Buffy: Restless (4.22)

In Restless, Joss Whedon explores the fears and inner traumas of Buffy, Xander, Willow and Giles; pulling them all together in an ambitious, existential, David Lynch-inspired masterpiece of hints and foreshadowing of the future, as well as a story that speaks volumes about where the four characters are at, both emotionally and physically, at this point in time.

Buffy: Primeval (4.21)

I like Adam as a concept. He's a strange fusion of human, monster and machine, and explicitly designed to be evil. Here's a being who was born to kill, but has been thrust into the world without guidance or understanding, lending him an inquisitive, introspective tone that goes at odds with the 'crush-kill-destroy' antics of previous big bads. But, and I struggle to understand why, Adam didn't work. It was presumably that characterization that made him a weak villain, since his big evil trip this last two episodes felt so contrived as a result. So, he wants to create a super army of genetic hybrids like himself? That's... not all that great.

Buffy: The Yoko Factor (4.20)

There has obviously been dissent within the ranks of the Scoobies for most of the season. When the year opened, it was Buffy who was feeling shut-out. Then the Initiative arrived, and Buffy dropped her friends for her new army buddies and her hunky soldier boyfriend. Willow was initially troubled by Oz's departure, then she too moved away from her circle after she met Tara. Xander and Giles have been on the periphery of things all year, both having lost their traditional 'roles' when Sunnydale High went up in flames. The Yoko Factor exploits the angst by having these issues come to the forefront, but I'm not sure the episode in general works that well at all.

Buffy: New Moon Rising (4.19)

It's a Whedon tradition to bring back a character just when we don't want them to come back. Oz's return is timed for just the most awkward moment imaginable, with Willow's relationship with Tara growing more public and physical. Parts of this story worked for me, notably the interaction between Oz and Willow and her conflicted emotions over his return, but it annoyingly got wrapped up in the Initiative hoodoo, and that road led to nothing but annoyance.

Buffy: Where the Wild Things Are (4.18)

This is a strange beast. It has an intriguing conceit at its heart, but there's something really 'off' about the whole thing. There are some interesting themes about child abuse and sexual repression, but it mushes badly with such abject failures as the orgasm wall and the monster vines and the bad-sitcom sex gags. At the same time, the 'haunted frat house' thing was done already in Fear, Itself, and that episode was far scarier and far funnier than anything offered here.

Buffy: Superstar (4.17)

Like The Zeppo last year, this is pretty much a one-joke episode, and it's a joke that gets real tired about half-way through the hour. But Danny Strong is so wonderful here, and the general concept so moving, that you can forgive the fact that Superstar ends up dragging. I think it's because of Jonathan's shifting relationship with us as a viewer that creates that effect. He started out as a recurring co-star who was always being victimized, like one part of a running joke. Then, out of nowhere, we were suddenly forced to know intimate details about his mindset, and it was disturbing and horrible and relatable. And, like all of us, problems take a while to be worked out, Jonathan's attempt to make everybody admire him sort of understandable.

Buffy: Who Are You? (4.16)

It's almost too easy to just compliment Sarah Michelle Gellar and Eliza Dushku on their acting throughout this episode. Their performances are pretty extraordinary regardless, but the real wonderment in Who Are You? is found in the psychological insight that the script explores. Faith spends a lot of this episode in one way or another trying to 'corrupt' Buffy. She dresses in revealing outfits, she's sexually aggressive, she's mean. She has fun making this 'image' so repulsive, and she loves every second of it.

Buffy: This Year's Girl (4.15)

Buffy and Faith's relationship has always been one of my favorite Buffy dynamics. They work really, really well together, with so much hatred and resentment and jealousy festering between the two of them, as well as the unspoken acknowledgment that they somehow need each other in the world. With that in mind, Faith's dreams are the purest depiction of how she sees her rival. There's that sisterly connection between them at first, where they talk and converse while changing the bed-sheets, only to be spoiled when Faith suddenly remembers the knife that Buffy stuck in her gut. Then there's the happiness Faith experienced with the Mayor, the one person who saw potential in her. But, once again, it's spoiled when Buffy, now depicted as this unhinged Terminator-esque monster, stabs him to death and pursues Faith through a moonlit graveyard. It's that constant feeling of angst over what could have worked, but ended up falling apart.

Buffy: Goodbye Iowa (4.14)

Less chaotic than The I in Team and all the better for it, Goodbye Iowa introduces us to Adam, seemingly the big bad for this year. There were some interesting attempts to contrast both Adam and Riley throughout this episode, with both of them pushed into a grown-up world that they hadn't been prepared for, following the death of their 'creator'. Adam doesn't understand himself, and there are obvious Frankenstein parallels made even more overt with that squicky scene with the little boy. Riley, too, is questioning his entire existence after he stops taking his medication. He's looking rough as hell, he's angry, frantic. He's a mess, and Professor Walsh was the God-like creator of both of them. It's different for this show, but fun.

Buffy: The I in Team (4.13)

Immediately after I re-watched this episode, I became a firm believer in the urban legend that Lindsay Crouse was fired for being a huge pain in the ass on-set. The I in Team is Buffy on fast-forward, with a lot of interesting ideas pretty much exterminated before they have time to flourish. In just 40 minutes we see Buffy joining the Initiative, annoying the Initiative, surviving the Initiative, and discovering the true agenda of the Initiative. It's all way too fast, the story immediately losing any power it could have had.

Buffy: A New Man (4.12)

To commit to this episode, you need to excuse some of the script's more contrived elements. While Giles has been on the periphery of things this year, his treatment by the Scoobies doesn't entirely make sense. Buffy in particular is pretty obnoxious here with her ignorant statements about how superior and 'grown-up' Maggie Walsh is, and later telling Willow that she'll run to Maggie with news about the majicks going haywire. Can you be any more insensitive, Buff?

Buffy: Doomed (4.11)

As an episode, this doesn't hold together well at all. It tries to do far too many different things with little cohesive link between them all, spinning off into directions which generally aren't that spectacular anyway. At its heart is the aftermath of Buffy and Riley's exposure to one another, Buffy unsure about starting a relationship with somebody who isn't entirely normal, and Riley uncomfortable with suddenly discovering his love interest puts herself in extremely dangerous situations on a daily basis. While this is a natural development for their courtship, their dialogue-heavy scenes together drag on for what seems like forever, talking in circles and generally getting nowhere. Of course, that was probably the point, but the dialogue felt unusually flat for this show.

Buffy: Hush (4.10)

Hush is probably Buffy's grand statement piece. There are other episodes that are similarly groundbreaking and gorgeous, but Hush is truly the pinnacle of this show's creativity and ambition. At its heart is the concept of communication, how sometimes words radically over-complicate what should be entirely simple. It's a theme that radiates throughout the episode. What's also important is that Hush is ridiculously, awesomely terrifying; as well as one of the finest comedy episodes I've ever seen, of any show. It pulls together every varying theme that made Buffy the greatest show ever made, and does it beautifully.

Buffy: Something Blue (4.9)

This works as both a character piece and as a ridiculously entertaining slice of comedic silliness. Willow is still understandably angsty over Oz's departure, a feeling exaggerated when she discovers that he has secretly sent for his things behind her back, presumably confirming his long-term departure in the process. So, instead of facing up to what has happened, Willow decides to blame everybody else around her: a common error that so many of us make when we're confronted with something shitty.

Buffy: Pangs (4.8)

Sarah Michelle Gellar is a truly gifted comedic actress. Her performance throughout Pangs is flawless, as Buffy tries to put together the perfect Thanksgiving dinner. The scrunching up of her face, the urgent speediness of her delivery, the frequent asides to others about basting or how much brandy to use. She's really, really fantastic here, displaying the same versatility and sense of cutesy nuttiness that she explores whenever Buffy is overwhelmingly distracted by something (like in Living Conditions, for instance).

Buffy: The Initiative (4.7)

Spike is exactly what the show needed at this point. With Oz gone, Giles way on the periphery of things and Anya only appearing intermittently, Buffy needed a big dose of funny, and that came in the unexpected form of 'neutered puppy' Spike. It's a little dramatically lazy, but Spike's chip creates some genius characterization, especially here. His big moment with Willow, an elaborate erectile dysfunction gag, is insanely awesome, capped by that brilliant moment when Willow snaps out of being a complete sucker and bashes a table-lamp over his head.

Buffy: Wild at Heart (4.6)

This understandably feels like a major story arc condensed into one episode, since it was intended to be a story that lasted most of the season. With that in mind, you can almost forgive the show for Veruca's shabby characterization, her iffy motives for wanting to murder Willow, and Oz's eagerness to leave. It feels remarkably fast, and takes away from what should have been a far heavier story. However, the show still manages to make us feel Willow's pain and sense of betrayal. In that regard, the rapid storytelling is almost spookily helpful. Oz's departure comes out of nowhere, and you can totally see that reflected on-screen.

Buffy: Beer Bad (4.5)

This is absolute monkey shit. For the first time in the history of the series, a Buffy episode spectacularly fails on almost every level. Beer Bad is pretty much universally reviled, and for good reason. While hours like I, Robot - You, Jane and Go Fish could at least be interpreted as decent ideas that just didn't work in execution, Beer Bad is one of those extremely rare Buffy episodes that make you really wonder what the hell the writers were thinking.

Buffy: Fear, Itself (4.4)

This episode is seemingly hated by a lot of fans, something I've never totally understood. Fear, Itself, while not remarkable in any way, is exactly what it's supposed to be. It's a Buffy spin on a haunted house horror movie, with the Scooby Gang trapped inside a frat party on Halloween night, getting split up and forced to endure their worst fears. It's not particularly ambitious, but there's a goofy charm to the episode that makes it work. It also has so many memorable 'moments' that, while not totally linked to the episode's story, are a lot of fun.

Buffy: The Harsh Light of Day (4.3)

This felt like a big reunion episode, with Spike, Harmony and Anya all coming back into the fold. Whoever decided to bring Harmony back as a vampire deserves some major kudos. It's surprising though watching the previous three seasons that she was barely on the show. Then she gets vamped and suddenly becomes a major recurring character. The Spike/Harmony relationship is hilarious, not only because of their love/hate kinky/abusive chemistry, but also due to the hysterical reactions from the Scoobies.