"Amends"

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Episode 10 of Season 3

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"Strong is fighting. It's hard and it's painful and it's every day. It's what we have to do, and we can do it together, but if you're too much of a coward for that, then burn."

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Original US airdate: December 15th, 1998

Rewatched: December 12th, 2021

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• Writer: Joss Whedon

• Director: Joss Whedon

• Guests: Kristine Sutherland, Saverio Guerra, Shane Barach, Edward Edwards, Cornelia Hayes O'Herlihy, Robia LaMorte, Eliza Dushku

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It's the one and only Buffy Christmas episode (except for a brief comment about decorating the rubble in season 7) and Angel is being visited by ghosts of Christmas past. While the theme of relationships again has a prominent place in this episode, the other theme is, like the title of the episode, amends. 

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The First Evil is in Sunnydale, haunting Angel in the form of past kills (and Jenny Calendar) and causing Buffy and Angel to share Angel's dreams in an attempt to drive Angel into losing his soul again. It is assumed the First Evil brought Angel back from the hell dimension, and the First itself says there is a plan (although also seems okay with Angel killing himself). Rather than lose his soul again, Angel chooses to wait for the rising sun to kill him. Buffy confronts him, trying to convince him not to kill himself. Miracle snow arrives, meaning not enough sun to kill a vampire. Some of the questions raised here (who brought Angel back and why) are never fully answered, but do get a bit more airtime on Angel, where it becomes clear his return is due to the prophecy that he will be an important player in the apocalypse, but it was unclear for which side, and it is heavily implied that the Powers That Be may have been involved as well (and perhaps Wolfram & Hart). Based on the First being okay with Angel dying, my guess is several parties agreed to bring him back, and then each party hoped to influence whether evil Angel or good Angel would be around at the end of days. Miracle snow seems to come from the Powers That Be, whereas the First has clearly made a move to get Angel to lose his soul. 

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Although a lot of Buffy actually centers on fate (Buffy is the Slayer, after all), this episode shows the series' strong emphasis on free will and how our choices shape what we make of fate. The First Evil tries to convince Angel that all he will ever be is either a failure or evil, claiming to want to show Angel who he really is and that he only ever had a talent for cruelty. Even Angel himself questions why he is back, as he felt he deserved an eternity of torture in a hell dimension. In Buffy and Angel's conversation before the miracle snow falls, the true message comes out. As Buffy says, everyone is weak and everyone fails. It matters that we try to do good, to make amends. Even if it isn't easy. So, all we can do is try to be good people and to keep trying. It's a nice holiday message. 

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This scene marks the return of Buffy and Angel's relationship. While it will only last until the end of this season, their strong emotional bond will continue to follow them through to the end of the series. In other news, Oz and Willow get back to together. Oz decides that he loves Willow and is willing to accept her history with Xander. Then, when Willow tries to sleep with Oz in order to prove her love, he turns her down, wanting to wait until they both want to sleep with each other for the same reasons. This is, again, a very mature Oz, able to deal with a messy relationship so well. 

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While overall there is some tendency to cheesiness, "Amends" has always been one of my favorite episodes. Oz's maturity is something I still wish I had, and the message that we can always be a better person is something that really resonates with me. 

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"Gingerbread"

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Episode 11 of Season 3

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"It's just you can't. You can't make it right."

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Original US airdate: January 12th, 1999

Rewatched: December 19th, 2021

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• Writer: Jane Espenson & Thania St. John

• Director: James Whitmore Jr.

• Guests: Kristine Sutherland, Elizabeth Anne Allen, Harry Groener, Jordan Baker, Armin Shimerman

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Hansel and Gretel are real, and there is danger in following a mob on a mission of hate. Especially in light of fake news and the internet's ability to spread conspiracy theories, this episode resonates more than ever. When Buffy and her mother find two murdered children, Joyce leads the crusade to free Sunnydale from the occult. This culminates in Willow, Buffy and Amy being burned at the stake, only for Giles and Cordelia to save them at the last minute (Cordelia with a firehose and Giles with a spell, forcing the demon masquerading as dead children to show its real face). And while it seems hokey and a bit far-fetched, Pizzagate shows that you don't even need a demon just fringe theories on the internet for things to get out of hand. While "Gingerbread" is not the only text out there to warn of the dangers of witch hunts (The Crucible is, of course, the classic that comes to mind), warnings about what happens when we give in to hatred and act with little information or evidence will always be important, since it seems people can so easily become an angry mob. 

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A second theme of this episode is what good Buffy does. At first, when Joyce finds the two dead children, the roles of parent and child are nearly reversed. Joyce is the child, needing comfort from a very adult Buffy. Later, once Joyce decides to take Sunnydale back, she is not willing to let Buffy take care of the situation. In fact, she questions what good Buffy does, saying that slaying is pointless and reactionary. Viewers, if course, have seen "The Wish" and know that Buffy has done a great deal of good in Sunnydale, but this conversation throws Buffy for a loop. Angel, in a conversation somewhat reminiscent of what Buffy told him in "Amends" and which will later be rehashed in the Angel episode "Epiphany", tells Buffy that they fight because there are things worth fighting for, not because they will ever win. So again, the series puts the emphasis on fighting the good fight and doing your best, regardless of the ultimate outcome. 

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A final theme is parental involvement. Most of the Buffy characters have fairly absent parents. Xander's have yet to be seen and are hinted at being somewhat dysfunctional. Cordelia and Oz's have also not been seen. Only Joyce is seen and although she is not fully involved (she missed Buffy's slaying for many years...), she is not as absent as the others. In this episode, she comes to see Buffy slay and brings her a snack (and then goes overboard by founding an organization that ultimately tries to kill Buffy...) Willow's mother also gets sucked into fighting the occult with Joyce and this is the first (and only) episode we meet her. She notices Willow's new (since August) haircut, learns of Willow's interest in the occult, uses lots of academic jargon rather than connect with her daughter, and then tries to burn her at the stake. In a series with so little emphasis on the role of parents, it is good to see that at times, the message is clear that kids need their parents (at least to a certain extent- like watching you slay is good, crusading against you is bad). 

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In final fun facts, in this episode Amy turns into a rat and will stay one for quite a while. 

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"Helpless"

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Episode 12 of Season 3

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"If I'm not the slayer, what do I do? What do I have to offer?"

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Original US airdate: January 19th, 1999

Rewatched: January 2nd, 2022

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• Writer: David Fury

• Director: James A. Contner

• Guests: Kristine Sutherland, Jeff Kober, Harris Yulin

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Buffy does Little Red Riding Hood and faces off with the Council, who is Buffy's very own patriarchy. It's Buffy's 18th birthday and the Tento di Cruciamentum, a test every Slayer must face on her 18th birthday. Giles injects Buffy with drugs that rob her of her powers. It is then planned that Buffy will face a vampire in a closed environment. It goes a bit sideways when the vampire escapes, kills two members of the Council and kidnaps Buffy's mother. However, Quentin Travers, the head Watcher, still considers the test to be a go. Buffy saves her mother by using her brains and passes the test. Giles, however, fails (as he intercedes twice, once by telling Buffy and a second time by coming to her aid) and is fired. There are several allusions in both wardrobe and dialogue to Little Red Riding Hood, which indicate that Buffy has faced the big bad wolf and won. 

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Of course, as with most episodes centered on the Watcher's Council, the theme is patriarchy. Quentin Travers feels that the way things have always been done is the right way to do them and is not interested in rethinking them. Giles, although fairly progressive, goes along with the plans for the most part, although he does express his dissatisfaction and, in the end, he tells Buffy and comes to her aid. Despite Giles's misgivings, he is still entrenched enough in the Council to violate Buffy's trust by injecting her with drugs without her knowledge and by putting her in danger. Episodes like this show how the Slayer is really only supposed to be a tool of the Council. These very powerful women are supposed to serve the Council's purposes, jumping through deadly hoops to prove their worth. This is also the beginning of the end for the Council, as Buffy is starting to see just what they truly are and is beginning to decide she is not willing to be a tool of the patriarchy. Buffy is not a happy Slayer at the end of this episode. 

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A related theme is about identity. Who is Buffy if she is not the Slayer? Buffy has grown into her role as the Slayer and has accepted it multiple times so far, but it is still clear she'd sometimes rather not be the chosen one. But, faced with perhaps not being the chose one, Buffy also realizes what she would miss. In this episode, she's powerless to help Cordelia with a hostile guy, powerless to stand up to cat calls, and powerless against the vampires. And Buffy doesn't like being the classic B-movie blonde victim. So at least at this point it can be said that the power aspect of slaying is something Buffy doesn't want to give up, even if she still doesn't like the high chance of dying and always needing to save the world part of it. 

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Finally, although touched on already, Buffy learns in this episode that even without her powers, she can stand and deliver. Her powers transformed her from a vapid cheerleader into a hero, but that transformation (and the cunning and wits) remain, even if the powers are absent. Buffy tricks her vampire foe into drinking holy water to save herself and her mother. It is also important to note that she does this alone (Giles appears at the last minute to help, but Buffy did not ask him to come). Buffy doesn't turn to Angel or Giles or her friends, she is able to step up on her own, showing she is truly the Slayer in many ways. 

 

Thus, Buffy faces the patriarchy, but doesn't quite dismantle it, at least not yet, and proves that she is a worthy hero.

 

Some final points worth mentioning: we learn of the tradition Buffy and her dad have of watching the ice show on her birthday, but also that her dad stands her up this year (so she is betrayed by both of her father figures in this episode). Angel tells Buffy that he saw her before she was the Slayer and that he saw her being called. Buffy is nearly stabbed with her own stake. And questioning minds want to know: does Buffy lose the lovely poetry book Angel gave her (with the lovely inscription "Always")? 

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"The Zeppo"

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Episode 13 of Season 3

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"I like the quiet."

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Original US airdate: January 26th, 1999

Rewatched: January 8th, 2022

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• Writer: Dan Vebber

• Director: James Whitmore Jr.

• Guests: Saverio Guerra, Channon Roe, Michael Cudlitz, Eliza Dushku

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It's the end of the world and Xander is not invited. After coming close to harm in the opening scenes, Xander is told by Buffy (and Giles) that he should be fray adjacent, rather than in the fray. At school, Xander is also contending with his lack of coolness and decides to find the thing that will make him cool. He rents his Uncle Rory's car (since Uncle Rory can't drive due to DUIs). This does work to a certain extent. Xander meets a woman outside the doughnut shop who is very interested in his car... but only his car. When Xander hits Jack O'Toole's car, Sunnydale High's tough guy decides Xander can be his wheels. Xander drives Jack to raise all his friends from the dead (and it later turns out Jack is also dead) and then into town, where Xander's new undead friends break into a hardware store. Xander evades the gang and runs off, only to later figure out the undead are planning to build a bomb. After a few other adventures, Xander finds out the undead plan to blow the school up and confronts Jack in the basement. They have a standoff, but Jack ends up defusing the bomb. Xander kept his cool and stood his ground and convinced Jack that he was willing to die, while Jack, although dead, was not willing to, since by blowing himself up, no one would be able to bring him back. 

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Meanwhile, the other Scoobies (sans Oz, who is a werewolf on this night) are trying to stop the end of the world. Willow uses her magic, Giles his knowledge, Buffy, Angel and Faith their brawn to fight the Sisterhood of Jhe and, once the Hellmouth opens, the demon who arises (the same one as in "Prophecy Girl"). This ends up being a minor plot in the episode, as we really only learn snippets of what happens as Xander crosses paths with various Scoobies at various times. Every time, Xander offers to help, but he is turned away. 

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While Cordelia is quick to point out that Xander has no skills to offer the Scoobies (and no idea what cool is), this episode really showcases that Xander is a hero. He may not do magic, or have strength, but he doesn't back out of the fight and when he's needed, he steps up. And in this episode, Xander gains some confidence in himself, which will grow as he grows into adulthood. 

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As a final note, Xander also loses his virginity to Faith in this episode. This may not be the best message. As this episode shows Xander taking a big step in maturity, having sex connects his big step to sex in a way that is fairly typical of the portrayal of male sexuality - you become a man by having sex. But Buffy usually seems above such stereotypical depictions of sex, so it is a bit of a let down here. 

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Finally, Werewolf Oz ends up eating Jack. 

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