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When I first watched the sixth season of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" I pretty much took it for granted that this was the weakest season of Joss Whedon's creation (the second is still the best for me). But as I watched it again on DVD I found that even if it is indeed a weak season by "BtVS" standards it still ends up being worth 5 stars. The weakest Big Bads in the show's history give way in the final episodes to the biggest surprise Big Bad since Angeleus. You have to get bonus points for not seeing that one coming (although you can clearly see how it was set up from the first episode when you watch it again). Besides, just tally up the surprises that come at the end of the season, specifically in terms of what happens at Xander and Anya's wedding at the end of "Hell's Bells," to Buffy at the end of "Normal Again," to Tara at the end of "Seeing Red," to Warren at the end of "Villains," with Giles at the end of "Two to Go," and with Dawn, Xander, and Spike at the end of "Grave."
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete Sixth Season" is about leaving childish things behind and taking on responsibility in the adult world, which explains both why Buffy is working at the "DoubleMeat Palace" (the only "BtVS" episode to lose sponsors when fast food restaurants were offended) and why the Big Bads for the season are the Nerds (Flooded), who are still very much into playing with their toys. The doctor (Michael Warren) in "Normal Again" is on target when he talks about how lame these guys are compared to the Master, the Mayor, and Glory, but they are the perfect flip side to the major themes of the season. Xander and Anya have convinced themselves that they are ready for the next step and announce their engagement ("Life Serial") while Buffy and begins a destructive intimate relationship with Spike ("Smashed" & "Wrecked") and Dawn is having major abandonment issues ("Older and Far Away").
With Anthony Stewart Head departing the cast it was nice to see Alyson Hannigan get the final spot in the credits, and I was looking forward to seeing Willow continue to build on the power and position she assumed at the end of the previous season. She looks to be on track when she succeeds in bringing Buffy back from the dead in "Bargaining, Part I," but Giles points out the danger ("Flooded") and Willow uses magic to fix her relationship with Tara ("All the Way"). When the couple break up ("Tabula Rasa") Willow goes off the deep end and hits bottom ("Smashed"), which only sets up the tragic end game of the season. As Willow treads the Wicca path to the dark side Buffy has to deal with the consequences of crawling out of her grave ("Bargaining, Part 2") and finding herself living in hell on earth ("After Life").
When Buffy died at the end of the fifth season her tombstone reminded us that we "she saved the world...a lot," and one of the biggest ironies of the sixth season is that this time somebody else gets to do it. On the downside for the season it does have the weakest Halloween ("All the Way") and Buffy birthday ("Older and Far Away") episodes of all time, both of which deal with Dawn in her major whining period, but on the plus side we have the stellar musical episode "Once More With Feeling" courtesy of Joss Whedon and the prime comedic moments of Buffy trying to sell a mummy's paw at the Magic Box ("Life Serial"), Joan the Vampire Slayer ("Tabula Rasa") and a fight between invisible people ("Gone"). But overall things are clearly a lot darker this season, which is appropriate since it is not a lot of fun out there in the big bad world. Joyce is dead, Giles has gone back to England, and Buffy and the Scoobies have to grow up, whether they want to or not.
Overall, the two performers who stand out most for me in the cast for this season are Amber Benson and James Marsters. Benson not only has memorable moments on her rollercoaster relationship with Willow, but similar scenes with Buffy and Dawn. Marsters contiues to provide shadings on Spike's feelings for the Slayer, although often his moments with Dawn are the most real. This is not to slight Sarah Michelle Gellar's acting because she is still one of the best weepers on television and her comic timing has improved tremendously. However, notice at the end of the opening credits the final shot is not of Buffy but of the Buffy Bot.
If I had any questions about what ranking to give this DVD the extras would certainly settle the issue. On Disc 2 with "Once More With Feeling" there is an Academy of Television Arts and Sciences panel discussion featuring pretty much everybody (Gellar the notable no show), David Fury's video diary giving us a behind the scenes look at the musical, three "karoke" numbers that are really sing alongs (the original voices are still there) and there is also an Eager egg in the Subtitles menu for the musical. On Disc 6 there is the excellent 30-minute "Life is the Big Bad: Season Six Overview," a 43-minute television documentary "Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Television with a Bite," and a few outtakes (Gellar avoids showing up here too).
In terms of the commentary tracks Whedon shines as always on "Once More with Feeling," and we get good efforts from Marti Noxon and David Fury on "Bargaining" and Drew Z. Greenberg on "Smashed." But Rick Rosenthal and Diego Gutierrez on "Normal Again" and James Conter and Fury on "Grave" tend to get caught up with watching, and David Soloman and Rebecca Rand Kirshner on "Hell's Bells" are too busy making jokes to offer much insight.
| Additional DVD options | Edition | Discs | Price | New from | Used from |
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DVD
May 30, 2006 "Please retry" | — | 6 | $24.95 | $2.83 |
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Reviews with images
Where is disc 6? I don’t know. Probably Cancun.
I got season 6 today and I was so excited, but when I opened it, I was shocked. All the dvd slots were full, but there were two disc 3’s and no disc 6. I guess I’ll never know what happens at then end unless I spend more of my money to buy a replaceable disc of the correct dvd. But at least the other disc are in good condition, except 6. That’s long gone.
