Buffy The Vampire Slayer

(S01E04) After watching this episode again, I sort of wish I’d waited to mention my thoughts on Xander’s infatuation with Buffy, since there was a lot of that here. We also start to see how much Xander starts out getting in the way most of the time, with Buffy pushing him aside without much thought. We see all of that come to a head in season three’s ’The Zeppo’.

This was one of those episodes that marks why season one was one of the weaker seasons of the seven; a rather unexciting story, one that really doesn’t fit with most of the rest of the series. What was Miss French anyway? A demon? A shape-shifter that happened to very closely resemble a praying mantis? Definitely an odd story here.

The scenes with Xander in the cage were probably the best of the episode, but I felt like there were some prime lines missed there. Once again I find myself turning to Giles for the humor who, as a commenter mentioned in a previous review, seems to be the source of the good lines this season.

Besides Giles, it seems anytime Buffy gets a teacher on her side, that means bad things for the teacher. The science teacher in this episode, Miss Calendar next season, and then there was a guidance counselor next season, I believe. School really sucks for this chick.

Main points of interest in this episode:
 First time Xander and Willow see Angel.
 First real sign that something romantic is going on between Buffy and Angel.
 We learn Xander’s middle name is LaVelle.

Quote of the episode: Giles: "I had a chum at Oxford Carlisle with advanced degrees in Entomology and Mythology." Buffy: "Entoma-who?" Giles: "Bugs and Fairy Tales."