Lovely post and of course our heroes had left the old familiar labyrinth of the high school and were now trying to find their way in a bigger labyrinth. Xander on his trip across the USA didn't get far, and he remained stuck in the basement. Season 4 was all about the characters finding their own footing in a new world and about keeping up the ties (another kind of thread....) with their friends. - We saw communication breakdown, as exemplified by Hush (and less artistically, but more explicit in The I in Team), but in the end they got together and ventured into the Initiative labyrinth - climbing down together - aided by ropes - to defeat the monster that was waiting for them there. Interestingly, in season 7 they return to the high school - it's different now of course, but still a labyrinth with Spike wandering around the basement - and at first he seems to be in the role of the resident monster, but no there are bigger and badder things there.
From the BC&S:
Season 4 was all about the characters finding their own footing in a new world and about keeping up the ties (another kind of thread....) with their friends. - We saw communication breakdown, as exemplified by Hush (and less artistically, but more explicit in The I in Team), but in the end they got together and ventured into the Initiative labyrinth - climbing down together - aided by ropes - to defeat the monster that was waiting for them there.
Interestingly, in season 7 they return to the high school - it's different now of course, but still a labyrinth with Spike wandering around the basement - and at first he seems to be in the role of the resident monster, but no there are bigger and badder things there.