Customer Reviews
Weakest season but still better than most other television - By: D. F. Collinson, 08 Nov 2008 
When Joss was away the writers got to play, & unfortunately rode off on personal hobbyhorses such as James Bond-ish covert units & a "non-dark" boyfriend for Buffy. Add to these a Frankenstein rip-off & you get a mish-mosh of a season with such a confused arc that the last episode seems to exist just to say "Don't worry, we'll have more interesting storylines next season". That said, bringing back Spike & Anya & introducing Tara more than makes up for the cast members lost & makes possible most of the main threadsin the arcs of the final three seasons. Making her way through this soup, Sarah Michelle Gellar must have decided it was "sink or swim" & gave her best overall performance of any season. Even this topnotch effort couldn't strike any sparks with the lumpen Riley Finn, whereas her two unsettling interactions with Spike, one induced by magicin Something Blue & the other by possessionin Who Are You, showed that these two characters could be much hotter as a couple than Buffy & Angel ever were, & set the stage for the fiery romance a couple of seasons further down the road. James Marsters brings steadily greater depth to Spike, so that he evokes sympathyin a character that still seems fundamentally evil.
It's probably the case that it's best to look back at Season Four with the perspective of having seen the subsequent seasons, so that you know where the key relationships {Xander & Anya, Willow & Tara, Buffy & Spike} are heading, & see the seeds of their early development, but, even for newcomers to the series, this is a key transition year with many delights to compensate for its shortcomings.
"The one and only" a season that i hold close to my heart - By: S. J. Pinder, 18 Jul 2008 
people who give this season less than 5 stars should be punished...it is just as amazing as ever & contains fantastic character development & the best independant episodes ever...including one that blew me away...yes we all hate the initiative but its not at all about the initiative its bout our beloved SCOOBIES which is why i love it so much!!!
The Freshman-5/5-another fantastic way to start a season.
Living Conditions-5/5-wow the script.
The light of Day-5/5-Spike at his most evil.
Fear Itself-5/5-comical & very good.
Beer Bad-3.5/5-the worst of this season but its a lot of fun.
Wild at Heart-5/5-POOR WILLOW!!!and the best werewolf episode to date.
The Initiative-4/5-very good...watch for the Spike & Willow scenes,and the hilarious fight with Harmony.
Pangs-5/5-Buffy tries her best to have the perfect Thanksgiving but everything goes awry when evil spirits attack Giles house(Spike becomes a full time member of the Scooby Gang...yay).
Something Blue*-5/5-a classic episode that is more & more hilarious everytime i watch it...required viewing all round entertainment.
HUSH!!!*-5+/5-the single most amazing peice of television ever made...everyone must watch this episode!!!the Gentlemen are petrifying,and the humour is great,the power of great acting & nothing else is what pays off here & well it fanGtastic!!!
Doomed-5/5-while not a masterpiece it is loads of fun...Spike pretending to have an American accent is hilarious.
A new Man*-5/5-classic...Giles infamous transformation.
The Iin Team-3.5/5-a decent episdoe that is annoying with the initiative but nevertheless has some hysterical scenes & snappy dialogue.
Goodbye Iowa-4/5-MEET ADAM.
This Years Girl*-5/5-a haunting episode that is mainly from Faiths perspective as she makes a vengeful return with one of her most diabolical plans yet...and that conclusion!!!!
Who Are You?**-5/5-one of the greatest epoisodes to date...its a must watch...Sarah & Eliza are great throughout the episode...and the church scene is fabulous & one of the most greatest scenes to date.
Superstar*-5/5-Jonathan(yay)themed & its very,very funny.
Where the wild things are-4/5-a haunting episode that is very good.
New Moon Rising-5/5-Oz makes a dramatic return...and Willow makes history as the first character on television to come out of the closet...go girl!!!and all this time i thought it would be Xander(haha).
The yoko Factor-4/5-character development is what makes this episode sucessful.
Primeval-4.5/5-the end of the initiative(thank god)but its quite a showdown.
Restless*-5/5-one of the greatest ways to end a season...and its a very different & unique way to do it...i love it!!!
SEASON 4 is a fabulous year that everyone must watch...and i hate the initiative but it didnt ruin the indepoendant episodes whatsoever(Hush & Who are You? are required viewing for everyone!!!)
MAKE SURE YOU PURCHASE THIS NOW!!!!
Lacking a little of the Buffy spark - By: N. Briscoe, 19 Apr 2008 I approached season 4 a bit cautiously as I wasnt really sure how the transition from High School to college would work. On a whole the season wasnt actually so bad but I do think it was let down by several factors & one of those is pretty much the major story arc for the whole season- the initiative. I just couldnt get my head around it at all, & just didnt feel like it really worked or fittedin with the Buffyverse. Also Riley just never really worked for mein the show, I felt like he didnt really fitin & the chemistry between him & Buffy was zero compared to her & Angel.
Still if we take the good things about the season- the introduction of Tara who I think is a fantastic character & her & Willows relationship developing. Also one of the best episodes ever- Hush which is genius & shows just how well written the show is.
The big bad of the season- Adam- didnt really cut it for me. I didnt feel much about him at all before the final battle so found I didnt get quite as involved as sayin season 3 with the Mayor.
Definatly not my least favourite season but my fears about Buffy leaving high school were confirmed a little here. Still, Buffy had to move on from that & I felt that although season 4 took a little dive downwards, season 5 picked up again & bought a lot back.
An Alright Season... - By: N. Pluck, 21 Mar 2008 
Could've been better, but what TV show has a flawless run?
This seasons saving graces (for me) are Hush, Fear Itself, & Where the Wild Things Are. Unfortunatly, not enough there to make up for what is mainly a 'transitional' season, which focuses more on the characters dealing with the next part of their life (for most, college, for others, jobs & not being at high school anymore) than fighting the most powerful big bad ever.
Buffy Jumps the Shark - By: Real Man, 28 Nov 2007 
This is the season that Buffy lost her mojo. It might not be quite as disappointing as Season 7, but it is right down there. I think the loss of Cordelia & Angel have a major effect on the dynamics of the gang. Spike & Anya can't quite replace them. The move away from the high school to the university & Giles' reduced role also don't help, but for the me the main reason is that the scriptwriters start to run out of ideas.
Sure there are some good episodes, but overall the theme of the blonde cheerleader beating up vampires is getting tired.
The best way I can demonstrate this is by telling you that the major villain from this series comes from a rogue government agency. I mean, C'MON!!! That hasn't been done before, has it?
As soon as you meet "The Initiative" you just KNOW that something bad is going to come out of there & only an 18 year old girl & her freshmen college friends are going to be able to stop it.
Hell even the climactic battle of the series is based on "a crazy idea that might just work".
They try everything to keep the magic. They bring Faith back for a couple of episodes, they bring Angel back. These episodes are some of the best of the series but they're not enough.
Put simply, this is the first season Buffy thinks of itself as drama instead of a comedy/horror and, as a result, takes itself too seriously, loses its originality, & becomes corny.
There. I said it. I know it's heresy but it's true.
