"Dead Man's Party" (3x02) quick link here "Beauty And The Beasts" (3x04) quick link here
Two quick notes before we get started...
1) I will be reviewing the episodes in bullet point form. This is because it makes the reviews simple to read, and helps break up the text.
2) If you are watching the show for the first time along with these reviews, please be warned that there may be a few spoilers for things that haven’t happened yet.
With that being said, let’s get started, shall we?
• Much like the episode title suggests, “Faith, Hope & Trick” revolves around the introduction of three new characters...
Faith
Kendra’s death in “Becoming Part One” activated a new Slayer, Faith Lehane. I’ve got to be honest, I completely forgot about Kendra’s death when I first watched this episode in 1999. So imagine my surprise and yelps of excitement (like an excitable puppy) when Faith reveals that she’s the new Slayer! Personally, I slightly prefer Faith to Buffy. Not during season three, but by the time “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” draws to a close, I find myself more attached to Faith than Buffy. Perhaps it’s because I dislike some of Buffy’s character traits and developments after she’s resurrected in the season six opener, “Bargaining”. That’s a story for another day, however. The point is that I’m on ‘Team Faith’, so I’m very excited for her to be a part of the reviews now.
Mr. Trick
Do my eyes detect a black man in Sunnydale? Off the top of my head I can only think of two black people who’ve been on the show thus far: Absalom (from season two’s “When She Was Bad”) and Mr. Trick. Therefore, Mr. Trick is the very first recurring black character on “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”! I can’t believe it took more than two seasons for that to happen! Definitely the ‘Caucasian persuasion’ in Sunnydale, as Mr. Trick himself would say. In this episode, Mr. Trick acts as a lacky for Kakistos, the episode’s ‘villain-of-the-week’. However, by the end of the episode Kakistos will have heartburn, whereas Mr. Trick will move on to bigger and better things with The Mayor. Plus, Mr. Trick wears a suit. He is the Barney Stinson of “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”, and he is fabulous.
Going off on a random tangent (but not too random), I met K. Todd Freeman (the actor behind Mr. Trick) at ‘Hallowhedon 5’ in October 2013. K. Todd was an absolutely wonderful man. Myself and Robyn (my wonderful girlfriend) spent a lot of time talking to him over the weekend of ‘Hallowhedon 5’, and he came across as very humble, down-to-Earth, charming, and hilarious. Full details of my conversations with K. Todd, as well as a very detailed review of ‘Hallowhedon 5’ (21 A4 pages), are available here - http://shangelsreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/hallowhedon-5-thefan-experience.html It also includes details, trivia, and conversation recaps with Alexis Denisof, Tom Lenk, Jane Espenson, Jeff Ricketts, Sarah Hagan, and more!
Scott Hope
If you exclude Parker from the equation (as Buffy doesn’t technically date him – she just has sex with him), Scott Hope is easily the most bland, boring character that Buffy ever dates. The problem I have with Scott is that he doesn’t naturally fit into the story. It comes across that Scott was created to be nothing more than a convenient distraction and obstacle for Buffy after Angel returns at the end of this episode. Why is Buffy dating him at all? It’s unrealistic to me. She’s clearly still having issues with Angel’s death, she barely knows Scott, and she’s obviously not in a dating mood. Season three is my favourite season. The only criticism I have of it is that some of the romantic pairings seem forced and out of character. Buffy and Scott’s relationship and the Willow-Xander affair immediately spring to mind.
In addition to not really fitting into the story, Scott Hope is also not memorable in the least. He doesn’t leave a lasting impression on the show at all. After he disappears in “Homecoming”, I never once think “I really miss Scott Hope. I wish he’d show up again before the Scoobies graduate.” This isn’t a slight at Fab Filippo, who is a very competent actor. It’s the character itself that isn’t well written or fleshed out.
• The episode opens with a very anxious Willow at the prospect of leaving school grounds while school is still in session. An episode instantly gets 20% better if Willow has a spazz attack in it.
• Willow: “Or to do that thing with your mouth that boys like. Oh! I didn’t mean that bad thing with your mouth, I meant that little half smile thing that you…you’re supposed to stop me when I do that.”
Oz: “I like when you do that.”
Reason number #1231 why Willow’s cheating on Oz is stupid: he’s the best boyfriend ever.
• Buffy is still feeling really guilty at being a part of Angel losing his soul and sending him to Hell. You need to look no further than Buffy’s dream to notice this. In Buffy’s dream, Angel is angry that Buffy sent him to Hell. He screams at her, “Go to Hell!...I did.” This makes Buffy’s dating Scott at the end of the episode much more confusing. Is she dating Scott to try and move on from her Angel guilt? That doesn’t seem particularly fair on Scott.
• Joyce: “I think what my daughter’s trying to say is na-na-na-na-na.”
Joyce is the world’s best mother in that scene. She’s supportive of Buffy, regardless of whatever part Buffy played in her expulsion. She’s started to accept her daughter’s responsibilities and struggles, and she seems proud of Buffy.
• Willow: “Have you ever noticed, though, when he is mad, but he’s too English to say anything, he makes that weird cluck-cluck sound with his tongue?”
-----
Willow: “Are you mad at me?”
Giles: “No, of course not, no. If I were, I’d be making a strange clucking sound with my tongue.”
• I mentioned earlier that I prefer Faith to Buffy. I’m going to take that one step further and say that Faith is one of my very favourite characters in the ‘Buffyverse’. I adore her. Her journey throughout the next 5 years is absolutely wonderful and eye-opening. From loner, to murderer, to insane, to a coma, to falling apart, to redemption, to becoming a hero, Faith’s character arc is just a joy to watch unfold.
• Speaking of Faith, look how young Eliza Dushku is here! D’awwwwww! I believe she’s eighteen years old in this episode.
• Show up, stake vampire, walk off casually...gotta love Faith. She has such a laidback attitude to slaying. It’s a completely different approach than Buffy takes. That’s one of the reasons why I adore their relationship; they’re polar opposites of each other. Faith is the yin to Buffy’s yang.
• Xander has a crush on the new Slayer? Shocking.
• Buffy mentions that The Three are her toughest kill (other than Angel). It’s a great little call-back to season one. For those of you who’ve forgotten, The Three appeared in the season one episode, “Angel”. They tried to kill Buffy, Angel helped her escape, and Darla killed all three of them for failing in their duty. I severely question Buffy’s choice of The Three being her toughest opponents ever. What about The Master? The Judge? There have been numerous demons and vampires that have caused her much bigger problems. THE MASTER KILLED HER! I digress...
• Faith remarking to Buffy that it’s funny that slaying makes you hungry and horny is hilarious. Why? Because it turns out to be true for Buffy as well. Buffy and Riley’s shagathon in “The I In Team” and some of Buffy’s naughty exploits with Spike in season six are evidence of this.
• I cannot contain my joy at the Watcher’s retreat taking place in the Cotswolds of England every year. I live in the Cotswolds! The Watchers retreat where I live! I’ve still yet to come across a field filled with Watchers discussing beheading tactics and the insolence of the Slayer in Sunnydale though. Why wasn’t Giles invited to the Watcher’s retreat? He seems to be well-respected by the council and he’s doing a great job with Buffy, so why did they exclude him? Is it because they feel he’s become too American? Gwendolyn Post says this in “Revelations”, but she was fired from the Watcher’s Council before that so she could have been lying.
• I like Faith’s tattoo. It’s so obviously a press-on, and not really Eliza’s tattoo, but I like it nonetheless. This was 1998, back before tattoos were so popular, so I think it symbolised that Faith was rebellious and a badass. She’s got that ‘bad girl’ attitude that a lot of female punks in the ‘90s had.
• Eliza just can’t get rid of her Boston accent for “about”, can she? It makes for a funny moment in season four when Faith is in Buffy’s body, and Sarah Michelle Gellar says ‘a-boot’, as that’s how Faith/Eliza Dushku would say it.
• Cordelia: “What is it with you and Slayers?! Maybe I should dress up as one and put a stake to your throat.”
Xander: “Oh God, please don’t let that be sarcasm.”
A little more than I needed to know about Xander and Cordelia’s out of school activities, if I’m honest. If you’re not going to show us it, don’t tease us with the mental image.
• Kakistos is one of my favourite one-episode villains for Buffy’s third season. I wish he’d have stuck around for a few episodes more. He had a memorable look, with his cloven hands and massive facial scar, and he was very old. He could have made a great recurring villain for the first half of season three, while The Mayor was waiting to start his ascension. Plus, his voice was terrific. I’m glad they brought him back for the ‘Chaos Bleeds’ video game (they also brought back Sid the dummy from “The Puppet Show”). If you’ve never played ‘Chaos Bleeds’, I would strongly advise you to give it a go. It’s a terrific game.
• I completely understand Buffy’s jealousy regarding Faith. She’s only been back from L.A. a couple of weeks and now a new Slayer has arrived and is making Buffy share her life (her friends, slaying, her Watcher, her mother, etc.). Not only does Buffy feel like Faith is stealing a section of her life, but Faith’s personality and attitude represents a lot of things that Buffy wishes she could be more like. Faith is easygoing, relaxed, carefree, appears to love life, and has limited responsibility. On the other hand, Buffy is struggling to get back into school, she’s had a really rough few months, and she has the weight of the world on her shoulders. Of course, by the end of this episode we learn that appearances can be deceiving because Faith is putting on a happy face, but is secretly terrified. Her Watcher was murdered in front of her and Kakistos is tracking her. I know I probably shouldn’t want to know, but I’m curious as to how Faith’s Watcher was actually killed.
• It took me about 5 years to find out what “five by five” actually means. In essence, it’s a military term that means “I can hear you loud and clear”, which eventually also became used to mean “I’m okay”.
• I love how differently they make Buffy and Faith dress throughout the show. Their appearances match their personalities. Faith is the much darker, edgier character and it shows in her wardrobe. She wears a lot of black clothing, a lot of make-up, and dark colours. She’s a more in-your-face character that likes to be remembered. Her choice of clothing helps her to stand out. Buffy dresses more colourful and ‘normal’. Perhaps this is because Buffy has always been desperate to fit in and have a ‘normal’ life. It’s a way for her to blend into the crowd. These two characters with a shared destiny (the only people in the world with that destiny) couldn’t be more different.
• Buffy: “Kissing toast. He lived for kissing toast.”
Giles: “Do you mean Kakistos?”
Buffy: “Or maybe it was tacitos. Maybe he lived for tacitos. What?”
Giles: “Kakistos.”
• Adding to my ‘Scott Hope doesn’t fit into the story and is nothing more than a complication for Buffy and Angel’ theory, what are the chances that Scott Hope would buy Buffy a Claddagh ring a matter of days after he met her! The exact same thing that Angel bought Buffy for her 17th birthday?! Ugh.
• Eliza’s acting was really good in this episode. She captured the essence of Faith right from the first scene she was in. She has to play so many different emotions in this episode, and she does a fantastic job of all of them. "No, this is his place.”, and her speech explaining what happened to her Watcher are particular highlights.
• Kakistos’ death was spectacular. A regular stake couldn’t do it, but the massive wooden pole through the chest could. Who said size doesn’t matter? Definitely one of the more memorable deaths this season. It’s reminiscent of the demon’s death in “Gingerbread” later in the season (wooden pole through the throat).
• Giles knew Buffy well enough to know that Angel’s death wasn’t all that was affecting her. He created a fake spell to get Buffy to open up about what else happened. I think Giles had suspected that Willow’s spell was successful in restoring Angel’s soul ever since Buffy ran away after the fight at the mansion. Nobody else knew. Not Willow, not Xander, not Joyce, just Giles. It’s a testament to both Giles’ intelligence and how close he is to Buffy that he was able to figure it out. I also think that Alyson does a terrific job in the reveal scene. The look of horror and guilt on Willow’s face at what she had done was spectacular. A very similar scene happens in “Once More With Feeling”, when Buffy reveals to the Scoobies that they tore her out of Heaven. Yet again, Alyson’s facial expressions are some of the best I’ve seen in my life.
• Why does the Buffy-Angel love theme only plays during sad scenes?! I’m surprised I haven’t developed a complex where I burst into tears every time I hear it.
• By the end of this episode, Buffy has decided that she can’t hold onto the past anymore and that she needs to move on. It took her 5 months to realise that she has to at least try to move on from killing Angel. While I still think the Scott Hope aspect of this episode is out of place, I can appreciate the fact that the show is making a point of emphasising that Buffy is trying to accept everything that happened. Of course, this is the Buffyverse, so the second Buffy finds some inner peace, Angel returns...naked. Someone get him a towel or something.
Quote Of The Episode
Buffy: “Maybe I should introduce you again. Faith, this is Giles.”
Faith: “I’ve seen him. If I’d have known that they come that young and cute, I’d have requested a transfer.”
Buffy: “Raise your hand if ‘eww’...”
*Xander slyly raises his hand*
Giles: “Well, leaving aside for a moment my youth and beauty...”
You just know that Giles went home that night, looked at himself in the mirror, and said “you’ve still got it, Ripper”, then gave himself a cheeky wink.
FINAL SCORE: 7/10
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Thoroughly enjoy this episode except for one thing. I liked Kendra and wasn't over her death. I had to warm up to Faith because she wasn't Kendra. Plus very angry at Kakistos for almost killing buffy as well as Faith. Very emotional episode.
ReplyDeleteOk, really?? Could they not be bothered of thinking of a title for the episode so just went with new characters?
ReplyDeleteI can't get over Faith's actions later on so I am always wary of her, right to the end. I like her in the end though and I did feel for her in Five By Five and Sanctuary. I'm glad she got the help she clearly needed.
Hahahaha, "Caucasian persuasion" had my laughing so hard. You kinda had to like Mr Trick.
I think I gasped and froze before Buffy when Scott Hope gives her the Claddagh ring.
I confess, I felt a bit like Willow when I was allowed to leave school grounds for the first time.
*sigh* Oz. I like it when you do most things.
Joyce! Eeee! The happies at this scene!
Haha, poor Willow, I know the pain of bad timing or not knowing someone is there.
Oh Xander. Keep us guessing huh. Nope. No you won't. It must be some power thing that gets him off.
I disagree that The Three were Buffy's toughest kill. But also, I'm guessing it is her just randomly chucking a kill out there to cover up her real toughest kill - Angel.
Oh man, I really felt bad for Giles not going on that retreat.
Honestly, I think I will only ever think of Kakistos as kissing toast.
I always wondered about the phrase "five by five". I kinda guessed at some point that it must mean I'm ok as that is the only thing that would really make sense.
Great review Shangel!
Actually, the title is a play with the biblical verse "And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity." (1 Corinthians 13:13).
DeleteFaith is one of the best characters of the Buffyverse what a shame she wasn't part of the regular cast (Buffy or Angel). I also like the dynamic between she and B.
ReplyDeleteMr. Trick was a very entertaining charater. And Scott Hope was kind of boring, I believe that Buffy dated him for the same reason she slept with Parker in S4, she was trying so hard to move on and demonstrate she was able to have a normal relationship with a normal guy (oh, Buffy).
I also think she said that The three were the most difficult vampires to kill instead of "The Master" or "The Judge" for the same reason she didn't mention Angel. They represented painfull memories just like Angel. The Master killed her and The Judge appeared by the time Angelus born.
Giles was the only one who knew that Buffy deep down needed to share what happened. It's nice to see how much he cared about her, as father ;) (episode 12)
I love this season is almost perfect and introduced some of the best character development of both series Faith and Wesley.
"Xander has a crush on the new Slayer? Shocking." ahahahahhaa i laughed HARD :)
ReplyDeleteAs I've said, all the characters I can actually *like* anymore in the B'verse, except Faith and Harmony, are either dead or apotheosized.
ReplyDeleteTrick _ *so* wish we knew what his huamn self was like. He is much like Spike- they both have the mannerisms, clothes, musical tastes etc. to blend in with a specific human subculture, and both are very intelligent, veyr dnagerous hardcases. (Trick is obvioulsy being ironic; using "persuasion" for race is a ficitional trademark of very prissy types.
Seriously, if Trick and the blonde vamp had intevened instead of leaving, given that Kakistos had the avdantage at that time, B&F both would've probably died. You just can't trust a vamp. (Bone to pick - since she didn't pul; it out, why didn't the post dust along with Kakistos?
Accent: Whether ELiza could or not, I doubt if Joss and the director *wanted* her to lose the Boston accent, characterization y'know. Altho I've listened carefully and her "about" sounds more like "aboat;" "aboot" is more Canadian. (I did a femslash fic where Faith compares Harmony to a fine wine -room temp.- and Harmony asks her what she knew about fine wines in "Soath Baaston.")
"that thing with your mouth thta boys like" the roginal broadcast had Willow respond to Buffy's shocked look with, "Not that thing, the other thing." Which makes no real sense. Good they changed the scene for the DVD.
Scott can be forgiven btu the jeweller can't for tleling him a claddagh is a "friendship ring;" my ex is almost half-Irish and I learned long ago it's an engagement/wedding thing. I can only think Scott was introduced as sheer lumber to add punch to a couple later ep.s.
Buffy has made it clear, here, the spell worked, angel got his soul back. Why does evryone forget that so quickly.
Giles here, and later some things with Wess; it strikes me the Council ahs grown into a bureuacracy which is mostly concerned with maintainign itself. So the Watchers actually assigned to a SLayer are low on the ladder.
D'C'A'
ELiza was 17 when this season was filmed, at elats up thru "the Zeppo." And she only got a tattoo well, it's less thna 10 years ago, long after Sarah, ALy, and Charisma all had at least their first.
DeleteI on the othe rhand, contiuity freak that I'm, knew Kendra's death would call a new SLayer and was surprised to see that so soon. (and it's spelled "taquitos.")
D'C'A'
Loved this ep and always loved Faith even "when she was bad". LOL see what I did there. Anywho we can see how the gang is fawning over Faith a little and hoping she will lighten Buffy's load. Faith seemed more devil may care than Kendra. (RIP Kendra) btw, Kendra was a recurring Black character and yes it did seem strange to me that there weren't more Black or Hispanic characters in CALIFORNIA. I loved Mr. Trick and wish he would have stayed around longer. I realize his demise was essential to push Faith all the way to the big badiness but still I wish his jealousy of her relationship with the mayor could have been explored more. Scott Hope has got to be the most boring BTVS character ever. I realize he was the transitional guy but I would have liked her to hook back up with Owen (who was never seen again after Never Kill a Boy on the First Date) than him. If they were going to use Scott in such a manner I would have liked to see him all kinds of vamped out in season 4 or better yet 7 in Conversations with Dead People. Big ups to Joyce for sticking up for Buffy no matter what. I think she has changed a lot since that rampage in Bargaining II. She has become more concerned. Many ppl liken Buffy revealing she is the Slayer to her mom as a child coming out as gay. I think the analogy fits. Gotta love Giles, when everyone else was oohing and aahing over Faith and her exploits he stayed unimpressed and stuck by his Slayer emotionally. Plus I think Faith was putting on a front to hide her paralyzing (as we saw later) fear of Kakistos. And how cool was he. All Faith's piss and vinegar went down the drain when Kakistos showed up. Buffy had to talk her through it and they both superstaked him. Bonus for the Angel PTSD. Apparently Mr Boring (Scott Hope) had no idea how significant the claddaugh ring is period forget about Angel giving it to Buffy. What a dope.
ReplyDeleteI've recently rewatched this and it's grown a lot on me; I agree with your point about Eliza Dushku capturing the essence of Faith straight away, I was thinking that exact thing when rewatching the episode. However, it is not until later in the series that I started loving Faith as much as I do now. She is one of my favourite characters too, in part due to BTVS Season 4 and Angel Season 1; for me, those 4 episodes capture the essence of Faith perfectly, and it's where Eliza Dushku's performance is absolutely flawless. I wouldn't say I prefer Faith over Buffy, because I love both too much and I cannot choooooose.
ReplyDeleteI think that Buffy picks The Three as her touchest kill more or less at random; Angel was clearly her toughest kill and but she can't deal with it just yet. When Faith asks the question, Buffy thinks of Angel and is obviously in pain, so I felt she just gave a random response to just get it over with and avoid discussing the subject more in depth. I mean, the Master and the Judge are still very painful memories for her, so I guess she decided to go with a not-so-painful one. Don't know if I'm making sense here, hope I am.
I love the scene where Buffy tells the Scoobies what actually happened. Buffy's honesty, the way she phrases it, everyone's facial expressions...beautiful.
Thanks for explaining 'five by five; Shangel. I still had no idea what it meant. I mean, I thought the phrase was invented by Faith. :)