Buffy the Vampire Slayer

The Good;
Prof Walsh gets her just desserts, Riley and Buffy are finally a couple, some nice comedy, Willow especially looks like a troll doll with the ionisation spell. Anya and Spike becoming more and more Scoobyish. Love the Buffy in the briefing scene.

The Bad;
Weak demons and the first appearance of Adam, worst big bad ever.

Best line;
Buffy; Don't worry, I've patrolled in this halter top many times

Character death; Byebye Prof Walsh you psycho!

Shot; Buffy uses the blaster but it doesn't work

Women good/men bad;
No, female villain, Walsh the mother gone bad

Jeez!;
Quite a shock when she gets stuck, still!

Kinky dinky;
Anya notes that she and Xander have 'enjoyed spanking'. Buffy intends to punish Riley for having a twinkie for lunch. Willow is upset that she's not being spanked too which puts her remarks about her and Oz playing 'mistress of pain' into a new context. For Buffy and Riley fighting seems to be akin to foreplay, maybe Buffy is more like Faith than she likes to admit? (see 'Get It Done)' Meanwhile Prof Walsh plays the voyeur, spying on her boys in their bedrooms. At least Buffy doesn't wake to find her lover gone as she did on the 2 previous occasions.

Calling Captain Subtext;
Willow's yellow t-shirt has the word 'fairy' on it. Check out Forrest's jealous attitude about Buffy and Riley, you'd almost think there was something a little 'don't ask, don't tell' between them. Spike remarks that Giles is womanly. Giles wonders if there is a higher purpose in Spike's neutering which indeed there turns out to be.

Where's Dawn?
Does Buffy get her and Joyce out of town if she belives the Initiative might be hunting for them?

Apocalypses; 5,

Questions and observations;
Buffy asks if the Initiative have jetpacks? Well, the Nerds will have them by season 6. Didn't Buffy have a pager in 'Never kill a boy on a first date'? (What exactly was her excuse for that? You'd assume she was either a doctor, a drug dealer or prostitute, she certainly doesn't look like the former 2).Xander's fruit bars introduce Anya to capitalism. Poor Will feels a little left out but at least now has Tara to go to. Buffy is keener on the Initiative than the others but it not only means she gets to see more of Riley but that she might live a lot longer and not be dead by 25 like all the other slayers? Why does Graham hit Spike with a tracker rather than a tranquiliser? Buffy kills two more demons, demons that it took 8 armed to the teeth commandos to subdue. The tracker scene has a very Aliens/Predator2 feel to it.
Marks out of 10; 7/10

The I In Team was such an intense episode yet light and character driven. This episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer combined so many different elements and this is one of my favorites of the season and series. Buffy has been hanging out more with Riley and his crew while Willow is feeling like she is losing Buffy, though she has a new secret friend in Tara. It was interesting to see a change in Buffy's character as she is caught up with the commandos. It was really an awesome intense scene when they were fighting the Polgara, and flashing to them making love. The music really made the scene too. It was also interesting to see the plot twists as Maggie prepares to stop Buffy's questioning ways for good. This episode showed many sides and aspects to the different characters, and was very entertaining! There was lots of action, passion, and drama!!!!!

After Riley mentions Buffy to his superiors, she is invited to join The Initiative. However, after they witness her independent attitude, they decide she may not be right for a position in the Initiative.



I really liked this episode. It felt different than a regular Buffy The Vampire Slayer episode, but in a good way. I liked that Buffy joined the Initiative. Plus, we finally find out about what's in Room 314. I liked when Maggie send Buffy on the mission so she would die and she survived. I liked that she told Riley she died and then she appeared on the television screen. Great episode, and I liked the ending where Adam wakes up and kills Maggie. :)

This episode does just enough to earn it an 8. I still feel bad for Willow, because she is obviously still reeling over Oz. She is starting to feel like an outsider in the group because she is all alone, and everyone else are in relationships. She has met Tara in a previous episode, but their relationship hasn't really taken off as of yet.



There is a lot of great material for Buffy in this episode as well. One of the great lines is "Don't worry, I've patrolled in this halter top many times". In fact, the whole scene with her at the meeting when the commandos are getting ready to patrol is funny.



I was kinda glad the way things happened at the end, because I dislike Maggie. But then were stuck with Adam the rest of the season, and I don't really like him either.

Sarah Michelle gives one of her notably better performances in this episode, playing the adorable girlfriend, cutsey new cadet, and confused outsider all in one, here in The I in Team. I defy anyone not to get a kick out of seeing Buffy wrap her head around the way The Initiative do business. So different in styles! Most effective of all is the way she turns on a dime at the end of the ep, kicking into awesome Slayer mode after being set up by Professor Walsh.



The only reason I'm not scoring this episode higher is that I'm still not the biggest Riley fan (He's so dorky, and I can never believe he'd be able to lead some elite commandos) and here he finally does the deed with buffy, who could so do better.



Also I was dissapointed that prof Walsh was killed- sure it was an awesome surprise and she was a heffer, but She would have made a better villain this season than the super lame, Adam.

The I In Team is an episode I can't figure out why I like so much but I just do. I find The Initiative very entertaining, the Willow/Tara scenes great and I, for some unexplainable reason, found the Buffy/Riley scenes to be very good. Weird, as I usually find them shockingly dull!



The Initiative arc is pushed into high gear and really gets started. I find this arc starts off well but falters a lot in later episode, and is why this season gets such a bad rap. The Initiative aren't a great idea but the rest of the season is of great quality IMO and is nowhere near bad.



Maggie Walsh reveals her psychotic streak here and just as she looks to get really interesting, Adam sticks his arm through her heart. I think it would have worked better if she had remained as Adam is a hugely disappointing villain; no charisma and just very wooden. A shame, as he could have been good. I enjoyed seeing Maggie unleash her dark side and thought her ploy to have Buffy killed both clever and stupid. It was a good plan, no doubt, but seriously does she expect two demons to be able to kill Buffy? Silly woman. Her death is shocking and quite gory but I wasn't really caring much.



The Buffy/Riley sex sequence was done very well, in between shots of them fighting demons. All credit goes to the score here as the music is very good; I don't know what it is but I find it to be a great piece. It definitely makes the scene more interesting.



I really loved the Willow/Tara scenes here. I thought they were, for lack of a better word, very sweet. I'm very drawn to Tara as I can't help but love her and I was so happy when Willow did come by her room to hang out. I felt bad for her when Willow said she couldn't go the first time but that smile she gives just makes up for it. Such a great moment.



The I In Team is an excellent episode; well written, acted and important. It's not perfect but is definitely very entertaining.

The "I" in Team-When Riley tells his superiors about Buffy, they invite her to join the Initiative. It soon becomes apparent, however, that her independent attitude and need to question orders may not be what the Initiative is looking for.



A very good episode that sets up the remainder of the season very well as we get to the core of the Initiative as well as introducing the big bad of the season. It was obvious that when Buffy and Riley hooked up that their relationship would lead to Buffy getting to explore the Initiative and it works great in this episode. Buffy becoming the Initiative's newest secret agent. It makes for some cool scenes with Buffy being tracked then fighting against the Initiative soldiers and having them back her up as they patrol. But the little rift it cause within the main group is played out well, especially by Alyson Hannigan. It's nice to see Willow and Tara's relationship developing so smoothly as you can see a bit of attraction already.



Professor Walsh makes for an impressive villain this episode and Lindsay Crouse gives a fine performance showing Walsh's dark transistion. It's obvious that Walsh is protecting something dangerous within the Initiative and her willing to kill Buffy just to protect that secret is a shocking development. I loved after the fact that Buffy survives Maggie's trap, she makes a declaration to show her exactly what a slayer is. I just loved Riley's cold hearted expression as he walked away and Professor Walsh calling his name. The sub-plot with Spike being tracked by the Initiative soldiers was too priceless with Willow causing everyone's hair to go all "Don King" and Xander flushing the tracer. The episode ends with a great twist as just when Maggie is about to end her speech about killing Buffy, she's stabbed and killed by her creation, Adam. All and All, a great episode that with great revelations and pretty shocking developments.

This episode is pivotal for the rest of the season. Buffy joins Riley and the rest of his gang including Professor Walsh. This causes friction with Buffy's old friends - especially Willow. There are some good scenes with Buffy/Willow showing the strain that Riley is placing on their friendship. But Buffy is asking too many questions and Professor Walsh decides to eliminate her. This leads to a scene where Buffy appears to be killed by demons - and Walsh explaining to Riley about her death. Fantastic directing leads to a great scene where Riley sees Buffy alive on the tv monitor and Buffy threatens to get even with Walsh. If this isn't enough of an episode ending, Walsh is talking to a seeming unconscious patched-up demon (Adam) about ensuring Buffy's elimination - and she is killed by the demon! Another incredible scene that lifts the whole episode to another level and sets up the remaining stories for the season.

The episode begins with Xander, Anya, and Willow musing about the Initiative and how it might not be a good thing for Buffy to be a part of them. Buffy is missing from the gang because she is out working and fighting with the Initiative. The next day, Willow reminds Buffy they are to meet at the Bronze to all hang out, but when Buffy gets the grand tour of the Initiative, along with being given a pager, Buffy brings along Riley and some of the guys. Not long after arriving, though, they leave as their pagers beep. Buffy asks too many questions at the monster briefing, which seems to perturb Walsh much. Two scenes are interlaced then; one where Riley and Buffy face the creature and a jump to their sex scene afterward. Walsh monitors this in the base and begins to despise Buffy. She decides it might be best to dispose of her. Sending Riley after a now tagged Hostile-17 (Spike), she sends Buffy alone under false pretenses. Buffy ends up facing two very tough demons that she had seen contained in the Initiative. The rest of the Scoobies are able to remove the tracker from Spike before Riley and his guys could get to Giles place. Upon returning, Walsh tells Riley that Buffy is dead. However, Buffy shows up on the communication monitor to threaten Walsh because she knows it was a set-up. Riley, seeing the truth, stoically walks away as Walsh calls after him. Buffy joins the Scoobies and Spile to tell them that it isn't safe for any of them. The episode ends after Walsh makes a monologue about how she can still fix things, but she is killed by a newly awakened Adam, the experiment housed in room 314.



This was a good episode. The humor with Spike, as well as with Buffy and the Initiative, were spot on. Filming of the fight/sex scene between Riley and Buffy was also very well done. We also begin to see the relationship between Willow and Tara begin to take form. Finally, I am glad to see Walsh go, because she was a very deceptive and deceitful person.

Season 4 has two themes – magicks vs science and the importance of moving on. This episode demonstrates both ideas through Buffy's involvement with the Initiative. Willow is not doing much moving on and is feeling miffed once again. Although happy to hang out with Xander, she hasn’t yet accepted Anya in his life and having to teach an ex-vengeance demon about capitalism through poker (or eat Xander’s new McJob health bars) isn’t her idea of fun. So it’s no wonder she is upset with Buffy, who hasn’t got enough time for her and the rest of the Slayerettes, a feeling compounded by her not inviting her new friend, Tara, out with gang. Willow doesn’t yet see Tara as important; she is merely a back-up for when Willow’s plans fall through. Despite Willow’s prayer to the goddess to “bring me the heart I desire”, Tara is still a “hypothetical someone”. Buffy is playing with her new pals; beating up boys and patrolling with non-medieval weaponry. Out of the Scooby gang, it’s only she who is not suspicious of the Initiative, which is ironic since she’s the one at most harm from them. Her natural curiosity and trust in her instinct does not fit in well with the Initiative. And Buffy is a natural challenger of authority - those in it need to earn her respect; witness her early response to Giles and then to Snyder, the Mayor and the Watchers’ council. Basically, you can’t tell her what to do. At first, she is extremely impressed with Initiative’s set-up, the weapons and being part of a team who can fight almost as well as her. Her entry into the underground lair is given a sexual metaphor – “You don’t have to do this,” says Riley. “I’m ready” replies Buffy, and Willow points out that Buffy may be “rushing things”. Add Riley’s rod during the fight with the demon who can spontaneously shoot out his spike and you’ve got a big slo-mo sexual thang going on. I guess Buffy was lying to Faith when she said that slaying didn’t make her horny. Ironically, it’s the sex between the two that starts the destruction of the Initiative. Yup, bad things always happen after Buffy has sex. (It’s interesting that we don’t see what happened to Willow post-Bronze on the night that neither Willow nor Buffy sleep in their own beds).



Meanwhile, the two themes of S4 interlink as it is the Scoobies who trounce the might of the Initiative simply by flushing Spike’s tracer down the toilet. A combination of the old gang and the new (Spike, Anya and Tara (there in spirit as Willow holds her crystal whilst casting the spell)) defeat the commandoes. The Scoobies are consolidating whilst moving forward. They are happy to put the commandoes off of Spike’s scent – working with the old enemy against a new foe. This act shows how much better the gang are than the Initiative – the commandoes only see: humans good/demons bad, but Spike, Anya and the actions of Prof Walsh show us the grey sides. Riley says his motive is to protect the public, he sees things as simply right or wrong and he needs Buffy to instigate his autonomous thinking. In the past, both Willow and Buffy looked up to their boyfriends, now they’re in the position to be the inspiration, the teacher. In showing the good guys to be wrong-headed, the series not only questions this particular “monster military squad”, but the hierarchical unquestioning nature of armies in general. The Initiative don’t really have that much initiative. But as Willow says, irony is ironic that way.



As well as Buffy's free-thinking personality, it’s her influence over Prof. Walsh’s son-substitute that riles Maggie. Even faithful Finn is infected with inquisitiveness as he peers into Room 314. Walsh uses Buffy’s impetuosity, something she sees as negative, to convince Riley that Buffy is dead. But under-estimating Buffy comes at a cost. Her defeat of the two demons is reminiscent of Helpless, when she fought a vampire whilst debilitated. Here, without weapons or a means of escape, she uses cunning and resourcefulness whilst Walsh sips tea and watches her “die”. In the wonderful scene when Buffy appears on the TV screen behind Walsh, the Slayer not only tells Riley the truth, but lets Maggie know what’s what: “If you think that's enough to kill me, you really don't know what a Slayer is. Trust me when I say you're gonna find out." One slayer > an army full of demon-slayers.



Something that is further proved in the coda. The Initiative is not only ill-advised - it is dangerous and out of control. In our first glimpse of FrankenAdam, who unfortunately and tediously takes over the rest of the season, we see that Buffy and Riley may have lost their innocence but Walsh has lost both her “sons” – and her life.

The real beginning of the Adam storyline begins here, setting him up as the big bad. Buffy has always seemed to lament that she's out there alone (as the Slayer, despite her friends) fighting for her life night after night. Now she has the chance to be backed up by real military. In addition she gets to work with her boyfriend, so she's excited about the Slayage for a change.



The Scoobies aren't so sure, however. Willow is feeling left out again and Buffy is drifting away from her old friends to hang out with her boyfriend's. What they are really worried about, though, is that they know so little about what the Initiative is trying to do. What is the reasoning behind their conditioning chips?



When Buffy starts asking questions and encouraging Riley to want to know more too, she's targeted for termination by Maggie Walsh. The episode is decently plotted and the introduction of Adam is well done at the end, but there's something missing. Some sense of danger or excitement or genuine menace to our characters.



Only three scenes stand out: a) the revelation that Maggie had Riley's room camera'd and has been watching him and Buffy have sex; b) Buffy's statement to Walsh upon the failed assassination attempt and c) Maggie's unexpected exit.

This episode is an important one for the season arcs as it draws the battlelines between the Slayer and the Initiative. In a more general way it shows that some people are just not suited to certain ways, especially if they're used to working on their own, or with their own methods.



It seems strange that Professor Walsh would send only two demons to take down Buffy in the sewers despite knowing about the myths behind the Slayer and I'm assuming gotten a good idea of her abilities during the training exercises.



Walsh's oversight seems unlikely, she may as well just let Buffy leave the initiative and make her sign some official secrets act.



The sub plot, Spike being on the run also was entertaining, especially when everyones hair stood on end.



An entertaining and plot important episode.

‘The I In Team’ is a brilliant episode with loads of funny stuff and it continues this season’s story arc, it takes off from the past two episodes that weren’t a big success.



The episode begins with Willow playing poker with Xander and Anya, she isn’t enjoying herself and she misses Buffy a lot.

Meanwhile Buffy is being tested by the initiative and she’s very strong, but soon as she begins to ask a lot of questions she brings out a suspicion to Maggie as a threat.



Buffy is also taken to the initiative for the first time and when she promised Willow to go to a party she comes late and brings friends with her, but soon she gets peeped away and she and Riley capture a demon and then they have sex which was a very good scene, the creepy factor was that Maggie was watching them doing it,.



When Riley begins to question stuff because of Buffy, Maggie and Dr. Engelmen realise that Buffy is an unnecessary risk they will have to put out. Maggie sends her to a mission to capture two demons she let loose with a gun that doesn’t work.



Meanwhile Spike is being hunted because he was shot by a tracker and now he begs for help, I can’t stand his character during this season let alone this episode. But away, they flush away the chip and when Riley gets back to the initiative Maggie tells him that Buffy died, Without knowing that Buffy is still alive and appears in some monitor screens where she said that I she wants a war she will give her one.



‘The I In Team’ succeeded to capture everything this show is good at but still felt like missing something. The best thing about it was the twist at the end where Adam, something Maggie was creating behind room ‘314’ awakens and kills her.

I always thought Season 4 to be an odd, possibly off, season for Buffy. Maybe it's the addition of Riley, who really is eye candy but boring as a tooth to watch. But this episode had meat in it, something lacking ever since the acclaimed "Hush" episode a few weeks back. Buffy is welcomed into joining the Initiative as Prof. Maggie Walsh tries to learn what exactly a Slayer is. Meanwhile Willow is feeling neglected by all the time Buffy is spending with Riley & the Initiative. Her new friend Tara helps to fill the void a bit, but she is still sullen from Oz and needs her best friend to help her through. Buffy, for the third time so far, has sex. This time it's with Riley and finally it does not end in her boyfriend turning evil and wanting to kill the world nor does it end in a one-sided one-night stand. Nope, Riley is the real deal and Buffy likes that. Neither of them realize that Maggie Walsh has a spy-cam on Riley's bedroom and watches them as they have sex. So she does what any motherly slash Freudian individual would do, she sets Buffy up to die. Only Buffy doesn't die, and Riley finds out about what Maggie tried to do. In the end Maggie Walsh got her Karma, as she is killed by her new 'son' Adam. Yeah for killing of Maggie Walsh.