Buffy the Vampire Slayer

The Good;
Very clever ep, it's interesting that we really feel for Buffy, we're used to her being invincible but here she's bested by an ordinary vamp and it shakes her and us (note that people refer to her as 'Willow's friend'). Of course, our girl comes back and it's possible she was only off her game because Kathy had been sucking her soul. Great opening gag with the vamp behind Buffy and Will and it's amazing how funny the old comedy cliche of the smallest person carrying the biggest load can be.

The Bad;
It is disturbing to see Buffy so upset but the whole idea of putting the heroine in peril is to see her overcome

Best line;
Xander; You're sitting here alone looking like you've been diagnosed with cancer of the puppy

Character death; poor Eddie. Buffy says it's been a 'Slay-heavy summer'.

Shot;
no Scoobies but the vamp tranqulised at the end

Tied up;
No but Eddie's favourite book is 'Of human bondage'

Knocked out;
No although Riley says he has a slight concussion

Women good/men bad;
Professor Welch considers herself the 'evil bitch monster of death'. Sunday tells Buffy she 'fights like a girl' (which is maybe why Buffy beats her?)

Jeez!;
The idea of Sunday and co not only killing the weaker students but mocking them is awful.

Kinky dinky;
Buffy thinks 'Of human bondage' is porn which she's 'trying to cut down on'. Xander spent the summer working in a male strip club kitchen (and possibly on stage?) Read a great fanfic once where Wes pays for his motorcycle by working in the same club under the stage name 'Huge Grant'. Buffy compares Giles to Hugh Hefner and he now has the lovely Olivia as his own girl next door. Buffy thinks Giles shouldn't have a private life because he's old and it's gross which is a bit of a blow for Guffy. When Xander is all alone he sometimes wonders what Buffy is wearing. Willow compares learning to a sexual act

Calling Captain Subtext;
Xander and Oz don't hug because they're too manly. Buffy comments that she hopes her mum has a 'funny aneurysm' which is foreshadowing indeed as is the reference to Joan Armatrading's 'Once more with feeling'.

Scoobies to the ER;
No, Buffy's arm is hurt but not broken (and even if it was would heal pretty quickly)

Where's Dawn?
Interesting scene where Buffy goes home to find Joyce is storing stuff in her room. You wonder why she didn't put it in Dawn's room which isn't occupied yet?

Questions and observations;
Interestingly Buffy hasn't accepted Christ as her personal saviour, the series has always had an ambiguous relationship with Christianity. Five Scoobies at this stage, Buffy, Giles, Xander, Willow and Oz. Buffy shows great tactical awareness, Faith or Kendra might have fought to the death even when they know it's hopeless, Buffy retreats, get's reinforcements and defeats the bad guys. Great gag where Buffy answers the phone, we know it's actually Angel phoning just to hear her voice. Buffy just walks into Giles, doesn't even knock.
Marks out of 10; 6/10 I think although that might be a little generous

Season 4 kicks off with new a local and challenging issues in Buffy's personal life. Towards the end of season three, Buffy the Vampire Slayer was trying to juggled accommodate lot of characters, while this wasn't a bad thing, it did mean some of the less important characters were subjected to one-liners a hand full of B-plots. With Angel taking Cordelia off to his own show and the departure of Wesley, things do have some more breathing space, that being said, they wasted no time in finding quick replacements, not sure if that's a good thing. On then plus side, Xander was so awesome here, never really pictured him as the moral support kind of guy, but he does it well. I wish Seth Green had more to do and the serious lack of Giles was disappointing. Depressed Buffy is one of the fews things I didn't love in the opener season 2, it is handled about the same here, except she'd less bitchy, more mopey. Not sure which I'd rather stomach, while moping got more sympathy out if me, her rage in season was more in tune with the character. My only real frustration was how easily Buffy took that beating from Sunday.

This episode shows Buffy's first time at university, and shows a villain, that isn't a Big Bad, that she can't defeat. It also shows Buffy being overwhelmed by the pressure of her new teachers, her friends easily being able to cope, and her first new friend gets killed and turned into a vampire, just like with Jesse, Xander and Willow's original third friend. All-in-all this episode was good, it lived up to the usual Buffy the Vampire Slayer standards, but not one of its most spectacular episodes. It also barely has Xander in it, which is one thing that makes it not wonderful.

The Freshman was a perfect start to the fourth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This episode kept with the classic stlye of the series. It also layed out the ground work for the major story lines that will be developing in this season. I think the gang fit into their new lives just as viewers would expect. It was interesting to see Buffy having a lack of confidence in herself in school, and in slaying. It was a very relatable experience for all college freshman. There was plenty of action, character development, and perhaps even romance. I really look forward to seeing what happens next at UC Sunnydale!!!!!

Buffy and Willow are finally in college. Willow is in Heaven and Oz frequently plays on campus, but Buffy feels like a fish out of water. When a guy disappears from the campus and returns as a vampire, Buffy realizes there is a dark force lurking on campus.



This wasn't a necessarily bad episode. It had a much different feel to it. I liked the scene in the beginning with the vampire though. This episode just felt really different. It was kinda weird. I liked the way Buffy looked in the whole episode, though. I liked when Buffy fell through the glass window. Kathy is so weird, though. Cool episode.

Season 4 starts of with Buffy, Willow, and Oz attending UC Sunnydale. Everyone seems to be fitting in nicely with the exception of Buffy. Part way through the episode she meets Eddie. Someone she may be able to connect with. Of course, minutes later Eddie is turned into a vampire. Buffy seeks help from Giles, but he feels he needs to let Buffy develop on her own. Buffy later runs into Eddie and the Vampires that turned him. She finds herself over-matched and has to flee. Celebrating their victory, the vampires steal Buffy's stuff and leave a note behind stating that she has left school.



Buffy heads out to "The Bronze" where she runs into Xander, who is back from his summer road trip. He consoles Buffy and the two decide to find the vampire nest together.



Scouting a condemned building on campus, they find the nest. Buffy sends Xander for reinforcements and falls through a sky window into a heap of trouble. A battle ensues. Meanwhile, Xander has found the rest of The Scoobs, and rallies them for help. The group stands strong and defeats the nest, with the exception of one vampire who gets away.



After the fight is over, Giles comes running towards the building feeling bad that he has left Buffy to fend for herself. And thus, the group is reformed.



The episode ends with a tease for the season 4 "Big Bad" when masked men capture the Vampire who got away.



This episode contained a lot of sharp dialogue and I feel it is slightly underrated, much like the rest of Season 4. The episode illustrates the benefit of keeping the group together, and demonstrates how everyone has an important role to fill.

There's an exciting feeling about the prospects of Buffy in college, venturing new territory and meeting new friends, enemies and obstacles. I really liked seeing her and Willow adjust to their respective roomates and dorm life. There was alot of set up here for some stories we'd see in the immediate following episodes, like Parker and Riley. I also liked the choice of Xander not getting into college and being a townie at home.



The villain here is a savvy vamp named Sunday, who I actually liked. She was like an evil version of Buffy. Unfortunately they kill her at the end of this one, so she won't be hanging around. Overall the ep was a bit depressing with Buffy out of her element. There;s nothing wrong with making her vulnerable- but here she was down right mopey (Remember Angel has now left to have his own show- taking half the cast with him.)

The Freshman is a brilliant opening to the underrated and misunderstood Season 4 and an episode that is funny, touching and action packed. It really does set the tone for the season and is a fantastic sign of great things to come.



This episode is the start of the adult years; life after high school. Some complain that the adult years weren't as good as the first 3 seasons but I disagree. Whiles Seasons 1-3 were magnificent, I prefer the adult seasons these days, as I just like the relationships and storylines better.



Sunday is an excellent character and I really wish we had gotten more of her. She's so sharp and funny and not your typical dumb blonde (Harmony anyone?)- instead she's smart, strong and very, very fun. She had brilliant lines- "The fact that you're fat makes you look fat" is one of my all time favourites and served as a great foe for Buffy. She's by far one of the greatest one shot characters the show ever did and one that is unforgettable.



Besides the Sunday related fun, this episode had a lot more to offer. Buffy struggling to fit into college is relateable and Xander's speech to her is quite moving. Buffy is rarely so easily beaten by a regular vampire so it's quite shocking to see her all wounded and down all episode. However, she really does have some great lines here and one that I always laugh at is:



Buffy: You made one mistake.

Sunday: And what was that?

Buffy: Oh, um, I don't really know but statistically speaking people usually-

Sunday: *punches Buffy*



I love the dialogue in this show. It's awesome.



The introduction of Buffy's roomie Kathy was great- I love Kathy mainly cuz we get the next episode "Living Conditions" because of her- it's hilarious! She's so annoying but funny.



The shock at the end where the commandos capture the vampire was unexpected. Technology is rarely used to slay vampires so it was a little unsettling on first watch. It's a nice twist and draws the viewer in for more.



The Freshman is a classic episode and one that never gets old. It was the perfect season opener and not one to be missed. A fun, light episode that captures the essence of Buffy.

The Freshman-It's a new year, and Buffy is matriculating at UC Sunnydale. Willow is completely in her element in a place of higher learning, and Oz, whose band has played on campus several times, is right at home as well. Giles is entertaining an old girlfriend who is visiting from England, and Xander is away on a cross-country trip. Meanwhile Buffy feels like a fish out of water. Her classes are harder, she has almost no friends, she drops a pile of books on a cute guy, and her roommate is too annoyingly perky for words. But when a fellow student goes missing and Buffy suspects supernatural badness, she begins to think that college life may not be so different after all.



With high school behind them as well as Angel and Cordelia off in L.A. having their own adventures, the 4th season opens up with a good dose of changes for the series. The biggest change being the setting as Buffy and the rest of the Scooby Gang enter UC Sunnydale for their first year of college. While Season 4 always gets slammed by fans for such changes, I think Joss does a fine job of incorporating the characters into college and introducing some new characters like Riley and Professor Walsh. I also found the college setting very refreshing and the whole experience of entering a new phase in one's life is played wonderfully from the whole cast. Buffy's insecurities and overwhelming confusion as she struggles with her first day of college is excellently played by Sarah Michelle Gellar. It's interesting perspective watching Buffy so out of the loop with Oz and Willow already getting the hang of college. I love the reunion scene between Buffy and Xander at the Bronze as Xander gives Buffy a pep talk, giving her her strength back. Also, Xander's small description of his summer vacation involving male stripping was priceless. Not to mention, you gotta love Giles turning into "Hugh Heffner" as Buffy calls him when she sees him and Olivia, his grilfriend together which brings some hilarious lines like:



Giles: "I'm not suppose to have a social life?"

Buffy: "No, because your very, very old and it's gross."



Sunday was an awesome villain and Katherine Towne just owned as the punk rocker vampire and her gang of vampire lackeys were hilarious especially stoned vampire when he delivers priceless lines like: Stoned Vampire: "Uhh...Are we gonna fight or is this just gonna be a monster sarcasm rally?"



and



Stoned Vampire: "Okay, but you gotta share the eatin' cause I'm gotta be thinkin' slayer's blood gotta be...wow...like tie stick."



The fight scenes between Buffy and Sunday are great, epsecially the last fight scene where the gang comes to Buffy aid against Sunday and her gang. I love the shot of Buffy flipping the stake and then throwing into Sunday's heart like it was nothing. The episode ends mysteriously as we see one of Sunday's gang members get tazed and captured by a bunch of soldiers which already hints on the arc of the season. "The Freshman" like other Buffy premieres gets no attention from fans, but it's a refreshing start to the seasons and pivatol transition for the series.

this was a pretty good episode. buffy is starting off college ans feeling very stressed.meanwhile xander is out exploring the worlddd. well a couple places. of course, she encounters a few vamps along the way. but these are stealing vamps. they not only kill the student, but they take their stuff. buffy has some hilarious room mate issues.it was soo funny when the vampire made fun of her outfit. good destraction. but the best part, was the friends that stay up all night and dont have tans. classic moment. this was a pretty good season premiere. buffy finially made it out of high school alive. and this marks the begining of her new life, as an adult.

i enjoyed this episode very much, I felt that it had a certain quality to it, especially the fight scene's between Buffy and Sunny?? Iforget the vampire's name. i like how Joss intorduced new characters that were going to be vital for the rest of the series, and bringing bacxk the old character (Willow!!, Xander and Oz... Giles) but I certainly missed Cordelia on the show along with Angel, but i don't think I could handle another Angel/Buffy heartbreaking season. The plot was smart with witty remarks and sentences, but I wouldn't say that it was a ten out of ten sereis pilot... it had its really good parts, but some awful parts. agree? disagree?

With the end of season three for Buffy, the characters were thru with high school in an explosive way. Literally. We watched our friends as they faced the future, uncertain of what that held for them. We too, as the viewer, were uncertain what the future held. What is life in Sunnydale going to be like now that we, along with the characters, have graduated high school?. It's a scary thought for the gang, and a worrisome one for us. The characters and writing for the show was always so good, we knew these people. We went thru their traumatic high school experience with them. Granted, we probably didn't have praying mantis subs, or mayors who turn into serpents on graduation day, but we knew who they were and what they were going thru. So, when the time came that they left the hallowed(and now hollowed)halls of Sunnydale High, we felt like we were graduating right along with them. A time and feeling of change was in the air for our Scoobies, and we were going to go right along with them in this new adventure. As season 4 began, we knew everyone, including us, was in for a new beginning. Things were about to change for sure. Joss Whedon has said that he always envisions the season premieres for the show as a pilot for a new show. That has never been or felt more prominent than it does with this episode. Things are just different. And so, season four beings with this....



Buffy and Willow begin fall classes at Sunnydale U. The place is big and sprawling and kids are everywhere. So are the people handing out brochures and fliers and whatnot. Willow is excited. She is in her world. As smart as she is and the love she has for academia, Willow is in her element. The same cannot be said for little Buffy. She used to be a big fish in a little pond. Now she is a little fish in a big pond. She is out of her place and she doesn't know what's going on. She is away from home, Giles is no longer her watcher, there is no library, no Angel, Willow is in the moment, and Xander is off on his little road trip adventure. Buffy is lost and there doesn't seem to be anyone there to help her get along in this new world. Thankfully, Buffy still has what she does best. Slay and kick vampire butt!. A rash of disappearances of new students has engulfed the campus. Buffy realizes that something is just fishy and not right on the premises. The culprit comes to be a band of vampires feeding on freshmen and making it look like the students have gone back home because they couldn't take the pressure of newfound college life. The gang is led by Sunday, a very blond vampire with an attitude. Buffy feels more in her element when she has some slaying to do. Thankfully, Xander is back by her side after his disatrous trip, and he is ready for action. He is also the one, as it turns out to be a lot, to give Buffy the pep talk she needs and the support she needs. Everyone else soon follows. Buffy infiltrates the vampire lair and takes out her first villain as her new college life officially begins.



"The Freshman" was pretty good upon it's original airing, but it's only upon repeated viewings over the years that you start to see just how good it really is. College life and the incredible transformation that comes with it is spot on here. With Mr. Whedon, would you expect anything less?. While some fans and critics were not liking and warming up to the change in tone and relationships among the Scoobies, I did. In fact, it's one of my favorite things about season 4. Despite the horror aspect of it, the show has always tried to be real with character's emotions and the ordinary things that come with life...just wrapped up in a horror motif. That doesn't change with season 4. As we see here, Buffy is lost, Willow is thrilled, and Xander and Giles aren't around like they used to be. This is normal. Things change when college starts. Friendships get strained or end completely. Someone might go somewhere else, or someone might not go to college at all(Xander). Or, as is the case with Willow, goes to the same place as a friend and IS excelling at the new change, leaving the other person out. Joss keeps things pretty truthful in the new structure of the show. It's very evident here and gets more so as the season progresses. Buffy pretty much ruled Sunnydale High. They are still in Sunnydale, but now she is no longer the queen of her quaint little high school. The Sunnydale campus is larger, and there are more students and faculty. No library. No Giles. No simple Principal. Buffy's mom even seems to of severed some ties. Buffy goes back home and her mom wasn't expecting her. Her room having already been overtaken by crates of Joyce's stuff. It was quite sad. Of course, the gang comes together in the end, but Buffy and Xander have already taken care of the problem. Still, it's great to see Giles running, a little late in the game, to the rescue with his weapons. You gotta love the G-Man. As for Sunday, she was an interesting and imposing villain. Many fans thought that she was going to be a season long menace, and some were disappointed that she was taken out so soon. That didn't stop others from thinking there would be more of her kind. Since her name was Sunday, many online fans thought that maybe she was just one of a family of vampires. You know, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and so on. Alas, it was not to be. Katherine Towne did an exceptional job as the blond vampire leader, and it really was a pity we didn't see more of her.



What else did I like?. First off, Sarah Michelle looked exceptionally beautiful in this episode. She was truly a vision of loveliness in the entire episode. Just when you think she couldn't get any prettier. Also, there were some great dialogue and some real funny lines. I especially liked Sunday's response to a fellow vampire when they asked her if a sweater made them look fat. Priceless.



In the end, "The Freshman" was another strong opener for the show. Some people and critics think the show's premieres were weak and never it's strong point. I strongly disagree. I like or love all of their premieres. They may not be as good as the season finales, but the premieres are usually good if you ask me. This episode changed what we knew about the show and what we thought we knew about it. As usual, Joss and company continue to pull the rug out from under our feet.

This wasn't the best season opener but it was pretty good. I liked Buffy trying to find her way through the college thing and struggling with it but it wasn't done to it's full potential.



Willow and Buffy weren't really doing the whole best friends thing but they were drifting apart. It was annoying to hear Willow tell Buffy that she should have done this, that, or the other thing earlier.



Buffy getting her butt kicked by that vampire wasn't like her at all. The bruises she was sporting the next day were almost random because of Buffy's slayer healing.



I loved Psychology. Walsh was a brilliant professor here. I loved how she said some would come to know her as "The Evil B*tch Monster of Death," and when she said that if they wanted an easy class they should go to geology 101 with the football players. Xander's return was great too. I loved that he got Buffy back into the swing of things on some level. I enjoyed his reunion with Oz and Willow in Buffy's dorm room too. I found it so Xander of him to just hug Kathy even though he didn't know her.



It was great to see Buffy back to her old butt kicking self at the end. And who could forget Giles and his brilliant appearance. I loved how he just showed up with all the weapons as they were trying to move Buffy's stuff back to her dorm.



This was a really good episode but it could have been better.

This episode is the first episode of the fourth season. In this episode Buffy is now a freshman not in high school but in college. But she is beginning to hate it. Her one and only new friend has been taken and turned into a vampire. Willow and Oz are in their own little world and Giels has gone into Hugh Hefner mode. Buffy is expriencing some hard times as well when the vampires who turned Eddie her new friend into a vampire are beginning to go after her and because of her issues and stresses she is having a tough time but still kicking butt in the end.

Favorite Quotes:

Xander: "When it's dark, and I'm all alone, and I'm scared or freaked out or whatever, I always think - What would Buffy do? You're my hero. Okay, sometimes when it's dark, and I'm all alone, I'd think, What is Buffy wearing?"

Buffy: "Can that be one of those things you never ever tell me about?"



This was a great way to kick off season 4. Right off the bat it establishes Buffys new base of operations AKA Sunnydale U. We see how out of place Buffy feels in this different world when everyone around her, including Oz seems to be adjusting nicely. She even manages to let a female vamp take her down, which never happens. She tries to turn to Giles, but he tells her that basically she is on her own now. Luckily Xander shows up and gives our heroine the pep talk she needed to kick some butt. Good opener!

Aw, I loved this episode! It’s so weird to see the roles of Buffy and Willow reversed, though. Normally Buffy is Miss L.A. peppy people person and Willow sorta lives in her shadow, the smart friend no one notices. I guess college really is different though, it was pretty surprising when Riley called Buffy “Willow’s friend.” I’m glad that they didn’t drift apart in the end though, the Scooby gang needs each other!! For some reason when I watched Buffy when I was younger, I remember the graduation and this episode but after that I don’t remember seeing them in college at all… I remember events, Riley, things like that but I dunno. but I’m watching all of the episodes over so hopefully it’s good from now here on out!

Buffy atarts college with Willow and Oz while Xander is driving to all 50 states. She meets this gang of vamps who steal students stuff, leave a note that they are quitting and then they turn them. Buffy has some problems with her roomate and she feels overwelmed. The teachers are really tough. Giles was entertaining a lady friend when Buffy came in. It was so funny when the vampire made fun of her outfit. They have friends who stay up all night and dont have tans. This was a prety good and funny episode, but in my oppinion not as good as the other season premeres.

This was the first episode of season 4! It really made me feel bad for Buffy. It was so heartbreaking with all that was happening to buffy. Even at the end when the gang was all back, it still felt different and that was kind of sad. I mean you have this ideal image of Giles and how he cared for Miss Calender, and now he casually has flings. Atleast Xander was there for her. I really can't get mad at Oz because hes so funny. I liked during the episode how it showed that Buffy can get hurt. We knew she could mentally, but now we learn about her physicall hurts. It was sad, but it really makes me look forward to the next couple of episodes.

So Buffy, Willow and Oz are starting life in college. Xander shows up a hile later after his graduation trip went bust. Giles is enjoying unemployed life. But Buffy finds out that even in college with the harder classes and all, vamps will be there to distract her.



Favorite Quote (this one’s from Willow): It's just in high school, knowledge was pretty much frowned upon; you really had to work to learn anything. But here, the energy, the collective intelligence, it's like this force, this penetrating force, and I can just feel my mind opening up, you know? And letting this place just thrust into and, and spurt knowledge into ... that sentence ended up in a different place than it started out in.

I love the contrast of this episode. Normally Buffy is the strong one knowing exactly what to do. However in this Willow is completly in her element 'at the place of learning'. Yet Buffy is so lost, she even gets kicked out of a class. Sunday is a great 'baddie', so simple yet so good. She's funny and slightly stupid in the way that she p[icks on the wrong person!

It is also in this episode that Buffy seems to realise that Giles actually has a life, when she bumps into a scantily clad lady in his house, look what happens when Watcher's become unemployed. :)

I really felt that they nailed this episode, the slayer starts college. The entire episode had a very different feel then the rest of the series, which I would imagine one's first day of college would have. They really mortalized Buffy in this episode as well, which I really enjoyed. Her slaying skills and experiencing really couldn't be put to use when dealing with the hassle and fuss of the start of college and all the things that come with. Great episode.

a decent episode with some laughs and good scenes.

when angel and cordelia left the show buffy signed her doom for losing the best characters. and that is why season 4 was terrible. this episode however was ok. i likedthe bad vampire sunday but there was still something wrong with it. a little slow and uninteresting as i don't care about a blond going to collage.



but it was still far from bad and quite enjoyable. one of the only good episodes this season anyway.

As has been hinted at before, but never explicitly stated: Whenever Buffy is feeling lost or emotionally battered, without anger to draw on, she doesn't fight worth a darn.



Buffy's trying to get her feet under her as she starts a new life as a college student. Angel has left for L.A. and Willow seems so comfortable with the huge college campus. Buffy's left flailing a little.



So when she meets her first vampire menaces on campus grounds, she finds herself getting a good butt beating, including a wrenched arm.



It's up to our guy, Xander, to remind Buffy that there is NOTHING she can't do.

I don't know why there are a lot of people that don't like season 4 of Buffy, This is one of my favorite seasons, Season 1 and 7 are the worst.This season opener is my favorite episode and I think it is the best season opener because there is a lot of classics scenes that I like it, like Buffy staking Sunday and the fights scenes in the end were really nice, this episode was the first episode of Buffy that I like it a lot between season 1-3, that Sunday was so bad, other thing that I like of this episode is Buffy in college, this episode is amazing.

‘The Freshman’ was an excellent and very entertaining first episode of the fourth season.

We meet a lot of new friends, we move on from highschool to collage and say goodbye to Cordelia, Wes and Angel.



The teaser begins with Buffy and Willow talking about Collage and the classes they are going to take for school. They are waiting for a vamp to come out but he sees their crosses and just runs away like a nancy.





Next day, into Collage. Buffy is very lost and very confused. Everything is new to her, except Willow who is loving Collage’s energy. Oz also seems to be very familiar with the school and everyone around. Buffy’s the only one who doesn’t fit.



The classes also go horribly wrong, they kick her out.

I did really love the library scene where they meet a young man named Riley. Willow doesn’t have trouble communicating but Buffy sees to say everything wrong. First of all she accidentally lets books fall on his head. Then she says she’s nice to meet and as last, she says that everyone has a brain. Almost everyone, Buffy.



Also at night, Buffy gets very lost. She meets a guy named Eddie who also seems to be confused and lost like she is, except he has a map so he’s more pathetic. After they talk and find their way back, Buffy leaves him behind where some vampires grab him and eat him.



There is a vampire gang, their leader is Sunday. They pray on the weak Freshmen and steal all of their stuff. All of the vampires are very fun, one is a fat chick and another one is a very stoned vampire.



Anyway, when Buffy finds out that Eddie is missing she goes to Giles for help who is very busy with a woman called Olivia and doesn’t give her any attention. Buffy is now completely lost, her roommate is making her crazy and listens to Celine Dion.



Buffy goes to the bronze where she sees her old friend Xander. He gives her a pep talk and says that he didn’t go through America, he had to spend time at a strip club and had to strip. But anyway, he gives Buffy some courage back and wants to bring down the Sunday b!tch.



Buffy seemed very weak in this episode but Xander helped her with his great speeches. First she got kicked in the face by Sunday and almost got her arm broken. But now she’s ready to get her revenge and goes over to her place, when Xander leaves her alone she falls through the glass and gets some more ass-kicking by Sunday.



Meanwhile Xander goes to pick up Oz and Willow and meets Kathy (Buffy’s roommate).



They go to save Buffy and kill some vampires, Buffy finally gets her revenge and stakes Sunday. She tells Xander that everything turns out to be a lot like high school. Also Giles is to late for the rescue. But not everything is the same, at the end one of the escaped vampires is caught by some soldiers who take him away.



‘The Freshman’ was a very fresh episode with a very good vibe. It isn’t as good as the past season openers but still, it’s excellent. I loved Buffy going back to her mother who didn’t think she was going to come back this soon. Also the phone call she gets was from Angel in ‘City of…’

The episode succeeded to make an excellent entrance to the fourth season.

I love this episode since first, it has one of the vampires with the best name for a female vampire...Sunday! It's great the controversy of the name. It was a shame that she was an one-episode villain. It could be good to see her for a while. Later, the good part of the episode is that they present in a wonderful way the insecurity and fear that many people feel when they got into the university. People that are important in high school and they know everything and now they are rookies again and they feel that university is too big and complicated. The episode portraited very well that common sensation in people in the same situation.

Series 4 is a pretty underrated season. Yep, Adam is a rubbish Big Bad, Professor Walsh and Riley are annoying (such a pity that Buffy’s pile of books didn’t brain him) and the gals wear some horrible clothes, but there are some wonderful stand-alone episodes: Something Blue, Fear Itself, A New Man, the Faith two-parter and of course Hush. I also enjoyed the gang growing up and growing apart storylines, the Science vs Magicks theme, the return of Spike and Anya and Buffy finding her way in a new environment without Angel, Joyce or a Watcher.



Which is what this episode is all about. We open, as tradition demands, in a graveyard where for the first time ever (after seeing her arsenal), a vamp decides not to attack the Slayer. Good job, as Buffy and Willow are not paying any attention to open graves and are discussing courses and campuses. Talking of which – we have new sets! With extra extras! The campus is big and bright and deliberately overwhelming but dark and small enough at night to appear suitably threatening. Buffy is thrown straight into the confusing hectic world of University with campaigns and issues and causes, mean lecturers, white-trainer clad TAs who call you “Willow’s friend”, “super” Celine Dion-loving room-mates and a gigantic library where Giles hasn’t conveniently got a job and where people actually study and borrow books, making it off-limits for Scooby meetings. Willow is in her element and Buffy has become the ditz; even on her first day at Sunnydale High, Buffy knew how to get along with people - here she is dazed and confused. People may have hated her a high school, but at least they knew who she was. There, she was a big fish in a little pond, here she isn’t even a tadpole.



Enter Sunday and the vamp-gang. When everything has gone wrong before, at least Buffy knew she was the Slayer, the fighter, the one girl in all the world etc., and most of the time she fought against her sacred calling. Now she can’t even fight. Her mojo has gone the same way as her confidence and she allows Sunday to hurt her arm when distracted by the vamp’s dissing of her clothes. Sunday’s gang thrives on blood and possessions (presumably a metaphor for the way students nick each others stuff in communal halls) and their Klimt vs Monet poster scoreboard (what no Betty Blue or Che Guevara?) is amusing. Their scam is practically undetectable since colleges expect a proportion of students to pack up and go home in the first term.



Feeling alone once more, Joyce and Giles coping well with empty nest syndrome (and what is it with Olivia? Are we supposed to believe that Giles, so nervous around Ms Calendar just happens to have a hot chick popping in for booty calls? And I can’t believe that we’re supposed to believe that she’s English), wanting research and charts and for things to be how they were, Buffy returns to her old haunt the Bronze where, in the first of the annoying crossovers, David Boreanaz stars as an Angel lookalike and Xander, who’s had an interesting summer washing dishes and becoming a stripper and has come back to a basement, bad hair and even worse tanktops, cheers her up with philosophy culled from Star Wars and some from-the-heart compliments (“You’re my hero”). Sans Giles and Willow, Buffy has to do research and computer stuff herself and eventually the gang back her up, but in the end it’s just Buffy crashing through the skylight and fighting for her life, her possessions and her self - as symbolised by the toy umbrella. No-one’s gonna take her slaying power away from her, no-one’s going to break her. “The arm is hurt, not broken,” she tells Sunday as, without her comfort blanket Mr Pointy (or any other weapons), she improvises in order to kill the nest of vampires.



As the gang make their way back to Buffy’s dorm, Buffy opines that college “is turning out a lot like high school. At least I know what to expect”, just as some scary masked militia men behind a bush stun and capture a vampire. Be warned, Buffy fans! It’s not gonna be like high school. This show is moving on up.

Buffy's back! Season 4 begins with this well-written episode. Okay, there wasn't too much action, but it was great to see Buffy feelin' vulnerable. And the dialogues? Joss Whedon style! I didn't even miss Cordelia (my favorite!) and Angel.



Sunday was a great nemesis and I couldn't wait do see Buffy kick her ass. And the whole Gang together in the end? Perfect.



Season 4 has officially began!

The Freshman



This was about the second or third episode i ever saw, and i was hooked.

yit's craze, too bad Cordy and Angel are gone.

but we see the other characters advance more.

Buffy gets weaker but at the end of the episode she gets it all back.

just another awesome episode.



cut at the commentary, Buffy and Willow are choosing Buffy's classes for Collage.

a vampire comes out of his grave from behind them.

He sees them but then the stakes so he takes off.

"Is this guy ever gonna wake up?"

Yet another average, ho-hum, season opener for Buffy....

Season premiers on this show are typically not that great, and this one is no exception.



This is how I rate (on a scale of 10) the episodes of season 4:



btvs season 4

1. the freshman 7

2. lc 8

3. hlod 8

4. fear, itself 8

5. beer bad 4

6. wild at heart 9

7. the initiative 8

8. pangs 8

9. something blue 8

10. hush 10

11. doomed 8

12. a new man 8

13. the i in team 7

14. goodbye iowa 7

15. tyg 9

16. who are you? 9

17. superstar 6

18. wtwta 6

19. new moon rising 9

20. yoko factor 9

21. primeval 8

22. restless 10