Season 3: The End of High School

[Clare]

Review and discuss season three here - also include your scores for each of the episodes.

Which episode was your favourite and which was your least favourite? And why?

[partcynic]

S3 Episode Ratings

7 3x01 Anne
2 3x02 Dead Man's Party
6 3x03 Faith, Hope and Trick
4 3x04 Beauty and the Beasts
6 3x05 Homecoming
8 3x06 Band Candy
4 3x07 Revelations
9 3x08 Lover's Walk
8 3x09 The Wish
6 3x10 Amends
4 3x11 Gingerbread
6 3x12 Helpless
6 3x13 The Zeppo
5 3x14 Bad Girls
4 3x15 Consequences
9 3x16 Doppelgangland
7 3x17 Enemies
9 3x18 Earshot
7 3x19 Choices
7 3x20 The Prom
8 3x21 Graduation Day, Part One
8 3x22 Graduation Day, Part Two

Average - 6.36

Overview

If S1 was "Buffy"'s introduction and S2 the year in which it grew up, then S3 was all about the show consolidating its strengths. Having now established its tone, structure and approach to storytelling, it was able to branch out and expand its universe and characters - and the result is the "Buffy" season that best manages to strike a balance between ambition and effective execution.

One of S3's general strengths is its consistency (featuring only one poor episode; "Dead Man's Party"), and even its lesser editions have redeeming qualities. Overall, the standards of both the arc and the standalones are high, and the season was able to create an unsurpassed run of excellent eps in its final third, with the stretch from "Doppelgangland" to "Graduation Day" not having a single dud.

However, that's not to say that there weren't problems. While not being issues at the time, the season set the precedence for the standalones outperforming the arc (reversing the trend in the first two years), and gave us our first glimpses of the show reaching beyond its grasp. In contrast to the economic storytelling of S2, several character arcs got sloppy, with the worst offender being the neverending saga of Buffy and Angel. From Angel's unnecessary insertions in the first two episodes to the repetitive angsty looks/speeches the characters shared upon his return, the plot smacked of appealing to shippers over concise development, and by the time "The Prom" dealt the killing blow, I was desperate for Angel to be gone. The story could easily have been told in half the time, and is an important reminder that plodding, go-nowhere-slowly narratives weren't the sole domain of S6 and S7.

Another issue came with the handling of the crucial Faith character. On the plus side, she was a highly memorable, interesting individual who felt like she belonged in the series, but she wasn't sufficiently explored during the early and middle stages of the arc, meaning that her ultimate switch to evil ("Consequences") and hatred of Buffy ("Enemies") felt too abrupt. Fortunately, pairing her with the magnificent Mayor was a perfect salve, and the two characters developed one of the most intriguing (and ironically, caring) dynamics in the series, making for engaging viewing and being the final time we got to see a three-dimensional Big Bad. Their interactions made for the highpoint of the arc, though it should also be praised for bringing up new ideas about what being a Slayer meant, as well as having excellent action and pacing as the day of the Mayor's Ascension loomed closer.

Away from its main story, S3 did a (mostly) great job at exploring its characters. The non-Buffy members of the core four all got strong episodes that significantly progressed their stories ("Helpless"; "The Zeppo"; "Doppelgangland"), and developments like Xander realising his place and finally growing up; Willow learning the value of standing up for herself; and Giles showing that his loyalties would always lie with Buffy were powerful and fulfilling. In addition, Buffy moved ahead when she wasn't pining over Angel, regaining her sense of self ("Anne"), accepting her responsibilities as a defining part of who she is ("Choices"), and accepting the cold, hard reality of her life and relationships ("The Prom"). By the end of the season, each of the core teens had matured significantly, becoming more 'adult' without losing the characteristics that made them endearing, and even the more forced sub-plots (Xander/Willow) ended up being worth it.

Another strong aspect of S3 was its new characters. Aside from the aforementioned Faith and the Mayor, newbies like Anya and Wesley were unique individuals with clearly defined personalities (note how Anya had her own traits here, but then transformed into a poor man's Cordelia as soon as Ms Chase left for LA). All four managed to be consistently entertaining, and each made their own mark (though Wesley would be at his best on "Angel").

In terms of general episodes, the year's standalones were the jewel in its crown, with many ranking among the best "Buffy" ever did. From the hilarious "Band Candy" to brilliantly dark and disturbing "The Wish", these eps managed to cover a huge number of themes and emotional territories, and ones like "Lover's Walk" and "Earshot" were superb in almost every way, maintaining their impact over ten years on.

Overall, I would say that S3 was a huge success, combining a propulsive arc with excellent one-shots and only rarely neglecting aspects of its humour, emotion or character development. There are comparative down moments (the tacked on Willow/Xander romance; too much Buffy/Angel), but they pale in sight of the achievements of the glorious majority - and this makes S3 my second favourite of the lot.

S3 Awards

Best Episode - Earshot. Though I could change it to "Lover's Walk" or "Doppelgangland" depending on my mood.

Worst Episode - Dead Man's Party. A horribly characterised mess with little plot and an offensive theme.

Best Writer - Joss Whedon is (again) the statistical best, delivering brilliant action, drama and comedy. It says a lot that the lowest-rated ep he wrote is still a six out of ten on my scale - the guy is a genius when he puts his mind to things.

Most Valuable Player - I have a really hard time making the decision here. I think I'll award Harry Groener the title, since there's not a single Mayor scene that I didn't love.

Best Scene - Everybody dying at the end of "The Wish". A excellent example of bleakness that's both fascinating and earned by the story.