Fw: Early-Bird Review of "Bargaining" Part 1 [SPOILERS]

["Mycroft" <mycroft1972@xxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "LRL94" <lrl94@xxxxxxx>
Newsgroups: alt.tv.buffy-v-slayer
Sent: Tuesday, October 02, 2001 12:47 AM
Subject: Early-Bird Review of "Bargaining" Part 1 [SPOILERS]


> Spoilers for "Bargaining Part 1", written by Marti Noxon, directed by
David
> Grossman.
>
>
> I
> '
> M
>
> T
> O
> O
>
> T
> I
> R
> E
> D
>
> F
> O
> R
>
> F
> U
> N
> N
> Y
>
> S
> P
> O
> I
> L
> E
> R
>
> S
> P
> A
> C
> E
>
>
> It's been a few months since Buffy's death, and her friends have developed
a
> decent fighting strategy. Willow stands on top of a mausoleum and uses
> telepathy to warn the others when a vampire is nearby. With BuffyBot's
help,
> things go pretty well. Everyone survives, anyway.
>
>
> [credits]
>
>
> Looks like Willow and Tara have taken up residence at the Summers house,
with
> Dawn and the BuffyBot. Buffy's death has been kept a secret from everyone
> outside the immediate group - even Buffy's dad doesn't know about it. He
has,
> apparently, been in touch with Dawn, but has had no contact with his other
> "daughter". Everyone wants to keep it that way, so Dawn can stay in
Sunnydale
> - this Buffy doesn't quite behave like the real thing, and even Mr.
Absentee
> Father would notice the difference.
>
> All this makes Dawn's Parent/Teacher Day interesting. BuffyBot comes off
as a
> little weird, but she manages not to blow their cover.
>
>
> At the magic shop, Giles is making Anya double check records all over the
> place. He's been talking about moving back to England and leaving Anya in
> charge of the store, but he still hasn't left yet, and it's driving her
nuts.
> To make matters worse, Xander won't let her tell anyone about their
> engagement, because things are still so "up in the air". We'll find out
what
> that means in a minute.
>
>
> That night, the Scoobies (minus Giles) have a meeting at Xander and Anya's
> apartment, while Spike babysits Dawn, refusing (sometimes angrily) to
leave her
> alone and vulnerable again.
>
>
> BuffyBot is out patrolling, which is great, until a vampire gets in a good
> punch and reveals some of her wiring. She malfunctions enough to let the
vamp
> get away, then her homing device kicks in and she tries to find Willow for
> repairs.
>
>
> Meanwhile, the Big Meeting is going down. Anya has procured the Urn of
Osiris
> (via E-Bay, natch), a last-of-its-kind mystical object which Willow
intends to
> use in a spell to resurrect Buffy. She wants to try it right away, like
the
> following night, but Xander is wigging out about doing it this soon or
doing it
> *at all*. Tara isn't thrilled with the idea, either, but they all agreed
some
> time ago that they'd attempt it, and Willow is certain she can pull it
off.
> They're not telling Giles, Spike, or Dawn, though, since they "might not
> understand".
>
> The others reluctantly agree to go ahead with the plan, especially after
Willow
> tearfully explains why it's so important. Buffy was killed by mystical
energy,
> and they don't know what happened to her soul. "She could be trapped in
some
> sort of hell dimension, like Angel was," Willow says, "suffering eternal
> torment just because she saved us. I'm not going to leave her there."
>
>
> Late that night, Dawn wakes up and goes into Buffy/BuffyBot's room. She
sees
> the robot that looks like her sister, plugged into machines, her eyes
open.
> Dawn quietly crawls into bed with her, acting almost as if Buffy were
really
> there.
>
>
> The next day, Giles is helping BuffyBot test her reflexes after Willow's
> repairs. He's also treating her like a real person, if not like the real
Buffy.
> Anya reminds him of what he's dealing with, which brings out Brooding
Giles.
> After Anya leaves, he wonders aloud if Buffy might not have been better
off
> without him. BuffyBot doesn't understand - Giles was always very helpful.
> Giles replies bitterly: "I was a perfect Watcher. I did what any good
> Watcher would do; I got my Slayer killed in the line of duty....That's how
all
> Slayer/Watcher relationships end, isn't it? She's gone. I did my job."
>
> To which BuffyBot replies, quite innocently, "Then why are you still
here?"
>
> Why, indeed.
>
>
> The vamp who escaped from BuffyBot goes to a demon biker bar and tells
them
> about what he's seen. The leader of the gang kills him anyway (he was
wearing
> a Hanson t-shirt, so I can understand the response....). Then the
biker-demons
> hop on their motorcycles and head off to invade a Slayerless Sunnydale.
>
>
> Willow prepares for the night's activities by killing a fawn whose blood
is
> needed for the ritual, then returning to the magic shop, clearly shaken,
but
> not telling what she just had to do. Everyone is nervous, but Anya finds
> something to distract them - a note from Giles. He's finally decided to
leave,
> slipping away quietly so as not to "make a scene".
>
> Of course, the kids aren't about to let him get away with this. They
follow
> him to the airport, with cute little going-away presents and a sign. He's
> incredibly moved, and decides proper goodbyes really are in order. There
are
> tearful hugs all around, and Giles makes Dawn promise to call if she ever
needs
> anything. With that, he boards the plane, leaving them with an admonition
to
> "Be careful. Please".
>
>
> Yeah, right. Willow, Xander, Tara, and Anya gather that night at Buffy's
grave
> and begin the ritual. Willow prays to the Egyptian underworld god Osiris,
who
> tests her by inflicting her with cuts, bugs under her skin, even a snake.
It's
> all quite gross, and completely freaks everybody out, especially Xander.
>
>
> While this is going on, the Biker Demons are trashing downtown Sunnydale
and
> the Summers' neighborhood. Spike (babysitting again) sees them and tries
to
> keep Dawn safe. BuffyBot manages to fight a bit, but she's damaged again
and
> heads straight for Willow.
>
>
> Who is at the most intense point in the ritual when BuffyBot arrives, with
> several demons on her tail. They destroy the Urn of Osiris, causing Willow
to
> scream, then fall to the ground unconscious. While the demons beat the
crud
> out of BuffyBot, Xander picks up Willow and the four kids escape into the
> woods.
>
>
> They assume the spell didn't work, of course.
>
>
> They're wrong.
>
>
> Buffy's decomposing body transforms back into a whole person. She wakes up
and
> begins struggling inside her coffin.
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ------
>
> Part 2 coming soon!
>
>
>
> Loey
>
>
> Early-Bird Reviews and more at -
>
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