| TITLE |
RATING |
PLOT/MINI-
REVIEW |
Anne
W: Joss Whedon
D: Joss Whedon
|
7.5
|
The third season opens with Buffy in LA working as a waitress in a coffee shop and trying
to get away from her past. Meanwhile, in Sunnydale the Scooby gang is trying to hold
down the fort while Giles searches for the Slayer. Before it's over Buffy will face a crew of
demons who a preying upon the homeless. The third season opens with a lot of
expectations and for the most part, Joss delivers. Seeing Buffy go through the stages of
grieving over the apparent death of Angel is nicely done as is her attempts to escape who
she is (a recurring theme in the series that I've really come to enjoy). But there are a few
plot holes that stand out in the story and ultimately keep it from being a bit higher.
|
Dead Man's Party
W: Marti Noxon
D:
|
8.0
|
Buffy finds that getting back into the swing of
things at Sunnydale won't be as easy as she thought--she's still expelled from school and
her friends and mother are keeping her at a distance. In order to combat this, Joyce throws
a party that is invaded by zombies....Once again, Marti Noxon delivers a terrific script that
shows agonizingly well Buffy's attempts to reintegrate herself into a normal life in
Sunnydale. It doesn't go smoothly and there are some greatly realized character moments,
espically the huge blow-up at the party. On the other hand, there are some weird moments
between Joyce and her new friend Pam and the whole plotline with the zombies seems a bit
tacked on.
|
Faith, Hope and
Trick
W: David Greenwalt
D: James A. Cotner
|
10.0
|
A new slayer's in town--Faith. And following
her is a legion of vamps led by Mr. Trick and a particularily nasty vamp named Kokistos
who's been vamp so long he's got cloven hooves and feet. On first glance, I really liked
this one--especially the Mr. Trick angle. He seemed interesting enough to build an entire
season around as the main villain. Faith comes off well and it's interesting to see her
attempts to work her way into the Scooby gang as a vital member. The best plotline is
Giles' attempts to make Buffy talk about what happened to Angel at the end of the
Becoming.
|
Beauty and the
Beasts
W: Marti Noxon
D: James A. Cotner
|
7.5
|
Angel's back from the demon dimension and it
apparently wasn't so good for him. Also, a monstrous attack during Oz's wolf-time points
all fingers in his directions. What is really happened is a Jeckyll and Hyde plot that is
thinly veiled as the abusive boyfriend plot. But somehow Marti Noxon takes what could
have been a tired cliche of a plotline and amkes it interesting and fun. And for one, all the
plotlines come together in an interesting form that makes sense and you don't feel as if one
plot or the other is getting the short end of the stick.
|
Homecoming
W: David Greenwalt
D: David Greenwalt
|
7.0
|
It's homecoming time at Sunnydale. When
Cordy says that Buffy could never be homecoming queen, Buffy declares open season on
Cordy and vies for the title. Meanwhile, Trick brings a host of vigilantes to Sunnydale to
take out the Slayers. The plotline with Buffy and Cordy vying for homecoming queen is
nicely done and fun....on the other hand, the Mr. Trick plotline is a bit worn out (it brings to
mind such plots as the Three from
"Angel" or the Order of Tankara from "What's My
Line?") David Greenwalt can usually be counted on for interesting plots but this one falls
a bit short...
|
Band Candy
W: Jane Espenson
D: Michael Lange
|
4.5
|
The first episode of season three to merit a
rating lower than a five for me. There's an interesting plotline in here, but it fails under the
weight of a less than stellar script. The Mayor and Trick have Rupert whip up a bunch of
candy that makes all the adults in town act like kids. Sounds interesting, but it never comes
off well. Part of it is that Giles and Joyce become one-dimensional as kids, which is
probably the biggest disappointment of all....
|
Revelations
W: Douglas Petrie
D: James A Cotner
|
10.0
|
It all hits the fan when the Xander discovers
that Angel is back and Buffy's been hiding him. The Scooby gang is less than thrilled,
leading to yet another tense confrontration that succeeds on many levels. Meanwhile, Faith
is assigned a new watcher who warns of a demon that it make take the combined power of
both Slayers to stop. At the time, this was the strongest of the season to date and it may still
be so. The episode brings a lot of issues to the table and deals with them all extremely well.
It also sets up some of the events for the rest of season three...
|
Lovers Walk
W: Dan Veber
D: David Semel
|
7.5
|
The long awaited return of Spike is good..but
ultimitaely disappointing. Spike has returned to town to get Willow to cast a spell that will
make Dru fall for him again. The main problem is there's so much potential here that's
never really explored (such as a confrontation between Spike and Trick and the Mayor's
attitutude toward Spike). Not a great showcase for one of TV's best villains...
|
The Wish
W: Marti Noxon
D: David Greenwalt
|
9.0
|
After discovering Willows and Xander together
in Lovers Walk, Cordy wants little to do with the Scooby gang. Her anger and resentment
lead her to Anya, a demon who grants wishes of scorned women. Cordy's wish--that Buffy
had never come to Sunnydale, creating a universe where the Master still lives and Xander
and Willow are his servants in vampire form. Overall, it works pretty well and it's a nice,
dark side of It's a Wonderful Life.
|
Amends
W: Joss Whedon
D: Joss Whedon
|
10.0
|
Billed as a Buffy Christmas, there's nothing
sentimental or sugar-coated about this one. Angel is forced to face the horrors of his past
as a vamp--including Jenny Calendar. Meanwhile, Willow goes to great lengths to win Oz
back and Xander adjusts to life without Cordy. Joss once again ups the ante on an episode
that could easily have been a cutsy Christmas themed episode, but instead delivers a strong,
at times brutally heart-wrenching plotline. Seeing Angel ready to comit suicide in the
morning sun in a nicely done moment. Unfortunately, it's the last strong use of Angel
we'll see for some time...
|
Gingerbread
W: Jane Esperson (story by Jane Esperson and Thania St. James)
D: James Whitmore, Jr.
|
4.0
|
At long last, the issue of Joyce knowing Buffy
is the Slayer has a major impact on the plot....Joyce sees a brutal crime comitted against two
small children and goes into overreact mode as she organizes a coalition to make Sunnydale
a safer place. I may be predjuiced a bit here against Ms. St. James' work from Lois and
Clark, but I found this episode to be one of the more unsatisfying of the season. Part of it
is that everyone acts out of character and it doesn't even really feel like an episode of Buffy
at times....
|
Helpless
W: David Fury
D: James A. Cotner
|
10.0
|
One thing I've come to like about Buffy is
that major events can and will happen outside of sweeps months, unlike other shows I love
(X-Files). And it happens here. Buffy turns 18 and is forced to face a demon without her
powers. Fury, who has never been a favorite of mine in the past, delivers a multi-layered,
great script that really examines just how dependent on being the Slayer Buffy really is.
It's a nice contrast from her usual attempts to rebel against being the Slayer and how it
interferes with her normal life. Also, Giles getting fired has major affects on the entire
season to come....
|
The Zeppo
W: Dan Vebber
D: James Whitmore, Jr.
|
6.5
|
An episode that explores exactly what it is that
Xander brings to the Scooby gang has tons of potential. Unfortunately the B-plot is far
more interesting and deserves more screen time than the plot about Xander....
|
Bad Girls
W: Doulgas Petrie
D: Michael Lange
|
6.0
|
The new Watcher arrives and he's stuffier than
Giles (is that possible?!?) Meanwhile, Buffy and Faith go "Thelma and Louise," pretty
much sums this one up. Overall, not the best episode in the world, but then again a lot of
it's a hour-long set-up for the superior "Consequences."
|
Consequences
W: Marti Noxon
D: David Gersham
|
9.0
|
You can almost forgive Bad Girls being a bit
tedious at times if it sets up great episode like this one...Marti Noxon is freed of having to
have a monster-of-the-week in the plot and her script is the better for it. Featuring tons of
character revelations (that fact that Xander and Faith slept togther is brought to light in one
of the season's best moments) and a good use of Angel, this is Buffy at it's closest to perfect
best. Marti Noxon wins my award as the second best writer on the show....
|
Dopplegangland
W: Joss Whedon
D: Joss Whedon
|
10.0
|
Just as he did with last year's superlative "Lie
to Me," Joss shows he can deliver a fun, non-arc episode. This year it's Dopplegandland,
and it really gives Allyson Hannigan a chance to flex her acting muscles and deliver a great
performance as not only alt-universe Willow but also as our Willow. A fun break as events
lead up to the Mayor's ascension....
|
Enemies
W: Douglas Petrie
D: David Grossman
|
7.0
|
Has Faith turned Angel to the dark side? It
appears so for much of the episode..... An interesting story that serves as set-up for the
final run of episodes. Also, established a bit of the bond betwen the Mayor and Faith that
will play out in the final episodes of the year....
|
Earshot
W: Jane Esposon
D:
|
7.0
|
Buffy fights a pair of demons and gain a special power--the ability to read people's minds. At first, this power seems a blessing, but it quickly becomes a curse as Buffy starts to lose grips with her sanity. She also overhears someone threatening the school and must find a way to stop it. Overall, this was a good idea, but it wasn't carried out far enough. Buffy's ability to hear others thoughts is an interesting one but it doesn't provide as much of a view into the characters we've come to know and love as I'd have liked...but then again, finding out that Joyce slept with Giles twice on the hood of the police car is a riot.
|
Choices
W: David Fury.
D: James A. Cotner
|
8.0
|
Realzing that with Faith going over to the dark
side, that her choices for the future are now limited, Buffy decides to take the battle the
Mayor. She steals a box full of bugs vital to his ascension...but he kidnaps Willow and
forces Buffy to choose between her friend and stopping the Mayor. A nice scene in the
library highlights this one as Wesley argues for keeping the box and letting Willow go.
Oz's reaction is priceless. David Fury again delivers an intelligent, entertaining
script...
|
The Prom
W: Marti Noxon
D: David Solomon
|
7.5
|
It's prom time in Sunnydale....and everyoneÕs
planning to go--except Buffy who breaks up with Angel (after Angel and Joyce have a
heart-to-heart). Meanwhile, a pack of hell hounds I set to descend on the prom and ruin it.
Buffy is deteremined to make sure this doesn't happen. Again, Marti Noxon delivers with
the character moments but the monster plot seems tacked on....
|
Graduation Day, Part One
W: Joss Whedon
D: Joss Whedon
|
10.0
|
Graduation day is approaching as is the
Mayor's ascension. In order to distract Buffy, Faith poisons Angel--and the only cure is
the blood of a Slayer. It all leads up to a huge confronation between Buffy and Faith that is
beautifully choreographed and executed. Joss brings together plot threads from all season
in the first part of a tapestry.
|
Graduation Day, Part
Two
W: Joss Whedon
D: Joss Whedon
|
10.0
|
The long dealyed season finale is well worth
the wait. Joss gives enough time to all the plot threads and wraps-up the season well. It's
not quite the emotional punch in the gut that Becoming, Part 2 was, but it's still an
enjoyable, fun romp. Joss is a master and we can only hope the hype surrounding this
episode being pulled garners Buffy the Emmy nod it so desaparetly deserves....
|
Season Three Wrap-Up Review Coming Soon!
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