Rewatch: Buffy season 3
Dec. 5th, 2021 01:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
charlottenewtons"Well, I personally don't think it's possible to come up with a crazier plan."
"We attack the Mayor with hummus."
- Season 3 is very consistent. Season 2 had higher highs but also lower lows, whereas s3 manages to largely avoid the duff monster of the week episodes as well having several well written arcs like Faith's face-heel turn, Angel's return and the slow disintegration of his relationship with Buffy. The Mayor is another good villain. I personally enjoy affably evil types and the actor nailed the combination of the wholesome 50s guy schtick with the more sinister aspects. This season also shakes up the status quo considerably - both Angel and Cordelia are written off to star in the spin-off, Giles is jobless and the high school set is destroyed.
- The Xander/Willow cheating arc is not a popular one which oddly made me more interested to watch it again. I didn't find it particularly out of character. Willow has always had feelings for Xander and I could buy that her growth in confidence would lead to him seeing her in a new light. The problem I had with it overall was that for something that took up a lot of screentime at the beginning of the season, it ultimately ended up having very little impact in the end - Xander & Willow's relationship goes back to how it was before, Oz & Willow briefly separate but reunite pretty quickly. The only long lasting thing to happen is Cordelia breaking up with Xander and therefore separating from the main group which I didn't like, although I suppose it was always going to happen with her joining Angel the Series.
- The Giles and Buffy relationship is firmly pushed into father-daughter territory with him being fired for failing the test which has a name that I can't spell. I understand the reason behind this. Faith, who is operating as Buffy's dark mirror develops a father-daughter relationship with the Mayor which ultimately proves to be a weakness for him, so it makes sense that Buffy & Giles' relationship would be written in a similar way, however I think it takes some of the depth out of the Buffy/Giles dynamic (this meta by![[tumblr.com profile]](https://www.tumblr.com/favicon.ico)
yesitsterriblysimple goes into that really well).
- Angel was clearly being set up to lead the spin-off. Last season he was well integrated into the main group, having scenes with Willow, Xander, Cordelia and Giles often without Buffy present. This season he is cut off from everyone else, aside from group scenes he only really interacts with Buffy on an individual basis. He also develops a nice deadpan sense of humour.
- I liked how in contrast with the season 2 finale where Buffy ended up all alone in her fight with the big bad, this time she had the whole school with her who had finally acknowledged her as the class protector.
- Here is a really good meta byherinsectreflection about how unintentionally gay Faith comes across as.
- This season has my favourite opening credits which contain all the great shots from season 2 - Buffy in the blue coat running down the corridor, Buffy with the rocket launcher, Willow & the monkey, Giles with the flame thrower, Cordelia jumping up to yell 'surprise'.
- Dead Man's Party wasn't quite as bad as I remembered?? I actually appreciated the messy emotions around Buffy's return. The main thing I didn't buy was Willow not showing up to meet Buffy at the mall (I thought her showing up but being incredibly passive-aggressive would have been more believable.)
- What was worse in Amends, Angel's flashback Irish accent or Buffy's hair?
- Season 3 is very consistent. Season 2 had higher highs but also lower lows, whereas s3 manages to largely avoid the duff monster of the week episodes as well having several well written arcs like Faith's face-heel turn, Angel's return and the slow disintegration of his relationship with Buffy. The Mayor is another good villain. I personally enjoy affably evil types and the actor nailed the combination of the wholesome 50s guy schtick with the more sinister aspects. This season also shakes up the status quo considerably - both Angel and Cordelia are written off to star in the spin-off, Giles is jobless and the high school set is destroyed.
- The Xander/Willow cheating arc is not a popular one which oddly made me more interested to watch it again. I didn't find it particularly out of character. Willow has always had feelings for Xander and I could buy that her growth in confidence would lead to him seeing her in a new light. The problem I had with it overall was that for something that took up a lot of screentime at the beginning of the season, it ultimately ended up having very little impact in the end - Xander & Willow's relationship goes back to how it was before, Oz & Willow briefly separate but reunite pretty quickly. The only long lasting thing to happen is Cordelia breaking up with Xander and therefore separating from the main group which I didn't like, although I suppose it was always going to happen with her joining Angel the Series.
- The Giles and Buffy relationship is firmly pushed into father-daughter territory with him being fired for failing the test which has a name that I can't spell. I understand the reason behind this. Faith, who is operating as Buffy's dark mirror develops a father-daughter relationship with the Mayor which ultimately proves to be a weakness for him, so it makes sense that Buffy & Giles' relationship would be written in a similar way, however I think it takes some of the depth out of the Buffy/Giles dynamic (this meta by
- Angel was clearly being set up to lead the spin-off. Last season he was well integrated into the main group, having scenes with Willow, Xander, Cordelia and Giles often without Buffy present. This season he is cut off from everyone else, aside from group scenes he only really interacts with Buffy on an individual basis. He also develops a nice deadpan sense of humour.
- I liked how in contrast with the season 2 finale where Buffy ended up all alone in her fight with the big bad, this time she had the whole school with her who had finally acknowledged her as the class protector.
- Here is a really good meta by
- This season has my favourite opening credits which contain all the great shots from season 2 - Buffy in the blue coat running down the corridor, Buffy with the rocket launcher, Willow & the monkey, Giles with the flame thrower, Cordelia jumping up to yell 'surprise'.
- Dead Man's Party wasn't quite as bad as I remembered?? I actually appreciated the messy emotions around Buffy's return. The main thing I didn't buy was Willow not showing up to meet Buffy at the mall (I thought her showing up but being incredibly passive-aggressive would have been more believable.)
- What was worse in Amends, Angel's flashback Irish accent or Buffy's hair?
no subject
Date: 2021-12-05 05:46 pm (UTC)What was worse in Amends, Angel's flashback Irish accent or Buffy's hair?
Always and forever Angel's appalling attempt at an Irish accent, which gives me such secondhand embarrassment. I actually quite like the episode itself overall, but the fact that it necessitates Boreanaz to try to speak with an Irish accent always makes me cringe.
no subject
Date: 2021-12-05 10:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-12-05 06:19 pm (UTC)But I agree overall about Season Three.
no subject
Date: 2021-12-05 10:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-12-06 03:51 am (UTC)"We attack the Mayor with hummus."
This was the first Buffy episode I ever saw, and that was the line that sold me on the show. ♥
no subject
Date: 2021-12-09 08:44 pm (UTC)