While Joan is supposed to be the saner and quieter voice of reason in the group, that title really belongs to William. He can be as over the top as Joan, but it comes off much funnier and a little less depressing, especially the stories after William leaves the law firm and is forced to take minor cases while practicing law at a restaurant his friends visit.

If you still prefer some realistic situations when it comes to people being married, you should turn your attention to the Darnell/Maya relationship. They don't nearly fight as much as Joan and Ellis and their fighting actually has some good point/counterpointing. This structure and style of fighting between them wouldn't really last in the final seasons, when their issues seem to be more self-made.

When the first season DVD was released, it came very bare with no special features or commentary. Things changed a bit with in the second season DVD set as they threw in some mini-documentaries about the show. With this third season (which includes all 25 episodes), you get an inside look into the fashion of Girlfriends in "It's What You Wear That Counts" and an overview of the third season with "Here Comes The Bride".

It's been awhile since I've seen the third season episodes of the show, so I don't remember how much of the music has changed. I do remember seeing a YouTube clip of the original music in the broadcast version (Shalamar's "A Night To Remember") and thought that the new instrumental piece rendered the scene (the girls dancing down the line) kinda flat. 

One thing is for certain — Golden Brooks certainly uses her dancing experience well.

The third season of Girlfriends may or may not be to your taste depending on what you want. If you prefer the more light-hearted, evened out years, stick to the first and second seasons. If you were tired of the hunky-dory stuff and want some real BET-style storytelling, the third season (and onward) is definitely for you. 

Despite my issues with the overly dramatic storytelling this season, Girlfriends is still one of the better sitcoms of late.