Buffy – Season III dir. by

10 December 2005


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Rated :

Season two ended on a bit of a downer, what with the sending Angel to hell and the running away from home, and the expulsion from school, and the death of Kendra, so this season starts off a bit slowly as we meet up with Buffy as she fends for herself. Earning a living as a waitress and shutting herself off from her life as the slayer.

But monsters are never far away and Buffy soon finds out that she has to be the slayer. That is what she is. So she returns to home, to face her friends and family and deal with that aftermath in the second episode.

And really a lot of season three is about Buffy realising that the slayer is more than just a job, it is at the very essence of who she is. And despite thinking that maybe Faith could take over and let her live a normal life, this is the season where Buffy more than accepts being the slayer.
I just mentioned Faith then, didn’t I? Yes, this is also her first appearance in the Buffy ‘verse, and what an impact she went on to have later. And then there was the return of Angel, and all the mess that entailed.

We also get to see Xander being the cause of trouble. He is the one who lets Faith know about Angel, he is the one who gets a little agro going on, but rarely has to deal with it. And then there is him and Willow.

There is an interesting scene in Gingerbread where Joyce, under the influence of a demon tells Buffy that she will never defeat evil. That she reacts, and reacts and while she may save the world one day there is always another threat the next day. IMO, this is one of major differences between Angel the series and BtVS. Buffy’s aim is to defeat evil, there are absolutes of good and evil, and in the end(of the entire show) Buffy does, in a way, defeat evil. Ats is all about continuing to fight, how nothing you do really changes anything. And if nothing you do matters, then all that matters is what you do.

As I’ve mentioned in a previous review this and season two are my favourites. And one of the main reasons this season ranks so high is, among other things, the Mayor. Such a great baddie. And the relationship between him and Faith is just great.

Stand out episodes include Lover’s Walk, Amends, and Band Candy.

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3 Responses

  1. Zayin says:

    I like how you said that this season is about Buffy accepting her slayerness as who she is rather than a job; I can't say for certain that this is entirely true, as it's been a while since season 3, but it reminds me of what Kendra said to her at the end of "What's my line." Season 2 is, overall, much darker and more tragic than Season 3 and although there is plenty of darkness in Season 3, I feel like it's a lot about companionship and family and the togetherness between the gang that seems to be lacking in some of the later seasons. Anyway, it's nice to see Buffy lovers still out and about. Pardon my total babbling and incoherence. Cheers!

  2. Fence says:

    Babbling and incoherence are a big part of this blog :) I think Kendra says something like "you always talk about slaying as though its a job. It isn't. Its who you are." Or something to that effect.

    Thanks for stopping by

  3. NineMoons says:

    I think Anne underlined this theme – I rewatched it recently so it's in my mind – with Buffy trying to escape from being a Slayer and from herself (leaving Sunnydale, leaving her friends and family, changing her name etc). But in the end she realises that she is not just Buffy, she is Buffy the Vampire Slayer and that protecting those in danger is what she does. But I think she moves away from this a little more in Season Four when her life and college start to overwhelm everything else.