The Watcher's Guide

by Jeff Mariotte, Maryelizabeth Hart, Christopher Golden, et al.

Book Overview

A TV series companion, the complete official episode guide to Buffy series 3 and 4. This volume picks up where the original Watcher's Guide left off, complete with behind-the-scenes secrets and interviews with writers, crew and actors.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671042602
• ISBN13: 9780671042608
• Release Date: November 2000
• Publisher: Simon Pulse
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 2.18 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 7.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Brilliant companion to an even more brilliant show

For fans of the hit show, this is an absolute must. Whereas the last 'Watcher's Guide' was geared a little bit more towards a younger audience, the second installement (looking over seasons three and four) is definitely aimed at adults. Each episode of the two series is given a thorough synopsis, with quotes, pictures and pop culture references. Particularly worth pointing out is the respectable explanation of season four finale 'Restless', a complicated episode that has whole pages dedicated to its meaning on the Internet.The interviews are much more interesting, and longer, than in the previous guide. For instance, gone are questions about distinguishing marks. The only nitpick is that there isn't a proper interview with the big stars of the show such as Sarah Michelle Gellar herself. Saying that, the extensive cast biographies mostly make up for this. These are even expanded upon by what is probably the most interesting feature of the entire book: interviews with the people behind-the-scenes of 'Buffy'. The guide looks at what went into designing and decorating Tara's room, for example, right down to minscule details such as paintings on the wall. There are even small interviews and biographies of the lesser stars such as Paige Moss who played Verruca, and Fab Filipo who played Scott Hope.Overall, this is a definite must-have for any 'Buffy' fan.

A superb companion book

The Watcher's Guide: Volume 2 covers seasons three and four of Buffy: the Vampire Slayer. Season three featured rogue Slayer Faith, the megalomaniacal Mayor of Sunnydale, and introduced a subsequent regular, former vengeance demon Anya; season four had the secret military operation known as the Initiative and their creation, the Frankenstein-like Adam, and brought on as regulars neutered vampire Spike and soldier-boy Riley.This book is incredibly in-depth -- with interviews of everyone from the main actors (Anthony Stewart Head, who plays Giles, and James Marsters, who plays Spike, are notable highlights) down to the set designers and makeup artists. It has summaries of every episode, along with the pop-culture references and notable quotes from each. It looks at the making of the season four episode "The I in Team," where season baddie Adam first appears. And, of course, it has pages of full-color pictures from the series. While not groundbreaking when compared to the first volume, it's still a solid, informative book in its own right.If you're even mildly a fan, you need to own this book!

The Definitive Buffy Guide

In Series Three and Four of `Buffy the Vampire Slayer' the show moved into a new dimension. The characters grew up before our eyes, new characters were introduced and the show cemented its place as one of the freshest most original pieces of sci-fi/fantasy television around. But why? Why was this show such a success? Why do millions of viewers around the world crowd around their TVs and take in the majesty that is `Buffy the Vampire Slayer'? You really want to know do you? Really?Then read this book. It really is the Buffy equivalent of the Bible. It goes into scary detail about plot, characters, cast and crew whilst dissecting each and every episode of Series Three and Four of Buffy into manageable bite size chunks. Not once in this book will you find any attempts to fill up page space with useless babble. The last third of the book is a fascinating look into the making of Season 4 episode `The I in Team' with interviews with almost every person who makes Buffy a joy to watch.Make no mistake; this is one book that no Buffy fan, from casual watchers to Buffy crazed fanatics, should not be without.

The Most Detailed Buffy Book, ever.

This book can only be summed up as EXCELLENT. This book had everything an avid Buffy fan would need. The detail in this book was amazing, as was its writing style.First off, this book deatils the world according to buffy, with all information on the Buffy world, be it monsters or harsh reality of life. It then gives detailed Character profiles, and summaries to show what makes each character tick. This is an excellent introduction to the book.It then gives completely detailed (and deatiled is the word) summary of each episode in both seasons 3 and 4, with refernecing to season 1,2, and tid-bits of season 5. It then goes behind the scenes with star interviews (every cast member and guest star), and behind the scenes of the episode, "The I in Team." It even lists the sudden departure of Seth Green (Oz) and why he left a major story line (and how it was trimmed back.)This book was an excellent piece of work, as it is greatly detailed with tremendous effort. It gives the reader everythng they wanted to know about Buffy, and her world. Nancy Holder, the Author, must be commended on her great effort (as well as her supporting authors).However, there are some flaws. The only major flaw is the countless number of typeos, this may not seem like much, but after a while you start to want to use the spell-check! Also, the last episode (Restless) should have been a little (little!) more detailed, as it was so different to other episodes in the past.Still it's a great read, and deserves 5 stars. A MUST HAVE for all Buffy-fans. Got Buffy?

Volume Two is Extra Special

This reference book is everything a reader wanted to know about season three and four of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. As volume one covered the first two seasons, The Watcher's Guide, Volume Two by Nancy Holder with Jeff Mariotte and Maryelizabeth Hart chronicles the next two seasons. In addition to the episode guide, character and cast profiles, the book explores the Buffyverse, the wonderful world of Buffy from creation to production. It has many features including quote of the week and scenes that were cut from the original scripts. Of course the romances are detailed with all their tragic passions. The pictures are wonderful. I also enjoyed the sections on the bands and merchandise. This book is a must for all Buffy fans.