The word for Season 3 is consistency. It just doesn't have many bad episodes. It's got a few clunkers, but everything after the first 4 episodes could probably be categorized as above-average at worst. It doesn't have nearly the highs of Season 2, which is why Season 2 still takes the cake as best season for me, but Season 3 is still a pretty remarkable season of television.
The thing that struck me most on rewatching this season is just how great Harry Groener is as Mayor Wilkins. He actually gets a lot less screen time than I had remembered. He's the big bad, but he has less than 200 lines in the season. That's less than Wesley or Joyce, and less than both Spike and Drusilla in Season 2. Every moment he's on the screen though, he makes it matter. It's the mayor that makes Faith's turn to villain actually work. It happens so quickly, her going from "somewhat roguish bad girl" to "killer", that it wouldn't work if not for her relationship with the mayor. He's so warm and fatherly towards her that it totally makes sense how she comes over to his side. It really is a remarkable performance, because even as he's being kind to Faith and amusingly old-fashioned, he's also a convincing villain who has a real presence. When he walks into the library in the finale, you feel the dread of the characters, the concern on their faces is real. This seemingly harmless guy is not to be messed with. It's a great character, and the season honestly could have used more of him.
The other new characters aren't standouts like the Mayor, but there aren't any weak links either. I've never been a huge fan of Faith, but I think she does a good job and adequately fills the role they needed her to fill. There are times when I feel like she teeters on the edge of believability, but it's worth it for what she brings out in Buffy, and for the aforementioned relationship with the Mayor. Honestly, Faith's best moments will come later on, in a future Buffy episode and in Season 1 of Angel. The other major new character is the delightfully pompous Wesley Windham-Price. Wesley also will have his best moments once he joins the cast of Angel, but that's not to say he doesn't pull his weight in this season. He's a great counterpoint to Giles, and a fun reminder of how much Giles has adapted since first taking Buffy under his wing. His infatuation with Cordelia is also a great source of laughs, as he attempts false bravado through his stammering and stuttering. He's great, and it's a shame Alexis Denisof hasn't gotten more work, since he's really a fantastic actor. The last character that we get a little taste of is Anya, the vengeance demon. It's not really until Season 4 where Anya comes into her own, but she has some really great moments in the last few episodes playing off Xander.
This is a really interesting season because of how it's structured. There aren't really any "stand-alone" episodes, per-say. There aren't the monster-of-the-week types that we see in other seasons. However, there also isn't the kind of highly serialized plot movement that we saw in Season 2 (and will see again in Season 5). In Season 2, basically everything after the Surprise/Innocence 2-parter is driving towards the end of the season. In Season 3, that stuff is happening, but a lot more in the background, and throughout the entire season. Instead, the episodes are all highly character-driven, which is really the mark of this season. Essentially every episode after the first 4 is more about the interplay between our core characters and not some exterior object driving things (except for Gingerbread, which is the weakest of the later episodes). Since I love the characters on this show, I definitely love the character-driven nature of this season, and this approach also let them do a little more incorporating the high school into the show, which worked really nicely.
The one negative I would throw out about this season is the return of Angel. The problem isn't that he returned, I thing the show needed him around this season. The problem is that they never really explained how he came back. It was as if the writers knew they needed to bring him back, couldn't figure out how to do it, then said "well, screw it, we'll just have him appear and not worry about how he got there." It's a minor problem, but it is one that irks me since the show went to such great lengths to kill him, then brought him back seemingly without a thought. Still, all in all it's a minor quibble.
As with last season, I want to talk about some specific favorite episodes and moments from Season 3:
Band Candy: This episode is so much better than I remembered. It's hilarious, mostly on account of the de-aged Principal Snyder, who is awesome. It also marks the return of Ethan Rayne, who is always fun. I love any episode where we get a glimpse into Giles' past, and it makes me sad we never got the planned "Ripper" TV series, which I imagine is as close as we'll ever get to seeing John Constantine on TV (if none of that sentence made sense to you, don't worry about it).
Revelations: While it isn't my favorite episode overall, I do love this moment from Giles, when he learns that Angel is back and Buffy knew about it: "I won't remind you that the fate of the world often lies with the Slayer. What would be the point? Nor shall I remind you that you've jeopardized the lives of all that you hold dear by harboring a known murderer. But, sadly, I must remind you that Angel tortured me... for hours... for pleasure. You should have told me he was alive. You didn't. You have no respect for me or the job I perform."
Lover's Walk: The best episode of the season to me. First of all, it's got Spike, and Spike is awesome. It also has Spike pouring his soul out to Joyce, which is also fantastic. Mostly though, you remember this episode for the heartbreaking moment when Oz and Cordelia rescue Xander and Willow, only to find the two of them kissing. It's the classic "Joss Whedon doesn't let his characters be happy" moment, but then he twists the knife even deeper by having Cordy get badly wounded (followed by a great fake-out at the end of the episode). We've watched Cordelia soften and even forsake her popularity to be with Xander, and to see her so hurt (emotionally and physically) is a horrifying moment. You care for these characters, and these moments always feel earned, never cheap. Willow and Oz end up back together, but the hurt and shame on their faces, after being so cute together earlier in the episode...it's just devastating. It's a brilliant episode about love, relationships and emotions that manages to be both hilarious and incredibly emotional. I'll leave the last words about this episode to Spike, who has this great speech mid-way through the episode: "Love isn't brains, children, it's blood. Blood screaming inside you to work its will. I may be love's bitch, but at least I'm man enough to admit it."
Helpless: Talk about devastating moments, the scene where Giles explains to Buffy that he's been drugging her and weakening her up for this trial is heartbreaking. These kind of scenes are where Sarah Michelle Gellar really shines, she absolutely sells it. The betrayal of this trust that has been built up between the two of them, despite the fact that Giles is trying to do the right thing. It's a scene where we empathize with both characters, but in her weakened state we REALLY feel for Buffy. Aside from just that scene, this is one of the more legitimately scary episodes of the show. The villain is really frightening, and our heroine is seemingly helpless. It's scary and poignant, what more could you ask for?
The Wish/Dopplegangland: I'm not as big a fan of these two as some people are, but I do love the showcase they provide for my celebrity crush, Alyson Hannigan. Particularly in "Dopplegangland", the contrast between normal Willow and Vampire Willow is really fantastic. "Dopplegangland" might be the funniest episode of the season, particularly the scene where they're all finding out that Willow is a vampire (Giles:"She was truly the finest of all of us." Xander:"Way better than me." Giles:"Much, much better.") and when Willow is trying to impersonate her vampire counterpart (the little wave she gives Oz is so very Willow, it's adorable). They don't feature quite as much of the inter-character dynamics that mark the best Season 3 episodes for me, but they're still really good.
"Bored now"
Earshot: Now this is an episode I had completely forgotten how much I love. First of all, Buffy's telepathy produces some fantastic gags with the group all gathered around. Some are obvious (Xander can't stop thinking about sex, Wesley can't stop thinking about Cordelia) but still funny, and some are really inspired (Oz's musings about the nature of existence, Cordelia speaking everything that she thinks). Beyond the hilarity though, I love that even before Buffy's new-found power starts driving her insane, it is already alienating her from her friends.We think it would be great to get behind the veil and know what people are really thinking, but it turns out that there's a good reason why we don't say everything that we think. I also love that even when Buffy gets what she was wanting early in the episode, she still doesn't get what she really wanted, she still can't know what Angel is thinking. Sometimes it's the people who we want most to understand that we have the hardest time figuring out. It's a fantastic episode, and then the classic bait-and-switch at the end. Of course the lunch lady is behind it all.
The Prom: Probably my second favorite episode of the season (behind Lover's Walk). It's the rare episode of a Joss Whedon show where characters actually get to be happy and not get punished for it. Sure, Buffy has a rough time in the middle of the episode when Angel breaks up with her, and we learn of Cordelia's financial troubles, but they all have their moment in the end. Cordelia gets her dress, Angel dances with Buffy and, in one of my favorite moments of the series, Buffy's fellow students finally show their appreciation. It's a great moment, and the previous 3 seasons have featured enough interaction with the rest of the school (and a growing cast of minor characters) that it makes it believable. Giles' line "I had no idea that children, en masse, could be gracious" is the perfect capper. Even if your prom was lame and seems ridiculous in hindsight (which I think is the case for a lot of people), I think everyone can understand being enamored at the idea of prom. For once, Buffy embraces that high school dream instead of undermining it, and it results in an episode that is both sweet and moving, and it's a well-earned payoff for these characters after 3 seasons.
Graduation Day: First of all, lets get one thing out of the way, one of the negatives to the season that I didn't address above. The CGI for the mayor/snake thing is laughable, even by 1999 standards, even by Buffy standards. If you can get over that though, it's a suitably epic finale for Season 3. I'm not nearly as big a fan of this season finale as I am of Season 2's (or 5 and 6 for that matter), but it's still a strong episode of television. As far as iconic moments go, it doesn't get much better than blowing up your high school on graduation day. That's some grade-A catharsis right there.
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