Why Buffy Season 4 is the Coziest Season
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- Опубликовано: 14 июл 2024
- This is a video about season 4 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I talk about what makes this season so great and comforting. We get the brightest season with a lot of fan favorite characters, including Anya, Spike, Oz, Tara Maclay, Harmony, Ethan Rayne, Jonathan, Amy, and Principal Snyder.
It also has some of the best standalone episodes of the show: Hush, Something Blue, Restless, Fear Itself, Harsh Light of Day, and Where the Wild Things Are (jk). It has the greatest number of funny episodes (Pangs, Living Conditions, Something Blue, A New Man, Beer Bad, and Superstar).
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
10:17 Weak Points 
Развлечения
Idk if I’ll call it cozy because when Willow and Oz broke up I cried for a whole week
That's fair. 😆 When Alyson Hannigan cries, I cry. Their breakup was painful.
This is my favorite season. Probably my least favorite "big bad" but the standalone episodes are the most fun, so they make up for it, imo
Yay! A season 4 fan :). Adam wasn't the best but I think the standalone episodes definitely make up for him.
It’s a shame because the big bad was supposed to be Maggie. That actress dropped out and screwed up all their plans and Adam had to be the main villain.
I believe Oz’s arc was supposed to be more tied in but Seth Green asked to leave as well.
Hi! So I looked into what happened with Maggie Walsh's departure because I saw a lot of conflicting information. Lindsay Crouse, the actress who played Prof. Walsh, said in an interview that she was surprised to find out that she was being written off the show, she wasn't trying to leave. Here is the interview: podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/buffering-vampire-slayer-buffy-vampire-slayer-podcast/id1150241800?i=1000434027768 . The relevant portion starts at 38:45.
@@PensiveWhiskers thank you for correcting me! I got my info from an interview with Marti Noxon, but I found another quote from Doug Petrie backing up Crouse here. Wow, that’s been going around fandom for ages.
I feel the same way about Season 4 as you! 😁It’s really the most lighthearted season of all 7. It doesn’t have a strong story arc, but since BtVS’s story arcs tend to be heartbreaking, that’s a good thing when you feel fragile already (and aren’t looking for cathartic tears). It’s the hot cocoa with marshmallows season, in a way. They even end it with the main characters on a couch with popcorn, with Buffy having bested the original Slayer in a shared dream. It’s a very cozy Buffy ending! 🍿😍
☺ Yup! I feel like I can be in any mood to watch season 4 but the other seasons, sometimes they are not easy to watch.
Season 4 does get better and better during rewatches. This is my favorite season for Spike content. He really shines in season 4.
Agreed! He’s so funny in season 4! This season definitely kept getting better on rewatches for me as well.
S4 has always been my favorite season since I first watched the show. Beer Bad may be a mandatory PSA, but it is both ironically and unironically my favorite episode of the entire show 😂
I swear, Beer Bad gets better on every rewatch. 😂 It keeps getting funnier to me.
@@PensiveWhiskers the beer is bad, I don't know what else you need to have a good time 😄
This was the year I first started watching the show originally. The is and will always be my sentimental favorite season of the series.
I know how you feel! The first episode I remember watching is "Out of Sight, Out of Mind." That episode is more sentimental for me because of it.
Vampire Harmony was awesome. I quite enjoyed her.
I loved oz so when he left during season 4 I was bawling.
I have never thought of which season would be my favorite. Now I need to Rewatch it and think about that question.
Vampire Harmony is great, and I think she gets even better on Angel. I feel like I didn't appreciate her enough when I first watched the show. I love Oz too. I wasn't expecting him to be gone forever.
Many, many great episodes in Season 4 indeed. The main issue with it is the main season arc, unfortunately, but overall I agree with everything you said on the video.
Funny, season 4 has always been my favourite. Cosy seems to be a good word to describe it. Willow and Buffy bunking together in their awesome uni room is such sleepover vibes. Pretty much everything about the season, minus the Initiative stuff, is the best part of Buffy.
Yes! We get a very University-vibe season with tons of hijinks. I feel like season 4 has gotten me through some down moments.
I bought "Of Human Bondage" (second-hand) just because it was mentioned in the season :'D
Hahahaha, I could see myself doing that. Maybe I'll recommend that book for my book club.
Fun fact: the college guy-turned-vampire (Eddie), who introduced that book to Buffy, was played by a baby-faced Pedro Pascal ❤
I saw a really cool headcanon for this season a while back that I think would’ve really strengthened the Initiative part of the season: So, in S2’s Halloween we see Xander become a soldier. He uses what I learned to assist the gang a few episodes later in Innocence. This experience and newfound skill set inspires him to enlist. The higher-ups realize where he’s from and redirect him back to Sunnydale and to the Initiative. Maybe his mentor is Riley. We can watch Xander develop his character and struggle with balancing the nuance he’s learned with the Scoobies and his desire to be a leade and to be invaluable (@ Fear Itself). This strengthens our connection to the Initiative and all around makes us care more about an otherwise random universe/villain introduction.
Yes! I heard that one from Passion of the Nerd! I really like that rewrite of the season 4 main plot. That would have been really cool and definitely would have created more of an emotional connection to the main story arc.
This is what I’ve been saying for years!! Cozy is the perfect way to describe it, whenever I miss Buffy I always feel like rewatching S4. Also don’t feel like there’s any BAD episodes, Beer Bad & Where The Wild Things Are were still fun to me. As opposed to say S5, which has horribly boring episodes like Triangle. Restless is my favorite episode of the entire series, I feel like it’s the glue holding together the show. It’s positioned sort of in the middle of the series and talks about its core themes, especially the condition of the Slayer. S4 feels most like Buffy to me.
Same! I always go back to season 4 and I love Restless so much. Perfect character study episode. I also agree that season 4 is not boring at all. I think I remember and can name all season 4 episodes but I can’t do the same for season 5.
For keeping the Professor Walsh as the villain for this season, I totally agree. It would have been much better overall and would have been a great setup for a Science versus Magic showdown. Apparently, this was the original plan but the actress who played Walsh expressed wanting to the leave show about halfway through. I didn't realize this until I watched the Passion of The Nerd's analysis on season 4. He explains pretty in depth what the original route of the season was going to go.
Hello! I had the same belief about Maggie Walsh based on TPN's video however, there is conflicting information on this topic. The actress who plays Maggie Walsh, Lindsay Crouse, did an interview where she explains how she found out that she was being written off. Here is the interview: podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/buffering-vampire-slayer-buffy-vampire-slayer-podcast/id1150241800?i=1000434027768 . The relevant portion starts around 38:45.
I'm curious about the original source which states that Lindsay wanted to leave the show. If I find the original source, I will follow up!
This season aged well, most than other seasons. The college aspect and characters development really well done. One of the best seasons for Willow's development.
It is funny, great fights and stand alone episodes, Faith episodes, two masterpieces, this is could be the best season with a better main arc and villain. The first half is strong. I prefer seasons 3 and 6 but 4 and 5 are next
It’s tied with S5 for my favorite season. How come people don’t like this season?! It has Hush. Something Blue. Pangs. Who Are You? Some of the best episodes of the entire series!
I think people usually think about the main story arc when they consider how good a season is. I think this season is fantastic. Pangs is another one of my favorites. Season 4 is the only season to have a Thanksgiving episode, which I think is kind of cool.
I agree with all of this! I am always surprised that S4 is not more popular. For me S1 is probably the weakest just because the show and characters were finding their feet. I also struggle with S6 in particular because it is too bleak and dark and I find the character arcs in S6 & S7 a bit confusing and the relationship breakdowns depressing. I mean, I enjoy the whole show but S4 has to be somewhere in the top three of the 7 seasons for me. Mainly this is because (other than the Oz / Willow breakup) watching it cheers me up, which is something I need when real life can get hard. It's good escapism. I also really like Spike's character (esp when he is bad and funny) so having him and Anya both making me laugh in this season is great. I also really liked Giles in this season - more comedy lines and more singing. Giles was especially funny in 'Something Blue'.
Yes on all of this! I love all the seasons but season 4 is so easy to rewatch. I don't know where I would have placed it originally but currently, season 4 is in my top 3.
I totally agree :D It's also right before Dawn shows up and although I try not to hate on her so much I just really appreciate the original scoobies that we had the chance to grow to love.
Hahahaha, that’s right! The last season before Dawn, simpler times.
I love season 4 so much. The season arc is pretty bad but on an episode by episode basis, it’s one of the best
Agreed! :)
I really love your Buffy content!! I love this show and it’s so rare to see people talking about it
Thank you so much! I've found a few other channels that talk about Buffy, but I wish there was more, hahaha. I hope to cover a lot more shows, but I think I will keep coming back to Buffy.
You had me until superstar lol that one is not it for me. But I do enjoy this season a lot, great video!
That’s fair, I know it’s not everybody’s favorite episode
Maggie walsh was supposed to be the season big bad but the actress who plays her chose to leave the show for another opportunity. Same with seth green. I think they did a great job considering 2 main cast members left the show unexpectedly.
Hey! I'm sorry for the late reply. I also heard that Lindsay Crouse (the actress who plays Walsh) prematurely left the show. Recently, I was looking into this topic on Reddit and somebody wrote that Lindsay did an interview where she said that she didn't leave, she was written off. I was going to do some research online to see what actually happened but I haven't dug into it yet. If I find any evidence for the reason for her departure, I will link it here!
@PensiveWhiskers thank you I definitely want to know what you find out
@rebeccarodger2636, @PensiveWhiskers I think you are referring to an interview she gave on Buffering the Vampireslayer (fantastic podcast for Buffy Fans!) She said, when she was called in, she had noooo idea if or in what way her character might become important and then she was told she was to be killed off kind of short notice and then it seemed vague to her in what capacity she would be back on. It seems to me, when you were a mid to minor character in a TV show in those days (maybe even today) you kind of didn't have a lot of job security in the sense of how many episodes will I be payed for this season. I heard similar things about the actors of Lost and that might have lead to people not being available (as they always had to line up several gigs).
It's part of their review for ep 4x21 (free to listen at your favorite podcast space, it starts at minute 36-ish - this episode of the podcast is really jumping around alot ;)). I guess they are called bufferingcast now. They did interviews w/ a lot of castmembers from stuntwomen to amber benson and james masters. Here is a list of a few more interviews: www.bufferingcast.com/cast-interviews
Hey there! Sorry for the late reply again. 🥴I did some digging and I found the interview with Lindsay Crouse where she explains how she left the show. Here is the interview: podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/buffering-vampire-slayer-buffy-vampire-slayer-podcast/id1150241800?i=1000434027768 . The relevant portion starts at 38:45.
@PensiveWhiskers oh thank you so much 💓 I always thought she left for different reasons this was so great thank you for finding this 😁
I haven't had much positive things to say about season 4 until now! I agree with you on many of the points you make. For me season 4 has always been wasted potential and Riley and the initiative were so bad on both of the two times I've watched the show. The overarching plot makes season 4 sooo slooow and hard to get through at times. Maybe next time I'll be able to enjoy the season more. Great video!
Thank you! I hope you give it another chance! I think there are a lot of individual episodes that are absolute gems 💎🙂
I would argue that Season 7 is actually the most underrated season. But I can absolutely agree that Season 4 is "comfy" and improves upon rewatch. The season arc is the weakest of the whole series, but there are many fun, breezy standalone episodes and excellent highlights. Season 5 is my favorite, but admittedly, we cant always handle something that heavy and sad. 🖤
Season 5 is great, but you are right, sometimes it's nice to watch something lighter.
Season 4 has the worst season arc but with one exception (here’s looking at you Beer Bad) has the most consistent quality of its individual episodes.
Yeah, I think the individual episodes are consistent in season 4, for the most part. Beer Bad is such an odd one, it has grown on me over time, however.
I have no problem with S4; I don't like the last two, however :) Great video as always :)
My least favorite is season 7, it's not terrible but I was expecting more.
6th is my favorite but 4th ranks second ❤
I love the 6th season too! The 4th season ranks 3rd for me, but it's also the easiest to rewatch for me.
Season 4 is a typical case of the whole not being as good as the sum of his parts.
Many episodes are great, but the main conflict, and the big bad make for a bad season arc.
Not to mention Ryley is just a boring boyfriend with a terrible relationship dynamic.
Yeah, the main story is a little weak in my opinion. I love rewatching this season though, I have to be in a certain mental space to rewatch some of the other seasons.
@@PensiveWhiskers i don't like to rewatch the Ryley centric episodes (which i think is the main problem with the season arc, it's not Buffy who has to learn that the initiative is nad, it's Ryley) other than that..i love season 3 and six (once more with feeling being a guilty pleasure)
Season 4 of Buffy and season 4 of Gilmore girls were the first seasons i watched of both shows. It seems like a lot of people don't like that season in either show. They will always hold a special place in my heart.
It is interesting to think about all the different factors that influence a person’s feelings on a show or a particular season. How old we were when we first watched a show or the first season that we watched I think has a big impact. I also think that when someone is going through a hard time, certain seasons might feel different.
So many great points!
Thank you! 😊
Was Joss Whedon’s, The Cabin in the Woods, the Initiative storyline but with a much bigger budget? The underground government facility housing demons and monsters in glass cages appeared in both works.
I definitely feel like he took his idea from Buffy season 4 for Cabin in the Woods. That movie shows what could have been done with a better budget.
The actress playing Prof. Walsh wanted to leave the show midseason. She was the original big bad for the season. And when she left, they had to scramble.
Hi! Would you happen to have the source explaining her departure? I found an interview where Lindsay Crouse states that she didn't know what was happening with her character and she was surprised to learn that her character will be killed off. Here is the interview: podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/buffering-vampire-slayer-buffy-vampire-slayer-podcast/id1150241800?i=1000434027768 . The relevant portion starts at 38:45.
The Initiative is people's biggest complaint and they are just an extention of Buffy's college life. The season's theme is about high school life vs college life and rthe group being divided by college and post high school life. The season isn't bad, but it isn't the best. It's the season that represents what college represents in life. That's why people consider it so middle ground.
I rewatched season 4 last year unfortunately I still don't like it i did enjoy the standalone episodes and the season finale but over all season 4 is one of my least favorite seasons
That's fair, we all have a least favorite season. As much as I love Buffy, there is one season that doesn't land for me (which I'm sure other people love).
This is my least favorite series I just don’t care about Tarah and willow well. It’s too late. if oz never existed fine but there is oz and I’m sorry I don’t care for me oz and willow forever and always I feel like willow was trying to replace oz and that’s disrespectful to his character and the relationship. I’m sorry I just don’t agree. I don’t agree. I don’t like Tarah and Willow.