The third season of Joss Whedon's <I>Buffy the Vampire Slayer</I> was marked by the arrival in Sunnydale of renegade slayer Faith (Eliza Dushku), a moody loner who seemed to like her calling just a little bit <I>too</I> much--she definitely got a certain pleasure out of staking vamps that went beyond mere job satisfaction. While Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) was always wary of Faith, the two developed a deep friendship and appreciative rapport--that is, until the evil mayor of Sunnydale (Harry Groener) tapped into Faith's dark side and lured her into his plot to take over the world, first as a double agent spying on Buffy, then as out-and-out nemesis. And as the mayor's ascension approached--which happened to fall on Sunnydale High's graduation day--Buffy and Faith's battles got nastier and nastier, as Buffy attempted to wrestle with her dark side (literally and figuratively), save the world and her friends, and keep her lover Angel (David Boreanaz) out of Faith's evil clutches. The season's pièce de résistance is the two-parter "Graduation Day," wherein Faith tries to kill Angel with a poison arrow, and the students of Sunnydale High prepare to do battle with a mutated mayor and his army of demons. The first episode features one of <I>Buffy</I>'s best fight scenes ever, as Buffy battles Faith in order to provide Angel with the antidote--slayer's blood--that he needs in order not to die. The second episode (and season finale) is a clever nod to the anxieties that accompany anyone's high school graduation, as well as a resolution to the mayor's evil machinations. <I>--Mark Englehart</I>
Reader Reviews
Graduation Day Parts 1 and 2 are the best. You get to see how much Angel means to Buffy, you get to see a great fight between Buffy and Faith, and you get to see the best ending a video can have. This video includes:"Graduation Day Part 1" Faith shoots Angel with a poison arrow. The only cure is Slayer blood. First Buffy tries to get Faith's blood, but ends up giving Angel her blood.
"Graduation Day Part 2" Buffy, her friends, and all the students of Sunnydale High School prepare to battle the Mayor and his vampires.
- Graduation Day Part 2 has the best ending you could ever imagine. You don't know what you are missing.
