Teacher's Pet (Buffy episode)
|
|
| "Teacher's Pet" (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) | |
|---|---|
| Season 1, Episode 4 | |
| Air Date (US): | March 25 1997 |
| Production No.: | 4V04 |
| Written by: | David Greenwalt |
| Directed by: | Bruce Seth Green |
| Guest Star(s): | David Boreanaz (Angel) Ken Lerner (Principal Flutie) |
| Previous: The Harvest | Next: Never Kill a Boy on the First Date |
"Teacher's Pet" is an episode of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer that centers on Xander.
| Contents |
Plot Outline
Episode 4 of season 1, "Teacher's Pet" starts with Xander saving Buffy in the Bronze just in time to get on the stage, play his solo, and "kiss her like she has never been kissed before" — in a daydream, rudely interrupted by the real Buffy in science class. The only teacher who believes in Buffy, Dr. Gregory, is killed by a monster. The substitute teacher, Natalie French, turns every boy's head, and seems to have a thing about insects, especially the praying mantis. Buffy and Willow just roll their eyes.
Angel shows up at the Bronze, warns Buffy that somebody wants to rip her throat out, gives her his jacket, and vanishes again.
Cordelia finds the headless body of Dr. Gregory in the cafeteria locker. The Scoobies try to figure out if there is a connection to the Master, but don't rule out that there is a second monster about. Buffy goes into the park and confronts a vampire who has a hook instead of a hand. The fight is interrupted by the police, and the vampire flees. While in pursuit, she sees the vampire come up behind Miss French, who just stares at him. To Buffy's surprise the vampire bolts in panic.
The next day, Buffy is sent to a counselor to help her get over seeing the dead body. This makes her late for the surprise test that Miss French gives the class — a test where she helps Xander with a question. Buffy looks through the window in the door, and Miss French turns her head 180 degrees to look at her. Later, Miss French asks Xander over to her house in the evening to work on a project.
Back in the library, Buffy figures that Miss French must be a praying mantis, and convinces the others. Buffy tries to warn Xander, but he brushes her off, saying that she is just jealous.
Miss French welcomes Xander with a drink, a fire in the fireplace, and a tight dress. The drink knocks him out just when she turns into an insect. Xander wakes up in a cage next to another student who tells him how she mates — deadly. Willow calls Xander's mother and finds out that he isn't home. Buffy gets Giles to record bat noises, while Miss French chooses Xander to be her next victim. When the remaining Scoobies visit the house where Miss French is supposed to live, they find a nice old woman who is has that name, but retired in 1972. To quickly find Xander, Buffy grabs the one-handed vampire, who is so scared of the she-mantis that he knows just which house is the right one. Buffy breaks through the window when the mantis is about to mate with Xander. She slays the insect, using the bat noises to weaken it.
Buffy, in Angel's jacket, later meets him at the Bronze. He tells her to keep it, and Buffy is obviously smitten. The last scene shows Buffy putting Dr. Gregory's glasses in his closet, but not noticing that there are she-mantis eggs attached to the bottom of a shelf.
Importance
Xander shows us more of his character, the way the other students make fun of him, and how desperately he wants to score. Willow and Xander get their first look at Angel, and Xander is instantly jealous. Their relationship will remain strained at best throughout the whole series. Buffy and Willow's friendship deepen.
Buffy finally seems to realize that she is falling in love with the mysterious Angel.
Writing and Acting
It is Buffy who solves a number of problems in this episode, such as what Miss French really is and how to fight her. As the series progresses, more and more this will be taken care of by the other Scoobies, until by season 7, we have Willow characterizing Buffy half-humorously as "a nice girl, but not too bright."
What could have been a humorous remark about Xander's lack of sexual experience by Willow at the end of the episode is turned into a heavy-handed message about how great teenage virginity is. At various times during the first half of the series, the writers make room to advance conservative American values, culminating in "Beer Bad".
Quotes and Trivia
"God, every day here is the same" — Giles missing his British rain
"You have a first rate mind and you can think on your feet." — Dr. Gregory hinting at something that won't be proven until Buffy's SATs
"Be still my heart" — Buffy says this when she finds out that hot dogs are the school food of the day. This is a popular saying in Sunnydale: Seasons later in "Family", Riley will pick this up in a non-ironic way.
"I don't think it's bad. I think it's really sweet" — Willow pushing the moral a bit too hard
"Let's roll" — Buffy says this to the Scoobies as they set off to rescue Xander
Buffy will keep wearing Angel's jacket for quite a while.
Cast
- Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris
- Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers
- Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg
- Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles
- Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia Chase
- David Boreanaz as Angel
Other Languages
German title: "Gottesanbeterin" ("Praying Mantis")
Music
The group Superfine plays "Already Met You" at the Bronze, one of the songs on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Album.
External links
- BBC episode guide to "Teacher's Pet" (http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/buffy/indetail/teacherspet/index.shtml)