30 Days of Buffy and Feminism Day 10

Day 10: Least Favorite Season

There is very little contest here.  This is actually one of the easiest prompts I've done so far.

Season 4
 Honorable mention goes to Season 7, which was by far my least favorite during my first watch of the show but which grew on me during the rewatch.

Herein lies my list of reasons for disliking this season

1.  It's a major letdown.  The high school seasons are by far my favorites--I would still take season 1 over season 5, for the most part--and this following the epicness of season 3 was just disappointing.  It's disjointed, it falls away from aspects of the show I really enjoyed, and even the interpersonal drama that existed previously seems more boring here.  Thinking about watching "The Freshmen" after the blaze of glory that is "Graduation Day Part 2" just always sets off a sad trombone noise in my head.
2.  I hate Buffy's romantic relationships in this season.  Look, we've all met and been involved with a Parker.  I get it.  It's that introduction-to-college type thing.  But too much damn time was spent on it and it always seemed after-school-special-y to me.  And Riley...oh boy.  There's not much controversy to disliking Riley, as I think most Buffy fans do.  But man did he just...deflate everything.
3.  Most disappointing Big Bad of the whole series.  The Initiative had potential.  Maggie Walsh as a villain had potential but her arc got cut off before we could really learn about her motivations or backstory.  She was just kind of there.  And Adam was just lame.  He didn't seem insurmountable at all, he was a boring character and he was thrown in in the latter half of the season and poorly handled. 
4.  It was a low point for all of the romantic relationships in the Scooby Gang.  Xander and Anya have not truly developed into anything yet, Buffy and Riley get together and she becomes more boring for it, and the devastation that was the end of Willow and Oz...ugh.  Plus we don't quite get to see any of the truly adorable Willow/Tara-ness until season 5.  Giles had Olivia, but that was underused, if you ask me.
5.  Riley.  Riley seems like he would be a Republican, doesn't he?  I think maybe that's part of why I dislike him so much.  I mean, from a Midwestern state, devoted to the military, believes very much in traditional gender roles...has a thoroughly punchable face...
6.  I don't like "Restless".  Sorry.  Just don't.
7.  It just seems to lack the heart that the show had previously for me.  And I feel like the series regained its footing in season 5 for the most part but I just wasn't feeling it here, for the most part.

There are good things about season 4.  There are GREAT episodes, like "Something Blue" and "Hush" and "Fear Itself".  And I think that the tone of the show fit the way a freshman year at college feels--lost and scary and transitional.  It's just that I didn't really like that feeling when I WAS a freshman in college and don't really enjoy revisiting it.  I also think this show missed an opportunity to have a truly interesting first female Big Bad in losing Maggie Walsh.  Up until now, all of the season-long bad guys were male.  Fortunately we don't have to wait too long for Glory to show up in the next season, but we'll talk about that soon enough.

Okay, that's all I have to say about that.  Later today I will try to post my Least Favorite Romance thoughts.  I promise they aren't as predictable as you think.