Buffy The Vampire Slayer, "The Freshman" Review (4x01)

Brief Synopsis: “It's a new school year and Buffy is matriculating at UC Sunnydale. Willow is completely in her element in a place of higher learning and Oz already knows half of the campus due to his band playing there. Giles is entertaining a lady friend who is visiting from England, and Xander is away on a cross-country trip. Meanwhile, Buffy feels like a fish out of water. Her classes are harder, she feels lonely, and her roommate is too annoyingly perky for words. But when a fellow student goes missing and Buffy suspects supernatural badness, she begins to think that college life may not be so different after all.”


"Graduation Day Part One & Two" (3x21 & 3x22) quick link here                                               "Living Conditions" (4x02) quick link here

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With that being said, let’s get started, shall we?

We’ve arrived at season four of “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”. I shall now be reviewing these episodes alongside “Angel” season one. It’s very simple: one Buffy episode, one Angel episode, one Buffy episode, one Angel episode. Lather, rinse, repeat. Season four isn’t well liked by the fandom in general, which I feel is unfair. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not as good as the sheer perfection that is seasons two and three, but it still has a lot going for it. I find that the problem with this season is the story arc. The Initiative plot and Adam are both underwhelming when compared with Angelus, The Mayor, Faith, and the stories that the show was able to tell at Sunnydale High. However, the standalone episodes of this season are phenomenal for the most part. “Fear Itself”, “Pangs”, “Something Blue”, “Hush”, “A New Man”, “This Year’s Girl”, “Who Are You?”, and “Restless” all knock it out of the park. That’s almost half the season! I can understand people’s frustrations with season four, but I don’t mind the Initiative plot too much and I really like Riley.

It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new liiiiiife for Buffy, and she’s feeling...alone? That’s not how the song is supposed to go. “The Freshman” deals with the Scoobies adjusting to life outside of high school. Can Buffy handle being the Slayer in a new setting? Can Buffy adjust to college life in general? She has a roommate now who isn’t aware of her extracurricular activities.

The episode opens with Buffy and Willow discussing their looming college lives. Willow seems very excited about the prospect of college, whereas Buffy seems apprehensive. Before they’ve even started college, it’s getting in the way of Buffy’s calling as the Slayer. Buffy, Willow, there’s a vampire rising from a grave behind you...somebody notice the vampire?...he’s going to attack you...he’s going to kill you...he decided you’re not worth the effort...he’s leaving now...shouldn’t you be staking him?...don’t let him get away!...he got away.

Willow: “But here, the energy, the collective intelligence…it’s like this force, this penetrating force, and I can just feel my mind opening up, ya know? And letting this place just thrust into and spurt knowledge into…that sentence ended up in a different place than it started out in.”

It’s so obvious that Joss Whedon personally wrote this episode. His juvenile sense of humour and trademark wit are all over it. It’s probably why this episode has some of the best dialogue that we’ve seen in a long time. The standard of dialogue is usually high, but episodes that Joss personally wrote always have that little extra sass.

It’s so unusual seeing the Scoobies in an education environment that isn’t Sunnydale High. I miss the high school already. Joss Whedon does a fantastic job in this episode of capturing just how daunting and overwhelming starting college can be. College gives the Scoobies the opportunity to be themselves a lot more than high school allowed them to be. They get a choice in the courses they take, they’re considered to be ‘adults’ by the faculty and are treated as such, and they have far more leeway over how they dress and express themselves. The change in Willow is apparent right from the beginning. Gone are the days where Willow was lacking self-esteem and barely spoke to anyone outside of her friendship group. She thrives in college. She happily grabs all the leaflets that are being handed out (and is angry about every issue). Her dress sense has also changed slightly. In season three, Willow’s dress sense changed from the first two seasons, but now that she’s at college it’s vastly different. Her clothes are very bright, very cute, and accurately express Willow’s personality. She would have been too paranoid about being bullied at Sunnydale High to wear some of the items she chooses to wear in this episode. Very soon Willow will dive further into witchcraft and enter a lesbian relationship. I think that the college environment is perfect for Willow. What makes this more perfect is that it’s so realistic. So many people change as soon as they hit college. They have the freedom to express themselves for the first time, so they dive in headfirst. 

When I was 14 years old, I started dating a girl in school. We were a couple for two years before we went to college together (you start college at sixteen in England...or you did 9 years ago when I started college. Nowadays you stay in school until you’re eighteen). By the end of our second week at college, she dumped me. Why? Because she had the opportunity to be someone new. To be someone that she always wanted to be. I didn’t fit into that plan. She left me behind and she left her friends behind to start a new life. It reminds me so much of Willow in this season. Willow doesn’t leave Oz, he leaves her, but the vast change in Willow because she can finally express herself is a treat to watch unfold. Especially when you consider how Willow started the show. In season one, Willow would barely talk to anyone because she was so shy. She’d dress in a way that hid her figure, she was awkward, socially reclusive, and didn’t seem to have any friends outside of Xander and Jesse (later Buffy). In a similar vein, Oz is also in his element at college. Due to his band, “Dingoes Ate My Baby” (best band name ever), playing on the campus so many times, he already knows his way around and seems to know pretty much everyone that attends U.C. Sunnydale.

While college gives Willow the ability to grow as a character and express herself in a more positive manner, it has the exact opposite effect on Buffy in the beginning. Buffy is lost. After settling in at Sunnydale High, she developed a comfort zone. She had a Watcher on campus, a group of close friends around her, a library to hang out and train in, and a home where her mother was aware that she was the Slayer. All of that is gone now. Giles is no longer the librarian, Xander isn’t in Sunnydale at the moment, Willow and Oz are off enjoying the college scene, and Buffy has to share a dormitory with the world’s most annoying roommate (whom I love). Having a roommate is difficult for Buffy in itself as Buffy is an only child. Not only does she have to adjust to a new lifestyle, but she has to adjust to having to share things and hide her weapons again (much more on that during the “Living Conditions” review). The contrast between Willow and Buffy in this episode is apparent. Willow can finally express herself, whereas Buffy has to go back in time a few years. Back to a time where she had to sneak around and keep a large part of her life hidden. I can completely understand Buffy’s sense of loneliness and feeling overwhelmed in this episode. Buffy’s feelings of being overwhelmed are enhanced after she accidentally goes into the wrong class and is very rudely thrown out by the professor, who is an absolute asshole. He deserves to be slayed. He’s the real villain of this episode, not Sunday. Sunday is too sassy to be the villain.

Speaking of Kathy, that dorm room looks massive for student accommodation! Is that a standard American size dorm room? They are about a third of that size in England. Kathy hangs a Celine Dion poster up in the room and I realised in that moment that I will love this character, and that she will probably be dead by mid-season.

Where the hell is Cordelia?! There’s no mention of her in this episode at all! She’s no longer in the opening credits and there’s no explanation as to why. It’s not until episode eight, “Pangs”, that this gets explained, when Willow asks Angel if it’s true that Cordelia is working for him. Those fans that never transitioned to “Angel” must have been very confused...like I was at the time! I was so angry with Angel for leaving Buffy that I refused to watch “Angel” when it first aired. I literally flat-out refused. My sister was watching the pilot episode of “Angel”, “City Of”, and I walked out of the room in disgust. Ten-year-old Shangel was not a very forgiving person it would seem. By the time season two rolled around, enough time had elapsed for me to forgive Angel. I started watching from the season two opener, “Judgment”, and never looked back.

The new library is massive and gorgeous, but it has none of the charm that Giles’ library had. Perhaps it’s because Giles is missing from it, but Sunnydale High’s library felt like home. This just feels like a library. Go away, library! Buffy distracts me from this pouting by dropping a stack of books on Riley’s head. What a wonderful introduction to the show, a concussion. As I mentioned before, I really like Riley. He gets a lot of hate from the fandom. A LOT. To the point that most people wish he was never introduced at all. I don’t understand that. Excluding season five, he’s a nice guy! A little boring perhaps, but he’s a great opportunity for Buffy to explore the normal relationship that she’s always wanted. He’s stable, has an interesting journey this season, and genuinely loves Buffy. Can he be attention-seeking and childish sometimes? Yep. Especially in season five. However, in this season he’s probably the best boyfriend for Buffy that Buffy ever has. This season is Buffy’s only stable relationship season out of all seven. While my first impressions of Riley were very positive, my first impressions of Maggie Walsh were the exact opposite. She seemed interesting, but I found her rude and arrogant. Neither of which are endearing traits. I totally called that she was going to be evil.

Even Joyce seems to have moved on from Buffy very quickly. Buffy’s room is already filled with crates containing various things for Joyce’s gallery. For those of you that don’t watch “Angel”, it was Angel calling Buffy on the Summers’ house phone. You get to see Angel make this call in the first Angel episode, “City Of”, before hanging up without saying a word. Still feeling lonely and lost, Buffy goes to her former-Watcher, Giles, for guidance. Giles spent the first three years of the show teaching Buffy and supporting Buffy as a father-figure, so he seemed like the logical choice to seek advice from. Upon arrival at Giles’ house, Buffy walks in on a half-naked woman. Oh, Ripper, I can see you’ve been having a pleasant time as a gentleman of leisure. Good for you. Olivia refers to Giles as ‘Ripper’, so they clearly go way back. It does raise the point of whether or not Olivia is attracted to Giles because she still thinks he’s a bad boy. If that was the case, she must have been sorely disappointed after arriving in Sunnydale. Although, he is drinking scotch in the middle of the day with a half-naked woman in his house...perhaps ‘Ripper’ is back after all! When did Giles become Spike?

Giles: “I’m not supposed to have a private life?”

Buffy:” No! Because you’re very, very old and it’s gross.”

I adore the way that Sarah delivers that line. She sounds so child-like and innocent. Buffy’s shocked reaction is reflective of exactly how we are feeling upon watching this scene. Giles tells Buffy that he can’t be there for her all the time anymore. She must learn to stand on her own two feet. It sounds harsh, but I see it as a positive thing. Giles is trying to help Buffy become more independent and self-assured. He’s doing it with her best interests at heart. It’s very similar to what he does in season six, when he decides to go back to England after Buffy had been resurrected. The only problem with his approach in this episode is that he says it in quite a heavy-handed, almost mean way. By the end of this episode, he’s learned the error of his ways and comes rushing to Buffy’s aid...a little too late. He looked so guilty as he ran up to Buffy with a weapon in his hand. He also looked oddly excited! Like it was the first adventure he’d had in a long time. I think Giles needs a hobby. Perhaps guitar playing and singing.

Another thing that worked for this episode was the strong ‘monster-of-the-week’, Sunday. Joss’ original plan was to have Sunday be a former Vampire Slayer that had been turned into a vampire. I would have loved for him to stick with that plan! For a character that only appears in one episode, Sunday is a complete badass. She should have been a former Slayer and she should have been the season’s ‘Big Bad’. It would certainly have been more interesting than Adam. I think Joss changed his mind because he just had a very Slayer-heavy season with Buffy and Faith in season three, so decided to go for something different. Sunday and her gang introduce a new type of vampire to “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”. They seem to kill more for the ability to steal stuff than they do for the actual killing...it seems so petty. As soon as Eddie appeared on screen I knew he was going to die. He just screamed ‘vampire fodder’. The actor playing Eddie, Pedro Pascal, is about to play one of my favourite characters from the “A Song Of Ice And Fire” book series, Oberyn Martell, in season four of “Game Of Thrones” (which I will also be reviewing at some point).  I love how easily Sunday defeats Buffy during their first fight. Did Buffy lose so easily because she’s trying to juggle too many things at once? Is it because she’s feeling lonely and confused about college? Is it just that Sunday is as strong as her? I think all of these things play a part. It’s a great change of pace to see Buffy get her ass kicked so badly by someone other than a ‘Big Bad’. This ultimately leads Sunday and her gang to steal Buffy’s possessions from her dorm room.

How damn creepy is that?! It’s so intrusive! It also highlights another one of the differences between college and being back at home. Buffy wouldn’t have had to worry about something like this happening at home because the vampires would need inviting in to steal her stuff. Vampires do still need inviting into her dorm room (as we discover when Willow invites Spike in later in the season), but Buffy isn’t the only person responsible for that. Her roommate, Kathy, can also invite people in, but she has no knowledge of vampires (or so we think at the time).

By this point, Buffy’s had enough. She’s already tired of college. She goes to The Bronze just to feel something familiar. She’s feeling abandoned and completely alone. Enter Xander. I don’t think I’ve ever loved Xander more than I do in this scene. Xander was missing for half an hour of this episode and it already felt like an eternity. I missed him! Xander is Buffy’s biggest fan. He’s her most dependable friend. He’s having a rough time himself in this episode. He’s living in his parents’ basement, his cross-country road trip was a disaster, and he’s unemployed and directionless. Yet, he puts all of that aside to help Buffy. He puts Buffy’s needs above his own. That’s not something that Xander would have been capable of before “The Zeppo”. He knows just what to say to put Buffy back on the right path. This one speech changes Buffy’s entire outlook on whether or not she can handle college and slaying at the same time. Buffy and Xander’s relationship is so lovely and so unique. I sometimes prefer it to Buffy and Willow’s relationship. Scenes like this one really bring home the point that Xander is the heart of the Scoobies (which will be explored in a much more literal sense later in this season). Not only do we get this incredibly heart-warming and lovely speech from Xander, but we also get a very amusing tale about where he’s been all summer. I want a spin-off episode of Xander’s road trip and time at the Fabulous Ladies Nightclub, and I want it now. It would be hilarious.

Xander: “Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to anger…no wait, hold on. Fear leads to hate, hate leads to the dark side. Hold on, no. First you get the women, then you get the money, then you get the…can we forget that?”

It was going so well, Xander.

Xander gives Buffy the confidence to go and find Sunday, kill her, and get her possessions back. I love it when a friend knows someone so well that they know just what to say to help that friend commit murder. How beautiful. The plan was all set, the killing was soon going to commence...and then Buffy falls through the ceiling. Oops. Buffy’s arm is damaged during the fall, leaving one Slayer versus a nest of vampires, including Sunday, who kicked her ass last time. Then, in the bitchiest move known to mankind, Sunday DESTROYS THE ‘CLASS PROTECTOR’ UMBRELLA! THAT IS OFF LIMITS, SUNDAY! Did you not SEE the speech?!...you probably didn’t, but it was beautiful! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you! 

She’s a total heel. Not only that, but the ‘Class Protector’ signifies everything that Sunnydale High meant to Buffy. Buffy has been missing Sunnydale High in this episode, so Sunday destroying the umbrella hurts even more than it normally would. Buffy’s anger flares at the destruction of the umbrella and it leads to one of the most badass, amusing deaths ever...

“No thanks, *she throws a stake at Sunday*, I’m good.”

That moment sums up Buffy Summers’ character perfectly. She’s strong, witty, charming, happy, and capable of doing extraordinary things under insane pressure.

So, all is well that ends well. Until...what is that?! Why are there commandos?! Why are they tasering a vampire?! ARE THEY BUILDING A VAMPIRE ARMY?! ARE THEY STEALING VAMPIRES FOR PERVERSE SEXUAL GAMES?! WHAT IS GOING ON?! This season just got very, very interesting from the first episode. Sadly, the arc doesn’t live up to the interest, but that’s a story for another day. It’s certainly a memorable ending that leaves the audience wanting more.

Some other thoughts on “The Freshman”...

• Riley: “It’s nice to meet you, Buffy.”

   Buffy: “I’m nice to meet.”

Oh, Buffy. Such an excellent introduction to Riley.

• Dav: “Does this sweater make me look fat?”

   Sunday: “No, the fact that you’re fat makes you look fat. That sweater just makes you look…purple.”

I can’t hear the word “purple” without thinking of the Groosalugg calling it “purr-pluh” in “Angel” season three.

• When Buffy sees the Angel lookalike at The Bronze from a distance, it’s actually David Boreanaz until he turns around to face Buffy, then it’s a different actor.

• Xander uses the phrase “Avengers assemble” during this episode. Joss Whedon personally wrote this episode. Who knew just how pivotal the Avengers would be to Joss’ career 13 years down the line.

• Willow: “How can you be so calm?!”

   Oz: “Long, arduous hours of practise.”

• Xander: “Do we hug?”

   Oz: “I think we’re too manly.”

...Who are we kidding there, guys?


Quote Of The Episode

Xander: “Buffy, I’ve gone through some fairly dark times in my life. Faced some terrible things. Among them the kitchen at the Fabulous Ladies Nightclub. Let me tell you something…when it’s dark and I’m all alone, and I’m scared or freaked out, or whatever, I always think ‘what would Buffy do?’ You’re my hero. Okay, sometimes when it’s dark and I’m all alone, I think ‘what is Buffy wearing?’"

Buffy: “Could that be one of those things that you never, ever tell me about?”

Xander: “It’s a deal. Let’s put this bitch in the ground, what do you say?”

Buffy: “I think I say thank you.”

Xander: “And nothing says ‘thank you’ like dollars in the waistband.”

FINAL SCORE: 7/10

What are your thoughts on "The Freshman"? Did you enjoy this episode? Dislike it? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments section below!

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