Well wouldn’t you know it, Buffy didn’t stay dead for long. The Scoobies were trying to live life as normal as possible, having the Buffy-bot do the usual Buffy jobs, but it just wasn’t the same, and Willow decided to bring Buffy back from the beyond. It seemed almost like a given that we would find out that Buffy had been suffering in some hell dimension like Angel did before her, but the twist that she was actually in Heaven and that now the real world was her own private version of hell was a great twist. The show also didn’t rush having Buffy being back to her old self, as the experience has clearly changed her, and it’s not going to be easy for her to just get back into the swing of things. (Side note – now that Buffy died again, does another new Slayer pop up somewhere in the world? Or since the line split into two when she died the first time, would a new one emerge only if/when Faith dies?)

Giles had been threatening to leave for a while, and it makes sense that once Buffy was gone he would finally get up and go. And though it might have been frustrating for him to have to turn around and come right back thanks to Buffy’s resurrection, at least he’s building up valuable frequent flier miles. Still, it wasn’t much of a shocker that he was going to leave again, especially with him being removed from the credits and getting the old “guest starring” routine. It might have been slightly more surprising had they kept him in the main credits and then suddenly dropped him like they did with Oz and Riley before, but it still probably would have blown away no one. That said, even in light of Joyce’s death, I found Giles’ leaving to be pretty emotional. I understand his point that he feels he is holding Buffy back, but at the same time he has become more or less family to her, and so his active decision to leave was still harsh and painful.

The teaming up of Warren the robot-builder, Jonathan the nobody/superstar, and Andrew the who-the-hell-is-this-guy as super-villains seemed a little arbitrary, but they are just so darn nerdy that it is fun to watch them. Although they aren’t anywhere near as threatening as some of the other bad guys who have come through Sunnydale before, which is a shame.

On the other hand, Willow is getting more and more powerful, and given her descent into power and the not-at-all-subtle DVD cover (really, there was nothing else they could have put on the box?), it seems like one hell of a safe bet that she’s going to become more of a force to be reckoned with as the season goes on. But Willow’s transformation has been handled well, as a gradual process over the years. It seemed like last season the writers were using Willow’s magic as a crutch; whatever was going on, Willow had a spell ready to help move the plot along. But it has taken it’s toll on her, and that redeems some earlier writing that may have just seemed sloppy.

However the magic=drugs analogy felt really hackneyed. I mean, I get that power can be like a drug, but come on, going to a dealer who provides you with extra powerful “spells” that feel great but then make you come crashing down? How is that magic? How is that even an analogy? I’m pretty sure nothing like that has happened to Harry Potter…

On to “Once More, With Feeling.” This episode had been hyped up for a while, but I have to say that it didn’t disappoint. The songs were all really well written and well sung, but not only was it just amusing to see everyone singing and dancing, but the episode really moved some serious plot threads along well. Given this episode and Dr. Horrible, maybe Joss should give up on TV and focus on musicals for a living. I hated to see the cracks in Xander and Anya’s relationship, but they are moving pretty quick, and despite the fact that Anya is technically over 1,000, in her new form they are both fairly young to be getting married. And it seemed like only a matter of time before the gang found out that Buffy was in Heaven, and that Tara would discover Willow was messing around with her mind, but it is truly remarkable how so much could happen in what very easily could have been a simple throw-away episode.

As for Buffy and Spike, the second they hooked up I found myself angry. Actually angry, which is a weird emotion to have over two fictional characters getting together, but I couldn’t help it. Their history alone seems destined to keep them apart, not to mention their exes. If Angel hated Riley, how would he feel knowing that his true love is shagging Spike of all people/creatures? And how could Buffy reason to date a guy who dated Drusilla and Harmony? I understand that on some twisted level Spike is the only one who gets Buffy, and that he provides her with a real need, but honestly, she should have some better judgment here. I think I’ve heard that there’s a porn spoof of this show called Buffy the Vampire Layer, and at this point it’s almost not even a parody, as Buffy has slept with just as many vampires as she has humans. For a Vampire Slayer (emphasis on that “S”), you’d think that would be somewhat of a no-no. One exception might be bad enough, but two? Really?

So far the show has maintained it’s momentum from Season Five, and despite the weird range of emotions it puts me through, I am still hooked, as evidenced by my blinding speed going through as many episodes as possible. I might slow down for a bit to catch up on some other DVDs I’ve been meaning to get too, and I’m afraid I might have hit the downturn that Raf mentioned with episode 11, “Gone,” which featured an invisible Buffy. Cough.

Eh, I talk big, but I’ll be back to Buffy before I know it…