Season one is over...but it's not. This episode demonstrates part of why BtVS was able to have characters that grow deeper and engage audiences in their journey. It has history, and the history matters. Buffy fought the Master, and died, and then they went to the dance at the Bronze. End of story, end of season.
And that's how season two begins, with business as usual--well, over the summer, Buffy's been in LA with dad, not slaying, not in touch with Willow or Xander. Willow and Xander have apparently been spending a great deal of time together, Willow's infatuation remains--and they nearly kiss when a vampire interrupts and Buffy materializes from the shadows. Life on the Hellmouth is back in full swing.
I could argue that for all her angst, Buffy is a fairly simple creature. She's not hardwired for deep thought and philosophy; she takes action, usually the most direct course and as time goes on, relishing the release of fighting. Dealing with emotion isn't easy for her, and that shows in a variety of ways. Tree pretty, fire bad--the world is more simple for Buffy than for many people, and the issues where it's not simple, she seems to lack the tools to express and deal with the issues. That's often when she isolates herself, as she shows repeatedly. As important as a soul is to Buffy--that nebulous spark that differentiates man from monster--even soul seems to run on a binary code: yes, no; black, white; right, wrong.
SO....Buffy was killed by the Master, and she doesn't deal with it well. Instead of starting season two with a new Big Bad right off, with shiny happy plots and people, the emotional baggage of season one has to be dealt with. Buffy can't articulate her issues, so she turns mean, insulting and hurting not only Cordelia (who may deserve it) but Willow, Xander, Angel and Giles. She's hurting, so she's lashing out. Cordy, who lives up to her name, tells Buffy the hard truth: you're going to lose your friends if you don't deal with whatever is causing the Joan Collins-tude, so "spank your inner moppet and get over it."
Before she does "deal with it" by smashing the Master's dones, Buffy tortures Xander with the sexiest moment seen till season 6, then walks away; she tortures a vamp girl by burning her with a cross; and she puts them all in danger by refusing to listen--leading Xander to tell her "If they hurt Willow, I will kill you"--and at that moment, the audience believes he could do it. Early in the episode, he's said he's over his infatuation with Buffy, but it's clear he wasn't; when he threatens Buffy, he has no vestige of affection for her. When she starts sobbing after pulverizing the bones, though, as Angel holds her, the expression on both Giles' and Xander's faces are heartrending.
But the writers are so clever. They do begin the season's meta-plot when Buffy and Angel have a emotionally vicious conversation. Buffy asks: "You think you can take me?" She needles him, saying she knows he's thought about it--implying that she has thought about it? Yes. Angel answers that he won't fight her, and Buffy still eggs him on, "Come on, kick my ass." Yep, that's season 2 in a nutshell. That's the question it will take 22 episodes to answer--who's stronger, Buffy or Angel?
At the end, Buffy is older and wiser. She realizes she was a moron, and can't figure out how to apologize. She fears that Cordelia is right and she's pushed away her best friends. But at the end, they save a seat for her and welcome her nervously, but genuinely. She's back, and it will be ok.
But in those shots, we see Xander intimately talking, and Willow laughing--seems fine, business as usual--but we only see Buffy's back. Is she still holding back? Has she found the redemption she needs? Not sure...stay tuned.
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