Buffy’s off to college! And that’s all right, seeing as how the high school was totally destroyed last season.  (And apparently hasn’t been rebuilt?  Are all the teenagers in town being home-schooled now?)   It was a nice touch for the show to hit the ground running in a season premiere, and not deal with Buffy still getting over the events of the previous year, as had happened the past two seasons. Still, I have to say that there have been some weaker episodes so far in season four, though they have been balanced out with some truly great moments.

Buffy has a tough time adjusting to college, until she realizes that things are still pretty similar to her life in high school.  Except of course, now she has an annoying roommate who happens to be a demon.  I was a little surprised that Buffy and Willow didn’t go into college rooming together, but they soon came to the conclusion that such an arrangement made the most sense.  I was also disappointed that Xander and Giles seemed to be left behind, but I have to say that it keeps the show slightly more realistic than if Xander suddenly “miraculously” was accepted to college, or if Giles conveniently took a job as the University’s new librarian.  And speaking of realism, Buffy was given a classic real-life lesson in love and sex by way of sleazeball Parker.  Honestly, who didn’t see him working his charms from a mile away?  Well Buffy, and every other cute freshman girl on campus, apparently.

It was nice to see Spike and Anya return to Sunnydale, as they are both fun characters to watch.  The episode with Angel seemed to be a pretty desperate crossover bid to get people interested in his new show, and I picked up on a Buffy line where she said that she saw Angel in LA, so I’m guessing she made a cameo on his show around the same time.  Alright, Joss, I’ll forgive you - a man has to market sometimes, too, right?

But there were also some downright silly concepts, like a haunted frat party, and beer that reverts those that drink it into Geico spokesmen.  I mean come on, didn’t we leave these kinds of ideas behind after the Inca Mummy girl?  Although seeing Buffy as a cavegirl did have its funnier moments, and the reveal that the haunted house demon was only two inches tall was a pretty great way to end the episode.

The way The Initiative was slowly revealed over several episodes was brilliant, and the whole idea of a lab analyzing and studying vampires and demons makes perfect sense, especially in a campus setting. I’m really curious about where they are going with this arc.  It’s hard to imagine Buffy working with these guys, but they have done some good work in pacifying Spike and following baddies around, so maybe it does make sense.  Of course the fact that the operation is led by Buffy’s professor would make for some fun extra credit assignments.  And now that she’s gotten all smoochy with Riley, what could be more romantic than dinner, a movie, and tagging and bagging some creatures of the night?

The Oz-centric “Wild at Heart” was a fantastic hour, and it was a great way to explore more of his character and his relationship with Willow, even though it had a heartbreaking end.  My hunch is that we’ll see Oz again, but I have to admit I was surprised to not see his name in the opening credits the following show.

And while I’m talking about stand-out episodes, I have to mention “Hush.”  I mean, wow.  Take a show known for its amazing dialogue, then have all of its characters be unable to speak.   Not only is that ballsy, it also worked unbelievably well.  The theme of how people communicate with and without words was unlike anything I’ve seen on television before, and I was really impressed.  My only complaint was that The Gentlemen’s heads all exploded at the end, and I was hoping to see more of them.  With their picture being on the DVD box, I was thinking they were going to be the season’s running villain.  Oh well.

So despite a few missteps, the series keep chugging right along, making me laugh, occasionally making me jump (like when the demons pounced on Giles in his apartment in “Doomed”), and making me want to keep watching. I was expecting the Council to come back into the fold, but now I’m less convinced that’s a necessity.  I have a funny feeling we’ll be seeing more of the witch Tara, and I predict that if/when Oz does come back, he will be a changed man.  And despite the promise of the Initiative, I have to think that keeping so many bad guys in such a small space is bound to backfire.  But I’ll find out soon enough!