Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Complete Fourth Season

Rating:
Summary: Supporting Cast brings out the best
Review: With characters such as Anya and Spike stealing the show many can see how the 4th season is one of "Buffy's" best. Not only was the flirtatious courting of Willow and Tara adorable, but the Anya and Xander romance was filled with comedy and passion. Spike added not only a sexy accent and body, but also a quick wit and well placed insults. Buffy and Giles both shined as they brought their characters to new levels and showed their acting talents in such episodes as "Who are you?" and "Restless". The only negative part of season four would have to be Riley, but then again any person that comes between the unavoidable Buffy/Spike is of the bad.. For all of you that have not seen this season check out these episodes...
~The Harsh Light of Day - Angst galore! with just the right amount of comedy to lighten the mood.. With Anya seducing Xander, Buffy sleeping with a player, and Spike loving STD's compared to Harmony!
~Hust - The silent episode that shocked everyone.. Isn't it refreshing to know that a show this great can go without dialouge?
~Restless - Cryptic and dreamlike this episode will not only leave you wondering, but it also gives hints into the future world of 'Buffy'.
~Something Blue - C'mon!! It's Buffy and Spike engaged!
~Who are you? - The acting of Eliza and Sarah shines as they play each others characters

In conclusion, a great season with excellent new characters and hints of the Buffy/Spike romance!

Rating:
Summary: Worst season of Buffy
Review: I love Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but the fourth season is a huge disappointment. Trying to survive without Angel, the show tries to take a new direction and fails. Although, the show proves by the fifth season that it perhaps can be as good without David Boreanez and Charisma Carpenter, it takes a whole season to get there, which shouldn't be the case. The villain of the season, Adam, was the worst ever conceived and the Initiative plotline was weak and uninteresting. Riley was perhaps the most boring human being ever to exist on Buffy, which is unfortunate considerng Marc Blucas is a good actor. They could have found Buffy someone more believable for her to be attracted to after Angel. There were so many more things that bothered me about this season, but I won't get into all of them. There were a few highlights, such as the episodes Something Blue and Hush, and the addition of Spike as a regular character, but other than that I'd say don't bother with this season. Watch reruns on TV, but don't invest in the DVDs. Invest in 1,2,3 and then 5 when it is released.

Rating:
Summary: wheres xander
Review: I love the dvd but why isn't xander ever featured on the cover? This upsets me! oh well!
This was a slam dunk season that showed us alot of things.
We saw changes bigger than any we've ever seen on Buffy before!
We saw changes in sexuality (Willow), Changes to the good side (Spike) and changes from girl to woman (Buffy). This was a phenominal season!

Rating:
Summary: Keeps getting better
Review: Season 5 has some of the funniest episodes in the series that I have seen. Truthfully I think that Riley makes a great love interest for Buffy. As much as I liked Angel, Riley gives life to the love where Angel just made it bitter sweet. Oz was not a pivotal character for me so his leaving was not an upset for me. Anya is a much more likeable character than Cordilia and the show seems a lot more lively with the changes and new additions. Spike is exceptional, I cannot wait for the sixth season to own Smashed.

Some critics have said Season 4 was horrible. I went into the viewing with an open mind because I have liked the series so far. I thought the first episode was a little choppy (Xander was not his 'witty' self) but soon even my skeptical brothers were hooked on the show. I am looking forward to season 5, as are my brothers who previously made fun of my addiction.

Rating:
Summary: Metaphors, Emma, and the Core Four
Review: When Buffy's fourth season aired, I did love it. But it was completely overshadowed by the wonderful fifth season. It began to descend lowly on my list of favorite seasons. Do not get me wrong, every single season of Buffy is intelligent and attention-given, but the fourth didn't thrill me as much. Having not seen the episodes in a long time, and even not watching them in syndication, must have really prepared me for the release of the fourth season because I believe I enjoyed every single second of it even more than I did when all of the episodes premiered on television.

With Angel and Cordelia off to pursue LA (and David Boreanaz and Charisma Carpenter, along with Alexis Denisof, to pursue their own show), Buffy's season 4 opens with the gang starting college at UC Sunnydale. Everyone fits in, except for Buffy. She feels small and alone in the big "new world." Xander also, after his nearly outside of California roadtrip, feels he doesn't know where he belongs. This is just a minute foreshadowing of the whole theme of season four, and that is growing up and beginning the quest to find where one belongs. Joss Whedon always substituted his monsters as for real life situations, and here he begins to show us real life in the show, just ... with monsters that still were metaphors. Having made that sense of that sentence, I will continue to say that every episode of season four is grand in its own way. Silly stand alones like Beer Bad and Superstar (woo Danny Strong!) were hilarious. Eliza Dushku's 2 episode return caused quite an uproar for the Slayerettes and quite thrilling those episodes were. Joss-directed Hush and Restless were both Emmy worthy, as even Hush was nominated. Although a bit on the off-side, the whole Initiative deal worked. And worked better viewing on the DVD.

The whole cast once again upped the ante and matured their acting abilities as they matured their characters. Emma Caulfield became a recurring character during season four, and I thank the casting people for making that decision. Marc Blucas as Riley is brought in as Buffy's new love interest, and I was one of the few who liked the character and was ready for something new. James Marsters returns as Spike, and his aura adds a LOT to the show. Also, a great addition was Amber Benson as Tara. Willow and Tara's relationship was handled minorly yet effectively, and in the best way.

A plethora of commentaries spread across the set, with even Seth Green popping in for one. Many featurettes give us nifty insights to different things such as the characters of Oz and Spike, the music, and one on Hush. The remaining supplemental material satisfied me, and should any fan.

Buffy's fourth season was one of growing up, and kind of seperating the gang, but in the end with the final two episodes - Primeval and Restless - the core four (Buffy, Willow, Xander, and Giles) come together and it's the core four that are focused on.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best shows on television
Review: Season four had a lot to live up to. It was coming off what has generally been considering the finest season in the life of the show and it was taking the characters from the known world of high school to the unknown of college. So much of what had been established in the first three seasons was taken away. Here are the major changes that we begin the season with: the high school has been burned down, Cordelia has left Sunnydale, Angel (David Boreanaz) has left Sunnydale for L.A., Faith (Eliza Dushku) is in a coma, and the characters have all graduated from high school and are headed to college. Oh, and Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) quit the Watcher's Council, so Giles(Anthony Stewart Head) is no longer her Watcher. All of this together is a huge shift in the Buffy universe. Some people have stated that Season Four is one of the weakest and where the show begins to go downhill. I disagree. There were major changes and the lack of a defined story arc towards a big bad villain over the course of the season may be what bothered some people, but Season Four also had huge developments in the characters of Buffy, Willow (Alyson Hannigan), Xander (Nicholas Brendan), Oz (Seth Green), and even some in Giles.

The season begins with Buffy arriving on campus at UC Sunnydale. She doesn't quite know where to go, or who to hang out with, or really know anyone other than Willow and Oz, and they seem wrapped up in their personal lives. She feels alienated (a familiar feeling for a college freshman). She is trying to find her place both at school and with her friends from high school as she grows up, gains experiences and tries to find who she is, both as a person and as a Slayer. Willow and Oz go through their own journey and Oz eventually leaves Sunnydale when fears that he can no longer control the wolf inside of him (Oz is a werewolf). Xander is the one returning member of the Scooby gang who did not attend college, so he finds himself living in his parents' basement and going from job to job. Somehow, he also finds himself in a relationship with Anya (Emma Caulfield), a former Vengeance Demon, now human. Anya is a refreshing addition to Scooby gang as she doesn't always quite grasp how to talk to people and she says exactly what she thinks in the most blunt way possible. Willow begins a friendship based on magic with Tara (Amber Benson), a friendship that we get to watch slowly develop into something more. The last main relationship to mention is that of Buffy and her new beau Riley. Riley is a teacher's assistant at college. He is definitely not a Vampire, but he is quite a bit more than a normal guy.

The major new player in Season Four is a group known as the Initiative. The Initiative is a secret military operation with the purpose of capturing and experimenting on vampires and demons. On one hand, their mission of eliminating vampires and demons falls in line with that of the Slayer, but they have other aims that are revealed as the season progresses. Riley is an officer in the Initiative. At times Buffy and the Initiative are on the same page, other times they are at odds. More than halfway through the season we are finally given a glimpse of what would be the main conflict of the year, as far as bad guys go. However, there is not one single overriding story arc leading to an epic confrontation like in the first three seasons. This is both the strength and weakness of the season. In previous seasons we knew that we were leading up to something big. In season four, we really aren't. The Big Bad in this season takes a back seat. The main conflict(s) in Season Four are every day conflicts of life, love, friendship and the experience of being a freshman in college (all the while fighting demons and vampires). Creator Joss Whedon has said that this season is probably the strongest collection of single episodes in any season of Buffy, but it is viewed as the weakest because it doesn't have the cohesion of having one huge conflict.

The season does have a big final battle, but the season does not end at this episode. It ends in a rather anti-climactic way (which was the point) in an episode that almost feels like a coda. We are brought back to the core group (Buffy, Willow, Xander, Giles) having a movie night at Buffy's mother's house. They fall asleep and are assaulted (in their dreams) by the spirit of the very first Slayer. We get to see the experiences of the characters and how they grow and view themselves and their friends. It completes the journey undertaken in season four and at the same time it sets up several things that will happen in Season 5. Near the end of season 3 Buffy has a strange vision about making a bed with Faith and preparing for the coming of someone. In Season Four, we get more of this and it is said that it is Buffy's little sister. We also hear the name mentioned for the first time: Dawn.

I have only watched three or four episodes from the remaining three seasons of the show. All I really know is what is revealed in the first four Seasons on DVD. I know that this is one of the best shows on television and it is clearly my favorite show. The writing is clever, witty, and interesting and the stories they tell are human stories with a supernatural twist. I highly recommend Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but if you are new to the show I would also suggest that you start with Season One.

Rating:
Summary: One word... "Hush"
Review: This season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer started out a bit unfocussed, but that's okay. After all, the characters have all just graduated high school (with a bang) and everyone feels a bit unfocussed at that point in their lives. I would say that this season is really about that process of forging your own identity once the mantle of high school has been thrown off. Who are you when you are no longer part of a clique? What do you do when there is no longer anyone telling you what to do?

Also, if every other episode in this collection were excremental (and that is not true by a loooong shot) then the episode "Hush" would be worth the purchase price alone. This episode is one of the most stylish and clever (not to mention spooky) things I've ever seen on television. And with all that, it still serves to majorly advance the plot (Joss Whedon, my hat is most sincerely and completely off to you... in fact, I may never wear a hat again).

The transfer on the discs is wonderful, and Joss even includes a personal note to answer all the whiners who are complaining about the DVDs not being widescreen. I wasn't quite as blown away by the menus as I was for season three, and the ordering of the episodes on the disc menus is not intuitive (maybe they should be numbered or something?). But this is the only complaint I have. The special features are getting better, and we have two whole commentaries by Joss (and I could listen to him do commentary on a trip to the grocery store and be entertained). I'd still like a little more behind the scenes stuff, like maybe some interviews with the cast. The Spike featurette and Seth Green (Oz) sitting in on one commentary were excellent steps in this direction.

So that's my take on this collection. Well? You are a Buffy fan right? So what are you waiting for? Buy it already?! ;)

Rating:
Summary: Whoaoaoa, what a GREAT season of the buffmister!
Review: All i have to say is......................... WOW! Man, i knew she was a good actress (learned so from "cruel intentions", great movie, watch it) anyway, she rocks. Pretty, nice and she can kick vampire bo0o0o0o0otay! Go buffster!
your greatest fan ever!

Rating:
Summary: not the best
Review: Ok, i do not hate season 4 and i do not think it was awful, but it is my least favorite season. I really thought the whole Initiative storyline was pretty weak and dont even get me started on Adam. He's the worst villain ever on Buffy. And I hated the season finale episode Restless. It was soooo boring. The worst way to end a season. No action. It was sort of cool to get into the main character's minds and see their fears, but overall, I was pretty disappointed with it. However, they are still some great episodes. The Harsh Light Of Day was great, mainly because Spike is in it. I also really liked Something Blue, Hush, and the Faith episodes. All in all, I believe, this was the weakest season. The best would go to season 2, 3, and 5

Rating:
Summary: I couldn't tell
Review: I am a big buffy fan,but I ordered the fourth season form this place called digital eyes who claimed they mailed it out even after a month of not receiving it.a week later I ordered another dvd collection and have not seen that one either,although they claimed they wre both shipped. checking their buyer feedbacks,I counted 42 no items received from jun.7-jul.12.I guess I should have checked this before I ordered from them.I have season 1-3 on dvd and they are great,as well as having seen season four already so I would say that it has to be a great collection!