IvanF's Uninformed Review of the Fourth Season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1999-2000)...

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- IvanF's No-Name Review of the Fourth Season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1999-2000) -
(Oz leaves, Anya becomes a regular, Tara joins with Willow, Buffy hooks up with Riley, Adam gets his ass kicked)

It's said that the fourth season marks the first season of the decline of Buffy the Vampire Slayer... meaning what? Meaning the fans didn't like it very much... And arc-wise? I guess I can relate... Because season four has one huge, glaring problem: the first half of the season has a far too different feel than the second half of the season. While the first half was very character based , with Buffy actually going to university classes and meeting new loves for the very first time, the second half was far too plot based, focusing far too much time and atmosphere to the Initiative and Riley's loss of innocence... and besides this schism of episodic schizophrenia, there also is one other flaw with season four: Sarah Michelle Gellar simply didn't look as hot as she did in season three. I guess it's the hair really - her curls were too big for her body, which was never a problem in any previous season except the first... so alas, I didn't get to spend entire nights' worth of Watcher watchings, just staring at her fabulous face on my season four DVDs... sigh... if only...

But two chinks in the armour doth not a bad season make... Arc-wise, season four wasn't as strong as seasons two or three... But standalone episode wise? Season four truly stands above the rest... In my opinion at least, Joss Whedon and company did some of their best creative work this season, as The Harsh Light of Day, The Initiative, Pangs, Something Blue, Hush, A New Man, Superstar, and the Yoko Factor all rank amongst the best written Buffy episodes I've ever had the privilege to watch... The only problem with all the above, was that they all lacked the cuteness, ingenuity and tightness in speech that Buffy once had with her group of Scoobies. In other words, the gang no longer meshed like chicken soup for the soul as much as they once did the first few seasons of Buffy... But you see, that was the point! The point of season four was to highlight the fact that old friends drift apart once the college knell sounds. And unfortunately, most fans didn't want to hear of such a notion. Friends are forever, they say... and yes, they are. But relationships don't stay the same. People don't stay the same. That was the message in season four, a message in a Moriarty bottle that was very well developed over the course of the entire season... but alas, if many Buffy fanatics had their way, Buffy and her friends would still be in high school to this day...

Season four also marks the introduction of three of the most popular characters on the show: Anya, Tara, and my personal hero, Spike. All three at times stole the show from the core gang, as Anya provided just as much comic relief as Xander ever has, Tara demonstrated a level of cheesy romance that even Buffy and Angel could never approach, and Spike? Well... let's just say the Leather Duster is the best, and deserves to be engraved in a museum, need I say more?... And then there was Riley. I personally loved the idea of military men in the demon world. Unfortunately, the actors they got for the gig weren't as Ann lively as I hoped they would be... And while some fans complained that old favourites like Xander and Giles sort of fell by the wayside this season, other favourites such as Buffy and Willow truly got to expand their roles into the gray (and gay) areas of both morality and sexuality...

In the following mini episode reviews, I mark each episode pretty much based on its standalone ability, and not its arc worthiness. But rest assured here and now, I do love the fourth season, both standalone and arc wise. I mean, episode by episode wise, it may even be better than the third season. The only thing preventing it from being on the very top of my totem pole of Buffy seasons, is the fact that season three had some of the greatest dialogue in the Sunnydale High library that I've ever heard in any television series... Nevertheless, despite some glaring flaws and some unwanted arcs, season four still stands its own ground as some very worthwhile and memorable television. And for the longest time, I did consider it to be my favourite season amongst the bunch, if only because of Spike...

Notable Episodes: The Initiative, Hush, A New Man, The I in Team, Who Are You, Superstar, The Yoko Factor, Primeval, Restless
Best Episode(s) of the Season: The Harsh Light of Day, Something Blue

Okay, it was obvious right off the start - the great writing that hit the Buffyverse fully in stride in the third season, was now pretty much gone. In the Freshman, it was plainly obvious that a lot of the best writers had moved onto Angel... but it was also obvious why the remaining writers didn't write with the cute wit that they did before: because Buffy ain't in high school any longer. She's in college. And for that, I'll give this episode major props. It still stands as perhaps the best episode I've seen on television when it comes to depicting first week at university... Oh, I still remember all the frosh line ups with half naked girls and guys just roaming about. I still remember all the flyers, and all the overwhelmingness that only Buffy seems to notice... and most importantly, I remember how even though my old high school friends were just a dorm away from my campus, I still didn't visit them... and they never visited me (or called me, since I didn't live on campus). They became too obsessed with making new friends to notice me, and it's been that way since. And that was what this episode was about. Buffy being alone, and Buffy no longer being the best. It's no wonder why the writing wasn't the same as it used to be. Because her world wasn't what it used to be.

That was the writers' intention. Unfortunately, the episode itself ending up as quite a chore to watch... Not only did it feel a little too weird that Buffy got beat up by just a regular vampire, but certain elements were thrown into the mix (like Olivia, Giles' girlfriend, for one thing) that threw me off just as much as it did Buffy... and in the end, I'm not sure whether all the newness was such a good thing this episode. There was no longer a cozy place to hang out, as the university had a real library instead. And though Xander had a moment or two with his tale of his summer dish washing horrors, the fact is that this was the start of his role as the guy in the background of every scene... There were a few pluses to this episode. It was priceless to see vampires playing with Mr. Gordo the pig, and it hurt to see the Class Protector award broken in half... and really, I can't help but roll with laughter at the mere thought that university professors are all as evil as Snyder was from high school... I thought the writers would've grown up from that by now... and I know the writers were trying to make a statement with all the above, that high school ain't the same as college, and yet it is... but... well... I agree with Buffy's sentiments at the end. College is a lot like high school. Unfortunately, while she got to keep her old friends... well... I'm still feeling and reeling like Buffy did during the first few minutes of this episode... you know, feeling alone... and I can't help cringing every time I watch it again...

Living Conditions didn't end up being as great of an episode as it seemed on paper... I mean, who on earth hasn't thought that someone with psychotic idiosyncrasies is evil at some time or another? I mean, I know I would seriously freak out, just like Buffy did, at the sight of a roommate ironing jeans, measuring pencil lengths, and labeling every single egg in the refrigerator... and yet... Something in this episode just didn't click for me. Just somehow, the episode ended up being no fun.

The episode did have its moments though. I was shocked as hell too when Buffy asked what Giles was doing for the day... and Buffy's obsession with the growing toenails was sadly cute as hell to me for reasons that will forever remain undisclosed... But in the end, this episode was simply too full of grating moments to be on my honour roll list. The final fight scene felt forced, in the way that it intermingled with talk of the evil stuff that roomies have to put up with. And Parker Abrams was annoying to me right off the bat, considering he seemed like such a perfect guy... And although theoretically, any episode where a chair gets slain for looking shifty should get top marks in my book, the fact of the matter is... although I could relate to this episode, the writing in it just didn't feel right.

Here we have the first great episode of the fourth season, and possibly one of the best Buffy episodes ever in my opinion. It consisted of four different plotlines, all of which somehow got ample development in just forty minutes of time. First things first, the comedy in this episode was extraordinary at times. I still laugh every single time I remember that Melody has no reflection, and just the little moments, like where Harmony writes with lipstick on Spike's back, are simply too priceless to put into words... The main plot of the story was kind of a bore, in which Spike searches for the Holy Grail of vampires. But as for all the subplots?... where do I begin?...

Okay, I may be a huge Anya fan, but I never really thought she was beautiful... except for this episode, where the cranberry juice scene gets my juices riling every single damn time I watch it. Anya is strangely and very oddly seductive, both to Xander and to myself, as I too find it absolutely ludicrous to have these interlocking bodies and not interlock... and although not much time was devoted to the couple afterwards, just the look on Anya's face when Xander said "okay", spoke more volumes than an entire library of latin text... There definitely was a connection between the two, and although they had their moments in the third season, this was truly the episode where it all started in my opinion...

Harmony and Spike was a classic tale of an abusive boyfriend on the rebound. Besides the comic value of pitting these two together, I did find a bit of chemistry when Harmony enticed her boyfriend into sex by constantly pronouncing Druscilla's name wrong... Spike was definitely on the rebound, and although the episode didn't mention it much, so was Buffy. And in the end, from an outside eye, it really was dumb for Buffy to commit to Parker so damn soon in their relationship. It reminds me of a bunch of high school girls gone wild to university that I used to know, so I guess this episode does ring true in a sense... and the fact that Buffy was used, definitely added a nice dynamic to the show, in which Buffy continually failed to grasp the concept that she can be used... and, well... Parker was a bore of a character to me again, but he definitely did add a nice spice to the show, plot wise. Just the way Buffy and Willow were going all giddy with each other as they were waiting for his phone call, completely contrasted with the soundtrack and the latter scenes of Buffy in distress so damn perfectly, that it's no wonder why Riley didn't get fans riled up later in the season. All the good romantic bits had already been done and taken, as Bif Naked intertwined perfectly with the love making scene.

But the real joy of Harsh Light of Day to me? Please forgive me for believing this, but this was truly the first episode where Spike and Buffy truly showed that they cared for one another... or were meant for one another... Now, please hear me out! The thing is, Buffy's laugh at the mere mention of ever haven been together with Spike is more telling than words can ever say to me! And was it just a coincidence that Spike was there (the only one there) when Buffy was at her most vulnerable (as if he is the one who knows her best) thanks to Parker (Spike is officially the only guy who's really been there for all Buffy's relationships...)? And although he did get staked in the battle, once again Spike proved that he is the only one who can stand toe to toe with Buffy in a fight. He did it on numerous occasions in season 2 (while Angel got beaten up to hell and back every single time he went without a sword), he proved it again and again in season 6 when Buffy came back wrong, and he proves it again in this episode... and those who know Buffy psyche 101, know that the part of her that prevented her from ever committing to Riley, was that he simply was not a match for her in terms of the fight... or in terms of the "dance", as Spike liked to put it later on... Call me insane if you will, but just seeing Buffy and Spike go at it in broad daylight just seems to speak volumes to me on whom she really does love. Of course, maybe I am insane and am just making this all up to piss off Angel and Buffy shippers, but, um... I digress...

Fear Itself was a decent episode, I suppose. It marked the beginning of Anya's fear of bunnies, and it prophesized a lot of the developments that would happen to the Scoobies over the months. Xander was afraid of being invisible to his friends. Willow's magic went way out of control. Oz dreamt that the werewolf inside of him was about to spring out. And Buffy realized that she simply can't save everyone like she wishes she can... But fears aside, the only thing to fear is Fear Itself. Because quite frankly, I was afraid of this episode the first time I watched it... and as a result, I sort of didn't like it very much...

I could've done without the zombie infested basement. And I could've done without that cheesy head in the washroom bleeding from its eyes... and as for the rest of the episode? It was too cheesy for my tastes. Sure, I laughed at the caption of "actual size", but seeing Giles go all Evil Dead with a chainsaw? In theory, it should all work out great... but I guess since I've never been a fan of actual Halloween, of course I wouldn't be a fan of an episode dedicated to the day. In the end, this episode simply didn't have the right amount of comic relief that I lust from a decent Buffy episode. The relief all came at the end of the show, when the true strength of Buffy has always been relief being spread throughout the whole of the forty minutes.

Okay, I know, I know... Beer Bad says it all in the name. Rumour has it, beer bad is a bad episode... and truth be told, I did believe that the first time I watched it many moons ago... But after going to university myself? I couldn't help but relate to the bartender. In a way, the geopolitical ramification bastards had it coming, and in a way, it was smile worthy to see them go ape. Of course, that doesn't mean I would've turned them into cavemen myself... but it is an ironic prospect, and it did lead to some decent comedy in my opinion at least.

Beer Bad started out the string of Xander jobs, and I personally thought he played a good bartender. The scene where he cons the cavemen into giving him some extra tips was smart comedy, at least to me... And considering how much I was bored with Parker before, I enjoyed this episode, simply because it half acted like a parody of the seriousness of former Buffy-love episodes. Instead of accepting the apology, cave Buffy got to wack the guy over the head with a stick, just like the good ol' days. And really, Willow had me going too. I actually thought for a second she would fall for Parker's "connecting", and I couldn't help but snicker a bit when she let loose the gullible truth... Now, I could've done without that whole fire scene, where Buffy had probably her best dialogue ever... The action in this episode was lacking, as the most that happened was really a car running over a caveman. But still, I can't help but side with its premise... and its name in the end, considering I haven't had a sip of beer in my life... and after this episode, I probably will stay sober for life... bloody hell...

Joss Whedon still claims that standalone episode wise, season four stands as some of his writer's best work yet. And at times, I'm definitely inclined to agree, as even though Wild at Heart didn't have that witty dialogue that I loved season 3 for, I will admit that it was a hell of a lot better to watch than most episodes of past seasons. Maybe since I'm a guy, I could relate to the passion and aggression that mello yello Ox was feeling for the she-wolf that he never knew to be... and I couldn't help but feel bad for Willow, not only when she saw the two in the cage together, but when Oz kissed the girl before the moon had risen... Like I said, this episode doesn't exactly deserve emmy awards for its dialogue, as most of it consisted of howls and moans. But somehow, just from the simple phrases and phases of the moon, this episode released in me the wild at heart.

It was also a nice reminder of the Xander-Willow-Oz love triangle that was never meant to be... I couldn't help but feel a bit nostalgic as Willow started talking as if she and Oz were now even... And as for the rest of the episode besides that pivotal scene? It was alright, I guess. I can't remember much comedy, but I guess I'm a sucker for any episode that delves into the Id rather than idealistic romance... The final fight scene left much to be desired. In a way, I felt bad for Oz, for half choosing to kill a person, and half because he looks so ridiculous in that werewolf suit... and although it wasn't heartbreaking, I really did feel like Willow loved Oz as he was leaving for who knows where. I remember thinking back when season 4 was new, that Oz would be back in just a few episodes... I never would've suspected that he would leave the show, and thus I didn't feel the emotional impact that that final scene of his provides. But still... even then, I still had a soft spot in my wild heart for this episode... because honestly, how can I not love an episode, where Spike returns to Sunnydale, just to get his ass zatted and electrocuted by my favourite boys in black?... and I'm sure I can twist that around too into some Buffy-Spike love thing, but I guess that's really or Riley besides the point...

I may sound like a bias fanboy... because, um... I am... but it's true when I say that the best episodes in the world to me, all revolve around Spike. Harsh Light of Day was absolutely great, if only because the Spike and Harmony contrast lit up the screen. And the Initiative is great, simply for all of Spike's one liners... Although I know this episode isn't exactly a favourite in most people's books, it is in mine at least, as it brings together some of the best comedy I've experienced on television to this day. I still remember cracking up for God knows how long, when Spike motions that he doesn't care how brilliant Buffy is, only to pan away to a poor Ms. Summers with a broken ballpoint pen, smudging up her entire class worth of notes... and I still remember thinking to myself, just how damn great the "impotence" metaphor was. I always knew that vampire biting represented sex, but to see erectile dysfunction so cleverly depicting for once on the screen? Priceless. Absolutely priceless. And the comfort talk that Willow tried to give the poor Brit afterwards really made this one of the most memorable moments in the entire series to me.

Spike wasn't the only thing great about this episode. I had a hoot watching Riley freeze up when talking about cheese (or cheese man, perhaps), if only because Marc Blucas (if that's how you spell his name) can't act and can't talk properly if his life depended on it... and often it does, it seems. Although I remember seeing it a mile away, it still was a cool scene, seeing Riley, Graham, and Forrest all leaving their frat house to carry off a special op mission for the Initiative... I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I love the Initiative. I love everything about it. I've always been fascinated by the struggle between science and magic in reality... and even though the series never took it far enough for my tastes, it was great to see it depicted in Buffy, nonetheless...

And guy things aside, this episode had a lot. From Willow's ever engrossing talk of the pitfalls of romance, to the great Superman like exchange between Buffy and Riley on the bench in the park... to the great hand to hand combat at the end, where Riley oddly doesn't bother to zap Buffy with a taser blast... to even an absolutely amazing view of the Initiative, which easily showed the bigger budget the show had for this season... All in all, I loved the Initiative, both the episode and the agency. Although the idea of the government trying to control the hellmouth never got realized the way I hoped it would, I know one thing at least: this episode alone, gave me all the hope in the world that the fourth season would be Buffy's best... and in many ways, it was. It just didn't have the initiative that I hoped it would...

I guess it's kind of fitting... Considering both sides of the Thanksgiving coin were portrayed in this episode, I guess it's only natural that I'd end up having a love and hate relationship with Pangs... like a Teddy Bear with fangs... On one hand, you've got Willow. Absolutely annoying Willow. Although she brings up valid points, the problem was, they weren't valid for the context of the show. It was as if the writers were trying to be politically correct or something, in a series that has escaped political correctness through the use of demons and magic... I mean, why would Willow care about a vengeance spirit? Why would she justify its actions, when she doesn't justify the actions of vampires let's say, who are sentient beings who can be given souls, and therefore should be protected under the Geneva convention? Why does she care about a Native American long dead, when she doesn't try to relate to demons or even vengeance demons, to see if they have a justifiable reason to kill without remorse?...

And on the other hand, this episode was just so great, by contrasting Willow's seriousness with Buffy's absolute silliness. I loved every moment that Buffy was cooking. Call me a softie for a girl who can bake and baste, but honestly, one of the key ingredients of the entire show was demonstrated when Buffy interrupted her serious talk with Willow, just to give cooking instructions to the Anya with Brandy... There were just so many moments of this episode that made me laugh, from Angel's late phone call warning of the siege, to Giles brilliant calling of Americans as "bloody colonials"... And Spike? How can one forget Spike? I mean, didn't he and Buffy simply look adorable when he was begging her to help him? And honestly, I literally had to pause the DVD until I stopped laughing at that brilliant shot of the crutch shot and his infamous, "bloody hell"... And how can you not love an episode where a harmless vampire gets to stay tied up to a chair at Thanksgiving dinner? I mean, that's what Thanksgiving is about, isn't it?...

Well, unless you're Willow, who seems to make exceptions for creatures she finds exceptional, but I guess that's besides the point...

I've seen a lot of episodes in my time... and somehow, Something Blue just somehow sticks out in my mind, out of the blue. By this point in time, I think it's blarringly witch obvious that I pretty much enjoy any episode that doesn't take itself seriously. So honestly, how could I possibly not keep Something Blue on my top ten to-die-for list, considering it was perhaps the funniest damn episode of the entire fourth season?... The episode starts out slow... a little too slowly, actually. Willow goes all maniac depressive over Oz's departure, and after her beer was discovered bad, she tries a little spell to have her will done and her pain begone... and to me? Even though Willow starred in very little screen time of this episode, this show was still about her. If you asked me, this was the very start of her real run as a wiccan running away from her days as a nerd. Something Blue not only shrugged off the last remnant of her geeky past in Oz, but it also demonstrated just how powerful and dangerous of a witch she has and will become. Although I still laugh whenever I see the shortest ever cameo in the 2 second return of Amy the rat, the truth of the matter in that one scene alone spoke volumes... Willow is no longer Buffy's mere sidekick. Instead, she can probably kick Buffy's ass anyday, which she did a few seasons later, but that's besides the point...

What is the point, is that this episode provided star-studded comedy for all the, um, stars of the show... Giles got to go blind, and in a sense, he was thankful for it. I laugh so damn hard every time I hear Buffy and Spike smacking lips in the background, and I can't help but chuckle a British yelp every time I see Giles groaning on the couch in front of them... And you readers know me by now. How can I possibly not love an episode that quite obviously hints at the future romance between Buffy and Spike? In a sense, Buffy said it best. All those years the two of them fought, they were fighting only because they couldn't admit their feelings for one another. And although the moral of this episode was supposedly that bad boy relationships are bad for Buffy, the truth of the matter is... she loved Spike. Sure, she didn't like him. But she loved him. And although he was under a spell, season 2 and 3 definitely demonstrated that Spike has the capacity to love and protect the woman he cares about. I personally found it sweet this episode everytime Buffy jumped into Spike's lap... and it all resulted in one of the best Riley moments of the season, when Marc Blucas' inability to act actually worked wonders when he went speechless to the engaged Buffy and the wedding ring...

Xander and Anya got the shortstick of the comedy in my opinion, as nothing can top the moment where Buffy finds Spike in literally two seconds... But still, Willow's words rang true. Xander is a demon magnet, which is oddly ironic considering he's the only one in the group with no powers whatsoever... Anya didn't get to do much this episode, but she provided more than enough in Hush the week after, so no harm there. And as for Willow? Not only did she look absolutely precious when confronted with D'Hoffryn and a horde of vengeance demons. She also looked cute for one of the first times in the season as she was popping a cookie in Spike's poor mouth... What I love about Something Blue, is not just the fact that Buffy and Spike love each other, but that this episode provided the best comedy with excellent plot arc expansion. It stands as one of the few episodes in the season that has dialogue as witty as a third season episode (only perhaps The Initiative, Superstar, and The Yoko Factor can even compare), and as I stated long before, it still manages to stand as one of the most memorable Buffy episodes I have ever watched.

The thing is, Hush is rated as one of the best Buffy episodes of all time, and hell, it even got an Emmy nomination... but though I respect this episode far more than words or speech or even sound can tell, the fact of the matter is... I have yet to find it very enjoyable. I've always been a fan of anti-serious episodes with a hell of a lot of comedy. And while Giles' slideshow with Anya eating popcorn in the background was some classic Whedonian comic relief (I think I giggled for at least half a damn hour at the sight of Buffy sort of... um... staking herself down below... if only I could dream...). But besides the lecture scene, and besides the sight of Xander beating up a helpless Spike on the floor, there really wasn't much to snicker at this episode. In the end, I was pretty hushed throughout the whole of Hush. And normally, I would find that a bad thing.

But for Hush?... being silent was what I was meant to be... And I'll admit it. Hush definitely has stood the test of time in terms of sheer art and direction. Not only is it amazing how the Gentleman can glide on air without the slightest hints of computer effects, but it's actually quite beautiful, to see their heads nod and sway with style as their straight-jacket lackeys half dance around the streets below. And the musical score? My God, this episode has perhaps the best music in a Buffy episode outside of Once More, with Feeling, as without speech, it was only natural to commit all the show's resources into making the music as gripping and fairy talish as possible... And the whole concept behind Hush wasn't just novel. It was simply uncanny and yet believable. To write an entire episode where no-one speaks... and to have it as dramatically powerful, if not more so, than most episodes with the most melodramatic of script writings? It was as if Joss Whedon was trying to prove to all us naysayers that the strength in Buffy doth not lie in dialogue... but rather, it relies in the characters and the imagery...

And sadly, that's the problem. Art wise, I respect Hush more than words or even a mime can ever say. But emotional? Considering Spike was barely in the episode, I barely could care... although it was sweet to see the first kiss between Riley and Buffy, and although their staredown in the clocktower will remain one of the most candid Buffy moments ever, and even though it was strikingly appropriate to end the episode with the couple simply speechless... still... maybe it's because I'm too much of a Buffy and Spike shipper, but honestly, there really wasn't much chemistry between Finn and everyone's favourite Summers... And as for the rest of the characters? Giles had moments with Olivia, who seemed to be too freaked out by the Gentlemen to ever return. And Willow? Well, she was around, I guess... Hush marked the introduction of Tara, who I may not have ever been a fan of, but I at least did find her endearing at first, if only because of her shyness and stuttering. But Willow? God, she was quite annoying yet again, if only to prove how evil she is... She was mocking the wiccan group for not being wiccans, and somehow, that just doesn't seem right to me. The show itself is a mockery of paganism and wiccanism, so it kind of stings to see the hypocrisy of the show highlighted in one of its most incredible and indelible episodes... but still, Willow aside, there was some chemistry between Tara and Willow as they held hands and magically orgasmed for the first time...

But in the end, Hush centered around Buffy and only Buffy, and because of that, I remain kind of hush when I try to relate to this episode... But I will fully admit that the episode completely deserved its emmy nomination, if only because it truly does stand out in so many people's minds. Although I personally find a lot of other season four episodes to supersede this one on my list, the fact of the matter is... if only because of the art. If only because of the music. If only because of the style... Hush deserves to quiet the rest, and stand on top.

How many great Buffy episodes have there been in a row? There was Wild at Heart (debatable), The Initiative (a personal favourite of mine), Pangs (cheesy from Angel and the Natives, but still comedy central), Something Blue (one of the best episodes - no contest), and Hush (a personal favourite of seemingly everyone but me...). That's five bloody episodes in a row that stand amongst the best of Buffyverse history... so after such a successful run, it was only natural that a crap episode slipped in between the craps... it was only natural that an episode be doomed for failure...

But the thing is, while Doomed may be doomed when it comes to my favourites of the season list, it's not really a bad episode either. The central characters were kind of useless though... Giles just got beat up without getting killed. Xander and Willow just roamed about and gave themselves a Yoko Factor to think about. And Buffy got to show a lack of chemistry with Riley again, in which Marc Blucas really couldn't speak a single sentence without sounding like he had vampire make-up on his face or something of that kind... Although there were some golden moments in this episode, such as Giles' big board of commando sightings, and the core Scoobies all screaming "again?!" at the idea of year another apocalypse, the fact still remains, that most scenes (like the Percy return moment) I could've done without... But what saves this episode in my book, is one character and one character only... You know who...

Spike. This was his episode, right of the bat, as he tried to bat Xander in the head with a wrench. Not only was it hilarious to see him reduced to plumbing and wearing Xander's beach clothes, but he also got a few decent licks in, by labeling Willow and Xander as groupies too soft to detach. But the real joy of this episode came when Spike finally decides to punch a demon, and figures out that his chip only applies to humans... Seeing a vampire in Xander clothes taking out a demon is damn cool enough. Listening to Spike American accent his way around a commando who simply comments, "that's nice", had me howling on my couch for months... Back when season four was fresh, this was always the first scene on my mind. The rebirth of Spike. The redemption of Spike. And truth be told, his speech at the end to the Scoobies on the couch... it really moved me... It brought meaning to my life, that's all... And although this episode will forever be doomed to the pits of my heart for that, I still can't say that I loved Doomed, even though it featured my favourite character on television. It's sad to say that a Spike episode is the one that breaks the string of incredible Buffy episodes, but still... it's not a bad episode at all...

The writers get back on track with a brilliant metaphor of an episode... Giles becomes the first member of the core Scoobies to be alienated, so what better way to feel alone than to become a demon that your friends are trying to kill?... Giles doesn't get many episodes to himself, and in a sense, he didn't have A New Man either, considering he was completely buried in make-up and pent-up rage... But there were just so many great Giles moments in this episode that it's hard to even begin naming them. I absolutely loved the seriousness-turned-pissed-off tone of Giles in the crypt, the moment that he learned of Riley and the Initiative... and you've got to love Ethan's cliche bad guy talk. It was about time someone walked in on his bloat and gloat plans, and I remember snickering throughout the Snickers commercials that followed the first time around... Giles also had some great chemistry with Spike, especially the moment where he offers to pay the vampire an extra hundred bucks. And I'm not sure whether that was really Giles in that demon costume or not... but Buffy knew it was. And the poor guy really did look pretty damn annoyed when he was stabbed with his own letter opener...

The episode had its perks outside of the Giles fest. The sparring match between Buffy and Riley was perhaps the only moment in the season that I thought the two had real chemistry. And I did laugh at certain moments, like when Anya and the group realizes that the mucus demon had stolen Giles' car of all cars... And how can I possibly not love an episode where Giles in Las Vegas clothing gets to watch Ethan manhandled into a humvee?... Although A New Man isn't one of my favourite episodes of all time, it definitely does stand up there amongst the best of the season. And besides, it was nice for Buffy to have a decent birthday for once... even though it was half spoiled by a Giles thinking he was a poor male model... But compared to Angel turning evil, and her mother almost getting eaten? I think Buffy would take her 19th birthday over any of her previous two anyday...

I'm thinking that not many online fans at least, enjoyed the I in Team... it was in this episode that friendships started breaking down, and even the core Buffy series feeling started getting lost. Not only was the feeling of school now completely missing from the series (the dorm rooms were barely shown, and I think the classrooms from here on in were completely missing), but on the more obvious hand, you had Buffy spending all her time with Riley and the Initiative, at the expense of her high school friends. And instead of spending time teaching Anya how to play Poker, Willow went off alone as well to help her stuttering girlfriend shudder in delight... And as for the other families, Giles and Spike (who half seem like father and son at times, more so than Giles ever did with Xander or Angel) have a falling out, although Giles did get to foreshadow the future by suggesting that perhaps Spike had a greater purpose in life... And as for the Initiative? First you have Forrest going all commando on Riley's ass. Next, you have Riley going AWOL on his surrogate mother, Maggie Walsh... In the end, a lot of fans didn't like this episode, for purposely and obviously ditching the tried and true formula that made Buffy the show that it was back in the day... but as for me?...

Call me a sucker for technology and army guys, but I still really love this episode. The B plot of the tracer in Spike could've used some extra work, as it really didn't provide any comic relief next to a really bad, ionic hairdo problem... As for the main story, Buffy and Riley never really seemed together in this episode. Their sex scene seemed like it came out of nowhere, even though it mingled decently with the Polgara fight scene... But when Buffy was essentially alone, she was precious. I still laugh every time that Buffy raises her hand in the military briefing. And I still get a chill or two everytime I watch Maggie Walsh just sipping her coffee as her former student gets her ass kicked in the background... only to get herself caught in a lie with her favourite student just a few minutes later... I personally think the speech Buffy gave over the comm was one of the only serious speeches that she has ever been able to pull off half decently... And although the Initiative itself isn't very large to me (compared to movies, at least), I must confess that I feel the awe that Buffy feels when she first lays eyes on the institution. I guess I've gotten to the stage that I smile when she smiles, and I hurt when she hurts... which I also feel for Spike, but that's besides the point...

While the I in Team won't be earning any Emmies any time soon, the fact of the matter is, at least in my opinion, it stands out as a better than average episode, thanks to its dotting of I's and crossings of T's... and it also introduced Adam in a decent way. Although I felt that killing off Maggie Walsh got rid of the only multi-dimensional villain of the season, it did provide for a momentous, um, moment, when Adam called her "'mommy"... I guess I just have a soft spot for little boy scouts like him...

This kind of sucks, actually... That after a whole bunch of wacky, standalone episodes, like Hush and A New Man, all of which stand alone as some of the best the Buffy writers have ever done... that an episode that actually tries to properly progress the arc of the season, Goodbye Iowa, ends up being the real stinker of the group... In the end, there was really only one thing about this episode that I did like: the name. I personally think that the metaphor in the name actually took some thought to make up... but the rest of the episode?... probably not...

This was half meant to be a Riley episode... no wonder it was boring... though Marc Blucas showed signs of acting, when he was shaking that gun in his hand at Willy's. But really, he couldn't act when he was trying to sort things out with Buffy, and he could barely act when he was trying to push Forrest around... and the scenes with Buffy on Xander's bed? Far too Iowa cheesy for my tastes... And the rest of the cast didn't get to do much either. Giles got to cringe at a disco ball. Anya got to do the girl bitch thing and claim Xander as hers. Willow just hung out with Tara... and Tara? Well, the first time I watched the fourth season, I knew that she was evil, or at least she was meant to be evil. I was sure after seeing the significance of the rose thing in A New Man, that the new hope of the writers was for Tara to either a) die or b) go evil, to really piss off Willow and create Darth Willow... Tara was only meant to be an appendage to Willow... a stamp... a Kitty Fantastico, if you will... and considering how Tara refused to help locate demonic energy in this episode? I was sure that the answer was a combination of all the above... But in the end a couple of seasons later, I was more than disappointed to eventually find out (or at least, imagine) that the writers became too scared of having a real evil lesbian on the show (evil Willow wasn't really evil in the end), so they axed the evil part of Tara, and lied about Tara's death until the axe effect actually took place... I'll admit it here. I've never been a fan of Willow and Tara. Hell, sometimes I liked Kennedy more than the both of the two combined... but still... fans do love Tara... so I will give her the benefit of the doubt... and she did look mighty adorable when she was shrugging her shoulders left and right. She has a nice way of seeming innocent yet frightened at the same time...

But really, like I've been trying to say, Goodbye Iowa essentially said goodbye to decent writing. There were only two moments in this episode which I laughed: once at Spike's cheering on of the Initiative's attempted Buffy murder, and second at Xander's comments at love at first Initiative sight. But the rest of the episode was flaky and far too serious to ever be taken seriously. Sure, the Adam fight at the end was decent, but I just didn't care when watching the DVDs, considering how useless I know he will become... and besides, it makes me laugh everytime a super cyberdemon like him uses primitive, crap floppy disks of all things, but that's besides the point...

In the end, this episode had good chemistry between Riley and Forrest, some cool techno talk from Adam, and a Buffy who looked damn sexy in glasses... But like I said before: goodbye to Goodbye Iowa. I'll probably never watch it again... except to ponder over its naive name once more, but that's once again besides the point...

I only have one problem with this episode... It sort of takes itself too seriously. Because seriously, probably the only gag that I actually laughed at, was the sight of poor Xander getting electrocuted with no-one noticing, as if he was invisible or joining the army or something... And the only other part I laugh at? When Buffy and Faith were fighting in the Summers house. I couldn't help but find it really, really, ridiculously ridiculous, how easily everything in the house was falling apart. First, Faith slams a door through Buffy, and the next thing you know, a table breaks under literally no weight...

This Year's Girl tried my patience far too much. The music in both episodes of the two parter was simply far too epic for a small town episode like this one. It was as if the writers were trying to build a World War 2 film or some crap like that... And none of the characters really got defining roles. Willow got to swing a bag and call Faith some nasty names. Giles got to, um, be Giles... and Xander? What did he do? I may never know... and all poor Riley got to do was drink his milk, eat his vitamins, and sit back as Buffy went on torrids of horrid speeches about how wrong everything to do with Faith is... and yet...

And yet?... this episode still ranks above my average list, simply because of Faith. Sure, her dreams of Buffy as a monster were painfully annoying and prickly at best (although is it me, or did the bed scene foreshadow Dawn's coming or something like that?). But I couldn't help but feel bad at the slight wince that Faith gave, the moment she heard that the Mayor had been killed... And honestly, how can I possibly give a thumbs down to an episode that has the Mayor telling Faith that it's his job to bite?... I miss the Mayor. He was the most endearing villain any show has ever seen. And his chemistry with Eliza Dushku is and was and forever will be amazing. And that alone puts this episode in the plus column.

But while the Mayor puts This Year's Girl in the positive rankings, the problem is that he doesn't show up at all in Who Are You. And just like in This Year's Girl, there really wasn't much comedy in this episode, depending on your point of view... There were only a few moments that I laughed at in this overly serious-toned episode. The first time was probably when Buffy in Faith's body walked in on Giles unannounced. And the second time was probably when Riley showed up to Church late, as I can seriously relate...

But the great thing about Who Are You, is that unlike This Year's Girl, the serious atmosphere actually worked. Now, characters such as Anya, Xander, and Giles once again really had not much to do. In the meantime, Willow and Tara got to get out of their little closet a little wee bit, when Faith in Buffy's skin sort of noticed that the two don't exactly drive stick... And the magic scene with all the panting and sweating? It was just too blatantly obvious for me - their metaphorical romance, I mean - to even care about their relationship. I mean, I liked Tara for most of this episode. The shyness she showed while talking to fragmented and fragging Buffy showed a, well... shyness that I actually liked... But when she was with Willow? I know the two are meant to complement each other and make each other whole, but honestly... I hate how damn romantic their whole damn relationship is. It's just far too cheesy and far too one-dimensional for me to even begin to care about.

Buffy in Faith's body didn't get much to do this episode as well, except have a little bondage fun in the back of a truck... I will admit though. Eliza did a pretty good job of emulating Sarah Michelle Gellar's mannerisms. She flicked her hair pretty reasonably, and she did have that certain Buffy cuteness to her when she noticed that Giles was inching... But besides that? Not much from the Buffy front, I guess. Except the fact that she was quite huffy at the fact that Riley had got huffy himself with Faith in her body, which I must admit, is a very nicely done metaphor for cheating or whatever it was meant to be.

While I can't say Sarah Michelle Gellar did a bang-up job of emulating Eliza perfectly, I will say that she made the new character of Faith rather interesting, as through the saving of a girl, and through her inability to use Riley, Faith actually started becoming Buffy by the end of the episode... I simply loved her little mirror talk to herself, where she pretends to be Buffy and saying things are wrong... but by the end of the episode? It's plainly obvious that she hates herself - Faith has no faith in Faith, I mean... and although on a normal day, I might say this whole thing was cheesy, I won't tonight. Not for this episode... Although Sarah didn't exactly act like Faith, she did a hell of a job of not acting like Buffy. But rather becoming Buffy. Like a buffybot or something...

And oh, as for bots... this was perhaps the only episode that Adam seemed like a threat. While in Goodbye Iowa, Adam showed a strength absolutely unrivalled by anything his size... well, except for Glory... and except for Dark Willow... and the first Ubervamp... and probably Caleb... and most villains on Angel... but that's all besides the point... But strength alone doesn't make a good villain. In Superstar, Adam was shown to both live forever thanks to a nuclear core, and seemed immune to magic. Of course, both of these features, along with his strength, ended up only making him last about thirty seconds in his final battle, which royally sucked in the end in my opinion... But although the writer's did the cyberdemon a grave injustice in the end by making him perhaps the most easily defeated villain ever, the fact of the matter is, I like Adam... not just because he's part man, part demon, part Terminator like I had always hoped the series would do. It's also because this episode gave me hope for him... Because he gave those vampires hope that there's nothing to fear but fear itself. This episode hyped Adam up to be some sort of Jesus for the underworld. Unfortunately, all that hype and hooplah ended up as nothing in the end... but at least, there was some hope...

And speaking of hope? I can't leave without commenting on the comments Faith made in Buffy's body to Spike... that alone is enough to make me wiggle and giggle at this gigolo of an episode. Because the things she said to him... Hell, I know I'd love to be uncorked like a champagne bottle by some girl as pretty and sleazy as Buffy. And you could see it in his expression... Spike loves Buffy. He always has, but never has been willing to realize it... and when Buffy refused to do the things she said she would, because "it's wrong"... not only was I staring at her bright red lips in fascination... but so was Spike, I think... and that gave me hope... that gave me faith, long before season five actually laid out the Spike and Buffy plan out in full...

Let's face facts... Superstar is a superstar of an episode. Literally, I like almost every single thing that's in this episode. The writing is superb. The concept is novel. And the musical score of Jazz and James Bond ranks right up there on my list with Hush. And honestly, the creativity and ingenious fun in this episode continues to confound me, even to this day... You have Jonathan biographies. You've got Jonathan dotcom. You've got Riley claiming that he's no Jonathan when it comes to strength and basketball. And for God's sake, there's a Jonathan swimsuit calendar? How the hell can you not love Jonathan in a swimsuit?... Meow... all three feet of meow...

Okay, so maybe I'm exaggerating a bit about the Jonathan stuff... or at least, I hope I am... But when I say I love this episode, I really mean it. Not only is it built around a brilliant concept, but it progresses plot arcs and develops every central character much more than most other episodes do... Anya provided brilliant comic relief, with her moaning of 'Jonathan', and simply the look on her face when she so desperately wanted sex at the sound of soothing music?... I could almost smell pineapples and cranberry... Xander may not have been in the picture very long, but his obsession with Jonathan comic books and Jonathan cards still has me hoping for a spell of my own to this day. And his line that a world without Jonathan is a world without joy and sunshine, still rings true to me today... especially after season six, but I digress... Giles, Willow, and Tara were all pretty much in the background, but they all had their moments, with the wall of Jonathan pictures being my favourite. And even Riley got a lot of decent things to say in this episode. He really did hold Buffy in his arms during the dance as if he cared, and you've just got to love the look on his face when a) Buffy moaned the name of Jonathan, and b) when he still didn't figure out that Jonathan didn't star in the Matrix... (thank God the spell broke, otherwise Jonathan might've been stuck associated with the Matrix Reloaded... and he sure as hell wouldn't have wanted that... uggh...).

And what I love about this episode, was that Jonathan was... well... perfect... The Swedish twins are always a fan favourite, but his James Bond suits rank up there as well. I loved the way that he brandishes his crossbow. I loved the smug smirk on his face when he beat Giles at yet another game of chess... And even at the end, when he was cowering from the loss of the spell? Even then, in a yellow suit more horrible than even my wardrobe, he still had a sensitivity to him that makes me miss seeing him in the background of every high school episode even more... Because I do love Jonathan. I do love Levinson. Just not in a superstar way... and I also love the writers, for half mocking me with a brilliant script of this caliber. I mean, quite frankly, the way Jonathan was counseling Buffy and Riley?... God, he sounded like what I try to sound like at times when judging friends and family... and hell, for all I know... maybe I learned all I did about sociology from this episode alone, all thanks to everyone's favourite superstar...

But you know who the real stars of the show are to me: Spike and Buffy... and quite frankly, both did stellar jobs in this episode, especially whenever the two were on screen at the same time. I mean, Spike got to play the cliche Bond bad guy role to the cliche Bond bad guy music. And Buffy?... well... that's the thing... Was it me, or did she seem turned on when Spike was brushing her hair? And was it me, or did she lack all ability to pun when she was with Spike this episode, as if he was making her speechless?... in the end, it felt all weird... the way he was calling her Betty... the way Buffy seemed like a damsel in distress around him and only around him (although Jonathan being next to her may have had some part to do with it)... but either way, it doesn't really matter. Whatever it may be, it still works... Something in this episode - no, everything in this episode - just plain works. Because quite frankly, a spell to make everyone think that Jonathan's cool?... God, that's just so damn cool...

God, my mini reviews are getting pretty anti-mini, don't you think?... let's try to keep this one Lipton brisk short then... Short story short, Where the Wild Things Are is not a very good episode. Sure, it has its high points and hot spots, like the idea that touching a wall can induce orgasms... But the effects were just plain cheesy in this episode. The poltergeist jungle may have been Freudian nice, but just looked plain cheap in my opinion. And although it was nice to see Buffy continually sweat on screen, she and Riley didn't exactly have much else to do in this day off for them, now did they?

Overall, the episode had its moments, but really amounted to nothing in the end. It was a filler episode, with some decent moments like Spike having a beer in the lion's den, and Xander getting blown back by ghosts... There were some spooky moments as well. The ghosts surrounding Willow and co for one thing, and the evilness in the old woman's eyes for another... And there were a few gags as well... or at least, one... Riley doesn't have many decent moments in my book, but the look Buffy and him gave each other when they were told it must've been horrible to have no control?... God, I wish at times that I had no control...

But there is one thing about this episode I'd like to note... and that is, it really feels weird when you think about Angel... Because in the season before, Buffy was claiming that she didn't care about not having sex with Angel. She claimed that she was happy just being in love... But Faith a few episodes back was right. Buffy seemed to forget all about the love of her life... or if she didn't, she's definitely on the rebound with a swift kick in the nuts... Because she was just so heavily addicted to making love in this episode, that it feels ridiculous considering what the series stood for in its first three seasons... Of course, that is the moral of the season, in a sense. I know girls who were completely shy in high school, only to find that they would date a dozen guys and do a dozen more their first year in university... but I guess, since I don't actually know any girls, that's besides the point...

New Moon Rising isn't a bad episode by any means... but it didn't exactly give me a rise, either. Once again, an episode comes along, completely bogged down by seriousness that it simply can't handle. I think there was only one moment that I laughed... when Buffy was trying to deal with her newfound knowledge that Willow had joined the other team. And it was really only amusing because a) Buffy had gone completely Mr. wiggins on Riley for being a bigot and everything earlier, and b) Buffy was wearing the leather pants that Faith was wearing in her body just a few episodes ago... and besides those two moments?

It was all too serious and all too cheesy for my tastes. But I will give some tarot credit to Tara. I do like the way she shuffles her head and winks her chin everytime she looks distressed and depressed... But as for the rest of the cast? What did Giles do? What did Xander do? Anything? And Spike? God, how can an episode be so devoid of Spike? All he did was get to punch Adam to no avail... poor, little bugger... But I do know what Willow did. She got to cry a lot. And she did look quite cutie pouty, third season style, when she was telling Buffy about Tara and everything...

Really, there are only two reasons why this episode was a decent watching my opinion. First, although Oz didn't get to do any of his patented humour, it was nice at least to see him back... and naked, although I wasn't exactly a fan of that... Though I did appreciate his, um, appreciation of irony... If there was any decent scene in this episode, it was at the end, where he finally gets a good farewell and send off in that go lucky truck of his to Tibet... And the other reason to watch? Riley. Poor Marc Blucas always seems confused in his role, and it actually worked in this episode, whether he meant it to or not... This was the true Goodbye Iowa for him - where he makes an open choice to choose his own way rather than the ways he cannot trust. And there was one great scene... The moment where Riley was about to shoot werewolf Oz without qualms, only to beg the scientists to stop with their prodding a moment later. The quick contrast between those two scenes highlighted rather well in the Initiative light, and was probably the only thing that saved this episode in my eyes... along with the naked Oz, but we shall never speak of that again...

The Yoko Factor is great for one reason and one reason only: Spike... he got to do nearly everything in this episode, and it was bloody hell about time that he got to be the star. And because Spike was highlighted, he got to interact and get great performances out of the entire cast as well. I loved nearly every moment of this episode, all thanks to him... and maybe I should give props to the rest of the cast as well, but I'll get to that in a second...

First things first, action wise, The Yoko Factor ranks up there with the best of the season. The fight with Adam in the cave was short but strictly to the point, as Buffy couldn't even phase the guy, and the taser blast was absorbed into his Borg like shielding... and the big fight between Riley and Angel? I was disappointed in it, simply for the fact that Riley looked like an idiot in that fight. He was tossed around like a ragdoll, and didn't even get an opportunity to get a decent blaster shot off or some crap like that... But still, winner and loser aside, the battle was decent in the end. The camera swinging work was great, and it was more than just enjoyable to see the new Angel wit back, as Buffy was trying to separate the two... Now, I've never been a big Angel fan (until the fourth season of Angel), but he always does have good chemistry with the boys of Buffy's life. I didn't care much for his apology to Buffy, and I thought it was stupid how he didn't stay for at least the final fight, but we got some good gags out of him nonetheless. Riley refusing to leave the room, watching Angel leave with that smug face of his he so quickly developed on his own show... well... it was rather amusing...

As for the rest of the cast? They all did admirable jobs. Poor Giles was already drinking in solemn boredom by the time Spike showed up to call him a retired librarian... Poor Xander was already sick of doing the group's handiwork of delivering clothes by the time Anya wacked him in the chest for thinking of joining the army... and poor Willow was already scared of talking to Buffy about being roommates the following year, before she was ever called trendy behind her back... which I sadly can't help agreeing with... the trendiness, I mean... In fact, I agree with everything that Spike mentions in this episode, and the characters know it too. That's what makes it so great... Spike may be no genius. He may not be the brightest bloke on the block, as evidenced by that little flaw in his master plan, but still... he sure does know human behaviour, and he sure does know Buffy, as the third season's Lover's Walk demonstrated in full stride. And here, he proves it again in full snide... We all now know that Xander would eventually become the successful one in the group, but at the time, perhaps the army would've been the best choice for him, if only to be Buffy's saviour once more. And Giles? He is retired. He just doesn't accept it, even though there's nothing wrong with being retired. Buffy still needs his help - just not as much as she used to... And Willow? She's always terrified that her new coolness is just an act, so obviously she would take being called trendy as an insult. But really, I ask the audience, what's really wrong with being trendy? Sometimes, we get so wrapped up in trying to be "real' and different, that we forget that being trendy might be just as true to ourselves as anything else...

The Yoko Factor sort of lacks much laughing factors, besides the Xander army scene thing and Spike's inability to even wave a gun... But I still can't help but love this episode, if only for the final scene. Although I personally think that the seventh season had a better break-up moment, I still chalk it up to season four, for being brave enough to split the group up, if only for a few hours. Some real, harsh things were said in this episode... all of which ring true... and all of which were highlighted very well by some true comedy relief in the form of Xander's lesbian surprise, and Giles' infamous "bloody hell"s... and all ending perfectly with Sarah Michelle Gellar screaming that the two aren't answering her... Factor this all in with Giles singing a wonderful melody, Buffy having a fierce conversation with jealous Forrest, and Riley's reaction to finding out the truth about Angel's curse, and you end up with one hell of an episode. Although the Yoko Factor can't match the best of episodes of the fourth season, it definitely holds it own... unlike Riley in the Angel fight, but I digress...

Okay, let me get this off my chest... I do like this episode, but there's only one glaring flaw with it... That goddammit, science got its ass kicked! I hate it! I hate how all the damn time, fiction and fans just assume that science sucks, and why? Why, goddammit, why? Why should a uranium core be simple and elemental compared to a goddam spell? I mean honestly, I love Adam! He may be the Hamlet of villains actionwise, but he is a damn cool villain in premise... or pretense, or whatever... And yet the Scooby gang just conveniently finds some easily done spell that somehow incapacitates a villain with two times Slayer strength, a Polgara poky thing, a mini-gun, and bloody grenade launcher for Christ's sakes! I mean yes, magic is powerful - considering it doesn't really obey the laws of physics. But honestly, there has been really no spells in the history of Buffy (until this episode) that have been as powerful or focused as the one in this episode. Sure, I understand the metaphor behind it - with your friends behind you, anything is possible... But goddammit, this sucks! They creamed Adam in thirty second flat! And in the end, the damn Initiative still gets wiped out with a lethal ass whipping. And although I can buy a 40% casualty rate, I cannot believe that the government would insist that they can't control the demon population... I mean, they seriously did for nine months of the year! They only got killed by their own creation, not the demon world. So really, why is it that the so-called moral of this story is that the Initiative, as Buffy puts it, has no idea what they're dealing with? I ask you?... goddammit, why must science always lose?...

Yes, science always loses... yet it was science that made this episode what it is... Although I absolutely abhor the final fight scene, where Adam goes down barely with a fight, I do admit that I liked the pyrotechnics pretty much everywhere else. The huge Initiative fight scene was simple, with Graham getting a few decent gun shots here and there, and with Giles knocking out a demon with a bag while the Initiative boys couldn't even do it with blasters, but I digress... And the Forrest vs Riley fight scene was definitely better than his Angel one, since I guess I always like battles that go out with a bang... And make-up wise? This episode had it all. Adam looked as killer as always, as I've always loved the way his body is shaped... or, um, something like that... Professor Walsh really did look dead and reanimated, and most of the demons in the big fight scene were pretty well done as well. My only complaint is Forrest... he looked like a cartoon character everytime he opened his mouth and moved his yellow chin... but still... I give major props to all those involved with science who made the effects in this episode possible. Even though I cringe everytime I see a bloody grenade turn into a pack of doves, I do like the Matrix like bullet scene... although I seriously could've done without that Buffy Matrix Bicycle kick later on...

But the thing is, while this episode is on my plus side for its great action and some great Adam lines (for some odd reason, even my brother still quotes his, "interesting... very interesting" line to this day, even though he hates Buffy), it really didn't provide much for the characters of the show. Willow was missing the fantastic chemistry that she had with Kitty Fantastico in the previous episode. Giles didn't get to sing. Xander just got to get hugged. Buffy got to yell at Riley for not talking to her. And Riley? Well, he got to get poked a lot by anyone's favourite, kick the Spike... who got a decent moment of cigarette offense, and got off some decent lines about saving people's lives (after the gang found out of his treachery, of course)... but still... considering how he had become the little bad of the season, he didn't really get to do much in the final bout. And actually, noone did...

Back when season four was new, I watched this episode and just found it to be a pure letdown. It wasn't a true two-parter like previous seasons, and hell, Adam lasted a hell of a lot shorter than any Energizer Buffy ever would have... and in a way, I still feel like the writers copped out, and simply wrote a different finale for the season after fan reactions to Adam and the Initiative were less than stellar... although I'll never have proof of this, I will always believe in the pits of my heart that simply because the Buffy fan base loves Tara and Willow and Kitty Fantastico over Adam with a chain gun right out of Doom, that we got a crap action episode in the form of Primeval... and we got Restless as the finale that people still talk about to this day...

Well, the fan base still talks about it. I don't. And yes, I'm bitter... bitter that fans who want magic, beat us fans who like both science and, um... demon men in tights...

Well, here we have it... the episode that fans still analyze to this day, even though there's nothing to bloody analyze... But let them have their fun I say, manipulating every single line and image in this episode into meaning far more than it was ever intended to be in the first place... Although I haven't listened to the Joss Whedon commentary yet, I'm pretty sure he says something along the lines of Restless being a character based show, not a prophetic show about the fifth and further seasons... Nevertheless, even though it goes against my better principles, I will analyze parts of the episode, if only because I have nothing better to do with my time. But still, before I move on, just know that although I highly respect this episode as I do Hush, it doesn't mean I like it. It's a great episode, and it would've been a great season premiere. But it's not worthy of a season finale. It made me long ago feel as if the season was left unfinished, which in some ways, it was...

First, we have Willow's dream, which has a meaning a little too obvious for my tastes. I mean, the "costume" talk was alright. And Riley being in a cowboy suit showed that Willow's judges a lot by stereotypes and all... But the subtlety in Willow's character all disappeared when her costume was torn off, and it was plainly revealed in plaid, that she's afraid that she is just being trendy. She's afraid that she's still a nerd who's hiding who she really is. And as the final scene of her dream showed, she always knew that Oz knew the truth about her, and probably accepted it. But it's Tara that she's now hiding from... not to mention her family... and not to mention all her friends... But character assessment aside, Willow's dream had some great television moments. I personally loved Joss' rendition of Death to a Salesman. I personally think that a cowboy and Cruel Intentions girl goes hand in hand with a man not being a piece of fruit... I also loved Giles acting like the gayish director. Although I'm not sure if there was any real meaning in his talk about props, I do know that Willow used to look at him like a father, and thus it was expected that Giles would be part of the audience... and, well... Willow is a fraidy cat, as shown by Kitty Fantastico in the desert. I'm afraid though, that the meaning of her dream just wasn't subverted enough for me... and in the end? The only thing I did end up really liking was the screen transition, between the drama class curtain and the curtain in the classroom.

Joss Whedon's greatest achievement in this episode was creating the seamless sense that dreams can take you anywhere without you realizing it. What I mean is, he studied dream transitions and used them to an awe-inspiring effect... And they're done no better than they're done in Xander's dream. There are two moments that purely stand out to me: first, when Xander crawls from his ice cream truck to his basement, and second when he goes though a door in Giles house and ends up in a college dorm. That, coupled with the both epic and primal music in the chase scene background, all resulted in a very realistic feeling dream... well, except for the cheeseman, who stands out way too much to seem like a dream, but I digress... As for the meaning of Xander's dream, it sort of becomes obvious by the third time he returns to his basement... Quite frankly put, he's afraid that he'll never leave his basement. He's afraid that he'll never amount to anything in the end. And in the end, he ends up leaving Anya twice, the first time in a really memorable scene where houses are flying by the ice cream truck sitcom-style (where Anya learns to control the steering wheel with the most graceful of gestures), and second when she's speaking French I can barely understand... It seems that Xander is afraid of commitment. It seems that Xander also likes to stay kinky, as his dreaming of Joyce, the naughty lesbians, and pissing in front of science people seem to express... But character development aside, I find Xander's dream quite interesting. Not only because it was the only humourous dream of the bunch, but because it also seems to be the most prophetic one in the end... I absolutely love the line, "a watcher scoffs at gravity", but the scene tells something as well... Giles sees Spike as his surrogate son in the eyes of Xander. And if Giles is supposed to represent Buffy's father, that would make Spike her brother... which to me, highlights his future crush, Oedipal style, but I guess I might be stretching things there... And also in the sandbox, Buffy talks about a shark leaving with no fins. Although this may be a stretch too, it sounds a lot like Riley Finn would be leaving, and Spike was taking his place... But still, there is at least one prophetic moment that I'm 99% sure about... Because honestly, it couldn't have been just coincidence that Xander would talk about vengeance right before Willow showed up with her lesbian lover? There had to be meaning there... although it strikes me as odd that Xander of all people would perceive the future so clearly...

Giles' dream is the worst of them all, considering not much happens in it. There's just one decent transition in it, from Spike's crypt to the Bronze. And there's really only one, great image in it - the sight of child-like Buffy slaying a circus vampire with a ball... It's obvious from this dream that Giles wishes that he had a family. He wishes he had a daughter like Buffy. He wishes he had a wife like Olivia... Now, the first time I watched this episode, the one and only thing I left the hour with embedded in my head, was the sight of extra bleached Spike being a tourist attraction with the smoothest of moves. But upon the second and third viewings, I noticed something... Buffy in the scene was gone, and Olivia was crying in the background. It was almost as if Giles was subconsciously blaming Spike or someone for the break-up of the family... and Oedipally speaking, it was almost as if Giles knew that Spike would eventually take Buffy away from him... as if Spike were his surrogate son... Now, of course, I'm probably reaching here, but it does make sense... if you twist the facts a bit, at least... And as for the rest of the dream? Giles singing was nice, as I loved the lyrics to his song. And the lighters in the Bronze were a nice touch... and I even laughed at Anya's joke, whatever it was trying to mean. But still, Giles' dream just felt plain and lacking in the end. It lacked the drama and even the length of the previous two dreams, since all it did was mention Giles' loneliness, and progressed the plot of the first slayer thing around.

Now, I'm no fan of Buffy's dream either... it has no great transitions, and cheese man was especially annoying here. But looking back, I noticed one obvious prophecy... Buffy was staring at the bed she and Faith made for "little sis", and Tara in the background said, "be back before Dawn"... now, that has to be planted. It can't be just a coincidence... but besides that? Buffy's dream was rather devoid of anything special, probably to highlight how much in control of her dream Buffy was. She ignored her mother in the wall pretty much, although that may have been because there's been a metaphorical wall between the two ever since Buffy went to college (which is ridiculous actually... to lose all contact with your mother, when you're living at a dorm that's within walking distance of your home?...). The rest of the dream was simply Buffy being alone again... her friends were missing, and Riley barely said hello. Instead, he called her killer, and left to plan some more world domination stuff (I loved the camera pan below the table with the gun, along with his infamous line, "we're the government - it's what we do"... which was probably the best Riley moment of the season... too bad it wasn't real). Buffy then covered herself in thermal mud or something, then strolled into the desert... obviously, her dream was meant to set up the fifth and later seasons. Seasons that explored, what is a slayer? What is the source of her power? Is she a demon? Is she a killer? Is she alone? Or is she more?... and she sort of proved that she is more in her dream. She woke herself up, to breathe and sneeze in the real world again... and I will give kudos to the art direction in her dream. The slow-mo fighting in the desert was very, well... sunny... if you asked me...

And there you have it. My analysis of Restless, an episode I really don't like, but still am restless to always read up more about. And since I'm now done my season four review, I might as well watch the commentary for this season finale episode or something... and figure out whether I was anywhere near the right Whedonian track or whatever kind of crack... or crap... or whatever...