"Earshot"

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Episode 18 of Season 3

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"It looks quiet down there, but it's not. It's deafening."

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Original US airdate: September 21st, 1999 (originally planned airdate: April 27th, 1999)

Rewatched: February 12th, 2022

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• Writer: Jane Espenson

• Director: Regis B. Kimble

• Guests: Kristine Sutherland, Alexis Denisof, Ethan Erickson, Danny Strong

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Originally planned to air one week after Columbine, this episode was aired out of order before the start of season 4. In this episode, Buffy gains telepathy from a demon and it starts to drive her insane. But before it does, she hears someone threaten the school. The Scoobies investigate and Angel fights another demon (a foreshadowing of Angel) to procure the cure Wesley and Giles have found. The theme of this episode is, basically, everybody hurts, with a little bit of be careful what you wish for mixed in. 

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In the be careful what you wish for category, Buffy first enjoys her telepathy, using it to impress her English teacher while discussing Othello (this episode mirrors the discussion in class about Othello) and trying (but failing, as vampires have no reflections) to read Angel's thoughts and find out if he enjoyed kissing Faith in the previous episode. She is struggling to believe that Angel really does love her. However, Buffy is soon overwhelmed by others' thoughts and can only lie in her bed, delirious. As Angel says, "A lot of things that seem strong and good and powerful; they can be painful." 

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In the everybody hurts category, Buffy is feeling left out a bit. She is struggling with her emotions and her relationship, and slaying is taking up her time. When she finds out the Scoobies are going to the basketball game without her, she is truly bummed. Then there is everyone else who is dealing with something. Xander is still dealing with his break up with Cordelia (and Wesley's feelings for Cordy), Willow with her place in comparison to her powerful friend, and the list continues. When the Scoobies interview all the potential suspects to find out who threatened the school, everyone has a reason to be angry. Finally, once Buffy is healed and returns to the high school to help stop a massacre, she sees Jonathan in the clock tower with a gun and confronts him. But instead of fighting, she talks. Buffy talks him down with the wisdom that no one really thinks about Jonathan, they are all too busy with their own pain to see his. While this might seem a bit glib, it is a good take on adolescence. Growing up is not easy, and sometimes we don't realize others are struggling, because all we can see is ourselves. 

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Once Buffy talks Jonathan out of using his gun, she finds out he only wanted to kill himself, not the students. It turns out the lunch lady, as foreseen by Xander, wanted to poison everyone. Buffy kicks butt and saves the day. 

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Overall, this episode also embodies one of the major themes of Buffy: growing up. Buffy's fear, when she finds out that she is infected with an aspect of the demon she killed and whether she will still be herself, mirrors fears of how growing up will change us. This episode also underlines how much Buffy has grown, as she is clearly more than just a Slayer, she is a leader. While the Scoobies do okay without her, ultimately Buffy's presence changes the dynamic and saves the day. Compared to season 1, season 3 Buffy is definitely more at home with who she is. 

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Finally, in the fun facts section, Buffy finds out Joyce and Giles slept together in "Band Candy". Larry, who admitted he was gay to Xander (and who thinks Xander is gay), is now out of the closet. While Buffy and Angel seem to have their relationship on track again, it will not last much longer. 

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"Choices"

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Episode 19 of Season 3

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"You know it didn't have to be this way, but you made your choice."

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Original US airdate: May 4th, 1999

Rewatched: March 12th, 2022

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• Writer: David Fury

• Director: James A. Contner

• Guests: Kristine Sutherland, Harry Groener, Alexis Denisof, Eliza Dushku, Armin Shimerman

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Graduation is on the way and choices about the future (or the lack of choices) are in the foreground. Buffy has been accepted to several colleges, including Northwestern, and although her original plan to maybe leave Sunnydale no longer seems feasible (due to Faith's turn to the dark side), she still considers what she could do to get out and decides to take the fight to the Mayor. Her plan is to steal the Box of Gavrok, which the Mayor needs for the Ascension, but this goes wrong when Willow is captured and Buffy decides to trade the box for Willow. The only silver lining is that Willow, while being held hostage, manages to steal pages from the Books of Ascension. The end of the episode has Buffy deciding to attend UC Sunnydale so she can stay on the Hellmouth (it seems silly UC Sunnydale was never mentioned before, really... and whatever happened to Crestwood College? Also, couldn't Buffy go to Cleveland, home of another Hellmouth? Or all the other places Slayers have lived?) So, Buffy's future does not seem full of choice (although this seems somewhat engineered by the writers).

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Willow, on the other hand, has been accepted into college everywhere. But the episode ends with her deciding to attend UC Sunnydale as well. Her choice is not about staying with Buffy, but rather a choice to fight the good fight. Taking the fight to the Mayor made her realize that this is the future she wants, fighting evil and doing good, and she thinks it's worth it. She even points out to Buffy that Buffy doesn't just fight the good fight because she has to, but, in the end, because she chooses to. 

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Xander only briefly talks about his future. He has decided to take to the road, Kerouac style, and learn through experience. Cordelia's future is also hinted at. She mocks Willow's many college acceptances, leading Xander to think she didn't get into colleges she wanted. Cordelia proves him wrong- she got into a lot of good schools. But viewers learn at the end of the episode that something has changed. Cordelia now works at a clothing store and can't buy the dress she admires. She may not be able to have her choice of college after all. 

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Then there are those who are not Sunnydale HS seniors. Faith made her choice to join the Mayor. While Willow is being held hostage, Faith catches her reading the Books of Ascension. In their confrontation, Faith assumes that Willow will try to win her over to the good side again, but she doesn't. In fact, Willow tells Faith that she made her choice and will have to live with it. While Faith clearly loves having the Mayor in her life and revels in him treating her like a daughter, and while she continues to enjoy murder and mayhem, wanting Willow to try to bring her to the good side is perhaps a hint that she is not fully evil. Later seasons will underscore Faith not being fully evil and also show that Willow was not quite right. Faith is not without choices, but returning to good after turning evil is not an easy path. 

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Finally, Angel is faced with the future of his relationship. The Mayor points out the inherent problems of mortal/immortal love. Even Buffy notes at the beginning of the episode that when she is fifty, Angel will still be the same age he is now. The Mayor also mentions that Angel was not necessarily brought back from hell just to date Buffy and possibly lose his soul again. Overall, this episode raises a question that will become very pertinent on Angel, which is what Angel's greater purpose is. In the next episode, he will decide it is not to stay in Sunnydale with Buffy. 

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A final choice is worth exploring. The choice to trade the Box of Gavrok for Willow. While not entirely clear, it seems the Ascension cannot take place without this box, meaning its destruction might have hindered the Ascension. So, the ultimate question is whether Willow's life is worth more than those lost on graduation day. Of course, Hollywood typically rescues main cast at the expense of extras and guest stars, but it is hard to justify that one person is worth more than the many who later died, so to be honest, I actually think Wesley was right in arguing for sacrificing Willow for the good of the whole. 

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So hard choices and lack of choices were the theme of this episode. 

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In fun facts, Buffy has an Aunt Arlene who lives in Illinois, Faith gets (and loses) her iconic knife in this episode, and Buffy and the Mayor meet for the first time.

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"The Prom"

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Episode 20 of Season 3

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"I'm over the whole 'Buffy gets one perfect high school moment' thing."

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Original US airdate: May 11th, 1999

Rewatched: March 19th, 2022

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• Writer: Marti Noxon

• Director: David Solomon

• Guests: Kristine Sutherland, Alexis Denisof, Brad Kane, Emma Caulfield,

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Buffy does indeed get her perfect high school moment in this episode, but the road there is rocky and includes the end of her relationship with Angel. In fact, the end of her relationship with Angel has been coming since he returned from the hell dimension (or really, since he lost his soul). The human Slayer and immortal vampire, unable to share a moment of true happiness without him becoming evil again, what future did they have? Deep down, despite her love for Angel, Buffy probably realized it (quipping in the previous episode that when she's 50, Angel will be the same age). Deep down, Angel knows as well. What the Mayor said to them in the last episode is really only what they know, and in this episode, Joyce calls on Angel at his mansion and tells him with more care the exact same thing, ending by telling Angel that "I know you care about her, I just hope you care enough."

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Finally, Angel dreams of his wedding with Buffy, and Buffy bursting into flames after leaving the church. He makes up his mind and breaks up with Buffy (in the sewer, right before prom... so not great). While he still loves her, he tells her the relationship is over and that he doesn't want to be with her. To make it stick, he's leaving Sunnydale if they survive the Ascension. While this moment is sad, as an adult rewatching the series, it makes sense. First love is rarely the only love, no matter how bright it burns, and relationships with large issues (like losing souls) rarely survive, even with the best intentions. It's also amazing that the show did not decide to milk the Buffy/Angel drama for all seven seasons. Although it hurts both Buffy and Angel, ultimately, it was the best decision. 

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So, Buffy is facing going to prom stag when news reaches the Scoobies that Tucker Wells is raising hell hounds to attack prom. The Scoobies being to wonder if dresses and tickets can be returned, but Buffy promises them a fun evening, even if she has to kill every person on the face of the Earth to do it. And she delivers, killing the hell hounds and stopping Tucker. Buffy then changes into her dress and joins the party, only to be surprised once again. After all the class awards have been given out, Jonathan announces another award based on write-ins. Buffy has been voted class protector. In his words:

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We're not good friends. Most of us never found the time to get to know you. But that doesn't mean we haven't noticed you. We don't talk about it much, but it's no secret that Sunnydale High isn't really like other high schools. A lot of weird stuff happens here. [...] But whenever there was a problem or something creepy happened, you seemed to show up and stop it. Most of the people here have been saved by you. Or helped by you at one time or another. We're proud to say that the class of '99 has the lowest mortality rate of any graduating class in Sunnydale history. And we know that at least part of that is because of you. So the senior class offers its thanks and gives you, uh... this. It's from all of us. And it has written here, Buffy Summers — Class Protector.

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This most likely means Buffy will actually be in the yearbook despite missing picture day (at my school, all the award winners were in it), but it also means she has not spent the last three years being overlooked. She was noticed and she belonged, something a lot of young people hope to get out of high school.

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After this speech, Angel shows up for a last dance with Buffy. It doesn't change their future, but it further cements Buffy's one perfect high school moment. 

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So, the themes of the episode really come down to the end of Buffy and Angel and the fact that love is not always enough, something that literature geared towards young adults too often ignores in favor of the power of true love.  Also, that life is rarely perfect, but despite the messiness of life, we can experience moments that are truly perfect. And, finally, with a dash of good deeds don't go unnoticed. Buffy is growing up, growing out of high school and her first love, but finally got what she has been wanting all this time. This episode always makes me happy for Buffy, and sad for Buffy and nostalgic for my own prom.

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In the fun facts category: Anya asks Xander to prom (the first step towards their future relationship), Xander finds out Cordelia is poor now (he buys her prom dress, giving the two a chance to end high school on good terms) and Angel mentions to Joyce he doesn't drink coffee (which he will later start drinking).

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"Graduation Day, Part One"

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Episode 21 of Season 3

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"I don't think I'm gonna be taking any more orders."

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Original US airdate: May 18th, 1999

Rewatched: March 26th, 2022

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• Writer: Joss Whedon

• Director: Joss Whedon

• Guests: Kristine Sutherland, Harry Groener, Alexis Denisof, Mercedes McNab, Ethan Erickson, Emma Caulfield, Eliza Dushku, Armin Shimerman

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Graduation day is nearing and the Scoobies are taking some steps to grow up. Xander decides to stay and help fight the Mayor, despite his feeling that he will end up dead and Anya's offer to take Xander with her when she flees. Willow finally has sex with Oz. And in events more important to wider themes, Buffy leaves the Council. Faith poisons Angel to keep Buffy busy before the Ascension. While the Scoobies search for a cure, Wesley reaches out to the Council, who tell Buffy they won't help her save a vampire and they would like her to concentrate on stopping the Ascension. Buffy is not amused. She decides to turn her back on them. 

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The Slayer, despite being a very powerful woman, has long been part of the patriarchy. We will later learn that men created the First Slayer and men created the system of Watchers and the Council to control her. Buffy has been willing to be part of this structure. Afterall, it does provide her with a Watcher who can help her survive slaying. But the Council also wasn't able to save her first Watcher in LA, nor Kendra. They didn't warn her (or Giles) of a rogue Watcher. The Council put her and her mother in danger on her 18th birthday. The Council fired Giles and sent her Wesley. The final straw is telling her Angel isn't important. Buffy has decided, in a sense, that she and the Scoobies can do it without them. And considering how little the Scoobies have needed the Council in the last three seasons, she is probably right. Buffy will be master of her own slaying.

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A second theme is Faith as Buffy's opposite. The episode starts with Faith killing a volcanologist and thus actually tipping the Scoobies off to what kind of demon the Mayor is becoming and that once the Ascension happens, the Mayor can be killed, albeit only by a volcano. The episode further shows several times how Faith and the Mayor have developed a very strong father-daughter relationship, mirroring Buffy and Giles' relationship, but of course the Mayor uses Faith's devotion to him to help aid is nefarious aims, so a much more troubled relationship than Buffy has with Giles. Finally, Faith shoots Angel with a poisoned arrow. However, when Buffy finds out that the blood of a Slayer can cure Angel, she sets out with Faith's knife (a present from the Mayor) to hunt her down.

 

Xander worries that Buffy killing Faith may mean losing Buffy. Faith is not the first human Buffy has fought and killed (one of the Order of Taraka in "What's My Line? Part One" was human and Gwendolyn Post in "Revelations"), but Xander does have a valid point. Although Faith is evil, does fighting her in order to feed her blood to Angel cross a line? The answer ends up being a moot point. Buffy fights Faith and stabs her with her knife, but Faith avoids capture by Buffy, meaning Buffy can't use Faith to save Angel. We will never learn if sacrificing a life to save another life is an action Buffy could take without moral consequences (vs. killing humans in self-defense or to save many lives).

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The themes of this episode emphasize that growing up means taking on responsibility, making more decisions yourself, and accepting the consequences. The Scoobies are stepping up to adulthood. 

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In the fun facts category, Anya has witnessed an Ascension before. All demons on Earth are tainted demon-human hybrids. The Scoobies didn't know before this episode that the Mayor is speaking at the graduation ceremony and the Ascension will happen there. 

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"Graduation Day, Part Two"

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Episode 22 of Season 3

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"We survived."

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Original US airdate: July 13th, 1999 (originally planned airdate: May 25th, 1999)

Rewatched: April 2nd, 2022

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• Writer: Joss Whedon

• Director: Joss Whedon

• Guests: Harry Groener, Alexis Denisof, Danny Strong, Larry Bagby III, Mercedes McNab, Ethan Erickson, Eliza Dushku, Armin Shimerman

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Buffy graduates from high school, becomes a general, and blows up Sunnydale High School. This episode is action packed. And it’s a big milestone in Buffy’s seven-season journey to adulthood.

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There is a lot of action. Buffy forces Angel to drink her blood to save him. This could be viewed as the second time they have sex; the staging indicates that this is clearly an intimate act, and it fits with Buffy being disappointed after sex again and again – Angel is still set on leaving Sunnydale after the Ascension.

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Also, although Buffy does say to Angel that she killed Faith, we learn she only put Faith in a coma. Both Faith’s disappearance from her apartment and her hospitalization clearly upset the Mayor, underscoring his fatherly love for her, and, in the end, giving Buffy a weapon to use against him. Finally, Buffy shares a dream with Faith, which references Dawn’s arrival (Little Miss Muffet), Buffy’s death at the end of season 5 (counting down from seven three oh), hints at Faith’s continued need for support (Buffy asks who will take care of the cat, and while the image of the cat flashes to an image of Faith in the hospital, Faith indicates they’re supposed to take care of themselves; she also offers Buffy her stuff). Once the dream is over, Buffy wakes up in the hospital, and she kisses Faith’s forehead, something Faith had done to her in “Enemies”, but here seems to provide some closure for Buffy and possibly paves the way to their later ability to work together in season 7.

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Then there is the Mayor. In his graduation speech, he talks about the students’ journey to this point and that graduation changes you. While he is perhaps mostly talking about himself, this clearly also refers to the Scoobies, who have fought evil, experienced good times and loss, and grown along the way. Graduation marks a change for them, too. For Buffy, she enlists the help of the whole graduating class to fight the Mayor. When he changes, he is faced with kids using flame throwers and arrows; his vampire minions are, in turn, nearly overrun by stake-wielding graduates. Xander uses his soldier knowledge gained in “Halloween” to help coordinate, and Angel leads the group who falls in from behind (with Wesley at his side). Cordelia even stakes her first vampire. But there is also loss. Harmony is bitten by a vampire; Larry is killed by the Mayor (as well as Principal Snyder). Buffy is also able to use Faith’s knife and the Mayor’s love to lure him into the library, where Giles blows him up. The Mayor is dead; the school is gone. Buffy has well and truly graduated.

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On a final note, with Principal Snyder gone, the Mayor blown to bits, and Buffy no longer working for the Council, season 3 can also be seen as Buffy fighting against the patriarchy in many, many ways.

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Fun facts: Cordelia and Wesley kiss in this episode. But their kiss puts an end to their infatuation with each other, and when they meet again on Angel, their relationship will be purely platonic.