When season three opened up, it hit the viewer right between the eyes.
Buffy is now, and has been for some months, living in Los Angeles in
a crummy apartment, working in a diner under her middle name “Anne” ,
hiding from her responsibilities as the Slayer and dreaming of her friends
and Angel. However, when a young girl who remembers Buffy from
Sunnydale comes to her begging for help, the pair end up in a hell dimension
that uses runaways as slave labour. This interesting turn of events, once again,
forces Buffy to admit to herself who she is and (once they have defeated the
evil) heads home
Upon her return, Buffy does not get the open armed response that she
wishes for. The gang’s initial response is painful and fairly flat. They cover
their feelings and pretend that everything is okay, but eventually they falter and
end up in an argument. It’s only when they have to fight for their lives and
work as a unit that they realise how wrong they have been and re-bond.
What made this season so superb, however, was this seasons new menace,
the Mayor of Sunnydale
The reason The Mayor was so great, was that he was so entertaining. He
has this persistent happiness about him that makes you love him, to the
point where you almost want him to win. No matter how many times the
gang tried to thwart his plans to become the ultimate demon, he always
remained chipper, because he was so confident that he would win.
Meanwhile, Xander and Willow develop (and act upon) strong
feelings for one another, thereby destroying their relationships with Cordelia
and Oz. Hurt by Xander’s betrayal, Cordelia calls upon Anyanka, a vengeance
demon who grants wishes. Anyanka’s powers are destroyed, rendering
her mortal and powerless and stuck in the body of a High School senior, thus
creating one of the most entertaining characters so far.
Along the way Angel returns from the Hell Dimension which Buffy
banished him to at the end of season two, only to leave Sunnydale at the end of
this season along with Cordelia and part-time character Wesley. All three
characters will reunite in the spin off “Angel”
And finally, to add to the crazy mix we are introduced to Faith. Faith is the
Slayer. who was called after Kendra was killed at the end of Season Two.
Faith is what Buffy would have been like if she hadn’t had the gang and her
mother around. She is the darker half of Buffy’s personality. The part that
loves being a Slayer and the part that Buffy denies is there. She’s dangerous,
cocky and sleeps with Xander after his break up with Cordelia. But when
Faith accidentally kills a human on her patrol, she closes herself off, turns evil
and becomes one of the Mayor’s lackeys. A situation will eventually force
Buffy to put Faith into a coma who will wake during Season four, create havoc
for a few episodes before moving into ”Angel” and finally going to Prison to
pay for the crimes she committed in “Buffy”
