Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Complete Fourth Season

great individual episodes   January 31, 2010
I liked this season, but I felt like the "big bad" never really got big enough, (as when compared with the big bads of seasons past). Adam had potential, but I think they waited until too late to introduce him. However, as far as individual episodes went, I think this season did very well. It had several clear themes and new points of growth for the main characters that built nicely on from past seasons, and perhaps my favorite Buffy episode of all time, Restless.

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HUSH.........   December 3, 2009

Though at times facing criticism as the weakest out of the first four seasons, Buffy Season 4 must, I repeat, must be watched organically with seaons 1, 2,and 3. When you do that, season 4 will take on a whole new meaning. You will realize what you thought were glaring weaknesses in in season 4 were brilliant uses of continuing stories lines from season 3, and a wonderful set up for season 5. Was Riley as great replacement for Angel, no--do I think he was intended to fill that role, no. He was a unique Buffy love interest who has to be taken for what he is--when you meet him, you will see what i mean. Though I tend to agree that Adam as a villain was rather second rate, there is much more beating under the heart of this season. Remember as you watch this season, that this is Joss Whedon bringing his characters into college life, and as a result much of this season is one huge metaphore. As the first three seasons did for high school life, he captures the college freshman year perfectly. To the roomate from hell, and classic episodes like "Hush" that deals with the issue of not only losing one's' heart, but one's voice, this season is filled with terrific acting and heartfelt story lines. Other terrific things to watch for as you watch the season, spike being collared by Riley and his group of commandoes masquerading as college students, and OZ being collared as well as he makes his return to Sunnydale. Other things to watch---Buffy's encounter with the first slayer, intense, scary stuff. Watch the season finale carefully and I dare you not to think it is one of the most brilliant season finales you will ever see. It leads perfectly into season five with one word important phrase, if you turn your ear away, you'll miss it so listen very carefully. One cannot miss episode, "Superstar" one can miss, and did miss, even according to Joss Whedon, "Beer bad." its such an awful episode, you still have to love it!


Season 4, Episode 1: The Freshman
Original Air Date--5 October 1999
When the Sunnydale High gang arrives on college campus, Willow and Oz -who even knows the site and people from his band, which has a cool house- take to academic life like a duck to water, Buffy like a fish on land, miserable with a plain roommate she can't confide in, lost, making a fool of herself with one of the rough, demanding professors. Buffy literally bumps into charming teaching assistant Riley Finn, but he is clearly more interested in fellow psychology buff Willow. Another literally lost student, Eddie, seems nice, but disappears the next morning. Buffy smells vampires, indeed a whole nest has formed a sorority. Visiting Giles, she finds him with a scantily dressed visitor, Olivia, and is told to mind herself except in emergencies, not the case yet apparently, however he will reconsider later. The vampire president is arrogant, hopefully enough to underestimate Buffy, who is greatly relieved to find Xander is back from his summer touring...


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Season 4, Episode 2: Living Conditions
Original Air Date--12 October 1999
From the start Buffy didn't get along with her fussy, girlish roommate Kathy Newman, who seems to have a different taste in all matters, but Kathy seems determined to follow her around. One evening Buffy shoves her out of the way to fight off one demon of a lurking type which Giles, to whom she turns in search of anything familiar, later determines as trans-dimensional. Even Parker Abrams, the nice, helpful older student Buffy met, who came for her to their dorm room while she patrolled, seems more interested in Kathy. The antagonism between the rivaling roomies grows to a 'demonic' dimension, while Buffy believes that Kathy's fingernails growing back daily must be a monster-characteristic. At last the gang decides to intervene, but an unexpected other interested party...


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Season 4, Episode 3: The Harsh Light of Day
Original Air Date--19 October 1999
Willow is bitten by bimbo friend Harmony Kendall, who turned vampire at the end of season 3, Oz chases her and she threatens her boy-friend will beat them up- that's actually Spike, who has a secret new underground layer and troop to dig for a crypt. Now Kathie is out of the way, Parker Abrams, who switched major from medicine to history, is ready to kiss Buffy, but the vampire alert (a 'bad puppy' is all they tell him) gets priority for a while. Harmony makes Spike bump into Buffy, he says it's too early, she blurts out they're after the stone of Amara, according to Giles a fictitious vampire grail-equivalent rendering invulnerable. Anya is eager enough for sex with Xander to strip for him- his objections last a mere minute. Buffy gets into Parker's bed, but no commitment either. The whole gang is summoned by Giles, who found the gem may indeed be in a crypt in the 'Valley of the Sun' i.e. Sunnydale; Spike already found it and dumped childish Harmony...


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Season 4, Episode 4: Fear Itself
Original Air Date--26 October 1999
In the Halloween night, Buffy is very depressed due to her non-corresponded feelings for Parker, and Willow, Oz and Xander convince her to go to a famous Halloween party in a fraternity with them to have some fun. Anya is also invited by Xander to join the group. However, while decorating the place previously, one of the hosts paints a magic symbol, the Mark of Gachnar, on the floor, and an accidentally spilled drop of Oz's blood awakens the Fear Demon Gachnar who is fed by fear, bringing panic and horror to life on the house.


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Season 4, Episode 5: Beer Bad
Original Air Date--2 November 1999
Gloomily gazing at Parker, who has moved to another one-night-conquest, still enamored Buffy misses out on another chance to approach charming teaching assistant Riley Finn in the college bar and accepts an invitation from some arrogant students. Those grossly embarrass the new barman, Xander, who finds the work and his boss harder then expected, while feeding Buffy gallons of pedantic crap and their adored 'panacea' beer Black Frost, which contains an inhibitions-blocking, addictive concoction, taken in such large quantities even turning them into ape-men, losing speech, wielding cudgels, setting fire to the college bar. Grumpy because her Oz has eyes for another band's female singer, Willow spits at 'never evolved, sex-obsessed' men to Parker, the cavemen knock them down. Giles loses her track after realizing Buffy's regression, but brave Xander kept up and saves the students from the fire; only her ex Parker is left to Buffy, who already felt like hitting him vindictively...


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Season 4, Episode 6: Wild at Heart
Original Air Date--9 November 1999
Just as Buffy discovers increased werewolf activity on campus, Oz escapes from his cage during a full moon and runs across another werewolf, the sultry, sexy singer Veruca, and wakes up next to her naked in the wilderness the next morning.


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Season 4, Episode 7: The Initiative
Original Air Date--16 November 1999
Spike is captured by the paramilitary commando in the campus, but escapes from a hi-tech facility unable to bite or fight against humans. Meanwhile, Riley Finn (Marc Blucas) finds that he likes Buffy, but is incapable of establishing a dialog with her.


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Season 4, Episode 8: Pangs
Original Air Date--23 November 1999
It's Thanksgiving, and Buffy pushes Giles to host the gang 'as a real American'. Ankya finds her lover Xander particularly sexy in his new construction laborer's job, digging a deep hole during the ceremony for the newly built Cultural Center at UC Sunnydale, but he falls badly into an Indian grave inside the ancient mission, and thus releases the revengeful spirit of the Chumash warrior Hus, who can transform himself into green smoke or various animals, and starts by killing the curator with an 19 century ceremonial Chumash stone knife. The fact that Xander gets the very diseases (sick he seems as erotic to Ankya as sweating bare-chested) the Chumash contracted while virtually enslaved in the colonial era, and the choice of Hus's victims make Willow, who feels very guilty for the plight of the natives, and Giles, who insists Hus's victims are innocent, realize he must be after historical vengeance. Meanwhile Riley Finn's military Initiative commandos team continues implants rendering vampires unable to bite victims, notably Sîke, who is now chased from the hell-mouth by petty Harmony, and seeks refuge at Giles's, where he is however tied up. Angel is also around again, but insists to Giles and Willow -who disagrees- not to tell Buffy. Hus returns to the grave site to awake more Indian spirits, which jointly mount an attack on Giles's home during the dinner, wielding traditional weapons...


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Season 4, Episode 9: Something Blue
Original Air Date--30 November 1999
Willow has another try at active magic, trying to cure her lovesick longing for Oz by means of a spell which makes her will come true, but thinks it failed while it's only delayed and sometimes works otherwise, more literally then she meant, so without anyone realizing for a while she blinds Giles, switches Amy from rat to girl and back, teleports Buffy, makes her tell off Riley because she and Spike fall madly in love and actually plan a wedding and makes Xander attract demons. Only when Anya, Xander and Giles, who was looking for magic to help Spike with his feeding problem, figure out what has happened can the magic be reversed, but the council of the upper demon D'Hoffryn, who granted her spell, has summoned Willow, intending to recruit her as a powerful evil witch, not the failure she believed to be...


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Season 4, Episode 10: Hush
Original Air Date--14 December 1999
The creepy demons "The Gentlemen" capture the voice of the population of Sunnydale, to steal human hearts without scream. Giles find that in accordance with a legend, the creatures will be destroyed if a lady screams, but Buffy's gang plus Riley must fight the monsters voiceless.


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Season 4, Episode 11: Doomed
Original Air Date--18 January 2000
While Buffy and Riley disclose their secret lives to each other, three demons try to collect some objects for a ritual of sacrifice to open the Hellmouth for the Apocalypse. finding that he can fight evil, Spike joins Willow and Xander in their hunt for demons.


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Season 4, Episode 12: A New Man
Original Air Date--25 January 2000
Ethan Rayne invites Giles for a couple of drinks and puts a spell on him, transforming Giles in a primitive strong monster. Spike is the only one to understand the language spoken by the monster, and Buffy almost kills him.


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Season 4, Episode 13: The I in Team
Original Air Date--8 February 2000
When Riley tells the Initiative about Buffy, they invite her to join their ranks. But it soon becomes apparent that her independent attitude and need to question orders may not be what the Initiative is looking for.


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Season 4, Episode 14: Goodbye Iowa
Original Air Date--15 February 2000
Professor Maggie Walsh's only fellow researcher on project 3-14, Dr. Angelman, finds her killed by it, the 'demonoid' she assembled from various monster -, man and machine parts as an ultimate warrior: Adam is now loose and kills without any conscience. Giles can't maintain the Initiative won't come to his home when Riley turns up instantly, so the gang hides at Xander's while Spike barely escapes them by hiding under a corps in a tomb in his crypt, later to become attacked by demons who realize he turned good. Willow and Tara fail to locate the demon by summoning the dark goddess Tespia. Riley gets sick and aggressive -withdrawal from the drugs Maggie secretly mixed in the commandos' food- but goes after Buffy and Xander, who interrogated Willy the Snitch with him earlier and now break into the Initiative's military facility, where Adam also got in and explains he sees Riley as Maggie's other favorite (brain)child; Riley's rejection causes a fight...


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Season 4, Episode 15: This Year's Girl
Original Air Date--22 February 2000
Waking up from a long, deep coma having nightmares with Buffy, Faith goes to Sunnydale bent on revenge. Riley leaves the facility and meets Buffy. Looking for Adam, Buffy, Xander and Willow find a demon he dissected in the woods. Faith captures Joyce, Buffy fights for her mother.


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Season 4, Episode 16: Who Are You?
Original Air Date--29 February 2000
Faith and Buffy switch bodies. Trapped in Faith's body, Buffy is kept in police custody, but on the way to the precinct, the Watchers Council's retrieval team provokes an accident with an armored truck and captures her from the police car. Faith enjoys free life in Buffy's body, flirting with many guys in the Bronze, ultimately Ryan, and buys a ticket overseas. Willow introduces Buffy to Tara, who feels an evil aura in her soul. Willow and Tara risk a dangerous astral projection to the Nether Realm beyond the physical world to find the truth. Adam trains three vampires against fear, and they kidnap and threaten everyone in a church. Faith listens to the news in the airport and goes to the church, where Buffy, Riley and the gang are facing the monsters.


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Season 4, Episode 17: Superstar
Original Air Date--4 April 2000
When the fantastic Jonathan visits Sunnydale U.C., everybody wants to be with him: the inventor of Internet; lead actor of "The Matrix"; awesome vampire hunter; stunning singer; great author of successful best-sellers; amazing lover. Meanwhile, a weird and powerful long-armed demon also comes to Sunnydale, marked with an unusual signal. When Buffy sees the same signal on Jonathan's shoulder, she feels that something is not right in the reality.


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Season 4, Episode 18: Where the Wild Things Are
Original Air Date--25 April 2000
It's becoming clear Adam is bridging the natural 'racist' aversion between demons and vampires. Spike eagerly stirs Anya's insecurity, even fearing a second sex-less night means Xander, who now runs an ice cream cart, is either no longer in love or physically flaw. Riley performs great in bed upstairs with Buffy and has planned a party downstairs in the frat house, mainly for the other commandos' moral. There weird, even scary things start happening, which drive everyone out. Willow and Giles discover that Lowell house formerly was a home for problem teenagers, where the prudish, still living director Genevive Holt, punished 'dirty deeds' so horribly that several victims have become poltergeists, who now draw energy from the love-making upstairs...


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Season 4, Episode 19: New Moon Rising
Original Air Date--2 May 2000
In the full moon, Oz returns to Sunnydale and spends the night with Willow telling that he was healed of the wolf thing in Tibet, using meditation, drinking some teas and using some charms. Willow has no courage to tell him her relationship with Tara. When Oz finds that Tara and Willow are in love, he becomes upset, loses control and transforms in a werewolf, being captured by the Initiative. Riley tries to help him, but is arrested. Meanwhile, Spike closes an agreement with Adam, and guides the Scooby group to the Initiative to release Oz and Riley.


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Season 4, Episode 20: The Yoko Factor
Original Air Date--9 May 2000
Spike was chosen by Adam to sow discord among the Scoobies, in exchange for eliminating his chip. He succeeds in stirring Buffy's loneliness, Willow's lesbianism, Xander's ineptitude and Giles's midlife crisis.


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Season 4, Episode 21: Primeval
Original Air Date--16 May 2000
When Buffy sees Spike in Adam's cave, she realizes that Spike is intriguing the Scooby gang to destroy their friendship following Adam's instructions. She meets Willow, Xander and Giles and they apologize to each other. They also realize that the monsters were not captured by the Initiative, but actually they are the Trojan Horse of Adam to fight against the commando from inside. Once Buffy alone is not able to defeat Adam, the Scooby gang decides to transfer the best of each one of them, i.e., the witch power of Willow, the strength of Xander and the expertise of Giles, to Buffy through witchcraft to make her powerful and capable of fighting against Adam. Meanwhile, Riley finds that he has a chip over his heart and connected to his central nervous system to modify his behavior and obey Adam.


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Season 4, Episode 22: Restless
Original Air Date--23 May 2000
Bufy, Willow, Xander and Giles decide to spend the night watching videos at Joyce's home. They fall asleep and they all share a nightmare with the first slayer.

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And the series starts to go downhill.... (1 of 1 Found this Helpful)   October 18, 2009
Buffy season 4. Widely considered to be the worst season of Buffy. Worse than season 1, season 5, or even season 7. I didn't really feel that way at all. I didn't really feel that the season was particularly good, but there were a few parts of it that I liked.

I want to first address some key problems that the writers were faced with. They started out the season having lost two great characters, Cordelia and Angel. Angel had left Sunnydale to be apart from Buffy, and to seek out his own spin-off series in LA. That joke's getting old, I know. They decided to move Cordelia to LA also, I guess because they didn't think they could do much with her on Buffy. And then, five or six episodes into the season, they lost Oz. Now that wasn't the writer's fault. Actor Seth Green wanted to leave the show, he just wanted to move on and try other things. That kinda stinks. Oz was one of my favorite characters. So just based on those problems, we already know this season may not be as good as previous seasons. To fill the void left by those characters, over the next few seasons, we get introduced to a few new characters; Anya, who was actually introduced at the end of season 3, Tara, Riley, and.....Uugggghhhhhhh......Dawn. Now I'm not going to go into this garbage pile of a character in this review, because she doesn't come on until season 5. However I need to talk about some of the others.

First of all, Anya. I hated this character when she first came into this season. She was kinda funny in season 3, but I just couldn't understand why Xander went to the prom with her. I guess he couldn't get anyone else to go with him. That makes sense. But to have Xander start an actual relationship with her, then almost marry her in season 6? SHE'S A FRIGGIN' DEMON!!!!! Well, okay, ex-demon, but still! Now I'll admit, she kinda grew on me, but still, her character didn't really serve any purpose on the show, other than to be the comic relief which was only funny half the time. Now, Tara. I know I could get in trouble for saying this, but based on the Willow who was established in the first three seasons, it made no sense for her to become a lesbian and fall in love with Tara. Willow had some really strong heterosexual relationships in the first three seasons. I read somewhere that Willow and Tara become cultural symbols or something in the gay/lesbian community. Now I didn't really like Tara as a character much, either. Why? She's not a character. She's just an extnesion of Willow. In season 6, she finally develops a something of a personality. But for this season, she serves no purpose other than to make Willow gay, and therefore make the show politically correct. Lastly, the character Riley. He and Dawn are probably the two most hated characters in the Buffyverse. I don't really know why everyone hates him so much. I thought he was an okay character. He's not one of the best characters ever, but I didn't hate him. In a way, he's what Buffy has always wanted. He is capable of having a normal, healthy relationship with her, and he knows how to take care of himself, so there's not too much danger of him getting killed for being close to Buffy. Now I don't think he's as cool as Angel. I think too many people wanted him to be as cool as Angel, and were disappointed.

Now as I said before, I didn't hate this season. I just didn't think it was very good. The first half of the season was mostly a bunch of cheesy, campy episodes. I liked the second half slightly better. I thought the initiative would be the bad guys. I thought professor Walsh could have been the main villian, I think that would have been cool, but instead, we get the cyborg villian, Adam. I didn't think he was very threatening, but he wasn't the worst villian ever, there would be worse villians in the future. A villian like Adam is really only good for one episode, or maybe a two-part episode. But at least he didn't obnoxiously take up the whole season, like Glory and The First did in seasons 5 and 7, respectively. The end of this season was not very good, but it was entertaining to watch. They defeat Adam by turning Buffy into....something....something really strong which apparently knows how to use the force. So they beat Adam, and then the season finale has them having weird dreams for no reason, something with the first slayer. Then they wake up, and the season ends.

Overall, not a very good season. However, there were a few episodes I liked. The very first episode, "The Freshman", I liked. I thought it was a great way to start the season. Buffy is feeling overwhelmed with all the pressure from starting college, and her friends seem distant. Because of this, her slaying suffers. In the end, though, she pulls it together and beats the vampires and begins her year with renewed confidence. I liked the episode "Wild at Heart". Even though it was Oz's last episode as a regular, I liked the drama. The episode "Hush" is considered to be the best episode of the whole series, and I'm inclined to agree. The episode was a great blend of horror and comedy. I liked the two episodes "This Year's Girl" and "Who are You". Faith returns and pulls a body-switch with Buffy. She takes up Buffy's slaying, and discovers she enjoys being good. Buffy swithes them back, though, and Faith leaves Sunnydale starting to feel remorse for everything she's done.

Those are about the only episodes I really liked. Other than that, the season is not very good. But it is way better than some of the seasons that were to come. I would not recommend buying this season. If you've seen the first 3 seasons of Buffy, I'd recommend you just start watching Angel. It's much better than the later seasons of Buffy. If you really want to see the later seasons of Buffy, then go out and rent them. Don't waste your money.

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Buffy goes to college   October 17, 2009
Buffy and the gang head off to college. Still fighting Vamps and demons, Buffy has a new lover in Riley from the ultra secret Initiative. More depth in the supporting characters and their lives. I still thoroughly enjoyed this season and highly recommend it to fans.

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Received what I asked for   September 24, 2009
No complaints about this product or sender. I received what I wanted in the allotted amount of time.

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