Gone are the certainties and immaturities of high school -... the Scoobies' first year on their own puts them through the ringer and tests all of their relationships. The humor that debuted in force in season three is extended to a larger degree in season four. For example, one episode tracks Buffy's growing hatred of her roommate; another turns her into a cave girl (after drinking beer); and the season finale is not a battle royal like in other seasons, it is completely dedicated to dreams -... the first slayer attempts to kill everyone in them -... and everyone also dreams about "The Cheese Man."

Season four is very experimental. In fact, one successful venture was the silent episode "Hush." A group of demons steal the town's voices so they can cut out seven hearts without hearing the victim's screams (as human screams are fatal to them). This was the only episode of Buffy to be nominated for an Emmy, and features one of the most chill-inducing villains, the Gentlemen.

This season is also the birth of The Initiative. With technology advancing at such an astonishing rate and the government keeping an eye on goings-on, it's no shock that Buffy addressed the government's involvement with demons. The project began around World War II and recently took a turn toward capture and behavior modification. Troops pulled from Army special ops train in demonology, capture and study of the "Hostile Sub-Terrestrials" (or "HST"s). Old nemisis Spike reappears to lend comedic relief and was implanted with a modification chip making him harmless to humans.

One last example of experimentation comes in the form of Willow's relationship with fellow witch, Tara. This was a shocking and groundbreaking move for television, and Buffy supporters were wildly enthusiastic about the pairing. This season is love it or hate it. I think the experiments are successful, and the character development is top-notch.