Ep 2. Dead Man's Party

Buffy The Vampire Slayer season 3 episode 2, titled Dead Man's Party, follows Buffy's return to Sunnydale after spending the summer away with her father in Los Angeles. She soon realizes that things have changed while she was gone; her mother Joyce has been organizing a welcome home party for her, which has turned into a gathering of people mourning the recent deaths in the community. Buffy's first night back is also marked by the revelation that her old watcher, Giles, has been fired from the school library, and her new watcher Wesley Wyndam-Pryce has arrived in town to take over.

At the party, Buffy reconnects with her old friends and classmates, including Willow, Xander, and Cordelia, but feels increasingly isolated as she struggles to come to terms with the things she has seen and done as the Slayer. Meanwhile, strange things are happening at the house; objects move on their own, strange noises are heard, and there is a general feeling of unease. Buffy and her friends soon realize that they might be dealing with a vengeful spirit, as Joyce unknowingly brought home some of the artifacts from an ancient burial site.

As the night wears on, tensions rise between Buffy and her mother, who is struggling to connect with her daughter after their time apart. When the spirit's presence becomes more dangerous, the group must band together to find a way to banish it for good. This is made more difficult by the arrival of a hostile Wesley, who is convinced that he knows best when it comes to dealing with supernatural threats.

Dead Man's Party deals not just with the supernatural, but also with themes of grief, guilt, and alienation. Buffy's return to Sunnydale is marked by a sense of disconnection from the people and places that used to be familiar, as well as a growing sense of her own mortality and responsibilities as a Slayer. This is compounded by the resentment she feels towards her mother, who is unable to understand the complexities of her daughter's double life. The episode also sets up the dynamic between Buffy and Wesley, who will eventually become a major recurring character throughout the show's run.

Overall, Dead Man's Party is a solid episode that further develops Buffy's character and the world of Sunnydale. It also showcases the show's ability to blend horror, humor, and heartwarming moments in a way that is uniquely its own. Fans of the show will not be disappointed by this episode, which provides a tantalizing glimpse of what is to come in the rest of season 3.