Buffy is dead, but Willow, with the help of Xander, Tara and Anya, has plans to resurrect her, as Sunnydale is having trouble coping without a Slayer. For the time being the Buffybot seems to have things covered, but the fragile device is damaged in a fight with a vampire and the secret is out. When a demon biker gang finds out what's going on, they immediately set to destroying everything, and only the revival of the Slayer can put things right.

We all knew at the end of last season that Buffy wasn't going to stay dead, or the series would have needed a new title. We also had pretty much figured out that the only way she was coming back was through some powerful magic, and that tends to mean Willow. While we're not wrong, it's certainly not an easy process, and the procedure is dark, terrifying and unrelentingly unpleasant, from Willow's slaughter of a helpless deer to the vicious cuts that appear on her during the ritual and the snake that she vomits onto the ground. It's truly horrific and sends a shiver down the spine. Buffy's revival is equally nasty, as we see her decaying corpse being given flesh and blood once again in a revolting effects sequence that makes you appreciate just what she is being put through.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. While Sarah Michelle Gellar is present in Buffybot guise in part one, it's the rest of the cast who really make the episode work, pulling together in adversity in a superb opening sequence (Willow guiding telepathically) and showing that Spike is finally a trusted member of the team. There are some superb comic scenes (the one where Xander asks who made Willow the boss and is told he did complete with plaque is a highlight), Giles gets some superb lines and it's almost a shame when the Buffybot arrives. Giles' leaving is handled well, with him seemingly having sneaked off but being caught at the airport for a wonderful in-joke from Tara and a touching send-off. Even Spike is a new man, finding a new purpose in life through protecting Dawn, who, after his failure to save her last season, is determined that nothing bad will happen to her again. It's this continuing strong characterization that makes the rather weak demon biker idea okay.

Speaking of which, it's a shame that it's just one gang; it'd be nice to see Sunnydale terrorized by all manner of monsters once the Slayer is revealed to be fake. The bikers themselves serve little purpose other than to wreck stuff, and their final fate isn't even revealed as the episode curiously ends without really dealing with the whole threat. Whether the recovery of Sunnydale will be the focus of the next episode or two we'll just have to see. Likewise, Spike is left in the middle of nowhere as well, with no wrap-up for him once Dawn wanders off. You'd also expect, even against demons, that the Scooby Gang would be a bit more prepared, organized and effective rather than relying on Willow's magic. They have been at this for a while now, after all.

All in all then it's a hit, but only just. It's a little overlong, and some parts are dealt with at length while others plotlines are tied off too quickly, but it serves the purpose of bringing Buffy back, and doesn't skimp on the trauma of being brought back from the grave, especially in a near-end scene between Buffy and Dawn on the tower where Buffy died. You know what Dawn has to say to make her realize what she has to do, but it's no less tear-jerking as the two sisters are reunited. The question is: what now?

****

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