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Television
Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Complete Fourth Season

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Complete Fourth Season

List Price: $59.98
Your Price: $44.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Buffy Season 4 is a killer!
Review: The fourth instalment to the viewer climbing series. In this edition Buffy and her friends are off to college.

As we know, Buffys demonic love Angel left the series alongside Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter). But there is someone new in Buffys life. The nice guy Riley; who turns out (as Buffy) to be hiding a secret which could make there relationship for better, or for worse.

All in all this DVD is great, the episodes are clever and tastefully done.
This season also includes the Emmy nominated episode called "Hush" in which all of the residence of sunnydale lose their voices. Man, that would bite!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Common people, don't be so harsh
Review: Angel wasn't that good anyway! Don't get me wrong, I like Angel, alot better then Connor anyway, but he doesn't have much personality. Yah, I do agree this season was the worst of Buffy, mostly ruined by Riley, he was the worst idea for the show. I liked Angel way better then him. Cordelia was really good, I really liked her. Wesley rocked, but not on Buffy. He was funny, but he was so much funnier in the 1st season of Angel. This season however, I like Buffy, it was pretty weak. Oz leaves, Spike becomes a regular, no problem here. I didn't like Maggie Walsh, altough, I loved the part where she thinks Buffy is dead. She reports it to Riley, then Buffy shows up on the screen. Riley leaves, then Walsh enters 314, and Adam kills her. The episodes of the season are Something Blue, Hush, Superstar, This Year's Girl, Restless. But this season does include my alltime favourite Buffy episode, Who Are You! Faith wakes from her coma, finds a device left by the Mayor, to switch bodies. Sarah becomes Faith, while Eliza is Buffy. It's such a good episode that makes the rest of the season worthwhile. Spike is so funny in this season. I liked him best in this season. Buffy may be at it's worst here, but it's still better then anything else on tv, except, of course, Angel! But, it gets way better in the following season, so Buffy will always beat Angel!! Go Buffy!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: You have to love it!
Review: I started to watch buffy during the fourth season and I thought it was really really good. I have now gone back and seen the first 3 seasons and I still think that the fourth is the best season! You have nothing to lose if you buy it, it will be priceless forever, especially b/c buffy is ending this year.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: All the Buffy DVD's are worth having.
Review: It is a testament to how solid Buffy is that it survived the unsurvivable - the transition from a high school show to a college show. 90210 could not do it, neither could Saved By the Bell...they relied too much on the "high school" aspect of the show. But I digress. Yes, this season has some changes, and yes, some people will not like them. However, I believe one of the central themes OF this series is the constant changes and challenges the characters have to face, and how they prevail. If you look, you can find all the charm from the previous seasons in the episodes of season 4. Try and look past the "no more high school" part and see what you think.

Ok, some episodes are kinda beat. I hate the roommate one, just because the roommate is so narsty. I have never really been a fan of the season finale, either. But what about other stuff about which people seem to complain? ok #1 is Riley. Yes, He's NOT a vampire. But big deal, he's an apple-pie Iowa boy with a double life. In any other series he would look like a total bada$$ but next to Buffy he seems normal. #2 is Tara. She is NOT like the other characters, but breaks out of her shell slowly. Plus, lots of people will never forgive her for simply not being OZ. However, the way that she and Willow find a common bond (illustrated powerfully in "Hush") is wonderful; these are not two women who fall in love, they are two WITCHES who fall in love. Funny, isn't it. Xander loves a demon, Willow loves a witch, and Buffy loves a normal guy. #3 is Adam. I guess people think he was introduced too late, or is not "larger than life" enough. I LIKE the way they set this guy up ("my purpose is to extinguish life wherever I find it.") and if you think that his finale is kinda silly, think about the logic in the mayor's final episode from season 3 (don't get me wrong, I love season 3). Adam's realization that he is not invincible, just before Buffy kills him, is wonderful. His re-creation of Forrest and his insistent bonding with Riley is kinda cool. This season was a necessary transition between 1,2,3 and 5+. (As a result of this "transition" season, Season 5 was phenomenal, bright and exciting.) Blah blah if you have read this far I congratulate you. No I am not a blind buffy fan...I don't like the current season (7). But I recommend checking this one out, or you'll miss out, quite simply.

A :)

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: The begining of a painful end for BTVS fans
Review: After clearing inital doubts (nurtured by association with a 1992 big screen release of the same name)of quality, the BTVS empire was poised to become an unstoppable juggernaut. Not only had my prayers for a weekly series been answered, but the writing was consistently top notch.

And then, this season hit...Since Joss Whedon was now recognized as a hot creative force, he was in high demand, and consequently entrusted the BTVS world to people who apparently had lower standards.

On top of that, several key cast members from earlier seasons were written off. David Boreanaz and Charisma Carpenter's spin off into LA-based "Angel" meant the scooby gang was short two central characters, although it can be argued Carpenter had less of a critical role. Instead, we received numerous fly by night male partners as if the new writing team themselves was reluctantly having to admit they did not know what they were doing in the plot department. Pinning over Oz's departure, I do admittedly like Tara, but again feel newly hired staff incompetence is to blame for character development flaws.

Once an evil vampire, Spike was convieniently given a chip so he could attempt to approximate the 'good vampire role'. Novel the first time around, it could have worked on this attempt if the production team had stayed away from plot lengths which made scooby doo look like masterpiece theater. If the writers and production team were really that lost and bored, why even attempt to continue the show in the first place? At times it seemed as if they had not watched earlier seasons of the show and were simply filling the airwaves for activity's sake.

That most of the plots/subplots from this season are forgetable...from a devoted BTVS fan's perspective should provide a clear indication it would be better to tape record the syndicated episodes playing across the country on various cable and broadcast stations.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: GOOD
Review: ANGLES LEFT RILES HERE ONLY THING WRONG WITH THIS SEASON GREAT AND FUNNY AND DARK EPISOODES ARE HERE HUSH THE SCARIES BUFFY EPISODE EVER IS HERE TO COMPLETE YOUR COLLECTION

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Buffy Jumps the Shark
Review: If you are a fan of Buffy, buy the first three seasons on DVD, and to round out your collection, pick up the first two seasons of Angel. That's it, really, all you ever need to know about the wonderful universe Joss Whedon invented, and then so wantonly destroyed.

Season four is where Buffy starts to completely unravel. The deft wit is swapped for broad, moronic slapstick comedy. The creepy, multifaceted villains are replaced by a succession of unmemorable two-bit losers (the Gentlemen notwithstanding) who couldn't scare a slug. The plots are as thin as a shred of carbon paper: in place of the tight, focused storytelling of seasons 1-3, viewers get such time-wasting exercises as Buffy gets drunk, Buffy's roommate from hell, Buffy's one-night stand, Buffy & Co. guilt-trip over some dead Indians, Buffy and her boyfriend have sex for an hour, and let's not forget the entire episode devoted to that one-note wannabe, Jonathan! Story after story sails by with little or no attention paid to such basic elements as plot and character development.

It also doesn't help that season four features one of the most lame overall arcs (only season six's Evil Nerds were worse)'the Initiative'and its piecemeal Monster from Heck, Adam. The overall concept is so insubstantial that the writers were forced to come up with fluff 'n filler episodes like the above-mentioned Jonathan-fest to kill time until the season finale. And in that finale (the highly self-indulgent and juvenile "Restless"), Whedon tries to cram a season's worth of character development into a single episode, ultimately giving the viewers no insight into the characters that they hadn't already picked up when the Gang was in high school. Not even the return of the memorable Faith for two episodes could save this dog of a season.

And those flaws don't even take into account the rampant character assassinations. Giles spends most of the season wearing silly hats, singing, and generally being useless. Ditto Xander, who lives a loser life, works loser jobs, and dates a useless girlfriend (the grating one-note Anya). Willow inexplicably "turns gay" and regresses to the emotional level of a five-year-old, babbling baby talk to her newly acquired "girlfriend" (the boring-as-tofu Tara). Spike returns and is made a full-time cast member (why??), and a chip is implanted in his head that conveniently renders him incapable of harming humans, a contrivance devised so that he can become Buffy's "reluctant ally."

Another factor that hurts this season tremendously is the loss of several key players. Angel and Cordelia both left for LA at the end of season three, migrating to the spin-off series "Angel." Six episodes into season four, Oz (the marvelous Seth Green) departed abruptly, leaving Willow's arc in a lurch (and paving the way, unfortunately, for the arrival of the sleep-inducing Tara). Oz was a fairly small player, but an integral one; he brought a lot of color and humor to the series, and he was a simply perfect foil for Willow (unlike W/T, who had about as much spark as two dead batteries, Oz and Willow's chemistry was natural and effortless). His absence left a void that has never been really filled.

The addition of the mostly-useless Anya, Tara, and Spike doesn't help matters any (as replacements for Cordelia, Oz, and Angel, respectively, this sorry trio don't even come close), and Olivia, Giles' unlikely "lady friend" seems only to show up to silence critics of Buffy's monochrome cast. And Maggie Walsh (Lindsey Crouse) who starts the season as the Big Bad, is killed off at midpoint (due to Crouse's unexpected decision to leave), destroying whatever small menace the Initiative possessed.

The only bright light of the year is Buffy herself: somehow, Sarah Michelle Gellar managed to give convincing performances week after week, despite the most abysmal scripts she'd had to work with (frighteningly enough, it got worse in the fifth and sixth seasons). The other bright note is the much-maligned Riley Finn, played by the warm and likable Marc Blucas. A lot of fans dismissed Riley, as boring, incapable of replacing Angel, and lacking chemistry with SMG. None of these claims are anywhere near the truth: Riley was introduced carefully and well, and his relationship with Buffy was developed slowly and believably, with just the right balance of angst and joy. The writers did hit a few off-notes, but it's a testament to Blucas and Gellar that they so often rose above the sub-par material.

The only reasons for buying this sorry collection include: Gellar, Blucas, the two Faith episodes, "Hush," and Seth Green's terrific performances in "Wild at Heart" and "New Moon Rising." But those can easily be taped from the syndicated re-runs. Save yourself the money, or better yet, invest it in the first three seasons of Buffy, not on this pallid and inferior imitation.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Buffy Season 4 is [weak]!
Review: Buffy season 4 is a horrible year, with episodes like "Beer Bad" and "The Initiative", ...? "Hush", "Superstar", "Who are You", "This Year's Girl", and "Something Blue" are the only good episodes, the rest are all [weak]. This year introduces Riley Finn, a [not too bright] character with no depth who seems to be a student teacher at Sunnydale University, but turns out to be working for the government along with Buffy's english teacher. It makes no sense, and is introduced out of the blue. Also, the "big bad" of the season is "Adam", a frankenstein-like creature who is introduced near the end of the season and is destroyed before the season finale, which is an irrelevant episode about dreams. Season four is very [weak],...

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The Beginning of the End...
Review: Certain episodes were as good as the previous seasons, but most were fillers and didn't meet up with the usual standards. First of all, Willow being gay??? Where did that come from? No offense, but it didn't really suit her personality up to that point, and it seemed that her character completely changed because of it.

Also, Angel's absence and his replacement was just no good. Riley was good, but compared to Angel, he was out of his league in dating Buffy (sorry Riley fans!)

But the worst thing was the absence of Faith. The season would have been so much better if Faith had stayed. The 2 episodes with her in them were my fav's of the season. But anyways, this season was still worthwhile after all that complaining, but you can tell that the originality was starting to go downhill. (Buy seasons 1 2 and 3!!!!!)

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The First Change...
Review: If you ask any generic fan they will probally tell you that the fourth season is the least, but if you asked a season fan she will say that it was the one of the best (after a few viewings). During the season, there is much foreshadowing, about whats to come.

The fourth season was about change, and change it did have. It followed the core characters: Buffy Anne Summers(Sarah Michelle Gellar), Willow Rosenberg (Allyson Hannigan), Daniel "Oz" Ozborne (Seth Green), and Alexander Harris (Nicholas Brendon) out of high school and into the real world. For Buffy, Willow, and Oz the real world consisted of College and independence; and for Xander the real world turned out being many side-jobs that end up leading to his eventually life path.

The deduction of Angel (David Boreanaz) and Cordelia (Charisma Charpenter), from the show made it suffer a little, but there leaving was not in vain. The show gained the much fan loved Spike (James Marsters). Tara McCaly (Amber Benson) who would end up playing a much more important role than she should have. Anya (Emma Caulfield) the comic releaf ex-demon, who decides that she loves Xander. And finally Riley Finn (Marc Blucas) who was Buffy first and only "Human" Boyfriend.

The main point of this season was about how the transistion from High School to the "Real World" is hard, but it is obtainable. The plot consisted Buffy finding a new boyfriend who ends up being part of a government opperation that expirements on Demons, Oz's departure and the Willow dabbling in Magic and her sexulaity, and the introduction of Anya who in time would become on of the key players in the Buffyverse.

Season four has many stand out episodes: Hush (the only time Buffy has been nominated for an Emmy), Something Blue, Fear Itself (Who can't love the last 5 minutes?), Superstar, and Restless (Which still three years later, plays a very important part in its foreshadowing).

The Fourth Season DVD set includes 7 Audio Commentaries (The Initiative, Wild at Hart, Hush, This Years Girl, Superstar, Primeval, and Restless), 5 30-Minute-Long featurettes (Hush, Spike Me, Oz Revelations, Buffy: Inside sets of Sunnydale, and Season 4 Overview), Cast and Crew Bio's, and More still Galleries. This season has the most Special Features than any Buffy DVD to Date.

With the show finally coming to an end in May, It will be very interesting to collect and watch all the seasons; not just once but for many years to come, so Buffy will never fade into the Sunset.


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