At the end of Season 3, the graduating class has just defeated the Mayor’s Ascension and blown up the High School in the process… so that makes it convenient that the Sunnydale crew we’re most interested begins their first year of college this season. Faith is in a coma and Willow is beginning to dabble more and more in the magics. Season 4 centers around growing up, learning those harsh life lessons… and there’s a whole heck of a lot of foreshadowing for the next three seasons in here!

Hardly surprising, but I absolutely love these DVDs. Of the seven seasons, this may rank as one of the weakest seasons, but has a couple of the best overall stand-alone episodes (Hush). This season also introduces us to Tara, a very vital character in upcoming seasons, and sets the scene for Xander and Anya's relationship. Riley comes in as Buffy's new beau, and for most of the fan base, me included, there's a lot of resentment toward Mr. Finn, since we all see him as Angel's replacement, and who-oh-who could ever replace tall, dark and brooding Angel? But re-watching these episodes, I realize I didn't give Riley the chance he deserved. His character is actually a very good one, helping Buffy to grow and learn more about herself and her powers. Sadly, this season also says goodbye to one of my favorite characters, Daniel Osbourne ("Oz"). Again, a lot of fans saw Tara as the reason Oz and Willow didn't get back together, and resented her for it. It took me a while to warm to her, but I eventually did, and I realize now that if I weren't so darn stubborn, and loyal to Oz, I would have loved her from the beginning.


Season 4 Episode Guide:

4.1 ~ The Freshman Original Airdate: October 5, 1999. Written and Directed by: Joss Whedon

Buffy has trouble adjusting to life at UC Sunnydale, she meets Riley Finn, who thinks she’s something of a blonde ditz, and Xander comes back from a summer of travel, a bit more mature, but still the same Xander. 7 out of 10.

4.2 ~ Living Conditions OA: October 12, 1999. W: Marti Noxon. D: David Grossman.
Kathy the Demon to her father: I'm 3,000 years old! When are you going to stop treating me like I'm 900?
Buffy’s overly friendly roommate, Kathy (who puts up a Celine Dion poster!), turns out to be a demon (no, seriously, I know, hard to believe) who needs to sacrifice Buffy in order to stay in this dimension… Boy, did she get stuck with the wrong roomie. 7 out of 10.

4.3 ~ The Harsh Light Of Day (Crossover with Angel 1.3 ~ In the Dark) OA: October 19, 1999. W: Jane Espenson. D: James A. Contner.
Buffy: Does this always happen? Sleep with a guy and he goes all evil?
While Buffy tries to deal with her feelings for Parker, she learns that Spike is in town, searching for a gem that will render him virtually invincible. Meanwhile, Anya returns, ready for a “relationship” (i.e. sex) with Xander. 8 out of 10.

4.4 ~ Fear, Itself OA: October 26, 1999. W: David Fury. D: Tucker Gates.

Buffy, still trying to come to terms with being used as a sexual object, reluctantly joins the gang at a Halloween party, where a demon that thrives on fear is accidentally summoned and everyone’s worst fears come to life. Comic relief when the demon finally materializes…. This marks the beginning of Xander and Anys’s relationship (as well as Anya in a costume that scares her more than anything else… a giant bunny rabbit). 8 out of 10.

4.5 ~ Beer Bad OA: November 2, 1999. W: Tracey Forbes D: David Solomon.
Willow: There are better men [than Parker], wherein the mind is stronger than the penis.
Buffy drowns her sorrows in alcohol while hanging out with some upperclassmen. Unfortunately, this particular beer causes people to turn into pseudo cavepeople, which allows Buffy to wallop Parker upside the head with a big, heavy stick. Oz starts hanging out with some trampy band singer named Veruca. Grrr… 7 out of 10.

4.6 ~ Wild At Heart OA: November 9, 1999. W: Marti Noxon. D: David Grossman.
Oz: The wolf is inside me all the time.
Oz finds out why he’s so drawn to aforementioned tramp, Veruca. She’s a werewolf too, only she embraces that evil side of herself. Upon trying to get her to lock herself in the crypt during the full moon, the two wolves end up… doing it doggie-style? (Forgive me for that, please). Willow sees the aftermath, and Oz leaves Sunnydale to try and reconcile his two sides. 9 out of 10.

4.7 ~ The Initiative OA: November 16, 1999. W: Douglas Petrie. D: James A. Contner.

Turns out that Mr. Riley Finn is one of the commando guys in the secret U.S. government funded program designed to hunt and experiment on demons and the like. He wonders what kind of girl would go for someone who acts normal by day and hunts demons by night. Spike escapes from said facility and finds out he’s impotent… in a vapirical sense of the word. He can’t bite or hurt a human. 7.5 out of 10

4.8 ~ Pangs (Crossover with Angel - I Will Remember You) OA: November 23, 1999. W: Jane Espenson. D: Michael Lange.

Angel comes to Sunnydale to make sure Buffy’s alright after Doyle’s vision. Meanwhile, a Chumash Indian spirit seeking to avenge the wrongs done to his people is on the loose. (Yep, if you’re remembering the word Chumash, it comes up later again in the musical referencing Xander… his penis got diseases from a Chumash tribe 7 out of 10.

4.9 ~ Something Blue OA: November 30, 1999. W: Tracey Forbes. D: Nick Marck.

Still depressed since Oz left, Willow tries her had at a spell that grants her wishes. Going a bit wonky, however, her every suggestion start becoming reality, Giles goes blind, Xander becomes a literal demon magnet, and Buffy and Spike get engaged. 9 out of 10.

4.10 ~ Hush OA: December 14, 1999. Written and D: Joss Whedon (of course).
Anya: A: This isn't a relationship. You don't need me. All you care about is lots of orgasms.
All of Sunnydale loses the ability to speak, and some fairy-tale monsters, called “The Gentlemen” come in to take their organs while no one can scream. Riley and Buffy both find out that there’s more to the other than meets the eye as they have to fight the monsters side by side. 15 out of 10… that’s right…

4.11 ~ Doomed OA: January 18, 2000. W: Marti Noxon, David Fury, and Jane Espenson. D: James A. Contner

More demons are trying to open the Hellmouth… Buffy and gang have to stop it, but this time, commando boy, Riley, is there to help… as is Spike, who finds out he gets no blinding paid from hurting demons. 7 out of 10.


4.12 ~ A New Man OA: January 25, 2000. W: Jane Espenson. D: Michael Gershman.
Giles: How did you know it was me?
Buffy: Your eyes. You’re the only person in the world who can look that annoyed with me.
Ethan Rayne strikes again, this time turning Giles into a demon. Buffy has to figure out he is who he is before killing him. 8 out of 10

4.13 ~ The I In Team OA: February 8, 2000. W: David Fury. D: James A. Contner.

Buffy joins commando boys, only to ask a million questions, much to Maggie Walsh’s dismay. To silence her, Maggie tries to have Buffy killed. We finally get to see what 𣽲” is all about. Seems the government is piecing together demon parts with human parts with machinery… and she calls him Adam. Adam shows us he's a pure evil killer with no remorse. 9 out of 10.

4.14 ~ Goodbye Iowa OA: February 15, 2000. W: Marti Noxon. D: David Solomon.

Adam is proving to be a ruthless killer, and Riley starts going through withdrawal from the drugs Maggie had been secretly pumping through his system. 7 out of 10.

4.15 ~ This Year's Girl OA: February 22, 2000. W: Douglas Petrie. D: Michael Gershman.

Buffy dreams about Faith, and in that dream Faith talks about “little sister’s visit” (I love Joss’s foreshadowing). In real life, Faith wakes up and tries to settle the score with Buffy. Episode ends with the two switching bodies, unbeknownst to anyone else. 9 out of 10.

4.16 ~ Who Are You OA: February 29, 2000. Written and D: Joss Whedon.

Faith decides to have some fun in Buffy’s body… and she sleeps with Riley!!! At the end, however, she does show a bit of soul as she comes back from a sure escape to help the helpless. 9 out of 10.

4.17 ~ Superstar OA: April 4, 2000. W: Jane Espenson. D: David Grossman.

Jonathan, previously known as the school nerd, soon to be knows as part of the nerdly trio, is a huge star and demon-fighting hero. Tara is becoming a more intricate part of the Scooby gang, and together, she and Willow are very powerful. 9 out of 10 (mostly for the subtle jokes)

4.18 ~ Where The Wild Things Are OA: April 25, 2000. W: Tracey Forbes. D: David Solomon.

Buffy and Riley can’t stop making love, not realizing that their passion is unleashing an evil, powerful force in the house. 7 out of 10

4.19 ~ New Moon Rising OA: May 2, 2000. W: Marti Noxon. D: James A. Contner.

Oz returns to Sunnydale (oh, yay!)… only to find out that he’s not the only one who has changed. He takes her outside during a full moon, showing her that he hasn’t changed into a werewolf. Then he notices that Willow’s scent is all over Tara, and his anger starts his change, in the middle of the day. 10 out of 10.

4.20 ~ The Yoko Factor OA: May 9, 2000. W: Douglas Petrie. D: David Grossman.

Spike, working for Adam, tries to alienate the Scoobies from each other, and almost succeeds… Angel and Riley spar a bit, like testosterone-driven teenagers trying to impress a girl. 9 out of 10

4.21 ~ Primeval OA: May 16, 2000. W: David Fury. D: James A. Contner.

The original Scoobies have to pool together their resources in order to beat Adam… and by resources, I mean Giles’s language skills with Xander’s military knowledge with Buffy’s strength with Willow’s wicca ways, resulting in one kick-butt, white-eyed Slayer. 10 out of 10

4.22 ~ Restless OA: May 23, 2000. Written and D: Joss Whedon.

Each of the Scoobies has very disturbing dreams, all of which will give us insight into what is to come in the final three seasons… They are haunted by something primal, something old… The First Slayer. 10 out of 10.

Total Average Rating for Season 4: 8.5 out of 10



Cast and Characters:

In the opening credits…

Buffy Summers ~ played by Sarah Michelle Gellar

Xander Harris ~ played by Nicholas Brendon

Willow Rosenberg ~ played by Alyson Hannigan

Oz ~ played by Seth Green ~ (4.1-4.6, sniff, sniff)

Spike ~ played by James Marsters ~ (4.7 on)

Riley Finn ~ played by Marc Blucas ~ (4.11 on)

Rupert Giles ~ played by Anthony Stewart Head

Referenced as Guest Star by Character name, though not yet in the main credits…

Anya ~ played by Emma Caulfield

Introduced to the Show, though not yet in the main credits…

Tara ~ played by Amber Benson



Miscellaneous Notes and Trivia:

~ Episode 4.10, Hush, was nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Writing in a Drama Series.

~ Joss says during his commentary for Hush that if you look closely during the opening sequence, Andy Hallett (Lorne from Angel) can be seen in the top left corner of Professor Walsh's classroom.

~ In Episode 4.16, Who are You?, where Faith and Buffy switch bodies, Eliza Dushku is listed in the opening credits as Buffy.

~ Episode 4.17, Superstar, also has funky opening credits that revolve around Jonathon.

~ In one of the episodes there is a billboard for the Sunnydale Times. There is a very simple website you can visit: www.sunnydaletimes.com.

~ The very last scene of the season shows Buffy looking into the spare bedroom upstairs (later to become Dawn’s bedroom) as she hears a voice telling her You think you know. What's to come. What you are. You haven't even begun.


DVD Extras:

~ Commentary by Joss Whedon on Hush and Restless... this is humorous and gives some very good information on what goes on in the man's head as he thinks some of these things up.

~ Commentary by Joss Whedon, Marti Noxon, and Seth Green on Wild at Heart... I love Seth's comments. He's so like his Oz character, very dry and very funny.

~ Commentary by writer Doug Petrie on The Initiative and This Year's Girl... This one I could do without.

~ Commentary by Jane Espenson on Superstar... This one just got on my nerves.

~ Season 4 Overview

~ Featurettes: Hush, Spike Me, Oz Revelations: A Full Moon, Buffy Inside the Music, The Sets of Sunnydale... Some of these were useless, some were packed with information I had no idea about previous to watching.

~ Original scripts for Fear Itself, Hush, Who Are You?, and Restless

~ Cast bios

~ Still gallery


Other Related Reviews:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 1 DVD

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 2 DVD

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 3 DVD

Once More... With Feeling, Soundtrack



Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older