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1990's, 2000's, Alyson Hannigan, Amber Benson, Anthony Stewart Head, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 4, Emma Caulfield, James Marsters, Marc Blucas, Nicholas Brendon, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Seth Green
After the mesmerizing Season 3, Buffy Season 4 carries on the greatness as the characters mature and the threats against them become more dangerous. There may be some weaknesses in comparison with other seasons, but believe me, Season 4 boasts some classic episodes of Buffy that you don’t want to miss. Be warned, spoilers will follow in this overview.
After an eventful three years in high school, Buffy(Sarah Michelle Gellar) is now in college with best friend Willow(Alyson Hannigan). At first the experience is overwhelming for her and she feels left out as Willow and Oz(Seth Green) are happy together, Xander(Nicholas Brendon) is doing his own thing with Anya(Emma Caulfield) and Giles(Anthony Stewart Head) wants Buffy to act on her own. Matters are complicated by her pining for Angel, who has departed for Los Angeles. But gradually, she begins to blossom in college. Whilst juggling homework, she must also fight the demons that populate Sunnydale. There is also the matter of commandos that keep appearing on campus. It turns out that they belong to a program known as The Initiative. They capture demons, including vampire Spike(James Marsters) for research and experiments, yet there are more sinister motives brewing beneath this in the form of half human half machine Adam. It transpires that one of the agents is nice guy Riley Finn(Marc Blucas), who Buffy begins to date as he seems like an average guy. As they pursue a relationship, they struggle to keep their identities as Slayer and Agent secret. Elsewhere, the relationship between Willow and Oz deteriorates as Oz fears he can’t control his power when he transforms into a werewolf. His exit to find an answer prompts Willow to sink into melancholy and start practicing magic, this time with unexpected results. Buffy manages to get through to Willow and make her face her problems. Another key component in Willow’s life is the introduction of Tara(Amber Benson), a shy witch who notices Willow’s power. It is Tara who brings Willow out of her confined shell as the two begin a relationship. As the gang starts to grow apart due to various things in their lives, they realise that in order to fight demons they must band together again.
Firstly, I want to get the flaws of the season out-of-the-way. At first, the idea of the nefarious Initiative is a very interesting concept. But I feel like it could have been expanded upon to give the story more of a jolt. To be fair, the Initiative does give us Spike with a chip in his head that prevents him from harming humans and therefore makes him align himself with the Scooby Gang. I also feel that the Big Bad of Season 4 in the form of Adam, wasn’t as impressive as other villains such as The Master and The Mayor. Sure the Frankenstein like qualities to him add some form of interest, but he just doesn’t quite measure up to former villains on Buffy.
Now that I’ve got those flaws of Season 4, I will go onto the positives, of which there are numerous. As always, the writing is loaded with one-liners and pop culture references that contribute to the humour. The themes of alienation and isolation are expertly handled, mostly in the case of Buffy who becomes distant from her friends but realises the importance of them in her life and her destiny to fight the forces of evil. High school may have been hell, but college presents a whole new bunch of challenges for Buffy as she begins to find herself again. We have the welcome return of Spike, who provides a lot of the dry humour in the show. After receiving the chip that renders him unable to harm humans, he reluctantly joins the gang and proves to be a very useful ally when fighting the demons and monsters of Sunnydale. James Marsters impresses once again as Spike, capturing his bad ass, growling and violent demeanor to great effect. Season 4 also provides the introduction of Tara, who will become an important factor in Willow’s life. Played with virtue, nervousness and sweet-faced charm, Amber Benson excels as the shy witch who begins a tender relationship with Willow. It should be noted the importance of the relationship in terms of the way lesbians are portrayed on-screen. Before Willow and Tara, lesbianism had been used and exploited for male fantasies in many a TV show. In Buffy, it portrays their burgeoning relationship like any other on the show, with respect and warmth.
No discussion on Season 4 of Buffy would be complete without mentioning one of the best episodes, ‘Hush’. In this episode, creepy demons known as The Gentlemen steal the voices of everyone in Sunnydale in order to extract seven hearts from victims. Everytime they appear, The Gentlemen are bound to scare viewers. Floating through town with metallic smiles and strange, courteous gestures, whilst being flanked by henchman dressed is straight jackets, they will forever be in people’s nightmares. I love how the episode examines what happens when communication is taken away from us and we have to find another way to get our point across. Featuring only 15 minutes of dialogue and a haunting musical score of Gothic choral voices, Hush is classic Buffy that is not to be missed.
Our cast of Buffy is again on super form delivering exceptional work. As the eponymous slayer, Sarah Michelle Gellar combines humour, steel and compassion as she adjusts to college whilst facing her destiny to kill whatever demon stands in her way. Gellar has grown into the role so much that I can’t imagine anyone else ever playing the character of Buffy. Nicholas Brendon excels at showing Xander feeling like the one who doesn’t contribute much to the group, but who in actual fact is a core member. Alyson Hannigan is exceptional as growing witch Willow, who has her heart-broken by Oz but begins to discover herself with the introduction of Tara. Seth Green is stoic and deadpan as werewolf Oz, who bows out of the series as he attempts to control his powers. Emma Caulfield is hysterically funny as former vengeance demon Anya, whose misunderstandings of human communication often lead to her awkwardness. Marc Blucas plays Riley as a good guy who comes to see the corruption in the work around him. Riley as a character may be a little bland and ordinary, but I believe this is the point. When he dates Buffy, he is the opposite of Angel and it shows how Buffy finally dates an average guy rather than a demon. Anthony Stewart Head provides wisdom as Giles, whose genuinely cares for Buffy in a fatherly way and is an important ally in her battles against evil. He also gets some really funny moments, including him embracing the Halloween spirit by answering the door to an embarrassed Buffy whilst wearing a Sombrero and upon being discovered with a scantily clad woman being compared to Hugh Hefner by Buffy .
Flaws aside, Season 4 of Buffy is still sexy, mature and addictive television of the highest order.
Al said:
I love Tara and not just because Amber Benson followed me back on Twitter. The shyness and purity of Tara is awesome. Plus Anya makes me laugh.
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vinnieh said:
I always think Tara is a reflection of what Willow used to be like, shy and quiet but immensely valuable to the gang.
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Al said:
She is, putting her in and making her Willow’s lover made so much of a difference as it was at a time when LGBT was still fairly frowned upon, so I am glad they didn’t shy away from it.
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Paul Bowler said:
I really like Season 4 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, there are so many exciting episodes, the production values are excellent, and there are some big changes for the scoobie gang. I was sad to see Oz leave, but we also got some great new characters with Riley and Tara, and Cyborg Adam was a brilliant as this years big bad villain. Also liked how Spike ended up working with the Scoobie Gang as well, a great season. Hush is still one of my favourite episodes, the Gentlemen were so spooky!
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vinnieh said:
Thanks for commenting, The gentlemen still creep me out now.
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Abbi said:
The Gentlemen scare the shit out of me.
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vinnieh said:
Totally agree, they’re just startlingly creepy.
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KittNoir said:
Hush still scares me!! Ahh lovely Tara
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vinnieh said:
It is one scary episode that haunts the mind. I also love Tara as a character, she’s so kind and gentle but quietly powerful.
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emmakwall said:
The episode Hush was featured in the 100 Scariest Moments on channel 4 🙂
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vinnieh said:
I can definitely see why, it’s a chilling episode.
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emmakwall said:
That one scared me a lot! The one where Buffy was in hospital too, it was a bit Nightmare on Elm Street-esque, a scary demon was attacking children in their sleep – that was pretty creepy.
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vinnieh said:
I had nightmares for weeks after watching Hush, just that song that the little girl sings about The Gentlemen. That episode in the hospital is another terrifying one.
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emmakwall said:
Aww Vinster!
Actually I’m playing it down a little, when I was a lot younger there were a few episodes that scared me!
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vinnieh said:
It was pretty great when they had menacing demons and stories.
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alexraphael said:
Didn’t like series 4 as much as you. Riley was a real flat character for me and unlike the others, his acting never blew me away. I did miss Cordelia too. Anya was a great character though I’d have liked to see her a bit more within the series. There wasn’t any involvement of her within the group, she’s really just Xander’s girlfriend. And you’re right. The finale villain wasn’t as big as others. I was surprised to see Angel return. and felt it helped undo a bit of the intense magic from previous seasons. I’d be lying if i said i liked the fight scene between him and Riley.
But some of the episodes were just superb. Hush is outstanding. One of the best things I’ve ever seen. Sinister, creepy, thought provoking and yes, super funny. I also liked how Giles started to enjoy life without being a watcher but then realises that whether he officially has to or not, will look after her. Only to find out it’s too late for that adventure haha. I still can’t wait to see series 5 and the rest of Buffy. Though this series was my least favourite so far, the reasons I love the show are intact and I can’t get enough of it.
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vinnieh said:
I’m so happy you have got into Buffy, it’s one of my favourite TV shows ever. Hush is the best, so creepy and nightmare inducing.
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alexraphael said:
Incredibly imaginative. I feel privileged to have seen it.
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vinnieh said:
For me, it’s one of the best hours of television I’ve ever seen.
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alexraphael said:
Yeah I’d go with that. It did everything. Even make me laugh. The scene where Giles uses slides to convey information is perfect. When Buffy tries to convey Mr Pointy but makes it look as though she is suggesting something else… haha. And Buffy pulling a face when she sees Giles’ picture of her with wide hips haha.
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vinnieh said:
Those parts were hysterically funny.
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Alex said:
The Initiative is my least favorite story line in the Buffyverse. I never like when they throw in the military or government with supernatural elements. Not sure why, but it never feels right to me and does not flow very easily. I wish that they had done something to Professor Walsh to make her more of a big-bad than with Adam. Turning her into a little mindless zombie slave was anti-climactic and Adam was, as you inferred, a little boring and inferior to the rest of the villains. But maybe having Professor Walsh remain alive and transform into something would have been too much like season 3 with the mayor becoming a larger monster, too. Who knows 🙂 I DO know that I wish they had expanded more upon Sunday the vampire in the season’s first episode! Now SHE is a big-bad I could have gotten into!
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vinnieh said:
I’m with you on The Initiative, they weren’t the most interesting bunch and the story lines for them was a bit meh. I do love Hush, what a classic creepy episode.
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Lee Nelson said:
I have to agree with all your points. I always remembered season 4 being my worst season but then when I rewatched it I remembered that it has some of the best episodes of the season.
I never understood why the Initiative just randomly showed up. They were there for years you would think the Mayor at least would of mentioned them. It also annoyed me that they never knew who Buffy was they were monitoring Sunnydale for years but never seen a young girl and her friends. The whole initiative thing did not make any sense to me.
Adam was just poor as a big bad which is probably why I always thought I hated the season.
I totally agree with Hush it is one of the best in the whole season. I named it best in season 4 on a post I did about my favourite episode by season. You should review Season 8,9 and 10 they are an awesome read.
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vinnieh said:
Yeah the whole Initiative story was not so well thought out. But Hush was stellar and haunting television. The Gentlemen still give me the creeps.
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Lee Nelson said:
I rewatched it the other day and they gave me the creeps. Everything about it was just so beautifully done.
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vinnieh said:
It’s one of the best hours of television ever. Loved the music, oh so eerie. “Can’t even shout, can’t even cry, the Gentlemen are coming by”.
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Lee Nelson said:
I vaguely remember watching it when I was 6 and I just thought it was crazy. I just love Joss the reason he wrote it was because when he read reviews and they were praising the amazing dialog and one liners so he decided to challenge himself and write a whole episode with hardly any dialog. It was the same reason The body has hardly any music in it.
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vinnieh said:
I love Joss too and his desire to take risks with what he did with the show. Thanks for checking these out, be sure to give the other magazine posts a look. They’re very sexy.
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Lee Nelson said:
Do not worry I will be having a good look through your posts. You have inspired me to watch Buffy again.
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vinnieh said:
If I’ve inspired you, that makes me very happy. And as you seem to be a Beyonce fan, I reviewed her Lemonade album.
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Nandia Foteini Vlachou said:
Season 4 is one of my favorites (along with season 6), but it is difficult to top the Mayor as a villain – I agree that Adam was, in the end, uninteresting despite the very successful build-up. Having said that, it definitely has some of my favorite episodes, like the hilarious Something Borrowed. Spike and Buffy planning their wedding and Giles’s reactions crack me up, every single time.
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vinnieh said:
I love the show as a whole. And of course this season contains my favourite episode of Hush.
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