Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Teacher's Pet

Season 1, Episode 4, Aired 3/24/97

Episode Summary

Xander, and most of the male population of Sunnydale High, are falling all over themselves trying to impress the new substitute Biology teacher, Ms. French. When Buffy sees this femme fatale scare off a particularly nasty vampire, however, she begins to suspect that Xander may be in serious trouble.moreless

7.7

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Cast & Crew

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Sarah Michelle Gellar

Buffy Anne Summers
Nicholas Brendon

Alexander 'Xander' Harris
Alyson Hannigan

Willow Rosenberg

Fan Episode Reviews (48)

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Teacher's Pet

6.0

"Fair"

By joxerlives, Dec 30, 2011 Report Abuse

Teacher's Pet

The good;
Sex raises it's ugly head in the Buffyverse and it's all the better for it. A lovely little bit between Buffy and her teacher (who is also in The Witch) and although a minor character you feel the loss for both Buffy and Giles (we know Buffy is a bright girl when she applies herself and here it's made clear that she's not just some blonde airhead). Angel's back although compared to what Buffy faces later this vamp is small change, he seems to talk it up rather unnecessarily, maybe it's just an excuse to see Buffy again. Some lovely humour around Xander and his teenage lust, especially love his Bronze fantasy.

The bad;
Really the She-Mantis itself, when you compare it to some of the monsters from the later seasons it really does look awful. This ep is really a filler ep, very much 'monster of the week', it's fun but if Buffy had kept up this sort of ep it would never have become the great series it is

Best line; Xander (looking at Miss French's cleavage) "It's a beautiful chest...I mean dress"

Questions and observations; Giles shows interest in a woman for the first time, if he hadn't I must say I thought he might be gay? Flutie takes everyone to see the counsellor, is that the same one Buffy goes to see in 'Beauty and the Beast'? In 'Doomed' Willow says she's always the one to find the bodies but actually it seems more often to be Cordy. The Sunnydale Police are also hunting the claw handed vamp, the last time they do anything useful in the history of the series. Maybe that vamp was an enemy of the Mayor's? This story is an interesting reversal of fictional norms, how often do you see the heroine racing to save the boys from losing their virginity to the villain and not the other way around? What happens the eggs? Presumably Buffy and co deal?

3/5 I think but that may be a little generous
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Didn't think it met the Buffy standard.

6.0

"Fair"

By Phunner1416, Mar 31, 2011 Report Abuse

This episode wasn't as good as most Buffy episodes, but it was still pretty good ofan episode, it probably seems bad in comparison. But this is the first time that you see the running gag of Xander attracting Demonic women. I did enjoy the part at the end where the guy who made fun of Xander for being a Virgin turned out to be one himself, which is pretty good Karma. I also liked the idea of a Wolverine Vampire and I wish that they could have extended on that a little. But, as I have said, it just doesn't meat the Buffy The Vampire Slayer standardsmoreless

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1 0
A science teacher who showed belief in Buffy is found dead and with his head missing! Xander, and most of the other male students, quickly fall in love with the attractive replacement who harbours a skin-crawling secret. Clunky but not terrible...moreless

8.0

"Great"

By Jay-Spacedust, Feb 17, 2011 Report Abuse

"Teacher's Pet" generally ranks amongst fans' lesser favourite episodes of 'Buffy', certainly of the earlier seasons. Indeed, at time of writing, it holds the lowest score of the first season episodes (with a still reasonable 7.7). It certainly is far from 'BTVS's finest hour, and arguably this the second regular episode after the Pilot is the one where the show was finding its feet. But even so, I still find this a fairly reasonable episode it itself.

It's a real shame that Mr. Gregory, the one teacher in Sunnydale High that seems to believe in Buffy, is bumped off (well... has his head eaten!). For a one-off bit character, I felt he was brought to life well, and I really felt Buffy's loss over him.

It's nice to get an episode that focuses on Xander. Even though here at the start of the series he is presented as a bit of a doofus (and he is indeed quite a nerd at points in this episode), he's the kinda character I always wished I was (ahem)!
We also get the return of Angel, after he wasn't present in the previous episode, "Witch". As I covered in my review for "Welcome to the Hellmouth", I'll dare to say again that he was never particularly a favourite of mine; but here, in his "mysterious" earlier stages, I find him a bit more bearable.

Although I've defended this episode a little, I'll be the first to admit that the writing isn't as sharp in this one, with far less (if any) of the show's trademark sharp one-liners and pop references. However, there are still a few nice scenes, such as Cordelia with the psychiatrist (after discovering Dr. Gregory's headless corpse), and I love Giles's unseen British friend who wear hear has been sent to a mental asylum; It's a shame they didn't use this friend more, as I think he would have made an amusing, unseen recurring character.

The general handling of the plot also feels a little clunkier than usual. And then there's the giant bug her-itself. It doesn't really do the episode any favours. Affordable and semi-believable CGI was only just becoming available on a TV show budget when this episode was made, but even so the bug costume does look a little goofy. But at the same time its kinda part of the fun with this episode. Our expectations would be raised as the show progressed, but for an early episode where us, the audience, were still discovering the show, I can't say giant-she-mantis severely ruined this one for me in any way.

Then there are the eggs under the shelf in the science room at the end. Some have commented that they have felt cheated by this, as there was never a "sequel" where these baby mantises hatched. Again, I didn't really have a major problem with this I took it as a nod to the many "creature" films of the 1950s and early '60s, where there would often be a teaser show at the end to suggest that the creature had survived or left offspring behind, even if a sequel was never to be produced. That said, it might've been fun to see Buffy fighting baby mantis-monsters in a later episode.

This is by no means a 'Buffy' great, but it is not my least favourite episode either. Watching it for the first time on BBC Two in the late 1990s, I actually quite enjoyed it. Yes, it would quickly be far surpassed by better stories, but in my opinion it's nowhere near as out-and-out terrible as some suggest. (It isn't even my least-favourite episode of season one I might change my mind as I re-watch them on DVD, but I seem to recall I was much less fond of "The Pack" shown a couple of episodes time). I give "Teacher's Pet" a not outstanding but reasonable 8/10.moreless

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Weak plot, poor characterization. Overall a poor example of one of my favourite shows.

4.5

"Poor"

By TineRua, Feb 12, 2011 Report Abuse

The characters were all so stock in this episode. Buffy was all rebellious Slayer girl. Willow was in love with Xander, computer hacker chick. Giles was disapproving, stuffy, library book guy completely uncomfortable outside of the library's walls. Xander could not have been more horny teenaged boy if he tried. And Cordelia was completely the cliche cheerleader, trying to lose weight even though she's already perfect, only serving to make those who aren't perfect feel even worse about themselves, and making no indication that she cares about anything else, even the dead guy in the cafeteria. There was no depth to anything any of the characters did. It was just boring.
Fork-guy was a more interesting villan than the She-Mantis, yet he was taken out with a white picket fence and the She-Mantis was the real focus. Fork-guy got the jump on Angel! Okay, true, Angel wasn't exactly the Angel from every other season, or from the spinoff he earned, in season one, but one still has to assume that he had at least the most basic vampire fighting skills, what with him being two hundred plus years old, the Scourge of Europe and all.
The thing that annoyed me most, though, was that in the last scene all those eggs are just lying there. They had to have hatched, probably before the season finale if any kind of linear timeline is to be believed, and yet there was never even a hint of Buffy, or anyone else, for that matter, fighting the new crop of She-Mantis'. She-Manti? Whatever. Those things are just out there. Mating, killing, making more giant bug things. Obviously they intended to at least have some kind of callback later, otherwise they wouldn't have bothered to show the egg sac so clearly in the final scene. Yet nothing ever came of it.moreless

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0 4
Buffy meets Dr Who

3.0

"Bad"

By Thestorysofar, Feb 06, 2011 Report Abuse

This episode was really odd.

Ok so I get the are trying to show other bad guys other than vampires but episode 4 or season 1 and they come up with a teacher that turns in to a praying mantis? And all the guys fall for her charms and get taken back to the teachers place were she drugs them and puts them in cage in her basement were she turns into a praying mantis and then then mates with them (not sure how) and then makes eggs and eats their heads.

kind of weird some how Buffy and gang figure out their teacher is an insect and they find the house and then chop her up into little peices. well at least Buffy was in it and the teacher was kind of hot until she turned into an insect.

The praying mantis kind of looked like a really bad Dr Who episode with out the cool retro old school BBC low budget sets.moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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Trivia
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- We learn in this episode that Xander is still a virgin. Edit
- This is the only time Xander's middle name, LaVelle, is mentioned. Edit
- When Ms. French is making her bug sandwich, she dumps the bugs onto the bread and a few scamper onto the plate. But when she picks up the sandwich to eat, there are no bugs on the plate. Edit
Notes
ADD NOTES
- Featured Music: Already Met You by Super Fine - At the Bronze when Xander is snubbed Stoner Love by Super Fine - At the Bronze at the end of the episode Edit
- Angel gives Buffy his leather jacket in this episode, which she wears often through at least the next two seasons. Edit
- This episode begins Xander's unconscious and continuing attraction to women who are either evil or demonic. Edit
Quotes
ADD QUOTES
- Natalie: The praying mantis is a fascinating creature. Forced to live alone. Who can tell me why? Buffy? Buffy: Well, the words "bug ugly" kinda spring to mind. Edit
- Xander: You two are probably a little young to understand what an older woman would see in a younger man. Buffy: Oh, I understand. Xander: Good! Buffy: The younger man is too dumb to wonder why an older woman can't find someone her own age, and too desperate to care about the surgical improvements! Edit
- Buffy: Do you know Miss French, the teacher that's subbing for Dr. Gregory? Giles: (smiles) Yes. Yes, she's lovely. In a common, extremely well proportioned way. Edit
Allusions
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- Xander: I'm exempting shwarma, of course. I mean, what's that all about? It's a big meat hive. Shwarma is a meat dish of Middle Eastern origin, made with beef, chicken, or lamb, and sometimes served in a pita (variations may depend on region or personal taste). Edit
- Xander: Oh this is fun. We're on Monster Island. "Monster Island" was the name of an island in the South Pacific which was home to Godzilla and a number of other gigantic beasts in several Tokyo produced monster movies. Monster Island is also the name of a Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel crossover novel. Edit
- Buffy: No, I'm not saying she craned her neck, we are talking full-on Exorcist twist. Buffy compares the teacher's ability to rotate her head around completely on her neck to the famous scene in the classic 1973 horror movie The Exorcist, where the possessed girl (played by Linda Blair) turns her head around a full 360 degrees. Edit