Season Three Discussion

[Matt]

We're coming off some truly jaw-dropping moments in Season Two's finale to what promises to be the most intense season of Slayer Academy yet. So are you lot excited or what?

[Raul Bloodworth]

The review of Slayer Academy's third season...

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Season One was a rocky start for the show, and Season Two built on those foundations to get a bit better. So where does Season Three go - does it take the show to grandiose new heights or does it delve back into mediocrity?

Fortunately, Slayer Academy has learnt from (most of) its mistakes. The big mistake with Slayer Academy is to have such an expanisve cast. I mean, yes, sometimes big casts work in your favour - the first season of Heroes, for instance - but here it does drag it down. Sometimes I had to really think about which character did which and when. But fortunately, the show has grown up - matured in a way - and this is Slayer Academy 2.0... and I'm glad to see it.

Pros? The interesting relationship between Kira and Delaney is always nice to read about. I mean, obscure mother/daughter relationships are awesome - check out Alias or Flash McGinnis for proof.

The character development for Sofia. Much like Buffy, writers take her in interesting places. And taking one of the show's lead characters and giving her a Dark Sofia arc was extremely gratifying to see. I also like how Skye replaces Sofia as leader, becoming a much more mature character - also very refreshing to see.

The Cabal. I just love the name, it rolls off the tongue so well. Plus, they're better villains than the show has had previously, which is very good.

The deaths. Alita's death was very unexpected... Braeden's death was warmly welcomed (in case you hadn't noticed, I didn't really like him).

The general atmosphere is different - more tension. I'm not sure if this is because of a change in style or different writers, but this is a very good thing. It really makes this season an improvement after the last.

The cliffhanger: a deadly virus that will wipe out all the Slayers in the world? Oh yeah, no pressure for next season.

Major cons for the season? Greg. He's getting a bit whiny, isn't he? He's not a very likeable character for much of it, which isn't a very good thing unless that's what's intended (which I assume wasn't).

The large cast. No, I won't stop about this - it's the show's major problem and I really can't score it much higher until this problem is rectified by a) reducing the cast or b) finding a way to spread out screentime more evenly.

Debbie. I don't hate her, and I don't love her - I just wish she wasn't in the show. She doesn't fit in with Slayer Academy.

So, in conclusion: Slayer Academy has improved vastly since its humble beginnings. It's taken some darings plot twists to keep things fresh, and it's all the better for it. Fingers crossed they'll reduce the cast for the next, penultimate season.

[Alden Caele]

To kickstart this board in the new forum, what was everyone's favourite episode(s) of S3? This is the season with the most controversy: dark Sofia, the Dex'n Debbie arc, the tortureness, the new Slayers. But it also contains stuff like Ellen's memorable 'Countdown' exit, Darcie's vicious return in 'Better Served Cold' and 'This Means War', the amazing 'Seppuku'/'Blood Stains' combo, and the rollicking finale. Plus, exits for longtime characters like Dana, Aiden, Anna and Braeden.

[Brian 2.0]

So since I was on staff for this series for the first two seasons, I'm finally getting caught up on Seasons 3 and 4 so I can be ready to read the final season.  I'm just going to post short thoughts on each episode and try to get through the seasons as quickly as possible so I can be caught up.

Here's my thoughts on the first 5 episodes.  More to come soon.

3x01 - Girl, Corrupted - Nice season opener, although not too much happened.  A lot of new characters introduced in the way of baddies, but they seem cool and nice additions to Braeden’s team.  It was weird seeing Sofia all evil-ish.  I wasn’t sure how that would pan out, but I thought the reveal would be a bit…bigger, if that makes sense.  I liked the battle at the end, and the reveal of Alita and Delaney, though expected, was a cool ending.

3x02 - Snowblind - Okay episode.  I liked the focus on Alita and Delaney, but the run, fight demons, run, fight demons shtick got old pretty quick.  It was kind of a boring episode overall, and the quips started to wear thin after awhile.  I also thought that Rachel/Kira scenes were a bit overused and went over the same information too many times.  The “surprise” ending with Darcy was okay, but also, pretty predictable.  I think the premiere was more strongly written, but this had a more cohesive story.

3x03 - Flatline - Hm.  I don’t know what to think of this episode.  I kind of liked Debbie’s Cruciamentum storyline, and it had its moments, but mostly, it just felt sort of forced in.  The Skye and Co rescuing the Irish Slayer was interesting enough and fast-paced, but it all just felt kind of pointless in the end.  I guess I realize you’re trying to build Braeden and Co up as the Big Bads and how powerful they are, but it just all felt like sort of a pointless story.  I mean, what was that girl’s significance?  I’m interested in finding out what Kira and Co are up to though.

3x04 - IV - This was actually a bit better than even episode 2 and 3.  I was engaged by the storyline, despite Debbie being at its center, seeing as she can come across as sort of boring in other episodes.  I didn’t think her sudden “relationship” with Dex was very believable, but it served its purpose for the episode.  His torturing of her was pretty intense though.  I’m interested in finding out exactly how this Madeline girl figures into things.  Pretty good episode!

3x05 - Tokyopop - I wasn’t really a big fan of this episode.  To be honest,  I found myself skimming over a lot of the Sennybridge training scenes.  They were just kind if repetitive and boring.  I also thought the “final test” with the drug thing was confusing and weird, and it didn’t even really amount to much of anything because they got the cure so quickly that the drug barely had any affect on them anyway.  The mystery with Dana continues to drag on, and I’m hoping some answers come about soon.  Overall a well-written episode, and most of the flashbacks were interesting.

[Brian 2.0]

More episode reviews....

3x06 - Best Served Cold - Pretty good episode, and as always, well-written stuff from Lee.  I liked the Darcie vs. Frankie stuff, it was pretty cool to see the two of them facing off once again.  I kind of hoped it’d get semi-resolved in the episode, but it looks like yet another loose end to be solved another day.  The invasion of the demon factory subplot was kind of weak in my opinion, but it got the point across that the Cabal are up to no good in various areas of evil-dom.  So let’s get on with it now…

3x07 - Restless Native - Hm.  Another newbie-centric episode.  I gotta say, these episodes really break up the flow of the season and make it feel very stagnant.  As a standalone episode, it’s written just fine, and the dialogue is above average.  The characters don’t feel forced or anything, but the story is basically a play-by-play of a Slayer coming into her own.  Nothing new here.  Oh, and the Sennybridge scenes, once again, were very boring and repetitive and I basically just skimmed over them quickly.  I am a bit curious about Cerys though.

3x08 - Countdown - This was a nice little episode.  Sad to see Ellen go, but at least she went out with a major bang.  I really liked the writing in this episode, and it flowed really well.  I always enjoyed Ellen’s character in the series and this was a proper send-off for her, even though it was basically telegraphed from word one that she was going to sacrifice herself.  I guess that was sort of the point, but one might expect a twist or two from SA.  Even still, it was a nice episode and a good end to a character arc.

3x09 - Spanish Eyes - This Sennybridge ep was better than the other ones.  I think it all flowed together better, and at least the lessons learned applied to the action that took place.  And at least something exciting finally happened there,  with the Cabal invading to the destroy the camp.  I thought the fight between Sofia, Skye, Braeden and Juanita was a bit weak and short, but it was still pretty cool nonetheless.  I think the dialogue was the weakest part of this episode, as everyone’s lines felt strained and a bit forced.  It didn’t have a natural flow like other episodes.  Overall, though, the episode was strong, and on par with the type of quality seen in other episodes that were good this season.  Glad the Sennybridge arc seems to be over!

3x10 - Need to Know - I actually liked this episode.  I know my reviews have had a somewhat negative tinge here and there, but mostly, these episodes so far have been well written.  This was one of the better ones and although not much came out of Alaric’s kidnapping, it was still interesting to see him taunt and tease the girls with their secrets and their pasts.  I’m interested in finding out more about Alita and her mother’s history, particularly what connection she had to the Cabal.  Also, who was Erika referring to when she was talking to Alaric?  Mysteries, mysteries.  I thought the Sofia confrontation was a lot better in this episode than the last one, too.

[Alden Caele]

3x04 - IV - This was actually a bit better than even episode 2 and 3.  I was engaged by the storyline, despite Debbie being at its center, seeing as she can come across as sort of boring in other episodes.  I didn’t think her sudden “relationship” with Dex was very believable, but it served its purpose for the episode.  His torturing of her was pretty intense though.  I’m interested in finding out exactly how this Madeline girl figures into things.  Pretty good episode!

Yay! I got a lot of flack for this episode at the time, but I was rather proud of it (and still am), despite the negative feedback. The Dex relationship... Up until a few weeks before the episode was set to air, the idea was that we wouldn't know who Dex was, so his bizarre courting of her would actually work. Unfortunately, Dex was revealed in 3x01, so I had to scramble to preserve the plot in 3x04. I think having Dex revealed hurt the episode more than anything else.

As for Madeleine, keep her in the back of your mind. She won't come up for a good long while, but she will make a second appearance.

(click to show/hide)

I'm penning it right now.

3x10 - Need to Know - I actually liked this episode.  I know my reviews have had a somewhat negative tinge here and there, but mostly, these episodes so far have been well written.  This was one of the better ones and although not much came out of Alaric’s kidnapping, it was still interesting to see him taunt and tease the girls with their secrets and their pasts.  I’m interested in finding out more about Alita and her mother’s history, particularly what connection she had to the Cabal.  Also, who was Erika referring to when she was talking to Alaric?  Mysteries, mysteries.  I thought the Sofia confrontation was a lot better in this episode than the last one, too.

Two for two! Both Alita and Erika's stories get returned to later in S3, and were specifically set up here, so no worries. Alaric was fun to write, and I loved the chance to have Sofia face off with our girls (including Skye and new girl Fran). The Sofia/Fran fight, I'd say, is one of the SA scenes I've had the most fun writing. Thankfully, Alaric's manipulations have a larger effect on the characters than it might seem, despite its short duration - Alita, Erika and Skye all have major stories that have seeds right here. Also, Tom East (who pens more in S4) has his co-writing debut here, and he does a great job - as well as fostering an MZP-friendship that's still strong.

Question: Did you find this a better 'newbie showcase' in terms of bringing on Fran than the Sennybridge episodes were for the others? There was a concrete attempt there, to include her in a greater story rather than making it about her, and I hope it worked.

Another: How did you find Cassandra, here? It was her first showcase episode, where Braeden/Dex didn't get in the way - thoughts?

As for the negative tint, don't worry. Though our staff in S3 was strong, it's generally regarded that we had a few fumbles here. That said, we pull it together significantly by end-of-season, and season four builds very much on that improvement. Thanks for reading, Brian; glad to see you back around MZP and reading your old haunts. I'll, of course, be back to respond on reviews to my later eps.

[Brian 2.0]

I definitely thought this was better than the Sennybridge episodes, and a much better way to bring Fran more into the spotlight than any of the SB eps did in bringing the other new girls into the foreground.  See, at least in this episode, Fran was actually included in the Academy antics.  With the SB episodes, they were removed and completely off on their own doing something (which got repetitive - quick).  I liked Fran at the end of season two and I think she's growing into a much more interesting character this season, so props for making her stand out without making it seem like you're shoving a spotlight on her and going "Here's our new girl, watch her shine!!". 

As for Cassandra, I haven't really gotten a bead on her yet.  I've liked her devilish comments in previous episodes and she seems like a good villain and a nice foil for our heroes, but for the most part, she's come across as a fairly flat two-dimensional bad guy.  This episode was the first time she actually had some significant dialogue and while it was nice to finally see some more meat to her character, I felt that her conversations with Sofia were a bit stilted and felt kind of awkward.  I mean, it was basically like, "So do you want to know more about me?  Well okay....." and that was that.  It was like, hello exposition, nice to see you again!  Felt kind of forced.  I am intrigued about her history though, and I wonder what Sofia and her were referring to when discussing Cassandra's origins.  I hope that gets expounded on soon.

I'll be waiting for the Madeleine connection.  Good job on your episodes, Alden.  You should be proud of them!  As far as pure writing goes, your episodes were some of the more well-structured and interesting ones.  They actually contained a beginning, middle and end, unlike some of the other ones. 

I look forward to continue getting caught up on the series!  I'm interested to see where it goes next.

[Brian 2.0]

Coupla more of them old review-type things...

3x11 - This Means War - While this was a pretty well-written episode, the Frankie/Darcie stuff felt WAY too much like a retread of Buffy and Faith’s face off in Graduation Day.  I mean, you even included cryptic dream conversations with Frankie killing Darcie and all that, as well as practically ripping Faith’s line from GD after Buffy stabbed her with the dagger, and Darcie plummeting into the unknown just like Faith did.  Other than those shocking similarities, I’d say this was a pretty average episode with not a lot to add to the overall arc, but a nice character beat for Frankie.

3x12 - Sanctuary - This was a better episode than the last one.  I liked the focus on Rachel and Dana and seeing how Rachel rescued Dana from the Cabal was an interesting story.  I liked how you framed the flashbacks with Rachel telling the Academy girls the story - there were some genuinely funny moments in there.  I kind of feel like the whole Hamish/Rachel thing was resolved a bit too simply for my tastes, but it moved the story along, I suppose.  All in all a good episode, a little light on the action, but the focus on Rachel was still good.

[Brian 2.0]

Two more reviews, and I think I'm done with SA for tonight...

The season has been steadily picking up speed since about 3x10, and getting better and better with each episode, so I am getting more excited about the remaining episodes of the season!  And if what I hear tell about the fourth season is correct, it only gets much better from here on out!

Here are the 2 new reviews:

3x13 - Okaasan - Now THAT’S what I’m talkin’ about!  That episode was phenomenal!  From start to finish, the writing was amazing, the characters were spot-on and the action never got boring.  This is the first episode of the season that I didn’t skim a single scene of.  I thought that Alita and Skye made an excellent pair in this episode and Skye was written about as best as she ever has been in some of the very best episodes of the series.  I like how you went an alternate angle with the reveal of the killer and how that was handled, preserving Alita’s honor but also the fact that revenge was still served.  Awesome!

3x14 - Under Siege - This was another really good episode.  Loved the “Lessons” shout-out at the beginning, and Delaney’s first scenes with the Rogue’s new recruits were extremely entertaining.  It made the resulting massacre that came later a bit more poignant/sad, because I was actually starting to like a couple of those girls.  They just keep dying so quickly these days.  Anyway, I really enjoyed the Kira/Jilhandra/Willow magic-bash and I thought it was pretty cool when Willow showed up.  Looking forward to seeing how the Dana/Rachel thing ends up!  Great writing all around on this one.

[Brian 2.0]

Just to note, I have read a couple of more episodes in the season, but I just haven't gotten around to properly writing down my thoughts in a review-type style, so look for those coming soon!  I think season 3 got off to a somewhat bumpy and uneven start but now that I'm headed into the final block of episodes, it's really done a good job of picking up steam and heading in a very good and enjoyable direction.

Braeden still kinda annoys me as a villain though.

[Monster Zero]

S3's probably the one I like least because it was really hard work behind the scenes - we did go a bit off the reservation in the first half so it took some knuckling down to slog our way back to a good resolution. Things build nicely and I feel we lead into S4 well. IMHO.

[Brian 2.0]

3x16 - Out of Sight - Nice episode.  Loved the fact that it was Erika-centric.  Her character was really well written in this episode.  Her sister was a bit annoying sometimes, but it was a serviceable plot point.  I liked the fight scenes at the end, but sometimes it felt like they went on a little too long.  Overall, a good episode!

3x17 - Seppuku - I have to say, the writing in this episode was somewhat generic and not all that engaging.  While it had some interesting concepts, only the tail-ending got any real reaction from me.  Finally, after months of fighting, the battles have finally taken their toll.  If only this episode could have been as interesting as I’m sure the aftermath is going to be.

3x18 - Blood Stains - Wow.  Just…wow.  This episode was simply and utterly amazing.  A true testament to Lee’s writing abilities.  I actually broke down and cried in the final pages of this episode.  It was THAT good.  What a beautifully and haunting send-off to one of the series most beloved characters, and the beginning of a whole new story-arc that is sure to send us right on through until the end of the season!

3x19 - Save Yourself - This was a really weird and cerebral episode.  I liked it, and it gave really interesting insight into Rachel and Dana’s characters.  I suppose I wasn’t too surprised by how it all ended, and thinking about it, I guess that’s really the only way it could have ended.  At least Dana went out fighting, and gave Rachel something to live for - herself.  Nicely written episode, and a good jumping off point from the previous episode.  Now let’s get back to the main story please!

[Lukey]

Just finished reading season 3 right this second so thought I'd take some time to leave my comments.

First of all....ALITA!  I was so shocked at Sofia's actions but I guess that needed to happen to give her a decent redemption storyline.  Just fighting her old team mates wouldn't have been enough for a redemption storyline I guess.  I'm looking forward to seeing how her death will affect Reiko.  Is the bubbly and sometimes to perky slayer gone for good leaving the much angrier version seen at the end of the season or will she work through her grief and find a balance?

Before this season Debbie kinda annoyed me but starting from I.V. I really started to like her.  Her torture at the hands of Dex and then her feral state at the end of the season have me really intrigued for what's in store for our medic/reluctant slayer.  Hopefully she will recover before it's too late unlike a certain other psychotic slayer which brings me onto my next topic.  Dana.  Dana was someone who's story really intrigued me when it began on Angel.  Starting with her abduction over on Angel and experiments by Kira and the Cabal leading up to Rachel sharing her body with Dana, her entire arc had me gripped.  I'm glad it ended the way it did with her going out like a slayer is meant to but also giving Rachel something to think about.

Countdown was great in the sense that it left me feeling satisfied with the ending of Ellen's story.  I'm glad she got to go on one more mission before she died.  I really enjoyed reading the alternate universe in 'And All That Could Have Been', seeing how Sofia dying instead of Emma way back in episode 1 could have changed things for the other characters, even if it was only something Sofia had created to ease her grief.  Anna really irritated me this season but I thought it was great how her brother, whom she thought she was protecting, turned on her which lead to her death.

I really hope that Barbara gets better.  I really like her and the way she cares for the girls.  I expected her to be stronger and not be broken in such a short time, maybe have her kept hostage and tortured over a couple of episodes before finally snapping her spirit.  Anyway I'm hope that we are kept informed about her recovery.

Couple of things I'm thinking about what could come up next season...

In 'Bad Blood' Jilhandra called Kira 'Evelyn'.  Is this Evelyn as in Evelyn Pierce, Greg's mother?  We know she was spying on the coven.  Looking forward to exploring this storyline.

Is the virus that's affecting the slayers, seen in the finale, you guys tieing the Virtual-Jossverse to the future seen in 'Fray' where there hasn't been a slayer for centuries?

And finally Skye.  I was slightly suspicious when she found out about the Mohra demon.  Something about it just made me uneasy and then the reveal in the finale totally made sense.  I wonder how she is going to cope knowing that she may have removed a shot at curing the sick slayers and more importantly how will everyone else take the news?

Overall a great season with some awesome character development, epic battles and plenty set up for next season.

[Monster Zero]

Luckily, all you need to do to answer your questions is read the next season ^_^

[Brian 2.0]

3x19 - Save Yourself - This was a really weird and cerebral episode.  I liked it, and it gave really interesting insight into Rachel and Dana’s characters.  I suppose I wasn’t too surprised by how it all ended, and thinking about it, I guess that’s really the only way it could have ended.  At least Dana went out fighting, and gave Rachel something to live for - herself.  Nicely written episode, and a good jumping off point from the previous episode.  Now let’s get back to the main story please!

3x20 - And All That Could Have Been - I really liked this episode.  I love alternate reality episodes, and this was a really well written one.  It was nice to see Emma again!  Even if most of the time she was a fake.  It was interesting to go inside Sofia’s head as she works through all of this inner turmoil.  I’m definitely psyched to see what sort of plan she has!  I thought this was a great episode, but enough with the filler before the big ending!  Let’s get some action!

[Brian 2.0]

3x21 - Woman Down - Man did this episode have a lot of action!  It was pretty much filled to the brim with fight scenes and action sequences galore!  The writing was pretty decent in this one, and it was horrible to see what happened to Anna.  After all she went through!  I thought everyone's reactions to her reveal as a traitor was pretty realistic though.  Nice ending too!  Good lead-in to the finale....

3x22 - Bad Blood - Which was pretty awesome, I must say!  Lee's done it again, and somehow he just manages to tell a really involving tale in finales.  He has a way of pitting people against the right challenges that makes the finale episode that much more exciting and interesting.  I loved seeing Sofia and Braeden fight for the final time - finally!!!  And the Kira/Jilhandra fight was ten kinds of awesome.  I hope Kira isn't really dead though!!  Great finale, great set-up for Season 4 - can't wait to see what happens with Skye and Sofia!

Overall, I have to say that Season 3 wasn't nearly as bad as some people made it out to be.  I actually really enjoyed it all for the most part!  There were quite a few episodes that were really well written and really pulled you into the story.  There were a few clunkers, sure, but every series has those!  I think the storyline in this season was much more coherent and cohesive than that in season 2.  This had a much clearer beginning, middle and end.  There was also so much carnage in this season!  The writers weren't afraid to off many leading characters, as well as several supporting characters that seemed to have leading potential.  The gloves were off in this season as far as killing goes!  That only amped up the tension for me, however, as you truly never really knew if and when characters were gonna get it!  Kudos to the writing team on an awesome 3rd season!!!!

[Monster Zero]

re-reading S3 again recently did change my opinion of it a bit - it got very messy behind the scenes around mid-season which left me a bit bitter about it, but the benefit of time away means I was able to see a lot of good in it. I think S2 has better standalones but the S3 arc is a pretty good one - just a shame we never really nailed down the Cabal as decent villains.

[raynemohrmann]

Hi.. All..
  I have read this I'll be waiting for the Madeleine connection.  Good job on your episodes, Alden.  You should be proud of them!  As far as pure writing goes, your episodes were some of the more well-structured and interesting ones.  They actually contained a beginning, middle and end, unlike some of the other ones.