"Lessons"

Nearly 6 years have passed since Buffy first made her way into Sunnydale. A lot has happened, mainly vampires, demons, slayers, witches, death, love, friendship, and loss. Six really big bads. Still hard to believe that Buffy has come so far. It has come from a mid season replacement to one of the most popular cult shows ever. A lot of people may feel that the time has come for 'ol Buff to hang up her slaying shoes, finally rest in peace. It's been said that it has all been done before, that there is no more possible story arcs to be explored. I don't think this. In my opinion, Buffy has just started.

// Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer:

Buffy back from the grave, got all depressed. Slept with Spike... a lot, who was naked... a lot. Giles left. Willow got addicted to magick, Tara left her, got back together with her, then got shot. Dawn whined and whined, Xander left Anya at the alter, she became a vengeance demon again. Willow embraced the dark side, popped in the black contacts and wreaked havoc on SunnyD just before Xander, of all people, saved her from killing herself and the world.

// Another Buffy Season Opener:

I liked "Lessons". It was a good episode. No high drama, bringing Buffy back from the dead with magick kinda ep, but more of a "Season Five Buffy V.S. Dracula" episode. Why? Well the comparisons with Buffy V.S. Dracula are pretty obvious and scare at the same time. At the end of Season four there was no actual cliff-hanger, nothing really that you were dying to find resolved (bar some stuff from the dream, which most people only understood after watching the continuing seasons). Same with Season Six, everything was kinda self-explanatory. I came into "Lessons" not expecting as much as I did going into, say "Bargaining" or "Anne". But the main thing that I wanted to see pan out was how the group, and especially Willow, were going to deal with Tara's death. But they didn't! You always feel like you are missing out on a lot of stuff that happens in the Buffy Verse during the Summer. Fortunately for all of us, nothing ever happens in Buffy during the months of June to August. All the big bads just "happen" to have dealt with their urge in wanting to kill Buffy, but end up being trashed by her instead all before school term is over. So what did we miss out on? How did they change?

• Xander has become a suit wearing, majorly nice car owner. Did ya see the car?



• Buffy is not depressed any more, and has grown out her hair again. Two good things, no?



• Willow has been transported to "ye old England" where she has been spending some quality time with horse-riding Giles.



• Anya has had no interaction with the rest of the scoobs, except Hallie aparantly.



• Sunnydale High has been re-built, by Xander and his construction company. Mabye now one of the scoobs will have some dosh to slash out.

Okay enough of the before this episode analysis. Now, on to the actual episode.

// Back to School Buffy:

The opener of Lessons, which had nothing to do with the rest of the episode, bar the end, was set, oddly enough in Istanbul. It showed a young woman being chased by an unseen presence. "Run woman, Run!". This character was not credited in the opening or ending credits by anyone, but there has been a rumour that this was Sarah Michelle Gellar. It's very hard to tell though, hit the rewind button and look for the nose;) So she was running along the streets in the dark, this cool foreign music was playing, she jumps to a roof, looks behind. "SHMACK!" Two or three of these hooded figures pushed her onto the ground. Pulls out a big knife and, well you can guess what happens next. Big stabbing fest, just about to happen but cut to vampire arising from grave.

Buffy is out patrolling and Dawn is with her. This would never of happened a year ago. Buffy has always been very protective of Dawn. But since the Buffy / Dawn / Demons battle scene in "Grave" I guess Buffy has let loose a bit. Buffy says that the attacker (vampire) always has the upper hand, that they have the power, something which is subtlety kept throughout the episode. Subtle as a hammer over the head ;) At the end of this scene there is a slight sense of "Summer is over, School is around the corner", something I always dread, when Buffy talks about Sunnydale High School being re-opened.

Did you see Xander's car though? I mean come on! WTF? Where did he suddenly pull $13,000 from? I doubt that he would be able to afford it, maybe it comes with the job, I don't know. Dawn comments on his suit with a "Look at 00Xander" quip. Over at Sunnydale High, we get introduced to the new principal. Mr. Wood. He is of course very different to Flutie and Snyder, for example he is young, black, funny, good looking (well I'm not a good judge but he seemed good looking). And I am pretty sure that there is some chemistry building up between Buffy and him. I like the guy, he seems interesting. Buffy has always been lacking in the racial area. They have tried to incorporate some into the show but you can count all the black guys with the fingers on your hands.

Dawn looked rather sexy didn't she? She was wearing black and heels, very new for her. She also coloured her hair, looks nice. When she was telling Buffy to basically go away she reminded me of how cool and laid back Faith was for a slit second. I was just splitting my sides when Dawn cracked the Britney Spears joke. It was just too funny. "I'm am a fan of Britney's earlier stuff... but that was before she sold out. I'm talking the finger paints and the macaroni and cheese work of course." She was really good at doing the whole "Hi I'm Dawn, I like.." thing in class. , before Buffy stormed in and ruined her chance of making any friends. Dawn didn't know seem to know anyone in the class. But Dawn has had numerous friends throughout Buffy e.g. Janice, that girl, and boy she had a crush on, in "The Body" and the girl whose house she was going over to in "Family". Where the hell are they? Oh! Dawn got a phone! I would see this as being hard for the writers to get Dawn lost and stuff, and then have Buffy try and find her, for the billionth time.

Buffy episodes are usually not scary, but the apparitions of dead people in this episode where well done. I was kept in suspense. The bathroom scene where Dawn and Kit fell down through the floor was good. It would have been a good idea to make the dead guys characters that Buffy Fans would actually know of, like Larry.

Switch over to Willow and Giles in England. Willow is still doing magick, it is apart of her now. Not an addiction or a hobby, But part of her. She goes all "Arrgghhh!" for a minute. She tells Giles "I saw it's teeth, it's gonna swallow us all", she says she is talking about the Hellmouth. Okay...

So Spike is all with the craziness, eh? I liked his hair. Buffy didn't seem to make much notice of him at all. He did leave town for three months, shows up in Sunnydale High basement and Buffy thinks nothing much of it. Next episode is probably gonna be a Spuffy centric one. He tells Buffy that the ghosts are being controlled by talisman, this I find to be the worst cause of a Buffy bad ever in the history of the show. Automatically Buffy calls Xander, obvious reference to "OMWF". Xander smashes the talisman. Ghosts go poof! All is good. Buffy then gets a job as a Sunnydale High student counsellor from Principal Wood, he says that she is perfect for the job because she got Kit and Carlos, Dawns new friends to socialise. I don't like Kit and Carlos. What happened Janice I ask ya!

Finally, to the end. Now this was something. Spike is sitting, crouched, in the basement. Behind him Warren walks out. He talks about power and Buffy before morphing into Glory who says that her name will be on the lips of everyone. Then it morphs into Adam, he tells him that he has Buffy right where he want her. Then in the Mayor, who talks to Spike about his soul, why he got rid of his. Then he morphs into... a lot of morphing here... into Drusilla, ad Dru is as weird as ever. Then second last in to The Master. He says that the next couple of months (September to May I would say) are going to be one hell of a ride, which they are going to go back to the start, before the bang, the first word. I'm intrigued! Then finally into Buffy. She utters, "It's all about Power". All that is clear is that (in Kendraesque voice) "A dark power is about to rise in Sunnydale". This goes with Halfrek's warning to Anya that something evil is coming.

So this years big bad can morph into people, when has this happened before? This season could turn out to be the best. Maybe the last. But I still think that Buffy has only started. There is too much already built out of this show to just throw away when Buffy ends. A whole world has been created, a whole mythology, the Buffy Verse full of demons, rules, magic, good and bad. Where that will go is not just limited to Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

-Ian