Buffy The Vampire Slayer:

Grading the Episodes: Season 3

Last updated: October 1, 2000.

Posted to alt.tv.buffy-v-slayer on September 26, 1999.

 The Cast for Season #3:

   Buffy (Anne) Summers          -Sarah-Michelle Gellar
   Alexander "Xander" 
     (LeValle) Harris            -Nicholas Brandon
   Willow Rosenberg              -Alyson Hannigan
   Cordelia Chase                -Charisma Carpenter
   Angel/Angelus                 -David Boreanaz
   Oz                            -Seth Green
  and, 
   Rupert "The Ripper" Giles     -Anthony Stewart Head

  with,
   Joyce Summers                 -Kristine Sutherland
   Principal Snyder              -Armin Shimerman
   Faith                         -Eliza Dushku
   Mayor Richard Wilkins III     -Harry Groener

Originally this episode was primarily roasted in a.tv.b-v-s, though recent opinion (especially from usual Buffy detractors) has shifted toward the highly favorable. I'm in the middle. While the 'A' story of Buffy hiding out as Anne, with Chanterelle/Lily (Julia Lee) bringing Buffy back out of her shell, is pretty darn good, the 'B' story in Sunnydale is an almost total failure in my book. Had I edited this script, all of the Sunnydale stuff, save the Joyce- Giles confrontation, would have been cut. This episode didn't need Willow/Xander/Oz/Cordelia to work; in fact, it would have worked much better without it. That said, though weighed down by some preachiness (OK, I get the homeless theme! the montage was overkill!), the story of Buffy reclaiming her identity, and the kickass fight (save for a couple of clunky lines of dialogue: "Gandhi"? Oh, pulleeze!), and Chanterelle getting her act together, is all good stuff. Perhaps not the best possible resolution to "Becoming (Part 2)", but this episode and "Dead Man's Party" are a pretty good resolution overall.

An unfairly (and to my thinking inexplicably) derided episode, "Dead Man's Party" works fine by me. While the issues raised in this episode were abruptly dropped in the last scene, this is not a new Buffy phenomenon (to my thinking, the dropping of Buffy's emotional distress after "When She Was Bad" or what happens later in "The Wish" are far worse offenses). And everything else in this episode pretty much works for me (except for Buffy's callous indifference to Kendra's murder and Buffy's subsequent fugitive status - that was just bad writing): I like Joyce's overprotectiveness and ambivalence toward Buffy, I like Xander and Willow's anger, I love Giles' lines in the car ("It's such a pretty mask! It raises the dead!! Americans..."). And, above all, I love a good zombie showdown. While the zombies in this episode have turned many off, I'm too partial to zombies to let this bother me. And it helped that this episode held up on second viewing. So count me as a fan of this one.

I'm not a big fan of this episode; in fact, it may be my least favorite of season #3. That said, it did make up some ground with me on second viewing. What works: Mr. Trick is as good in this episode as any, and Giles' psychological games to get Buffy to come out of her shell are good bits. However, Faith comes off as incredibly obnoxious in this episode (that may have been the intent after all, but I would have liked it better if Faith had been more toned down in her premiere episode), and the gang's infatuation with Faith was totally unbelievable (even Willow?!) and came off as an obvious plot device (contrast this with "Ted", where the same developments are much more believable and organic to the storyline). What else doesn't work here? Scott Hope (Fab Fillipo) was lame, and Kakistos was probably one of the weakest monsters- of-the-week the show has ever come up with. Added to that is the premature return of Angel (couldn't they have waited until November for this?!), and you have the recipe for a pretty bad episode.

This episode is not nearly as bad as many have made it out to be; it's certainly not the worst of season #3. But to prove that I am not reflexively pro-Noxon, I do think that this episode is simply run-of-the-mill to poor. Indeed, it plays almost like a season #1 episode and I can easily conceive of this episode being put in with other season #1 episodes without it seeming out of place. While Pete (John Patrick White) and Debbie (Danielle Weeks) come out of nowhere (and are only passably interesting), and I'm no great fan of Willow and Oz (which this episode has too much of). I like Guidance Councilor Mr. Platt (Phill Lewis) and wish he wasn't killed after a mere half an episode. The other Buffy stuff is decent enough (though, gratuitous use of Brooding Boy is a bit thick in this episode). Still, it doesn't rate as "terrible" in my book, just "mediocre".

A relatively humorous episode, this episode is almost exclusively a Buffy vs. Cordelia affair, and works pretty well on that level. Mr. Trick's Slayerfest 98 is certainly an amusing concept, as is the idea of Cordelia having to team up with Buffy in their evening dresses! OK, so the villains are basically lame (though I do like yellow demon guy, and it's good to see Lyle Gorch again), but there are plenty of amusing bits here (I love Faith's little trick on Scott Hope), and the theme of Buffy and Cordelia being jealous of each other is something that deserved exploring (though it probably deserved more exploring than it got in this episode!). Finally, you have the believable first 'slip' from Willow and Xander (I believe this 'slip'; it's the ones that come later that I have more of a problem with). So, not bad.

Another entry in Buffy's most humorous episodes, this may be the third funniest Buffy, after BB&B and "The Puppet Show". It is one of the better entries in season #3. While marked down by some for not being an 'arc' episode, such stand-alone, humorous episodes are among my Buffy favorites. And there's lots here that darn funny: Joyce as spaced-out, teen, girlie-girl fan of Juice Newton; Giles in his 'Ripper' phase; Snyder in his pre-bureaucrat nerd phase; the devilishly scheming Ethan Raine; and the first real glimpses into Mayor Wilkins' character. There's lots here that works. In fact, the few bits that don't work (Xander and Willow playing footsie here is somewhat lame and hard to swallow; and four babies does not a 'massacre' make) are more than overshadowed by the good stuff. And this episode holds up on multiple viewings. Thumbs up!

This is episode that turned me around on the character of Faith, and it has a lot of great stuff in it. Gwendolyn Post (Serena Scott Thomas), especially, is a breath of fresh air, and would have made a welcome foil for Giles had they not immediately exposed her as a bad guy at the end of the episode. Also excellent is Giles' extremely harsh (but deserved) scolding of Buffy vis a vis hiding Angel. This episode is further noteworthy for showing the first sign that Brooding Boy (i.e. Angel) would be doing some constructive things on his own this season. The Xander-Faith stuff is great, and conclusively shows the depth of Xander's hatred for Angel (and his equally strong loyalty to the Slayerettes as represented by Giles), as well as Faith's obvious lack of the character needed to be a good Slayer. Finally, the knock-down, drag-out between Buffy and Faith (Buffy was going to kick Faith's ass if they hadn't been interrupted!), and the final powerful scene with the triumphant and magnanimous Buffy and the weak, defeated and pathetic Faith is great stuff.

I find this episode somewhat of a disappointment, as compared to many in a.tv.b-v-s. Spike's return in this episodes seems... well, off to me. I do like the scary scene between Spike and Willow, and the forced cooperation between Buffy, Angel and Spike leads to some good dialogue. Still, Xander and especially Willow's craven behavior here makes me like both characters a lot less. The final kiss-off to Xander from Cordelia is great, but the final montage is almost overkill, and the Buffy and Angel break-up (for, what?, the millionth time?!) is old hat. The funeral scene (for Cordelia?! NNNOOO!) is also a cheap scare that should have been cut. Bottom line, this episode fails to generate the emotional immediacy in me (Cordelia's plight excepted) that it seems to generate in many of its fans. However, that final scene with Spike singing along with Sid Vicious doing "My Way" makes up for a lot of this episode's faults, and may be the best closing of any Buffy episode.

There is an interesting and compelling idea at the heart of this episode. Unfortunately, the execution is heavily flawed, which is why I dislike this episode so much. So, what's wrong with it? First, the set-up takes too long: it takes 20 minutes before we actually get to the alternate reality, which is probably too long. Second, this episode starts out as a 'Cordelia-centric' episode (spending time to show how Cordelia is suffering, post-"Lover's Walk"), but then, 10-15 minutes later, Cordie's dead. What's the point of this?! Joss Whedon has been quoted as saying that he thinks it's funny to have no one learn from this episode. But, once again, then what's the point?! Was it necessary to go to all this trouble to demonstrate how different Sunnydale would be if Buffy hadn't arrived 2 years previous (without some greater point involved)? We can already figure this out, we don't need to be shown it. There needed to be more to this episode than having it simply be an amusing one-episode diversion. Beyond this, there are other weaknesses with this episode. Nicholas Brendon is relatively uninspired in his role as Vamp-Xander and Alyson Hannigan is rusty at this point as Vamp-Willow (a role she perfects in "Dopplegangland"). The Master is pretty boring without his usual minions (and where are Luke The Vessel or Darla anyway?! their absences should have been acknowledged in this episode), and The Master's "Final Solution" is pretty silly. About the only good things in this episode are Anthony Head's performance, and Emma Caulfield's delightful turn as vengeful genie Anya. This episode did hold up better on second viewing, which is why it's up to a D+ grade.

Considering that this is an 'Angel episode', it is somewhat surprising to me how much this episode moved me. That's not to say that everything worked. The flashback sequences tended to be a little more ineffective than they should have been (the particular one where Angelus threatens the mother is pretty chilling though), and not much came of the so-called First Evil (either in this episode, or later on in the season). Further, David Boreanaz's performance is wildly uneven in this episode. Still, the performance of Robia LaMorte as faux-Jenny Calendar was excellent and appropriately creepy. The Oz-Willow substory was one of the better entries in this particular saga. And the final confrontation between Buffy and Angel works for me. Merry Christmas?...

This episode gets credit with me for being one of the few bona fide 'Joyce episodes' and Kristine Sutherland does a good job throughout (I particularly love the jabs she takes at the obvious displeased Mayor Wilkins in her speech!). However, the episode is marred by some bad dialogue (the Xander crack about the confiscation of his "Playboys" isn't funny), a wasted opportunity to further develop Amy The Witch, and the usual hysterical (and sanctimonious) American strawman about 'infringement on freedoms'. Some things that do work: the interaction between Cordelia and Giles, and the welcome development of Cordelia being the one to save the day. But certainly not one of the better episodes of this season.

An incredibly disappointing episode that's almost as bad as "The Wish". What should be a highly charged emotional episode ends up playing more like a bad "Scream" rip-off. There is absolutely no fallout from Giles' treachery, the Council of Watchers is portrayed as more incompetent and offensive than the IRS (a development I will only buy if it is later exposed that the CoW has been infiltrated by The Forces of Evil(tm)) and even SMG is off in this one. I like Jeff Kober's villainous vamp, but once again a decent foil (and potential recurring villain) is killed off before the end of the episode. But not before we get the cliched and tired chase through the old and rickety house. This episode impressed me even less on second viewing, which is why this one's grade is even with "Faith, Hope & Trick".

An episode I don't care too much for, which is redeemed in its final scenes. I'm not sure I buy the conceit of the episode that Xander would suddenly be pushed aside (but that Willow wouldn't) in a situation like this, and I don't necessarily see Xander then falling in with this gang of no-goods (or into bed with Faith!) as a result. The counterpoint of the sketchily explained 'save the world' plot leaves me pretty cold too. This might have worked better if the writers had used a previously established danger rather than coming up with a new and poorly explained one (in general, I really dislike anything that's obscurely explained like this). Many defend this aspect of the episode by saying that the 'danger' is supposed to be 'sketchy'; I disagree when it's so 'sketchy' that it's distracting to the viewer. Still, the final confrontations between Xander and undead psycho Jack O'Toole (Channon Roe), and later Xander and Cordelia, tend to make up for a lot of reservations I have about this episode. Certainly not among of the very best Buffy, but a decent effort overall.

A very disappointing episode: not only is Faith becoming so odious that she's detracting from the action, but Buffy's behavior (Wesley Windham-Price, or not) is inexplicable and unbelievable. I'm equally (if not more) incredulous about Buffy's overt sexuality around Angel in the nightclub scene. Yeah, sure, the heavy lesbian subtext of this same dance club scene saves this one from a C-, but not by much. Other pluses: Balthazar is deliciously slimily horrible, and The Mayor is always good. Finally, I do like the jaw-dropper between Faith and Buffy in the last scene. But overall I'm not a fan of this one.

Probably my favorite of season #3, there's a lot here that I like and very little that I don't. Faith is finally pushed over line-after-line-after-line, and in many cases she's pushed over these lines unintentionally by well-meaning folks like Buffy, Xander and Wesley. Eliza Dushku finally gets a chance to shine in this episode and does, as does Sarah Michelle Gellar. Even David Boreanaz does a pretty good job in this one. Unlike many detractors, I buy Faith's decent into self-imposed hell, and I also like the philosophical back-and-forths between Buffy and Faith (unlike other reviewers, I don't really expect an 'answer' from these exchanges, but I appreciate them just the same). Mr. Trick's last line adds some amusement to an otherwise dark episode. Holds up on multiple viewings. In short, this is the keeper from season #3.

This is the surprise of this season IMO. Based on "The Wish" and the unevenness of Alyson Hannigan's portrayal of Vampire Willow, I wasn't expecting much from this episode, except for more fun with Emma Caulfield's Anya. Imagine my pleasant surprise when I realized that Hannigan was going to rise to the occasion in this episode, at least as Evil Vampire Willow if less so as 'real' Willow. Still, Evil Vampire Willow, 'real' Willow and Anya all get great lines in this episode. Added bonuses are the scenes where Buffy and Xander, and then Giles, and Angel, come to believe that Willow has been vamped; where Vamp Willow pretends to be 'real' Willow and faces off with Cordelia ("I like books because... I'm so shy..."); and where 'real' Willow pretends to be Vamp Willow and attempts to trick Anya and her lead henchman. The final hug between the two Willows is a keeper, as is Vamp Willow's final fate. A great mix of suspense and humor: probably the second best of season #3 after "Consequences".

A 'B' episode that rose to a 'B+' on subsequent viewings, this episode succeeds mostly for letting Eliza Dushku, David Boreanaz and Harry Groener (as The Mayor) chew the scenery. The episode's structure, in attempting to keep the audience in the dark until the last second, is not a success (and may not even make sense!), but the individual scenes in this episode mostly make up for that. Gifts from this episode include Angel (as faux-Angelus) giving Xander what he actually deserves ("That guy just bugs me..."), and Faith's hasty kiss revealing Faith's true (but repressed) feelings for Buffy. The final 'short break' between Buffy and Angel is probably one of the few examples in this long (overwrought) saga that works for me.

This is the second episode (after "Halloween") where the people who have seen the episode (long before I have ended up seeing it) run around declaring, "This is the best episode of the season!" leaving me going "Huh?!" Don't get me wrong, I like "Earshot" (and "Halloween" for that matter). But "The Best of the Season"?! Puleeze. In fact, what don't I like about "Earshot"? Well, like "The Wish", this is an episode that takes far too long to get to the set-up. We're 20-30 minutes into this episode before Buffy starts getting telepathic. And not much of great importance happens in those first 20-30 minutes, which results in the first half of this episode being somewhat of a waste of the viewer's time. However, once we get to Buffy's telepathy, the episode picks up greatly. I appreciate all of the Scooby gang's thoughts, though I don't think they were playing fair with Cordelia in this episode (portraying her as forthright is one thing; portraying her as the most shallow person in Sunnydale is another (besides, we already know that the most shallow person in Sunnydale is Harmony!)). However, for reasons that aren't clear to me, we get little in the way of Giles' thoughts, and we never do hear from poor Joyce (Buffy just blurts out Joyce's 'secret', but we never actually hear Joyce's thoughts). Still, there are some great supporting people in this episode, including Nancy (Lauren Roman) and the newspaper guy who have never been seen before. Buffy's speech to Jonathon (Danny Strong) is mostly effective, and the revelation of the 'killer's' identity a real surprise. Finally, the last scene with Buffy and Giles may be the funniest single ending scene of any episode (though I still slightly prefer the ending to "Lover's Walk"). So, a good one for sure; just not "The Best of the Season".

A decent episode, which includes some good stuff, especially in the Willow-Faith face-off. Indeed, Faith, as well as the Mayor, are excellent in this episode, stealing every scene they're in. But, strangely, I'm actually more interested by the scenes in which everyone is talking about where they'll be going to college than in the supernatural capers that take place here. I also like the subtle plan of using Wesley and Giles in the van as a diversion for Buffy's and Angel's escape with the box. What's not so good? The careless and unjust dismissal of Wesley's points in trading the Mayor's needed box for Willow. Come on guys!: a choice between Willow and all the inhabitants of Sunnydale (including, as Wesley points out, their own families!) should be a no brainer! (Especially heinous is Oz's behavior; I'm now to the point where I despise the character.) Still, the final Buffy/Slayerettes vs. Mayor Wilkins/Faith face-off at the end is one of the good bits. And Snyder's last line ("Why couldn't you people be dealing drugs like 'normal' people?") is a keeper.

Self-awaredly a heart-tugger, this episode works quite well for me on that level. Sure, bits don't work. The monsters-of-the-week are not only lame, but really cheesy looking (I like the 'Hellhound' concept, but they should have popped for some better FX for them!). And Angel's final break-up with Buffy in the sewers (as well as the subsequent scene at the slaughterhouse) demonstrated what may be some of Boreanaz's poorest acting to date, for my money. (I think the way he played the breakup scene especially, was too understated, and all wrong; this scene alone takes this episode down from an 'A-'...) But lot's here works. We're once again treated to the delightful appearance of Anya ("I hate men! Will you go to the Prom with me?"), a great speech from Jonathan (Crowd: "Hyena people! Zombies! SNYDER!"), and a long overdue Thank You to Buffy from Sunnydale High. That's more than enough to get over the rough spots in this episode. Yeah, this episode is heavy on the emotionalism; but almost all of it works (save the aforementioned 'break-up' scene). In fact, this episode is better on second viewing. And I agree with William George Ferguson: this episode is a actually more emotionally satisfying denouement to the season (and the series!) than the "Graduation" two-parter.

One of the better "First of Two Part" episodes for Buffy, it's certainly better than "Surprise" or "Bad Girls". What I don't care for is the second careless dismissal of Wesley's points in three episodes: maybe they should listen to him for once? Good stuff: Buffy thinks of Joyce and hustles her out of town, Anya thinks of Xander and begs him to leave for his own safety (while Xander stands tall for loyalty), and Buffy finally takes the action with Faith that should have been taken long ago (both with Faith, and earlier with Angelus). It's just too bad that we never got that Buffy/Faith hottub scene before this episode... [sigh]

A rousing conclusion to a good (if not great) season finale, this episode is almost as satisfying as "The Prom", though there are several regrettable casualties here. Unusually for me, I even like the overwrought Buffy-Angel scenes in which Buffy forces Angel to drink her blood so that he can recover from the poison and live on. (Though I don't buy the view that Buffy actually enjoyed it, not one bit!) The long sequence in the hospital (sans scene cuts) is a great bit of direction from Joss, and leads to an extremely tense (but satisfying) confrontation between Angel and The Mayor, and later Angel and the Slayerettes (Xander (speaking for many!): "Can I just say how much I'm not going to miss that guy when he leaves town..."). I'm still trying to figure out Buffy's/Faith's cryptic dream (especially Faith's ambiguous line of "I'm learning new stuff..."). But from the dream on, the episode really cranks up the pace and the adrenaline. The middle sequence, flipping back and forth between the Scooby Gang and the Mayor and his Boys is another great bit of direction, and may be my favorite part of the episode. Finally, we get The Mayor's transformation, the exciting 5 minutes where the Seniors of Sunnydale High battle The Mayor's Forces, leading to some heartbreaking loses (poor Snyder, poor Larry, and even poor Harmony!) and some great triumphs (Cordy stakes a vamp 'Buffy style'! Jonathon lunges full-force at another vamp! Xander leads the forces of good! Wesley... well, he whimpers like a girl!) Anyway, great stuff all around. It ain't "Becoming (Part 2)", but it's darn good all the same!

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