Buffy 3.1 - "Anne": Buffy runs away to the city, but
finds herself drawn back into saving people. This episode looks great,
especially the other dimension with flaming vats and spooky looking
demons. But there are so many loose ends it's not even funny. Who where
these guys? What were they forcing people to make. Why did the doorway
suddenly close up? Is there more doorways? What's to stop it opening
again. I suppose you could look on the whole demon prison as a metaphor
for the problems of homeless runaways, that it's simply to big for one
Buffy to solve. I suppose. The Scoobys were funny as well and a nicely
played ending. - 3/5
Buffy 3.2 - "Dead Mans
Party": Buffys home but nobody wants to see her. Good episode,
though the end scene still makes me angry. The Scoobys are well out of
line attacking Buffy in front of all her 'friends'. It's made even worse
by the fact that nothing was really resolved, they just forgot about it
when the zombies attacked. Still, I guess they realised that mistakes had
been made on both sides and everybody was feeling sore. Giles was rather
funny in this, but not as funny as the explanation for the dropping of the
murder charges. What the hell happened there? - 4/5
Buffy
3.3 - "Faith, Hope & Trick": There's a new Slayer in town and
she's brought company. Yeah, baby, this is very cool! After wrapping up
loose ends from Season 2, we can get started on this years story arc and
it's a doozy. Faith is excellent and really makes you realise just how
much Buffy holds back. Mr Trick is cool in a Samuel L Jackson way, but the
big bad vamp isn't too scary. Very cool ending with Angel and Giles
tricking Buffy into sharing her pain is excellent - 5/5
Buffy 3.4 - "Beauty and the Beasts": The return
of Angel. I'm glad he's back but the main story, a thinly disguised
domestic abuse story, doesn't seem to fit well. I'd rather have had more
Angel. - 3/5
Buffy 3.5 - "Homecoming": Slayerfest
'98? Buffy & Cordelia are forced to spend a large amount of time
together. Unfortunately, they are forced into a hunted competition. A bit
daft, but good fun. - 3/5
Buffy 3.6- "Band
Candy": Candy starts turning adults into teenagers. Very funny
episode, with Giles and Joyce having all the fun for once. Snyder is cool
as well, hanging to Buffy & co. like the friend nobody wants. - 4/5
Buffy 3.7 - "Revelations": A new watcher comes to
town. This is the first big story arc episode and it's great. The gang
find out about Buffy and really get torn into her, especially Xander and
Giles. The new watcher is suitably mad and the glove has some excellent
lightning effects. Also the first Buffy/Faith fight. Good stuff. - 5/5
Buffy 3.8 - "Lovers Walk": Spikes back! Spikes
always good for a laugh and he's no different here. He also sets in motion
the wheels that will splinter the Scoobys for a while (albeit
unintentionally). Spike wants Dru back and will do anything including a
love spell. He kidnaps Willow & Xander who are caught making out by
Cordy & Oz. Bad news all round. Spike also tells Buffy & Angel a
few home truths, namely that they can't ever be friends. Lovers or
enemies, but not friends. The final scene where Spike drives of singing
'My way' is classic. - 5/5
Buffy 3.9 - "The
Wish": Parallel Universe time as Cordy makes a wish that goes bad
thanks to Anya. These storys are always fun and this is no exception.
Seeing some of the Scoobys as vamps is cool. Xander isn't too different,
but Willow is very evil and sexy. Buffy isn't really all that different
either despite her scar, but really, this is just a fun romp in fan
fiction land and is good stuff. - 4/5
Buffy 3.10 -
"Amends": Angel is visited by ghosts at Christmas time. Angels
only real solo outing this year. It's a good idea having the first evil
try to turn him, but it's all a bit vague. I would have preferred a more
concrete explanation for who brought him back. Personally I think it was
TPTB and they caused the snow at the end. But who knows? I've also got to
say the Buffys hair looked a bit dodgy at times. I'm no expert, but I
really didn't think the fringe suited her. A no-bad xmas episode - 4/5
Buffy 3.11 - "Gingerbread": Insanity and mob rule
overcome Sunnydale after 2 kids are found dead. I didn't really like this.
It's very preachy and though it's saying a good point, intolerance is bad,
don't force you beliefs on others, etc. I already know this. It's good for
kids who will learn from this but I don't like my entertainment to have a
moral at the end of it. It's also the episode where Amy turns into a rat,
so worth watching for that. - 2/5
Buffy 3.12 -
"Helpless": It's Buffy's 18th birthday and Giles has a special
treat for her. I love this episode. It's just a really good idea. The
Slayer is tested without her powers and has too survive against a vampire
in a locked house. Plus Giles has to weaken her without her knowing. Huge
emotions going on here with betrayal, fear and ultimately love winning
out. Great stuff. - 5/5
Buffy 3.13 - "The Zeppo":
Xander has a strange night. Oh man, this is 2 great episodes back to back.
The great thing about this is the gimmick. They've swapped the A-plot for
the B-plot. It's almost a piss take of the show, though it does have
consequences in the future. Buffy & Co are facing an ultimate evil -
the Hellmouth. But Xander has his own troubles going on. It's really a bit
like "Afterhours" a film about a guy who keeps getting involved in crazy
situations. Really, really good. - 5/5
Buffy 3.14 - "Bad
Girls": Faith makes a mistake. A big one. Well heres where the
story arc starts to kick in. Buffy & Faith start to really live on the
wild side, action without thinking. But then Faith kills a man. And
doesn't really care. New watcher Wesley is also introduced. Again, good
stuff. - 5/5
Buffy 3.15 - "Consequences": Faith
does a runner. The fall out from the previous episode. Faith tries to kill
Xander and Angel tries to cure her. Wesley tries to help her but ends up
ruining everything. And at the end Buffy tries to help her, but she
secretly goes to the mayor. Incredibly enough, more good stuff. (Christ,
this really was a great season!)- 4/5
Buffy 3.16 -
"Dopplegangland": Evil Willow from "The Wish" comes to visit.
Hello, this is excellent. Joss is having a ball with the Willow vampire
and seeing everyone's reactions is especially funny. Watch it. - 5/5
Buffy 3.17 - "Enemies": Angel loses his soul?!
Faith turns Angel and they both go after Buffy. Good stuff this, but I
don't think anyone really though Angel had lost it. But with this show you
never know. It's always fun to see Angelus and it's worth watching twice
to see how it's all planned out. - 4/5
Buffy 3.18 -
"Earshot": Buffy can read minds. Yay! But someone wants to kill
all the students. Boo! Very funny episode this, Wesley & Xander in
particular. The 'serious' stuff is tagged on at the end, but doesn't feel
to shoved in there. Very funny stuff. - 4/5
Buffy 3.19 -
"Choices": Buffy takes the fight to the Mayor. This feels
slightly like filler, but it's the small moments that count. Oz tipping
over the urn, Willow staying close to Sunnydale, Faith losing her knife.
All good stuff. The spiders looked a bit dodgy at times, and the mission
impossible stuff is fun if a bit daft. Couldn't they just jump down and
attach a rope to the box? But, good stuff. - 4/5
Buffy
3.20 - "The Prom": It's Prom night, but Buffys not having a good
day. This is the start of a 3 episode cycle that pretty much wraps up the
first 3 years of Buffy. And it's good. The dance is actually quite cool
with great tunes. Angel deciding to leave is inevitable with his new show,
but it still makes sense from a narrative point of view. Good to see Buffy
being recognised as something special and the last dance with Angel. And
finally, Cordy & Xander make up when he buys her the dress. Very nice.
- 4/5
Buffy 3.21 - "Graduation Day Part I": Faith
makes her move. Well here we go then, the big slapbang finale. The fight
to the death is very cool, with Buffy donning the leathers. Angel being
poisoned with the arrow is brutal and shows that Faith had crossed the
Rubicon. Personal nitty gritty fighting going on here, essential since the
Mayor is going to be a huge monster snake. - 5/5
Buffy
3.22 - "Graduation Day Part II": It's the end of the road for
Sunnydale High as the Mayor comes to visit. This is it then. And what a
way to go. Angel feeding of Buffy, a huge cast featuring just about
anybody who ever had a line in Buffy over the past 3 years, the mayor
turning into a huge snake, flaming arrows, axes and huge battles. All in,
a great way to leave. Plus they blow up the school. Man, its (altogether
now) Great Stuff!! - 5/5