Bargaining (Part 2)
Writer: David Fury
Director : David Grossman
Cast : Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers, Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris, Emma Caulfield as Anya, Michelle Trachtenberg as Dawn Summers, James Marsters as Spike, Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg.
Main guest stars : Amber Benson as Tara, Franc Ross as Razor, Geoff Meed as Mag, Mike Grief as Klyed.
Original broadcast date : October 2, 2001
In the cemetery, Xander and a weak and very disappointed Willow make off to the woods, aiming to get back to the Magic Box where Anya and Tara will be waiting for them. Meanwhile, the BuffyBot is taking quite a beating at the hands of the bikers. Worried about being close to a systems failure, the bot says to herself that she has to find Willow, and fast.
Back in the cemetery, the real Buffy, freshly brought back to life tries to scream but can summon only a dry rasp. Terrified, she tries to fight her way out of the coffin; she punches the top until some dirt starts streaming in.
Lost in the woods, Xander and Willow stop for a break. Willow realizes that the spell really failed, and she breaks down in tears, knowing Buffy isn¹t ever coming back.
At the Summers house, Dawn peeks out the window, wondering what all the ruckus is about. Spike angrily draws her back, then prepares to leave the house for a safer location. Meanwhile, at the cemetery, a hand jerks out of the ground; Buffy clambers up to open air, then gets up and stumbles a few feet away. Peering back at the grave, she notices the headstone and her eyes widen in a look of pure, abject terror.
In the streets of Sunnydale, a lone, dishevelled Buffy, in her funereal black dress, walks slowly amidst the debris and burning cars, confused by it all and not having fully recovered her eyesight yet. Meanwhile, at the Magic Box, Tara and Anya barricade themselves in and overhear some of Razor¹s thugs, outside, planning to visit some stores. Anya is worried sick about Xander, but Tara gets an idea she sits on a table and closes her eyes in meditation, planning to guide Willow and Xander magically. In the woods, just as they think they¹re lost, Willow and Xander see a tiny blue light floating towards them It¹s Tara.
Still bewildered and disoriented, Buffy leans against a car, which make the alarm go off. The owner of the car comes out of his house with a gun and tells her to go away, but she looks at his fuzzy shape, not understanding him. A disorientated Buffy bumps into a car, setting off the alarm and causing the owner to threaten her with a shotgun.
In front of the Summers house, Spike knocks a biker off his motorcycle and claims it for himself. He tosses a helmet to Dawn, and they set out for a safer place. Meanwhile, at the Magic Shop, Anya, Xander, Willow and Tara assess the situation outside and decide that without Buffy, they¹re Sunnydale¹s only hope.
Still wandering, Buffy approaches a gang of bikers forming a circle around what she sees as a blurry individual - it¹s the BuffyBot, her limbs tied by chains to four motorcycles getting ready to drive off. For a moment, the two Buffys¹ eyes meet and widen in recognition. As the motorcycles drive off, tearing the bot apart, Buffy screams “Nooooo!”, attracting attention to herself. Razor suggests that she may be their next toy, and she runs off, chased by the biker demons.
In a dark alley, the Scoobies, armed, are preparing themselves for combat, while discussing why their attempt to revive Buffy failed. Suddenly, a form lands in a crouch in front of them. They groan as they recognize what they think is the BuffyBot, but Willow, mesmerized, realizes this is the real Buffy. Calling her name, they scare her away, and they chase her to a corner where she cowers, her eyes darting to and fro, like an animal¹s, looking for an escape route. Willow and Xander try to get through to her, but then Xander realized what they¹ve done revived her but left her to claw her way out of her coffin.
This lovely reunion is interrupted by Razor and his bikers, eager for a fight. Willow tries to tell them off with magic, but Razor just knocks her out of the way. Which causes something to click in place within Buffy When Razor asks who wants to go next, she steps up to him, looking focused for the first time. He rejoices at the fact that the Slayer would be the one to confront him, and hits her. She feels the blood trickling from her lip with her finger, and snaps into Slayer mode, long enough to fight Razor and his bikers, leaving many dead and Razor himself unconscious. The gang is happy that Buffy seems back to normal, but she gets scared again and runs off. In the distance, she sees Glory¹s tower, and runs towards it.
On the “borrowed” bike, Spike and Dawn arrive at the town square where the BuffyBot¹s head and torso lay. While Spike goes to look for the matching limbs, the bot snaps to life one last time, long enough to wonder where “she” went, “the other Buffy” Dawn takes off before Spike gets back, and spots clues of the fight with the biker demons, leading her to start thinking that maybe, just maybe
In the alley, the Scoobies are still stunned by Buffy¹s departure, but their attention is needed elsewhere when Razor wakes up. With various weapons, sticks and magic, they fight him and eventually succeed in overwhelming him and killing him.
Atop Glory¹s tower, a very confused Buffy advances towards the void Flashes of what happened here come back to her Dawn pleading with her not to jump, herself saying (eyes closed, she whispers the words) “Dawny, I have to” Then, Dawn arrives behind her and timidly asks if it¹s really her. Buffy doesn¹t want to acknowledge her sister, she just wants to stay in her memories and jump, once again. Dawn pleads that she speak to her, and finally, Buffy, in a the small voice of a confused little girl, says her first words: “Is this Hell?” Dawn answers that it isn¹t, then asks her sister not to jump, admitting, in a touching scene, how much she needs Buffy.
Then the unstable tower starts jolting severely, and Dawn urgently asks Buffy to walk toward her. Buffy is torn, but when the platform gives and Dawn screams, she realizes with alarm the danger they¹re in, and goes to save her. Grabbing hold of a rope on a pulley, she lowers both of them to safety, while the tower collapses around them.
Realizing that Buffy is now alive and safe, Dawn drags her into a hug, sobbing and telling her sister she¹s home. But Buffy¹s eyes just stare into the distance, in a mix of confusion and dismay
Summary by OttsFiveByFive.
Episode Ratings
Mac -
“The 2nd hour was more fast-paced, but still dragged in areas. Even with the dragging, it’s a formidable opener.”
Quotes
Bargaining II
(B=Buffy, X=Xander, W=Willow, S=Spike, A=Anya, T=Tara, D=Dawn, BB=BuffyBot)
—
W: Adonai, helomi, pine. Adonai, helomi, pine. The gods do command thee from thy majesty. O mappa laman. Adonai, helomi. Come forward, Blessed One, know your calling. Come forward, Blessed One. Child of Elomina, accept our humble gratitude for your offering. In death, you give life. May you find wings to the
kingdom.
W: I had to get that thing.
X: Giles isn’t around - you can dump the cryptic.
A: Well, it must be something pretty intense. The black market’s all baby teeth and spooky fluids.
W: Oh, you got butterflies, baby?
T: More like bats.
A: You want to look at the money? I find it always calms me.
A: We brought you some lovely parting gifts. It’s American. Get it? Apple pie? To remind you of all the good food you won’t be eating.
T: And a monster - sort of a Sunnydale souvenir, we thought. Grr, aargh!
A: I’ll take really good care of your money.
W: Well, you should get going. Don’t you have a life or something?
G: I suppose that’s the question, really.
W: It was right, though, wasn’t it? Giving him the no-tears send off? I mean, we don’t want him going off all worried about us.
A: He’d still be all worried, just eight hours ahead.
W: Osiris, keeper of the gate, master of all fate, hear us. Before time and after. Before knowing and nothing. Accept our offering. Know our prayer. Osiris, here lies the warrior of the people. Let her cross over. Osiris, let her cross over. Osiris, release her.
A: Less talk, more running away.
X: We got trouble, right here in Hellmouth City.
S: A couple of stakes, holy water, one cross. [picks up cross] Ow! [drops it] Brilliant.
S: I’m not gonna let those buggers lay so much as a warty digit on you.
A: They could be hurt. Xander could be lying somewhere, broken and bleeding, calling out my name.
T: Anya…
A: Like that! Oh god.
T: Willow and I always know how to find each other.
A: With yoga?
X: Okay, this is really starting to grate my cheese. These woods aren’t that big. Now, I know we’ve been going straight because I’ve been following the North star.
W: Xander, that’s not the North star. It’s an airplane.
X: No, that’s not an airplane. That’s definitely… a blimp. But I can see how one would make that airplane mistake.
W: That spell took a lot out of me.
X: As, for example, snakes?
X: Do not get all avoidy on me.
X: Demons. Ah, there’s something you don’t see every day. Unless you’re us.
X: We’re being hunted and you’re hello-ing a strange, fast-moving light in the dark?
W: Xander, it’s not a bug. It’s Tara.
X: And how long have you known that your girlfriend’s Tinkerbell?
D: What?
S: Oh, nothing. Just, uh, looked like fun. I’m just saying.
X: This place is NORAD when we’re at DefCon 1. [pause] Okay, I *so* need male friends.
Biker Demon: All in one quick, really pretty violent fell swoop.
X: I don’t see you winning too many beauty contests, unless the Miss “My face fell off” pageant gets going.
Biker Demon: Big axe you got there.
X: The better to cut you down to size, Grandma.
X: I happen to be a very powerful man-witch myself. A male… [asks Willow] is it a warlock? Warlock.
A: Plus, we have a Slayer here. Who might actually be looking to eat some brains, so I think a little quiet moseying, no hard feelings, and I’m sure your demon horde won’t think any the less of you.
Biker Demon: Now, let me tell you something, children - we’re not gonna fight you. We’re just gonna hold you down and enjoy ourselves for a few hours.
A: Does this mean we win?
T: Nobody messes with my girl.
X: Tara, nice axing.
T: My first!
D: The tower was built by crazy people and I don’t think it’s holding up very well.
Credit: The Sunnydale Slayers