Also in "Helpless," Buffy discovers that she might no longer be the Slayer and this causes her to panic. She loses her identity and clearly doesn't know how to cope with it's lose. Not only is she afraid that she won't be able to fight the forces of darkness anymore, but she also acknowledges that she doesn't know what to do if she is no longer able to do this. This is such a contrast from last season where she constantly complained about being the Slayer. She's come much further since then, but now to her being the Slayer is who and what she is and no longer an inconvenience to complain about.
This episode also focuses on Giles and Buffy very much. The reveal that it is Giles who took her powers from her for a test that the Watchers Council traditionally runs hurts Buffy deeply. To Giles, the fact that he went against everything he believes in to put a stop to the test and save Buffy shows just how deeply he cares about her - and just what lengths he is willing to go to to save her. Their relationship is strained for the remainder of the episode but by the end of it they are getting back to okay. But Giles clearly sees Buffy as his daughter, not as his weapon - which is noted by Quentin as he removes Giles from his duties as Buffy's watcher.
However, before all of these reveals, Buffy was supposed to go out with her father for her birthday to the ice capades but he backed out, giving her tickets to go with someone else. Joyce offered to take Buffy but she turned her down. What is important here is that she tried to hint to Giles that he should take her - showing that she feels for Giles as a father. The affection is not just one-sided. This also marks the end of Buffy and her father. Up until now she has always looked forward to his visits - but also always feared they would end. From this moment forward he is no longer in her life. He is occasionally mentioned, but only mentioned as a dead beat dad who can't be bothered to even keep in touch with his daughters, let alone have a relationship with them.
As a side note about this episode, Cordelia comes into the library right after Giles confesses everything to Buffy. Buffy turns to Cordelia for help, asking for a ride home, and Cordelia not only does not turn her down but is kind to her. She might not have known what exactly was going on but she knew it was important and chose to be a friend to Buffy in that moment, instead of an enemy.
Then there is Xander - the only true human of the group (excluding Cordelia since she goes back and forth between being in the group and not). While yes, everyone else is human too, they are all more then human. Buffy is the Slayer, Willow is a witch, Oz is a werewolf, and Giles is a Watcher. Xander is just Xander - and he will always be "just Xander." Cordelia mocks him for his lack of superpowers as well as his uselessness because of this in the episode "The Zeppo," and everyone else seeks to shield him from the danger they are facing, but he goes on to have his own adventure stopping a group of dead high school students from blowing up the school. He even kills a couple of them (though the one was an accident) and solves the problem completely on his own, showing himself that he is an important member of the group and that you don't need superpowers to be a hero. Of course, Xander has slayed a ridiculous number of vampires for a "normal" human, but it doesn't help to remind yourself that you are good at what you do on your own.
Lastly we have Faith's downfall in "Bad Girls." I don't want to get into this much because it is going to turn into a main focus for the remainder of the season, but there are a couple of things to mention. One is that she spends the entire episode convincing Buffy to think less and act more - and to take more, which leads to them actually breaking into a store to steal weapons because they can. At first Buffy embraces Faith's policy but once the police arrest them she starts having second thoughts. Then Faith accidentally kills the deputy mayor - who is just human - and Buffy wants to tell someone. But Faith has no interest in that happening, hiding the body and insisting she gets a free pass for being the Slayer. As Buffy insists that this is something that needs to be dealt with Faith counters with the statement that she doesn't care she killed a human.
My favorite episode? "The Zeppo." It is always nice to see the story through someone else's eyes. And it was also nice to see Xander realize that it's okay that he's just a regular human, that there is nothing wrong with that.
The four:
Gingerbread - Season 3, Episode 11
Synopsis - Joyce falls under the influence of a demon after she finds two dead children.
Helpless - Season 3, Episode 12
Synopsis - On her 18th birthday, if she survives that long, the Slayer must defeat a vampire without her powers. But things go wrong with Buffy's test. This is Quinton's first appearance.
The Zeppo - Season 3, Episode 13
Synopsis - An apocalypse looms on the horizon... but Xander is not allowed to participate for his own safety. Instead he finds himself stopping a group of dead high school students from blowing up the school.
Bad Girls - Season 3, Episode 14
Synopsis - Buffy tries living on the wild side with Faith, but things go horribly wrong. This is Wesley's first appearance.
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