Spoiler Slayer

The question that many fans of the site would seem to want answered (as I have several emails inquiring), is what I thought of the premiere of Buffy.

If you are a fan of the show, it was a stellar episode. They did a good thing by splitting the return into two parts, one light and one serious. However, I don't think that they did a good job of introducing the show to new fans. I know for a fact that it didn't work, because I was watching with someone who had never seen the show. Apparently, I wasn't the only Buffy fan to experience this, as Liz over at Yrth.net also had many questions for her friend who she saw the show with. Which really demonstrates what a great show it is, since every answer that would seem simple, actually has tons of background info that is crucial to understanding what is going on. For example, when someone asks "Who Is Dawn?", the answer isn't "She's Buffy's sister". Well, it is, but there is a lot more to it than that. Same goes for Willow, Spike, Anya, Xander, Tara, Giles, Buffy, etc.

For me, the premiere was good, but not great. In fact, the premiere suffers from pretty much the same flaws that Season Five had. The writers obviously had a goal (bringing back Buffy), and the episode was basically getting from Point A to Point B. Strangely, most of the characters are pretty static in terms of development. Willow was doing the telepathic leader bit in 'The Gift', Dawn was mooching stuff in 'Intervention', Xander and Anya were engaged in 'The Gift', and Spike was pretty much over his Buffy obsession at the end of 'Intervention'. Which leaves us with the only character to really shift, which was Tara. I was really pleased to see her coming to the front and losing much of her quiet shyness. She took control at the right moments, and even dispatched the bad guy.

What I found most interesting was the 'Previously On' segment. One of the reasons that I bumped up the Buffy/Spike rankings was the noted emphasis on that relationship in that segment. We saw Angel, we saw Spike, but Riley was nowhere to be seen. Spike has also lost almost all aspects of his normally selfish attitude's, which began to fade around the same time as 'Forever'. He's ashamed of the Buffy-bot, he's extremely protective of Dawn, and he's integrating well with the Scoobie's. Which is why I think the writer's kept him out of the loop on the resurrection spell. Since he wasn't involved with bringing her back, his motives are pure. He had accepted that she was gone, yet he still remained loyal. If he had a hand in her return, it would change the entire relationship. If anything is going to come between Buffy and the Scoob's, it's going to be some subconscious feelings of resentment towards them for bringing her back. This won't be the case with Dawn, Spike and Giles. Which fits the overall theme for this season, the Scoob's should have moved on (or grown up). Suddenly, it's the Scoobies that are being selfish, trying to rationalize the need to bring Buffy back.

I also think the writers were making a point by putting emphasis on Willow's role as the leader of the Scoob's. Now that Buffy is back, how will Willow handle once again being the second-in-command. Especially with her increased powers, which is where I think she's going to start to go wrong. I think we'll find her trying to prove herself as Buffy's equal, which is going to push her further and further over the edge. It makes an interesting comparison between her and Xander. Both were the outcasts in High School, yet Xander has never really felt the need to be anything more than part of the gang. Willow, on the other hand, has always tried to be more powerful or useful. First with the computer systems and research, now with the magic. She has never had to face a real failure, or any real consequences for her actions. Which is why she keeps on getting in over her head. I still don't feel that Willow herself will be the 'Big Bad' for the season, but I can't imagine that the arrival of the 'Big Bad' won't be through some action (or inaction) of hers.

The premiere set up the story arcs for the first half of this season, in that respect it was a very good episode. When looking back, most of the premiere episodes have done only that. One wouldn't consider 'When She Was Bad', 'Anne', 'Freshman' or 'Buffy Vs. Dracula' as groundbreaking episodes. It isn't until episode three or four that things get interesting. Certainly the next two episodes, 'After Life' and 'Flooded' are going to set many story arcs in motion. Like any good season opener, it gives us a taste that only leaves us hungry for more.