Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 6 - Life Sucks

Season 6 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a season of firsts. It was the first season on UPN, the first season that did not have Giles as a regular character, the first season to not feature Angel (since Angel was on a rival network, crossovers weren't allowed this year; fortunately, this was changed for the final season), and the first season to not have a traditional Big Bad. Many people believed that it was the Evil Trio, while others claimed that it was Dark Willow. The person who got me into the show stated that Buffy's friends were the Big Bad. These are all valid ideas, but Joss Whedon has said that this year, the Big Bad was life itself.

Sounds a little depressing, right? This is generally considered the darkest season of the show, utilizing the darkest metaphors and plot points (there is one scene in this season that one friend of mine can't even watch). It's not hard to think that the season that begins with Buffy being dead would be a bit more heavy than what has come before; one of the show's most important messages is that all actions have consequences proportional to the action, so imagine what could result from the act of resurrection (in fact, the true ramifications won't even be explored until Season 7, but there is a doozy of one this year).

The year began by showing us what the group has been doing since Buffy's passing. Knowing that Sunnydale would become overrun with demons upon hearing the news that the Slayer was dead, they've reprogrammed the Buffybot to slay vampires and keep up the image that Buffy is alive. Giles is planning on returning to England because he feels that, since his Slayer is dead, he is no longer needed there. Unbeknownst to him, Willow and the rest of the Scooby gang are planning a spell that will bring Buffy back to life. They are afraid that, due to the nature of her death, she is suffering in a hell dimension, and they believe that they will be doing her a favor. The only person who doesn't know about this (besides Giles) is Spike, who has been fighting beside Willow, Xander, Dawn, etc. in a way to honor Buffy. When Buffy is brought back, she awakens in her coffin six feet under the ground and is forced to dig her way out. Her first few days of life seem surreal to her, and once she regains her composure, she reveals that she was in fact in heaven (or a heavenly dimension), and being back is like being in hell. The twist: she only tells this to Spike. She thanks her friends for "saving" her, knowing that the truth would only make her friends hate themselves.

So why is life the Big Bad? In addition to life feeling like hell, without Buffy's mother around, Buffy is forced to become the breadwinner to support Dawn and herself (and possibly Willow and Tara, who are living in Buffy's mom's room). A few of the early episodes show her trying to get a loan (only to have to fight a demon in the bank) and her attempt at finding a job. Eventually, she gets one at a fast food joint (interestingly enough, I first saw that episode, "Doublemeat Palace", the same day I saw the movie Supersize Me; after that, I pretty much swore off fast food). Funny trivia: the only episode that advertisers threatened to pull funding from was the one where Buffy started her job there, believing that the show was trying to send an anti-fast food message. After this, her job there was barely referenced. Buffy also began a physical relationship with Spike this year. However, unlike with Angel or Riley, she was with Spike to feel something and escape the numbness that became her life.

But Buffy wasn't the only one dealing with life getting hard. Willow's journey this season was almost as painful as Buffy's. Willow's skills as a witch continued to grow this year, and she began to abuse her abilities, using more and more for trivial things. When Tara confronts her about this abuse, Willow casts a spell on her to make her forget... twice. This causes them to break up, leading Willow spiral downwards in a drug-use metaphor. In the series' trippiest episode, Willow became so high that she almost got herself and Dawn killed, leading to Buffy and Xander losing their trust in her. Xander and Anya also experience problems when, on their wedding day, Xander gets cold feet and leaves Anya at the altar. This results in Anya becoming a vengeance demon again and creating a rift between her and the rest of the Scoobies.

If these internal problems weren't enough, the first candidates of corporeal Big Bads were a constant thorn in the side of Buffy and her friends. Jonathan Levinson, Warren Mears, and Andrew Wells, three nerdy guys (two of whom have been recurring characters in the past; originally, Tucker Wells, the boy who summoned the hellhounds on Prom Night, was going to be the leader, but when the actor who played him was unavailable, his little brother Andrew was created, and Warren became the leader, which explains why he became much more sinister than he was in Season 5) formed the Evil Trio in an attempt to take over Sunnydale. Each one has their own area of expertise; Warren is an engineer, Jonathan is an amateur sorcerer, and Andrew, like his brother, is a demon summoner. In early episodes, they come off as wannabe villains; in a flashback to their first meeting, they came together almost as a way to pass the time. However, as the season progresses, they become more and more competent. It also becomes clear that Jonathan is beginning to have doubts about how evil the trio should be, while Warren slowly becomes more and more psychotic. Andrew is sort of caught in the middle; he is not a bad person, but he is a weak person, somewhat comparable to Wormtail in the Harry Potter series. He attaches himself to people stronger and smarter than himself for protection (though one would think that he would go over to Buffy, who is much stronger than Warren). He develops an attachment to Warren (though it is never explicitly stated, there are strong indications that he is gay and attracted to Warren). Eventually, there are signs that Warren is planning something big, but when Buffy foils the plan, he escapes, leaving Jonathan and Andrew to take the punishment from the cops.

And it is Warren who brings about the other corporeal entity that could have served as Big Bad. Towards the end of the season, Willow and Tara get back together. In the episode "Seeing Red", possibly the darkest episode of the series, Tara finally achieves regular status by appearing in the opening credits. However, the episode ends with Warren showing up at the Summers home to get revenge on Buffy. He fires a gun at the Slayer and wounds her. But an errant bullet kills Tara, and causes Willow to go absolutely apeshit and go on a revenge spree (the episode is also notable for having the aforementioned scene that my friend can barely watch). The final few episodes deal with Buffy, Xander, Anya, and Giles trying to stop the deranged witch from destroying the world when one of her attempts to draw power connects her emotionally to everyone on Earth, causing her to feel the pain of the world. In one of the show's most beautiful scenes, an unlikely hero succeeds in stopping her...

In a side story in these last few episodes, Spike travels to Africa to confront a demon. You see, in this scene that I keep referring to, he attempted to rape Buffy after she refused to be physical with him any more. Obviously, this is completely shatters that fragile relationship they shared, and she tells him she never wants to see him again. In Africa, Spike performs a series of brutal trials for reasons that are never stated but alluded to be the removal of his chip. However, the last scene of the season shows the demon granting Spike his soul back. I have had debates with one of my friends over whether this was Spike's intention or not. I think that it was since he never actually said that he was trying to get his chip removed. Although many viewers would be lead to believe that his remarks about going to be able to give "the Slayer what she deserves" have to do with hurting her, they also make sense in the context of getting his soul back. However, my friend believes that no vampire would ever try to willingly get his soul back, and the demon gave him something that would allow Buffy to get what she deserved, even if it wasn't what Spike asked for (a kind of "Monkey's Paw" resolution).

Of course, I can't talk about Season 6 without talking about the phenomenal musical episode, "Once More With Feeling". In a season dominated by darkness, this episode brought some much-needed humor. The episode still had some dark elements and perfectly fit into the storyline, but it was executed so perfectly that it stands as one of the best and most beloved episode of Buffy. The entire cast did their own singing (which is why Willow has so few singing lines), and for the most part, everyone did great for being people who are not professional singers. The songs successfully moved the story forward and reflected the inner natures of the characters singing them. But most importantly, there was a good reason for why it was happening; the demon Sweet was summoned through a pendant and his presence forces the entire town to sing their inner-most feelings. This leads to comedy ("I'll Never Tell) as well as tragedy (the reprise to "Under Your Spell/Standing").

Though this season is often criticized for its darkness, I believe that it was necessary, because it showed that life can (and will) get pretty bad sometimes, but it is possible to overcome it.

Up next: Surprises, betrayals, and a powerful contrast in Los Angeles...