The first half of season 7 is about getting back into the swing of things. Spike returns with his soul, Willow returns from her rehabilitation, Buffy returns to Sunnydale High as a counselor in the school. Anya tries adjusting to being a demon but fails and has to reacclimate to human life as the others go through adjustments of their own.
In "Beneath You" Spike has to reacclimate to having a soul. His getting his soul is analogous to people having to readjust their moral compass after realizing that they have done something wrong. At the end of season 6 Spike tried to rape Buffy and he realized how far he had gone. Spike's getting a soul was not just for Buffy, but for himself. Because he realized the severity of his actions, his getting a soul would allow him to fully understand the pain he has caused so that he can repent of it by feeling true remorse. As he reveals to Buffy that he has his soul again, Buffy also has to reacclimate and develop a new understanding of Spike and the depth of his passion for her.
"Help", with Cassie, is one of my favorite episodes of the season. In this episode Buffy has to come to the realization that other factors, including fate, affect her life and the lives of those around her. Buffy saves Cassie, but in the end, she couldn't keep her alive. Buffy has become so used to saving everyone she comes across and defeating every battle that I think she really needed this episode to see that sometimes things are beyond her power to stop. I think this episode and this experience with Cassie has great influence on Buffy and prepares her for later on in the season as she prepares for battle with the First and her acceptance of what may happen to the perspectives.
In "Selfless," Anya kills a house full of frat boys. This act is the best vengeance deed she has done since becoming a demon again, but because of her previous experiences as a human she begins to feel uneasy about her act. She tries to reconcile these two parts of her nature but here she recognizes that she has to make a choice between her demon and her human nature. In effect, she realizes that she doesn't know who she is. Anya has spent all her life relying on roles such as 'demon' or 'wife' but she doesn't know who Anya is. As she walks away from Xander alone she is finally making a decision to discover who she is.
"Him" can be seen as an episode which shows all of the women reaclimating to the dating world. All of the females who fall in love with R.J. are recently single and when they see R.J. in his Letterman jacket they can't help but swoon and go to any depth to win his love. This episode also makes a reference to the superficiality of dating. The things the girls are willing to do (from performing a magical sex change to Dawn trying to kill herself) can be seen as a statement about what girls are willing to do for the men they "love" and how crazy love can make us (and often self-destructive).
"Conversations With Dead People" is the first episode that really introduces us to "The First." The Scoobies, throughout the season have been preparing for an impending evil and here we see what they will be dealing with. We also learn that The First only comes through the presence of deceased people. Again we see the gang dealing with the stress of remembering the loss of a loved one. This is something that the gang will need to overcome because through the rest of the season they will deal with the first this way and his hold on them will only become stronger if they are unable to recognize that the form The First takes is not the person they loved.
"Showtime" gives Buffy the opportunity she needs to prove to the potential slayers and herself that she has the strenght and the ability to conquer her opponents. Buffy has always been a strong character but she often experiences doubt that can be crippling. In this episode however, she uses her weakness and focuses it as a push to find the energy and the skills necessary to defeat a seemingly impenetrable vampire. Buffy has to reacclimate to her powers and prove to herself that she is the Slayer for a reason and that the strength that she must trust the strength that she has been given.
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