Almost 30 years after its premiere, Buffy the Vampire Slayerstill has one of the most devoted fanbases in TV history, though every fan can agree that the series had some low points. Though Buffy‘s opening scene immediately hooks the viewer, season 1 as a whole is considered subpar, as is the seventh and final season.
But just like Buffy‘s steady stream of scary monsters, romance remains a constant throughout the series. Some couples, like Xander and Cordelia, are universally reviled by fans, while the Angel vs. Spike as Buffy’s soulmate debate still rages on. It’s also an uncomfortable truth that most of Buffy’s relationships are toxic, and that is something we’re hoping the much-anticipated reboot can fix.
While Sarah Michelle Gellar is the only original Buffy actor officially confirmed for the reboot, every fan has their wishlist of who they want to see return. We also have things about the beloved ’90s show that we want to see improved on, or else avoided entirely, and the pitfalls of season 4 definitely fall in that category. But if the reboot takes one thing from the unpopular Buffy season, let it be the show’s best romance.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 4 Is Considered The Show’s Worst
The first three Buffy the Vampire Slayer seasons saw the Scooby Gang attend Sunnydale High, and the show leaned heavily into its “high school as hell” metaphor, which worked incredibly well, for the most part. Season 4 was a big changeup for the show, with Buffy, Willow, and Oz now attending UC Sunnydale, with most of the season’s action taking place on or around the college campus.
Buffy attempted a “college as hell” pivot for several storylines, with supernatural crises tied to scenarios like roommate drama, excessive drinking, and casual sexual encounters. But while high school is a fairly universal experience, not everyone goes to college and thus couldn’t necessarily relate to these storylines. Plus, Xander and Giles, the only Scoobies who weren’t undergrads, were often shunted off to the side.
Then there was Adam, season 4’s big bad. Hardly one of Buffy‘s very best villains, Adam was a Frankstein’s monster-type creation by the Initiative. Whereas previous big bads like Angelus and the Mayor had personal connections to the Scoobies and charmingly sadistic personalities, Adam’s motivation and personality were beyond bland.
To cap it all off, Buffy season 4 saw the introduction of Riley Finn, by far the most boring of Buffy’s boyfriends. Of course, the season did have some highlights, like the iconic fan-favorite episode “Hush,” but the Scoobies’ transition to college was definitely rough.
Willow & Tara Start Dating In Buffy Season 4
The Gentlemen notwithstanding, the best part of Buffy season 4, hands down, is the introduction of Tara and her slow-burn romance with Willow. Up until this point, there were a couple of Willow-centric episodes here and there, but she gets an entire seasonal arc with the show’s fourth installment — one where she gets to be a romantic heroine.
Buffy season 4 aired between 1999-2000, when the world was a very different time, and LGBTQ+ teen couples were very rarely shown on television — particularly when one half of them was a central character — so the show is pioneering for that alone. But besides being the show’s first queer romance, Willow and Tara were easily its best.
Firstly, Willow doesn’t just “turn gay” as a reaction to her breakup with Oz. It takes her a long time to get through it and process her pain, and it’s not until she has that she realizes her feelings for Tara. It’s also easy to see why Willow is so attracted to Tara as a person.
Tara may be a very shy person, but she possesses the highest emotional intelligence of anyone on the show. When she first met “Buffy” (who was actually Faith in Buffy’s body), she knew Willow’s best friend wasn’t herself based on how Willow had talked about her. Tara is also an incredibly skilled witch, but she never abuses her power, which helps balance Willow out — for a time, anyway.
Willow and Tara’s love is also so spectacular because it’s marked by joy, whereas so many other LGBTQ+ romances depicted in the media at the time were shrouded in misery and hardship. They perform spells together and take care of Miss Kitty Fantastico, and it makes you wish that they were the main characters of season 4. Let’s face it, they are so much more interesting than the Initiative.
Not Even Oz Can Come Between Buffy’s Best Romance
Before Tara arrived on the scene, the best Buffy romance would have been between Willow and Oz. It was Oz loving Willow for exactly who she is that helped give her the confidence to come out of her shell, and he made it clear he would do anything for her. That’s why it was so heartbreaking when they broke up in season 4 — arguably even more than Buffy killing Angel.
When Oz comes back into town in season 4, episode 19, “New Moon Rising,” he’s looking to get back together with Willow. There’s a big part of her that wants that as well — almost anyone would want to reunite with their first love, especially after they’ve done lots of work on themselves and return looking to win your heart back.
Early season 4 Willow definitely would have jumped at the chance, but she is now completely changed. Willow loves Tara so much that she’s honest with her feelings, and the situation sees her come out to Buffy in an incredibly sweet moment. Yes, we have to deal with Riley and Adam and co., but them aside, “New Moon Rising” is a truly underrated Buffy episode.
This just makes Willow and Tara’s ending all the more tragic, after the latter is shot to death by Warren in season 6. These two deserved better than the “bury your gays” trope, and so did the audience. But on the bright side, we’ll always have their sweet moments in Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 4.
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