Not the Battle. High School.

Well, I've finally finished watching through my Season Three Buffy discs. Just got done watching "Graduation Day" Pt. 1 & 2, and my reaction to seeing it for the second time is pretty much exactly what it was the first time: "Man, television just doesn't get much better than this!" It's an episode that works sooo well, on so many levels... But the very best thing about it, I think, is that fact that, in among all the fighting and the explosions and the giant demons, the heart of the episode (like the heart of the show itself) lies in the character relationships. The relationship between Buffy and Faith, between Buffy and Angel, between Faith and the Mayor (and it's amazing how truly touching that one is, in its own twisted way), between Willow and Oz, between Xander and Anya, etc., etc., etc. And, in the end, it's also about the coming together of an entire community in a way that -- no exaggeration here -- makes my heart swell with pride. On top of it all, those individual relationships aren't simply interesting in and of themselves; they also manage to resonate strongly with universal human experiences. I mean, OK, nobody turned into a giant demon on my graduation day, but nevertheless I can relate to what these characters are going through, and I think anybody who's been to high school, or even been through adolescence, can as well.

See, this is why it's my firm opinion that Buffy is one of the Two Shows Worth Watching on TV today. (Yeah, yeah, no points for guessing what the other one is, either...)

And now I'm missing the Mayor all over again. Golly gee, but he was one gosh-darned likeable old bad guy! If you ask me, these newer, modern evils just don't have the same core values...