Rating: 
Summary: THIS IS A MUST HAVE DVD!
Review: Buffy, in it's 4th season took on a new light. The slayer and her friends were out of high school, and are now entering college. Season 4 is a very powerful year for The Scooby Gang, as the show did a outstanding job of creating a college like experience (a change in pace and definition of the show) for both the characters and the audience. The three years of highschool before become history, as The slayer battles all new monsters, all new demons, and all new people in a brand new atmosphere. She must figure out whats behind a government demon hunting agency called "The Initiative", while pleasing her boyfriend Riley, attending college courses, keeping friends, and of course, saving the world from an army of mutant robot/demon hybrids. Because words can't describe how outstanding this season of Buffy is, it is a must see DVD for people of all ages, and all interests!This season includes many classic episodes including "The Harsh Light Of Day", "Restless", "Something Blue", and "Hush". Buy This DVD!
Rating: 
Summary: Season 4 was a little different...
Review: Season 4 wasn't like the previous three seasons of BVtS. Instead of focusing on the demons, it had a larger focus put on the X-Files-ish Initiative. Many people had a problem with the fact that there was no major "Big Bad" or apparently Adamn and the Initiative weren't enough for them. I on the other hand found this change to somewhat refreshing. It gave the show a fresh feeling and wasn't, for most of the season, bogged down by the story arc. It focused on the characters and delivered some high quality episodes with a lot of humor and horror. To me this episode was a season comprised of "filler" episodes, those that don't push the main story arc further but are typically more fun becasue of it. All in all, I think it was a great season, even though season 5 will always be my favorite!
Rating: 
Summary: Worth a Second Look
Review: The first time I saw this season, I thought that it was a steep drop-off from seasons two and three. The loss of the great gothic romance between Angel and Buffy, and the loss of Sunnydale High seemed like insurmountable odds, but the college life was actually pretty cool once you give it a chance. I wish that they had explored more of this, instead of getting bogged down with the Initiative, and Adam (worst.villian.ever.), because the transition could have been much cooler. Joss has gone on record as saying that this season could have been better, and while I agree, it's not as bad as I had originally thought.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but not as good as the first three
Review: After the first three seasons, fans began to expect a lot from Buffy. Unfortunately, season four doesn't quite live up. The first mistake was the introduction of Riley. He could have been an interesting character, but ended up being a subpar Angel substitute.
The "Big Bad" of season four was a government conspiracy. A departure from the vampires and demons fans grew used to. It was a welcome change, but in the end, it didn't have the same effect as, say, the baddies of the first three seasons.
The best things about this season are the episodes "Hush" and "Restles," and the introduction of Tara. "Hush" is not only one of the best episodes the series has produced, but it also proved that you could have an episode where no one said anything for almost half of it. "Restless" was just a really cool episode, and Tara evolved into one of the best, and underrated, characters of the next two seasons.
All in all, it's a decent season of television, though not always at the level you'd expect after the early years.
Rating:
Summary: My Fave Moments of Season 4
Review: 16 Great Moments of Season 4 (I started out with 10) 16. Miss Kitty Fantastico--Willow and Tara's Cat 15. I loved Sunday the Vampire in the "Freshman"--could have been interesting if she wasn't dusted so quickly. 14. I totally cried at the end of "New Moon Rising"--Oz leaving is so sad. 13. In "Doomed" Spike's speech about fighting evil--so inspiring--especially after he took off Xander's Tropical shirt. Plus--Riley asking Forrest about the Slayer--"Thrash band with deliusions of Black Sabbath." 12. Spike trying to bite Willow in the "The Intiative"--he has trouble performing. 11. "Superstar" is a great episode--Jonathan as the greatest human being to ever live--it is funny and well done--I love the line about "instant soup mix" 10. In "Harsh Light of Day" when Spike tells Harmony he loves syphalis more than her. 9. In "Fear Itself" Anya's Bunny Costume--Also Oz's God Costume. 8. In "Restless", "Where the Wild Things Are" and "The Yoko Factor" when Giles sings. 7. In "Who Are You" when Faith practices acting like Buffy---"Because its wrong" -- and Faith as Buffy flirting with Spike at the Bronze. 6. In "Pangs" when Anya gets horny watching Xander dig. 5. In "A New Man" when Spike is decribing Ethan and Giles to the Waitress-- "English like me--older less attractive." Plus the first car chase on Buffy. 4. Best Fights--Angel and Riley's Fight in the "Yoko Factor" plus Harmony and Xander's slap fight in "The Intiative"--also the punch Riley throws at Parker. 3. "Restless" A collection of dreams--from Wiillow's book report (in the same outfit she wore in Welcome to the Hellmouth) to Giles and Spike on swings in the Park, to the Cowboy Riley in the Play, To Spike the Circus Freak to Xander and Anya in the Ice Cream Truck to the freaky Cheese man--I just love all of the images in the episode. Plus some clues about seasons 5, 6 and 7. 2. "Hush" is classic television--sometimes things are better left unsaid. 1. "Something Blue" when Spike and Buffy fall in love (for the 1st time) and get engaged via Willow's sad spell backfired because Oz left. Spike and Buffy are such a cute couple! You can see them develop a hint of things to come.
Rating:
Summary: Superb, yet highly underrated - Review Part 1
Review: In my opinion, Season 4 is a superb season. Yes, it's different to all the rest but that's what gives the show depth and substance; it'd be a bit boring if Buffy slayed a few vampires in every single episode. Joss Whedon took a bold decision in making Season 4 different. Most viewers hated the fact that Angel and Cordelia were gone, there was the wood-like Riley and Buffy, Willow, Xander and Oz were out of high school. At least Whedon had the courage and faith in the show to take the transition it needed. Overall I think the first 11 episodes of Season 4 (all in this Box Set) are the best "first-half" episodes of any of the seasons - they're all good and unique in their own way. Season 4 opens with the explosive "The Freshman." The fourth consecutive season opener to be written and directed by Joss Whedon, we see Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) not coping too well as a freshman at UC Sunnydale. In a wrenching role of reversal from probably the first-ever Buffy episode, Willow is the confident girl while Buffy feels insecure and lonely; she is kicked out of Pop Culture class for talking (a subject she really wanted to take), is annoyed by her new roommate Kathy (Dagney Kerr) (who's a fan of Celine Dion and Cher) and gets her [butt] kicked by a super-strong female vamp called Sunday. Along with a few more vamps, Sunday wreaks havoc among freshmen at UC Sunnydale by stealing all their possessions and killing the owner. After a lot of sulking and moaning, Buffy is reunited with Xander in the Bronze - he's been travelling America for months, yet only got far as Oxnard and ended up working as a male stripper and cleaning dishes! Buffy gets her act on and eventually slays Sunday and her crew after they steal all of her gear. In "Living Conditions," we learn a lot more about Buffy's roommate Kathy. Buffy thinks she's so annoying - she snores, she writes her name all over her food with labels, she wears Buffy's clothes without permission and she listens to awful diva-like music! Buffy is tipped over the edge by all this and starts acting crazing, making the assumption that Kathy is an evil demon after they both have simultaneous nightmares involving force-feeding blood, scorpions and chanting. In the end, Buffy proves to be correct and battles Kathy - in demon form and sends her all the way back to the Hell she came from. In "The Harsh Light Of Day," Spike (James Marsters) and Harmony (Mercedes McNab) return to the show. The latter is now a vampire and Spike's girlfriend after she was turned a vampire in the Season 3 finale "Graduation Day Part 2." This is an emotionally tough episode for Buffy. She gets chatting with Parker (Adam Kaufman) before consequently making love. The next morning, he wants nothing to do with her. Buffy feels betrayed and hurt. She also has to deal with Spike who can walk around in broad daylight with the help of a gem. "Fear Itself" is the next episode and a superb one at that! It's the Halloween episode that occurs every two seasons - this is without a doubt the best. The Scoobies get locked in a house on Halloween, which is possessed by a demon Gachnar thanks to Oz - accidentally. The final demon is hilarious. To quote Willow, "He...he's so cute!" The next two episodes that follow are "Beer Bad" and "Wild At Heart." Both are pretty rubbish. In the former, Buffy gets drunk with a gang of unknown guys - but the beer she's consuming is drugged with a substance that turns her into a caveman...in a way. She can't speak properly and doesn't know who the Scoobies are - overall, a funny but lame episode. In the latter, Oz (Seth Green) is drawn to Veruca (Paige Moss) who turns out to be another werewolf just like him. They end up waking up together naked - yet Willow (Alyson Hannigan) gets the wrong idea and thinks they slept together when Oz actually did it to make sure she wouldn't harm anyone by locking her in the same cage as him on a full moon night. In the end, Oz leaves Sunnydale in a flurry not telling Willow where he's going. Willow is heart-broken. In "The Initiative," we learn a lot more about Buffy's would-be boyfriend Riley (Marc Blucas). Buffy's happy thinking Riley's a typical kinda guy, but she doesn't know he works as a soldier in The Initiative - a secret government military operation that captures demons/vampires and performs tests on them. Riley in turn doesn't know Buffy is the Slayer - but they come very close to finding out each other's identities. "Pangs," the next episode, is a Buffy/Angel crossover episode in which Angel (David Boreanaz) visits Buffy - yet she doesn't know. He lurks in the background watching her. It's thanksgiving and Buffy wants a perfect traditional meal - but first she has to deal with a Chumash tribe! "Something Blue" is probably the funniest Buffy episode that I have ever seen. Willow isn't coping too well with Oz's departure from Sunnydale so decides to perform a spell to make the grieving fly by. The spell goes wrong and everything she says comes true - next thing you know, Buffy and Spike are getting married, Giles is going blind and Xander (Nicholas Brendon) is being chased around by demons! The next episode is the classic "Hush." Hush is considered a ground-breaking piece of television in that it's almost completely silent. The episode was nominated for an Emmy and has earned classic status amongst Buffy fans. I won't spoil it for you because it's just so excellent, but I will say that it's very revealing towards the end! "Doomed" is the next episode. In this average episode, three demons plan on re-opening the Hellmouth in the library of Sunnydale High School. Buffy and Riley both know who they are; Slayer, commando etc. so go vampire slaying from now on. In other storylines, Willow meets Tara (Amber Benson) in a Wicca-group. They become good friends in Hush - a friendship that leads to love and Anya (Emma Caulfield) returns and starts going out with Xander. Overall a superb first-half to Season 4...
Rating:
Summary: Superb, yet highly underrated - Review Part 2
Review: The second half of Season 4 begins with "A New Man." This is episode 12 of the entire season, which makes it Buffy's birthday. Ethan Rayne (Robin Sachs) - Giles' enemy from England - returns. He meets up with Giles and tells him something called '314' which has demons quaking in their boots. Giles wakes up the next morning and has been transformed into a demon after Ethan drugged his drink the night before. Since he cannot speak English, how can he prove to Buffy and the Scoobies that it's really him and not just another run-of-the-mill demon, which Buffy has to kill? At the end of the episode we see Professor Maggie Walsh (Lindsay Crouse) of the Initiative enter a room called "314." The next two episodes are pivotal in the story arc for Season 4. "The I In Team" and "Goodbye Iowa" reveal a lot about The Initiative. In the former, Riley (Marc Blucas) introduces Buffy into the Initiative - something Professor Walsh is secretly not happy about. She decides that the Slayer is becoming too much of a threat and sends her on a set-up mission to take out two demons. The weapon Buffy is given by Professor Walsh is infact faulty and Buffy realises that she has been set-up. Riley returns from a mission as Professor Walsh tells him that Buffy is dead - but Buffy is indeed alive and non-too happy. Riley is appalled with Maggie Walsh and wants nothing to do more with her. Professor Walsh retreats back to room 314, before the project that has had demons quaking in their boots is awaken before killing Maggie Walsh. The project she's been working on has killed her - his name is Adam. He's now on the loose and intent on killing the Slayer. In the latter, Buffy is accused of killing Professor Walsh after the body is found. As if things couldn't get any worse, Faith (Eliza Dushku) - who was put in a coma by Buffy in Season 3's finale "Graduation Day" - awakes from her coma nine months on in the brilliant episode "This Year's Girl." She's upset and angry after realising what happened to her and is out for revenge - but also ashamed of herself. Faith also finds a device left for her by the Mayor. She comes to blows with Buffy, but runs away and goes after Buffy's mum Joyce (Kristine Sutherland). Buffy arrives to save her mum from "five by five" girl - but is subject to the devise that Faith uses. At the end of the episode Faith is carted off by the police and Buffy says "five by five"...a phrase only Faith uses. In "Who Are You" (written and directed by Joss Whedon), Buffy is in Faith's body and vice-versa; it seems the device possesses the ability to transform the being of someone into another person's body. Faith, in Buffy's body, decides to take advantage of the situation by having sex with Riley, making fun of Tara and much more. Buffy, in Faith's body - however, has been moved to London by the Watcher's Council but has to make her way back to Faith and transfer her essence into her own body to stop Faith wreaking havoc in the lives of Buffy's friends. But while this is all happening, Faith gets to really know what life is like for Buffy on a daily basis - back in her own body, ashamed and sickened, Faith leaves Sunnydale. The next two episodes - "Superstar" and "Where The Wild Things Are" - are stand-alone episodes, yet not very good. Is there any point in reviewing them? In "New Moon Rising," Oz (Seth Green) returns after leaving Willow at the end of "Wild At Heart" - Season 4's sixth episode. He has his werewolf condition under control, but Willow has a big decision to make. She's gay now and in love with Tara - will she follow her heart or accept Oz's wanting for her? In "The Yoko Factor," Buffy comes upfront with Adam - who feeds of bullets and fire power. He's tough and Buffy only just gets away. Angel (David Boreanaz) makes a guest appearance in Season 4's three crossover episodes. He doesn't like Riley and makes these feeling perfectly clear, but leaves in the end. Spike tells Adam that he'll separate Buffy from the rest of the Scoobies by making them fall out so that Adam can get Buffy on her own and kill her. The plan works. In "Primeval," the season's "finale," Buffy comes face to face with Adam in the Initiative caves and finally defeats him with the help of Willow, Xander and Giles who have made up after their spat. The actual final episode of Season 4 is "Restless." Written and directed by Joss Whedon, this brilliant episode is a firm favourite amongst many viewers. Buffy, Willow, Xander and Giles are followed around by The First Slayer who is trying to kill them all while they sleep. They all combined their unique abilities to kill Adam, but there's a price to pay - and the First Slayer is just that. There are too many things to mention, yet it's an episode which reveals a lot about what the Scoobies actually feel. At the end of the episode, Tara says to Buffy, "Come back before Dawn." This is infact a reference to Dawn, the new character who appears in Season 5 as Buffy's younger sister. OVERALL GRADE: 10/10 Overall, this Box Set is excellent and contains some phenomenal episodes. However, I would not consider it an essential Box Set for everyone - just Buffy's die-hard fans...
Rating: 
Summary: The fourth Season
Review: I LOVE Buffy, it is one of the best shows out there. This is by far the Worst season EVER. I mean come on, a group of army guys makle this almost invincible killing machine made of demon and human parts. And then you add the whole Riley relationship. Even the sixth season was better than this. The only reason im going to buy this DVD when it comes out is because i want the whole collection. The only good part about it is when Faith comes in to mess things up.The whole reason why it wasn't that good is the fact that they had very little, to no, character developements. That and the whole fact of how the only new character introduced in this season who lasted for longer than the middle of season 5 was Tara, big plus. Riley is obviously the wrong guy for buffy and you can tell that from the beginning. He has to live up to his predecessor, Angel, and he does not do a good job of it. Since buffy's the slayer, she has to be with someone dangerous, and riley is obviously not one of them. Another main thing that the producers learned quickly, thank god, is that Buffy isnt a college girl, they tried to make the college like Sunnydale High, which did not work out very well. They only had a few shining moments in this season; the bringing about of the first slayer, bringing willows relationship with tara, putting the chip in spike's head, and when Tara says "You think you know what you are?, whats to come? You've only just begun." which leads to the clincher of season 5.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT season.. with one big problem...
Review: Let's get the problem out of the way first... ADAM. Terrible. The worst "big bad" of all. The few episodes devoted to Adam and defeating him (only about 3) are terrible. Adam was not a good villan because he had no attachment to the characters. He was not really out to get Buffy and had no individual gripe against her. He was just a machine-demon-man concoction that happened to be around and, therefore, became the big bad. Boring.
The rest of the season was wonderful. The show dealt well with the sometimes difficult transition from high school to college with some of its signature humor in "Living Conditions" (Buffy's roomate turns out to be a demon) and "Beer Bad" (Buffy starts drinking for the first time and learns the rather unusual consequences). I also enjoyed that the show dealt with the possiblity that others (the government) would know about the vampires and demons and how they would fight them and interact with Buffy. Riley-Buffy romance was great and more grounded than the Angel-Buffy romance. The introduction of Tara and Anya as regular characters on the show was a great decision - the relationship among Xander, Willow and Buffy (though I love them!) just isn't enough to sustain the series for this many seasons without some outside intervention. I also have to say that the decision to make Willow gay was a courageous - and effective - one on the part of the writers. I even felt like Faith's appearance in Season 4 was effective whereas her long stay in Season 3 was more annoying than anything. She appeared in Season 4 with a purpose, but her stay in Season 3 seemed aimless and ultimately didn't add anything to the show.
Finally, two of my favorite episodes of all time are in Season 4: "Hush" and "Restless". Everyone loves "Hush" and so do I. Its a great episode and just shows how talented the Buffy actors, writers and directors are to have created an hour long episode with only about 10 minutes where the characters can actually talk. My very favorite episode, though, is "Restless" where the First slayer comes to the Scoobies in their sleep to kill them. The dream-like cinematography and amazingly surreal feeling in the episode is just astounding. Watch with commentary by Joss Whedon for a litte more insight into the episode.
Rating:
Summary: Great Episodes, Bad Villan
Review: Now, when I first bought this DVD set I got it only to further the completion of my Buffy collection. I thought that the 4th season wasn't any good...but was I wrong! Even though Adam was not a very good villian, the overall arch was very good. I love how Willow and Tara get together, and I also love Riley. Xander and Anya are histarical, as is Giles and his girlfriend, Olivia. Season 4 has some of the best episodes...EVER!! My 3 favorites are "Pangs" (Angel's in it!!), "Hush" (Silently creepy!), "Girl of the Year" (Faith is back and is FUNNY AS HELL!!!), and "Who Are You" (Part 2 of the Faith comeback). The DVD cover discribes this season. With the dark background and Sarah's lost-in-space Barbie look can be related to almost all of the episodes. (...)
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