Topic: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

[Tom]

Anyway, here you can find my list, where switching makes sense. This list reduces the switching to bare mininum. It only lists the instances, where it makes sense to watch specific episodes before watching others.

[Jimmy]

3.2. Dead Man's Party

A Nigerian mask reanimates the dead, forcing Buffy to battle a horde of zombies.

The zombie story is secondary at least it was for me. This episode is about the consequences the Buffy's summer get-away had, not the physical ones but the psychological ones. Even if all seem fine there is a lot of non-said between Buffy and her mother and Buffy and her friends. This is the point of that episode where unsurprisingly Xander is the most affected by this summer fugue.... Of course if that sound boring to you there is always the zombie mayhem (with a bonus cat zombie).

[Jimmy]

3.3. Faith, Hope & Trick

A charismatic Slayer visits Sunnydale and wins over many of Buffy's friends. Meanwhile, two powerful vampires plot an attack.

Yes! The best season of Buffy now really start with the arrival of Faith and a revival. We see immediatly that Faith is really different from Buffy and that it wasn't easy for her. Also Buffy is on the verge of a new love relationship with a very boring guy.

[Jimmy]

3.4. Beauty and the Beasts

Oz becomes the prime suspect when a series of animal-like attacks occurs in Sunnydale.

Much better than the precedent werewolf episode was. Of course the're a lot of things going arround in addition to the werewolf story. We have another monster and, as I kind of said previously, Angel is back from some kind of hell dimension in a very bad shape. Another good episode.

[Jimmy]

3.5. Homecoming

As Buffy and Cordelia vie for Homecoming Queen, a group of killers gathers to participate in SlayerFest '98.

This time we got The Most Dangerous Game version Buffy. It could have been a bad episode (I don't really that film and the others inspired by it), but a little error bring a huge difference in the appreciation. Watching Buffy act like she was in her pre-Sunnydale days is fun too and we got our first encounter with this season bad guy.

[Jimmy]

3.6. Band Candy

Adults throughout Sunnydale behave like immature teenagers after they eat cursed candy.

That one was fun
Watching Gilles, the Principal Snyder, Buffy's mom and almost all the adults in the town acting like out of control teenagers was great. Of course the're a point in all this as it's for an evil purpose related to the main story and the trickster is back. A lot of good funny lines in that episode too

[Dragonfire]

I loved Band Candy, especially how Giles and Joyce were acting.  It was just so much fun.   

[Jimmy]

Ripper was the man in his days
He isn't too bad in his mature day for a grumpy English man either

[Jimmy]

3.7. Revelations

With some help from Faith's new watcher, Buffy seeks to destroy a weapon-like glove before it falls into the hands of a demon.

This one isn't that funny, but as I have said a couple of times I like the more serious tone of this serie. The basic theme of this episode is the betrayal and the hidden secrets (I know by nature a secret is hidden...). The gang is betrayed, Faith is betrayed and Buffy is betrayed (without mentionning the betrayal in the works since a couple of episode from two of the principal characters). This is the episode where Faith begins to go down (at least for me it is), the treason she incurs is just too much for her. Another important one to understand the events to come.

[Jimmy]

3.8. Lovers Walk

Spike returns to Sunnydale and kidnaps Willow in hopes of creating a magic spell that will make Drusilla love him again.

Spike is back but in a very bad shape, funny to see a vampire react exactly like I did some years ago when my last girlfriend left me (funny now but certainly not at this time, I was a drunk and drug mess). Spike is my second favorite character in the show and this isn't for nothing... common he even like Sid Vicious. BTW remember the betrayal from two principal characters I was talking about yesterday? It happen in that episode.

[Jimmy]

3.9. The Wish

Cordelia's wish for a Buffy-free Sunnydale comes true, plunging her into a world where vampires have control of the town.

Careful what you wish for... That alternate Sunnydale is sure a depressing place without a slayer, a world where The Master reign while Buffy is at Cleveland. Good thing it isn't the real Sunnydale since a lot of important characters die in it. Great episode (who is as I said quite depressing) and the introduction of my favorite character in the serie. OK she isn't that likable now, but wait and you'll see

[Jimmy]

3.10. Amends

As the Christmas holiday approaches, Angel is tormented by evil apparitions who want him to eliminate Buffy.

Another important episode where Angel had to confront his past if he wants to become someone else. There is many sad moments in that one, one particular moment is sure a tear-jerker one (I would have never believed in a million years that a teenagers oriented TV show would had that impact on me. I was sure wrong). Don't forget the Harbringers and The First you'll see a lot more of them later.

(click to show/hide)

Strange that I didn't even make the connection between that episode and the season seven the first time I've watch the show entirely...

[Dragonfire]

Ripper was the man in his days
He isn't too bad in his mature day for a grumpy English man either

Yes he was...to both.  lol  I didn't think he was that grumpy really.  He was just more responsible most of the time.  I always liked him.

I like Spike too. 

[Jimmy]

3.11. Gingerbread

After discovering the corpses of two young children bearing a symbol linked to the occult, Joyce spearheads a campaign to rid Sunnydale of witches.

Why not a little cup of paranoia? This episode is completly about that subject and the adults are quite taken by that kill the witches crazy talk (they were less dangerous when they were teenagers alike). Nice one where it isn't Buffy who save the day.

Wonder if those two little fiends are against at it awaken the ghost of Mary Whitehouse in England? From what I've read they will be back at that censorship non-sense soon

[Jimmy]

3.12. Helpless

As her birthday approaches, Buffy loses her slayer powers and must do battle with a vampire who is not only extremely powerful but also quite mad.

The episode where I've loose all my respect for the Council. There are no better than any other secret organization : a bunch of asshole thinking highly of themselves while doing nothing but getting people killed. At least Buffy was bright enough to win even with the Council dick move. The conclusion did even more to made me distaste them.