When will the first Buffy S4 reviews come out? (1 Viewer)

[Blu]

I have enjoyed this S4 very very much!

It really kind of portrays the awkwardness of after H.S. life, well sort of in a TV sort of way.
But in the context of their lives it shows the problems the characters have adapting to such a life.

I only have 4 episodes left but have loved every episode!
Bring on S5 and Angel S2!!!!!

 

[Jari]

Martyn, the UK version is hardly better in every way. It's in the wrong AR, is missing the Seth Green/Joss Whedon/Marti Noxon commentary and there's PAL speed-up.

But you can easily make the widescreen version 4:3 by masking your tv set with like cardboard or something...

But seriously speaking, countries with PAL broadcast are used to speed-up and don't really notice that anythings wrong with it. I mean I've got both R1 & R2 Twin Peaks sets and I really don't notice the NTSC/PAL difference. Same with The X-Files. I guess you R1-people are more sensitive about the whole NTSC/PAL thing.

Seeing season 4 first time on dvd was one of the best times I've had with the whole dvd-format. I've seen Buffy up to season 5 and Restless is easily the best episode they've made. Although The Body is also quite stunning, but in a different way. It also shows that Joss is more than ready to direct a real big screen film.

BTW, it's a damn shame Babylon 5 R1 sets aren't in 4:3 format like Buffy. I think I like B5 in that way better.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

I guess you R1-people are more sensitive about the whole NTSC/PAL thing.

I think it has to do very much with how sensative to pitch you are. In PAL country you're so used to speedup that the unnatural beats and the pitchups are ignored like street noise.

That is, unless you are sensetive to pitch, in which case you want to claw your ears out.

 

[Mark Zimmer]

I'm about 2/3 of the way through S4 Buffy/S1 Angel. Damn, but this is a great program! Angel is not in its same league, I'm afraid. I would have to say Buffy ranks second only to Twin Peaks in my estimation as to the best television, ever. I'm glad I didn't watch the show before the DVDs came out...I don't know how I would have lasted a week between episodes!!!

 

[Adam Tyner]

Angel is not in its same league, I'm afraid.

Your opinion may change with future seasons. Mine did.

 

[Mark Zimmer]

Well, that's interesting. Does it make a quantum leap in S2 or when? I had pretty much decided not to get future seasons of Angel but I'm willing to be convinced otherwise.

 

[Chris Smith]

I'm almost finished S4/S1 watching them like they're supposed to One Buffy, One Angel. I've had Angel since it was released back in Feb or March, and I'm glad I waited because the crossovers wouldn't have made much sense.

You know what's interesting? My friend, a huge Buffy fan and the one who got me into the DVDs warned me that this season sucked. But I find it quite entertaining. But I think it may be partly because if a certian episode sucks (Bad Beer), you know you can just watch another right after it and you don't remember quite how bad the first sucked. We're not waiting a week or longer between episodes, which doesn't let our emotions boil over how bad an episode was.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Angel S2 is a transitional season, and by the end it shows what the show will be. Angel S3 attaches solid rocket boosters, and S4 kicks into warp drive

 

[Joel C]

People said season 4 of Buffy was bad only because they knew not how horrid season 7 would be.

 

[Ted Todorov]

Well, that's interesting. Does it make a quantum leap in S2 or when? I had pretty much decided not to get future seasons of Angel but I'm willing to be convinced otherwise.

Yes, Angel does improve significantly in S2. I am watching on DVD so I don't know if things change quality wise in S3+.

On the quality issue, I find the R2-PAL Buffy/Angel DVDs glaringly higher quality -- you'd have to be blind not to see the difference. And I am blessed with sufficient tone deafness not to be bothered by PAL speedup in the slightest (although I have serious doubts about how much of the complaints here come from people with absolute pitch, and how many from people who are highly susceptible to suggestion).

The AR issue for Buffy is more serious, but there is no way I am waiting for them to roll out the NTSC sets to find out what happens (I don't have TV, so I'm seeing everything for the first time).

Anyway great shows, and Buffy S5 is loads of fun. Some of the allegories are little heavy handed, but some work really, really well. I'm just about finished with S5/S3, so I'd better order Buffy S6/Angel S3 pronto. Does anyone know when S7/S4 are coming out in R2?

Ted

 

[Ted Todorov]

People said season 4 of Buffy was bad only because they knew not how horrid season 7 would be.

Oh, please say it ain't so... :frowning: I thought S6 was supposed to be the dubious one.

Ted

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Oh, please say it ain't so... I thought S6 was supposed to be the dubious one.

Don't listen to the complainers. They just want everything to be Season 2-3 again with happy plucky Buffy.

 

[Adam Tyner]

I thought S6 was supposed to be the dubious one.

It was, 'till season seven debuted. Season seven starts off, at least in my opinion, very strong -- but seven episodes in or so, it seems like Whedon and company knew what they wanted the series finale to be with only threadbare ideas of how to actually get there. A lot of the episodes sandwiched in between are really repetitive and unfocused, and many viewers disliked the way some of their favorite characteres were ignored or transformed into something barely recognizable. After enduring season seven, I'd gladly take the weaker moments of season six. The cliche is that a bad episode of Buffy is better than anything else on TV, but season seven proved just how bad Buffy could get. I'll buy season seven on DVD for its first few episodes, but I'll only grudgingly sit through the rest.

 

[Adam_ME]

No doubt. Season 7 was the worst year of Buffy by far. Like Adam said, Joss came up with the season premiere and season(or in this case, series) finale and left Satan Noxon and the writing staff in charge of coming up with the 20 episodes in between. Needless to say, the best they could do was reduce the core Scoobies to background characters and turn Buffy into a self-centered, speech-making b-tch. And wait til you see what they do with Giles!

This was made even more unforgivable by the fact that Angel Season 4 was freaking incredible TV. Joss only wrote one episode that year, David Greenwalt bailed to do the now-cancelled "Miracles", and Charisma Carpenter was pregnant, yet there wasn't any sign of turmoil or lack of direction on that show. Every episode had at least something important occur. It was arguably the best overall season of either show since Buffy Season 3 which is widely regarded by fans as Mutant Enemy's finest hour.

 

[Mark Zimmer]

I'm surprised that Buffy season 4 is so poorly regarded. I don't think it's quite as utterly marvelous as season 3 was, but that's a damnably high standard to be measured against. Really, I can't say there's a single episode of S4 I haven't thoroughly enjoyed, including Beer Bad (though it seemed to have had much less Whedon tailoring than the usual episode--the verbal banter wasn't quite as good). I can't say the same for Angel S1 (if it weren't for Charisma Carpenter I would have trouble finishing the set) but I may stick with it under the promise of better things to come.

 

[DeborahK]

I really started watching ANGEL its first season summer re-runs. When I bought the DVD set, I was surprised at how many episodes I had not seen and, I have to say, I enjoyed the h*** out of the first season set. Sure the later seasons are more cohesive, but I thought there were more than just a few really fine episodes in Season 1. And the less stellar efforts are none the less very entertaining.

Deborah

 

[Ted Todorov]

Don't listen to the complainers. They just want everything to be Season 2-3 again with happy plucky Buffy.

Right you are Jeff. I just finished Buffy Season 6, and it is the best one by far. How anyone could complain about S6, which had some of the show's best episodes is beyond me. I am now dying for S7, but it seems to be getting delayed in R2...

Ted