Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Season Four

Season Four
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Season Premiere	October 5, 1999
Season Finale	May 23, 2000
Episode Count	22
Notable Episodes	4x06 - Wild at Heart 4x10 - Hush 4x22 - Restless
Previous Season Three	Next Season Five

Season Four of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was the first season of the show to be produced without the high school setting. The show also received a budget increase, and is also the first season of the show to have substantially better aesthetic than the ones that preceded it.

In the season three finale, several integral characters of the show, including Angel, Cordelia, and Wesley relocated to the spinoff, Angel. This prompted the show to introduce new characters, including Riley and Tara. In addition, Spike and Anya return and reprise their roles. Because of the new spinoff, we see many crossover episodes in this season, several of which impact both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel in a big way.

This season acts as the pivotal point of the series. Without high school to keep them together, the Scooby Gang has no other choice but to drift off into their own separate lives. As a result, many of the main characters are forced into a state of limbo where their character remains stagnant for much of the middle half of the season in favor of other characters who are over-emphasized. This was a sharp criticism of the season that is eventually corrected in the last few episodes leading to the breakthrough season finale, "Restless".

The villains play a backseat this seat to the main characters, although not intentionally. The original Big Bad of the season, Maggie Walsh saw a quick departure when Lindsay Crouse broke her contract. This prompted a new, less inferior Big Bad to be created hastily, through Adam. Since Adam appears very late into the season, the Big Bad is an afterthought to many viewers of the fourth season.

The theme that is explored throughout this whole season is relationship, whether it be a relationship with your friends, the person you love, or the company that you work for.

Episodes

#	#	Title			Airdate			Prod.
57	1	The Freshman			October 5, 1999			4ABB01
58	2	Living Conditions			October 12, 1999			4ABB02
59	3	The Harsh Light of Day			October 19, 1999			4ABB03
60	4	Fear, Itself			October 26, 1999			4ABB04
61	5	Beer Bad			November 2, 1999			4ABB05
62	6	Wild at Heart			November 9, 1999			4ABB06
63	7	The Initiative			November 16, 1999			4ABB07
64	8	Pangs Story concluded on Angel.			November 23, 1999			4ABB08
65	9	Something Blue			November 30, 1999			4ABB09
66	10	Hush			December 14, 1999			4ABB10
67	11	Doomed			January 18, 2000			4ABB11
68	12	A New Man			January 25, 2000			4ABB12
69	13	The I in Team			February 8, 2000			4ABB13
70	14	Goodbye, Iowa			February 15, 2000			4ABB14
71	15	This Year's Girl (1)			February 22, 2000			4ABB15
72	16	Who Are You? (2)			February 29, 2000			4ABB16
73	17	Superstar			April 4, 2000			4ABB17
74	18	Where the Wild Things Are			April 29, 2000			4ABB18
75	19	New Moon Rising			May 2, 2000			4ABB19
76	20	The Yoko Factor (1)			May 9, 2000			4ABB20
77	21	Primeval (2)			May 16, 2000			4ABB21
78	22	Restless			May 23, 2000			4ABB22