Bargaining, Part One (Buffy episode)
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"Bargaining, Part One" is the Season 6 opener of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. See also List of Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes.
Plot synopsis
Summary
For months after Buffy's jump, the Scooby Gang's repaired Buffybot kept Sunnydale's demons from learning of her death. As Buffybot visits Dawn's school for a Parent-Teacher day, Giles and Anya bicker about the running of the Magic Box, leading Giles to wonder whether he still has a place in Sunnydale without Buffy.After Anya manages to find the last remaining urn of Osiris on eBay, the Scoobies are finally able to set the ball rolling on a plan to raise Buffy from the dead. Willow is convinced that she will be able to do so using a magic spell, however her friends aren't so sure that they should meddle with the laws of nature. Once Willow points out that Buffy could be trapped in a hell dimension, the gang soon relents and they make plans to perform the spell on the following night.
Meanwhile, a vampire discovers that the Slayer has been replaced by a robot, leading to a gang of demon bikers heading towards Sunnydale for some fun.
The next day, Willow kills a fawn to obtain its blood, which is required for the spell, and Giles decides to leave for England to start a new life away from Sunnydale. That night, Willow, Xander, Anya and Tara gather at Buffy's grave to perform the powerful resurrection spell.
However, the demon bikers have arrived and start causing chaos in the town, disrupting the spell and breaking the Urn of Osiris. The Scoobies are forced to flee Buffy's gravesite, believing that the spell has not worked, however the episode ends with Buffy waking up in her coffin.
Expanded overview
The Scooby Gang patrol in the absence of the Slayer. Willow and her growing powers lead the efforts and the gang with telepathy and other magic from a perch on top of a crypt. She's even brought back the Buffybot who helps the group slay several vampires. At the Summers home, Willow and Tara are living there with Dawn and the Buffybot. Willow tried to make the robot more normal, but her tuning never really goes quite like planned.
The Buffybot is sent out with Dawn for Parent Day at Dawn's school. Despite some odd comments and tense moments, the Buffybot doesn't cause much of a scene and isn't suspected of not being real. At the magic shop, Giles is packing up his items in preparation for his return to England. Anya is torn between the idea of losing Giles and taking over the shop on her own.
That night, Spike stays with Dawn while the rest of the gang has a meeting. Dawn suggests that Spike can leave, but he is determined not to leave her to be hurt ever again and starts a card game. The Buffybot hunts vampires, but gets hit with a bottle and her motion skills are impaired. Anya has found--on E-bay of all places--the Urn of Osiris. Willow's pleased and announces their plans to bring back Buffy the next night. She stresses that Giles, Spike and Dawn can't know, and that because Buffy was killed by mystical energy, they have a chance of bringing her back.
Willow returns home to find Spike keeping a wounded Buffybot out of trouble. Some left-behind Spike-obsessed Warren programming strikes a nerve with the vampire and he leaves. Without her real sister, Dawn tries to find comfort from the Buffybot, but doesn't get much. The next day, Giles tries to teach the Buffybot new skills, like breathing, then they talk about Giles' reason to be in Sunnydale now that Buffy is gone.
The vampire that hit the Buffybot with a bottle rants to several biker demons and the news is spilled that a robot has now taken over for the Slayer. The demons ride out to wreak havoc in Sunnydale. Willow works on a spell in an open outdoor location and a baby deer approaches her. She sudden stabs it in the throat and finishes her spell. She returns to the magic shop claiming she got the blood from the black market.
The gang finds a note from Giles stating that he's already left. Not about to accept a silent escape, the track him down at the airport and he gets a proper farewell with presents, signs, balloons and tears. After Giles departs, Willow, Xander, Anya and Tara return home for final preparations and then head to the cemetery. They prepare the ritual, sitting around Buffy's grave and Willow begins the spell. Willow is cut on her arms and a large snake is produced from her mouth, but Tara insists that they don't stop.
Meanwhile, Spike watches over Dawn and the while the bikers are tearing Sunnydale apart. Buffybot tries to stop them, but the leader, Razor, wounds her and she runs away to be repaired. The bikers then hit the cemetery and interrupt Willow's spell by breaking the Urn of Osiris. One of the bikers tries to take Anya away, but Tara uses magic to get her back. Xander tells Willow that the spell didn't work but in the coffin, a dead, decaying body reverts back to the live and confused form of Buffy.
Writing and acting
Cast
- Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris
- Emma Caulfield as Anya Jenkins
- Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers and Buffybot
- Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg
- James Marsters as Spike
- Michelle Trachtenberg as Dawn Summers
- This episode was the first time Anthony Stewart Head is credited as a "Special Guest Star." He had been a series regular for the previous five seasons, but now his character has left for England. He would return later in the season and for much of the next.
Quotes and trivia
- "That'll put marzipan in your pie plate, Bingo." - The Buffybot after dusting a vampire. Willow's experiments with punning have resulted in word salad.
- The show had run on the WB for the previous five seasons. UPN showed a series of Buffy Season 6 UPN promos prior to airing the show. The UPN aired Buffy for the next two seasons.
- When put into syndication, some parts of this episode have been edited out. Specifically, Willow's sacrifice of the doe (dubbed "Willow kills Bambi") to garner the blood necessary for her ritual, is cut out, however it is included in the epsiode aired on SPIKE TV and Sky One.
- The 2 hour season premiere of "Bargaining Parts 1 & 2" on UPN attracted 7.7 million viewers, the 2nd highest viewership the show has ever received, only behind Season 2's 'Innocence'.
Continuity
Arc significance
The episode sees the Scooby Gang performing a spell to raise Buffy from the dead, a decision which will have consequences for Buffy and her friends throughout Season Six, and eventually allows the The First Evil to exploit the vulnerability in the Slayer line in Season Seven.Willow's increasing power is also shown in this episode, as she is able to endure the tests required to bring Buffy back. Willow's attitudes towards magic also play a major part of Season Six, particularly in the episodes "Smashed", "Wrecked", "Villains", "Two to Go", and "Grave".
Timing
- Stories that take place around the same time in the Buffyverse:
| Location, time (if known) | Buffyverse chronology: Fall 2001 - December 2001 (non-canon = italic) |
|---|---|
| L.A., 2001 | Buffy/Angel novel: Cursed (Buffy/Angel novel)>Cursed |
| L.A., 2001 | A3.01 Heartthrob (Angel episode)>Heartthrob |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | Buffy UPN promos: Buffy Season 6 UPN promos>Scooby Gang talk about Buffy |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | B6.01 Bargaining, Part One (Buffy episode)>Bargaining, I |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | B6.02 Bargaining, Part Two (Buffy episode)>Bargaining, II |
| L.A., 2001 | A3.02 That Vision Thing (Angel episode)>That Vision Thing |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | B6.03 After Life (Buffy episode)>After Life |
| L.A., 2001 | Angel book: Sanctuary (Angel novel)>Sanctuary |
| L.A., 2001 | A3.03 That Old Gang of Mine (Angel episode)>That Old Gang of Mine |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | B6.04 Flooded (Buffy episode)>Flooded |
| L.A., 2001 | A3.04 Carpe Noctem (Angel episode)>Carpe Noctem |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | Buffy comic: Reunion (Buffy comic)>Reunion |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | B6.05 Life Serial (Buffy episode)>Life Serial |
| L.A., 2001 | A3.05 Fredless (Angel episode)>Fredless |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | Buffy graphic novel |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | Buffy book: Blood and Fog (Buffy novel)>Blood and Fog |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | B6.06 All the Way (Buffy episode)>All the Way |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | Buffy graphic novel: Note from the Underground (Buffy comic)>Note from the Underground |
| L.A., 2001 | A3.06 Billy (Angel episode)>Billy |
| L.A., 2001 | Angel anthology book:The Longest Night (Angel novel)>The Longest Night |
| Sunnydale, L.A., Monster Island, 2001 | Buffy/Angel novel: Monster Island (Buffy/Angel novel)>Monster Island |
| L.A., 2001 | Angel book: Endangered Species (Angel novel)>Endangered Species |
| L.A., 2001 | Angel book: Impressions (Angel novel)>Impressions |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | B6.07 Once More, with Feeling (Buffy episode)>Once More, with Feeling |
| L.A., 2001 | A3.07 Offspring (Angel episode)>Offspring |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | B6.08 Tabula Rasa (Buffy episode)>Tabula Rasa |
| L.A., 2001 | A3.08 Quickening (Angel episode)>Quickening |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | B6.09 Smashed (Buffy episode)>Smashed |
| L.A., 2001 | A3.09 Lullaby (Angel episode)>Lullaby |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | B6.10 Wrecked (Buffy episode)>Wrecked |
| L.A., 2001 | A3.10 Dad (Angel episode)>Dad |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | B6.11 Gone (Buffy episode)>Gone |
| L.A., 2001 | A3.11 Birthday (Angel episode)>Birthday |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | Buffy graphic novel: Creatures of Habit (Buffy comic)>Creatures of Habit |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | Buffy graphic novel: |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | B6.12 Doublemeat Palace (Buffy episode)>Doublemeat Palace |
| L.A., 2001 | A3.12 Provider (Angel episode)>Provider |
| Buffyverse | ||
| Main | Canon | Index Chronology: Ancient | Modern | BS1 | BS2 | BS3 | BS4/AS1 | BS5/AS2 | BS6/AS3 | BS7/AS4 | AS5 | Future | Flashbacks | |
| Buffy | Characters (main) | Characters (minor) | Episodes | Plot | Comics | Film | Pilot (unaired) | Promo: History.. | Novels | Promos: Pre-"Bargaining" | |
| Angel | Characters (main) | Characters (minor) | Episodes | Plot | | |
| Spin-offs | Comics | Fan made productions | Fray | Novels | Spike movie | Undeveloped productions Buffy Animated | Card Game | RPGs | Tales of Slayer (prose) | Tales of Slayers | Tales of Vampires | Toys | Video Games Upcoming: Blackout | | | | | | Portal Through Time | Spike vs Dracula | | |
| Powers | Angel Investigations | Circle of the Black Thorn | Order of Aurelius | The First Evil | The Initiative | Monsters | Old Ones | The Powers That Be | Ra-Tet | Scooby Gang | Senior Partners | Watchers' Council | Wolfram & Hart | |
| People | Adam | Amy | Andrew | Angel | Anya | Buffy | Caleb | Connor | Cordelia | Dawn | Darla | Doyle | Dru | Eve | Faith | Fred | Giles | Glory | Gunn | Harmony | Holtz | Illyria | Jasmine | Jenny | Joyce | Jonathan | Kate | Kennedy | Lilah | Lindsey | Lorne | The Master | Mayor Wilkins | Oz | Professor Walsh | Riley | Spike | Tara | Warren | Wesley | Willow | Xander | |
| Places | L.A. | Sunnydale Bronze | Caritas | Hellmouth | Hyperion | Library | Magic Box | Pylea | Sunnydale High | |
| Music | Complete Tracklist | Use of Music in Buffy & Angel | Dingoes Ate My Baby | Film | | | Once More, With Feeling | |
| Key Terminology | "Demon" | "Slayer" | "Vampire" | "Watcher" | "Werewolf" | "Witch" "Child of Senior Partners" | Shanshu | Sunnydale Syndrome | Tro-Clon | |
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