As we enter season four, it seems a tad pointless to go over the basics of what Buffy the Vampire Slayer is all about yet again, so if you’ve somehow been deprived in a Buffy-less bubble thus far, there are links to reviews of season two and three below right which should help bring you up to speed...
Right, so what’s in store for us this time around? Well, the days of high school, kind of like the high school itself, are well and truly gone, with most of the gang heading off to college. Cordelia has moved on to LA along with the broody one for his eponymous spin-off series, and as things progress a few familiar faces from seasons past become much more familiar. There’s a new love interest for Buffy in the form of Dudley-Dud Dud Riley, and what equates to a rather silly story arc involving a little organisation called The Initiative.
Regardless of a few plot lines that some may find questionable, the basics of what have made Buffy arguably the best and most vital show on television in many a year remain. The continued exploration of personal issues faced when growing up continues to be handled both expertly and realistically, as does the superb quality of writing which manages to effortlessly combine emotion, passion, drama and horror with a unique and often biting wit unlike anything that has ever gone before it.
So what’s in store in this first half of the season?
The Freshman
High school’s gone (in more ways than one) and college is in – full of spurting knowledge, spurting jello shots and a place where everyone’s got a brain – well, almost everyone. Still, at least Willow’s excited. Buffy meets her super fun new roomie, Kathy (who thinks Celine Dion rocks), and finds wherever she goes she’s a vamp magnet. Freshmen disappear and a nice boy bites it while an icky yukky blot on the landscape in the form of dork boy extraordinaire Riley is introduced.
Living Conditions
Buffy’s got the roomie blues, and Willow isn’t doing much better - still, a constant party zone is preferable to constant Cher-time any day. With demons of non-specific origins invading her dreams the slayerific one deserves some distraction, perhaps an attack of random adorableness will help? And what’s with those army guys?
The Harsh Light of Day
While a certain poophead shows his true colours to Buffy, others make their return. Harmony’s back and my how she’s changed... Anya’s back, and she’s come a courtin’ – will she and Xander interlock? But most importantly that big blondie bear Spike (MMMmmm) is back – and he’s got a plan to do with a little trinket called the gem of Amara...
Fear, Itself
October 31st – Halloween – although if you check with Giles – who seems to have turned into a lamp - perhaps it’s actually the 13th? Buffy’s sad, but there’s nothing like a Mum-erific pep talk to help, while the gang are dressing up and off to some frat boys’ scary house. But if you play with pentangle-type thingies you never know what may materialise – or the size of what you may be left to deal with... Is Anya auditioning for Hugh Hefner?
Beer Bad
Buffy’s still got the poophead id-boy blues, and a visit to Xander in his new job as on-campus bartender turns tempting – after all, what girl could turn down a chance for discussing socio-economic and psychological problems over copious amounts of beer? MMMmmm, foamy! But then there are the after effects of a bad night of badness to contend with – and that’s before the questing for fire. Proof that too much beer can turn you into Metallica... Meanwhile, what’s with Oz going all groupie on us?
Wild at Heart
Ooh, the big bad Spike is back – oh, or is he? The toy soldiers return, but there’s more important stuff to worry about – after all, Oz is more monosyllabic than usual and is going all blushy-eared around Veruca, and now that it’s that the time of the month for him, well, who knows what he’ll get up to? He should remember that hell hath no fury like a witch scorned...
The Initiative
Spike wakes in a white room that goes “ZAP!” – is it a Batman invasion, or something all the more sinister? Still, a touch of 007 later and... well then he has performance problems to deal with. Still, at least we find out more about these commando guys, don’t we? Xander’s GI Joe days come in handy, and blah boy Riley realises he has a thing for Buffy. Sadly she seems interested, but little does she know...
Pangs
Xander goes all Village People, uncovering an old mission in the process – isn’t it amazing what can be hidden right under their feet? Buffy is under siege, what with thanksgiving dinner to prepare and a batty avenging spirit and his buddies to deal with. Spike is rather peckish, and mushy peas just won’t quite cut it – and who’s that brooding in the shadows?
Something Blue
While doofus boy tries to puzzle out Buffy, even playing the let’s have a picnic card, Mr Pointy’s keeper does a spot of interrogation on Spike to try to discover more about the toy soldiers that have been spotted on campus, also taking the opportunity to tease a little. Meanwhile, Spikey just wants to watch Passions... Our brave little toaster Willow isn’t coping too well at all with a lack of Oz-ness, and kind of does a spell kind of wrong – so be careful what you say. Still, it gets her an offer from a Smurf demon. It’s alright though, Giles has more Scotch. And Wind Beneath My Wings? Seriously!
Hush
Can’t even shout, can’t even cry, The Gentlemen are coming by... and these icky manic grinned floaty creepy guys are out to steal some hearts – they have scalpels and they’re not afraid to use them... Willow goes to Wicca playgroup and meets a girl named Tara, there’s too much talk, then no talk, then nothing to talk about when everybody actually can talk...
Doomed
Oh, as usual, dear – it’s the end of the world, again. Meanwhile, it’s time for Buffy (who certainly isn’t a heavy metal band) and loser dork boy to talk, and for a while it looks like the former is finally seeing some sense. Poor Spike is depressed, as he’s just not feeling vampy enough, until...
OK, so what’s the what in the video department then?
Well, the answer to the big “will they or won’t they?’ question can finally be answered – and the news is great, with Fox Australia delivering us what was the first series of Buffy actually made for the widescreen format in its intended 1.78:1 ratio, and anamorphically enhanced as well. YAY!!!
It would be nice to say that all is perfect, however if you are a little more Buff-fussy you may be alarmed at the amount of white flecks that appear throughout these eleven episodes, as the prints aren’t quite as clean as those used for season three. They’re not shocking by any means, but some may be distracted simply as the intruders become all the more noticeable due to the predominance of dark locations used. It is these that raise another slight concern, in that shadow detail is fairly good, but not as well handled as Buffy’s sister show Angel’s transition to DVD, so at times some of the dimly lit scenes can be a little murky.
Still, these niggly points aside, things look infinitely better than we’ve ever seen on television, with beautiful colour, defiantly black blacks and a virtual complete absence of grain.
After some research it is also extremely pleasing to report that there don’t appear to have been any inflicted upon this season, and all the ‘previously’ introductions are also left in tact.