Rob

As our trivia section notes, the geeks shall inherit the Earth - or at least all its cool gadgets and collectable action figures. Whilst I'm not planning demon-assisted bank robbery to fund my action figure collection, parts of me can sadly relate to these guys. That said, the Buffy writers are way geekier (as they freely admit).

Hurrah for some humour at last. To be fair, the grimness of previous instalments was necessary to avoid Buffy's resurrection turning into a cop-out, but it was becoming something of a turn-off. Danny Strong and Adam Busch immediately click with newcomer Tom Lenk to create a brilliantly daft threat to the Slayer, whilst the Scooby Gang's financial crisis meeting is delightful too. You have to admire Anya's dippy practicality when she suggests charging for slaying, in another great performance from Emma Caulfield. Annouce that engagement now Xander, you know it makes sense.

This episode holds particularly fond memories for me, as this was the first time I visited the Buffy set at its secret Californian location. Somewhere behind the curtains at 1630 Revello Drive, I lurked behind Doug Petrie as he worked his directorial magic. It was his first time too, but he seemed in total control of proceedings whilst making me feel very welcome. It was a fascinating experience, but you wouldn't belive how many times they shoot each scene. I don't know where the actors get their patience from.

After the rather grim 'Afterlife' (and the rather grim 'Bargaining' for that matter) it was about time that this season lightened up and produced some of its trademark humour. This weeks episode starts well with some very funny exchanges between the Scooby Gang as they discuss Buffy's financial problems and culminating in the lovely scene at the bank.

And then it produces one of the best character scenes of the early part of season six ('Once More with Feeling' excepted) as Giles attacks Willow's recklessness in attempting Buffy's resurrection. Willow's response isn't at all what we would expect and goes a long way to setting the scene for the rest of this year. Allyson Hannigan rises to the occasion brilliantly, adding a steel core to Willow that deepens an already great character.

The rest of the episode rather meanders and the introduction of the trio of nerds that will plague Buffy for the rest of this season, although funny, lacks the punch necessary for a really great Buffy villain and this lack of a strong centre will become ever more apparent as the season continues.

A return to form after the group hug-athon of last week. Buffy works well when the series juggles real life with the slaying and here the balance is just right. Buffy�s financial worries and her plumbing problems dovetail neatly into the arrival of M�Fashnik at Sunnydale.

The episode also shows the shape of things to come. This is the first time we see the geeks being, erm... geeky together. More importantly Giles accusation that Willow is an �arrogant amateur� and her reply hints at a dark future for our favourite witch.

All this and the return of the pop culture references and sassy dialogue that we�ve come to expect from the series and we have a fine, if not a classic episode. We also see Dawn get drenched - ha-ha-ha-ha.