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Television
Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Complete Third Season

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Complete Third Season

List Price: $59.98
Your Price: $44.99
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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Evolving into an Individual
Review: After the shock of Angel's death, Buffy leaves Sunnydale and works as a waitress for the entire summer. Back at Sunnydale, school has begun and the library now seems to be for all the students.

The first show deals with homeless issues and starts the season off with a bizarre story of a cult enslaving Buffy all while Angel is still appearing in her dreams and a cat is raised from the dead by an evil mask.

In the first few shows we finally see a growing attraction between Xander and Willow and they must keep it secret from Cordelia and Oz. This of course ruins one relationship, while strengthening another. It is a test of love or infatuation. Although Xander does the sweetest thing for Cordelia in the end.

Great scenes of Angel and Buffy practicing Tai Chi and some wild fight scenes between Faith and Buffy. I wasn't overly impressed with the stabbing scene. I think that was a bit much. You don't stab someone and then kiss them on the forehead lovingly hours later, right? Buffy's new watcher and the Mayor are equally annoying.

What is amazing is how there are no questions as to how Angel came back from hell. All things supernatural are just accepted as normal. Oh, the drama between Angel and Buffy just keeps getting better. Or is that worse? I don't know. Now I have to go watch the Angel shows, I guess.

When Spike asks for little marshmallows in "Lover's Walk" it was all I could do to keep from falling off the couch laughing. The show does have its moments of wry wit and is at times highly entertaining in that regard. Otherwise, I am a bit disturbed by the scenes of "domestic style" violence to women. It is more in the brash way it is filmed, than in the fact that it actually occurs.

Oz goes through more hairstyles than Buffy and the black nails were a bit much at times. By the end of the season, they finally have him in a hair color that suits him. Willow alternates between wearing all things fluffy and all things leather. She is pretty good as the evil vampire Willow although the character is especially evil and sadistic, which is disturbing because we are talking about Willow here. I imagine her acting in a James Bond movie one day for some reason.

Buffy actually starts taking charge and really shows her leadership skills. In the end she is basically telling both watchers what to do, which is amusing to a point. Joyce and Giles are teenagers in one show and I thought it was rather humorous to see Giles let his guard down. For some reason the word play between Cordelia and Xander was more annoying than funny "at times." There were still a few good moments. I think the chemistry between them fizzled after he kissed Willow.

There didn't seem to be as much to analyze as the first two seasons and the DVD extras were not as impressive as season two. This season seems to be filled with more conflict between the characters which means you laugh less and hope for the best more. I missed the witty moments of season one and two. However, there is still fun to be had and some crying at the end too.

There is a lot more to this show as it progresses and if you watch how in each show more occult material is discussed. I think parents should caution their children about the dangers of dabbling in the occult.

Witchcraft is mostly presented as a positive force in regard to Wicca type activities. (Spells cast to release other members or students from possessions, etc.) Willow is now using her Wicca powers to spin pencils and makes protection spells. This show contains rituals, incantations, symbols drawn on the floor and spell books.

There are places in this show where you can learn a great deal and positive themes emerge. It does make you aware of how human we all are. The characters do help one another when difficulty arises and there is a sense of "family." Within this "security" of the "gang" the members grown and mature. At times there is no magical cure. The characters must deal with their loss in a human way.

Buffy almost sacrifices herself for Angel. It shows she really loves him, especially after he has basically rejected her for her own good. The characters are at times unrealistically forgiving. Perhaps they are this way because they are fighting a greater evil than their own selfishness.

There are moments of calling on spirits and the powers from beyond. In the real world these types of activities involve real demons and spiritual powers that are too powerful for humans to dabble with. Witchcraft is a tapping into supernatural forces that we don't control and can start to control us if we open ourselves up to the forces. There is power in witchcraft, but at what expense? Your soul?

Looking forward to watching Season 4 although Season 2 is still my favorite. If you haven't watched season 1 or 2, you won't get some of the jokes because the humor builds and to understand one show, you often have to see all the previous shows. It is more fun to "be in the know."

Buffy really evolves into her own person in this season. She is now taking charge of her life and even when her heart is broken "again," she seems to be more accepting of her fate.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Thank God there is Buffy!
Review: I just love the Buffy series, it is one of the few truly inspired T.V. shows ever. This third season is a real kicker. The DVD transfers are very good but tend to be dark in season 2 and 3. Perhaps some aging of the film stocks produced this but this is just a minor point. I have collected the first three seasons so far and will get the whole series. Buffy is one of the few T.V. series that I would own the whole of. What a gift Buffy is to T.V. world and how underrated. My uncle and I agree, some of the best writing on T.V. Keep it up Joss. Thanks.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Best
Review: This is easily one of the best seasons of Buffy (Was there really a bad one ever? Nope, can't think of one). This is the pinnacle of the Love between Buffy and Angel. The pain and anguish of a lost love and the introduction of Faith (Eliza Dushku). Her lines seem hokey now moreso than when it first aired but the meaning and the issues you see moving behind those troubled eyes and in her mannerisms are the best. Eliza did a great job with Faith.

The love between Angel and Buffy really takes off here in that we finally see the choice that must be made. From the moment Joyce confronts Angel about Buffy to the Sewer argument. It's painful to watch but you can not turn away.
This si the definative Buffy season in my opinion. This is where the show really got it's legs and power. From here till the end of this season (Season 7) Buffy sits as one of the best shows on TV. To bad Season 7 will more than liekly be the last.

The DVD is much more streamlined than the second season. it doesn't go through all the animation to get from the episode choices into the episode header to play. The features are not as abundant but the interviews with the writers and of course Joss Whedon are great although repeasted over like episodes. For instance Graduation Day part 1 and 2 have repeasted interviews. Be this as it may, it's still good stuff. All this for half the price of the other DVD box sets (The over priced X-Files, Farscape, ST:TNG, Babylon 5 for instance... way over priced) and a great story to boot.

Who can beat that?

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: At least the season 3 on DVD
Review: The season 3 of Buffy is the best season to me. Faith, the new slayer gives it more punch than ever ! The contents is really great : the image is very clear, not grainy like the previous seasons (thanks to the original recording), there are special interviews with Joss Whedon, commentaries and five great featurettes.
Concerning the package itself, it's very beautiful.
But why do i rate it with only 4 stars ?
because all the "previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer" sequences are missing, and there is no english subtitles for the featurettes (my first language is French and it's easier to understand with english subtitles...)

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: simply excellent
Review: When Season 2 ended, Buffy(Sarah Michelle Gellar) had been kicked out of her home, accused of murder, expelled from high school, did kill her Vampire-boyfriend Angel and send him to hell, and left town with a suitcase. It was quite a year, apart from all of her regular slaying duties.

Season 3 begins with Buffy living alone and working as a waitress, far from Sunnydale. Even though she wants to be left alone and not reminded of being a Slayer or having any sort of extra powers or responsibility, she meets a homeless girl who knew of her back in Sunnydale. Buffy being Buffy ends up helping and realizing that she wants to go back home. The rest of the season is back in Sunnydale and focus around the school year. Buffy is now a Senior and will be graduating at the end of the season.

Storylines continue from earlier seasons as Angel (David Boreanz) makes a return (somehow, being in hell and all that), we see a resolution in Buffy's relationship with Angel. Willow (Alyson Hannigan) learns more about witchcraft and grows in her relationship with her werewolf boyfriend, Oz (Seth Green). While most characters developed over the course of the three seasons, Xander (Nicholas Brendan) has stayed pretty much the same, even throughout his relationship with Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter). Buffy's Watcher, Giles (Anthony Head) has a bit more to do this year and gets to break out of the stuffy Brit that he has been.

New introductions to the cast are Buffy's new watcher Wesley, a Vengeance demon Anya, and a new Slayer, Faith (Eliza Dushku). Faith has the most impact on the show, stealing every scene she is in and works as a perfect foil for Buffy. Faith is what Buffy could have been had she made the wrong choices in her life. Faith is the dark side of what a Slayer can be.

While the storylines can seem silly or dumb when written down on paper, the series turns out very strong on screen. The writing is top notch and the dialogue is fast, irreverent and funny. Buffy is a difficult show to categorize. It is a drama, science fiction/fantasy, a comedy, romance, and a musical (once). It is all of this not only during the course of the season, but during the course of a single episode. Most episodes are self contained, but they do serve to drive the overall story towards a conclusion (for each season).

The overall story for this season deals with the Mayor, who is attempting to ascend into a higher plane of existence (demon). This culminates on graduation day and ends with the school blowing up (another episode that had to be pushed back because of real life events (Columbine) affecting what may be permissible to air on television). An episode dealing with a potential school shooting was set to air just after the Columbine tragedy, and may not have aired at all. Season 3 was another stellar season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer .

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Sunnydale, stone of sacrifices
Review: FOX brings us another season of this great series, with yet another excelent treatment of it in the boxed set (much better than the first season... though not as good as the second one).
Third season of Buffy, the vampire slayer moved further from its previous structure of mythology episodes and stand alones.
The season begins with Buffy living in L.A. and being tortured by what she did at the end of season two: kill Angel to save the world. Then, she literally descends to hell (or one of them, anyway) and rescue a bunch of lost teenagers. Meanwhile, Willow, Xander, Oz and Cordelia are filling the slayer's shoes in Sunnydale, but they don't do it very well. The episode ends with Buffy returning to her mom.
The next episode, Dead Man's Party, deals with all the issues entailed by Buffy's actions. But their confrontation is cut off by a bunch of zumbies who are guided to her house by a mask.
The story develops from there. Now that Buffy is reconciled with her friends, it is time for the new characters and villians to appear. A new potential love appears in Buffy's live: Scott Hope. A new slayer is called after Kendra's death, Faith, and she comes to Sunnydale accompanied by a really old vampire. And finally major Wilkins is introduced as the big bad of the season. When the viewer might have begun to wonder why would anyone at anytime in history build a town in a mystical g-spot, the writers reveal to us that it has all been a plan that comes from the mind of the major, who uses it as a sort of sacrificial stone for his deals with demons and other dark forces. The big thing in this season is Faith becoming evil and helping the major to prevent Buffy from ruining his final ascension.
While the mythology arc is good, some stand alones really stand out. I particularly liked The Zeppo, where we are shown Xander's point of view of the whole saving-the-world situation... in no other episode they make so much fun of theirselves as in this one.
The Wish is the first episode of the now regular character Anya... It is a what if kind of episode. Seeing Xander and Willow as vampires and Buffy as a badass tough heroin is great, not to mention the Master's reappearance and the end of the episode, when the three main characters get killed.
Doppelgangland is another winner for this season. The vampire Willow from The Wish is conjured accidentally by Anya and Willow.
Earshot may be one of the best episodes of the series to date and also the most emblematic one... just before graduation Buffy learns the hard way how troubled is every single teenager.
Lover's Walk is another great episode. Spike returns to town. This character is just perfect... just when everything was going sort of well between the scoobies and their relationships, he appears and destroys them all: Xander and Willow kiss while being kidnapped, and Cordelia and Oz see the whole thing. He points to the fact that Buffy and Angel can't kid theirselves: they are not friends, they will always love each other. So, of course, Buffy makes her choice: she cannot see Angel anymore.
The best of the myth arc can be found in one of the first episodes. In Revelations the group is about to fall appart when Xander discovers that Angel is back from hell and he is back with Buffy, and it could not be a worse time for it to happen: a new watcher is called for Faith: Ms. Post, and she is willing to lay her hands on a powerful glove for her own evil purposes. This is the episode when Faith begins to be alienated from the group, too. Her evil new watcher has destroyed her trust in the side of the "scoobies".
In Ammends, the question about Angel's return is answered: The first evil brought him to kill Buffy, and it is now tormenting the vampire through vissions of his victims (Jenny Calendar among them).
Finally, the Graduation Day two parter, though not better than the one ending season two, is very good: Faith is sent to kill Angel in order to divert Buffy's attention from the ascension. The only way she has to save him is to let him drink some of her blood. Season closes with a great battle between the graduating teens and the major and his vampire minions.
This season is not only very entertaining, but it also glimpses some of the most interesting twists of the plot in later seasons: like Willow's homosexuality, Anya's love for Xander, and we see for a second Harmony getting bited by a vampire. Jonathan shows his resentful and most depresed state and finally, the first [], which is nowadays having a grat role in the show.
This is a really great season... Can't wait for the other ones.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Gotta Have Faith
Review: Season Three of Buffy The Vampire Slayer opens up with Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) being missing after killing Angel (David Boreanaz) and her friends trying to find her. The first two episodes, "Anne" and "Dead Man's Party" don't really portray the power of the entire season. "Anne" deals with Buffy hiding out in Los Angeles working as a waitress. She meets Lily who was a part of a vampire worshipping cult in Sunnydale. Buffy finds that there is a demon factory where humans are slaves and a hundred years pass for one day on Earth. She frees the slaves and then decides to go home where the episode ends with her showing up at home. "Dead Man's Party" deals with the resentment Buffy's friends feel toward her and an ancient mask her mother brought home that acts as a homing device for zombies. The season really starts with episode three "Faith, Hope & Trick" in which we are introduced to yet another slayer, Faith (Eliza Dushku) and another vampire Mr. Trick (K. Todd Freeman). Faith is a fiery slayer, who unlike Buffy, loves being a slayer. She is all super ego to Buffy's id. Faith will add a spark of energy to the show and push Buffy and her friends to the limit. In the fourth episode, "Beauty & The Beasts", Angel is freed from hell and returns to Earth where Buffy discovers him. Spike (James Marsters) returns to Sunnydale in "Lover's Walk" and we find that he has been dumped by Drusilla. He kidnaps Willow (Allyson Hannigan) to put a love spell on Drusilla. He also captures Xander (Nicholas Brendan) and is going to kill them. While they are trapped, they realize their mutual feelings and kiss. While they are kissing, their respective partners, Oz (Seth Green) & Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) walk in on them. This leads to the next episode, "The Wish", where Cordelia is heartbroken over Xander's & Willow's kiss that she determines that Buffy is the cause of her problems and wishes that she never came to Sunnydale. Anyanka (Emma Caufield) a vengeance demon appears and grants Cordelia her wish. We find an alternative Sunnydale, where, since Buffy never came to, The Master escaped from his prison and rules a vampire lead city. We also find that Xander and Willow are vampires and Giles (Anthony Stewart Head), Oz and Larry (Larry Bagby III) are the protectors of the innocent. This is one of the all time best Buffy episodes and it is a testament to the show's supreme writing. Another powerful episode is "Helpless" where on her 18th birthday, Buffy unknowingly must survive a life threatening battle without her slayer powers. Buffy learns of the ritual as Giles, unable to deal with the torment Buffy is going through, advises of her what is happening and that he participated in it by drugging her. She feels betrayed and turns on Giles, but manages to survive the test. Giles is not as fortunate as he is relieved of his duties as Buffy's Watcher by the Council as he has become too emotionally attached to her. "Bad Girls" is the episode that sets up the crux of the season. Buffy's new watcher, the stuffy Wesley Wyndham-Pryce (Alexis Denisof) is brought to train her. Buffy rebels against him and with the prodding of Faith goes on a reckless rampage on a mission to stop a demon from getting an amulet. While on their rampage, they rob a store for weapons and in the ultimate reckless act, Faith kills an innocent human, the mayor's deputy. This leads to the next episode, "Consequences", where Buffy tries to face up to her actions, but Faith continues to believe that the law does not apply to her. Angel steps in and tries to help Faith, but Wesley and the council capture her and are prepared to transport her to England. Faith escapes and ends up at the door of the evil mayor, Richard Wilkins (Harry Groener), to whom she pledges her services. The rest of the season details the gang's attempt thwart the Mayor's ascension and Buffy battling Faith. The season ends with the excellent two parter, "Graduation Day" in which the gang graduates from Sunnydale High and they battle to mayor to once again save the world. Also, in the final episode, Angel leaves Sunnydale to set out on his own. This sets up David Boreanaz's spin off series Angel that Charisma Carpenter and Alexis Denisof also join the cast. Season three of Buffy is the best and most consistent season of the show. The acting is first rate especially by Ms. Dushku and Mr. Groener is wickedly funny as the mayor. Ms. Gellar is spurred on by Ms. Dushku and provides a stellar season that was worthy of Emmy consideration as was the show as a whole.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: The good, the bad, and the Buffy
Review: Pretention is bad enough, but preppie blond cheerleader pretention--that is the worst sort, the kind that makes you wish for your own personal stake-and-vampire-hunting kit to do a number on yourself. "Buffy" clearly falls into the latter category whole-heartedly, as mousy snot-nosed Geller takes her ingenius method of J.Crew style and ice-cream substance to new, er, depths? Overall, of a bad, bad, pretentious little show (who can forget te year they all went on ET and Acess Hollywood to protest the lack of Emmy nominations for this WB disaster?), this season by far ranks as the worst. Why? we have double the buffy introduced. Elisha Dushku. [Shudder]. Even her name sounds like "Buffy" played backwards at 45 speed on a Black Sabbath album.

This is basic 80's preppie fair. The standard blond, well dressed, never besmudged lead actress does battle with various either very good looking or very ugly evils. Add the lesbian overtones to get preppie boys enticed, and some snappy dialogue straight out of "Valley Girl", and you have a bunch of intoxicated GAP kids in their khakis discussing the "deeper" meaning of what amounts to Cinemax just-before-dark entertainment.

This show puts everyone into their proper places in the preppie world. Smart people are nerds who need to be followers, not leaders; ugly people are evil or sweet, controllable lapdogs; and fraternities and sororites are not overbearing, ridiculously small-minded institutiuons but the hearts and souls of cheerleaders and happiness.

I must say something of the lighting on this show. Not so many shadows are in most Shannon Tweed movies to hide their cheapness, but yet some peopel call this high-budget. I say the shlock-factory owner who runs this doggy service of a production said, "Dark is scary" and pocketed the money he would have spent on sets, acting lessons, and thespians so he could buy a ferrari and cruise the strip going "I run Buffy. I run Buffy."

If anyone needs firther proof of Geller's utter abomination to the word "acting", see Scooby-Doo. No, don't see it: your artisitc soul might be burned forever. Take my word for it: it ain't pretty.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: a great dvd set
Review: As an avid Buffy fan, I could not wait for the series to come out on dvd. I own all three seasons and cannot wait to purchase the rest of them. I feel that season three was one of the best seasons of the show. We see Buffy fight Faith, another slayer, graduate from high school and save the world, yet again. We also see the sad departure of Angel, who is sadly missed on the show. A great dvd set one can watch again and again.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: great show, ok dvd set
Review: this is one of my favorite shows, it,s one of the few shows that got better with each season, but the dvd set was not as good as the sets for seasons 1 and 2, it seems the season 3 set did,t have as many extras as the other box sets, i hope the season 4 box set will have more and better extras. I like to see outtakes from the shows, interviews with each cast member, better behind the scenes stuff.


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