Showing posts with label james marsters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label james marsters. Show all posts

6/18/2012

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Spike - Love Is Hell (1997) Review

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Spike - Love Is Hell (1997)
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Okay, for the sake of argument, let us say that Spike, played by James Marsters, was your favorite character on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and when he came back from the dead, so to speak, for the final season of "Angel" you were overjoyed. However, for some reason you really, really like Spike but not enough to have all of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" on DVD. The "Spike: Love is Hell" DVD seeks to meet your needs by providing four choice Spike episodes of "BtVS." Just be aware that these four episodes focus on Spike's tortured relationship with Drusilla (Juliet Landau), and not the Spike and Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) roller coaster, so you are not going to find "Something Blue" or "Intervention Here":
Episode 3 of Season 2, "School Hard" (Story by Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt, Teleplay by Greenwalt, September 29, 1997), begins the fun with the arrival of Spike and Drusilla in Sunnydale in time for the Festival of St. Vigeous, when vampires are at the height of their powers. But Buffy is facing something even worse: Parent-Teacher Night at the high school. Spike decides not to wait for the big day and goes after Buffy on school ground (4.5 Stakes).
Episode 7 of Season 2, "Lie to Me" (Written by Joss Whedon, November 3, 1997), finds Buffy surprised when old friend Billy Fordham shows up at Sunnydale High and even more surprised when he says he knows she is the Slayer. But she is totally shocked when she learns Ford is part of a club that worships vampires and wants to become one of the undead. Ford's plan is to give Spike the Slayer and then Spike turns Ford into a vampire (3.5 Stakes).
Episode 8 of Season 3, "Lover's Walk" (Written by Dan Vebber, November 24, 1998), has a drunken and besotted Spike back in Sunnydale after being dumped by Drusilla. When Spike discovers Willow at the magic shop, he kidnaps her and Xander tell the wicca-wannabe that she has to perform a spell to make Dru come back to him or else. Buffy captures Spike, but cannot dust him because he has Willow and Xander stashed someplace. The irony is that by the end of this one Spike is the only one feeling good about his relationship with the person he loves, but then he is the only one who is willing to admit that he is "love's bitch," when it is clear everyone is in this one (4.5 Stakes).
Episode 7 of Season 5, "Fool for Love" (Written by Douglas Petrie, November 14, 2000), provides flashbacks to when Spike killed two vampire slayers. After almost getting beaten by a regular vampire, Buffy wants to know. However, we also get to find out what William the Bloody was like when he was still human and Drusilla turned him to a vampire. As we follow Spike through time he kills one slayer in China during the Boxer Rebellion, where he and Dru have gone with Darla and Angel for some fun, and then takes down another in a New York City subway in the 1970s (4 Stakes). The flashbacks begun here continue in the "Darla" episode of "Angel," although the emphasis is not on Spike like they are here. But it is just a nice little reminder that you should have all of these episodes.
In terms of quibbling with the selection, "Lie to Me" is really the only one I would want to replace of this quartet, even though it is written and directed by Whedon. You have to have "School Hard," "Lover's Walk" is where Spike becomes a fully blown comedian, and "Fool for Love" goes all the way back to the creation of Spike. But "Lie to Me" is fairly pedestrian. Then again, you can only do four episodes here and "What's My Line? Part 2" where Drusilla regains her strength and "Becoming, Part 2" where Spike takes Dru and leaves town, are not going to show up without their first halves. Spike is in a wheelchair for both "Surprise" and "Innocence," and you cannot do anything from Seasons 3 and 4 of "BtVS" when he has the chip in his head, and Dru takes a back seat in "Halloween," so it sort of ends up being "Lie to Me" by default (but quibbling is such fun!).
The featurette on Spike is decent, but it is certainly not a reason for die hard fans to add this to their collection. Will there be follow-up DVDs of Spike with the bloody chip in his head and then Spike in love with the Slayer? Stay tuned. Or, just go out and get all of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" on DVD.

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6/11/2012

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Complete Second Season (1997) Review

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Complete Second Season (1997)
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The second season continued one what was successfully started in the first season. The second season is a lot more ambitious (remember, the first season only had twelve episodes, unlike the rest which had 22).
The story arcs in the second season are brilliant. The romance between Angel and Buffy reached gothic heights with Surprise/Innocence (Surprise is astonishing). When Angel turns bad, David Boreanaz manages to do a sensational job of acting the transition (the episodes "Passion" and "I Only Have Eyes For You" are incredible in detailing this, and Buffy's reaction). Willow's romance with Oz is wonderful, and Giles attachment to Jenny Calendar a welcome addition.
This show still manages to be surprisingly funny (as seen in Halloween, and Bewitched Bothered and Bewildered) and packs a wallop (the two part season ender, Becoming I & II, are essential viewing for any Buffy fans. They are incredibly moving). Yes, there are some clunkers (Killed by Death, Bad Eggs), but they are more than redeemed.
My favourites are: Becoming I & II, Surprise/Innocence, I Only Have Eyes for You, Passion, School Hard, When She Was Bad, and Lie To Me
For a show set in high school, the writers have neatly side-stepped making a caricature of Anthony Stewart Head's librarian/Watcher Giles. His befuddled sexiness is immensely appealing. Alyson Hannigan's performance as wallflower Willow blooming into a witch (her growing powers are smartly charted by writers all the way through season six) is strong, and having the animosity between Xander and Cordelia boil over into lust was a masterstroke. Finally, we have to give the star her due. Sarah Michelle Gellar proved with this season that she's actually a capable actress, both with comic timing (Halloween) and pathos (Surprise/Innocence).
The second season was an immense improvement over the first season (a solid debut) and the quality continues. In my mind, the second and third season need to be bought together (or at least both bought). Story arcs introduced in the second season are wrapped up in the third season. Buy this set, you won't be disappointed.

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THE CHOSEN ONE HAS ONLY JUST BEGUN... Now you can own the entire second season of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER. All 22 classic episodes are available for the first time in this exclusive 6-disc collectorÂ's edition.From Â"When She Was Bad,Â" Â"SurpriseÂ" and Â"Innocence,Â" to Â"PassionÂ" and Â"Becoming, Part OneÂ" and Â"Becoming, Part Two,Â" these Season Two episodes are a must for every true Buffy fan.

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5/28/2012

Buffy The Vampire Slayer - The Complete Sixth Season (1997) Review

Buffy The Vampire Slayer - The Complete Sixth Season (1997)
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Season Six, to alot of fans, was a disaster train wreck! But don't be fooled by their analysis of this season because its one of the best seasons ever of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"! This is the season that took risks, and triumphed unnoticed by the fans, except a few. This season is misunderstood by many who first viewed it and therefore they disliked it, just like they disliked the final season,(Season Seven), but it wasn't because of the stories of this season, it was the gap of broadcasting that ruined the flow of the storyline, and therefore, this season needs another glance again, without interruption, and you'll understand what the point of this season was all about.
Many say it was dark, and yes it was the darkest feeling season since Season Two, and later Season Seven, but life itself, can get dark sometimes, and this was the point the series 6th year was trying to point out. If you've noticed, every season's theme has a metaphor in them, and this year was having the Scooby Gang bracing their darkest storm that could be thrown at them.
How is that? You may say, well, I'll tell you...
Ever since the very first episode, we've grown to love these wacky fun loving kids! In the First Season, it was the introduction period, the Slayer, her Watcher and friends gathering in the library, fighting monster of the week big baddies, along with school issues every teenager at one time or another will find theirselves in, plus a trial of a Slayer. In the Second Season it grew larger, they had to battle not only school, but love hormones, a lover gone bad, new annual baddies, like Spike and Drusilla,and the death of a close one, and trials of a Slayer. In the Third Season, still it was school, a rogue Slayer named Faith, a baddie named "the Mayor", and trials of departing loves and trials of a Slayer. The Fourth Season was college life, new baddie named Adam, and a government containment place for studies of demons, and again trials of a Slayer. The Fifth Season was departure childhood, going into adulthood, and fighting a big baddie named Glory, and the death of a dear one they'd miss forever, and also introduction of a sister. And now Season Six takes them farther, somewhere that the Scoobies had never faced before....and that was "life"!
Every year they've faced bad things, but they were never in a position of being left alone, to survive on their own, and to be a grown up. Someone here mentioned that its been six years later since they started their adventures, and that they were adults now, and they needed to center their lives as adults, and that person was right. It was time to move onward, brace whats ahead, no matter what lie uncharted. We had to see how these characters would react, if they were put in a position to where they'd hit rock bottom, to see how they'd reach the top again, to see really, how much strength they really have, besides magic, or mysttical slayer powers, and thats the storm one must face, to overcome their trials with triumph.
In this season, Buffy had to quit her hopes of returning to college, and get a real life job to pay the bills, make sure Dawn doesn't get taken away from her care, and at one point, she comments that her mother was the super woman of the family on how she couldn't believe she could do all the stuff that Joyce did! Xander has to confront the word "commitment" as he gets prepared to marry the woman he loves, and Willow has to overcome her craving for magic, which she deals with throughout the season by trying to give it up. The point, they each failed, they hit the bottom of the boat, as Buffy fell into depression, had an affair with Spike, (who in this season overcomes some major points in his life too), Xander's fear of turining into his father, leaves him leaving Anya at the altar, later turning her in the way of vengeance again, and Willow, she gets the sour lemon, as she gains Tara back,(who left her because of Willow's crave of magic), but she also loses Tara in the one of the most vicious and real murders of the series, which drives Willow into becoming evil with rage, and almost destroying the world. At the end of the season, all of them faces their problems, and they begin the start of rebuilding what they lost as they hit rock bottom througthout the season, as Buffy and Spike seperate, he goes to get a soul, she tries to tear down her gap with Dawn that they made during the season, and Xander and Willow come to terms with theirselves as they each step out of the eye of their own inner demons, their storms!
Note:
This season has great episodes! There's "Bargining", "Once More,With Feeling", "Dead Things", "Normal Again", "Seeing Red", and "Villains" to "Two to Go' & 'Grave". Each actor portrailed each character to heart so much, that their feelings grabbed ahold to you, as if you were the one's who were going through them as well! Also,do know that this season is *very graphical* in some scenes, this was the most *provocative season* in the series whole 7 year run. There is a few gruesome scenes in some episodes, and some very [physical] in tone,(especially with the Spike and Buffy, and Willow and Tara romantic storylines), but they were to make a point, that was needed for the story of the season.
It's a great and wonderful, powerful season,with a powerful message that was overlooked, this season took dangerous risks, and truimphed with their goal. Also know that this season is the *only* season that centers the Slayer and the Scooby Gang around the true hard cold life that we all may face once we reach adulthood, if not already. Many fans should charish this season to heart, it was indeed an unheard, unreconized, classic season for the series! I love this season! Enjoy, you won't regret it!

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Elated with having Buffy back from the dead, her friends never wonder if she may have been in a better place. Only Spike knows the truth and as Buffy struggles to readjust to life, she begins a relationship with Spike that torments her as much as it brings her fleeting comfort. Yet even as Buffy fears that the magic that brought her back has somehow changed her, Willow's growing reliance on magic is an addiction she can barely control - and one that threatens everyone.

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4/29/2012

Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Volume 1 - Bad Girls/Consequences (1997) Review

Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Volume 1 - Bad Girls/Consequences  (1997)
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Faith was always an edgy character from the moment she was introduced on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In "Bad Girls" she takes the first step over the edge and in "Consequences" she actually joins the forces of evil in Sunnydale by allying with the Mayor. However, the most memorable sequence on this entire tape is when Buffy and Faith are dancing together at the Bronze in "Bad Girls." That alone is worth purchasing this tape.

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4/24/2012

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Complete Third Season (1997) Review

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Complete Third Season (1997)
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Season three: How can the cast of Buffy even hope to top the glorious second season? Well, for starters the very first episode is great. In "ANNE", still hurting from the events that occurred at the end of season 2, Buffy tries to forget her past and lives in another town working a waitress job until a girl recognizes her and asks for her help. Buffy realizes who and what she is and returns to Sunnydale, where the Scoobies have been filling in for the Slayer's absence. Then there is the addition of a new Slayer, Faith (Eliza Dukshu...remember her in True Lies? All grown up!!) who appears in Sunnydale as a powerful ally for the Buffy and the scoobies. This is short-lived though, as she soon becomes one of their greatest threats. The foreshadowing of plotlines in the second season become apparent as this season's villain is introduced...none other than the mayor of Sunnydale, who is attempting to ascend into a true/pure demon.
This season boasts many of the show's strongest episodes such as "The Wish", where Cordelia unknowingly makes a wish to a vengeance demon (Anyanka, who becomes the Anya we all love to laugh at later) and wishes that Buffy never came to Sunnydale. This episode is grand, as we see an alternate reality where Buffy left California and never stopped the Master from rising and as a result, he succeeded in opening the Hellmouth. Truly one of the better episodes. We also are given a taste of foreshadowing in later episodes...Buffy's sister Dawn (to come in season 5) is mentioned in a glimmer of dialogue that will remain meaningless until two years later (can you find the episode? Hint...listen to both Faith and Buffy talk in the later epsiodes). Faith is terrific as Buffy's nemesis, a Slayer just like her.Oh, did I mention Angel returns from a hell dimension as well?
The scoobies get their own star time as well. In "THE ZEPPO", Xander proves that he is more than just the weak part of the group, adept at getting them donuts and not much else. In "THE WISH" and "DOPPLEGANGLAND", we get to see a Vamp Willow...very interesting and two of the season's best episodes. This season also brings us more of the Watcher's Council, the mysterious group that Giles works for including Wesley, who later leaves to aid Angel and Cordelia in Los Angeles in the spin-off show Angel. And finally, we get to see the Scoobies graduate in a very typical Sunnydale fashion...with a huge battle. It was hard to top season two, but this season is more of Joss Whedon's masterpiece of television; let people and critics shun it...we all know great TV when we see it.

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All 22 classic episodes are available for the first time in this exclusive 6-disc collector's edition. From "Faith, Hope & Trick," "Band Candy" and "Bad Girls" to "Consequences," "Enemies" and "Graduation Day, Part Two," these Season Three episodes are a must for every true Buffy fan.

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2/21/2012

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Complete Fifth Season (1997) Review

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Complete Fifth Season (1997)
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One of the most extraordinary things about BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER is that in Season Two they managed to produce one of the greatest seasons in the history of television, and then managed to pretty much equal it for the entire run of the show. Amazingly, each year they did this by taking the show in completely different directions. In the season opener Buffy meets and defeats the most famous of all vampires, Dracula, but the show demonstrated its willingness to take extraordinary risks by ending the episode with the startlingly revelation that Buffy has a sister. Buffy, of course, is an only child, but the brilliant thing was the way the show continued for several episodes as if Dawn, Buffy's new sister, had always been a part of the family. Moreover, Dawn isn't just a part of her immediate family: all Buffy's friends have their own relationship with Dawn, and she is clearly completely integrated with everyone in the community.
There are Buffy fans who like and dislike nearly every aspect of BUFFY. Some did not care for the addition of Dawn to the cast, but I loved it, partly for the virtuosic manner in which they integrated her in the cast, and partly for the astonishing story line that developed out of who she truly was. Dawn, an entity of pure energy that is a key to a demon portal, was created by monks as a real human being, a real sister to The Slayer, in order to guarantee that Buffy would protect her with her life. I love the way that all the Scooby Gang completely accepts her, and the profound questions it raises in Dawn herself, as she desperately attempts to come to terms with the knowledge that she isn't who she remembers herself to be.
Old subplots are resolved and new ones emerge. Buffy's romance with Riley, nearly universally loathed by Buffy fans, thankfully ends. Giles takes over the ownership of The Magic Box and Anya becomes his enthusiastic assistant. Spike, still harmless due to his implant, is horrified to realize that he is in love with Buffy. Joyce is stricken with a brain tumor and eventually dies of a brain aneurysm, which leads to what is in many ways the most remarkable episode in the entire history of the show, "The Body." Most of Buffy is shot employing a quick, fast moving pace. But this episode intentionally slows down time, intensifying and emphasizing every nuance of Buffy's overwhelming grief and panic at discovering her mother's body. In my opinion, it is the single best representation in either film or TV of human reaction to the death of a loved one.
Season Five's primary story arc is, however, that of the hell goddess Glory and her attempt to recover The Key (Dawn) that will allow her to reenter her hell dimension. Glory is, with the possible exception of Angelus, the best villain in the history of BUFFY and ANGEL. She is a goddess portrayed as super consumer (her nice shoes and pedicures causes Dawn to remark, "She has really nice feet"), going on spending sprees to placate her sorrows at being trapped in a dimension not her own. Her whacky wit and (for a goddess) naive stupidity combined with her considerable power creates excitement nearly every second she is onscreen. In a season of many highlights, I especially love the episode where Glory's minions wrongly assume that Spike is The Key, and bring him to Glory, who tortures him to find out who The Key truly is. Despite beating him badly, he refuses to tell. Buffy's intense and heartfelt gratitude signals a change in attitude on the part of the Scoobies, and hints that behavior and compassion are as much a mark of someone becoming good (despite being a vampire) as having a soul (in the case of Angel). The final episode, "The Gift," is one of the truly epic moments in the entire series, and yet another of the classic moments that BUFFY left us. The final shot of the season is simply heartbreaking.

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After an unsettling encounter with the Dracula, Buffy asks Giles to once again be her Watcher. Luckily he agrees, for Buffy is about to face mortal problems far more threatening than the undead: the sudden appearance of a sister named Dawn, her mother's mysterious illness and Spike's undying devotion. Then an undefeatable demon appears, forcing Buffy to turn to an ancient Spirit Guide who tells her that love is her greatest gift - and power.

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2/12/2012

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Complete Seventh Season (1997) Review

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Complete Seventh Season (1997)
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This six Disk DVD Set is extraordinary. The Picture and Sound quality are so very good that you feel as though you are watching it in a theater. The closed captioning and Audio come in other languages besides English. It's jam packed with all sorts of extra bonus special features, plus a special series end wrap party that is a whole lot of fun. Everything you ever wanted to know about Buffy, cast, The Brilliant creator, Joss Whedon and other staff members. I not only highly recommend this Season disk set, but the other six seasons as well. Quite a bit of quality work went into the making of all seven seasons. They are a necessary buy for any Buffy fan! It's completely impossible to be anything but extremely pleased with this purchase as well as the rest of the series. The writing, acting, directing, etc... are extraordinary. This is feature film quality at it's finest, instead of the plain old TV quality that most people expect. Each episode is like watching a movie. The last five episodes build to a finale that is as amazing as any feature film that I have never before seen on television. The final episode was extraordinary, the writing, the premise was ingenious. The acting was the usual above average talent. I believe that the music that Rob Duncan provided was the icing on the cake and made the episode EPIC. It was brilliant music. Of all seven seasons this is truly my favorite. If you don't own any then by all means at least purchase season seven.
Here's Season Seven's Line Up:
1. Lessons
2. Beneath You
3. Same Time, Same Place
4. Help
5. Selfless
6. Him
7. Conversations with Dead People
8. Sleeper
9. Never Leave Me
10. Bring on The Night
11. Showtime
12. Potential
13. The Killer In Me
14. First Date
15. Get It Done
16. Storyteller
17. Lies My Parents Told Me
18. Dirty Girls
19. Empty Places
20. Touched
21. End of Days
22. Chosen


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As Buffy acompanies Dawn on her first date at the new Sunnydale High, Giles continues Willow's magic education in England. But while Buffy is surprised to be offered a guidance counselor job, Willow is shocked to experience a horrific future vision of the Hellmouth.Willow returns to Sunnydale and Giles soon follows with word that the Watcher's Council has been destroyed. Determined to make one last stand, Buffy and her allies gather for the upcoming battle, yet nothing can prepare them for The First and his robed Bringers, who are killing all the Potential Slayers- and anyone else who gets in their way.

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1/16/2012

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Complete Fourth Season (Slim Set) (1997) Review

Buffy the Vampire Slayer  - The Complete Fourth Season (Slim Set) (1997)
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In Season Three of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" Joss Whedon and the show's writers proved that the series could survive Buffy killing Angel. For Season Four the task was to prove that "BtVS" could survive losing Angel, Cordelia, and Wesley, who were spun off into their own film noir vampire detective series. The surprising success of their effort is displayed in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete Fourth Season," a season that is more impressive with each viewing.
When last we left our heroes most of them had just survived graduating from high school. Now Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Willow (Alyson Hannigan), and Oz (Seth Green) are off to UC-Sunnydale while Xander (Nicholas Brendon) tries to survive in the real world and Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) twiddles his thumbs in his apartment. Instead of the "high school is hell" idea, the underlying symbolism of the season is now the brave new world of college. Buffy has moved out of the house to live in the college dorm (surprising), but with somebody other than Willow (more surprising), and is trying to move beyond Angel (sad, but not surprising). After a dalliance with Parker Abrams (Adam Kaufman), the personification of that horrible "transition" person your friends always warned you about after your first big breakup, Buffy hooks up with clean-cut Iowa farm boy Riley Finn (Marc Blucas), charming psychology graduate assistant by day, Initiative super-soldier by night.
By now we are familiar with the double-story arc structure of a "BtVS" season. For Season Four the first half story arc has to do with the mystery of the Initiative, while the second half is the confrontation with Adam. More importantly, there are several monumental character changes inspired by the desire to keep a couple of actors and the decision of another cast member to leave. Wanting to keep James Marsters around, the idea of putting that bloody chip in Spike's head, neutering the vampire when it comes to putting the bite on human beings, was a masterstroke (and, dare I say, surprising). Suddenly, Spike is a de facto Scooby. Meanwhile, with Emma Caulfield sticking around as Anya, she becomes the show's comic relief in place of her boyfriend Xander. Then, when Seth Green left the show to concentrate on films, what we thought was an offhanded comment in "Doppelgangland" suddenly comes to fruition for Willow when she meets Wicca wannabee Tara (Amber Benson). All of these changes end up having much more significant impacts on the show than the addition of Riley Finn as Buffy's new love interest.
Season Four begins with a lot of interpersonal issues, from trouble with dorm mates ("Living Conditions") to getting dumped ("The Harsh Light of Day," "Wild at Heart"), before getting caught up in the mystery of all those soldier types running around the campus in the dark ("The Initiative"). Buffy and Riley finally discover the truth about each other in the landmark episode "Hush," the only episode ever to earn Joss Whedon a well deserved Emmy nomination for Best Writing of a Drama (insert outrage over snubs of "The Body" and "Once More With Feeling" here, please). The second half of the season finds Riley learning to work with Buffy ("Doomed") and Buffy enjoying working with the Initiative ("A New Man") before Professor Maggie Walsh (Lindsay Crouse) tries to kill her ("The I in Team") and her stitched together uber-demon Adam (George Hetzberg) breaks free and sets up the final confrontation ("Primeval").
Ultimately, the strength of a season is judged by the episodes that are essentially off the main story arcs. For Season Four this means a Halloween episode with one of the best punch lines ever ("Fear, Itself"), the great Buffy and Faith mind-switch ("This Year's Girl" and "Who Are You?"), the discovery that the coolest and most important in the world is Jonathan Levenson ("Superstar"), and the hilarious insanity of Willow's wish list ("Something Blue"). Of course on that last episode once again the joke is on us as the alternative reality give us a preview of what is to come down the road. One of the most unique aspects of this season was that the climatic battle with the year's big bad happens in the penultimate episode and the season finale, "Restless," serves as an actual epilogue as Buffy and friends encounter the First Slayer (Sharon Ferguson), and sets the stage for significant develops to come.
The fact that Season Two ended with the greatest episode ever of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" in "Becoming, Part II," when Buffy has to kill Angel to save the world, obscures the fact that on balance Season Three and Season Four were both stronger seasons overall. The operatic finales might not reach the same heights, but the lows are higher and the on average score is higher. The worst episode of Season Four is probably the season premier, "The Freshman," which suffers because like all first episodes in a season of "BtVS" the goal is to have Buffy rededicate herself to being the Slayer so that new viewers can feel like they understand the gig. If anything, Season Four reaffirms that the strength of this show is character development and not just vampire slaying.
Final Comment: It is nice to see that the extras for Season Four contain twice as many commentary tracks as we have been privy to for each of the previous three collections. In a perfect world it would be great if all of the episodes had commentary, provided by shifting tag-team combinations of writers and actors, in the tradition of the very early episodes of "Farscape" on DVD, but I have long had the feeling that the cast of "BtVS" is rather intimidated by the encyclopedic knowledge of the show enjoyed by its fan base.

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Buffy begins college feeling completely overwhelmed. But once the monsters show up, its just like old times. Then she starts dating Riley, a handsome commando battling the same monsters. He's a part of a secret organization called The Initiative and Buffy is all too happy to join the team. But she soon suspects The Initiative maybe more dangerous than the monsters they are supposed to be battling...

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