Series 5 had a Life and Death theme running through it, we had the introduction of Dawn and the death of Mrs Summers but perhaps the biggest loss was of Buffy herself. Season 6 though is more about a different theme that of coping. From destructive relationship to recovering from perhaps the most scary experience of any persons life (waking up in a buried coffin) the Scooby Gang are put through the mill The opening of Series 6 though sees an increasingly powerful Willow try to resurrect Buffy, the spell initially seemed to fail but after a while we see Buffy come back. The opening is a double episode and in it Buffy finally ask what we have all been thinking about Sunnydale; The return of Buffy brings back a number of deeper questions about the afterlife. For a show based around the idea of resurrection this is not a new theme but the last time Buffy came back it was only after a few minutes now though it has been a lot longer. Buffy's loss of herself takes her down roads we would never expect, mostly based a mutually abusive relationship with another recurring character. It is a very clever conceit that eventually will cause a huge amount of turmoil for Buffy but that is not a new concept in Sunnydale. |
The ending of this season is especially strong as it has been building for through pretty much every episode, the intertwined story strands end up with an amazing finale where we have friends doing battle and this time the world is in danger. The biggest surprise though is the hero of the piece, the last stand is melodramatic with a great side dish of humour not to mention a big dollop of violence.
The scene is set for Season 7..