Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 4, Episode 7: The Initiative
Written by Douglas Petrie; Directed by James A. ContnerThis is a really solid episode that finally kicks the main plot into gear and has some wonderful character development, but is marred by some moments of extreme cheese. Unfortunately, the cheesy bits are almost entirely related to the season's "Big Bad", the Initiative. I've probably mentioned before that science and Buffy don't mix, and this is the perfect proof of it. The Alien-like stronghold beneath the college campus, and the "sir yes sir" army boys that inhabit it, feel like something out of a completely different show.
On a related subject, I suppose I should say a thing or two about Riley. Nice guy, but as boring as a plank of wood. As the only "normal" long-term significant other Buffy has during the course of the show, he's interesting by virtue of the fact that he wants so very hard to be the traditional man in the relationship and protect the little woman, but Buffy, as we all know, is herself a protector, not a protectee. This is another example of a reasonably happy, settled relationship getting boring fast, and it's almost enough to make me wonder if Joss Whedon's "pain is gain" mantra has some truth in it. But then I think of Xander/Anya, and Willow/Tara, each of whom remained relatively settled for a good two years without becoming boring, and I think that, ultimately, the problem with Riley is that he's just a bit of a chump.
Oh yeah, lots of funny, funny stuff in this episode: Xander and Giles going on a reconnaissance mission, Xander's "fight" with Harmony, Spike trying and failing to bite Willow ("It's me, isn't it? Maybe you're just nervous - we could try again in half an hour"). This episode really sums up the season for me: great character development, highly flawed Big Bad.
Overall rating: 8/10.
Next time: Pangs.
PS. I think I'm going to give up watching Angel all the way through and just pick out the Buffy crossover episodes. It's just becoming a chore to follow each Buffy episode with an unrelated one on Angel, and I'm watching and reviewing these things for fun, not because I feel obliged to. By my reckoning, there are three Angel episodes this season that I need to watch: I Will Remember You (1.08), Five by Five (1.18) and Sanctuary (1.19). Maybe I'll go back to the other episodes at a later date... or maybe not.
2 Comments:
I never really got into Angel.
I watched the second part of the first season (mostly because of Faith) and the whole second Season, because of the Darla-Storyline that was really engaging.
But thats it, I wasn't attached to the characters as much as I was with Buffy.
Should I give it another try?
By Kamyar, at 14:52
I'm not sure. Season 2 is probably the best, so you're not really missing much, although I seem to remember the first half of Season 5 being pretty enjoyable too. Watching the beginning of Season 1, I certainly don't think it's bad, but there's just not much to conpel me to keep making my way throughout. Perhaps it improves once the main story arc begins to develop, but I'm not really sure I can be bothered persevering to find out.
By Whiggles, at 15:55
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