| Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 3 |
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Region 1 Season 3 DVD cover |
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| Country of origin | United States | ||
| No. of episodes | 22 | ||
| Broadcast | |||
| Original channel | The WB | ||
| Original run | September 29, 1998 – July 13, 1999 | ||
| Home video release | |||
| DVD release | |||
| Region 1 | January 7, 2003[1] | ||
| Region 2 | October 29, 2001 | ||
| Season chronology | |||
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| List of Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes | |||
The third season of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer premiered on September 29, 1998 on The WB Television Network and concluded its 22-episode season on July 13, 1999. It maintained its previous timeslot, airing Tuesdays at 8:00 pm ET. Two episodes, "Earshot" and "Graduation Day, Part Two", were delayed in the wake of the Columbine High School massacre because of their content.[2]
Contents |
After attempting to start a new life in Los Angeles, Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) returns to Sunnydale in season three. Angel (David Boreanaz) is resurrected, but after he and Buffy realize that a relationship between them can never happen, he leaves Sunnydale at the end of the season. Rupert Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) is fired from the Watchers' Council because he has developed a "father's love" for Buffy, and towards the end of the season Buffy announces that she will also no longer work for the Council. Early in the season she is confronted with an unstable Slayer, Faith (Eliza Dushku), who was called up after Kendra's death near the end of season two, as well as affable Sunnydale Mayor Richard Wilkins (Harry Groener), who has plans to become a giant snake demon on Sunnydale High's Graduation Day. Although she works with Buffy at first, after accidentally killing a human, Faith becomes irrational and sides with Mayor Wilkins, although she falls into a coma after a fight with Buffy. At the end of the season, the entire graduating class works with Buffy to defeat Mayor Wilkins by blowing up Sunnydale High, killing him in the process.
Series creator Joss Whedon served as executive producer and showrunner, and wrote and directed five episodes of the season including the season premiere and the two-part finale. David Greenwalt was promoted to executive producer, and wrote two episodes (including directing one of them) and directed another. Marti Noxon was promoted to co-producer and wrote five episodes. New additions in the third season included Jane Espenson, who served as executive story editor and wrote three episodes, including an episode originally pitched from Thania St. John (who receives story credit). Douglas Petrie joined as a story editor, later promoted to executive story editor midseason, and wrote three episodes. Dan Vebber joined as a staff writer and wrote two episodes. David Fury returned and freelanced two episodes. This was the last season for Greenwalt as a writer/director on the series, as he departed to be the showrunner for the spin-off series Angel. He would serve as consulting producer for the remainder of Buffy's run.[3]
Joss Whedon directed the highest amount of episodes in the third season, directing five episodes. James A. Contner and James Whitmore, Jr. each directed four.
| № | # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Production code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | 1 | "Anne" | Joss Whedon | Joss Whedon | September 29, 1998 | 3ABB01 |
| Still not knowing Buffy's whereabouts, the rest of the gang return to school and take over the slaying. Meanwhile Buffy, who is now living under an assumed identity, is recognized in a diner, and begins her fight to return home from the Netherworld she has fallen into. | ||||||
| 36 | 2 | "Dead Man's Party" | James Whitmore, Jr. | Marti Noxon | October 6, 1998 | 3ABB02 |
| Buffy struggles to fit back into Sunnydale life. She feels her friends and family have grown distant while she was away. Meanwhile, a Nigerian demon mask summons an army of zombies straight to Buffy's house...where everyone is celebrating her arrival. | ||||||
| 37 | 3 | "Faith, Hope & Trick" | James A. Contner | David Greenwalt | October 13, 1998 | 3ABB03 |
| Another Slayer, Faith, arrives in Sunnydale, closely tracked by two vampires, thoroughly modern Mr. Trick and incredibly ancient Kakistos. Buffy and Faith set out to put an end to Kakistos. Buffy finally accepts Scott Hope's invitation to date. | ||||||
| 38 | 4 | "Beauty and the Beasts" | James Whitmore, Jr. | Marti Noxon | October 20, 1998 | 3ABB04 |
| After Oz escapes from his cage, everyone suspects that he committed last night's brutal murders. Only Buffy knows that Angel is a suspect as well. | ||||||
| 39 | 5 | "Homecoming" | David Greenwalt | David Greenwalt | November 3, 1998 | 3ABB05 |
| Buffy and Cordelia compete for Homecoming Queen while Mr. Trick organizes SlayerFest '98. Willow and Xander kiss, although each is seeing someone else. Unknown to SlayerFest personnel, Cordelia changes places with Faith. Buffy and Cordy reconcile while trying to defeat Mr. Trick's contestants. | ||||||
| 40 | 6 | "Band Candy" | Michael Lange | Jane Espenson | November 10, 1998 | 3ABB06 |
| A candy created by Ethan Rayne causes Sunnydale's adults to behave like teenagers. Buffy confronts Rayne and makes him tell her about a plan to sacrifice Sunnydale newborns to a monster in the sewers. | ||||||
| 41 | 7 | "Revelations" | James A. Contner | Douglas Petrie | November 17, 1998 | 3ABB07 |
| Faith's new Watcher, Gwendolyn Post, arrives in Sunnydale. Xander discovers Buffy's secret and manipulates Faith into attempting to slay Angel, while Ms. Post is revealed to be more than meets the eye. | ||||||
| 42 | 8 | "Lovers Walk" | David Semel | Dan Vebber | November 24, 1998 | 3ABB08 |
| A lovelorn Spike returns and kidnaps Willow to cast a love spell on Drusilla. Stashing Willow and a wounded Xander at the factory, Spike soon concocts a new plan while Buffy, Oz, Giles, and Cordelia hunt their friends down | ||||||
| 43 | 9 | "The Wish" | David Greenwalt | Marti Noxon | December 8, 1998 | 3ABB09 |
| Cordelia's pain over Xander's betrayal summons Anyanka, a vengeance demon who grants wishes to scorned women. Cordelia wishes that Buffy had never come to Sunnydale, and constructs an alternate reality where the Master rose from the dead and the Harvest took over Sunnydale. Giles discovers this in the alternate reality and realizes he is able to reverse the events. | ||||||
| 44 | 10 | "Amends" | Joss Whedon | Joss Whedon | December 15, 1998 | 3ABB10 |
| The First Evil is driving Angel insane, appearing as victims of his past crimes, priming him to kill Buffy. Instead, he tries to kill himself. | ||||||
| 45 | 11 | "Gingerbread" | James Whitmore, Jr. | Story by: Thania St. John & Jane Espenson Teleplay by: Jane Espenson |
January 12, 1999 | 3ABB11 |
| After two children are mysteriously killed, apparently as part of a cult sacrifice, Joyce leads the town in a witch hunt - but all is not quite as it seems. Buffy, Willow, and Amy are tied to stakes and Giles and Cordelia must rescue them, while Amy turns herself into a rat to escape the angry mob. | ||||||
| 46 | 12 | "Helpless" | James A. Contner | David Fury | January 19, 1999 | 3ABB12 |
| Giles secretly prepares Buffy for the Cruciamentum, an ordeal the Watchers' Council requires every Slayer endure on her eighteenth birthday. Giles helps Buffy, thereby affecting his job as a watcher. | ||||||
| 47 | 13 | "The Zeppo" | James Whitmore, Jr. | Dan Vebber | January 26, 1999 | 3ABB13 |
| Xander tries to be cool and hangs out with Jack O'Toole, who resurrects three of his former buddies. Xander soon realizes they are up to something deadly and attempts to hide. Meanwhile, the others need to prevent the Sisterhood of Jhe from reopening the Hellmouth. | ||||||
| 48 | 14 | "Bad Girls" | Michael Lange | Douglas Petrie | February 9, 1999 | 3ABB14 |
| The Slayers get a new Watcher, Wesley Wyndam-Pryce. The girls are having a wild night at The Bronze, where Angel brings info on the whereabouts of the demon, Balthazar. | ||||||
| 49 | 15 | "Consequences" | Michael Gershman | Marti Noxon | February 16, 1999 | 3ABB15 |
| Faith tells Giles that Buffy is the one who slew the Deputy Mayor. Angel apprehends Faith, but Wesley thwarts his intervention and allows Faith to escape. She plans to leave town on the next freighter. | ||||||
| 50 | 16 | "Doppelgangland" | Joss Whedon | Joss Whedon | February 23, 1999 | 3ABB16 |
| Wanting to be a vengeance demon again, Anya tricks Willow into helping with a spell to retrieve her power center, the amulet Giles destroyed in an alternate reality ("The Wish"). Instead of the amulet, however, the spell transports Willow's vampire version to an unsuspecting Sunnydale. | ||||||
| 51 | 17 | "Enemies" | David Grossman | Douglas Petrie | March 16, 1999 | 3ABB17 |
| The Mayor and Faith plot to use a demon to steal Angel's soul and let Angelus remove Buffy from the picture. | ||||||
| 52 | 18 | "Earshot" | Regis Kimble | Jane Espenson | September 21, 1999 | 3ABB18 |
| Buffy is infected by a demon's blood and gains the ability to read minds. At Sunnydale High, Buffy overhears someone through mind-reading making a violent death threat to the whole school. As she goes insane hearing everyone's thoughts all at once, Angel, Giles, and Wesley struggle to save her. | ||||||
| 53 | 19 | "Choices" | James A. Contner | David Fury | May 4, 1999 | 3ABB19 |
| When Wesley tells her she cannot leave Sunnydale to go to a fine college, Buffy launches an offensive to shut down the Mayor's plans for Ascension. Willow chooses among colleges while Xander plans a road trip. | ||||||
| 54 | 20 | "The Prom" | David Solomon | Marti Noxon | May 11, 1999 | 3ABB20 |
| Angel decides to do the right thing and break up with Buffy. Meanwhile, Buffy has to save the prom from Hellhounds with a fetish for formal wear. Angel shows up for the last dance. | ||||||
| 55 | 21 | "Graduation Day (Part 1)" | Joss Whedon | Joss Whedon | May 18, 1999 | 3ABB21 |
| While the Mayor prepares for his Ascension, Faith goes around "tying up" loose ends, one of those being Angel. Faith shoots Angel with a poisoned arrow, and Buffy must battle Faith to save Angel's life, needing her Slayer blood as antidote. | ||||||
| 56 | 22 | "Graduation Day (Part 2)" | Joss Whedon | Joss Whedon | July 13, 1999 | 3ABB22 |
| Buffy forces Angel to feed on her to save his life and he must rush her to the hospital to save hers. The Mayor, as a guest speaker at Sunnydale, Ascends and becomes the demon Olvikan. Meanwhile, Faith remains in a coma, from which the doctors expect her never to wake. | ||||||
The series received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations, for Outstanding Makeup for a Series for "The Zeppo" and Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series for "Lovers Walk".[4]
The third season averaged 5.3 million viewers, which was its highest rated season.[5]
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete Third Season was released on DVD in region 1 on January 7, 2003[1] and in region 2 on October 29, 2001.[6] The DVD includes all 22 episodes on 6 discs presented in full frame 1.33:1 aspect ratio. Special features on the DVD include four commentary tracks—"Helpless" by writer David Fury, "Bad Girls" by writer Doug Petrie, "Consequences" by director Michael Gershman and "Earshot" by writer Jane Espenson. Writers Joss Whedon, Jane Espenson, and Doug Petrie discuss the episodes "Bad Girls", "Consequences", "Enemies", "Earshot", and "Graduation Day, Part One" in interviews. Scripts for "Faith, Hope & Trick", "Band Candy", "Lovers Walk", and "The Wish" are included. Featurettes include, "Special Effects", "Wardrobe", "Weapons", which all detail the title subjects; "Buffy Speak", which details the language and dialogue used on the show; and "Season 3 Overview", a 20-minute featurette where cast and crew members discuss the season. Also included are cast biographies and photo galleries.[7]
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