Board 8 > So I'm watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. *probable spoilers*

(+) Yeah! (+)

From: kevwaffles | #299
Complete with a background containing a character who isn't on the show to the point you are at. I've never seen so much effort put into failing so much.

DVD cover of season 6...

--
Nominate B.B. Hood for CB IX http://miniurl.org/ntI

Djungelurban posted...
From: kevwaffles | #299
Complete with a background containing a character who isn't on the show to the point you are at. I've never seen so much effort put into failing so much.
DVD cover of season 6...

I feel like 5 is as bad. 6 could just be a one episode thing that they used cause its a cool shot, and if you don't actually know what is going on there you might not think too much of it.

5 on the other hand basically says "hey this person you've never seen is going to be an important character this season!" Season 3 would be the same way with Faith and Angel being on it. Really 1, 2, 4, and 7 are the best ones to use.

--
(Maniac64 at work)
Guns don't kill people, Kinder eggs do. I saw it in a post on GameFAQs. ~FAHtastic

Season 3, Episode 8: Lover's Walk

Best episode of the season so far. The return of Spike was glorious and he was the cog that lead to a ****load of stuff happening. It was very interesting how seriousness and humor were balanced throughout the episode, even down to the very end.

Right, so big thing number one: Spike's return. He hasn't missed a step, and in fact has gained one. He made every scene he was in. Drunk scenes, the scene with Buffy's mom, the fight scene, his speech at the end. All of it was brilliant. I hope he comes back soon after he's done doing his thing with Drusilla.

Big thing number two: the dissolution of so many relationships. Goodbye Xander/Cordelia. Goodbye Willow/Oz. Goodbye Buffy/Angel. And oddly enough, I'm sad to see all of them go. Okay, maybe I'm not all that bummed about Buffy/Angel being dumped, but I'm still sad for Angel. A great final scene with all the mourning people (followed by a joyous Spike for the lulz).

Big things number three: the Cordelia death swerve. I'm not really going to beat around the bush with this one: I was pretty pissed that I knew Cordelia wasn't dead since I had been told she would be in Angel and I'm not happy I didn't get the full effect of the scene. That fall and then seeing a rod having been rammed straight through her was quite the "wtf" moment. And then that cut to a funeral was just "WTF" and then finding out it was a swerve was "oh u." And then Cordelia telling Xander to get away from her was "sadface." Cordelia did a great job this episode.

This episode obviously showed that when Giles is gone, bad things happen. Obviously he shouldn't leave ever again.

--
snowpork
http://img.imgcake.com/Ainoxi/zazigifed.gif

This episode obviously showed that when Giles is gone, bad things happen. Obviously he shouldn't leave ever again.

Haha, I hadn't made that connection.

--
(Maniac64 at work)
Guns don't kill people, Kinder eggs do. I saw it in a post on GameFAQs. ~FAHtastic

Time for a character ranking

Spike - Assuming he comes back soon, he deserves the top spot. Dude killed it this episode.
The Mayor - This guy is something else. He's a joy to watch, and I can't wait to see his true despicable nature come out in the future.
Giles - Still great. I always look forward to episodes centered on him.
Buffy - Still does an awesome job of balancing serious tones and humorous tones. I am very impressed with SMG's work.
Xander - He does his thing and he does it well. It seems like he's matured a little more, which I like.
Trick - Haven't seen too much from him, but I can see the potential. Waiting for an episode that's really focused on him.
-bit of a gap-
Cordelia - She's really grown on me, and I'm impressed by how much she has been able to do so. I was really starting to like her and Xander together, and she's become a little deeper. Great growth.
Snyder - A great douchebag. I'm curious to see what happens with him regarding his relationship with the Mayor.
Angel - He hasn't done anything since his return, which is disappointing. Hopefully he gets a lot more to do in the next 2/3 of the season.
Oz - Still just kind of there as a love interest for Willow, but he has his lines and moments.
Faith - Haven't gotten enough from her to make me care about her all that much.
Willow - Still annoys me a bit. Waiting for her to do something awesome and not Willowy.

I included both friends and foes, just to include more.

--
snowpork
http://img.imgcake.com/Zazipngbu.png

Glad to see you already love The Mayor. And that Cordy has grown on you.

Oz is kind of there half the time for one liners or to play straight man.

--
(Maniac64 at work)
Guns don't kill people, Kinder eggs do. I saw it in a post on GameFAQs. ~FAHtastic

Season 3, Episode 9: The Wish

This was such an interesting episode and I love how it played with the continuity of the show. It brought back The Master, and it called back to Angel having seen Buffy before he came to Sunnydale. It also featured some out-of-character acting from Xander and Willow, and to an extent Buffy, which is always good to see for an episode.

I tell you, I was really feeling for Cordelia this episode and how it appears she has become a nomad within the school social groups. Oz also did a really good job telling Willow off, which was nice. And for once it was nice to see Buffy not being the troubled one and instead being the one there in support of her friends. The final scene of this episode did a good job of showing the bond between Buffy, Xander, and Willow.

This might have been the first standalone episode of the season, but even then it featured heavily on the relationships between the happenings of the characters thus far in the season so I guess it wasn't really. Season 3 has remained incredibly consistent. It hasn't yet had the highs of Season 2, but it hasn't been close to the lows yet, either.

--
snowpork
http://img.imgcake.com/Zazipngbu.png

What did you think of Anya, the girl who granted the wish?

--
http://www.backloggery.com/myimmortal

I didn't really think anything of her. I just figured she was a one-shot villain, and she fulfilled her role. I guess the notion of someone who grants wishes to scorned women is an interesting concept.

--
snowpork
I wanna be a SuperNiceDog when I grow up!

I like how Cordelia dies during The Wish. In an episode like that you usually expect the person who caused it to fix it but.... nope.

I also remember liking Giles' last lines in the dream world.

Anya: "How do you know the other world is any better?"
Giles: "Because it has to be."

--
No amount of planning will ever replace dumb luck.

Season 3, Episode 10: Amends

So, first we had Trick and the Mayor, and now we have The First who seems to be loaded with potential. Such good villains we have this season. The struggle between Angel and The First in the form of Jenny Calender were interesting scenes. I wonder if they'll keep Jenny as the voice of The First for awhile.

The supporting cast took a bit of a backseat, but that was okay. My favorite part of the episode was when Angel came to see Giles. Anthony Stewart Head did an amazing job with the scene. The Willow-Oz stuff is okay, I guess. It's a shame Oz doesn't have too big of a role within the gang, because he has some of the more insightful writing of the characters, and Seth Green does a good job delivering the lines. Xander was interesting this episode, and the compassion he showed seemed a little more different than times past. It was also nice to see Cordelia interacting with the gang again. I look forward to more dialogues with her. Faith hasn't done much as of late, and I'm starting to wonder about her purpose of being around. I assume something big is planned for her, and hopefully it happens soon.

--
snowpork
http://img.imgcake.com/Zazipngbu.png

Season 3, Episode 11: Gingerbread

This episode was good for the look at Willow's dabbles in witchcraft, which I know are eventually leading to a big plot point (that I'm very excited for). If it doesn't happen this season, I'll be very excited for it to happen in Season 4. Season 4 makes sense because right now the gang has to deal with two forces of evil in Trick (who has been absent for awhile now, sadly) and The Mayor, as well as The First.

Interesting plot here with the whole demon inciting hatred thing. Resolution again seemed very rushed, but whatever. It was a decent episode overall, but I most cared about what it was most likely setting up for the future. I do like how Amy comes back from time to time, but I wonder how long they'll keep her as a rat.

--
snowpork
http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lufaimzD0Z1qguxfm.gif

That scene between Angel and Giles in Amends is one of my favorites as well.

Gingerbread was the only episode I didn't like in season 3.

--
http://www.smkgp150cc.com/images/toadspin.gif
SuperNiceDog ate all my bananas.

Yeah, Gingerbread is the one episode in all of season 3 I didn't like much. In general I'm not a big fan of mind control plots like you seem to be =\

--
The batman villians all seem to be one big joke that batman refuses to laugh at - SantaRPG

two things I cant talk about for... like ever

--
FC 1849 0634 8041
Boring sig is boring

htaeD posted...
two things I cant talk about for... like ever

Yep.

And anyone that hints at them is going down.

There has been too many hints to things in this topic already. Not about those necessarily, but in general.

--
(Maniac64 at work)
Guns don't kill people, Kinder eggs do. I saw it in a post on GameFAQs. ~FAHtastic

Season 3, Episode 12: Helpless

Another episode that brings a unique view of slaying. Seeing Buffy completely helpless was a very odd sight. Seeing Giles injecting stuff into was even more odd and very unsettling. I don't know how I'd handle any mind control plot affecting Giles. Bad Eggs and this were weird enough.

More on Giles, he's fired. How sad, but I'm very interested to see how they take this. I'm also very interested in seeing who replaces him. There's potential here, assuming it's not another Gwendolyn Post type of deal.

Kralick was a good villain.

I'm also going to predict that a "Gang vs. The Council" plot will arise at some point during the series.

Yeah, that's all really. This episode just set up another main story arc, which is fine by me.

--
snowpork
http://i56.tinypic.com/qy721s.jpg

Season 3, Episode 13: The Zeppo

I...don't think I liked that episode. I understand that it was meant to be an entirely humorous plot, but it didn't sit well with me. I don't think "this is the most dangerous thing we've ever faced" should be used in a gag episode. I think I can say for certain that if it was just a random group of demons that the gang had to defeat while Xander was running around having his very own adventure, I'd have enjoyed it much more and laughed throughout. I don't know. Maybe I'm just taking the series a little too seriously now.

All that said, Xander was pretty great. His interrupting Buffy and Angel was such a great trolling that it was hard not to laugh. And the scene cuts from serious to silly were well done. Everything was executed well, I just didn't like what the build up that was being given to the serious plot, that's all. One small changed and I could've really appreciated that episode.

--
snowpork
I wanna be a SuperNiceDog when I grow up!

That's the point though. The "serious plot" is a parody of their usual serious plots, they ramped up the corniness on almost everything. Buffy and Angel's heated talk, Giles trying to talk to the spirit world to see the future "because he has to try". The end discussion where they are talking about it at the picnic bench. "I'll never forget it's face... it's true face, I mean." "Buffy: 'That was the bravest thing I've ever seen.' 'Giles: The stupidest >_>'".

Plus the giant actual battle that it only cuts to briefly. "Oh my god, it's grown." And all the hectic scenes of fighting.

Everything the gang says when it cuts to them or when Xander runs into one of them basically amounts to "oh my god end of days it's the apocalypse the worst we've ever faced." But that's the joke. That's what they are always like. Like, when Xander runs into Angel at the Bronze, and Angel is like "Thing's are bad, they don't know what they are dealing with." That's a parody of how Angel always knows when something bad is happening and comes to warn the gang, and he is EXTRA CONCERNED now.

The point of the episode is that's a reversal of the usual formula of an episode. Normally an episode of Buffy and most shows like it has an A Plot about some bad guy with some action and a B Plot involving development of a character. This episode is supposed to turn that convention around and make the development of a side character the A Plot with a world ending disaster as the B Plot. You said you would have preferred it more if it was primarily about the gang fighting a group of demons with Xander having a side adventure, but that's exactly the opposite of what this episode wanted to do.


I thought they pulled it off beautifully. The Zeppo is honestly one of the best episodes in the series.

--
The batman villians all seem to be one big joke that batman refuses to laugh at - SantaRPG

I loved The Zeppo a lot, as well.

--
I'm "kind of a big deal".
http://img.imgcake.com/cyclo/Cyclopngegpngre.png

Just think of the Zeppo as an early character study of Xander. And in that case it is amazing. Also Xander becomes one of the only characters we know isn't a virgin now.

Zeppo is where Xander became my favorite character. I love that final confrontation with the zombie dude. "I like the quiet".

Zeppo is definitely a personal favorite, but you can't take the "A plot that is really the B plot" seriously.

--
"Hope is allowed to be stupid, unwise, and naive." ~Sir Chris

I don't doubt it's an episode that on re-watches will be more enjoyed. I just didn't expect it this time and never put myself in the needed frame of mind I guess. I've been really invested in the "A Plot" story lines recently.

--
snowpork
http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lufaimzD0Z1qguxfm.gif

I bet if you watched it again you could probably enjoy it more since you wouldn't be focused on the apocalypse plot at all.

But whatever. I'm pretty sure it has a good commentary on it btw.

--
"Hope is allowed to be stupid, unwise, and naive." ~Sir Chris

I liked it too
but dont worrt
the A-Plots are gonna strike back quickly enough

--
FC 1849 0634 8041
Boring sig is boring

Zeppo tends to be a pretty polarizing episode. I liked it, myself.

--
No I'm not a damn furry. Looney Tunes are different. - Guiga
I wanted Sonic/Shadow romance at that time, not sex. - MWE

Does Zeppo tend to be polarizing? I think pretty much everyone loves it except people who hate Xander.

and those people are just nuts, so who cares.

--
I'm "kind of a big deal".
http://img.imgcake.com/cyclo/Cyclopngegpngre.png

According to this site (which does of bunch of statistical stuff with people's rankings) it is!
(spoilers on the site, nothing beyond episode names on the page I linked to, but I wouldn't click around if you're still watching the series):


http://www.phi-phenomenon.org/buffy/polarized.htm

--
No I'm not a damn furry. Looney Tunes are different. - Guiga
I wanted Sonic/Shadow romance at that time, not sex. - MWE

where did they get the data to determine that?

--
I'm "kind of a big deal".
http://img.imgcake.com/cyclo/Cyclopngegpngre.png

I actually disliked The Zeppo the first time I saw it, for the same reasons as Zazi. But on rewatch it's definitely a great episode.

--
http://www.smkgp150cc.com/images/toadspin.gif
SuperNiceDog ate all my bananas.

SlymDayspring posted...
where did they get the data to determine that?

http://www.phi-phenomenon.org/buffy/method.htm

--
No I'm not a damn furry. Looney Tunes are different. - Guiga
I wanted Sonic/Shadow romance at that time, not sex. - MWE

From: muddersmilk | #316
There has been too many hints to things in this topic already. Not about those necessarily, but in general.

Yet this is still the least hint-filled Buffy watchthrough I can remember seeing on this site.

--
JonthePenguin
http://www.backloggery.com/main.php?user=erunion

Same here. Most watchthrough topics infuriate me.

So good job, everyone!

--
No amount of planning will ever replace dumb luck.

I appreciate it more than any of you. Board 8 superior web community, obviously.

I just got back from a run, so I'm going to sip on some hot tea and watch an episode before bed. Hopefully an episode titled "Bad Girls" will be a peaceful watch.

--
snowpork
http://img.imgcake.com/Ainoxi/zazigifed.gif

Season 3, Episode 14: Bad Girls

In which we meet Wesley the Watcher, Faith kills a man, and The Mayor becomes invincible.

I like Wesley, and his rapport with Giles is already pretty fun to watch. I hope Wesley sticks around for a bit, if not just for comedic relief. However, it'd be pretty neat if he had a vital role in something upcoming, whether it aid for gang or hurt them.

I really don't know what to think of Faith, or what to expect from her. She's always been the cold, reckless free spirit, but it was interesting see them take that to the next level. Seeing Buffy succumb to Faith's methods seemed a little out of character given how Buffy has acted as of late, but not so much that I can't believe it to happen. There's so many characters this season that you can't predict what they are going to do and how they are going to affect the team. It's very engaging.

The Mayor is great, but I'm getting a little impatient regarding his story. I imagine they'll start picking up on his involvement here soon. I guess in the mean time, I can keep settling for cheerful evil. I'm disappointed Trick hasn't done much thus far, though. His introduction was excellent, and now he's just kind of faded into the background.

--
snowpork
http://i56.tinypic.com/qy721s.jpg

From: ZaziGuado | #334
In which we meet Wesley the Watcher, Faith kills a man, and The Mayor becomes invincible.

You should do one-line summaries like this for each episode. Helps those of us that haven't seen the show in a while. =]

And I think you're the first person I've seen that has liked Wesley in his first appearance.

--
No amount of planning will ever replace dumb luck.

I love his little dayplanner with a bunch of mundane tasks mixed in with Become Invincible


That's really what makes the Mayor so great, how he's so sinister but mixes it within so many normal every day mannerisms that it's so hard to tell that sinister attitude is even here.

--
The batman villians all seem to be one big joke that batman refuses to laugh at - SantaRPG

Wesley is the best. Excellent Giles foil.


...Well, he's not as good as Giles, but who is?

--
No I'm not a damn furry. Looney Tunes are different. - Guiga
I wanted Sonic/Shadow romance at that time, not sex. - MWE

Hot damn season 3 is strong. And personally, for the most part I really dig the later portion of the series even more, best show ever.

--
One Piece: Pirates with style!
-= Metal Gear Solid: Tactical Espionage Action =-

SlymDayspring posted...
Does Zeppo tend to be polarizing? I think pretty much everyone loves it except people who hate Xander.

and those people are just nuts, so who cares.

There are a lot of people who hate Xander. Like the majority of female fans that I have met.

--
(Maniac64 at work)
Guns don't kill people, Kinder eggs do. I saw it in a post on GameFAQs. ~FAHtastic

I agree with Ness, the short summaries really help me, as I haven't seen the show since like 2007-8

There are a lot of people who hate Xander. Like the majority of female fans that I have met.

like I said, all of the people who hate xander are nuts.

--
I'm "kind of a big deal".
http://img.imgcake.com/cyclo/Cyclopngegpngre.png

Season 3, Episode 15: Consequences

In which Faith goes bat**** insane and Trick's potential is never realized.

Well that episode contained a lot of stuff I was sad to see. It's never fun watching a character trainwreck, even if I never really liked Faith all that much. It's also never fun seeing a character whom you thought would be all sorts of awesome at his introduction, only to have killed unexpectedly. I have to imagine at the start of the season they had more planned for him, because otherwise he seemed a little too relevant to go out the way he did. Still, it opens the door for an interesting "slayer willingly helping the forces of evil (or perhaps it's all some plan by Faith)."

Oz was strangely absent this episode. I imagine Seth Green had other engagements, or something. That's okay, though, because it allowed for us to see Willow's reactions to Xander shacking up with Faith. Their relationship is still an interesting one that I'm not minding too much, as long as they don't make it cheesy or anything silly like that. I have confidence it will stay the course, though.

Wesley is still interesting in that his "by the books" way of operating causes problems for the gang, but he still wants to help them in whatever way he can. He'll probably meet some sad, untimely end that I'm not looking forward to. I hope no matter what happens, he does something heroic.

--
snowpork
I wanna be a SuperNiceDog when I grow up!

I'm also a fan of Mr. Trick, cool dude.

--
One Piece: Pirates with style!
-= Metal Gear Solid: Tactical Espionage Action =-

So as you get closer to the end of the season... Are you gonna stick with only Buffy next season, or are you gonna watch Angel and Buffy concurrently... Cause there's plenty of cross over, especially early on and some things won't make sense if you only watch one show.

--
Nominate B.B. Hood for CB IX http://miniurl.org/ntI

From: Djungelurban | #343
Cause there's plenty of cross over, especially early on and some things won't make sense if you only watch one show.

This is really only necessary for Buffy S4/Angel S1. I guess a few things will come out of nowhere later on if you don't watch both, but nothing that really gets confusing.

Also, we can always just tell him when to watch Angel up to a certain point, though most of the time it's obvious when you should. As long as he's watching Buffy first it's not much of a problem to know when to watch Angel.

--
"One toot on this whistle will take you to a far away land."
-Toad, SMB3

I plan on watching both shows at the same time.

--
snowpork
http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lufaimzD0Z1qguxfm.gif

Buffy - 1
Angel - 1-2
Buffy - 2-3
Angel - 3-4
Buffy - 4-7
Angel - 5-7
Buffy - 8
Angel - 8
Buffy - 9
Angel - 9-10
Buffy - 10-12
Angel - 11-13
Buffy - 13-14
Angel - 14-17
Buffy - 15-18
Angel - 18
Buffy - 19
Angel - 19
Buffy - 20
Angel - 20-21
Buffy - 21-22
Angel - 22

Like that for Buffy 4 and Angel 1.

--
IMO.

Oh awesome. That is most helpful. My thanks.

Season 3, Episode 16: Dopplegangland

In which Anya is frustrated and Willow tries to seduce herself.

Good episode. Funny one, too. It's probably the first one in awhile where I consider the humor the highlight, which isn't to say that show hasn't been funny, but rather to show how funny this episode actually was. Pretty much every character had well-written humorous dialogue. I most enjoyed Cordelia keeping "Willow" locked up to complain about stealing Xander, and I wish they would've given that more screen time with Cordelia going on. But pretty much every scene had chuckle moments, so good on them.

Vampire Willow is always interesting to see. Alyson Hannigan has good range with her character. Also, I saw Alexis Denisof in the opening credits, and I assume that he was playing the boy Willow was tutoring. If they met on this show as the nerd girl and the jock, that's adorable.

More hinted on with Faith and The Mayor, and in the little time he was on screen the Mayor was, as always, awesome. "Now let's see about killing your friend." Such nonchalance. Faith is going to screw things up with Willow's hacking, which will be sad. The revealing confrontation between Faith and Buffy is going to be awesome, though.

--
snowpork
http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lufaimzD0Z1qguxfm.gif

Alexis Denisof is the guy playing Wesley...

--
Nominate B.B. Hood for CB IX http://miniurl.org/ntI

Holy ****ing **** I'm a dumbass. Why did I not make that connection. I had just assumed that since I never noticed Alexis Denisof from before, he must've been debuting in that episode.

Well, that explains why Wesley seemed so damn familiar to me.

--
snowpork
http://www.gifsoup.com/view6/2495345/magnitude-l.gif

My favorite part of that episode was normal Willow pretending to be vampire Willow. So adorably awkward.

--
"One toot on this whistle will take you to a far away land."
-Toad, SMB3