Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 4, Episode 1: The Freshman
Written and Directed by Joss WhedonIt's all change! Angel has skulked off into the shadows. Cordelia has disappeared without so much as a mention. Willow has short hair. Giles has turned into Hugh Heffner. Oh, and now we're in college... although, for some reason, the corridors of UC Sunnydale look an awful lot like the corridors of Sunnydale High with a brand new paint job. Can't think why that would be!
Anyway, as season premieres go, this is a pretty decent one. It constitutes the biggest shake-up to the series' formula since it first began, so understandably a lot of time is spent establishing the new setup. Right from the bat we see a rehearsal of some of the main themes that will be played out throughout the remaining 21 episodes, namely Giles and Xander's feelings of uselessness, Willow's burgeoning self-confidence (see how she's already started talking and dressing completely differently?), and the gradual fragmentation of the old gang. We're in for some massive changes over the course of the season, so it's somewhat comforting to see that, in spite of all that's already different, some things are still the same - namely, the gang brainstorm and Buffy slays the bad vampires. And this episode's Villain of the Week, Sunday, is such a hoot that I find myself wishing she'd been kept as the Big Bad instead of... well, I won't spoil the later episodes right now.
Overall rating: 8/10.
Next time: Living Conditions.
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