Best Season

E

eunsoma

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I think season three has gotta be the best season of Buffy made. I think that the villains are great, the arcs are great, the standalones are great (like 'The Wish' and 'Earshot') and the finale is the best one made. Doe anyone agree with me? I might me a little biased since I really liked Faith's character throughout the season. Still though, what do you think?
 
I love this season; it all went together well and I like pretty much all of the episodes and the season introduced some of my favourite characters. I wouldn't call it the best season, but it's up there.
 
Season 3 is definitely my favorite season. I loved every episode and every single character developed in this season (Even Snyder in Graduation finally developed a backbone and stood up to The Mayor. Course the result was getting eaten but still...) and well, grew up. Even the adults grew-up. Giles lost his job as Watcher because he grew out of their old ways and started going along with Buffy's, and grew into a Father figure for her. Joyce slowly learnt to accept Buffy's life as the Slayer (To the point of bringing snacks on patrol and talking quite freely about it in the kitchen with Buffy's friends) and adapted to the change. Even Faith, like Snyder, grows in Graduation when she tells Buffy how to defeat the Mayor.

I also loved the arcs in this season. The Mayor was a fantastic villain, when it looked like things might just get too dark he said it in such a peppy way that it made you feel as though it was all perfectly okay, swell even. I love it when he believes Angelus is back and Angel says 'Had a soul, now I'm free' and The Mayor replies 'That's just great. Poetic too. Not that I need any poetry. Except those ones in the Reader's Digest- some are quite catchy'. I could go on with quotes from Enemies (It's one of my favorite episodes of season 3) but I won't bore you with that. Haha.

And the stand-alone episodes were fantastic too. Band Candy. Need I say more? Favorite episode of Buffy like ever! Haha. There was so much goodness and greatness to that episode but I already listed it all on another thread, so yet again I won't bore you with the details. And Earshot? Another fantastic one. And Gingerbread (Those kids were so 3endearing yet creepy at the same time! And the little boy went onto play Bree's son in Desperate Housewives, weird huh?). Notice how Jane Espenson had a hand in all three of those episodes? 😀

And the finale was fantastic, the music was just so powerful as Buffy shouts 'Now!' and you see every single student is prepared to fight the Big Mayor Snake thing. Gives me goosebumps whenever I watch that.

However, despite this being my favorite season I'm not sure it can be called the best. It's definitely one of the best, no doubt about that, but I think the best goes to season 5 in my opinion. It was just such a powerful, deep, dark season that really focused on the concept of family, which had been a sub-theme ever since the show began.
 
E
eunsoma
lol at the Mayor's quotes, I liked him too. And Enemies is my favourite too!
season 6 was my favorite mainly because it revolved around willow & her magic. although, I do like season 3 as well! Faith is a great character and a lot of the plot ideas are well made.
 
Season 3 is by far my fav season, no other season has as many awesome eps.

Would I say it's the best season?

Thats the kind of question I would answer now and then watch another season an think wait, this ones better, so is season 3 the best season ever yes, as it's the season i'm currently watching. hehe
 
Although all of the seasons have fantastic episodes, I think season 3 is the most entertaining all round. You really start to see all of the characters grow as people and their relationships with each other become more intense. The dark side of life begins to be explored through so many different ways (a few examples I can think of is the role of watchers... With the betrayal of Buffy by Giles, and the betrayal of Faith by Gwendolyn Post... Willow begins her journey into magick... Xander starts to really question who he is... sooo much more but I can't think of them right now)

I guess I just enjoy the exploration of darkness without falling into it so far that it becomes depressing (like season 6 did)

Definitely my favourite overall season...
 
I agree. And it's not just Buffy s3, also Angel s3...lol, no idea what's up with all the greast seasons3.

Well, first off, this season had all the best characters (even if a few of them only appeared as guest stars for an episode or so): out of my favourites we had Cordy, Angel, Faith, Buffy, Anya, Spike and even a bit of Wesley(my other 2 favourites would have been weird to see in this season, considering Darla was still dead and Lilah was in LA and nobody knew anything about W&H yet).
And other than that, great storyline. Seeing a slayer gone bad, one idiotic ridiculous watcher, Bangel going down the hills (sorry 😛), and, although it's not really a storyarc, lots and lots of Cordeliaism.
This may only apply to me, but I could also really relate to this season because it's my last year of school. And especially when I watch the last episodes now, when I see school ending for the Scoobies, it completely reminds me of me and my friends right now.
 
E
eunsoma
I'm exactly the same with the school situation lol
I agree with all who said Season 3 was the best season. I don't think it has one of the best episodes, but there isn't one episode in the whole season that I dislike or feel the urge to skip and there is in every other season. That's what I think makes it the best season.
 
Season 2 is always the best for me, but Season 3 is a VERY close second. There are moments in s3 where you can't help but stare at the screen and think, well that was amazing/sad/brilliant/gut-wrenching etc. It was definately the season that the show really found it's rhythm, it's standalone episodes are definately better than most of the other seasons too, but it's just not quite as awesome as all the pain and misery and awesomeness of s2 (arm in a box, sex makes men evil etc).
 
J
Joyce Summers
Sex makes men evil? Interesting moral dontcha think? Hehe
I
InsaneMystic
A moral you'd find me agreeing to any ol' day. XD
Season 3 WAS great... but I still hold Season 5 close... I love the insanity of everything happening, and I will always think that Glory is the GREATEST villian of all time 😀
 
I loved season 3...it, along with seasons 5 and 6, my favorite season. The Mayor was a fantastic big bad, Faith was a great addition to the story, and it wrapped up the Buffy/Angel romance with a nice little bow. Even though it had some episodes that weren't so great (Consequences, Dead Man's Party, Revelations), there were plenty of very memorable ones to make up for them (Doppelgangland, Lovers Walk, Band Candy, Earshot...the list goes on and on) And I've noticed that all of the Scoobies were very likable in this season.

All in all, it was when the series really started to realize what direction it was going in.
 
I definitely think season 3 is one of the best seasons (its a tie with season 4 in my opinion lol). I thought the mayor was hands down the best villain out of all seasons. I loved his character.
I can honestly say that there is not one bad episode in season 3. I can watch all of season 3 straight through and not have to skip over an episode. One of the most entertaining seasons there is. It has some of the greatest episodes from the whole series for instance: Prom, Amends, Graduation 1/2, Dopplegangland, Earshot, Enemies, etc.!
 
My personal favorite season is 6 and that's because I love the mysticism and darkness of it. But Season 3 is definately in my top 3. (I flip back and forth between 5 and 3)

But I think the reason so many people love it is because it is the perfect balance of writing styles. Here's what I mean in the previous seasons 1 and 2 almost the whole season was a stand alone episode. The big bad's were not spent time on. Even in season 2 they were mostly stand alone episodes until The last episode when everything got brought into perspective.

Then you look at all the seasons after season 3 and they are mostly all about the big bad's. Season 4......welll.........beer bad, nuff said. But 5, 6, and 7 are all about the big bad's not many stand alone episodes and the ones that are stand alones (OMWF and Tabula Rasa in season 6) are still tied into the bigger plot. Season 7 to me felt like it was one big long episode b/c they ALL tied in. That's why I think season 3 is so favored.

Not to mention they are still in the HS and that is most everyones favorite Scooby Meeting Place. Plus with tear jerker episodes like The Prom, Helpless, Amends, and Lover's Walk are Amazing. And then you have your hilarious episodes like Band Candy, GingerBread, Dopplegangland, and The Zeppo and you gotta stand back and realize that this is almost perfect Television. nonetheless season 6 is still my fave
 
Season 3 is my favorite season as we as yes, what i think is the BEST season. I think Buffy was at it's peak here. We had some strong, well written new characters with great development (Wesley, Faith, the Mayor). We saw Giles become way more of a badass and learned much more about his personality. The finale is tied with The Gift as one of my favorites. The stand-alones were fantastic. There's never a dull moment the entire season, its fast paced and awesome.

I absolutely adore season 3.
 
LittleMissLikesToFight said:
I think Buffy was at it's peak here. We had some strong, well written new characters with great development (Wesley, Faith, the Mayor).
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Hmm i disagree. I think the peak of Buffy was Season 5, not only was it done on the Network but they played it out like Buffy was over. She died, there was nothing....final....about season 3 so I don't think that this was the peak of Buffy I just think it's the most balanced in terms of stand alones and Big Bad.

Then we did have new Characters but I didn't think they were that great in Buffy and hardly any development at all. I think all of Wesleys Character progression happened in Angel. The Mayor I found to be kinda one demensional but very funny, it wasn't until Faith's flash back in season 4 that we really got to see how the Mayor felt about Faith, that's debatable I know, but to me in season 3 he was so evil and strange that you weren't sure if his love was genuine or he was just coaxing Faith to get her to do what he wanted.

As far as Faith her character progression was quick and didn't build up much. yeah she went from good slayer to bad slayer to murderer to debatably this seasons Big Bad, but it just stopped there. It wasn't until the first season of Angel that we see her character actually grow and then in the 7th season of Buffy we see her complete.

So as far as this being the peak of Buffy I disagree, but still a very good season.
 
that's debatable I know, but to me in season 3 he was so evil and strange that you weren't sure if his love was genuine or he was just coaxing Faith to get her to do what he wanted.
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I think you see evidence that his love for Faith is definitely real and very, very Fatherly when you see his reaction at the beginning of Graduation Day Part Two when they see the evidence of the fight and they can't find her anywhere. There's genuine concern and worry and fear on his face and he tries to reassure himself by saying repeatedly 'She'll be alright, she'll be okay, she'll be alright'
And then the way he lovingly stands by her bed as she's in a coma. Stroking her hair in a Fatherly way. And although it was evil and murderous- when he tries to smother Buffy it shows the genuinity of his love for Faith too. He wasn't killing Buffy because she was the Slayer, he was trying to kill her because he hurt Faith.

Actually, looking at it now, there's a lot of comparison to be made between how The Mayor acted towards Buffy after what happened to Faith and the way Angel tried to smother Wesley after he lost Connor. It's very, very similar.
 
S
Spuffy is true love
good point, i enjoyed reading
season 5 is hard for me to get through, because i dont like the glory arch, and i dont like Dawn too much (i dont hate her, but i dont like her either). Wheras season 3 is just fully entertaining to me. Season 5 to me was so..drab.
 
i follow ya there, Glory did get kinda old (no pun intended) and I absolutely hate Dawn, even to this day. But to say that season 3 was the peak I think was the incorrect statement. It can be your favorite season as it is many many other people but it was definatley not the peak of Buffy.

Edit:

Joyce Summers said:
There's genuine concern and worry and fear on his face and he tries to reassure himself by saying repeatedly 'She'll be alright, she'll be okay, she'll be alright'
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I follow ya there, and I kinda got that impression the second time I watched the series after seeing all the seasons, but the first time I watched it I thought that he was just pissed b/c his right hand girl was out of play. He told Faith that she was going to play a role in his Ascension and I felt like that's all that he cared about. It's like He was even with the good side. He had a slayer and the good guys had a slayer, well now that his side is down at slayer he had to even things up. That's what I was thinking the first time I watched it. After going back through, I can see you point.
 
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