Average Rating: 
Rating: - Many Extra's!
Season 4 of Buffy was more of a transitional season for the show, making the episodes different from previous season's. But episodes such as "Hush" "Restless" "Something Blue" "This Years Girl and Who are You" made the show still completely great and worth the watch. As far as I know the following at suppose to be on the S4 dvd's:Disc 1: Script for "Fear Itself" Disc 2: Commentary by Writer Doug Petrie for "The Initiative" Commentary for "Wild at Heart" by Joss Whedon, Marti Noxon and Seth Green Disc 3: Commentary for "Hush" by Joss Whedon Featurettes: Hush "Spike Me" "Oz revelations: A Full Moon" "Buffy, Inside sets of Sunnydale" Script for "Hush" Cast Bios Still Gallery Disc 4: Commentary for "This Year's Girl" by Writer Doug Petrie Disc 5: Commentary for "Superstar" by Jane Espenson Script for "Who Are You" Disc 6: Commentary for "Primeval" by Writers David Fury & James A. Cotner Commentary for "Restless" by Joss Whedon Featurette "Season 4 Overview" Still Gallery As you see there are plenty of extra's in this set more than any of the other Buffy DVD sets and I can't wait for it to be released! This includes an all new Joss, Marti, and Seth commentary never before heard, not even by the uk watchers!
Rating: - I walk. I talk. I sneeze.
Season 4 is often disparaged by Buffy fans and I was no exception to this when it first aired. But this is largely due to the fact that S4 had some big initial handicaps to overcome. No Cordelia, No Angel, and very quickly, No Oz. Speaking as someone who hates change in any form, losing three of my favorite characters in one season only to see them be quickly replaced was enough to make me hate S4 with a passion regardless of the quality of the episodes. But later, re-watching it after I had gotten used to Riley, Anya, and Tara, I had to admit that S4 was up to the high heights of Buffydom. The characters of Riley, Anya, Tara were all brilliant additions to the cast (I don't care what anybody says about Riley, he was cool in his own dorky, sturdy way. Giving Buffy a "normal" boyfriend and a chance for some relatively angst-free happiness, which she ultimately rejects, was a stroke of genius.) Each year of Buffy has an over-arching theme and this year it was Rebirth. Giles and Xander attempt to re-establish themselves in the real world while Buffy and Willow slowly fall in love again. Faith returns and literally tries to re-do her life over, as Buffy. (And provides the season with two of its best episodes) But the year ends with the Scooby gang realizing that despite all their attempts to start over on their own, they still need each other in a basic, primal way. Their magically assisted reunion leads the gang and the viewer to the final episode, Restless. Buying the DVDs would be worth the price alone just for this episode. All character, no plot. All cryptic, no didatic. Has any other movie or television show ever presented dreams in such a realistic way? The way events lead into each other with absolute logic and yet with no logic at all. The way things are given one name even though you know they actually have another. The way minutae and important life problems get tangled together. This show is the only one in the history of television to give us characters that are realized enough to have completely realized dreams. The clues which it offered about future episodes are only part its appeal, what's most interesting is what it says about Xander, Willow, Giles, and the Slayer's troubled psyches. The image of Buffy walking out into a vast ancient desert to confront the "source" of her power remained with me for a long time.
Rating: - In My Opinion, One of the Best Seasons
Ok, I'll admit it: there are a few things I disliked about season 4 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The main thing being: Riley. Could they have invented a more boring love interest for Buffy? Don't get me wrong, Riley was a very nice guy, I just didn't really care for him. Nor did I really care for that season's "Big Bad", Adam. He wasn't a very interesting villain, like the Master, or the Mayor, or especially the latest one, The First Evil.HOWEVER - Buffy's 4th season had so much to offer. Beginning with the very welcome return of Spike, who became a series regular that season. But more than that, there were some really great, classic episodes. Here are the ones, in my opinion, I thought were the best: "Something Blue" was a hilarious episode that foreshadowed two things: the future "relationship" between Buffy and Spike, and Willow's magic getting out of hand. In this episode, Willow's spell to help her get over the departure of boyfriend Oz goes terribly wrong and ends in chaos - with Buffy and Spike getting engaged, Giles going blind, and Xander being chased by demons. I think this may actually be the most humerous hour of Buffy ever produced. "Hush" was a television first: almost an entire episode of no talking. When The Gentlemen come to town, everyone in Sunnydale loses their voice, so that when The Gentlemen rip their hearts out, no one will hear them scream. Despite the silence, or maybe because of the silence, this is one of Buffy's creepiest episodes ever. "Restless" is actually one of my favorite episodes of Buffy. It almost needs multiple viewings to digest everything. Even to this day, when I'm watching reruns from other seasons, I see a new connection to this episode. After their final battle with Adam, the Scooby gang head over to Buffy's house for a movie night. But before the first movie even begins, they are all fast asleep in front of the TV. That's when the nightmares start. I won't get into any details about any of their dreams, but they range from comical to downright frightening. And the episode is a lot more complex than you think, because it reflects on things that have happened in the past, and it foreshadowed events that were to happen in the future (for instance, Tara's warning to Buffy to "be home before dawn" was actually a reference to the arrival of Buffy's "sister" Dawn in season 5). I know, I only listed 3 episodes. This does not mean the rest were bad; those were just my favorites. I will say that I'm more excited for the release of this season out of all of them so far, mainly because the above 3 episodes are ones I'm likely to watch again and again. I can't say this is the best season of Buffy, because I don't think there really IS a best - they have all been excellent. However, I do think it is one of the finer seasons. A lot of people didn't like it as well (a lot of people agreed with me on the Riley issue, I think), but I think it was great. The performances were all-around stupendous, and the scripts were well written as usual, with the same hip wit and humor, and with many, many, many quotable lines. This has got to be on every Buffy's fans' wish lists. Even if you don't agree that it was a great season it's a must-have. It will definitely be spending A LOT of time in my DVD player. Now, my only wish is that they would put more special features on these discs. Not that the episodes alone aren't worth the money; it would just be nice if they added more interviews, and maybe some more commentary, especially from cast members. Either way, I'll take what I can get.
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