Season three of Buffy the Vampire Slayer starts with a story about adolescent conflict with authority figures and builds on it brilliantly, reaching an apex with the relationship between Faith and the mayor. The final episode ends disappointingly with a bad cgi monster, though perhaps there was no satisfactory way to wrap up the drama between the villains this time.
After Faith (Eliza Dushku) had defected a few episodes earlier, it became clear that a father figure was exactly what she needed. Watching her surreptitiously opening up to the mayor (Harry Groener) about her youthful exploits--showing off to make him proud--is tragically sweet. Her tough girl pose, that caused her to claim to Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) that she didn't care about killing people, slips a little bit to reveal a vulnerable little girl.
The sad irony is that the father figure she finds also truly hardens her to killing and we see her dispatching one human after another. Her and the mayor's relationship is like a dark mirror of Buffy's with Giles (Anthony Head).
I love how Joss Whedon also makes the mayor, supreme madman he may be, genuinely care for Faith. So much so that he drops his hokey exterior to go into a murderous rage when Buffy nearly kills her. Both Harry Groener and Eliza Dushku give just the right performances. Their characters really had enough story potential for at least one more, entire season.
Once again, the season finale represents a leap forward for Joss Whedon in terms of writing quality. I also like the business between Willow (Alyson Hannigan) and Oz (Seth Green) and I love the awkward kissing between Wesley (Alexis Denisof) and Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter).
Two people who'd been lusting for each other for half the season discover their total lack of chemistry in this one bit of physical contact. It's particularly funny considering the working relationship the two will later have on Angel which I can finally start watching now . . .
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