10 Worst Buffy The Vampire Slayer Episodes
4. Goodbye Iowa (Season 4, Episode 14)
'Beer Bad’ isn’t the worst episode in Season 4, though. Due to the lack of humour and the dull plot, ‘Goodbye Iowa’ is the lowest point of Buffy’s fourth season.
The central issue with Season 4 is the overarching storyline and it’s the only season with a subpar Big Bad. There’s just nothing interesting about Adam – he looks freaky, he’s deadly, but there’s not much substance. And given his flat line delivery, his dialogue isn’t memorable, either.
‘Goodbye Iowa’ spends a lot of time with this lacklustre villain. In fact, the entire episode is centred around the Initiative, which means it’s essentially an amalgamation of all the worst aspects of Season 4. There’s too much Riley, too much Adam, and too much of the Initiative.
Spike’s dialogue – as ever – provides some entertainment, but it’s not enough to save the episode on its own. Luckily, the following two-part story gets the season back on track thanks to the return of Faith.