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BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER "Bargaining" Parts 1 & 2

Sarah Michelle Gellar as BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
© 2001 UPN

As expected, "Bargaining" Parts 1 and 2 is no different. At one point UPN was saying this two-hour debut would serve as a re-introduction to the series as a whole, but likely many newcomers will be scratching their heads at what's going on since the plots are becoming so labyrinth-laden that you really do need to be a devout to capture all the nuances.

Nonetheless, the basics are all laid out. Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is an expert vampire slayer who has seen her share of tragedies and love lost in the five previous years she's been on the air. She's also grown up alongside her friends something most TV shows never dare tread. Of course in that time she's lost her vampire love Angel to his own self-titled TV series, her mom Joyce passed away naturally in last season's great episode "The Body," she's pushed away the only other guy who truly loved her, Riley (Marc Blucas), and for those living under a rock, she died at the end of last season trying to save her sister Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg).

Since BUFFY and ANGEL tend to play out in real time, the Scooby gang has been suffering for the past three summer months since Buffy's untimely death and are trying their hardest to work together as a team to make the world believe Buffy is not in fact dead. They've even refurbished the Buffy-bot to be a good stand-in. This won't get them very far though, because sooner or later someone will find out the truth, and that's exactly what happens when a demon biker gang headed by Razor (Franc Ross) come to Sunnydale to wreak havoc.

Amidst all this, Giles, realizing he can't teach

The cast of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER.

© 2001 UPN

The result is pretty satisfying, especially since this is essentially two one-hour episodes strung together. You get closure as well as open-ended questions that will likely linger throughout the rest of the year.

Perhaps the best bit of business in the show is the epic quality "Bargaining" offers both in scope and in the way they deal with Buffy's demise. The cast is also still one of the best ensembles around. Just a simple look by Head's Giles shows how much remorse he's feeling over Buffy and Marsters too is really going through some amazing changes since he moved over from terrifying villain in Season 2 to full-time neutered vampire anti-hero in Season 4.

The show does miss a beat on one or two occasions though. Willow having the ability to communicate with her mind to the other members is a bit on the cheese side, and although it's nice to see Willow in a healthy relationship with Tara, it's still a bit awkward at times and still doesn't ring as truthful as we all would like to believe.

Overall though, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER has not been affected by the move to the UPN. It's the same smart, clever and thoroughly entertaining series it has always been. The show is always reinventing itself, offing characters and bringing in new blood. That doesn't look likely to change in the coming year and if anything, all this hubbub of the show moving to the UPN can only mean the series is likely to finally break into the mainstream which has so far eluded the cult show when it received critical and fan accolades for the past five years on the WB. Buffy lives and let's hope for a long time to come.