Season Four marks a huge turn in the life of Buffy and her friends. In many ways aside from the mathematical, it is like a "midpoint" of the series -- the first three seasons take us through high school, the last three are more or less Buffy's ascension into adulthood.

And then there's Season Four, the "oddball" of the bunch. It is here that Buffy finds herself courting her one and only long-term human boyfriend, Riley Finn. It is here that the bleach-haired vampire Spike loses his one and only purpose, to inflict pain. It is here that the status of Willow's relationship takes a most unexpected turn. It is here that the military gets involved, proving to be both a help and a hindrance to Buffy and the gang.

The Scooby Gang roll call goes through dramatic rearrangement in Season Four. Oz makes a devastating departure. Riley Finn, assistant to Psych Professor Walsh, gradually eases his way into the gang via kissy action with the Buffinator. Also, Willow makes a new friend in Tara Maclay, who shares her interest in magic.

In typical Buffy fashion, a single arch-villain is introduced at a point. He is then hyped to all heck, and finally defeated by Buffy in the last Episode. But then -- in another aspect of Season Four's oddballness -- the villain is defeated and everything is "wrapped" up in the second to the last Episode, leaving room for one final Episode that is perhaps the weirdest of all time.

Much dismay has been expressed about Adam, this Season's archvillain, but he is one of my favorites. He is smarter than many of the other villains. There is a subtle rhyme and reason to his madness, less of an ego and more uncertainty of his origin, which is fascinating. Plus, his Hulk meets Terminator look is cool. Many of the other villains are overzealous in their mad quest for hate, hate, hate, power, power, power, and death, death, death.

As for new additions to the gang, both Riley and Tara take some getting used to.

Riley is like the total antithesis of "tall, dark and handsome". He's more like too tall, not very bright, and I guess "cute-ish" would be the word? Still, he holds his own in the wit department and obviously in fighting as well. Just when you're starting to like him, he goes all dick in Season Five before disappearing.

Tara is described by some as looking like a "stoner", against which I have no argument. But it really is more of an aftertaste than a taste. You don't want to say you just plain don't like her because then it's like people think you judge her by her looks or even by the whole lesbian thing. Giving it time, and re-watching has improved my opinion of her somewhat. She always seems to have that far-off look in her eye, like she's not all "there". The whole stuttering thing borders on annoying as well. At one point, Faith makes fun of it, and it's not that you would do the same thing, but I always get mad at myself because I'm not madder at Faith for being so mean, if that makes any sense. But still, Tara's shy, vulnerable demeanor actually works nicely with Willow's unrelenting kindness.

Strangely (or maybe not so strangely), both of these character add-ons are removed from the series by the end of the Sixth Season, one of them in the middle of the Fifth with a one-Episode cameo in the Sixth.

Gosh, a whole nother 22 synposes, another 22 quotes to look up. I can't take much more of this!

Episode 1: The Freshman (8/10)
Buffy and Willow are getting ready to start college, but naturally, adjustment comes easier for Willow (and Oz) than for Buffy. A vampire calling herself "Sunday" gets the best of Buffy and takes her down. I love Buffy and Xander's little "reunion" at the Bronze, as well as Giles' reluctance to get back into the action, only to come running at the end out of guilt. Too little too late for him this time, but thank goodness he's sticking around! I always get confused between this Episode and Season Five altogether, both of which find Buffy getting her ass kicked by another blonde. The script here is excellent; I found it damn near impossible to pick just one quote.
Best Quote:
Vamp Girl: "Does this sweater make me look fat?"
Sunday: "No. The fact that you're fat makes you look fat."

Episode 2: Living Conditions (7/10)
College roommates. How can you be sure of what you're getting into there? Well, for Buffy that question can be answered by Celine Dion posters and Cher's song "Believe" repeated incessantly. Kathy, her roommate, is so obsessive-compulsive that her presence seems to linger around a lot longer than two Episodes. As you might imagine, there's a lot more to her than meets the eye, much less beats the ears.
Best Quote:
Xander: "Something apocalypse-y? Do we need to assemble the Scooby gang?"
Buffy: "No, but thank you for asking."
Xander: "I just got way too excited, didn't I?"

Episode 3: The Harsh Light Of Day (6.5/10)
Spike and Harmony are in search of a certain Gem of Amara that could make him invincible, even to sunlight! Buffy finds out about it and decides maybe a certain other vampire could use it, one that probably deserves it more. There is a crossover Episode of Angel that kind of "goes" with this one, but I haven't seen it yet. The sight of Spike and Buffy fighting in the sunshine is a real treat; Harmony on the other hand is the most annoying and pointless character in the whole Season. That's what I thought Anya was going to be in Season Three, but it's funny how her literal interpretation and straightforward mention of things can grow on you. Case in point:
Best Quote:
Anya (to Xander): "I like you. You're funny, and you're nicely shaped. And frankly, it's ludicrous to have these interlocking bodies and not... interlock. Please remove your clothing now."

Episode 4: Fear, Itself (4/10)
There are a lot of little things in this Episode to like -- Oz's "God" nametag (the way it fits into the conversation is great), the mild progression of Xander and Anya's relationship, another glimpse of the mysterious camouflaged guys, Giles in a sombrero, and "actual size" (you'll see). But overall, it feels more like a half-baked rehash of another Episode, "Surprise". And I distinctly remember falling asleep the first time I watched this one, although that could have just as much been from a tough day at work. No shortage of those, that's for sure.
Best Quote:
Buffy: "This is much better. There is no problem that cannot be solved by chocolate."
Willow: "I think I'm gonna barf."
Buffy: "Except that."

Episode 5: Beer Bad (2/10)
Ouch, indeed. I can't be absolutely certain just yet, but this may just be the bottom of the Buffy totem pole right here. Buffy's brief love interest Parker is revealed to be sort of a "drive-by" when it comes to relationships, and next thing you know, everybody's drinking beer and turning into cavemen and all kinds of weird crap. Xander (who is working at a bar using what looks like Matt Dillon's driver's license) and Willow (who totally kicks Parker's ass in one scene) are the only two shots of redemption to be found here.
Best Quote:
Willow: "Just how gullible do you think I am? I mean, with your gentle eyes, and your shy smile, and your ability to talk openly only to me. You're unbelievable."

Episode 6: Wild At Heart (8/10)
You knew it was only a matter of time before this whole Oz/werewolf thing caused a serious problem. The problem now is that there is another werewolf in town, and it's a girl. She tells Oz to embrace his inner wolf, and the way he handles it may be a bit on the flaky side, much like Paige Moss' performance. But the end of this Episode, when Oz is sitting in his van, it plays with your heart the way that you no doubt have grown to love and hate by now.
Best Quote:
Willow: "Oz, don't you love me?"
Oz: "My whole life, I've never loved anything else."

Episode 7: The Initiative(8/10)
Here's where the fun begins. Professor Walsh and Riley Finn are a part of an underground military group that has been capturing demons and performing experiments on them. Turns out Spike was one such demon, but he escaped! And next thing you know, he's in Willow's room, slowly approaching for a bite. Only then does he discover the Initiative has implanted a chip in his head that causes him intense pain every time he tries to hurt someone. D'oh! The resulting scene between him and Willow afterward is priceless.
Best Quote:
Xander: "Every man faces this moment. Here, now. Watching, waiting for an unseen enemy that has no face. Nerve endings screaming in silence. Never knowing which thought might be your last."
Giles: "Oh, shut up!"

Episode 8: Pangs (6/10)
Angel makes one of his rare appearances in this "Thanksgiving" Episode. A Native American spirit called "Hus" is inadvertently released, and he's still seeking vengeance on the "white settlers". It's one of the more "average" Episodes, with the exception of some hilarious Spike-antics in the latter half.
Best Quote:
Spike: "You won. All right? You came in, and you killed them and you took their land. That's what conquering nations do. It's what Caesar did, and he's not going around saying, 'I came, I conquered, I felt really bad about it.'"

Episode 9: Something Blue (8/10)
Wasn't it Darkwing Duck that said "Let's get dangerous"? That would be a theme for Willow's magical abilities at this point. Still distressed over Oz' absence, Willow starts accidentally causing things to happen simply by making sarcastic remarks about them. Now Giles is going blind, and what's worse, Buffy is engaged to Spike! The whole Buffy/Spike thing is cool, but it does seem kind of "overtoyed" if you know what I mean.
Best Quote:
Anya: "I'd been dumped. I was miserable. Doing a few vengeance spells - boils on a penis, nothing fancy."
Xander: "Please skip ahead."

Episode 10: Hush (10/10)
Quite possibly the finest Episode of BtVS there is. The residents of Sunnydale are rendered unable to speak, thanks to a spell by some new villains in town, The Gentlemen. A good 25 or more minutes of this Episode is completely silent. What makes it even more effective is when the silence is shattered by someone dropping a glass, or the voice of a Mac computer. There are too many brilliant scenes here to count -- Giles and the projector (and those graphic drawings!), Riley discovering Buffy's fighting ability, Willow and Tara's first act of teamwork. It never ceases to surprise me, just how entertaining this Episode is without a word being spoken. It's downright frightening when someone gets attacked and they can't scream for help, while the monsters are toying with instruments that look oddly like those of a dentist. Also of particular interest is that this was the last Episode to air before Y2K.
Best Quote:
Professor Walsh: "So this is what it is. Talking about communication. Talking about language. Not the same thing. It's about inspiration. Not the idea, but the moment before the idea, when it's total. When it blossoms in your mind and connects to everything. It's about the thoughts and experiences that we don't have a word for."

Episode 11: Doomed (8/10)
Picking up right where Hush left off, Doomed tests the teamwork of Buffy and Riley, now that they know the truth about each other. All it takes is an earthquake to send Buffy into an emotional tailspin, seeing as how last time Sunnydale had an earthquake was the same day that she "died". Xander is not happy about Spike staying in his basement; great scenes here involving that whole shindig. There is a lot of great stuff here involving Spike, such as when he sticks up for Buffy in her absence. Or the end battle in which Spike discovers that the chip in his head only causes pain when he attempts to hurt humans, not demons. So he goes ape on the demons for a while.
Best Quote:
Riley: "What's a Slayer?"
Forrest: "Slayer? Thrash band. Anvil-heavy guitar rock with delusions of Black Sabbath."
Riley: "You're telling me she doesn't exist."
Forrest: "Oh, wait a sec. Am I bursting somebody's bubble here? Maybe this is a bad time to tell you about the Easter Bunny."

Episode 12: A New Man (6/10)
Giles gets turned into a demon, like, totally! Although this is kind of a "filler" Episode, quite a bit happens. The mystery of a supervillain starts to unravel, Willow and Tara grow ever closer, and would you look at that, we got us a car chase! There are a few slight continuity issues if you tend to notice that stuff, and Giles' transformation doesn't actually happen 'til fairly late. Still, the foreplay is always fun.
Best Quote:
Riley: "Don't get me wrong, the girls I grew up with could hold their own, but, well, I'm not even sure I could take you."
Buffy: "That all depends on your meaning."

Episode 13: The I In Team (7.5/10)
Buffy is now a part of the Initiative, working alongside them to bring down demons. Unfortunately, Willow and the rest of the gang feel like their hang-out sessions just aren't the same. At the end, Maggie Walsh sends Buffy on a mission that turns out to be something else entirely. The way Riley gets played at the end of this, along with Buffy's face showing up on the TV screens (you just gotta see it) makes for one real intense ending. The ending finds our supervillain, Adam, awakening to his first murder... of the very person who created him.
Best Quote:
Buffy: "A twinkie? That's his lunch? Oh, he is so gonna be punished."
Willow: "Everyone's getting a spank but me."

Episode 14: Goodbye Iowa (8/10)
Marc Blucas finally gets a chance to show his true acting skills as a very perturbed Riley. As if the knowledge that his very own Initiative tried to off Buffy weren't bad enough, then he finds out that Spike's been hanging around with the gang, and he's having withdrawals from the military "drugs" he was being fed. Adam's out there getting all philosophical and doing some disturbing murdering. Buffy and Xander sneak into the Initiative (Even in a lab coat and glasses, Buffy looks hot!) just in time for Adam to return there and tell all about his origin, as well as what's been happening to Riley.
Best Quote:
Buffy: "When I find it, I'm going to make him pay for taking that kid's life. I'll make him die in ways he can't even imagine. (pause) That probably would have sounded more commanding if I wasn't wearing my yummy sushi pajamas."

Episode 15: This Year's Girl (Part 1 of 2) (7/10)
Mixed feelings here. There is very little room for more subplottage, but I LOVE Faith. And here is where she finally wakes up from her coma, still thinking that it's Graduation Day! Seeing Mayor Wilkins (even if it's just on tape a la Randy in Scream 3) is a treat. Anyway, Faith gets one last "gift" from him, something that will cause her and Buffy to switch bodies.
Best Quote:
Buffy: "She's a very dangerous woman."
Riley: "Okay, I get it, Faith bad. Do I look like I'm arguing?"
Buffy: "Not yet. But you always make that innocent face right before you start."
Riley: "Figured that out, huh? Damn. Took Mom twelve years to catch that one."

Episode 16: Who Are You (Part 2 of 2) (9.5/10)
I've always been a sucker for the whole body-switcheroo thing, but this is hysterical. Seeing Faith (in Buffy's body) in the mirror working on her "Because it's wrong!" lines cracks me up every time. Her interactions with the gang are also both a hoot and sometimes kind of emotional. Meanwhile, the real Buffy (in Faith's body) has been taken by the police, only for the Council to take her from the police. A real mess we got here! But somehow, everyone manages to meet back up at a church where a bunch of vamps are about to feast on the people there. Being on the good guys' side has caused strange feelings in Faith. The shot I mentioned where Faith stakes a vampire from behind while it's attacking Buffy (which we see over Buffy's left shoulder) happens for the 3rd time here. Although actually it's Buffy in Faith's body doing the staking, but still. I don't know why, but I think Eliza looks SO cool in that shot this time. She jumps on Buffy and starts punching away shouting "Murderer!" which of course is really her anger at herself. When all is said and done, Faith leaves town and Buffy is left with the scathing reality that Faith "slept" with Riley. The following exchange between Willow and Tara is simply beautiful.
Best Quote:
Willow: "Tara, it's not like I don't want my friends to know you. It's just... well, Buffy's like my best friend, and she's really special. And there's this whole bunch of us, and we sort of have this group thing that revolves around the slaying. And- and I really want you to meet them. But I just kinda like having something that's just, you know, mine. And I usually don't use so many words to say stuff that little, but do you get it at all?"
(Tara nods, Willow gets up and is about to walk away)
Tara: "I am, you know."
Willow (turning around): "What?"
Tara: "Yours."

Episode 17: Superstar (7/10)
You may or may not have noticed/remembered Jonathan Levinson up to this point. He was always kind of the "class loser", but in this Episode, all of a sudden he's great at everything and loved by everyone. He takes out vamps with the gang, helps out the military, beats Giles at chess, and he invented the Internet. According to the gang, he was the one who smashed The Master's bones and defeated the Mayor at graduation. As you might have guessed, it's all the product of a spell he had cast that made him into everyone's "ideal", and what's worse, it's retroactive. This one's kind of predictable and maybe a bit over-the-top, but fun to watch. The opening credits are brilliant, and Danny Strong is great.
Best Quote:
Willow: "I don't care if it is an orgy of death, there's still such a thing as a napkin."

Episode 18: Where The Wild Things Are (5/10)
By now, the side-plots are starting to feel extraneous. In this one, the sexually-repressed spirits of some kind of foster children (Children? Sexually repressed? How bizarre) are coming out and causing Buffy and Riley to go horizontal for what seems like forever. But it's not just the two of them; the whole house is haunted by this repressed sexual energy. There is one wall that makes you horny just by touching it. I don't know, this one is just a little "out there" for my tastes. Still, Anya does provide some nice comic relief. And the sight of Giles playing "Behind Blue Eyes" is accountable for at least 2 of those 5 points. Go Giles!
Best Quote:
Xander: "Anya, what are you doing with him?"
Anya: "We didn't have sex, if that's what you mean. That's all I do now, not have sex."

Episode 19: New Moon Rising (8/10)
And just when Willow was finally starting to find true happiness again, here comes the return of Oz. He takes her outside and tells her to look up. There it is, a full moon, no werewolf! Hooray for Oz! As you well know, it's only a matter of time before he finds out about Tara, and this finds him turning into a werewolf again, in broad daylight. Next thing you know, it's Initiative Headquarters for him. Riley undergoes a bit of an arc here, and military bigotry takes a beating, which is always a pleasure.
Best Quote:
Riley: "Buffy, I leave now, I can't ever come back... (pause) ...I just wanted to hear that out loud."

Episode 20: The Yoko Factor (9/10)
Oh boy, it's really spilling over now. Spike has just made a deal with Adam to get the chip out of his head. But first, he has to go and turn the gang all against each other. To complicate things even more, Angel is back in town for a while, and he and Riley are more than a little "at odds". This episode is a completely beautiful mess.
Best Quote:
Spike: "You're not exactly the whiz these days, either."
Willow: "I am a whiz."
Tara: "She is a whiz."
Willow: "If ever a whiz there was."

Episode 21: Primeval (8/10)
As showdowns go, Buffy vs. Adam is a real treat, especially with all the Matrix effects! Having just seen the end of Season Five, though, the end of Four doesn't pull even half the same emotional gravity, just a typical battle of the little good guys against the big bad whatever. It's a clean break from the whole military side of things, and there are quite a few cringe-worthy moments such as when Riley digs into his own shoulder trying to pull that chip out. I love how Buffy and Willow "make up", and Xander joins in the hugfest, then says "We're going to die, aren't we!?"
Best Quote:
Senator: "The Initiative itself will be filled in with concrete. Burn it down, gentlemen. Burn it down, and salt the earth."

Episode 22: Restless (6.5/10)
A simple Google search for "buffy restless" will turn up hundreds upon hundreds of results, each one with its own interpretation as to what the blue blazes this Episode means! They say you either love this Episode or hate it. I'm caught in the middle as always, only loving it as much as I do because I know that I could love it more if I had all the Episodes memorized and I knew what every single little thing meant. It's far less time consuming to just read the theories for yourself and vaguely understand what they are alluding to. It's not even just references to other Episodes, either -- we got references to Apocolypse Now (whereby Snyder makes an interesting cameo), references to T.S. Eliot, Death Of A Salesman, and so on and so forth. Each of the four characters comprising our core group (Buffy, Willow, Xander, Giles) falls asleep while watching movies, and they all get stuck in a dream sequence that seems to represent, individually, their greatest fears. The Cheese Man to me was always like a representation of comfort. Sometimes you just have to block it all out and think of something completely whacko to make yourself forget. And the Cheese Man is that very thing. People refer to things as "cheesy" such as happy music, smiling faces, sunshine, all the stuff you are taught as a kid to love. And therein lies the comfort. Anyway, that's the tip of the iceberg of my theory on him. As for the rest of it, I don't know if what I'm seeing/interpreting is too obvious or too shrouded, or a combination of the two. I mean, if you throw a bunch of weird images together and people find that they can identify with it, I wouldn't argue against the end justifying the means. I guess for me, in the end, this Episode leaves me feeling much as its title suggests.
Best Quote:
Xander: "So, what you been doing? Doing spells? She does spells with Tara."
Oz: "Yeah, I heard about that."
Xander: "Sometimes I think about two women doing a spell. And then I do a spell by myself."

Season Four: 157/220 = 71.36%
Season Three: 169/220 = 76.82%
Season Two: 166/220 = 75.45%
Season One: 77/120 = 64.17%

Season 7
Season 6
Season 5

So while Season Four is not quite up to the par established by the previous two Seasons, it still kicks into high gear when it really wants to, and of course includes the spectacular Hush.

Some of the commentaries by Joss on this DVD set are probably the most interesting Buffy commentaries there are. Hush and Restless are accompanied by the Madman's thought processes; watching these two Episodes with commentary you can't help but feel like you're right there on the set with them, partying like it's 1999.

Doug Petrie and Jane Espenson offer commentaries on a few other Episodes, and as usual there are scripts, featurettes and a Season Overview.

When lining the DVD boxed sets up side by side, and ignoring Season One for a moment 'cause of its smaller size and all, each one has a picture of Buffy at the bottom. Season Four would be the lone exception; Willow is in the picture as well. Surely because her revelation is the most shocking. Or at least was, five years ago. The times, they are a changin'!



Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD