Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 4, Episode 15: "This Year's Girl"

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 4, Episode 15: "This Year's Girl"

Grade: B+

This past episode I’ve watched of “Buffy, the Vampire Slayer” is the first part of a two-parter in Season 4, entitled “This Year’s Girl”. Basically Faith wakes up from her coma and is looking for revenge.

This won’t be an episode review as much as a gathering of basic thoughts. I could go on forever about Buffy but I won’t. It’s a show that I had been meaning to watch for years and as a consequence of that through time I discovered so many spoilers that it is absurd. So basically I know everything that happens on the show. And the fact that it can still be this compelling even though I know most of the plot developments is amazing. So my best friend Amanda and I started watching it a few years back. She grew up on Buffy so it was a sort of show sharing activity of ours. Because college takes up so much tme, it took us 2 years to get through 2 and a half seasons. Since school started this year, I am continuing on my own and am now a little bit more than half way through Season 4. Amanda is not huge on the show in its later years, meaning Seasons 5, 6 and 7. She thinks that they definitely have their moments but it loses its freshness. While I am looking forward to the later stuff, I already know I’ll be pining for the earlier seasons. I see what she means and I’m already mourning the loss of those days in a way. However I credit the show for evolving when so many others do not take that chance and don’t grow with its characters.

Anyways, Season 3 is my favorite and will always be my favorite. Nothing will defeat it. I don’t know if I’ve seen a more solid season of television than Season of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. Season 2 comes next, Season 4 and then Season 1 (by default). I’ve been really impressed with this season so far. I felt that the transition from high school to college was seamless and natural, a near impossible feat accomplished in my opinion.

Ok, so this episode is a sort of throwback to Season 3 because it is dealing with Faith who is essential to that season. Faith was never one of my favorite characters on Buffy, even though I know a lot of people love her. What I’m about to say is contradictory. I love what she brings to the show in terms of how she relates to Buffy and exploring the role and power of the Slayer. I love what they did with her in terms of her learning that she loves to kill and becoming one of the villains. I could write pages upon pages of the issues and themes they explore through Faith’s character. And Eliza of course does a great job. I love Faith’s psychology. The character herself though annoys me. If I have to hear her say “B” one more time I’ll bash my head against a wall. She comes off as quite dated today I feel. A bit too late 90’s for me. Too much of her aggravates me. I do like her; I just don’t love her character by any means. It’s weird that Season 3 is my favorite based off of that information but it is. As I said, what she brings to the show is far more positive than the frustration I get from her character.

This is a really good episode. I really like the fear and emotion that Faith’s return brings to the Scoobies. Faith’s dreams were the best part of the episode. The writer’s willingness to be ambiguous and explore Faith’s subconscious in an unclear way, but in a way that goes very deep was impressive. Another highlight for me was Faith’s conversation with Buffy’s mother. It really revealed Faith’s imbedded envy for Buffy especially dealing with her having a mother to be there while Faith does not. This was something that was explored a bit in Season 3 and it was nice to see them come back to it. Faith also had some interesting and sort of valid points regarding Buffy’s neglect of her mother. The last big highlight was Faith and Buffy’s fight on the college campus. Awesome.

Willow and Tara’s relationship is something I’m really enjoying. I was worried about how this would work but it does. I do think things are going too fast though and I wish they had slowed it down a bit. If they had slowed it down then the relationship would have seemed like a natural progression instead of coming off a bit like the writers would like to be at a certain place at a certain time with the two of them. And it does come off a bit like that. Nevertheless I am enjoying them.

Xander and Anya are really great together. Each have great moments both together and separately. But I know that 3 more seasons of them is going to get on my nerves. I guarantee this.

Spike is another character that I always loved but never really grabbed onto the way other people did. But now I love him. I love his role in Season 4. Love it. I think it is so interesting, funny and creative. But again the idea of him and Buffy being together is just…meh I don’t know. I’m sure it will work but it seems a little off to me. I know why she’ll go with him and I know they start the hinting of it early on but…I’ll just wait and see what I think of it.
I love what they did with Giles this season. He’s neglected, unemployed but he’s awesome.

Ok so Buffy and Riley as a couple. I really like them a lot but I’m starting to feel like I’m ready to move on from it even though I know we have a while to go with them. I’m not complaining but it’s just not my favorite story at the moment. But I think I’d be much more interested if I did not know what was going to happen so I can’t fault the show for that.

So this was not really a review of the episode and not really a review of Season 4 so far. I could have gone on forever about this season and about the show but I guess this will have to do as an introductory of my thoughts on what is going on in the show right now and subsequent reviews will be much more episode specific and hopefully shorter.