1.9 The Puppet Show

Plot Synopsis (Hide)

Giles has been reluctantly drafted into running the school talent show, to the mocking delight of Buffy, Xander and Willow - until the new principal, Mr Snyder, insists on their taking part. Performances at the rehearsal are almost universally bad, including Cordelia's off-key rendition of "The Greatest Love", but things begin to improve when Morgan steps up for his ventriloquist act. It starts rather unpromisingly, but part way through it suddenly clicks, and the dummy, Sid, almost seems to have a life of it's own.

After rehearsal, one of the dancers is attacked, and her body is later found in the locker room, with the heart removed. Giles suggests one of the talent show competitors may be the culprit, so the gang set off to interview everyone. One name keeps cropping up - Morgan the ventriloquist, who has been acting strangely recently, rubbing his head, moaning and even apparently arguing with his dummy.

Buffy breaks into Morgan's locker, watched surreptitiously from behind a door. The locker is empty, but we hear a demonic voice whispering that she must be the one they're after. When Buffy goes to bed that night, we see Sid outside her window, and she is later attacked. Although she suspects it was Sid, the others are somewhat sceptical. Giles has been searching his books, and has found reference to a cult of seven demons who take the form of young humans, but need a new heart and brain every seven years, to enable then to maintain their humanity.

Sid is confiscated by a teacher after Morgan apparently speaks through him to answer questions, and Xander manages to sneak the dummy away before Morgan goes to collect him. Buffy takes the opportunity to try and speak to Morgan alone, while Giles and Willow disappear among the books to continue the research. Xander is left alone with Sid and, despite his earlier assertions that the dummy is completely inanimate, keeps glancing nervously in his direction while he reads. Eventually he goes to get another book, and when he returns, he is startled to find that Sid has gone.

Buffy searches for Morgan backstage, but finds only his body - the demon now has a brain! She is attacked by Sid, but eventually realises that he is on the same hunt, and had actually assumed that she was the demon. Sid reveals that he has been cursed, but that if he kills all seven demons, the curse will be lifted and he will be free. Only one demon remains - but who is it?

The gang are sure the demon must have been one of the talent show performers, but that now he has both a heart and a brain, he will have moved on. However, when Giles gathers everyone together before the show, no-one seems to be missing. Sid also seems to have vanished, and when Buffy looks for him backstage, all she finds is Morgan's discarded brain.

It looks like Sid may have deceived them all, and that he still requires an intelligent human brain to survive. Realising Giles would be the logical choice, they rush for the talent show. Marc the magician has persuaded Giles to help him with his magic act, strapping him into a guillotine with the blade positioned above his scalp. We see Marc's demon form begin to show through as he starts to cut the rope. Buffy rushes in and tackles him, but the rope parts, and Xander is just able to dive forward and grab it in time. While Willow works to free Giles, Buffy struggles with the demon and Sid soon arrives to help her. She finally manages to throw the demon on to the guillotine, and yells to Xander to let go the rope. The blade falls and slices off the demon's head.

Sid explains that the demon can only be killed by a blow to the heart. Rejecting Buffy's offer of help, he stabs downwards with his knife, and slumps, lifeless, on top of the demon's body. As Buffy tenderly lifts him into her arms, the curtains open and a puzzled audience tries to make sense of the scene presented to them.

Pop Culture References

Xander: "Redrum! Redruuum!"
Reference to the film "The Shining" based on the novel by Stephen King. The word is "murder" spelled backwards, and is understood by one of the characters when she sees it in a mirror.

Xander: Does anybody else feel like they've been Keyser Soze'd?
Calling to mind the classic misdirection used in the film "The Usual Suspects", where the mafia-like "Keyser Soze" is continually blamed, but it is not until the end of the film that we learn who the name refers to.

What We Learn

• Willow is petrified of performing in public
• Cordelia can't sing for toffee!