i wasn't that impressed with the episode as a whole. but the last few minutes of it with the Warren/glory/adam/mayor/dru/master/buffy demon thingy. i like the xander and willow clones, i think it'll add some much needed new characters to the mix, what the giles and willow being away, and anya wandering between good and evil. i wasn't happy with the pretty similar to last season beginning sequence.

is the new principal evil?

i'll leave you with a quote "It's all about power"

(Edited by Wiggy 16/01/2003 21:17)

Well, I've already seen this ep twice (courtesy of Nos and Spike) so I know exactly what FM is talking about. It's very much gone full circle and returned to what the show was all about. And how weird does it seem to see Buffy treading the halls of Sunnydale High again?? Can't believe she'll be 22 this season!

There's something definitely a bit different about the Mayor although I'm not sure that the mystery about him necessarily equates to him being evil. Or the fact that his office is directly above the Hellmouth...

Pity that we couldn't have seen more of Bath/England with the scenes featuring Willow and Giles because it didn't really 'feel' like they were there. But still, the scenes explored very well Willow's continued struggle with 'rehab'.

I did wonder how they were going to deal with Spike and his soul and I thought James Marsters pulled it off quite well considering that we had kinda seen it before, albeit briefly, with Angel.

And, the final scene, where he is convinced he is hallucinating as the Big Bads from the last six seasons tormented him and ended up with Buffy just gave me the kinda goosebumps that I last felt in S2 and S3.

If this is the last season of Buffy, then it looks like Joss may deliver on it being a cracker!!

I liked it!

Enjoyed it very much!!.. was i the only one to get a tingly feeling when the opening credits began to roll.

Poor Spike, seems to have lost his marbles, and those scratches on his chest, from trying to claw his soul out, poor thing.. but the ending had me gobsmacked. Looking forward to next week, for Buffy and Angel

And i'm all excited about Angel after seeing the trailer for the new season twice!!

I loved it!
For all the reasons already mentioned, but also because the dialogue seemed to be back on form - witty, self-aware etc. I hope it stays that way, and that it's not just because it was a Joss ep! I also think it was a definite reward for having stuck with it through S6, with Joss giving a really juicy taster with that final scene!

Excellent start!
Humour back (and some from Buffy!), no whining, displays of strength and fighting ability from Buffy which I was beginning to think she had lost, and they got round to the benefits of mobile phones at last!!

I thought the end sequence was great too. Now was that Spike's imagination we saw, was it his thoughts somehow made real for awhile by the Hellmouth effect or are we seeing a demon who can change shape?

Whatever its shaping up good.

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by Whistler
There's something definitely a bit different about the Mayor although I'm not sure that the mystery about him necessarily equates to him being evil. Or the fact that his office is directly above the Hellmouth...

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First boob of the season to Whistler??

I thought this was by far a better season opener than season 6. Far more upbeat and nice to see Dawn being trained a little against the vampire at the beginning (would have been nice to see her get it right first time but I guess she needs to learn by her mistakes)

A good move having Giles and Willow in England, being *one* with the earth. Interesting her making the comment on expecting to be punished, but I suppose in the long run the greatest punishment is her own guilt.

So the highschool has been rebuilt just in time for Dawn to go to highschool (nice touch!) and the principal's office is built directly over the old hellmouth .... mmm the possibilities

Interesting move on bringing all the old evils together - I guess that the power evil has previously become visualise in their forms and is now regressing into a stronger force.

{I'm still getting my thoughts together from watching the ep so I haven't read everyone else's comments on this yet so excuse me }

The only thing that put me off though was Spike as a gibbering wreck hiding in the school basement. The whole soul thing was a bit daft really and I just hope the storyline doesn't go to seed there ....

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by Alf
(quotes)

First boob of the season to Whistler??

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LOL. Sorry, I was obviously having a S3 moment. I, of course, meant the Principal.

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by Whistler
Can't believe she'll be 22 this season!

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yeah makes me feel really old!!

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Pity that we couldn't have seen more of Bath/England with the scenes featuring Willow and Giles because it didn't really 'feel' like they were there.

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I would love to see more of this as by all accounts the scenes were filmed in and around Tony Head's real-life home as Joss could imagine it being just the type of place Giles would live in

I was just real happy seeing clips of the Mayor again from S3 - he always made me laugh

Buffy is back...nuff said..


oh, and


WOO HOO

(Edited by Wesley 17/01/2003 10:39)

Woo Hoo indeed.

This could be more like it, back to well paced action, humour, tension type Buffy.

A few random thoughts:

Buffy gets a mobile phone! After 3 seasons of Angel not being able to work his (lame), the Buffyverse catchs up with the real world. I just hope the writers are clever enough to work them in and not just resort to the usual oh I dropped it, the battery ran out, there's no reception get outs often employed to create a situation.

The morphing thingy at the end? Not just a shape shifter surely? Some greater evil that is the combination of all the other previous big bads? But it morphed into Buffy at the end, ah but the Slayer draws her power from evil, or something. Drusilla seemed oddly out of place here. Obviously the S2 big bad was Angelus, if not Spike himself, and anyway Dru is still about somewhere. I think I'll stop rambling here and wait to see what happens...

Spike is well screwed up. Can't wait to see what happens here, especially when Buffy finds out.

A final thought: It already seems like "the last series of Buffy ever". Lots of symmetry with the first season, back to high school, Dawn hooking up with two new misfit friends, a vampire with a soul hanging around not quite knowing what his role is . And the referencing of all the previous seasons big bads into an uber big bad wraps it all up nicely.

Do you all notice the paralles between the Ep. and the first one.

ie.
Dawn sat in the same seat as Buffy Did.
Dawn hide in the toilet same as buffy did.

Oh and the Master

Well all I can say is hurrahhhhhhhhh I'm so glad it's back!

Not sure about the last Morph ie Buffy , would have been kinda nice to see Willow as the last one , but thats just me

I'm hoping the principle isn't going to turn out to be a bad guy he seemed quiet nice , and poor ole Buffy getting mistaken for Dawn's mum
Loved the scenes with Willow and Giles, hope they do make more of that, and I loved the comic witt at the begining with the vamp asking for help out of thr ground ... priceless

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by FiveByFive
Drusilla seemed oddly out of place here. Obviously the S2 big bad was Angelus, if not Spike himself, and anyway Dru is still about somewhere.

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Well, there are obvious contractual reasons why it wasn't Angelus. And the big bad definitely wasn't Spike. He was so big and bad, he ran away when Joyce threatened him with an axe, remember? Dru has more of a personal connection to Spike, and while none of the others apart from Buffy really did (we actually have no idea if he met the Master, and he definitely didn't meet the Mayor..), I think it worked.

Anyone remember the morphing First Evil that haunted Angel in S3?
Connection there maybe?

even though the disciples weren't there.....

Oh I'm so happy now, what with Buffy and Scrubs being back and then Angel next week *hurray hurrah*

I was so happy after watching this ep, for the reasons that most people have mentioned, back to how it should be. I just seriously hope the writers can keep it up. Looks like we're gonna have a storming season on our hands here

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by Wesley
Anyone remember the morphing First Evil that haunted Angel in S3?
Connection there maybe?

even though the disciples weren't there.....

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Werent they? The hooded people chasing that girl at the begining looked kind of disciply to me.

Kind of a mixed bag over all, loved all the Spike stuff, and the into of the new school (does the new principal REALLY remind anyone of Carter from Spin City?). The ghost stuff in the basement was kind of flat tho.

Keeping in mind that first episode of Buffy are notoriously odd and ill fitting, i think this was a pretty good start.

Thought it was okay. Liked the scene when Buffy interrupted Dawn's lessons,that was funny.
Disappointed Tara wasn't mentioned.
Liked the FE morphing.