Buffy The Vampire Slayer:

Grading the Episodes: Season 4

Last updated: October 1, 2000.

Posted to alt.tv.buffy-v-slayer on September 17, 2000.

 The Cast for Season #4:

   Buffy (Anne) Summers          -Sarah-Michelle Gellar
   Alexander "Xander" 
     (LeValle) Harris            -Nicholas Brandon
   Willow Rosenberg              -Alyson Hannigan
   Oz                            -Seth Green
   Riley Finn                    -Mark Blucas
   Spike (aka. William 
     The Bloody)                 -James Marsters
   Rupert "The Ripper" Giles     -Anthony Stewart Head

  with,
   Joyce Summers                 -Kristine Sutherland
   Anya(nka) Emerson             -Emma Caulfield
   Tara                          -Amber Benson
   Faith                         -Eliza Dushku

NOTE: This Season #4 Review has been accused of containing incessant and overzealous "Willow bashing", so be warned...

Now here's an episode that I like more than many, and yet still have a couple of problems with. Now, some of the stuff in "The Freshman" works. What I actually like most about "The Freshman" is that this is perhaps the only episode in the entire season #4 run (along with maybe "Living Conditions") that fully integrates the college setting into the episode. There's a lot of scenes related to that which just plum work: Buffy (on UCLA's Bruin Walk, no less!) getting inundated with posters/protesters; Buffy being unfairly humiliated by a Professor who can only be described as a total a**h***, Buffy inadvertently injuring T.A. Riley Finn (Mark Blucas, before getting bumped up to main cast) and then Riley taking a shine to Willow(?!); Buffy & Wil's first class with the "Evil Bitchmaster of Death", Prof. Maggie Walsh (Lindsay Crouse). Probably the best scene in the episode takes place after more than 30 minutes have passed, but is well worth the wait: namely, Buffy's reunion with Xander, and Xander's inspirational talk with her. Other good bits included the funny exchanges between vamp Sunday (Katharine Towne - boy I wish she had stuck around!) and her vamp gang, and Sunday and crew screwing with Buffy's stuff. So, what don't I like? The incredible disconnect of Buffy, who's now probably the world's greatest, most accomplished and most long-lived Slayer, getting pushed around by a 4th rate Vamp/Bitch like Sunday. This is an example of stretching the metaphor way too far. I can buy Buffy being off her game in a new life setting. I can't buy Buffy getting her clock cleaned by a minor league vamp like Sunday. Sorry. Nope. Uh uh. Just doesn't work...

A heavily bashed episode in a.tv.b-v-s, I think it's actually one of the season's better entries! Why? Because it's darn funny, that's why! It's also surprisingly true to life (as anyone who's had a "roommate from Hell" can attest!). This episode isn't deep, but if you just sit back and take it all in the light comic tone that it's meant to be taken in, it's darn good fun. Great bits include Kathy's rather severe habits (labeling everything in the fridge that's hers, including every single, individual egg?!), Buffy's increasing cattiness in the face of Kathy's bizarre habits, Xander and Oz trying to subdue Buffy with ropes (a vain attempt! Ha!), and the final fight and revelation (Buffy, ripping off Kathy's mask revealing the demon beneath: "I knew it!"). Probably my favorite scene of all is Oz's clear disgust with Buffy's attitude about Kathy while accompanying her on patrol (very subtle, and very good, work by Seth Green, here). Another great bit: the last scene with Buffy about to freak out as Willow eats her sandwich! LOL! Bottom line: This episode was taken way too seriously by its detractors, and admirably succeeds as just good, silly fun. Taken in that spirit, it works.

There are some things I like about this episode, and some things I don't. My likes? The return of Spike, in full-on "villain" mode (as opposed to his more cringe-inducing appearance in season #3's "Lovers Walk"), is one of the things I like, though even he is overshadowed by the return of Vamp(!) Harmony (Mercedes McNab, in a welcome return appearance), who steals nearly every scene she's in. (And who gets bonus points from me for nearly finishing off Willow in the opening teaser!) I wish I could be as thrilled with the return of Anya, who is starting to get annoying as a character due to her lack of development. Also of note is Adam Kaufman's performance as the manipulative, snakey Parker Abrahams, who manages to get a clueless Buffy into the sack with a minimum of effort. Still, Espenson lays the "poor, wronged female" theme pretty thick in the last scene, and this episode also suffers in being conceived as the first half of a "crossover" with spin-off Angel, a circumstance that likely hinders the episode's structure and development. So, a mixed bad. I should also note that this episode gets less and less watchable with each passing viewing, so it loses points for that as well.

A solid, though unspectacular episode, it's a commentary on season #4's deficiencies that this is actually one of the season's better entries. The good thing about "Fear, Itself" is that it's actually one of the few Buffy episodes that actually manages to be genuinely creepy and scary (with Buffy's fighting the zombies in the basement being particularly unnerving), though Buffy's overall creepiest/scariest episode is still "Nightmares" in my book. Also, this episode serves the distinction of being the only episode that actually manages to bring forth the supposed "theme" for season #4: namely the dissent and resentments among The Slayerettes. At least in this episode, we actually see these resentments, and they actually make sense. (Wish I could say the same for the second half of season #4!) Other bonuses? Anya in a bunny costume ('cos she's afraid of them!), Anya actually proving useful, and Giles actually being the one to resolve the situation. The ending, while sort of cheesy, is an unexpected and amusing twist, and at least makes sense in light of the episode's theme (and title). So a "Thumbs Up" from this reviewer.

Hello? This episode is funny! Why it drives so many people batty is a little surprising to me. Sure, this episode is "plot lite" (OK, it's virtually "plot non-existent"!), which leads to some "dead spots" in the action (for example, the scenes with the "Cavemen-Frat Boys'" rampage outside goes on far too long). And, sure, Buffy is still (annoyingly) moping about Parker (while this may be true to life, it doesn't make for good entertainment...). But who cares?! There a lot about this episode that I like, a lot that's just plain funny, and a lot that works. The best, most inspired bit is Xander working in the campus bar (had the writers let Xander stick around in this job, I would have had a lot less problems with the way his character was used this season). Other good bits? Riley bumping into a distracted Buffy, Xander trying to talk some sense in "Cave Slayer", "Cave Slayer" mesmerized by a _Luscious Jackson_ video on the TV, Xander and Giles trying to control "Cave Slayer", Willow taking Parker to the mat for his duplicity, and "Cave Slayer" finally ending the "Parker Saga". So, "Beer Bad" may not be "Great Television", but in a season with a lot of mediocre fare, a brainless "funny" episode sure works well for me.

A "C-" episode raised to a "C" based on the efforts of Seth Green alone, this is the first season #4 entry that I dislike a lot. But, then again, I dislike "Part 1" (aka. "Phases"), about as much, so this is probably no surprise. Anyway, an episode predicated around Willow (and, worse still! Willow's romantic angst!) is unlikely to ever be a fave of mine. Other problems are compounded on top of this. Namely, Veruca (Paige Moss) isn't "sexy" and "alluring", she's "creepy" and "annoying"! Further, Moss' attempts at lip-synching are beyond just bad to the jaw-droppingly distracting. And, I blame the Director and Editor for this (if the girl can't lip-synch, don't do close-ups! for Cripe's sake!), as well as Joss and the Casting Director (Uh, if you're going to hire a actress to play a "sexy" singer, shouldn't you hire one that's 1) sexy, and 2) can sing?!!!) In addition, this whole episode seems to handle the subject matter rather superficially (surely there's more to these issues than how they affect Willow's "relationship"?!). Further problems are little things like, 1) Willow almost succumbing to Black Magic and never being held accountable for it (see! I'm right! Willow is evil! and she's never called on it!), and 2) Willow's continuing pattern of thinking about things only in how they affect her. (If she loves Oz so much, shouldn't Willow think about his feelings? For once?!) Oy vey, I'll stop now...

An episode that is exciting on first viewing, but falls much flatter on second viewing, "The Initiative" comes somewhat close to being a dud as a result. The first time around, however, it is exciting and suspenseful, with scenes like: Spike escaping from The Initiative; Riley, Forrest and Graham entering the underground facility for the first time; Spike attacking Willow (before the commercial break); Spike, Buffy and The Initiative boys fighting hand-to-hand in Buffy's dorm. Some other scenes manage to be good or amusing: Buffy chewing out Prof. Walsh; Riley punching out Parker; Spike's "reunion" with Harmony; Xander and Harmony's "bitch slapping" fight; Spike's "performance problem" with Willow (a scene that is still controversial, to this day). But, on second viewing, this episode tends to be much less impressive. The funny bits are still funny, but the "suspense" bits don't hold up, and this entire episode seems to droop some after the first 20-30 minutes. So, an OK effort, and it works on first viewing. But repeat viewings just don't hold up as well.

"Pangs" is an episode that succeeds as another "funny" episode, but pretty much falls down on every other level. The basic premise is amusing: Joyce-deprived Buffy vows to make a proper Thanksgiving meal for her friends, no matter what the cost! And the Spike related stuff is also pretty funny (though this is the first point where it's starting to strain credibility). It's everything else that's dicey. Why is Angel in town for what can only be described as a moderate- (not high-) level threat? (To set up Buffy's more crucial appearance in the Angel's episode "I Will Remember You" is not a sufficient answer...) Why does the Chumash Vengeance Spirit appear at all? (Xander's fall doesn't seem to be much of a trigger to me.) And what is the deal with Willow's attitude in this episode?! (Are we supposed to assume that she's become a total bitch because Oz wised-up and tied the can to her ass? Or is it PMS?!) Because, frankly, there is no logical justification, from either a story standpoint or a character standpoint, for Willow's total callousness in the face of her supposed "life-long best friend's" near-death state. (Writer Espenson's failure to deal with it (and to apparently sympathize with Willow's position!) is just as unforgivable!) And don't get me started on the believability of Buffy and co. not staking Spike on the spot! Still, the "funny" bits in this episode mostly overpower the weak stuff (thankfully!), making this episode an overall above average effort. And the final reaction shot from Buffy's point-of-view after Xander stumbles and reveals Angel's return (please note Spike's expression!) is maybe the single best reaction shot in all of Buffy history. Bits like this'll get you over the "bumps and humps" in this episode...

One of only two "standout" episodes for the season as far as this reviewer is concerned, "Something Blue" is probably my favorite episode in season #4. But when you realize that my "favorite" episode is only worthy of a "B+", you realize how problematical I find season #4. (No previous season manages less than an "A-" episode, so you can see my concern...) Anyway, this is the only "funny" episode of season #4 that actually manages to "break out of the pack" and approach the joyful wackiness of Buffy's best previous humorous efforts, such as "The Puppet Show", BB&B, "Band Candy" and "Dopplegangland". Favorite lines:

Buffy : Hey! You think I don't live with the shadow of Drusilla over my head? That I'm not wondering if you're going to be thinking of her on our honeymoon when you're making... sweet love to me?!

Buffy (holding up wedding cake figurines): Aren't they a perfect little us?
Spike : I don't like him. He's insipid. Clearly human.
Buffy : Ooo! Red paint! We could smear a little on his mouth... You know? "The Blood of the Innocent".
Spike : That's my girl...

Xander: Can I be blind too?...

A much overpraised and overhyped episode, "Hush" is essentially a "gimmick" episode which begins to disappoint once it is realized that there is virtually no 'there' there. The best part of the episode is the best part of the gimmick: the creepy yet refined and poised villains of the episode, "The Gentlemen". Other good bits: the attempt to actually create a "new" Fairy Tale (a bit that actually works pretty well), and the Giles' "silent lecture" scene (note the Anya reaction shots!). But the rest of this episode fails to impress. In her second appearance, Olivia barely registers (and then only as a distraction). Meanwhile, this episode bares the ultimate shame with me for marking the clunky, distracting appearance of "Mary Sue"... er, uh, I mean Tara. In addition, Anya is further demonized (no pun intended here), and Xander and Giles begin their long slide into irrelevance. And then there's the Riley factor. Note to Author: When doing an episode like this where the theme is "failure to communicate", the theme is best illustrated by the heavy use of your long-standing characters; throwing a bunch of new and unimportant characters at the screen does not help your illustrate your point...

A stunningly dull and irrelevant episode that misses many opportunities (this may be the first episode where the incorrect SPOILERS I read ahead of time may have actually "spoiled" the episode for me: the fake "spoilers" were more interesting than the actual episode!), this episode is salvaged from a "D" by a single scene, namely the scene where Riley chews out Buffy. I guess I also like the party scene where Percy's date, Laurie (Anastasia Horne in an all too brief appearance - lovely as always) is mean about Willow. But in a season chock full of missed and dropped opportunities to actually examine the characters' (e.g. Buffy, Riley, Willow) various flaws or to call the characters on them, here at least is one scene where a character (Riley) does call another character (Buffy) on her flaws. The rest of the season could have used more scenes like this. And this episode could have used more plot like period, as the tired, retreaded "Someone's opening the Hellmouth! (but they're really wimpy!)" storyline barely registers, and the final return to the ruins of Sunnydale High is a complete letdown. Not good, Fellas. Not good.

Another missed opportunity here. For the first time since "The Dark Age", we actually are threatened with an episode that might be about (gasp!) Giles! And Ethan Raine returns! This should be a good episode, right? Well, not exactly. Instead, we get a poorly executed "gimmick", not much in the way of an insight into Giles' condition, a couple of funny bits with Demon Giles and Spike, and unnecessary Riley screentime. Hmmm... not impressive, that. Was I the only one expecting more?...

Probably the 2nd worst episode in all of season #4 (frightening, huh?...), this episode is stupifyingly boring. In addition to being dull, this episode also shares the distinction of being the episode that effectively ruins the formerly intriguing character of Maggie Walsh (and then, in a dumbfounding move, aborts her character!). Only one single scene rates: the "question period" with Buffy, where our heroine asks all the questions The Initiative should have been asking themselves all along. (Of course, this episode also begins the annoying, cliched, boring and totally unnecessary trend of portraying The Initiative as increasingly stupid, ignorant and incompetent.) So, lemme get this straight? The whole "Initiative" business has been leading up, to this?! (Uh oh... Pull the Fire Alarm, kids! Season #4 is going down in flames!)

Our fourth poor episode in a row(!) finds the increasingly overutilized and overexposed (and increasingly despised among some in the fandom!) Riley Finn having a crisis. Ooo! Can you feel the excitement, folks?! This episode, at least, is salvaged by a couple of intriguing scenes, including "morning with The Slayerettes in Xander's basement" (and keep your comments about the lesbian subtext of Willow, Anya and Buffy sharing a bed to yourself, folks!), the confrontation between Riley and Buffy in the bar (which was at least suspenseful on first viewing), and the final confrontation with Adam (which didn't work for a lot of people, but worked pretty well for me). Oh, and Willie The Snitch reappears. Still... basically, this episode is only decent in the first 30 minutes, before completely falling apart in the latter half of the episode. Not a stellar effort, to be sure...

Leave it to Faith (and Petrie!) to revive season #4 before it totally flatlines. But, Praise be to Allah! Eliza Dushku (Faith) was somehow coaxed back into doing a couple of episodes of Buffy (and then a couple more on Angel), and we, the viewers, couldn't have waited much longer!

Faith, after a couple of creepy/scary dream sequences, finally awakens from her 8 month coma, and is primed for a vengeful showdown with the Buffster. The dream sequences in this episode are particularly excellent, and unequivocally point up Faith's (pretty much justified) abject fear and terror of the Buffster. Unfortunately, this episode only deals tangentially with the question of Buffy's (im)moral culpability for her actions in "Graduation Day (Part 1)" (and then only from Faith's point of view), so we never really get any soul searching on Buffy's end about Faith's stabbing (an issue seemingly permanently swept under the rug). Meanwhile, Faith skulks around a bit, spies on Buffy and The Slayerettes, gets a loving (if distressingly hopeless) farewell message from the Mayor, throws down on Buffy in the middle of UCLA... er, UC Sunnydale (after rejecting Buffy's reconciliation offer cold), and plots her revenge. Finally, Faith uncorks her plan on poor Joyce (conveniently ignored by Buffy all season), leading to the inevitable final confrontation with the Buffster. There is a lot about this episode I like, with many individual bits being good-to-excellent. And the return of Eliza Dushku as Faith is a sight for sore eyes. Still, this episode never seems to 'gel' into a greater "whole", for some reason, and so never rises to the level of "The Best of Buffy". So it's an effort I definitely like. I just wish I could like it more...

Season #4's other "really good" (but still not "great") episode, "Who Are You" succeeds for one very simple reason: it mostly gets out from under Buffy's increasingly tiresome main cast of characters, and lets us view the show's proceedings from a "fresh" (and totally fascinating) set of eyes. Faith, now in Buffy's body (forever and henceforth immortalized as "Fuffy" (though shouldn't it really be "Faiffy"?!), gets a chance to "play" "Buffy", and before the hour is up, Faith is as shocked as we are to discover that maybe Faith likes being Buffy more than she thought, and will take over her life. Meanwhile, Buffy-in-Faith's body (aka. "Baith" ("Buth"?!)) is hauled off, first by the cops, then by an incompetent Watcher squad (and is anyone else as tired of the "incompetent Watchers" gag as I am?!). On "Fuffy's" side of things, this episode gives us some great chances to take things in with those "fresh" eyes I was talking about: Fuffy confused by Joyce's maternal love; Fuffy realizing how much The Slayerettes, especially Willow, really hate her ("And who is that new girl with Xander?!" Fuffy wonders); Fuffy catching on that "Willow's not driving stick anymore" (nah, Willow's too busy "driving Willow" for that!), Fuffy torturing Spike (heh heh heh...); and Fuffy totally freaking out when Riley (aka. one of the "Good Guys") shows Fuffy what "making love" really involves. That latter scene in particularly is rich, and has led to much debate (much still not resolved) on the "correct" interpretation of the scene! However, "Who Are You" does have some flaws. First is SMG's performance as "Fuffy": while, overall, very good, there are spots in this episode where I don't see SMG being "Fuffy" as much as I see "Buffy acting weird". Eliza Dushku, as "Baith", does a much more solid job (only really falling down in the one scene where she holds the Watcher captive in the van). Unfortunately, neither ED nor "Baith" are seen much in this episode (and this is too bad, because I would really liked to have seen more from "Baith"). Further, Tara's increasing propensity for "Mary Sueism", and the incredibly creaky scene with Willow/Tara's spellcasting/subtext-fest is incredibly lame. Uh, either give these girls a room and do it right, or spare use the 'cutesy-cutesy' "subtext", please! (And, what is this show, anyway? Buffy The Vampire Slayer? Or "Naughty Willow's Bedtime Confessions"?!). So, I like "Who Are You" (definitely my 2nd favorite for season #4). I just wish those couple of flaws didn't detract from an almost spectacular effort.

Another "gimmick" episode in a season overstuffed with them, "Superstar" suffers the misfortune of "guilt by association". What do I mean? I mean this: had "Superstar" taken place in any other season, I probably would have had far fewer problems with it. But coming when it did, in a season that was performing as poorly as it was, "Superstar" landed on my living floor with a dull Thud. Which is too bad: this episode has a nifty enough premise at its core (if you were Jonathan, wouldn't you dream of becoming a "superhero" like Buffy?!), and the premise is executed well in a couple of spots (notably the opening credits sequence, which is actually the funniest part of the episode!). And nothing can take away from Danny Strong's surprisingly good performance. The problem is that, at this point in the series, "Superstar" was not the episode season #4 needed. Following episode after episode, and months and months, of dreck, an episode like "Superstar" was bound to leave a sour taste in the viewer's mouth (or, at least, in my mouth). Which really is too bad: I'm still convinced that, had "Superstar" had aired when, say, "Go Fish" or "Earshot" had aired, it would have rated far higher with me. Chalk it up to "bad timing"...

An episode that can really only be described as "incompetent", "Where the Wild Things Are" (WtWTA, for short) saves itself from total ignominy by being the only episode in this season that actually focuses somewhat (if in half-assed manner) on Xander and Anya. There are a few things about this episode I do like: Xander is once again given a chance to display his heroism; Anya is portrayed as something more complex than a horny shrew (for once); Spike has some good scenes (including a scene with Anya); there is an semi-amusing scene involving Giles singing and the gang's various reactions to it; and Tara/Amber Benson looks downright delectable in this episode (makes you wonder why Tara is parading around with that shrew Willow!). However, these "good" things are nearly overwhelmed by the things in this episode I don't like: we're subjected to far more Buffy/Riley than anyone would ever want to see!; the "haunting" premise has been done to death on Buffy, especially in season #4 (a point remarked upon even in the episode itself!); the "villain" in the episode is so cliched and so predictable from Leftie Hollywood standpoint (and the viewpoint she represents, so mindlessly ridiculed) that I nearly gagged; for no good reason that I can see, Forrest and Graham are forced into this episode and add absolutely nothing; and things as basic as direction and editing in this episode are so poorly done that the entire episode becomes disjointed, haphazard and "cheap" looking (don't get me started on the commercial break sandwiched by the long-shot of Buffy & Riley in bed!). In short, this episode is basically bad, a forgettable Buffy "filler" episode, that is salvaged from total inconsequence by focusing on Xander and Anya, and by strong work from Nicholas Brendan and Emma Caulfield. And they say "Go Fish" is bad?!... Sheesh!

Based on its subject matter and focus (e.g. Willow, Willow & Tara, Willow & Oz, and... oh, uh, Willow!), "New Moon Rising" (NMR, for short) was an episode I was predisposed to dislike anyway. But it's also the second episode in a row (after WtWTA) that comes off as "jarring" and incompetently put together, making me dislike it even more than I would normally. This episode is chock full of scenes of bad or unconvincing dialogue (starting with the very first scene, which may be Willow's most annoying "cutesy" performance to date), and is my pick as Marti Noxon's worst episode EVER! (Which is quite a feat when you consider how many Noxon detractors there are, and how many of her episodes they dislike!) Indeed, this episode shares many traits with Noxon's other most hated episode, namely "Beauty and the Beasts" (originally, more accurately titled "All Men Are Beasts"). Like BatB, NMR is preachy and sanctimonious and filled with every manner of "men bashing" conceivable. I didn't even consciously notice this latter aspect on first viewing, but on second viewing, it's unmistakable: pretty much every male character with any amount of meaningful screentime in NMR is portrayed negatively. Riley is a "bigot"; Oz is needy, presumptuous and territorial (and, of course, potentially violent and homicidal); the Initiative Doctor is Joseph Mengele (without the charm), and Colonel McNamara is a pinched, arrogant, ignorant buffoon. (And let's pile on the inane Initiative-bashing here folks! ) Conversely, Willow is portrayed as "sympathetic" in her over-the-top angst, Buffy is "righteous", and Tara, poster child for lesbian (or bisexual?) doormats everywhere, is virtually angelic in her supportiveness and loyalty. Oh, yeah, and "Tolerance... no, make that Acceptance, is good! And Anarchy is better!" Just let me take this moment to say, "GAG!" (Note to Marti N.: Show us, don't tell us...) Other problems compound on top of this. Such as: Why was Anya even in this episode?! (She added nothing! Talk about "cast bloat"! Anya was very awkwardly forced into this episode.) Also, the Spike and Adam scenes were total "tack ons", and badly distracted from the focus of the episode, in addition to being pretty much unnecessary. (There was a time that Buffy did stuff like this without being clunky, but no longer.) And why were we subjected to this much Riley in an episode that's not even about him?! (I think it was by the time that NMR rolled around that Riley had definitely overstayed his welcome on the show, even with those of us who were "Riley neutral".) My two biggest problems with the episode are the following: First, Buffy's virtually nonchalant reaction to Willow's self-"outing" doesn't strike me as remotely credible. (For a girl as obviously heterosexual as Buffy, and as close as she is to Willow, such a declaration, apparently coming out of Left Field as it does, should have shaken up Buffy much more than it did. But apparently Noxon doesn't want to let realistic character reactions get in the way of her overall "pro-acceptance" spiel...) Second, this episode is a cheap cop-out because Willow's ultimate choice between Oz and Tara IS MADE FOR HER by Oz! Talk about setting up a strawman and knocking him down! I guess Noxon and co. felt that forcing Willow to make an unloaded choice would be too hard on the little Princess. Blech! Literally the only thing that salvages NMR from an "F" grade are the performances of, especially, Seth Green, and to a lesser extent Amber Benson. But, season #4 finally produces the first episode of Buffy that I may actually dislike more than my old choice as the "worst" episode of Buffy, namely season #1's "Never Kill a Boy on the First Date" (which only managed to be boring, not brain-dead and vaguely offensive). This episode is horrendous! YUCK!...

[NOTE: This episode is being graded and reviewed off one viewing only. Thus, the review and grade for this episode is "preliminary". The final grade is subject to change as a result...]

The only episode besides "Fear Itself" that actually "gels" on the supposed theme of season #4 (i.e. The Slayerettes' mutual distrust, resentments, and disunity), "The Yoko Factor" may be the only episode in the latter half of season #4, aside from the "Faith two-parter", that is actually an effective (and basically entertaining) episode. Driven by Spike's attempts (essentially on orders from Adam) to stir up trouble among Giles, Xander, Willow and Buffy, the Gang of Four finally 'melt down' under the stress of their mutual lack of regard for each other. And this gives us some good scenes where, in succession, Spike plays on the fears and assumptions of Giles, Xander and Willow. Meanwhile, as a result of the events in Angel's "Sanctuary" episode, Angel comes to town to make amends with Buffy, and promptly runs into Riley. The two engage in an entertaining "pissing" contest, a confrontation that they then take to Buffy's dorm room, much to the disgust and exasperation of the Buffster. In the end, the final "resolution" scene between Buffy and Angel is finally delivered (hopefully sparing us the necessity of any more crossover episodes!). Indeed, "Sanctuary" and "Yoko Factor" are the only crossover episode-pair, of the three crossovers, that actually works as promised. In any case, though many others didn't care for them, I really like the Riley-Angel scenes (and the Angel-Buffy scenes - finally! these two seem to have chemistry again!), and I feel that they were worth the wait. Ultimately, we get the big confrontation among The Slayerettes in Giles' house, and this scene works as a cathartic release (for the audience) in the same way as the similar argument in season #3's "Dead Man's Party" does. The most intriguing development of all in "Yoko Factor" is the very last scene where Riley shows up at Adam's (leading to the question: is Riley there to 'throw down' on Adam? or is he in cahoots with Adam?!) In any case, I find "The Yoko Factor" to be a satisfying, suspenseful and cathartic episode, and is probably the only latter season #4 episode that even partly delivers on the season's purported theme in an effective manner. (Too bad the journey to get here was so off the mark, and the subsequent episodes don't live up to this one's promise...)

For about the zillionth time in season #4, here is an episode that starts out with "B-/B" effort in the first 30 minutes, before losing focus and credibility in the last half, dropping a couple of grade levels in the process.

Following the relatively superior "Yoko Factor", "Primeval" is one of the few examples in all of Buffy's run where the "Part 1" is actually better than the "Part 2" (one of the few others, some argue, being the "Graduation Day" two-parter at the end of season #3). This episode is pretty good at building suspense over the first several minutes of the episode, but eventually collapses under some "idiot plotting", bad FX, a clunky thematic resolution to the season, and some somewhat overwrought sentimentality. Number one among these complaints is the "idiot plotting" involving Spike letting his advance knowledge of the Slayerettes "break up" slip out when Buffy runs across him while searching for Adam. Spike has always been portrayed as a wily and savvy character, and his letting Buffy in on his scheme doesn't seem remotely credible to me as anything more than writer's convenience to resolve the plots set forward in "Yoko Factor". Similarly, the writers (this time, Fury) go to the well once again on "idiot plotting" vis a vis Col. McNamara and The Initiative. In other developments, the final "group hug" sequence of the Slayerettes in the elevator shaft is hokey (and, once again, Buffy takes the blame, while Willow is let off virtually scott-free). Riley is also rather clunkily inserted into the action here (Adam really cares so much about this guy?!). And while the special effects during the final battle sequence are probably impressive for the level of a television series, those of us weaned on the likes of "Braveheart", "Saving Private Ryan" and "The Thin Red Line" have a hard time taking this battle sequence (with the relatively few number of players shown on screen) as anything more than slightly rinky-dink (looking, as it does, like an "attraction" at the Universal Studios Theme Park). (Yeah, yeah, I know the limitations of series television! But they shouldn't have tried to stage this scene if they couldn't pull it off properly...) Finally, the ultimate battle between Buffy and Adam, previously set-up as a hopeless contest for the Buffster, is magically (literally!) and annoying quickly resolved when Buffy and gang use magical skullduggery to effectively cheat their way through the confrontation, something that bugged me when I first saw "Primeval", and still does.

Not that it's all bad. The initial scene where Anya tries to cheer up a depressed Xander is sort of heartwarming (and one of the few examples where Anya's character is allowed to stretch). And Spike's various scenes are amusing (if nearly always lacking in credibility). Also the initial scene where The Slayerettes bury the hatchet in the middle of UC Sunnydale's grounds is a good one.

But, overall, for an episode that is supposed to wrap-up this season's theme and storyarc, "Primeval" is the first "season finale" of Buffy that really comes up short. But, then again, in a season with both a flawed storyarc and a seriously bungled theme, could we really have expected anything more?...

Like "Hush", "Restless" is an episode overstuffed with a lot of visual/directorial flourishes from Whedon, which tends to earn it some demerits from me. And, like "Hush", it's also an episode that relies (perhaps too heavily) on gimmicks.

But, unlike, "Hush", "Restless" is actually an episode that has something going on under the surface. Thus, while the overall episode gets the same grade is "Hush", I actually feel that "Restless" is a somewhat better episode, despite its flaws.

"Restless" is primarily a "Dreamscape" episode (after a quick introductory set-up in Buffy's home, with a brief appearance from Buffy's Mom, Joyce), and this allows Joss Whedon to indulge (overdo?) the kind of neat/cool visual imagery and non-linear storytelling that these Hollywood types seem to love so much. At least in the service of a "dreamscape", these devices sometimes work, and sometimes don't, but they generally don't leave you bored.

"Restless" is divided into four dream sequences: Willow's, Xander's, Giles', and finally Buffy's. Of these, I (and I think most so-called "Xanderistas") find the Xander sequence the most fascinating. After giving us some clunky (and annoying) character assassination in the early scenes, in the form of Xander's so-called "all sex, all the time!" obsession, Xander's dream settles down into a rumination of what Xander's place in life is (and should perhaps be). While not all of this sequence works, the overall portrait painted of Xander is the most rich and the most interesting of the four characters. It both explains Xander's past, and sets up a lot of possibilities for future development. In short, I think it is the best sequence. The second best sequence is Giles', especially in the second half, once Giles gets to the Bronze. What is especially fascinating to me in this sequence is what exactly Anya is supposed to represent in Giles' dream (and I still don't have an answer for that one). However, Giles' dream is also the one that seems the fuzziest to me in setting up some future direction for the character. Willow's sequence is probably the funniest (the entire sequence with the play staring Buffy, Riley and Harmony is a total hoot!), but it's also the most oblique. (Anyone who think that Willow's 'true hidden nature' alluded to in this dream is either her bisexuality, or her nerdiness, is probably being naive.) Hopefully, some sense will be made out of Willow's dream in season #5 (and I'm hoping it's some kind of reference to Willow going evil, though I suspect that's too much to hope for...) Buffy's sequence is the most visually stunning (and, I must say, take a look at that Tara! - Yummy!), but probably the least effective. (Buffy's dispatch of The First Slayer is clunky, superficial and piquish, and doesn't make all that much sense anyway.)

So, "Restless" is certainly an interesting episode. But I can't really give it a full recommendation. It does certainly lack the emotional "oomph" of Buffy's previous three season finales. Experimental and daring? Yes. Effective? I'm less convinced...

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