«Season Three Has Its Moments . . . . .»
I know many consider this season to be one of the best, if not THE best. I don't fully agree, because for some reason I prefer Season 2 over this one. I'm not quite sure why - oh, who am I kidding, I have a pretty good idea. Although the second season had more than a few duds among the episodes, I loved the introduction of Spike (James Marsters) and Drusilla (Juliet Landau), Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Angel (David Boreanaz) consummating their relationship, only to have the gypsy curse that was bestowed on him turn him evil and back to the malevolent Angeleus. Angel on the dark side was refreshing after the mushiness of their slayer/vampire forbidden romance. The conclusion of Season 2 had Buffy killing Angel after his soul had been restored in order to stop the opening of hell. Unable to deal with the heartbreak of killing her lover, Buffy fled Sunnydale and began working as a waitress in LA going by her middle name. She tries to ignore her calling but finds herself drawn to helping Lily (Julia Lee, who appeared in Season 2 episode "Lie To Me" and in future episodes of "Angel"), and she again saves others from evil and it makes her realize it's time to head home. Unfortunately, her running away left her mother, Watcher and friends feeling betrayed, hurt and excluded. Buffy must deal with this, along with the fact that she was expelled from Sunnydale High and must work hard to prove herself upon her re-admittance.
The slayer also attempts to have a "normal life" once again with dating a regular guy, Scott Hope (Fab Filippo) but somehow, Angel returns to the earthly plane after being tortured in hell and his soul has been restored, leading to more angst and conflict for all concerned.
I think my main problems with this season were that the Buffy/Angel romance began to feel really redundant and seemed to have lost the spark that it had in the first two seasons, and Spike only appears in one episode, despite being featured on one of the discs. I got that Buffy and Angel are doomed and can never be mostly because of the fact that they cannot become intimate again or else his evil, souless side will be unleashed again. But it seemed like Whedon and company were hitting us over the head with it. It was getting so tired that I was relieved when Boreanaz spun off to his own series, "Angel". I really think Spike should have figured more in this season, but, I shouldn't complain since he becomes such a vital part of the Scooby Gang later on.
Now I'm going to gush. I LOVE Spike, and "Lover's Walk" was probably one of the best episodes of the season. At this point, he's a vicious vampire with a vulnerable side, especially when it comes to love and needing a mom (both of which is foreshadowing the future, as Marsters becomes a series regular starting with the fourth season), and a sense of humor to boot. Also, his speech to Buffy and Angel on how they can never just be friends will love each other until it kills them both (not to mention his barbs at Angel for being "all soul having again") could really be yet another forerunner of what was to come later between him and Buffy.
The series costume designer, Cynthia Bergstrom, admitted that the wardrobe choice for Buffy this season was a bit, well, questionable. Some of the coats and jackets she sported, not to mention the out of character purses and handbags, didn't come off well onscreen.
More on the positive side, some of the best villains make the rounds, the Mayor of Sunnydale (Harry Groener), black vampire Trick (K. Todd Freeman), psycho former watcher Gwendolyn Post (Serena Scott-Thomas), fellow slayer Faith (Eliza Dushku), who starts off as a friend but gets too easily drawn to darkness, and the introduction of the First, the powerful evil that will be fought in the seventh and final season. The First has the ability to take on the appearance of dead people (in the episode, "Amends", Angel is tortured by the the people he killed, including teacher Jenny Calendar (Robia LaMorte) a former gypsy whose people put the curse on Angel, and Giles's (Anthony Steward Head) ill-fated love interest in seasons 1 and 2). Giles' friend turned foe Ethan Rayne (Robin Sachs) also makes an appearance. Oh, and we get to see Buffy's old nemesis, the Master (Mark Metcalf) in "The Wish". "Band Candy" is probably among the most humorous episodes (although humor pretty much always plays a part in every installment), it was a hoot to see all the adults (including Principal Snyder, portrayed by Armin Shimerman) act like teenagers, or more specifically, the teenagers of their era (Giles was so great - and hot! - as a 60s type dude who made me think of the "kitchen sink" British dramas of the period). I also enjoyed a look back at Angel's history (and also Spike's later) which began in Season 2 and would continue throughout both shows.
The other scoobies, too, have their great moments. Some have said that Xander (Nicholas Brendon) was a jerk at times in this season and I agree, but I think it gave Brendon a chance to show more range, and I think he could have played darker a bit more often (like in season 1 episode "The Pack" and this season's "The Wish"). He's still priceless as a goofy, geeky guy, and kind of sweet, but I like seeing him with an edge. He and Willow (Alyson Hannigan), who is also dabbling in Wicca (discovering the powers that will make her even stronger), discover their attraction for one another after years of friendship, but it's ill-fated when their love significant others, snobby but perky Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) and werewolf/musician Oz (the adorable Seth Green) discover Xander and Willow a liplock. Carpenter too, shows more versatility in her scenes in the hospital after she's impaled in "Lover's Walk" - just like Gellar and Hannigan, she can break your heart. It was a good choice to have Cordy join Angel in LA, and I think the character of vengeance demon Anya (Emma Caulfield) was clearly being set up as a replacement for Cordelia (for the comic relief, as well as a love interest for Xander). Willow's vamp alter ego is also a revelation, and I think it was a great choice to let Hannigan play that in two episodes, "The Wish" and "Doppelgangland" (and vamp Willow is yet another foreshadowing device for things to come). New Watcher Wesley Wyndam-Price (Alexis Denisof, who also spun off to "Angel") catches Cordy's eye for a while after she breaks up with Xander leading to more humorous and touching interludes. Faith's attraction to darkness comes across like gang-busters too and her relationship with the Mayor is like the father and daughter of hell, in an interesting way.
Buffy's mom Joyce (Kristine Sutherland) is also fun to watch, with the exception of her massive overprotectiveness of Buffy, which grates on one's nerves after while. In "Band Candy", "Lover's Walk" and "Gingerbread" she gives her own brand of humor. Another anvil that is dropped is the mention of "little sis" by Faith, which will figure at the end of season 4.
I have to say something about episode 18, "Earshot" (which features recurring character Jonathan, played by Danny Strong), since it was yanked by the WB because of the Columbine Massacre. I guess the network felt it was necessary to air it later due to the tragedy that occurred, but I don't think it would have been an outrage had it aired right then. Buffy is able to hear people's thoughts, and in doing so, she stops Jonathan's plan to carry out a school shooting. If anything, that was positive rather than negative, and empowering in a way.
Once again, in the last few episodes, were are told by people, including the mayor no less, how Buffy and Angel's romance can go nowhere. Clearly setting up Angel breaking up with Buffy and moving to LA, I got the message more than once, heck, pretty much all season long. I almost wanted a clean break so Buffy could move on already. I did like Willow and Oz finding their way back to each other and becoming intimate, the opposite of Xander and Cordy's relationship, which was pretty much dead from when she saw him kissing Willow. As I said, Anya becomes Xander's love interest not long after. Although Xander did finally lose his virginity to Faith in "The Zeppo". Speaking of Faith, Buffy does manage to defeat her, but it's hardly a triumphant moment, in fact, it's quite sad because we know that Faith hasn't had an easy life and lost her way. Fortunately, Faith makes guest appearances in both "Buffy" and "Angel" in the future and is clearly an important part of Buffyverse.
This season ends with a two-parter, "Graduation Day" the Mayor's Ascension, leaving our herione, the scoobies and Angel (who was poisoned by Faith, which can only be cured by the Slayer's blood), fighting against the evil (and vampires of course) and Angel leaving as Buffy watches (he had called it quits with her in the previous episode, "The Prom"). Bangel fans got some angsty, heartbreaking and somewhat erotic romantic scenes when Buffy gets Angel do feed on her blood in order for him to survive. Oh, and we get to see Sunnydale High destroyed (remember how you used to bemoan the fact that you had to go to school?).
In conclusion, I don't rank this season as my favorite but it's pretty good and a vital part of the series.
[Saturday, July 17, 2010]
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