BlackWhiteRose

Done!

DigificWriter

Somebody really needs to fix the link in the board guide.

Anyway, I'm posting my thoughts on "Anne" and "Dead Man's Party" from the rewatch I'm currently doing.

For me, "Anne" has always been one of the stronger Season Premiere episodes of the series, but, on rewatch, the thing that struck me the most is how much groundwork it lays for what will come our way on ANGEL, from establishing the darker environment of L.A. to setting up Anne Steele in the city to the introduction of the Scourge demons to even the more Noir tone that ANGEL made its own.

I also noticed some thematic echoes between the episode and the Season 6 Premiere Bargaining, since both episodes deal with Buffy being absent/dead.

With "Dead Man's Party", I've previously found it to be somewhat frivolous, but watching it this time I realized that it's actually the thematic twin of the Season 6 episodes Afterlife and Once More with Feeling, especially the latter, which, like DMP, appears to be fun and light on the surface but has so many hidden layers to it, such as the moment in DMP when Buffy's friends and family confront her out in the open about her having abandoned them and the moment in OMwF when Buffy admits to her friends and family that they had pulled her from Heaven when they resurrected her

DigificWriter

Double post (sorry).

I kind of mentioned this elsewhere, but rewatching Season 3 episodes like Faith, Hope, and Trick and Revelations (which I just barely finished) has led me to a conclusion I hadn't though of previously, which is that Faith is younger than Buffy despite presenting herself as this older, world-weary rebel without a cause bad girl, with the episodes Faith, Hope and Trick, Homecoming, and Revelations being 3 early standout examples.

Rewatching Season 3 has also helped me see just how much setup and foreshadowing there was for the future, especially Seasons 4, 5, and 6, which is neat.

BlackWhiteRose

It´s okay. You can do a double post after 24 hours so yeah it´s no problem.


Yeah the foreshadowing was very intersting.

Butterfly85

That was another thing I loved about the show, that they foreshadowed certain things YEARS in advance. It's funny at the time it aired I didn't see Buffy's second death coming, even though they were beating you over the head with it like a hammer lol. I loved that the Buffy and Faith dream also hinted to Buffy's death with the Little Miss Muppet line.

eternalfate

livstevi21

⇾ Favorite Character(s): Buffy, Willow, Xander, Giles, Angel, Faith & Cordy
⇾ Favorite Couple(s): Buffy & Angel
⇾ Favorite Friendship(s): Buffy & Willow
⇾ Favorite guest/recurring character(s): Faith, Joyce, Anya
⇾ Favorite episode S3 is an exceptionally strong season, I don't think there was any episode I truly disliked. The Prom stands out as a particular favourite
⇾ FAV storyline (or episode arc): All of it
⇾ Favorite new addition cast member? Eliza Dushku as Faith and Emma Caulfield as Anya
⇾ Better Slayer: Buffy or Faith?: Faith was cool but when she went off the wagon it was hard to like her. So Buffy is the better Slayer
⇾ LEAST favourite Character(s): The Mayor was kinda annoying, even if he was a sorta fun villain. I hated Principal Snyder
⇾ LEAST Favorite Ship(s): I don't remember them all too well now, but I guess Buffy/Scott
⇾ LEAST favorite recurring/guest star:
⇾ LEAST favorite storyline: I don't think there was any storyline I didn't like this season
⇾ Least favorite episode: Can't think there was any episode I disliked
⇾ Least favorite character addition? The Mayor
⇾ Story that had potential but was dropped suddenly? Can't think there was any
⇾ Xander/Cordy vs Oz/Willow vs Xander/Willow? I liked them all lol at some points.
⇾ Vampire or Werewolf: Vampire
⇾ Best character introduction? Faith
⇾ Episode with the best cliffhanger:? Graduation Day
⇾ Scale 1-10 how do you rank this season: 10/10 this is a super strong season. Again, though, I will have to re-watch as it's less fresh in my memory but I remember not having much of an issue with it

Butterfly85

Love S3, it's my favorite season after S2. The introduction of Faith is the best thing about the season, and it was a great idea to have a slayer lose it more and more and work with the enemy. I always loved The Mayor as a villain and his father/daughter type relationship with Faith. Even though it's crazy, there is also genuine love there. You can tell Faith had a bad and loveless life, so I guess it's nice she got that in some form some way. I also loved all the Buffy and Faith fights, they are always so fun to watch! Their fight in Graduation Day is the best one, especially Buffy stabbing Faith with her own knife. I also think Graduation Day is so great when the whole class comes together to fight The Mayor and all the vampires. I think that was an awesome and badass moment.

Beauty and The Beasts is the only episode from S3 I don't like, I just think it's dumb. The worst thing about the season was having Xander/Willow fool around for a few episodes, it just felt so gross and wrong *gags* Then after that they make Cordelia so bitter and she seems to just have no reason to be around anymore. Glad Oz and Willow had their first time together this season too.

My favorite episodes from S3 are Anne, Faith Hope and Trick, Homecoming, Revelations, The Wish, Helpless, Bad Girls, Consequences, Enemies, Choices, and Graduation Day. Last high school season too, which is when I think the show was at its best.

sum1

⇾ Favorite Character(s): Buffy, always the best character.
⇾ Favorite guest/recurring character(s): Spike, Snyder, Mr Trick, the Mayor, Vamp Willow
⇾ Favorite episode Lovers Walk, The Wish, Doppelgangland, Graduation Day Part 2.
⇾ Favorite new addition cast member? K Todd Freeman as Mr Trick and Harry Groener as the Mayor.
⇾ Better Slayer: Buffy or Faith?: Buffy is always the best.
⇾ LEAST favourite Character(s): Faith. She was very well-acted, but she was a constant pain the butt. She doesn't get good good until Angel season 4.
⇾ LEAST favorite recurring/guest star: Again, Faith.
⇾ LEAST favorite storyline: The Faith storyline was well-done, but it gets in my nerves at times.
⇾ Least favorite character addition? Faith.
⇾ Vampire or Werewolf: Vampire
⇾ Best character introduction? The Mayor
⇾ Scale 1-10 how do you rank this season: This was the third best season. Great stuff. There are episodes that bother me, but all of them have considerable redeeming features and even Faith doesn't piss me off to the degree she once did. Sarah is incredible in this season. That woman is owed a shelf full of Emmys.

With regard to the Buffy/Angel ship, I find it more likeable in seasons 1 and 3 than in 2. In season 1, things aren't very realistic, so you don't have to think seriously about this being a relationship between an old guy and an underage teenager. Plus it doesn't get very far. In season 2 things get more realistic, so you have to take it more seriously, and Angel starts acting like a teen. He has sex with Buffy when she's still underage and we find out he's been stalking her since she was 15, when he saw her on the steps of her school, and in that scene they make her very Lolita-esque (for those who don't know, Lolita was a novel about a paedophilic relationship and it has been adapted for the screen various times). So in season 2 it gets problematic. Which is why it's a relief when he turns evil and the predator aspect of the character is brought out into the open and addressed. In season 3 she's older and they're not fully in a relationship a lot of the time, plus from Helpless onwards she's no longer underage. So it's better in season 3, plus I like how her's her loyal wingman so much of that season.