A long time ago, I was living in my Dad's basement, with only a WebTV and cable connecting me to the outside world. So here comes this chick, this "lawchick" actually, from New York City. She just so happened to be a huge fan of Buffy, and occasionally could be found using the nickname "FaithVS".

She was so much of a Buffyphile, in fact, that she wrote me an e-mail spanning no less than 7 pages, introducing me to the "ropes" of the series, so that I would be ready to ease into my first Episode ever. That Episode turned out to be Graduation Day, Part 1. I still remember coming into the chat room afterwards, saying "Faith got away!" as if I had some kind of right to talk like I cared.

Once you've been through all that Season Three has to offer, you too might understand why an explanation of the events leading to Graduation Day would take 7 pages to describe! And you'll probably care more than I pretended to way back when. (Is it just me, or is it disturbing to refer to 1999 as "way back when"?).

Where previous seasons of Buffy had a penchant for meandering, Season Three comes together in a way that rivals every Buffy season in existence. Behold, intertwining stories of love and love forbidden, authority and the lack thereof, slaying vs. killing, and proverbs about being careful what you wish for... or think.

Season Three introduces us to a bevy of new and exciting characters: Faith, a fellow Slayer who is seduced by the Dark Side; Anya, a vengeance-demon turned human who secretly retains her powers; Wesley, Faith's supposed watcher and even more of a social klutz than Giles; and Mayor Wilkins, who spends half his time plotting weird things with vampires and the other half laughing at himself.

One of my favorite developments in Season Three would have to be the gradual advancement of Willow's magical skill. Here, she gets to do some more "everyday" kind of magic like levitating a pencil.

Season Three is the last season to take place at Sunnydale High. For this reason, I instantly assumed the remaining seasons would never live up to the first three. Up until recently, I wasn't sure I liked Season Three all that much, but nothing says sober like a second viewing. The reference to things past and the foreshadowing of things to come is astounding here. Knowing what happens in the later Seasons makes this one better to watch.

Now then, if yall can just open your books to page 69, we'll get this show on the road!

Episode 1: Anne (6/10)
Way off, seemingly on the other side of the planet, Buffy is attempting to start a new life under the name "Anne". But no matter where our Slayer goes, trouble seems to be brewing. Back at Sunnydale, reunions are awkward, 'specially between Xander and Cordelia. Without Buffy's help, ridding Sunnydale of its demon element proves to be quite the challenge for the rest of the Scooby Gang. It's kind of an "uncomfortable" start, what with the whole gang split apart and all.
Best Quote:
Giles: "Joyce, you mustn't blame yourself for her leaving."
Joyce: "I don't. I blame you."

Episode 2: Dead Man's Party (5/10)
Having returned at the end of the first Episode, Buffy has some readjusting to do. What seems to be the least of her problems turns out to be more when Joyce hangs a scary mask on the wall that starts raising the dead, and a little holy hell with them. It seems like everyone is a little harsh on Buffy for running off. It made me so glad people didn't treat me like that when I bailed for 8 months last year!
Best Quote:
Buffy: "I got in a few hours ago, but I wanted to go see my Mom first."
Giles: "Yes, yes, of course. How did you find her?"
Buffy: "Well, I pretty much remembered the address."

Episode 3: Faith, Hope And Trick (7.5/10)
Let's have a nice round of applause for Faith! Played by Eliza Dushku, Faith kind of comes and goes all the way to the final Season, but her presence here is dominating. Many Buffy fans, when asked who is the best fighter in the series, will cite Faith. As you'll find out, though, Faith has some serious anger management issues, and the protective cloud needed to stay sane through such a thing will later shroud her better judgment. But wow, with Faith and Buffy fighting side by side, they are unstoppable. We are also introduced to a new vamp who'll be sticking around for a while, Mr. Trick, who is a riot a minute.
Best Quote:
Faith: "So it's like 118 degrees, and I'm sleeping without a stitch on. And all of a sudden I hear this screaming from outside. So I go tearing out, stark nude, and this church bus has broken down and there's these three vamps feasting on half the Baptists in South Boston. So I waste the vamps, and the preacher comes up, and he's hugging me like there's no tomorrow, when all of a sudden the cops pull up, and they arrest us both."
Xander: "Wow! They should film that story and show it every Christmas."

Episode 4: Beauty And The Beasts (6.5/10)
A little murder has just happened down in the woods, and all eyes are on Oz-wolf as the first suspect. The actual perpetrator ends up being kind of ridiculous and funny. Buffy has an unusual rapport with the school counselor, Mr. Platt. We also see here the mysterious return of Angel, who is nearly dehumanized by where he has just been. Unfortunately, his return to normal, gradual as it may be, should not have even so much as started in the same episode that he returned in. Even though you want it to, it still feels too soon.
Best Quote:
Oz: "Senior bio? I kind of aced that final."
Willow: "And how did you do that? Oh, right, you showed up."

Episode 5: Homecoming (8/10)
Cordelia's running for homecoming queen, and in the spirit of competition, Buffy steps into the running herself. But that isn't even the half of it. Here, Willow and Xander have a scene together that left heartbeats accelerating all around the world. There is also quite a bit more action than you'd expect, and just wait til you see who gets voted as the Queen! Also some good music in this episode from Fastball and Lisa Loeb.
Best Quote:
Buffy (to Cordelia): "Your brain isn't even connected to your mouth, is it?"

Episode 6: Band Candy (9/10)
I just love these "what if" Episodes! "Band Candy" brings up a rather novel scenario. The students of Sunnydale High are selling candy bars, but little do they know that whoever eats them ends up with the mind of his/her 16-year old self. The scenes with Principal Snyder are completely priceless.
Best Quote:
Mr. Trick: "That's the reason I love this country. You make a good product, and the people will come to you. Of course, a lot of them are going to die, but that's the other reason I love this country."

Episode 7: Revelations (7/10)
Faith's got herself a Watcher now, Gwen Post. It seems she has come along just in time to warn the gang of a demon called Lagos, and something about a Glove of Mynhegon that can give its wearer major power, but can never be removed once it is put on. The secret of Angel's return leaks out to the gang, and all heck breaks loose. Certain parts of this one feel forcefully "set up", otherwise it's a pretty strong progression of the whole story.
Best Quote:
Cordy: "What gives you the right to suck face with your demon lover again?"
Buffy: "It was an accident!"
Xander: "What, you just tripped and fell on his lips?"

Episode 8: Lovers' Walk (9/10)
Spike is back, with just one thing in mind -- to win back the affection of his beloved Drusilla. And what better way than to enlist the help of a certain up and coming wizardette? Dan Vebber takes on the writing credits, and infuses Spike with a kind of "life" of his own. The mere thought of a Slayer's mother making hot chocolate for a vampire, words alone can't do justice to the irony. The love rectangle between Willow, Oz, Xander and Cordelia shatters into a million pieces, leaving us at a complete loss as to where it'll go from here...
Best Quote:
Willow: "Now, I'm not a real witch, you know. I don't know if this is going to work right away."
Spike: "Well, if at first you don't succeed, I'll kill him, and you try again."

Episode 9: The Wish (9/10)
Again with the "What if"! This episode introduces us to Anya, and first on her spontaneagenda is granting a wish of Cordelia's. "I wish Buffy had never come to Sunnydale!" Cordelia says in jest, and POOF, all reality changes. What is most impressive with this Episode is how well it keeps the whole "story" straight. When Angel recognizes Buffy in the alternate reality, you might think "But wait, how could he know her?" But then of course, you are redirected to a certain previous episode in which Angel's first connection to Buffy, unbeknownst to her, is established... before she comes to Sunnydale. Real mind trip, this one, but if there were ever a collection of "essential" episodes to watch, this would be one of them.
Best Quote:
Giles: "I have to believe in a better world."
Buffy: "Go ahead. I have to live in this one."

Episode 10: Amends (8.5/10)
It's Christmas time, and as usual, "Sweatydale" is looking at temps in the upper 70's. Not that it matters to Angel, who is now being haunted more than ever by the ghosts of those he killed, including Jenny Calendar. Eventually, he decides the only way he can escape the guilt is to kill himself. This all culminates in a beautiful scene on a hilltop, in which the most unexpected thing happens. I'd actually go to 9 or even 9.5 on this one, except that by now, hearing Buffy and Angel get into the same argument again and again grows somewhat tiresome.
Best Quote:
Buffy: "Strong is fighting. It's hard and it's painful and it's every day. It's what we have to do and we can do it together, but if you're too much of a coward for that, then burn."

Episode 11: Gingerbread (7.5/10)
I had always planned on panning this episode, 'cause the first time I saw it, man I just got so angry. But then I kinda thought well that's the idea! A second viewing made it more bearable, but it's still hard to buy the adults, especially Joyce, going to the extremes that they do here. When two kids are murdered, the citizens of Sunnydale "unite" in what becomes a kind of witch-hunt. Last-second save or not, it ends horribly. I believe this was Joss' attempt to open some eyes to the true abhorrent actions of the Salem witch trials. He definitely got my attention.
Best Quote:
Angel: "There's a lot I don't understand. But I do know it's important to keep fighting. And I learned that from you."
Buffy: "But we never--"
Angel: "We never win."
Buffy: "Not completely."
Angel: "We never will. That's not why we fight. We do it because there's things worth fighting for."

Episode 12: Helpless (7/10)
Oh Giles, how could you!? Unfortunately for Giles, it's a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation. The Council orders him to drug Buffy to remove her superpowers, then pit her against a vampire as some kind of test. Beware the undertones of the fable about Little Red Riding Hood..! In the end, the Council still decides that Giles has too much fatherly "love" for Buffy to be a suitable Watcher. Such is the way of the world, 'eh.
Best Quote:
Quentin: "We're not in the business of fair, Miss Summers, we're fighting a war."
Giles: "You're waging a war. She's fighting it. There is a difference."

Episode 13: The Zeppo (5/10)
There are some things I can relate to in this Episode, being about Xander and all, but a lot of excitement is wasted on the whole set-up of it. We have the threat of an opening Hellmouth again, but it is merely the backdrop of Xander's big quest to be cool and find his "thing". Which would include borrowing his Uncle Rory's 1957 Chevy Bel Air. But when he gets pressured into driving a friend around, only to discover that all his pals are going to be joining in from underground, it's like "Oh boy, what have I gotten myself into?" and yet there is still that strange rush of excitement in having "a life" so to speak.
Best Quote:
Xander: "Why is it that I've come face-to-face with vampires, demons, the most hideous creatures hell ever spit out, and I'm still afraid of a little bully like Jack O'Toole?"
Cordelia: "Because, unlike all those other creatures that you've come face-to-face with, Jack actually noticed you were there."

Episode 14: Bad Girls (7/10)
Wesley Wyndam-Price emerges as the new watcher, and sends Buffy out with Faith to find an artifact. Instead, they find Balthazar, the fattest demon you've ever seen. Faith "teaches" Buffy a few bad tricks. The single moment that changes everyone's life is that when Faith accidentally kills a human being thinking it was a demon. From here on out, Buffy and Faith are on two completely different tracks. For the most part, only the sight of Balthazar and the introduction of Wesley stand out here. The ending leaves you with a real "Ohhh boy" feeling.
Best Quote:
Wesley: "I have, in fact, faced two vampires myself. Under controlled circumstances, of course."
Giles: "No danger of finding those here."
Wesley: "Vampires?"
Giles: "Controlled circumstances."

Episode 15: Consequences (8/10)
Nothing beats fast-paced drama, and it's all over this Episode. So much happens here that it's quite something they managed to cram it all into 45 minutes. Faith shows off some serious fighting skill at the end when she takes out four vamps, practically by herself. This is also the second Episode in which we see a certain camera shot that tends to repeat itself. It is a shot over Buffy's left shoulder as a vampire is attacking her, and suddenly the vampire surrenders to dust, revealing Faith behind him having stabbed him. The first time, Faith is smiling; this time, she's unsure of herself. This shot appears again in Season 4.
Best Quote:
Faith: "How many people do you think we've saved by now, thousands? And didn't you stop the world form ending? Because in my book, that puts you and me in the plus column."

Episode 16: Doppelgängland (9/10)
Anya's a little ticked off that she lost her necklace that allowed her to grant people's wishes, so she gets Willow to try a spell with her to get it back. However, the spell backfires, and a piece of the alternate reality created by Cordy's wish back in "The Wish" becomes a part of this reality. That would be none other than the vampire version of Willow. Enough can't possibly be said of Alyson Hannigan's fabulous performance here.
Best Quote:
Anya: "For a thousand years I wielded the powers of the Wish. I brought ruin to the heads of unfaithful men. I brought forth destruction and chaos for the pleasure of the lower beings. I was feared and worshipped across the mortal globe. And now I'm stuck at Sunnydale High. Mortal. Child. And I'm flunking Math."

Episode 17: Enemies (7/10)
There really isn't much of a point to this one except that the Mayor gets to show off his immortality some more. But mostly it revolves around a spell cast by Faith to take away Angel's soul again. Together, Faith and Angelus capture Buffy with plans to give her a nice slow, painful death.
Best Quote: (possible spoiler)
Buffy: "I never knew you had so much rage in you."
Faith: "What can I say? I'm the world's best actor."
Angel: "Second best."

Episode 18: Earshot (10/10)
I still remember the first time I saw this one, saying again and again that it was the best one yet. Man, is it ever. Buffy becomes infected with an aspect of a demon she recently defeated, and that is the ability to read minds. Now everywhere she goes, she hears what people are thinking. I love the part where she's walking by some guy who is thinking "Man, Buffy is so beautiful." She slows down, kind of curtsies and then he continues, "I'd love to just shove her up against a wall and go at it" or something, and she walks away as fast as possible. Problems arise when the thoughts start to overwhelm Buffy a la the prayers in Bruce Almighty. Then out of the blue, she hears one person thinking about how they are going to commit mass murder tomorrow. Ta da! This Episode is a complete blast to watch, and the whole exchange inside the clock tower has stuck with me ever since the first time I saw it. Which was about oh, five months ago.
Best Quote:
Buffy: "You know what? I was wrong. You are an idiot. My life, on occasion, sucks beyond the telling of it. But it's not just mine. Every single person down there is ignoring your pain because they're too busy dealing with their own. The beautiful ones, the popular ones. The guys that pick on you. Everyone. If you could hear what they're feeling. The loneliness. The confusion. It looks quiet down there, but it's not. It's deafening."

Episode 19: Choices (7.5/10)
So much to do, so little time! College acceptances, road trip plans, presents for Faith, and a mysterious crate that contains powerful magic. Mostly we see the Scooby Gang attempt to keep the Mayor from getting his hands on this crate, 'cause it is the key to his "ascension". As Dad would have once said, "Scarin' me!" At some point, Willow gets captured and there are some great scenes of her big escape.
Best Quote:
Vamp: "That won't cut through steel."
Faith: "No, but it'll cut through bone."

Episode 20: The Prom (9.5/10)
And before the obligatory two-Episode showdown that finishes out the Season, we have one last fling with real life. Angel breaks up once and for all with Buffy, one of the most heart-breaking turns ever (The "aftermath" scene between Buffy and Willow is even more so). And now it seems that even prom night is not safe from the demons, or the demon makers for that matter. But all is well and good in the end, and Buffy receives a special recognition and gift from the entire class. And to round things all out, Angel shows up anyway lookin' all spiffy in his tuxedo. And so there is one last dance, set to an intensely euphoric and sad song called "Wild Horses" by The Sundays. Which apparently is a cover of a Rolling Stones song, although I can't imagine them doing anything even remotely that somber.
Best Quote:
Buffy: "I'm going to give you all a nice, fun, normal evening, if I have to kill every single person on the face of the earth to do it."

Episode 21: Graduation Day Pt. 1 (7/10)
The Graduation Day set makes a fine finale (as they oft tend to be), but it's a little slow taking off. Buffy and Angel get into another kind of annoying argument when suddenly an arrow pops out of the blue and goes right through Angel. It is a poison arrow, shot by none other than Faith. The idea is to distract Buffy so that the Mayor can have his ascension on Graduation Day and eat all the little children. Yummy indeed. In the meantime, though, seeing the Mayor eat those little bugs is quite hilarious. When it is discovered that the only way to cure Angel is with the blood of a Slayer, Buffy goes to square off with Faith...
Best Quote:
Xander: "Yes, men like sports. Men watch the action movie. They eat of the beef and enjoy to look at the bosoms. A thousand years of avenging our wrongs, and that's all you've learned?"

Episode 22: Graduation Day Pt. 2 (9/10)
Back on the horse, we are! Between the cryptic "dream sequence", Buffy's selfless act on behalf of Angel, and the big fight scene at the end, it's all pure Buffy-mania, cooked to perfection (literally, in some manner). This one leaves a bit of a cliffhanger involving Faith, not to mention huge contemplation as to where the Scooby Gang is headed and if their adventures will ever be the same. Seeing as how Angel will be branching off into his own show from this point onward, he is given not only a fine exit, but some excellent fight sequences to go out on. Man, does he ever whoop up on some vamps! The very end, after all is said and done, feels almost too nonchalant, like "Oh well, so much for high school." But then, I recall feeling similarly ambivalent about my own graduation...
Best Quote:
Buffy: "If someone could just wake me when it's time to go to college, that'd be great."

Season Three = 169/220 = 76.82%
Season Two = 166/220 = 75.45%
Season One = 77/120 = 64.17%

Season 7
Season 6
Season 5
Season 4

Cast Listing

Sarah Michelle Gellar - Buffy Summers
Anthony Stewart Head - Rupert Giles
James Marsters - Spike
Alyson Hannigan - Willow Rosenberg
Nicholas Brendon - Xander Harris
Emma Caulfield - Anya
David Boreanaz - Angel
Seth Green - Oz
Charisma Carpenter - Cordelia Chase
Kristine Sutherland - Joyce Summers
Eliza Dushku - Faith
Harry Groener - Mayor Wilkins III
Alexis Denisof - Wesley Wyndam-Pryce
Armin Shimerman - Principal Snyder
Danny Strong - Jonathan
Mercedes McNab - Harmony
Ethan Erickson - Percy
K. Todd Freeman - Mr. Trick
Robin Sachs - Ethan Rayne

With this, we bid a fond farewell to Angel, to Sunnydale High, and a not-so-fond farewell to Cordelia, who will follow Angel onto his spin-off series. As it turns out though, Cordelia does quite a bit of growing up over there, so by no means should her presence be a deterrent to checking out that series as well if the inkling strikes.

Buffy: Season Three has some of the finest scriptwriting of them all, as well as some of the fondest "memories", which you know will be referenced now and again in future Seasons.

DVD Extras include commentary by writer David Fury on 'Helpless', commentary by writer Doug Petrie on 'Bad Girls', commentary by director Michael Gershman on 'Consequences', commentary by writer Jane Espenson on 'Earshot', five extremely cool featurettes (lol @ "Buffy Speak"!) special interviews with Joss Whedon, scripts for 'Faith, Hope & Trick,' 'Band Candy,' 'Lover's Walk,' and 'The Wish', and a couple of other odds and ends. And to think, if this had been around 25 years sooner, Styx might never have written the song "Too Much Time On My Hands"!

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD