Buffy and Angel Rewatch part 19

B4.07 The Initiative
A fairly good introduction to the Initiative, adding in the personal element with Spike being one of their prisoners. It was a very subtle introduction as well with the boys just walking into the Initiative like an everyday activity. The episode is funny in places, Harmony and Xander's fight, and the Spike and Willow scene. However mostly the episode isn't that interesting as it mostly deals with the Initiative. Rile isn't hugely likeable here- he talks like a guy from the 1950's with Willow (courting?! really?!) and the banter between the Riley seemed weird and forced, though his inability to talk to Buffy was kinda sweet. (6.5/10)

A1.07 The Bachelor Party
A lot of people don't like this episode but I love it, partly because its the only Doyle centric one we get. We learn a lot about Doyle in this episode, his past, his demon history, his ex-wife and it all really helps explains who he is today. Whilst the actual storyline of the ex wife and her fiance wanting to eat Doyles brains is just fun and a little bit filler. the interaction and friendship between Angel and Doyle and the budding romance between Doyle and Cordy is just pure joy to watch. Maybe its because we only get a few episodes of these dynamics but it just really works and is such an enjoyable element of the show. (8/10)

B4.08 Pangs
I wasn't really looking forward to this episode, maybe its the whole Thanksgiving element to it, which I don't share the appeal of, however the episode was a lot funnier than I remember. Giles Xander and Spike in particular had some good one liners, though the girls were funny too. The Thanksgiving storyline in itself was decent enough; I like the debate and history it provided about Thanksgiving, instead of the usual TV fare which doesn't really explore this. Angel's interactions were a little forced though and he didn't quite work in the episode for some reason. Maybe its just the change we've seen in his character since the spin-off started, that means he doesn't quite fit in Buffy's world anymore. Either way the episode acts as a decent prequel to the next episode in Angel. (7.5/10)

A1.08 I Will Remember You
I think this might be one of the few episodes I'll enjoy less watching this time than the first time. When I originally saw the episode I loved this episode; I was a bigger Buffy/Angel shipper then. However now, a lot of the dialogue between the couple feels overly dramatic and it felt a bit repetitive in places as well. There is much less chemistry between Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz then there was, say in season 1 or 2 of Buffy, which means there relationship doesn't work quite as well in this episode. Personally I think their cross-over appearances here show that neither character belongs in each others worlds now. Still there are some nice moments between the main couple as well as Cordy and Doyle. I liked the introduction of the Oracles as well. (8/10)

Buffy and Angel Rewatch part 18

B4.05 Beer Bad
This episode has a bad rap and its mostly deservedly so. Its a very preachy episode on the perils of drinking and although the silliness of this episode made it feel a bit season 1/early season 2-ish, since the caveman themselves didn't really have a nefarious purpose like most villains of the week, they were pretty boring. Also in my experience college boys are not really like the college cavemen (before the beer), they're not really thinking about philosophy, their minds are probably closer to where Parker's was! Speaking of, it was a decent enough way to end of that storyline, Buffy mooning over him couldn't of gone on forever. I love the episode bookends though with Buffy dreaming of him begging for her forgiveness and it actually happening at the end with her not forgiving him. (5.5/10)

A1.05 Rm w/a Vu
I really like this episode, its spooky enough without being too spooky, and its an interesting take on the ghost/poltergeist storyline. As a Cordy/Doyle centred story, this episode works quite well, looking at both their pasts. Cordy has had a little experience with ghosts in Sunnydale (with Marcie the invisible girl) which perhaps explains why she was both so scared and so able to stand up to the ghost. I love the Dennis ghost twist at the end and having him around in later episodes. We didn't egt to see as much of Doyle's past but I liked the hints at it, suggesting that there's more to Doyle than meets the eye. (8.5/10)






B4.06 Wild At Heart
As a Willow/Oz and particularly an Oz fan, this is always a very sad episode for me. Their break-up is really tragic and both of their final tears are heartbreaking to watch. Since Seth Green wanted to leave, in a way this was a great episode for him to leave on as it gives him a chance to show case his acting skills, Alyson Hannigan too, as both pull off wonderful performances here. Veruca is a very annoying character, but she is integral to the story so I try to ignore the annoyances for the most part. I also really like Buffy's role here as she's being the best friend which is always an aspect of Buffy I liked. The girls get a lot less closer as the show goes on, they're close again in season 5 but after that they're never as close as they are here and earlier on in the show. (8.5/10)

A1.06 Sense and Sensitivity
A Kate-centric episode that really did not work at all. In a way I can see what the writers were trying to achieve with the character of Kate. In setting up the shows individual identity they wanted a character outside of the core group , but still connected who could be the lead (as it were) of the episode. However since Kate isn't really a very likeable or interesting character, this technique doesn't really work and the episode falls flat because of it. Kate dealing with criminals and the rest of the police aren't really that interesting here nor are here daddy issues. This episode is saved by the re-introduction of Wolfram & Hart who had an interesting role to play here, an some pretty funny moments with Angel being sensitive. (5.5/10)

Zach's Say Thanks- My Show's Still Alive

Two TV Actor Zach's; Levi and Braff, have videos floated around the internet to promote their respective and nearly cancelled shows.

Here's a Scrubs clip from Zach Braff:

Here's a thank you message from Zachary Levi on the set of Chuck plus a preview of season 3 which has its premiere date of 10th January:

Also in more Youtube related news, people in the UK can now watch 4OD on Youtube. This seems to be most of the content thats available on the Channel 4 website, including lots of current stuff as well as shows from yesteryear. Other full length shows can also be found by going to the Shows tab on Youtube but I'm not sure how much content there is there just yet.

http://www.youtube.com/shows

Plus to finish off here is the end song from Glee this week- Lean On Me. A very schmaltzy yet heartfelt way to end the episode:

Buffy and Angel Rewatch part 17

B4.03 The Harsh Light of Day
When I first watched the episode I viewed it mostly just as a vehicle to get Spike back to Sunnydale and to start the first Buffy/Angel crossover (it was a neat way to do that with the Gem of Amara being more or less a legitimate reason for the crossover). However I've watched this episode a few times now and what struck me this time was that it was about 3 couples (Buffy/Riley, Anya/Xander and Harmony/Spike) and the rough way the women in particular are treated in their relationships as highlighted by the slightly hokey final shot of the 3 women. Seeing then that the episode covers so much material it makes it a very well written episode. Its also very funny as well. It does feel like the story wasn't quite finished, especially with Spike disappearing- obviously intentionally done so the story could carry on in Angel.
As for the couples, Spike and Harmony have a surprising amount of chemistry in this episode and they have an interesting dynamic together; Harmony is also more interesting as a vamp. Anya and Xander together were definitely funny and there was a certain amount of vulnerability about both of them. Buffy and Parker were probably the least interesting and that's probably because you know Parker is just spinning lines. I did like that Buffy has a one night stand so to speak, as it makes sense with her starting college to 'try' something new before she settles down with Riley. (8.5/10)

A1.03 In the Dark
A brilliant episode and a great ending to the first crossover. There was a lot happening in this episode, especially since the Sunnydale side of things needed to be set up for viewers both concerning the Ring of Amarra and the general story of Buffy and the gang. Oz and Spike made welcome additions to the cast, they're both great characters with a bit of an edge, who can both do comedy. Their connections to Cordy and Angel as well added a bit of history to the show. The B-story with Angel saving the girl from her druggie boyfriend was a nice touch, even though it wasn't centre stage, and shows Angel is not just good at the fighting side of helping people. One of my favourite aspects of the episode this time round was the growing bond between Cory, Doyle and Angel. They make a really good team and even though Cordy does keep Doyle at arms length, a friendship is obviously growing between the two. I liked Cordy recounting the tale of their drunken night out with Oz. (9/10)

B4.04 Fear Itself
In a weird twist of fate I actually ended up watching this episode on Halloween itself, which was kinda neat! As for the episode itself its fairly decent and an enjoyable Halloween episode though I must admit I preferred the season 2 Halloween episode. Playing on the groups individual fears was a good idea and in a way sets up for the rest of the season especially with regards to Xander's fears. I like that the show stuck to its Halloween tradition and kept all supernatural activity to the accidental one of a frat house. The ending was very funny and a nice contrast and inventive way to end the episode. (7/10)

A1.04 I Fall to Pieces

Another fairly standard damsel in distress storyline and it was a stalker one, which made it feel very similar to the first episode's plot. However the stalker was very creepy and the methods by which he stalked were suitably gross and interesting. The damsel herself was quite an interesting character and I liked what Kate mentioned about her needing to take back the power, as it showed that Angel couldn't just fight the stalker to protect her. The best bits of the episode were the Angel Investigation team banter. I love the way in which they are organically bonding this team together, in a way which is creating a lovely 'family' dynamic. (7/10)

Glee comes early to E4, Buffy Season 8 comes to life

Buffy Motion Comic

Buffy's Season 8 will be made into 'motion comic' webisodes it has been announced and they are casting voice actors at the moment. This is very good news for me as I don't actually read the comics but try to keep up with them as the stories are interesting. It would be cool if some of the original actors voiced their characters. I have a feeling we might see a couple, even if they are the lesser known characters/actors; maybe Amy (Elizabeth Anne Allen, Amy's portrayer has said she would've liked to played the s8 version of Amy) or Andrew or even Eliza Dushku now that she's jobless!!


Glee previews on E4

E4 will show the Glee pilot in December before continuing with the rest of the show in January, which is great news for the show in the UK. As its starting in January the show will nearly catch up with US transmission as the second batch of Glee episodes won't start till March in the US. It'll be weird to have the show finally airing in the UK as I first watched the pilot in May so it feels like I've been watching it for ages!


Speaking of Glee...

Glee's most recent episode 'Wheels' was its best yet. There was a perfect mixture of songs and storylines. The plotlines on disabled characters were handled well I thought. There was some very sweet moments for Artie and Tina, Kurt and his dad and Sue and some much needed character development for some of the supporting Glee members.

90210's 'A Trip to the Moon' was also pretty good. The show is become more enjoyable despite some cheesy lines and outrageous storylines. The new producer has done well, carving out story arcs that continues over many episodes instead of self contained episodes with no character development.

And finally another sneak peak of Scrubs, this time of the new protagonist, Lucy. I'm getting more and more excited about the reboot. I hope it doesn't disappoint. (Also is it weird that I'm super excited to see the new credits?!?)

Buffy and Angel Rewatch part 16 (BtVS Season 4/Angel Season 1)

Start of my Season 4 of Buffy and Season 1 of Angel rewatch reviews! S4 is considered to be Buffy's worst season so I'm not hugely excited about getting into it, but I adore season 1 of Angel so I am looking forward to that.

A few notes:

• I'm watching the seasons together according to this list, which when I asked about which list to follow seemed to be the most popular choice.
• I'll post the reviews in the order that I watch the episodes so there will be a mixture of Buffy and Angel reviews.
• Since the episodes don't always go Buffy, then Angel, then Buffy; there is a chance I'll screw the order up and watch the episodes the wrong way round. I'll try and make sure I don't do that for the crossover episodes, as that will ruin the re-watch I've planned ever so slightly (!) but either way I'll still post the reviews in the order that I watch the episodes.
• At the end of both seasons, I'll do individual season reviews and an overall review.
• Whilst posting the season 3 reviews I've become aware that they've become very long, whereas my season 1 reviews were a lot shorter. For most episodes I'll try and shorten the reviews, so they don't take too long to read!
• I'm also aware that I may have become a little generous with my scoring as I've watched more episodes as many season 3 episodes were getting 8/9/10 scores. This may be because season 3 is such an excellent season, but just be aware that I have become a touch more strict with my scoring.
  

And now (finally!) onto the reviews! Enjoy!

A1.01 City of Angels
This easily has to be my favourite Joss Whedon pilot/first episode. Granted it had a 3 season set up on Buffy which meant a lot of Angel and Cordy's backstory didn't have to be explicitly covered, but I also think this episode had the hardest job as it had to establish its tone, themes and identity independent of Buffy. For newer viewers I like the way Angel's story is covered through a series of flashbacks from Buffy. It also serves as a nice reminder for those familiar with Buffy and I think its effective in covering the main points from his past. The main focus of the show is largely channeled through Doyle as puts Angel on course to start helping people. Doyle is well introduced, he's such a fun and likeable character and that comes across really well in this episode. His own history is nicely teased yet retains some mystery for future episodes (well really just Bachelor Party and Hero).
The story of the week here is a fairly standard one- Angel saves girl from vampire, but I like that they twisted it leaving him unable to save the first girl. The show employs several neat tricks to make sure Angel's vamp killings differ from Buffy's namely the double wrist stakes and pushing Russell Winters out of the window. He wasn't the most interesting villain we get on the show but he serves his purpose for the first episode and also neatly introduces us to W&H. I love the early mention of the Senior Partners- a sign of things to come. One thing I didn't like about this episode was the vamp make-up, apparently they experimented with it in this episode and it just looks silly. Glad they go back to the Buffy vamp make-up after this.
One of the things that struck me about this episode is that it is actually quite funny, Doyle and Cordy get some great one liners and even brooding Angel gets in on the action by pretending to be drunk and jumping into the wrong car. Overall its a great first episode and sets the series up perfectly. (8.5/10)

B4.01 The Freshman
This was always going to be a difficult episode to do for the show, the first out of high school and actually this time I quite enjoyed the episode. It isn't the mist enjoyable episode but that's because the writing is so good on it. You can empathise with Buffy's feelings of loneliness and its hard to feel them too. Buffy definitely struggles in this episode but I think its pretty realistic as these are common feelings upon entering university. The second half of the episode is much more enjoyable where Buffy regains her confidence. A big part of this is Xander's oh so sweet (and slightly creepy) speech to her. I'd forgotten about this speech and it was really nice to see Xander be her confidante here. I also like the way the Initiative is teasingly set up at the end of the episode. (7.5/10)

B4.02 Living Conditions
For me, this episode really dragged on, it felt a lot longer than 40 minutes. I think its a little more interesting when you watch it first time round, as the reveal towards the end of the episode is quite a good idea. I liked that Buffy had to deal with a roommate, this was a good topic to explore especially as as Giles points out she is an only child, who will probably find it harder to deal with living with someone. (but then again so are Xander and Willow as far as we know) Its also a good idea for them to get rid of the roommate early on as it isn't really practical for Buffy to be sharing a room with someone who didn't know her secret, though admittedly this could've been an interesting way to bring someone new into the Scoobies. Overall this isn't a bad episode, especially as there are some pretty funny moments in it, its just not that interesting. (6/10)

A1.02 Lonely Hearts
The first demon of the week investigative storyline and its pretty average. There's a still a fair amount of exposition for the show in general (eg vampire mythology on how vamps have to be invited in) which slows down the episode somewhat. There are some good bits with the organic growing of the group bond. There's also the introduction to mostly unlikeable Kate Lockley, who I think is just too prickly to actually like, even in this episode. The storyline overall is quite good though, the concept of loneliness and dating definitely helps set the show apart from Buffy as a bit more 'adult'. The execution of the story is a little bit icky though. (6/10)

Scrubs Season 9 Pictures and Preview

Season 9 of Scrubs is on its way and I'm actually kinda psyched about it. Here's some promo pics of the new gang and a cute preview clip:



Its interesting that Zach Braff is in the promo pics. As I understood it, he was originally bought in for 6 episodes to help with the transitional period, which I must say I was surprised at, as originally it was always him that wanted to leave the show for his movie career and who seemed bored with the show. I guess now with his last few movies not doing so well, he's a little more open to the idea of Scrubs. Or maybe like creator Bill Lawrence, he's finding it hard to let go of *his* show. Either way I'm looking forward to the re-boot as from what I've read its sounding good, close enough to the original show to justify keeping the name and characters, but different enough so that it feels fresh. Only time will tell though.

Scrubs starts December 1st on ABC in the US. (Season 8 is being shown in double bills over here in the UK on E4)

Buffy and Angel Rewatch part 15

3.21 Graduation Day part 1

This is one of my favourite season finales and unlike some of Buffy's two parters I think the first is just as strong as the second part. The Faith Mayor stuff is just excellent and there is a real chemistry between the pair. Everything they did was just so dastardly and evil and you really get the feeling that they are a threat. I think bringing Anya into the mix, describing the Ascension she had seen was a brilliant decision and made what was going to happen a whole lot scarier.
I must admit I got a twinge of saddness in the early scenes of this episode with Willow feeling nostalgic about high school. This is my first time watching Buffy seasons 1-3 in full and consecutively and in such a short space of time too and I have to admit I'm really going to miss the high school years of the show. I really get why some people say these are the best years of Buffy.
There are a lot of highlights in this episode, Willow and Oz having sex for the first time was sweet, Buffy finally getting the true meaning of graduation when she quits the Council as well as some lighter moments such as Angel slipping or playing hangman in school. I think its these lighter moments in amongst the more serious ones which made Buffy what it is.
The final fight between Buffy and Faith was pretty epic and had such an exciting outcome, but in all honesty I fund some of the fight sequences in shows a little boring sometimes and whilst this was a good fight, it wasn't my favourite bit of the episode (10/10)

3.22 Graduation Day Part 2

What an amazing episode. Everything about this episode just works so perfectly, from the dramatic Angel feeding on Buffy scene to that excellent and perfect final scene with the Scoobies, its just a brilliant finale. Despite saying that however I'll start with my one nit-pick, which is that Buffy could have easily chased after Faith's body and retrieved it for Angel. However dramatically it worked so much better with Angel feeding off Buffy. That's such a powerful scene, as is the scenes where the Mayor watches over Faith and confronts Angel. One of the things which makes the Mayor stand out from the rest of the villains on the show (apart from maybe dark Willow) is that he has a human weakness. Its picked up on obviously and is the key to winning the battle. However his father's love for Faith which is a powerful force, makes him a different type of evil altogether because he really cares about someone. His anger in the scene with Angel is proof of this.
Another great scene is when Angel has to tell Giles and the others what he did. Once again they are disgusted by his actions. Even though it was set-up like this for the spin-off, you can't help but think that at this point in the show's reality, Angel has hurt Buffy so many times that her friends can't really keep forgiving him any more and even if he had stayed he wouldn't be very welcome any more.
One of my favourite plot devices probably in the whole series is using the Sunnydale students to fight the Mayor. It works on so many levels and really helps round of the high school years. When the students take off their gowns to reveal the weapons I get chills, as its really a poignant and exciting scene. There are some casualties of course, but I think that made it realistic and made it have a little more impact.
The CGI for the Mayor monster is actually alright and better than most of their similar demons. I also liked the Faith Buffy dream sequence though apart from the '730' comment (standing for the countdown to Buffy's future death) I realised I don't really understand any of it! (10/10)


Season 3 Overall

Even though I've enjoyed season 1 and 2 a lot more than I originally did, I think season 3 just beats them as one of the best Buffy seasons. However this is odd since I don't really like all the main arcs in the season. For instance I didn't really like the Willow/Xander thing, and Buffy and Angel can be pretty dull. However I think its strength lies in it's other arcs, Faith, the Mayor, and the gang growing up which are all very strong. I think also that this season out of the 3 so far has the most consistent season in terms of episodes. Whereas in season 2 there was some really bad episodes in amongst the great ones, season 3 has less of these. Not all the episodes are classics by any stretch and there are some real peaks and troughs in the episode order(some good episodes followed by a couple of bad and then some good ones again). However I think generally the episode quality remains quite high throughout the season. Also a much smaller thing but I think this is my favourite title credits of the show. It has lots of iconic moments featured in it, plus I think its the best cast line-up overall.

One thing that struck me about the season even before I started it, when I was reading through the episode descriptions was that a lot happens before the half way mark in the season, Willow and Xander have their affair, causing the latter's relationship with Cordy to end, Angel returns and gets back to normal, Faith appears and is developed as a character, and the Mayor is revealed as evil. I couldn't really remember then what happens in the later half of the season, however there was still a lot of action, with the arrival of Wes, the gang approaching graduation and Faith turning bad. Its a credit to the writers that the season remained strong despite being a little lighter on storylines.
I think another thing that makes this my favourite season is its Big Bad- the Mayor. He's just so different from the other Big Bads. He's not so focused on 'evil' but on other things as well (germs!) which I think makes him more well rounded as character and not a cartoonish 2D enemy. Not that Buffy ever had those, but the Mayor's personality and general demeanor was just so much more entertaining than some of the other Big Bads. His love of Faith was particularly endearing to watch, the father's love he had was definitely meant to parallel Giles' love for Buffy and in a way it made the two men very similar as they cared so much for their Slayers. I liked the way the writers built him up as a threat as well. There are a lot of early mentions of the Mayor. It isn't abundantly obvious that he is going to be the big evil unless you've seen the show, but I like the hints that he might be evil with constant links to Snyder.


Overall I'm quite sad to be finished with this season, not just because it was so good, but because its the end of the high school years and after this the show changes quite a lot. Its not necessarily for the bad, but there is a real innocence in the high school years that is never quite recaptured in the later seasons and I'll definitely miss the tone of the Buffy high school years. Although this season had the least number of purely high school storylines, it was always there as the familiar background. It shall be missed. (9/10)

End of season, Mid season Break, and On Hiatus

Wow American networks like to take breaks in their shows and they have a lot of ways to describe it. Three shows I watch finished their runs this week until the New Year and here are 3 quick reviews of their seasons/most recent episodes. (spoilers for all shows up to their most recently aired episode)

Chuck season 2

Whilst this was an uneven season, it was mostly enjoyable. Chuck is a very endearing and funny show and when it is at its best, action packed, which makes it a good show to watch. What I didn’t like about the season was the repetitiveness of the episode. So many of the episodes were very formulaic and therefore weren’t that interesting. The Chuck/Sarah ‘romance’ in particular is a storyline that keeps going around and around; tbh its got to the point where I don’t care that much about the pair getting together. Or not.

The BuyMore storylines have increasingly become separate from Chuck’s story and though I enjoy the BuyMore characters for the most part, it has become ridiculous that Chuck even works there anymore. He just starts and ends most episodes in the BuyMore before he rushed off for some national emergency. The best episodes were where the two worlds (spy and BuyMore) collided. Hopefully next season they can find a way to either integrate the BuyMore or from the looks of the season finale, get rid off it altogether.

The best episodes were undoubtedly the Christmas episode and the two final episodes. The finale really set up a really intriguing premise for season 3 and I hope that they follow it through convincingly.

Greek Chapter 5 (Season 3a)

Probably the shows worst chapter and this could be because its the second half of one semester meaning that this one semester has been really dragged out. So much has happened in just this semester and couldn’t possibly happen in real life. Jordan, Rusty’s girlfriend is a key example of this, who managed to move to the college, have two boyfriends and leave again all before Thanksgiving, which means she did this in about 6/7 weeks! That said I’m glad she left as she was annoying!!

More generally this chapter dealt with the Casey/Cappie romance, which tbh I find quite dull especially as I don’t buy them as a couple really. We also had Evan and Cappie become friends and breaking-up again which would have been a lot more interesting if Casey hadn’t meddled continuously.

Rebecca was once again turned into a villain and not a good one but an annoying one. The cliffhanger at the end of the finale means she’ll remain the villain next chapter again.

One storyline I was hoping the show would pick up on more was Dale, a purity pledge, losing his virginity and then his faith because of it. I think it’s an interesting storyline and is something which happens to a lot of people in college and not something really explored in other shows. Instead Dale disappeared for quite a few episodes or just made brief appearances whilst the show dealt with all its relationship drama which was a shame.

Overall I though it was a really disappointing chapter and although the storylines were there they were badly handled and the humour the show once had was gone. At more than point during the chapter I considered giving up the show but persevered. This paid off somewhat as the finale was decent and included some really interesting threads and big decisions. (Wade and other Kappa Tau brothers getting kicked out of college) The writing was also a lot better than it had been all chapter. Hopefully next chapter will improve on this one.

Dollhouse (Season 2a)

Really this has only been 4 episodes before the show was forced into a hiatus. The first 3 weren’t that great and though there were some enjoyable moments, the episodes were largely average. The fourth episode however was very strong, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Echo appeared very little and Ballard wasn’t in it at all. Priya/Sierra proved to be a very convincing lead and her story was very tragic. Topher, also proved interesting here and is quickly becoming a lot more likeable. It was interesting that he chose the morally right thing to do whilst Adelle just sat in her office and drank. I think the Victor and Sierra love story is very cute, even if its a little implausible given that they have no memories.

Its a shame that the show hasn’t been more consistent especially after re-watching the early years of Buffy, I’ve seen how inconsistent the early episodes of Buffy were. The show is likely to be cancelled and if it wasn’t for the promise showed by ‘Belonging’ (and of course Epitaph One), honestly I wouldn’t be too bothered.

Buffy and Angel Rewatch part 14

3.17 Enemies

Another terrific episode as the gang finally finds out that Faith has switched sides. The fake-out element of this episode means its very different re-watching it than watching it the first time, but its still enjoyable anyway. I still love all the Faith scenes especially with the Mayor. They have a fantastic chemistry together. The way in which Buffy and the others figured out about Faith being rogue did happen a little quickly however and didn't quite ring true; I would have liked to get more exposition afterwards about how they figured it all out. Since there was so much Faith/Angel/Mayor stuff in this episode there isn't much of the rest of the gang apart from some inappropriate Cordy/Wes flirting, plus a rather enjoyable (but I don't know why) scene where they're in the Hall of Records researching the Mayor. I think I liked Oz's line "Like exact same guy, like exact same guy." Don't know why but that just tickles me! (8/10)

3.18 Earshot

This is one of the best episodes for mixing the dark and light storylines. There are lots of humourous bits in this episode, Buffy listening to people's thoughts, the Scoobies interrogating their suspects and Giles walking into a tree at the end. These are well interspersed with more serious moments, Buffy going insane from the voices or that very touching speech to Jonathan, which is one of my favourite pieces of dialogue from the show- it was just so touching and poignant about life without being too mawkish. I love that we're getting some high school storylines at the end of the season and I think this is the last proper high school story we get. They've moved away from storylines that hugely involve the high school students to some extent and I like that its returning before the school disappears (literally and figuratively!). Some surprisingly nice Buffy and Angel moments in the episodes as well. (8/10)

3.19 Choices

Another strong episode in the lead up to the finale. Buffy's desire to get out of Sunnydale is set up against the others Scoobies plans for the future, apart from Oz's whose choices aren't actually mentioned in the episode. In a way this is a good way to set up the fourth season, with so much other material to cover in the final episodes. I have a small problem with Willow choosing UC Sunnydale though. She is hugely intelligent and as shown by the episode could go anywhere. It seems a waste that she doesn't choose a better university, but I understand that they had to do this as a plot device to keep Willow on the show. I did like the subtle hints to Cordy's future in this episode, revealing that she has a job as a shop assistant and not completely revealing why. Its a good setup for her character in Angel season 1.
As for the main plot, the stealing of the box from the Mayor and the Willow trade made for exciting stuff. The Faith/Mayor stuff is good and I like that he shows some proper emotion- as does Oz when the groups argues what to do. Nice to see both characters show some anger for once. I didn't like the bugs in the box though- they were very spider like and I am not a fan of spiders!! That scene creeps me out a bit.
I don't know why but this episode felt cut for some reason; I expected more Cordy stuff and the Mayor actually eating the critters from the box, but of course both things happen in later episodes. There is a lot of continuing arc stuff in the final episodes that they seem to run together a fair bit. (8.5/10)

3.20 The Prom

Aw, such a cute episode. Lots of shows have proms, but most of them usually end up in disaster for at least some of the characters, so I like that this was the other way around. The Hellhound storyline is pretty boring and so I'm glad that Buffy dealt with it swiftly and without the need for too much research. I actually really enjoy the Buffy/Angel stuff here (maybe its because they're breaking up!). Despite that the break-up was just a set-up for the spin-off, it makes perfectly logical sense within the story. It was also very apt that Joyce would have a hand in this, as a lot of the Scoobies have issues with Angel (mainly Angelus issues) that would maybe make their judgment on the relationship less convincing but with Joyce it is out of pure concern for her daughter. Buffy breaking down with Willow was a pitch perfect scene and such a sad moment.
I also really liked Cordy and Xander's scenes. Her father losing all his money is a a great setup for her going to LA and living in squalor but it also allowed Xander and Cordy to finish the season on a good note, with the past put behind them.
My favourite bit of the episode is obviously the prom itself. There are a lot of funny bits in this, especially to do with Wesley's 'fluttering' and Anya's blunt comments but there's also a lot of emotional stuff too. Angel showing up was just brilliant and such a touching moment and the Class Protector speech was just perfect; it makes me cry every time I see that scene (including this time). It was a good way to explain why in the past people haven't always acknowledged the Sunnydale weirdness, or Buffy's knack of saving the day. (9/10)