3x12 Helpless

Buffy really needs to quit celebrating the date of her birth. It never goes well at all.  She tries to forego the whole celebratory thing by declining the Gang's offer of a big party. She decides she would rather partake in a traditional trip to the ice show with her father. Her father disappoints, then she finds that her Slayer superpowers are fading, possibly disappearing for good.

Buffy: Actually I do have a date. Older man. Very handsome. Likes it when I call him Daddy.
Angel: Your father... It is your father, right?

When she finds out from Giles that it is a test that she must pass at this age, she feels betrayed by him. As she struggles to regain her powers, Giles is fired for not being an impartial Watcher. He was accused of being too fatherly towards her. Which is appropriate given that her real father seems to rarely be in the picture. This part had me quite weepy. After the guy that fires Giles leaves, he takes the wet cloth she has in her hands, and starts to clean up her wounds. This small gesture just got me a little choked up.

3x13 The Zeppo

When Xander realizes that he isn't needed by the gang as much as he'd like to believe, his quest to prove he's cool leads him to an unforgettable night that finds him consorting with fast women, raising the dead and rolling with a dangerous crowd that could put Sunnydale in a world of hurt. Meanwhile, Buffy, Giles and the rest of the crew engage in a furious battle with the Sisterhood of Jhe, an all-female demon apocalypse cult that intends to reopen the Hellmouth and bring about the end of the world.

Cordelia: It must be really hard when all your friends have, like, superpowers -- Slayer, werewolf, witches, vampires -- and you're, like, this little nothing. You must feel like Jimmy Olsen.

As the picture helps indicate, why does Xander look like a cheesy 70s dirty old man? The thick gold necklace, the bad patterned shirt, and the hair isn't exactly cute. Despite this lack of cool, he manages to lose his virginity to Faith, after she has an unfulfilling Slayage and needs an outlet. It's also quite funny to see one of the Apocalypse moments through Xander's side of things. Buffy and Angel appear very soap opera-y in this episode, cuz I guess that's how Xander views it. Very funny moment at one point when Xander interrupts one of their mushy proclamations of love before the end of the world happens. Classic.

3x14 Bad Girls

While on a mission to retrieve an amulet before a powerful demon can use it to restore his strength, Faith introduces Buffy to her reckless method of slaying which leaves Buffy wanting more of the wild life. Meanwhile Giles is trying to keep his cool in front of the insufferably stuffy new watcher, Wesley Wyndam-Pryce.

Mr Trick brings the Sword of El Eliminati Vampires to Mayor Wilkins, who doesn't want anything to get in the way of the upcoming "Dedication." But Buffy and Faith are determined to eliminate the Eliminati, and nothing will stop them.

Xander: I'm not gonna waste the perfect comeback on you now. But don't think I don't have it. Oh yes, it's time will come!

This ep has a definitive Faith moment. She stabs a man. A non-beastie. When Buffy confronts her, she replies with "You don't get it: I don't care."  This clearly shows that Faith ain't right in the head, and is either border-line serial killer chick or is at the very least lying to herself about who or what she is becoming. Buffy is also dealing with the boundary issues as Faith attempts to learn her in all ways delinquent. It seems real tempting to Buffy right up until Faith has to go and kill a human due to her reckless ways. Deep, harsh, emotional episode. Hard to get the funny on.

3x15 Consequences

Even though Giles thinks it's a waste of time, new Watcher Wesley orders Faith and Buffy to investigate the murder of Finch. With everyone, including the police, questioning them, Buffy and Faith soon find themselves arguing over whether to tell the truth about their involvement. When Faith refuses to face up to the consequences of her actions, Buffy tries to get help from Giles and Angel. When Xander goes to confront Faith alone, however, he may be biting off more than he can chew.

Angel: You and me, Faith, we're a lot alike. Time was, I thought humans existed just to hurt each other. But then I came here. And I found out that there are other types of people. People who genuinely wanted to do right. And they make mistakes. And they fall down. You know, but they keep caring. Keep trying. If you can trust us, Faith, this can all change. You don't have to disappear into the darkness.

Be default, Faith seems a bit emo. But Faith seems a bit more emo in this episode. It's time for her to suffer the consequences (ha! title of episode) for the human she killed. I can't tell if Faith is more emo about the fact that she killed a non-beastie, or that everyone is all up in her bidness about it. I have grown to like Eliza Dushku (Faith) more over the years with her shows Tru Calling and now Dollhouse, but I really didn't like her back in Buffy-verse. Maybe it was the character really. We know she's had a rough life, but we don't know much more than that. But maybe that was done purposefully so we don't like her. If that's the case... totally working.