• Review Index
  • About Me
  • Suggestions

vinnieh

~ Movie reviews and anything else that comes to mind

vinnieh

Tag Archives: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 6

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 6

20 Wednesday Aug 2014

Posted by vinnieh in Television Reviews

≈ 25 Comments

Tags

2000's, Alyson Hannigan, Amber Benson, Anthony Stewart Head, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 6, Emma Caulfield, James Marsters, Michelle Trachtenberg, Nicholas Brendon, Sarah Michelle Gellar

After Buffy’s heroic death at the end of Season 5, I think a lot of people wondered how the show could carry on. The answer is Season 6 which emerges as one of the darkest series and one of the most hotly debated in the Buffy saga. Spoilers will follow in this overview.

The Scooby Gang is still reeling from Buffy’s(Sarah Michelle Gellar) death. Buffy Season 6 castGiles(Anthony Stewart Head) decides to return to England whilst Willow(Alyson Hannigan) takes over leadership of the group. With her Wiccan powers increasing, Willow decides that they must resurrect Buffy. She believes that Buffy must be trapped in a hell dimension after she threw herself into the portal of energy. Although Xander(Nicholas Brendon), Anya(Emma Caulfield) and Tara(Amber Benson) are unsure of the spell and worried about potential consequences, Willow takes command and decides to go ahead with the ritual. Buffy is in fact brought back, but exactly where she was left, her grave. Buffy resurrectedAfter clawing her way out of her coffin, Buffy is withdrawn and traumatized by the ordeal. We later find out that she was in fact in Heaven and her friends pulled her out of it. She further sinks into depression and finds comfort in the arms of Spike(James Marsters), engaging in a sexual relationship that soon becomes increasingly destructive for both involved. Whilst dealing with her dark ordeal, Buffy is faced with the Trio; Warren, Andrew and Jonathan. These three geeks have banded together to become super powerful, though they are mostly inane. They torment Buffy by summoning demons and toying with her. Buffy The TrioAs Warren craves more power, their mission takes a darker turn once they come into contact with Buffy. Meanwhile, Dawn(Michelle Trachtenberg) is feeling isolated from everyone and takes to stealing as a coping mechanism. Anya and Xander announce their engagement to the gang, although it ends in sadness. One of the most important character arcs this season is Willow’s. She is now becoming more powerful but continues to rely too much on magic. This makes Tara worried for her safety and the two begin to grow apart. As Willow begins to acknowledge her addiction, a tragedy sends her spiralling back into the realms of dark magic. Can Buffy regain her strength and bring her best friend back before it is too late? All will be revealed in this bleak penultimate season.

As I previously mentioned, Season 6 is controversial among fans. Many consider it too dark and that the series should have ended with the epic Season 5 finale. In one sense I do think that Season 5 made for an excellent finale, but Season 6 does have its good points in terms of characters and themes. Each character is going through a personal struggle of some sort. The most interesting examples are Buffy and Willow. Buffy must readjust to life again whilst trying to cope with the knowledge that in death she found happiness. Willow must deal with her magic addiction that is slowly taking her over. Season 6 does have its fun moments though, especially in the classic musical episode ‘Once more, with feeling’. In the episode, the residents of Sunnydale are afflicted with the urge to reveal their thoughts in song by a demon. The catch of this is that if they sing and dance for too long, they will combust. Buffy Xander and Anya DancingThe episode is filled with humour and some amazing vocal work as the characters find themselves telling their secrets to one another and delving into their personalities. Witty, theatrical and a joy to watch, it is classic and innovative Buffy.

Yet despite these moments of comedy, it is the tragedy and darkness that Season 6 will generally be remembered for. The most tragic moment has to be the death of Tara. After Buffy humiliates the power crazed Warren, he shoots her but a stray bullet hits Tara, who dies in Willow’s arms. Willow red eyesTara’s death is such a sad moment as she and Willow were just getting to know one another again and their rekindled relationship has been tragically cut short. Seeing Willow cry as she holds her beloved and her eyes turn to a scarlet red is both an emotional and scary moment. Tara’s death also functions as the key factor in Willow’s descent into dark magic with horrific consequences as she wants the world to know the pain her loss has caused her.  It’s sad to see Tara leave the show, because I’ve continually been impressed with Amber Benson’s subtle and moving performance as her. Yet I do understand that her death functions as a way to push Willow’s story forward. Although The Trio are used for comedic effect, even they take a dark turn. This is certainly in the case with Warren, who soon begins to lose his grip on plans.

Our cast delivers some stunning work during this season. Sarah Michelle Gellar flexes her acting muscles and gets to show us the vulnerable side to Buffy and how much death and resurrection has affected her. She’s still a fierce warrior who can take down the enemy, but this season showcases Buffy at her most frightened before she manages to reclaim her life once and for all. It is a true testament to Gellar’s talent that we sympathise with Buffy and want her to climb out of her sadness. Nicholas Brendon is great as Xander, who is going through his own set of problems. This includes his wedding day in which he can’t go through with it because he glimpses what a future with Anya might be like. Brendon imbues the part with emotion and earnest heart. Emma Caulfield continues her impressive portrayal of Anya, who is broken by being left at the altar. This causes her to reconsider her past of vengeance and Caulfield gets to show us the wounded woman who can’t deal with the human pain. Caulfield still has her laugh out loud moments but this is the season when Anya really grows as a character. Alyson Hannigan excels at showing Willow’s downward spiral into magic addiction and the horror of when she turns into an almighty powerful force who can wreak havoc on anyone or anything. Dark WillowShe also shows us the side of her that wants to stop, but can’t help but give into these dark impulses especially after the death of Tara. James Marsters reveals the caring side to Spike as he falls into a sexual relationship with Buffy, but how he can’t deal with the fact she is using him as a way to cope. This culminates in Spike attempting to rape Buffy, a decision that causes him to leave town and attempting to regain a soul. Michelle Trachtenberg captures the feelings of isolation as Dawn, who develops a stealing obsession that soon gets out of hand. Sadly, Anthony Stewart Head isn’t in Buffy as much this season as Giles, but when he does come back it’s certainly worth it. I mean any Giles is better than no Giles at all, isn’t it?

Season 6 may become a bit too grim for its own good, but the excellent performances and stories make sure that Buffy is still one amazing television series.

Subscribe

  • Entries (RSS)
  • Comments (RSS)

Archives

  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012

Categories

  • 007 thoughts and reviews
  • Adventures of Satrap
  • Announcements
  • Awards and Achievements
  • Birthdays and Tributes
  • Blogging Community
  • Blogging Questions
  • Creepy
  • Gif Posts
  • Humour
  • Movie and Television Trivia
  • Movie opinions and thoughts
  • Movie Reviews
  • Music reviews and opinions
  • Photography Discussion
  • Rest In Peace
  • Sport
  • Television Opinions
  • Television Reviews
  • Uncategorized

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
March 2021
M T W T F S S
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293031  
« Feb    

Tags

007 1940's 1950's 1960's 1970's 1980's 1990's 2000's 2010's Action Adventure Announcement Based on a true story Bernard Lee Bette Davis Birthday Blogs You Should Follow Carry On Movies Cate Blanchett Comedy Crime Desmond Llewelyn Drama Fantasy Foreign Language Film Gillian Anderson Happy Birthday Horror James Bond Judi Dench Julianne Moore Julia Roberts Liebster Award Lois Maxwell Madonna Maggie Smith Matthew Fox Meryl Streep Michelle Pfeiffer Music Musical Mystery Natalie Portman Neve Campbell Period Drama Psychological Horror Psychological Thriller Rest In Peace Romance Romantic Comedy Science Fiction Spy Supernatural Horror Thriller

Top Posts & Pages

The Call
What are Your Favourite Sexy Movies and Television Shows?
Walkabout
Lyric Analysis - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Kylie Minogue: Where the Wild Roses Grow
50 First Dates
Desperate Housewives Season 1
Ladies in Suits
Desperate Housewives Season 4
Stardust
Do You Want to See More Butts on My Blog?
Follow vinnieh on WordPress.com

Blog at WordPress.com.

Cancel

 
Loading Comments...
Comment
    ×
    Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
    To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy