Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 3, Episode 11: Gingerbread
Teleplay by Jane Espenson; Story by Thania St. John & Jane Espenson; Directed by James Whitmore Jr.Well, this one turned out to be better than I remembered. It's one of those "vigilante justice doesn't work" tales, although it's somewhat undercut when you consider what, if not a vigilante, Buffy is. I'm also slightly bothered by drastically out of character manner in which the townspeople, especially Joyce, react. I know they were under the influence of mind control by a powerful demon, but I always consider it something of a disservice to characters if they can be so easily manipulated. (And the ease with which "Hansel" and "Gretel" pull off their stunts makes the First Evil look even more pathetic than it already did.) Also, why were only select characters possessed? Giles, after all, is an adult, but was completely unaffected, while certain schoolkids were also affected, if the treatment of one-shot character Michael is anything to go by.
Still, this was a good solid episode. It really manages to sum up what it feels like to be arguing with someone who's completely blind to logic, while the portrayal of the gung-ho MOO (Mothers Opposed to the Occult) gang is positively frightening in its ferocity. This is also the one time we meet Willow's mother, and what a monumental disaster she turns out to be. I wonder whether they'd come up with the "magic spells = lesbian sex" metaphor yet. If so, the torch-bearing mob hunting out the witches gets a disturbing extra twist.
Oh yeah, interesting that they bring up the "slayers don't kill people" rule that would end up being invoked following Faith's accidental stabbing of the Mayor's assistant in just a few episodes' time.
Overall rating: 8/10.
Next time: Helpless.
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