giles, Spike, and Dawn can't know, and that because Buffy was killed by mystical energy, they have a chance of bringing her back.

Willow returns home to find Spike keeping a wounded Buffybot out of trouble, the Buffybot having been programmed to return to Willow if damaged. The vampire leaves when the Buffybot makes a comment on his physique, from programming remnant from her sexbot days, and Buffybot confides in Willow about Spike's constant shame in her presence. Without her real sister, Dawn tries to find comfort from the Buffybot, but doesn't get much. The next day, Giles tries to teach the Buffybot new skills, like breathing, then they talk about Giles' reason to be in Sunnydale now that Buffy is gone.

The vampire that hit the Buffybot with a bottle brags about it to several "Hellions" — a gang of biker demons — and the news is spilled that a robot has now taken over for the Slayer. After tearing the vampire's head off (when he suggests joining the gang), the demons ride out to wreak havoc in Sunnydale. Willow works a summoning spell in an open outdoor location and a baby deer approaches her. She suddenly stabs it in the throat, collecting blood, and finishes her spell. She returns to the magic shop, claiming she got the "vino de madres" from the black market.

The gang finds a note from Giles stating that he's already left. Not about to accept a silent escape, the Scooby Gang tracks him down at the airport and he gets a proper farewell with presents, signs, balloons, and tears. After Giles departs, Willow, Xander, Anya and Tara return home for final preparations and then head to the cemetery. They prepare the ritual, sitting around Buffy's grave and Willow begins the spell. While performing the spell, Willow's skin is cut by an invisible knife and a large snake is produced from her mouth, but Tara insists that they don't stop.

Meanwhile, Spike watches over Dawn and the demon bikers are tearing Sunnydale apart. Buffybot tries to stop them, but the leader, Razor, wounds her and she runs away to find Willow. The bikers following her reach the cemetery and interrupt Willow's spell by breaking the Urn of Osiris and scattering the gang's circle. One of the bikers tries to take Anya away, but Tara uses magic to get her back. Xander tells Willow that the spell didn't work, but in the coffin, a dead, decaying body reverts back to life in the confused form of Buffy.

Acting

tarring

*Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers/Buffybot
*Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris
*Emma Caulfield as Anya Jenkins
*Michelle Trachtenberg as Dawn Summers
*James Marsters as Spike
*Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg

pecial guest star

*Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles

Guest starring

*Franc Ross as Razor
*Amber Benson as Tara Maclay

Co-starring

*Geoff Meed as Mag
*Mike Grief as Klyed
*Paul Greenberg as Shempy Vamp
*Joy DeMichelle Moore as Ms. Lefcourt
*Bru Miller as Teacher
*Robert D. Vito as Cute Boy
*Harry Johnson as Parent #1
*Kelly Lynn Warren as Parent #2
*Hila Levy as Pretty Girl

Production details

* This episode was the first time Anthony Stewart Head is credited as a "Special Guest Star." He had been a series regular for the previous five seasons, but now his character has left for England. He would return later in the season and for much of the next. Alyson Hannigan is now credited as "And Alyson Hannigan as Willow"

Translations

* Italian title: "Il rito - I parte" ("The rite - Part 1")
* German title: "Die Auferstehung - Teil 1" ("The resurrection - Part 1")
* French title: "Chaos, première partie" ("Chaos - Part 1")

Quotes and trivia

*"That'll put marzipan in your pie plate, Bingo." - The Buffybot after dusting a vampire. Willow's experiments with punning have resulted in word salad. That line is a shout out to "Buffy" writer Jane Espenson, who thinks that "marzipan" is a really funny word.

*Referencing the end-of-credits logo for Mutant Enemy, Tara gives Giles a small rubber monster and says "Grrr. Argghh."

* The show had run on the WB for the previous five seasons. UPN showed a series of Buffy Season 6 UPN promos prior to airing the show. The UPN aired "Buffy" for the next two seasons.

* In syndication, some parts of this episode have been edited out. Specifically, Willow's sacrifice of the doe to garner the blood necessary for her ritual, is cut out; however it "is" included in the version of the episode aired on Spike TV, Fox and Sky One.

* The 2 hour season premiere of "Bargaining Parts 1 & 2" on UPN attracted 7.7 million viewers, the 2nd highest viewership the show has ever received, only behind Season 2's "Innocence".

* Alyson Hannigan, who is an animal lover, had difficulty shooting the scene in which Willow killed the fawn.

* Xander's worries that Buffy might eat their brains is a reference to the horror films of "The Return of the Living Dead" series, in which the zombies eat their victims' brains.

* On the Season 6 DVD, this episode and Part II are edited into a single ninety minute episode.

* The front of Long Beach International Airport was used for the establishing shot for "Sunnydale Airport," from which Giles departed.

Continuity

Arc significance

* The episode sees the Scooby Gang performing a spell to raise Buffy from the dead, a decision which will have consequences for Buffy and her friends throughout Season Six, and eventually allows the First Evil to exploit the vulnerability in the Slayer line in Season Seven.

* Willow's increasing power is also shown in this episode, as she is able to endure the tests required to bring Buffy back. Willow's secrecy and attitudes towards magic also play a major part of Season Six, particularly in the episodes "Smashed", "Wrecked", "Villains", "Two to Go", and "Grave".

* Although it never clearly stated, the Scoobies presumably believe that Buffy's soul is trapped in a hell-dimension because she died within Glory's mystic portal. In Season Two, Buffy killed Angel while he stood within Acathla's similar portal, and Angel's soul did indeed go to a hell-dimension, so their belief, although in error, is understandable.

* When Buffy was brought back to life, it is like she feared it would be in Season 1, episode 10, Nightmares when she is buried alive.

Timing

*Stories that take place around the same time in the Buffyverse:

External links

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