1.4 Teacher's Pet

Plot Synopsis (Hide)

The episode begins with a scene where Xander saves a strangely vulnerable Buffy from a vampire, before leaping on the stage to perform a guitar solo. He is calm, manly and self-assured, and Buffy is clearly besotted with him. Of course, we soon realise this is just a dream he is having after nodding off in science class! After the lesson is over, the teacher, Dr. Gregory, takes Buffy aside, but rather than the reprimand she is expecting, he tells her that she has a first-class mind, and could accomplish a lot if she would only do "the homework thing". After she leaves, Dr. Gregory is attacked from behind by some unseen creature.

In the Bronze that evening, Buffy meets up with Angel, who warns her about a dangerous new vampire in the neighbourhood. Several parallel slashes on Angel's arm were caused by this demon, whom Buffy christens "Fork Guy".

The next day a substitute teacher, Miss French, arrives to take over the classes of the missing Dr. Gregory, and she has a rather striking effect on all the male students. Her first lesson is on the mating habits of the preying mantis, an insect she obviously finds more attractive than the students do - or at least the girls. After the lesson, when Miss French asks for volunteers to help her after school, every boy in the room puts up his hand.

The body of Dr. Gregory is later found in the cafeteria, minus the head, and Buffy is distraught at the death of the only teacher who has so far given her any credit for academic ability. The gang at first assume that "Fork Guy" is behind the murder, so that evening Buffy goes on the hunt. She catches up with the demon in the local park, just as he approaches Miss French who is walking past on her way home. From behind the fence, Buffy watches the encounter in amazement, as the vampire flees from Miss French in terror. Further evidence that the teacher is not all she seems comes when Buffy sees her twist her head through 180 degrees. Finally doing her "homework" for Dr. Gregory, Buffy comes up with the idea that Miss French must really be some kind of insect, a suggestion initially viewed with some skepticism by Willow and Giles, until Willow discovers that Blayne, a student who helped Miss French after class the day before, has been reported missing.

Buffy tries to warn Xander that Miss French may be dangerous ("Technically, a big bug"), but he accuses her of being jealous that a grown woman finds him attractive, and disregards her advice. As planned, he goes to help Miss French after class, but she tells him she has left some of the things they need at home, and suggests he join her there in the evening instead. When he arrives, she opens the door wearing a sexy black dress, and hands him a martini, which he gulps down nervously. After some intimate conversation, the drink, and whatever else it contains, takes effect and Xander loses consciousness. When he wakes, he is down in the basement, in a cage next to Blayne, and Miss French, no longer in disguise, appears to be building a nest.

After Giles contacts an old friend for advice, he realises that Miss French must be what is known as a She-Mantis, a shape-shifting insect which takes the form of a beautiful woman to lure innocent virgin males to their deaths. While Buffy is (for some reason!) surprised by the knowledge that Xander must be a virgin, Willow is far more concerned about the fact that he is about to die! Looking up Miss French in the school substitute register, they find her address and hurry there, only to discover the real Miss French - a retired teacher whose name has obviously been used to good effect by the monster.

Short of ideas on how to find Xander, Buffy takes a detour to capture the Fork-Guy vampire, assuming that his fear of the She-Mantis will enable him to sniff out her location. This inspired thinking leads them to the correct address, and they arrive just as the Mantis is about to mate with Xander, removing his head into the bargain. Breaking in through the basement window, Buffy does the necessary "slice and dice".

Highlights

• Dr. Gregory's quiet encouragement of Buffy. He is able to see past her official record, and recognises her potential in a way it seems other teachers have not been able, or not cared enough, to do.
• The reaction of the whole gang to the death of Dr. Gregory. It is handled with a poignant simplicity and sympathy, from Buffy's visible grief, her refusal of a glass of water although she absent-mindedly takes it and sips, to Giles's "He was a civilised man. I liked him".

Unusual Weaponry

While lying on the ground, Buffy pulls a panel from a nearby picket fence to dispatch the "Fork Guy" vampire.

Buffy uses a combination of recorded bat sonar, bug spray and a machete to kill the She-Mantis.

Pop Culture References

Buffy: No, I'm not saying she craned her neck. We are talking full-on Exorcist twist"
Reference to once-banned movie "The Exorcist" in which the character Regan twists her head all the way round

When Buffy wonders why Blayne isn't in school, Willow responds with "Inquiring minds want to know".
This is the slogan of an American tabloid newspaper, The National Enquirer.

What We Learn

• Willow's surname is Rosenberg and Xander's middle name is Lavelle.
• Xander is a virgin.

Nitpicks

• Angel has a chain round his neck, and when he takes off his jacket to give to Buffy, you can briefly see the outline of what is attched to the chain, through his t-shirt - it appears to be a crucifix!
• Miss French suggests the class make some model egg sacs for the science fair, obviously just as an excuse to be alone with some of the boys. It seems kind of a childish occupation though - this is meant to be high-school, not second grade!