Just finished a rewatch and man that was fun

[Helga the Viking]

This is not particularly an original thread idea, but I just wanted to say... Wow. I just finished re-re-watching Season 3 last night. I have no idea what re I am on, but it has been several years since I dusted off my s3 dvds... And just wow. It was great. This is prolly the one place I can say this and not sound like a total geek, but I had so much fun!

Apparently I had totally forgotten just how solid s3 was. Not one crap ep. And of course I mean 'crap' in the relative sense, b/c it goes w/o saying that a crap buffy ep is still better than most tv. Except maybe double meat palace?

All the characters are likable, and the actors on-point in their portrayals. The quips are seriously laugh-out-loud, even while the eps are particularly poignant. The mayor was wonderful as a cheery on the outside, but seriously evil on the inside. And something about his cheeriness kept things from getting too dark, while simultaneously making him creepier. And Faith? One of my fav characters of all time. Everyone has a choice obviously, but man did she sure get tossed on a slippery slope.

I had always thought Season 5 was my favorite, but then a month ago I went back and re-watched Season 4, and couldn't help but be amazed at how funny Buffy is for a dramatic show. Plus S4 has a special place in my heart since I was also a freshman at college when I discovered Buffy. So after I finished S4 I went back and redid S3 and was just blown away.

I'm not sure season 3 is my new fav (clearly need to rewatch s5 to scientifically compare) and I'm not sure its fair to even pick a favorite, but I just wanted to throw some big ups to season 3 for being really damn good!

Loving this trip back through the Buffyverse!

 

[sk]

A thing I have noticed while watching Buffy is that the last season you watched always feels like your favorite season.

After each season ending you get that, damn that was greatest thing I have ever seen, feeling.
That stays with you until you start the next season... and so on 🙂

/SK

 

[Washburne]

After each season ending you get that, damn that was greatest thing I have ever seen, feeling.
That stays with you until you start the next season... and so on

Can´t say that I agree. But the good thing about my bad memory is that I always end up noticing new things. Or at least things I think I´ve never seen before. 😉

Season 3 is great (after all it´s Buffy we´re talking about) but it´s not my favourite and even if the ending is great I alway end up laughing at the mayor in demonform. But it does include some of my favourite "things"/moments. The moment that always get me teary (don´t usially cry), Band candy, Buffy listening to thoughts in Earshot, Cordelia in Homecoming and not to forget VampWillow. 🙂 I don´t love The Zeppo as much as I should but it´s great to see Xander in the lead/as a hero. Oh, and I forgot Wesley. Ok, I didn´t really like him before he moved to LA. But without this season we wouldn´t have had him at all. The Same can be said for Faith I suppose.

For some reason (and now I´ll get all the Bangels on me) the first 3 times I watched this season I was convinced that I´ve never seen Amends before. That episode seemed to always escape my mind. Not any more though.

 

[hazzard]

i just finished watching all 7 seasons of buffy this summer (well, i have four episodes of season seven to go) and i never thought i liked season 3 much, but i have definitely changed my mind. i love faith and the mayor was such a good character. wesley and giles together are hilarious, and i actually do miss cordelia.

 

[LaneMeyer]

I think each time I get through all 7 seasons, my choice of which is my favorite has changed. After the very first time, I thought it was season 5. I didn't like Dawn, but Glory was great and the ending was epic. The second time through, I think it was season 3. I'm now going through it my 3rd time (currently watching season 3) and I'm thining season 2 will be my new favorite. It just has everything.
[br][/br]
Edit:
[br][/br]

And Faith? One of my fav characters of all time. Everyone has a choice obviously, but man did she sure get tossed on a slippery slope.

I just watched "Revelations" last night (this is the one with Gwendolyn Post, the glove of Myhnegon, and the one where the scoobies learn that Angel is back). Great episode, but I think the most poignant moment is at the end. Buffy goes to Faith to try to make amends and to gain her trust. Just as she's about to walk out, Faith called out to her, as if she wanted to patch things up and make it right with Buffy. Instead, she pauses and just says, "Nevermind." After seeing that, I thought that that was the choice she made right there. Buffy gave Faith a lot of opportunities to be her friend, and Faith chose another path. Tragic in a way.

 

[Violette]

Season 3 is definitely my #1 favourite season, followed by season 2 (always have been, no matter how many times I've re-watched all the seasons in various orders). I think the show is at one of its highest points (or really rise to the top) during season 3. All the characters are well-developed, the episodes are creative and provide great sense of continuity (compared to season 1). And I love how it goes through the teenage/youth rites of passage like Homecoming, Prom, and Graduation. I love Vampire Willow, and I miss Cordelia not being in Buffy.

 

[Helga the Viking]

I just watched "Revelations" last night (this is the one with Gwendolyn Post, the glove of Myhnegon, and the one where the scoobies learn that Angel is back). Great episode, but I think the most poignant moment is at the end. Buffy goes to Faith to try to make amends and to gain her trust. Just as she's about to walk out, Faith called out to her, as if she wanted to patch things up and make it right with Buffy. Instead, she pauses and just says, "Nevermind." After seeing that, I thought that that was the choice she made right there. Buffy gave Faith a lot of opportunities to be her friend, and Faith chose another path. Tragic in a way.

Ahh... I remember that scene. I thought for a second she might make nice, but nope too much pride. Also at this point her homelife sucked, her first watcher got killed and her 2nd watcher took advantage of her...which I think was the proverbial straw. Basically she's never had anybody reliable in her life, and has some mega trust issues. The fact that she calls out at all says she wants to, but doesn't want to let go of that persona she's developed... the bad-girl, free-wheeling, detached slayer.

I think Faith really got screwed by the Council. They never should've sent her to Sunnydale, where she lost her uniqueness and got swallowed up by Buffy's home-field advantage. The council left her in a hovel of a hotel for weeks when they supposedly have all kinds of power and resources!? Come on! All it took was the Mayor to make her feel a tad special, and valued and she was his. We see in the S4 arc how much she hates herself, and I can imagine how much she probably wished that Buffy's life was her own. A loving mom, paternal figure, friends, etc. Having to look that in the face every day and know you didn't fit in was prolly torture. Such a shame for Faith, but great for us viewers.

Season 3 is definitely my #1 favourite season, followed by season 2 (always have been, no matter how many times I've re-watched all the seasons in various orders). I think the show is at one of its highest points (or really rise to the top) during season 3. All the characters are well-developed, the episodes are creative and provide great sense of continuity (compared to season 1). And I love how it goes through the teenage/youth rites of passage like Homecoming, Prom, and Graduation. I love Vampire Willow, and I miss Cordelia not being in Buffy.

i agree 100% with your accessment! Vamp willow was great fun! but i have to say i liked cordelia more on Angel... she was good on buffy but got a little more depth on AtS w/o losing that special cordelia charisma. I loved the college 'year' and s5 really used to be my favorite... so I will be interested to see if that holds up on a rewatch so soon after s3 and 4. and i really want to give an honest chance to 6, which many people cite as their favorite. but as i said in my original post, i was amazed at how strong s3 was. the overall arc, might not have been the most impressive or adventurous, and lets face it that mayor as a giant snake was laughable, but its just so solid. there aren't bad eps. even dead man's party isn't a total clunker. so the senior year of high school is great in my book!

 

[anyatara]

I love re-watching Buffy. Because everytime you watch it you notice something new or you see things from a different perspective. I haven't watched much Buffy in a long long time and I was gonna do a re-watch of the whole thing, but I really don't like season 1 so much. I like watching through season 3 or season 7 because they're the two season you can watch and easily get into it without having to try and remember the season prior to it. But then again, everytime I re-watch, I like a different season.

 

[Perny]

I felt the same way about season 6.

 

[TaintedBlu]

I just ordered the season 3 DvDs, and I'm frickin' excited to watch 'em, and see what I think the second time around...

Seriously, an excellent season for sure. The relationship and on-screen chemistry between Faith and the mayor was remarkabl(y frightening)e.

And the finale? Oooo... major big time fun to watch! It just felt so epic!