I am – Hercules!!

Buffy 6.1/6.2 FAQ

When does it air?

The two-hour UPN premiere airs 8 p.m. Oct. 9, 2001.

Who’s responsible?

Marti Noxon, who wrote last season’s opener (as well as the Joyce-resurrection episode), wrote the first hour; David Fury, who wrote “Crush” (the one in which Drusilla returns), authored the second.

When does the sixth-season premiere take place?

Months after the final battle with Glory. Everyone has settled into their post-Buffy lives.

Is the Buffybot really attending Dawn’s parent-teacher meetings?

It is. The Scoobs are anxious to keep Buffy’s death a closely-guarded secret. Notes Giles: “We need the world – and the underworld – to believe Buffy is alive and well.”

But wasn’t there a gravestone?

Presumably the funeral was a very private affair. Also, the fact that Buffy was a slayer still isn’t exactly common knowledge (something we learned when Buffy first enrolled at UCSunnydale).

Has Hank Summers taken custody of Dawn?

No, it’s established that Dawn’s daddy has not been alerted to Buffy’s demise. Willow and Tara, who have moved into (and thoroughly redecorated) Joyce’s bedroom, have informally taken on the roles of Dawn’s parents.

Is Willow’s power still growing?

It hasn’t diminished. In the teaser, we see she now manages the dusting activities of the entire former slayer circle via telepathy. Towards the end of the two-hour premiere, we see her turn her eyes black and demonstrate several really impressive new superpowers.

Willow is now leader of the Scoobs?

Yes. This is made clear in a very funny scene in Xander’s apartment.

Why isn’t Giles the leader?

Now that there’s no longer a slayer to watch, Giles has announced his intention to return to England. Anya will run the Magic Box in his absence.

Does Giles actually leave Sunnydale during the premiere?

Yes. He leaves a note at the Magic Box and takes off for the aiport without otherwise saying goodbye. He boards his flight about 35 minutes in, and doesn’t return (at least not during the two-hour premiere; he’s expected back briefly around 6.4).

When does the real Buffy return to the living?

At the very beginning of season six’s second hour.

How does Buffy return?

Willow resurrects Buffy with a spell – a spell requiring the last known Urn of Osiris. Anya obtains the urn using her Magic Box connections.

Doesn’t Giles know what Willow’s up to?

No. Giles, Dawn and Spike are not told of Willow’s resurrection plans.

How come it’s a good idea to bring back Buffy, but it wasn’t a good idea to bring back Buffy’s mom?

Willow explains that Buffy would not be coming back as a zombie. Willow is using a very different spell that can be effective if the resurrectee didn’t die a natural death. (Buffy, of course, was slain by mystical energy.)

When Herc revealed on July 4 that Willow uses a spell to resurrect Buffy, a talkbacker calling himself “Writeguy” wrote this: “Buffy won't be ‘revived’ -- she will be ‘re-created’ using the same method that was used to create the First Slayer many millennia ago in ancient Africa.” True?

False. Buffy is revived, and there’s no indication Buffy’s resurrection has anything to do with the First Slayer or Buffy’s status as a slayer.

The same talkbacker wrote: “The Buffy Summers in the grave is dead and will stay dead. She WON'T be revived.” Did “WriteGuy” get this part right?

No. The original Buffy, the one in the grave, is revived. She wakes up inside her own coffin and has to dig her way to the surface. There is no Buffycorpse inside the coffin with her.

The Scoobs go to the trouble of obtaining the Urn of Osiris but can’t be bothered to dig up their revived friend?

In the middle of Willow’s spell, demon bikers arrive and destroy the Urn of Osiris. Though the contents of the urn leak onto Buffy’s grave, the Scoobs (understandably) assume their resurrection attempt is a failure and flee the scene.

Wait a second. Demon bikers?

Long story short: A vampire injures Buffybot and discovers she’s full of wires and computer chips. The vamp escapes and lets a bunch of demon bikers know that Sunnydale is now slayer-free. The bikers head into town to plunder.

Is the resurrected Buffy in a state of decay?

Nope, Willow’s spell took care of that too. Post-spell, Buffy’s disoriented but in perfect physical condition. (She does get a bit dirty and bloody escaping from her “final resting place.”)

At UPN’s recent Television Critics Association presentation, Joss Whedon noted cyptically that some of Herc’s spoilers were on the money and some were not, but would not specify which were which. What did Herc get wrong in his infamous July 4 post?

The chronology of events at the very end of the two-hour premiere. Buffy actually rejoins the Scoobs and helps them defeat the demon bikers before she returns to the site of her death. The only Scoob she reunites with at Glory’s tower is Dawn.

How does Dawn find Buffy?

The savaged Buffybot tells Dawn of Buffy’s return. Dawn then follows the trail of demon corpses to Glory’s tower.

Why does Buffy return to Glory’s tower?

It’s strongly implied that Buffy was happier in the afterlife and intends to kill herself to get back.

How much faith does Herc put in these spoilers?

Tremendous faith. And more than a little kendra. If there are still doubting talkbackers, let them be specific about what we got wrong, and we’ll be certain to compare prognostications come Oct. 9!

I warn you not to defy me!!

I am – Hercules!!