FAITH, HOPE & TRICK
SEASON 3 EPISODE 3
For me this really feels more like a premiere than the first two episodes of the season because it really sets up some new characters and provides the changes to the show that usually comes in the first episode of a new season. It dispenses with a lot of the melodrama that the previous two episodes tended to dwell on, and it's definitely more of an accurate look into what this season is really going to be like.
This episode opens up at school with Willow contemplating going off of campus for lunch (as seniors are allowed to do so); she's giddy, but still has a comically irrational fear that she's going to get in trouble for it. Thirty seconds in and already an adorable Willow moment, this is a keeper! The couple, along with Xander and Cordy meet up off campus for a little picnic with Buffy. There's another cute moment where they "uncouple" in order to not upset Buffy, who is still dealing with Angel issues. Buffy mentions that she and her mom are meeting Snyder again to get her enrolled, and Willow sees this guy Scott Hope, who supposedly had a crush on Buffy. Will blathers on, digging a hole for herself, and Scott walks by and says hi. Buffy says she just wants to get back into the swing of things and be a normal girl. Comedic timing says that this is the perfect time to introduce the villain!
At the fast food joint Happy Burger, a limo pulls up and orders before eating the drive-thru guy. In the limo are some bad guys; one is Mr. Trick, a car salesman-esque black vampire and this bigger, meaner vamp hidden in the shadows. They mention that they're going to kill the slayer; such lofty goals these gentlemen have. I sort of like Mr. Trick, honestly. He overacts a bit, but it's nice to have another charismatic villain. That night Buffy has another dream about Angel, this one being slightly more disgusting than the others. There's a shot of a green, zombie-like Angel just before she wakes up with doesn't really fit with how he died or anything...but it IS a dream so I guess it's okay.
Buff wakes up and the women head to Snyder, who does allow her back in on the conditions that she passes some make up tests, gets a letter of recommendation, and talks to the school counselor. Buffy and Willow head to the library and Giles has some questions regarding a spell to make sure Acathla from Season 2 remains dormant. She reluctantly gives some info before heading off to take a test. Giles then warns Willow about the potential dangers of messing with witchcraft. Later that night, the gang goes to the Bronze to hang out and Scott comes over to talk to Buffy. I'm not crazy about Scott, really. The actor is okay; he sort of reminds me of Chris Carrabba from Dashboard Confessional, but I think it's how he's written I don't really like. He asks Buffy to dance but she basically shoots him down.
Cordy and Xand come over and Cordy complains about this slutty dancing girl and a guy with some outdated dance moves, which Buffy deduces is a vamp. They head outside and Buffy follows, shooting Scott down again in the process, and hears some violence from the alley. Turns out the chick totally handles herself, even introducing herself to the gang before slaying the vampire. This is Faith, a new slayer. After the incident, Faith decides to share stories with the group, particularly ones that turn Xander on a little bit, much to Cordy's jealousy. She also talks about how slaying makes her "hungry and horny", and it's obvious what they're doing here. Faith is the anti-Buffy. Whereas Buffy is the somewhat demure good girl, Faith is the totally balls-to-the-wall bad chick. I know a lot of people love Faith and a lot of people hate her. I don't feel especially strongly either way; I like her well enough but she's hardly one of my favorites. It's explained that Faith was called into action after Kendra's death, and that Faith skipped town to find Buffy and team up.
Buffy is clearly feeling left out and a little bit envious of the new slayer; people keep interrupting her stories like douches. You'd think they'd be a little more compassionate after last episode, really. Buffy takes Faith to meet Giles; there's a really great moment where Giles sort of whines about not being invited to the Watcher's Retreat as well as some creepy moments of Faith hitting on him. Buffy also invites Faith to dinner, but really only because everyone glares at her until she does so. Seems like everyone's loving the new girl except the Buffster. Meanwhile Willow and Xand give Faith the tour of the school (aka how many references can we make to Season 2), and they are really hitting it off. She also runs into Scott and hits it off with him too. Buffy shows up and is slightly bummed.
Back at the villains' lair, we get Mr. Trick and the big vamp with a scar across his eye talking about the slayer and now it's clear that the slayer they're after is Faith. This guy's name is Kakistos, and he's a pretty crappy villain. Basically he's the Master but without any personality at all. Then a delivery guy shows up and they eat him; this joke would be ripped off like 12 years later in the abysmally bad Vampires Suck. It's way funnier here. Meanwhile, Buffy and Faith are having dinner and even Joyce takes to Faith. I get what they're doing but the writers seem to be bending the characters a little too much to immediately loving Faith like this. It's not too bad though. Buffy also lets it slip to her mom that she died in Season 1; I like when things like that come back and actually mean something. That night Buffy and Faith go patrolling and they get pretty hostile towards each other, that is until they're attacked by some vamps. Buffy gets overwhelmed and Faith gets distracted while wailing on a vamp over and over. Buffy finally gains control and takes 'em out, but this does not help their struggling friendship.
The next day Buffy relays the incident to Giles who says he'll get in touch with Faith's watcher and also talks about Kakistos, who one of the vamps mentioned. Apparently he's a big deal; he's so old that his hands and feet are cloven and his name means the "worst of the worst". Seriously, THAT guy is the big threat? Even Mr. Trick is more menacing than he is. Scott intercepts Buffy yet again in the hall and asks her to go to a festival and she actually accepts this time. He gives her a Claddagh ring though and she freaks out and runs off. Come on, giving her a present before the first date? I thought he was supposed to be smooth. Afterwards Giles shows up and says that Faith's watcher is in fact dead. That night Buffy stops by this run-down motel that Faith is staying at and confronts her about Kakistos, who apparently murdered her watcher. Then Kakistos and Mr. Trick show up at the motel to kill her.Faith freaks out and they escape out the window while the vamps chase them on foot. They temporarily escape into an abandoned building before they realize that they were led here and they get ambushed. Buffy takes care of most of the vamps while Mr. Trick escapes. Buffy stakes Kakistos but he's too...thick? I'm not really sure. Then Faith drives a giant wooden beam through him while he laughs at the girls. Pretty weak. I don't buy his ability to leave the house and not accidentally kill himself, much less living for hundreds (or thousands?) of years.
The next day Buffy, realizing that Faith was able to deal with her issues of the past, finally admits to Will and Giles that Angel was cured when she killed him (along with a great reprise of the Buffy/Angel love theme). Then Buffy finds Scott and takes him up on his offer to go to the festival with him. Before her big date, she goes to Angel's mansion and leaves her old Claddagh ring there. Then, finally letting go of him, she leaves. It's a very tender and sweet farewell. All of a sudden, a portal opens up, returning a confused and tortured Angel to Earth. Looks like things just got a little more complicated.
Overall it's a pretty good episode and does a solid job of introducing Faith and Mr. Trick. Kakistos is pretty terrible, and possibly one of my least favorite one-shot villains and that's largely due to the fact that he's built up in this episode to be so big and bad. They do that sometimes, but it's often satirical, like "oh haha, I guess he wasn't so big and bad after all", but there's no real irony this time. Ignoring that, it's a very good episode.
***1/2
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