Buffy's dreams are prophetic. This has been well established.

Buffy has prophetic dreams, Dru has visions while awake. There is similarity, but I don't think it's close enough.

Giles driving to Buffy's, sarcastically muttering to himself, "Do you like my mask? Isn't it pretty? It raises the dead!" makes me laugh every time. 😄🤣

With Willow ghosting and then avoiding Buffy, Willow doesn't like confrontation. She tries to avoid it, which we have seen since the very first episode "that way sweaty palms lies."

Remember that the scooby gang doesn't know Angel came back before she killed him, which (only partly) explains their reaction to her bailing. Actually they don't know anything about what went down as they haven't discussed it with Buffy. The big question in season 2 was: will they cure him or will they kill him? Then, surprise! It turns out, it's both and trauma ensues..

Buffy is also dealing with the very real consequences of having sent the person she loved to Hell at the end of season two.

Your random thoughts, guesses, and ideas are a highlight for me. Fun reaction again and solid comments. Several people don’t like this episodes and to classify Buffy it’s better to think of the show in chapters and not self contained stories that can stand alone. We are conditioned by television to think in the hour segment like a short story. That is one way and can be done in that manner but it loses many of the purposes of the 2nd story of the year. Buffy always tells answers and concludes arcs, just never on your wanted time or exactly the way you expected. It usually takes a complete rewatch to pick up the elements that are part of larger stories . I have seen this episode 3 times over the years and on the 4th heard and saw some additional information that play into future development. That’s part of the reason so many people have never fully left Sunnydale. What’s great for the 3 of you is that you get the first time viewing experience, the new entertainment, and having a group of smart and discerning viewers that can pick up on the show faster and better than we did originally. Great job and make sure to keep listening until the music stops. Sometimes dialogue continues with the dark screen and the first credits start. It’s often humorous, like this episode, and tells you where the characters head is at the time.

With an episode like Dead Man's Party you can see how this show keeps developing looking into the psychological scars that everyone now has. Of course we have Buffy who now almost feels like an outsider after returning, the rest of the gang are still hurt by Buffy's disappearance and are finding it hard coming to to terms with her return. The part where Joyce confronts her in front of all her friends at the party is hard to watch, as many people may have been in a similar situation witnessing something they would rather not see, and that cringing embarrassment that comes with it. The confrontation with Xander is also painful to watch. All's well in the end after the Mask is defeated, but the scars are now there even though covered up for now. Giles threatening Snyder with his Ripper side is a great scene at the end. Great to see Willow and Buffy at the end trading child like insults as only real friends can do to each other.

Mikey is so excited every time lol

Buffy's high school is Torrance High School, a public high school in Torrance, CA. Her house (external shots, anyway) is just a few blocks away. It's kinda cool living near the Hellmouth! 😆

The actual school is Torrance High school in Torrance, CA. It’s a public school

FORESHADOWING!!! To the final season, unbelievable! 😅 And all questions will be answered by then. Just be patient and enjoy the ride, guys!

Everything after the party is pretty cool. Giles “convincing” Snyder, and that banter between Buffy and Willow.

Buffy has had dream visions long before she ever met Angel. And she even has them almost at the start of in episode 1 (and earlier in the movie) and Giles ask if she is having the dreams. She had one waking premonition with pencil roll and disc in S2E22. I don’t think they are the same as Drusilla’s at all though.

I've been a super fan ever since the show came out. It is definitely a valid point to make that Buffy changed the dynamics from having just one person who is "the slayer" to now having two people who are slayers and buffy not being "the" slayer (meaning her death wouldn't trigger the awakening of a new slayer) so now she is simply a slayer. However!!! Since the watchers council invests time and effort into training slayers into becoming the best that a slayer can be and Buffy is definitely the best at the moment, she's definitely still the slayer as opposed to just a slayer. (At least in the eyes of the watchers council) And since being "the slayer" as far as demons and vampires are concerned Is mostly a reputation beast thing and Buffy has way more reputation than Kendra and also Kendra's replacement... I would say that even though practically she's not the one who's death will trigger the awakening of a new slayer, for all intents and purposes she is "the slayer" as far as the evil side is concerned. And so because it's based on reputation in the underworld and on who does the watchers council view as their main weapon. On both counts it's Buffy. (And yes they view her as a weapon not a soldier)

Hello. Mrs. Summers? My son went to a party at your house last night and he hasn't come home. Do you know where he might be?

A shovel does not have to be sharp when the wielder has superhuman strength (like a Slayer).

Willow to Buffy: "I'd like to." Then proceeds to make the conversation all about herself. Willow, having come out of her shell, still has insecurities which cause her to view everything in terms of how it affects her. Buffy may be THE Slayer who is star of the show - that doesn't mean that she is the CURRENT active Slayer. The mantle of slayer mojo activated Kendra when Buffy drowned, and when Kendra died, there's no need for the mantle to return to Buffy since she already has the powers, so it probably followed the rules and moved on to activate another new Slayer.

Remember Buffy's line "Two Slayers, no waiting." Principal Shutey (sp?) was the one killed by hyenas. The significance of Xander's "buried" advice is still in play.

I think it's genius to make this a zombie episode. As Xander says, "You can't just bury stuff, Buffy. It'll come right back up to get you." Being young, the gang are struggling with what to say to Buffy. They know she had reason for leaving, but they are also upset at having to worry about her for weeks, but don't want to express their negative feelings because they are glad she's back. So they try to "bury" the negative feelings and don't know what to say to her. Then at the party the mask brings all those feelings to life.

Yes, a lot of Xander's anger is about Buffy making Willow feel rejected (It's okay to do it to HIM, but…) Unfortunately, this is undercut by two of the several pieces of bad directing by James Whitmore Jr, here. When Xander asks Buffy "did you even try discussing this with *anyone* ?", that's a clear reference to Willow, since Nick Brendon gives a glance in the direction of (an off-screen) Alyson Hannigan, but Whitmore is too lazy to use a wider angle to include Hannigan, or take a reaction shot of Aly. And when Mobani!Pat has Willow enspelled and is about to break her neck, why is Xander just chilling out behind the bed with Joyce, instead of instinctively leaping to Willow's defense as we have seen time after time? For that matter, why are Xander and Willow both cowering while JOYCE fights the zombie, right before it blinks out of existence? Annoying. This is hardly all the bad directing in the ep (what's up with that weird master shot from behind the corner of Buffy's bed? Or the Dutch angle on Willow…is this now a "Batman" episode and Willow is the Riddler? And Buffy running up the stairs and leaving Oz behind was NOT in the script), but it's annoying. Still, the bond shines through. "Let her finish! You at least owe her that." Awwww. (We can discuss if Buffy's "Willow! I can't take this from you, too!" is more insulting to Willow [whom Buffy won't let speak] or Xander [since the subtext is "I expect Xander to be a dick but I hold you to a higher standard"…gee, thanks, Buff] some other time.) Flawed and messy and a bit annoying, but this episode still has a place in my heart. A special shout-out to the Buffy/Giles/Joyce "I love art talk as much as the next very dull person", where Buffy really does think G and J are honestly discussing the mask instead of trying to avoid having another "this is all your fault!" fight in front of Buffy. So nicely written and played.

Buffy is still the Slayer. But the lineage has passed since her death. The Slayer lineage passed to Kendra when she was called. So it passes from one person to the next upon the death of the Slayer. So, While Buffy is still the Slayer and she retains all her Slayer powers, but if Buffy were to die again (temporary or permanent), it would not cause another Slayer to be called.

It's true that Kendra was the current chosen slayer. And now that she's dead, another girl gets chosen/activated from a long line of "potential" slayers. Slayers don't stop getting chosen just cause Buffy is still alive.

Justice for Principal Bob Flutie.

If this is a spoiler, it shouldn't be: Sometimes the worst monsters are human.

Nice transition episode, I was surprised that this was the uncut version, in the UK when this first aired the neck snap was included, since that first time, they always showed the version where it was cut out, even in the video/dvd releases I think its the cut version.

Calling Buffy not a/the slayer, them's fighting words. A number of abilities are bestowed upon an activated slayer (enhanced strength, accelerated regen, prophetic dreams, etc). As long as Buffy has those abilities, she's a slayer IMO. As originally intended, only a single slayer is alive at a given time making the alive slayer "the" slayer. An argument could be made that because two slayers were alive concurrently, Buffy and Kendra, that neither could claim the title of "the" slayer. But now that only one is alive, Buffy can be the slayer again.

There was originally a plan to have every principal killed by a monster of the week after a few episodes, kind of a running gag. But Snyder was quite popular with the fans (in a “love to hate” sense), so he stayed.

RIP Pat.

Each slayer is A slayer. Buffy, IMO, is the THE Slayer. Kendra was the next "a slayer" as in "once in every generation there is a chosen one..." so each of them are really just one of many. Buffy is different, thus she is the focus of the show. She doesn't do what all the other "a slayer" have done, shunning connections, etc in the way Kendra demonstrated. She's forging her own path, at least to date on the show.

A lot of what I think about this episode, for the obvious reasons, ties into The _Becoming_ arc. The only really likable character in this episode is Giles. I would and do understand that there are consequences to Buffy leaving. I love that she even accepts punishment upon her return. It's what makes her the second most likable character of the episode after Giles. The Scooby Gang and Joyce don't care (or aren't willing to) what Buffy's reasons for leaving may have been. No one, except Giles, even seems happy to see her, and makes her leaving all about themselves. And none of them bothered to try and understand why Buffy left in the first place. Nor did they think about how hard slaying was while Buffy was gone and that that's what she's gone through for two years. I've seen people defend Joyce about kicking Buffy out of the house against Buffy with she didn't mean it in _Becoming._ While I think it is weak on excuses to begin with, it becomes null and void with Joyce saying in this episode, it was better when Buffy was gone. Buffy repacking to leave again makes sense after overhearing that. Willow can be upset at seeing Buffy repack all she wants, but she was the one who ignored Buffy's lunch date out of anger. Who's to say Buffy wouldn't've told her everything at said lunch date. Willow doesn't even try talking to her, so her being upset with Buffy for not saying anything is not understandable. Xander's phrase of "Willow said kick his ass," blamed Willow, severely limited Buffy's front line of battle in _Becoming Part 2_ and shows he doesn't trust the progress Buffy made from _Innocence_ until _Becoming._ This numbers below are the progress Buffy made and my opinion on why Xander should have trusted Buffy being able to kill Angelus: 1. In _Innocence_ she tells Angelus "Give me time." If _Becoming_ happened next, I would agree with Xander. But since it doesn't, I don't agree with him. 2. In _Phases,_ dealing with Oz's werewolf issue allows Buffy to start the "time" mentioned above to Angelus. She is nowhere near ready yet as Angelus "sends his love" with a vampire in the form of a classmate and Buffy freezes. So if _Becoming_ happened here, I would agree with Xander. But again, since it doesn't, I don't agree with him. 3. In _Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,_ Xander's love spell problem/issues allow Buffy more of a break from Angelus' Valentine's Day plans. Buffy also starts to read up on Angelus' past. Xander being aware of that means I disagree with him because this is the start of Buffy beginning to be ready. 4. In _Passion,_ Xander says he deserves something for telling his friends he told them so before Angelus showed up. This shows Xander using Angelus as an excuse for his Angel jealousy, and in claiming he is correct about Angel being at fault for Angelus' actions. He is blinded to the fact that Buffy has come another step closer to being able to deal with Angelus. Instead, he feels justified in Giles thinking "getting himself killed" is a good thing (even being called out by Buffy on that one), not realizing, in anger over Jenny's death (anger that becomes meaningless in _Becoming Part 1_ when he says "Yeah well she's dead), the fact that Giles will die if Buffy isn't ready to confront Angelus herself. So, once again, I disagree with Xander. More heavily in this episode than even others because he is also hypocritical. 5. In _Killed by Death,_ Xander witnesses Buffy hunting for Angelus while sick. That is enough to disagree that Xander thinks Buffy isn't ready to kill Angelus. Buffy doing so while sick wasn't a good idea, but it showed the determination proving herself another step closer. 6. In _I Only Have Eyes For You,_ Buffy releases everything holding her back by dealing with her guilt over turning Angel into Angelus. One step further away from what Xander thinks. 7. In _Go Fish,_ Buffy takes Angelus on, and only doesn't kill him because Angelus throws Gage at her. Xander doesn't see this one, but it shows she is ready and willing to kill Angelus even before Xander says, "Willow said kick his ass." 8. In _Becoming Part One,_ Xander has issue with Jenny Calendar having come close to restoring Angel's soul and everyone (not just Buffy) deciding to try the re-ensoulment spell before attempting to kill Angelus. He shows his opinion negatively (as opposed to Kendra who expresses the exact same opinion healthily). He had listened to Buffy say she was "done waiting" and therefore reacts badly to their safer idea over trying his _taking on an evil vampire to kill him_ plan. No one with either opinion could have known what the outcome would be. 9. In _Becoming Part 2,_ Buffy is ready. She isn't aware the spell is being recast after it was interrupted. But after all eight above things happen, Xander still doesn't trust her. Buffy has moved from the headspace Xander thinks (and in some ways wants) Buffy to be in to Buffy not actually being in that headspace at all. Not to mention Buffy was a second from decapitation when Angel's soul was restored, so Xander was wrong to think Buffy wouldn't/couldn't kill him. Xander is really saying, "Willow said kick his ass," out of jealousy (and being a species-ist) all while limiting information to Buffy, who was about to go to the front lines of battle. Even if you don't know the outcome, not telling someone part of the plan is a bad idea. We don't know what the outcome would have been if Xander had told Buffy the truth, but we do know going into battle without all the information can hurt, and in _Becoming Part 2,_ it definitely did. Debatable for people on whether Xander telling Buffy the truth could have changed it for the better, but not telling her definitely changed it for the worse. Xander helped create the reasons Buffy felt she had in running away. So he had no reasons for yelling at her in this episode. I just wish Buffy and Willow knew they had reasons for being angry at him. Buffy tries talking to her mom and her friends. It makes it all the more sad when they throw a party just so they can purposely ignore her. Buffy lost everything in _Becoming Part 2._ School, boyfriend, family, enemy turned ally turned enemy aka Spike, and her friends. Xander made Buffy believe Willow was just as against Angel as he was by saying "Willow said kick his ass," and yells at her for the outcome. Joyce kicked her out of the house and yells at her for the outcome. Buffy knew Oz would just silently side with Willow as he is shown doing in this episode as well as previous episodes. Cordelia and Buffy don't have a friendship. Cordelia is just dating Xander. Giles comes off as the only character to show he missed or cares about Buffy. And he spends the entire episode gathering exposition on a mask. Buffy feels just as alone as she did before she ran away, only it is worse because she considers Cordelia's line from S1 _The Invisible Girl/Out of Mind, Out of Sight,_ wrong. Buffy doesn't believe loneliness is better when surrounded by others. Not when those surrounding Buffy are genuine friends and family pushing her to want to runaway again and yelling at her over it because they refuse to listen to why she did to begin with. The Scoobies issues wirh Buffy are understandable, but not one of them, including her mom asking why she left (as they didn't know details seemed off and yet still in-character) I'm not comparing Buffy to a dog as I say this, but it is a good example: Owners are taught not to punish their pets when they run away and then return, because the dog will think they're being punished for coming back. It's the same with humans. It will feel good to unload your anger, frustration, anxiety on the runaway, but it will also make the person want to split again, as Buffy attempts to do. Buffy has just as much right to be angry at them. She just doesn't realize it because she being treated as a kicked puppy. If you're telling me it wasn't good for Buffy to be away from everyone for a while, I'll have to disagree. She just should have told them she needed time away while the cops figured out the truth, and I believe she did in the form of the letter to Joyce in _Becoming._

On the "is Drusilla an uncalled Slayer?" question, it should be noted that Buffy's having prophetic dreams *is* a sign of being called; in the pilot, Giles knows that Buffy's been having nightmares without her telling him.

The thing I hate about the Scooby Gang in this episode is Buffy tried to go to her friends and talk with them but they blew her off. Then she invited them to an intimate dinner, but they turned it into a party. Buffy then still tried to talk to them at the party and they blew her off, again. Then THEY get mad Buffy didn't talk to them. Even Joyce wasnt really trying to talk about it. She just "wanted things to go back to normal."

I agree with both points you guys made. Buffy is NOT the “active slayer”. Once she died Kendra was activated. The line lives and dies through the “active slayer”. But in terms of Buffy being “The” slayer, I think most people agree in our heart of hearts, Buffy IS “The Slayer”. Regardless if she is the “active” slayer or not, the calling lives in her. You can tell, she can’t not help people/the world/her friends. For that reason she is the 🐐 Goat! (Also in regard to Spike, he uses the terms “The Slayer” and “a Slayer” interchangeably. Depending on the point he’s making.

fun fact the principal also played quark on startrek ds9 rip my dude

You really should check out the guy who plays Jonathan and all the great things he's done. Danny Strong (who I also loved in Gilmore Girls) is more successful at writing movies and tv shows.

Buffy as THE slayer or A slayer gets answered. It's also kind of a spoiler

Mikey is kinda right. Buffy died so Kendra became THE slayer. But, Buffy is the BEST slayer as she is still going strong and has more experience than Kendra. Now Kendra is dead, so a new slayer is called. Again, that would be THE slayer, but Buffy is still the BEST slayer.

IS the Slayer.

Zombie, living... Cat gon' cat.

I have always taken it as when she died she became something different. Her powers are connected and sourced in the slayer, but its part of what makes her different.

The title of the show is still Buffy THE Vampire Slayer.

Buffy is a slayer but the slayer line does not run through Buffy anymore the line runs through Kendra. So when Kendra died you will get a new one.

Buffy is THE slayer, period. Even if there is some magical shenanigans and she loses all her abilities, she is still the slayer.

During this episode, I love Giles, of course, who understands what Buffy needs and also does what's needed to help her, and I want to punch Willow, who is just a little hypocrite XD I mean, seriously, she was home, with her familly, boyfriend, best friend from childhood, safe, and she complains??? Nope. She has no right!

Of all the things discussed, I have two things to add. 1. Buffy is now *outside* the Slayer tradition - her death and resurrection gave her an entirely new depth to her gifts, making her more than just a Slayer - the 'gift/role/title' of Slayer and all it's traditions was passed to Kendra, and will have subsequently passed on to another young woman. Buffy is still THE biggest baddest threat to Vamps. 2. Joe. IYKYK 23:56 I'm with you. Love you guys ❤ hope everyone's settled after all the moving around.

I hate this episode. I can see where they were going with Buffy's relationships with her friends and family being awkward, you don't just walk in after 3 months and everything is back to normal after all, but it really misses the mark for me as no one seems to have any kind of empathy for what Buffy went through. I mean Willow is at one point comparing dating a Werewolf and starting to try magic with being kicked out of home, kicked out of school, accused of murder and having to run your boyfriend through with a sword. It all feels very off for me.

The school is actually used for many shows like Beverly Hills 90210.

Look at the title of the show, Mikey. Buffy THE Vampire Slayer.

Buffy's high school is at Torrance.

Now here's a question for you boys. From Buffy's perspective, how long was she truly away? That bit where she was in the hell dimension... did she come out and three weeks had passed?

I've always found her friends so ungrateful and disrespectful, in this episode. Giles is the only one that feels respectful to her, here. And Cordelia comes second, even with her lack of tact ! That is awful that Cordelia would be the most understanding one of all her friends after Giles... They all blame her for leaving, including her mom. They are saying awful things, while not considering how she must have felt at all ! I mean, we're talking about a young seventeen-year-old that had, yet again, the weight of the world on her shoulders. Had to kill the love of her life to protect it, AND thought she had no support from her mom, or friends ! Remember Xander's words about what Willow supposedly said about Angel ? AND she was suspected of murdering Kendra, who she lost too. Buffy was devastated ! So Willow being scared about her new path in magic (path that she CHOSE, unlike Buffy), is not F**ing comparable ! How can she say that to Buffy ? How can they all say that ? And they had no empathy here, none whatsoever. It's my opinion, doesn't mean everyone has to agree. But I can't see it otherwise. Every time I see this episode, I'm always on Buffy's side ! After everything that happened and what everyone said to her... Leaving, even if not the right choice, is understandable. For me, Buffy is THE slayer as much as Kendra. I read a lot of theories about the slayer line etc... But I actually think differently about it. For me, Buffy is THE slayer, always will be. But since she briefly died, Kendra was too. We have no actual proof whatsoever (despite what people say) that Buffy's not THE slayer anymore. Conjectures do not mean facts. So, for me, Buffy is still THE slayer.

God, this is such a painful episode.

The issue everybody has with Buffy is NOT her taking off as much as her not even taking 2 minutes to at least call and let them know she was alive. That was really f*ed up. Just because you are going thru something doesn't make it okay to dump sh!t on other people. Sadly, everyone is guilty of failing to communicate their feelings properly, especially the 17 year olds, who lack the wisdom and experience in life to handle the situation constructively. Which, of course, is what the episode is all about. Xander had the one line that summarized it all: "You can't just bury stuff. It'll come right back up to bite you."

Now that the worst episode of season 3 is past us, we can get back to what Buffy does best! Still, important things happened in this episode.

West African Vodun was brought to the new world and evolved into voodoo. Buffy is The Slayer. Think of it as a bloodline with only the death of the newest slayer giving rise to a new slayer. Buffy is like the current matriarch of the slayer bloodline.

Buffy is A Slayer. Kendra was THE Slayer. The lineage no longer flows through Buffy… for now.

See, I agree with Mikey's take that Buffy isn't THE Slayer anymore because the lineage has passed on. She still has a duty to protect and is a slayer, but it's not a singular thing anymore.

Wether Buffy is THE Slayer or just A slayer is a moot point this late in the game guys. Mikey, I think you're putting too much emphasis on semantics here. the show is till called Buffy the vampire slayer. so that a point against you I think

I'm sorry, but as a mother, the last thing I'd EVER FKING DO, would be to tell my kid, "If you do X, don't you come back" (such a stupid trope) so her reaction to Buffy being confused & sad & etc, after the supreme lack of anyone actually talking to her-I wouldn't have gone straight to anger.When you see your kid is in distress & about to have a breakdown, you try to help them, not make it worse! In the words of Gwen Demarco "THIS EPISODE WAS *BADLY* WRITTEN!!". This isn't who Joyce is supposed to be going by the rest of the show. It Never felt right to me. This made her out to be a shtty mom imo. A non bad mom doesn't say the things she said to pam(? Pat?) with her daughter in the house. Hell, what if someone Other than Buffy had heard it and then told B some garbled version that made it sound Even Worse? I hate this episode. Best part is Giles rant about "isn't it pretty, it raises the dead!" And Giles gettin in the principals face. And Cordelia "in Buffy's shoes".😅 It's a bad look for the rest when Cordy shows the most empathy, no matter hiw bitchy it sounds. Before I get accused of being a "Buffy stan", she's practically my least fav character of main cast. It depends on how I'm feeling about Xander at the given moment-that fluctuates like mad. My moods for him are mostly: "Fk I hate you rn." "Ugh, annoying!" "That was funny tho" "Aww, why can't you be like this All the time?!" Willow wasn't too bad, I grant that Buffy really should at least have sent a postcard or two "hey, still alive". Or called & hung up b4 saying anything. And honestly, I think she would have, even if she wrote nothing on the postcard but the recipient's address. There's no way she didn't miss her friends-And her mom- enough to at least do the call & hang-up thing. Some aspects of the senario just feel forced. Did these aholes never play D&D? That's Not what that character would do... imo.😅😅🤷‍♀️

By the Lore, when Buffy died, Kendra was activated as The Slayer, and the Slayer Line follows after Her death. When Buffy was revived, imo, she became something more powerful it seems ( note how easily she wasted the Master), as if, thru Death, she became a better vessel for the Slayer power and is now THE Slayer. That's my take. Any other discussion involves serious spoilers so....

Buffy died, so no, she's not ''the slayer" anymore. She's something else, an anomaly.

Really enjoyed your discussion. Fans have strong mixed reactions to this one but I like it a lot. Although it probably is the weakest episode of season three, which says a lot about the quality of season three. There's another episode to come that might be close in quality but I find that one quite funny and it leads to a recurring funny bit. For me, the characters actions seem plausible, however frustrating. People seem very hard on Joyce but her actions strike me how many decent mothers would react. She's hit with a hard to believe truth (Buffy is a slayer), she reacts very badly out of fear and anger, is subject to great worry over the summer about whether Buffy is okay, hugs her upon her return but is walking on eggshells while hoping everything returns to normal. Sure healthier communication b/w Buffy and Joyce would be best but that is not always the case IRL let along an hour long drama. Instead she finds her daughter packing to skip out again. I think many mothers would react the same way, initially with hurt and anger. Ultimately I like that most of the truth (not all, as Buffy is still withholding a lot) comes out even if a lot of it is said in hurt and/or anger. I do love Giles in this one and his sarcastic line about pretty masks and Americans. Lastly, for Mikey, I go with the show's title. Buffy is THE slayer. Kendra and any to follow are a slayer.

Technically Buffy is a slayer and Kendra was THE slayer.

Keep in mind, guys, we mostly see things from Buffy's perspective. We've seen what she went through. Her friends didn't. From their perspective it could be that Buffy was partying her ass off for three months. I mean, they probably won't think that way, but it's not about thinking, it's about feeling. Also... they don't know Buffy killed Angel. They likely think she killed Angelus.

To give some context about Season 3. I think this might be the weakest episode of the season. There is one more clunker I can remember later on but otherwise it's mostly ALL banger from here on out.

I hate this episode. Everyone ganging up on Buffy like that feels so contrived.

Not a favorite episode of this season. I had problems with nearly everyone's attitudes, except Giles. Joyce says Buffy made bad choices while, yet again ignoring her own bad choices with, "If you leave, don't think about coming back." Hated Pat. Hated Xander. Buffy is the slayer. Buffy is a slayer. She's just out of the line of succession. Kendra replaced her. Buffy being revived was not in the playbook. I'm not on the Dru as a potential slayer. Slayers have occasional prophetic dreams. Dru has waking visions in real time.

The others don't know that Angel's soul came back. As far as they know, Buffy just cut and run for no reason. That's why they aren't being very understanding.

Pat got what she deservers. Trying to break Buffy and her mom up again.

I hate this episode, I always skip it. but it is needed to watch at least once

Honestly This is the start of Buffy’s friends annoying me lol. They always come off so ungrateful