Our very own Emilyn has an article in the NY Times about TV DVD extras that includes a nice mention of the "Wild at Heart" commentary from Season 4. My favorite bit from the article (I think "buffistas/foamy" works as ID and password):

For more serious collectors, the ability to snap up several TV seasons on a whim may be as much a curse as it is a blessing. After all, if you collect 50 movies, you can expect to watch every one of them. Collect 50 television shows — full seasons, 20 hours or more! Commercial-free! — and you've got yourself a very high-maintenance entertainment commitment. Soon every evening will be spent watching episodes of "Alias" not once, not twice but five times in a row. And then watching them again, to catch all of the nuances. And then again, to imbibe the commentary track. And maybe catch a couple of the deleted scenes. And the commentary tracks on the deleted scenes.

At this point, it's 5 in the morning and time to call in sick for work.

Not that any of us would ever do that - no.

More than once, I've gone on record saying S2 is the best season of Buffy. And I stand by that, still.

But, damn, S3 is fucking great.

What television.

Signed,
Up To Lover's Walk In Her Rewatch.

Ditto on saying S2 is best and re-watching and loving S3.

signed,
Rewatched Dopplegangland to Graduation Day II on Friday night.

On record as saying S3 is best, and feeling the validation.

Is not validation. Stop it.

S2 knocks my socks off. S3 -- makes me wonder how one could keep making such good TV. And completely reminds of why I got so irritated with pod!Giles, but still kept loving the show. At its worst -- probably rewatchable. At its best, a gut punch.

I think I agree with Hec, now. I didn't want to commit till I'd seen everything, but...a definite narrative and casting high point.

See, I'm the opposite because I've always had S3 as my top BtVS season, but I've been watching S2 in reruns on tv (poor, DVD-less me) and marveling at how good it was. Dru/Spike/Angelus rocked hard.

S3's virtues include: Best cast of regulars and semi-regs (including Faith, Oz, Cordy and Angel - though Angel was problematic to the narrative).

Best batting average: least amount of mediocre (much less bad shows) of any season. Surprisingly high level all season long.

Vamp Willow. Twice.

Last season it had Joss' full attention. He was peaking.

Best Villain: The Mayor.

drawbacks to S3? Really only that it's season arc is not as strong as S2, and anything after Becoming part two was going to look lesser. Also, Angel hanging around was a narrative deadweight.

I'm split. S2 had higher highs, but S3 was more consistently great.

I'm not quite sure how to say this -- I think S2 is the best season emotionally, but S3 is the best season in terms of sheer good television.

[edit: Or maybe Hec and Jess said it better, because that's pretty much what I mean.]

And I watched about 5 or 6 episodes of S1 yesterday, and -- having *not* watched it from the start -- I was wondering: for those of you who DID watch Buffy from S1, did you have the sense that you were watching something unprecedented?