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     As regular readers of this site may know, I am the aficionado on all things Buffy and Angel around these parts. But where does all this random knowledge come from? Some of it comes from simply watching the shows with a critical eye, DVD commentaries, fan sites, and my subscriptions to the official Buffy and Angel series magazines. Yet, the fact these information sources still do not nurture my insatiable appetite for the Buffyverse probably makes me a big loser-but at least I am a committed loser. Luckily there is the official Watcher’s Guide! Since the first installment of The Watcher’s Guide was released during Buffy’s third season, this specific line of books, along with its companion, The Angel Casefiles have successfully filled a void in a world now devoid of both series.

     While the first two installments of The Watcher's Guide chronicled seasons one through four, Volume 3 continued with in depth coverage of seasons 5-7 and the series as a whole. From episode analysis to quotes of the week!

     Volume three featured a section that highlighted the main characters love lives, and the many pop-culture references that have become the mainstay of the show. Plus for total fanatics, Volume three has a section dedicated to new information on each of the characters!

     My favorite section, featured comments and jokes written into the stage direction that were edited from the original teleplay. This portion provided the most laughs, as Joss Whedon and his crew of writers were never short on humor.

     One of the major changes between Volume 3 and the previous versions of The Guide was the essay section, which contained many well-written and thoughtful essays analyzing the series. The essays were written by people with a range of experience-from run-of-the-mill fans to webmasters of popular Buffy web sites, like Rob Francis who moderates the BBC Buffy Fan Site.

     Some topics discussed were:

• The progression of character Jonathon Levinson from background actor to super villain (or rather super geek turned villain).
• Buffy's positive influence on the family.
• Buffy's popularity in the United Kingdom and the cross cultural influences that occured.
• Buffy’s treatment of the false myth that love will conquer all!
• A poignant explanation why people (like me) became obsessed with the series.

     The Watcher's Guide 3 reconciled the features overlooked in the first two Watcher’s Guides. With approximately 20 pages of full color photos including behind the scenes shots, The Watcher’s Guide 3 is a must have for all viewers of the Buffy series suffering from withdrawal.

     Send your comments and or questions about this article to Bandwidth@ybfree.com.

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