The original post: /r/television by /u/James-Samuel17 on 2026-05-27 05:30:44+00:00.
Season 2 has more emotional beats, I’ll admit it and also feels a bit more iconic because it’s where most critics and people started to see how great the show would become. The season have a lot stellar episodes like Innocence, Lie To Me, Passion or Becoming. Season 5 could honestly also be a contender, it’s so great. However, as I’m freshly rewatching season 3, this season has such a gradual character exploration of our main cast. The feeling of graduation and growing up is so present. Doppelgangland is such a genius comedic episode but also gives us even more hints on Willow’s character, that would play out later on. The Zeppo is so top tier and the best use of Xander the writers will ever have (The Replacement in season 5 again is a close second). The season is also quite interested in the different forms of authority and which ones are worth challenging. The council, which was more like an entity in the first two seasons, become more present and really shows the cracks in the system (the whole Helpless episode is disgusting but so well done in showing the abuse of the Slayer through patriarchy hands and also manages to explore Giles’s character and the father-daughter dynamic that him and Buffy have developed over the years). And obviously there’s a Faith, who is in less episodes across the show that I remembered just because of how memorable and influential her character was on Buffy as a character. Her character arc just always fascinates me and the writing on her character is nothing short of genius (Eliza Dushku is also phenomenal in the role) and the build up to her and Buffy’s rivalry is SO good. It also helps that every episodes is a banger.