WWBD? part 2

Season 1 Episodes 3 and 4 - Witch  and  Teacher's Pet

The Witch... Buffy wants something familiar and normal, and decides to try out for the cheerleading squad. Soon, she discovers that all the competition are suffering from strange accidents. Like one girl who's mouth closes over, and Cordelia's sudden blindness, and another girl bursting into flames. Buffy herself falls victim becoming drained of energy. The gang learns that Amy, one of the cheerleading hopefuls, is hexing everyone. But Amy isn't who they think she is.  Her mother has switched bodies with her, and is really the one behind it all.

This ends up being Giles's first moment.  We start to get some background on where his knowledge really lies as he is the one who unmasks the witch, and saves Buffy's life in order for her to stop Amy's mom.
This also is the introduction to the character of Amy, who ends up having a recurring role in the lives of the gang down the series. (topics of peer pressure, greed and addiction seem to be part of Amy's arch)
The main topic of this episode is jealousy.  Amy's mom had been the school star when she was younger, and wants to be again.  She uses her magick to pull a body switch with her own daughter, and does whatever she has to in order to become the head cheerleader and live her life over again.
This episode is also about regrets. The character feels she wasted her life being a wife and mother and uses that as an excuse for her evil behavouir.

In this episode, the script introduces pieces of real folklore and mythology, setting a foundation for the rest of the series as far as magick and rituals go.


Teacher's Pet... The science teacher goes missing, and the new replacement seems to have a crush on Xander. A few of the other boys in the class start to brag about their sexual histories, making Xander feel he needs to be able to keep up. This leaves them all at the mercy of the new teacher who is not what she first appears.  Meanwhile, Buffy is given another cryptic message from Angel, informing her about a vicious vampire with a claw for a hand. When Buffy goes hunting, she spots the vampire as he appears scared of the new teacher, and runs underground. This clues Buffy in, that the new teacher is some sort of monster. Buffy, Willow and Giles do some research and discover that the new teacher is a She-Mantis; a creature of folklore that preys on and devours virgin men.

The opening scene is actually a fantasy Xander is having while in class. Dreaming about being the hero, saving Buffy from a vampire and then becoming a rock star, wooing everyone else in the room. Pretty typical. And also a foreshadowing for Xander in the rest of the series. Always on the edge but never really getting there.
This episode is Xander's introduction in the sense that it sets up a running joke that Xander is like catnip for female monsters. The fantasy segment also hints at the role he does end up playing more then once in the rest of the series, as he does save Buffy down the line.

The themes here are how things aren't always as they first seem, and the pressure put on modern males. Not every guy needs to be an uber stud. And those who  sometimes claim to be, are not worth your time.