So, there is a lot here and I'm debating what I want to cover.
First of all, I don't really want to cover Buffy's return. Yes, I get her friends being upset and unsure how to act. Yes, I get her mom acting and feeling the way she does too. But I also feel like no one is even interested in Buffy's feelings. No one cares that Joyce kicked her out - including Joyce which is incredibly wrong to me. I feel like Joyce should feel incredibly guilty and should have some self blame, but instead all of her blame is directed towards Buffy. And while I understand that her friends are focused on their own pain, they won't even acknowledge that Buffy has pain too. Buffy is painted as the villain and while they do not have to agree with her reasoning, they won't even listen to it. So this has always pissed me off as far as story lines go, and thankfully it really only lasts for one episode (even though Joyce does mention her fears of Buffy leaving a few times) so I just want to skip over it.
Meanwhile Angel is back from the dead and Buffy is lying to everyone about it so that will blow up in her face soon, I'm sure. But before he came back Giles wanted to do a ritual to make sure that demon Acathla is sealed away for good, forcing Buffy to confess that Willow's spell worked, but not soon enough, and Buffy killed Angel while he had his soul.
At first when Angel came back from the dead he was little better then a feral animal, even attacking Buffy. However, when Buffy finds herself in danger, Angel regains at least some of his sense of self and comes to her aid. Later on Buffy and Angel do talk, and she tells him that not only has she not told anyone he is back she won't tell them. Angel doesn't really say anything, probably still reeling from everything and unsure where he and Buffy stand.
We also have a plot twist that I am not happy about even though I acknowledge that it probably did need to happen. Willow and Xander finally kiss. They both immediately regret it, insisting that they are happy in their current relationships. While this is true for Willow, I really don't see it as being true for Xander. Can you really be happy in a relationship with a girlfriend that you don't really like or respect? But I do feel for Willow here. Being with Oz has brought out something in her that finally makes Xander realize she is a woman, not just his best friend. And as happy as she is with Oz, she pinned over Xander for years to finally get her kiss at the worst possible time. And it really is cruel and plays with her emotions. She was finally starting to get over Xander and now this happens.
And of course this happens while Buffy and Cordelia get in the middle of a huge fight over who will be Homecoming Queen - further showing that while Cordelia is part of the group she sort of isn't. Because of their guilt, Xander and Willow (and Oz by extension of Willow) overcompensate in the Cordelia department leaving Buffy in the dust. And while Xander should most certainly stand in the Cordelia camp, Buffy - not Cordelia - is Willow's best friend. But Willow feels too guilty. Then as their fight escalates Willow confesses to Xander that it is her guilt that caused her to help Cordelia against Buffy and admits that it has made the fight worse. However, neither Buffy nor Cordelia should have ever asked their friends to pick sides in the first place. The saddest thing about all of this is that during their fight, Cordelia confesses to Buffy her love of Xander - and Xander is currently trying to decide if he has feelings for Willow. As shallow as Cordelia is, I do feel for her. She left her friends for Xander, is falling in love with Xander, and meanwhile knows that Xander does not fully return her feelings - and, unbeknownst to her, is kissing Willow.
This is also when the Mayor is finally revealed. Since the previous season he has been referred to but he is actually on screen - and implied to be evil - when he finds out about Trick.
Lastly there is Faith. This is the beginning of Faith and Buffy's very much up and down, love/hate relationship. After the initial awkwardness of having two alpha females in the group - indeed, unlike Kendra, Faith is here to stay - Buffy and Faith become fast friends without any real awkwardness in getting to know each other. Perhaps it is like looking in a mirror and seeing someone who is both exactly the same as you and yet the exact opposite of you at the same time? Faith even comes through for Buffy in ways that she doesn't have to. When Scott dumps Buffy right after asking her out to the homecoming dance, Faith purposely rains on his parade by interrupting his date with someone else to inform him that the doctor said their STD should clear up soon. It was petty, but it was her way of telling him he acted shitty in breaking up with Buffy and taking someone else to the dance. It was also not necessary of her. But she did it because despite everything that will happen between her and Buffy in some ways she always has Buffy's back.
Speaking of Scott, he'll get his own post. Probably tomorrow. (Chanterelle/Lily won't get a post because her story continues on in Angel. Likewise, when Angel, Cordelia, and Wesley leave at the end of this season they won't get a post either. And this is also why Darla didn't get a post.)
Now, favorite episode? I would probably have to go with "Beauty and the Beasts." The anguish over Oz possibly killing someone, a feral Angel back from the dead, and a very real story line about domestic abuse in the form of both psychological attacks and physical attacks? This was one heavy episode.
The first five episodes:
Anne - Season 3, Episode 1
Synopsis - Buffy is trying to lead a new life on her own when Lily (previously Chanterelle) turns to her for help when her boyfriend goes missing.
Dead Man's Party - Season 3, Episode 2
Synopsis - Buffy is having a rough welcome home and debates running away again. Meanwhile a death mask Joyce has hung in the house is raising people from the dead.
Faith, Hope & Trick - Season 3, Episode 3
Synopsis - New Slayer Faith shows up in town on the run from an ancient vampire that killed her Watcher. Angel returns from the dead. This is both Faith and Trick's first appearance as well as Scott's.
Beauty and the Beasts - Season 3, Episode 4
Synopsis - Someone turns up dead and there is fear that Oz (as a werewolf) killed him. Buffy also discovers a feral Angel and fears he is the one killing people. However, neither party is guilty but it is still someone semi-close to home.
Homecoming - Season 3, Episode 5
Synopsis - Buffy and Cordelia get into a massive fight and decide to compete against each other for Homecoming Queen. Meanwhile, Trick has organized a Slayer Fest with Buffy and Faith as the hunted. This is the Mayor's first episode.
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