Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Witch

Season 1, Episode 3, Aired 3/17/97

Episode Summary

It's time for cheerleader tryouts, and Buffy can't resist! However, when the girls start getting knocked out of the competition by spontaneous combustion, sudden blindness, and other freak accidents, Buffy and the gang begin to suspect that someone may be behind these not so normal occurrences. Could someone be using dark magicks in order to make the squad?moreless

8.4

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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 (61)

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Witch

6.0

"Fair"

By joxerlives, Dec 28, 2011 Report Abuse

The Witch

The good;
Amy for the first time, yay! And even now she's still appearing in season 8. I always thought if Will died she'd have been a good replacement. Buffy looks sensational in her cheerleading gear, a shame we'll never see her in it again (and we won't see the costume again until Dawn digs it out in season 7). Willow gets more hands on with the axe and we have our first case of Wicca although it's a very dark variety. The African fertility statue gag is the first sign of the saucy humour Buffy and Angel will become famous for. Lovely scenes between Buffy and Joyce both at breakfast and in closing. I gotta say, I didn't see the twist at all.

The bad;
What happens to the poor girl whose mouth sealed up? Presumably all the aspects of Amy's mum's magic stop once she is defeated.

Best lines;
Willow; That girl's on fire!
Cordy; Enough with the hyperbole

Giles; Why would anyone want to hurt Cordelia?
Willow; Maybe they met her?

My favourite though;
Xander; I laugh in the face of danger. Then I hide until it goes away

Observations and questions; Presumably Amy mom dies properly when the school blows up and passes to the afterlife. Willow is already beginning to dress less nerdy. We see Giles' car for the first time, the Citreon whilst a design classic seems a weird choice for him, a classic Jag maybe more his style. Xander's Buffy obsession continues to grow. No Angel, you sometimes forget he's not in all the eps of season 1. At exactly what point do Amy and her mum swap bodies? Cordy hasn't passed her driving test yet but that changes by the end of the season
3/5
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Buffy tries out Sunnydale High's cheerleading squad. It's a highly competitive try out, but when another competitor spontaneously combusts, and other eerie occurrences follow, Buffy and co. suspect a witch is at work. An excellent first regular episode...moreless

10

"Perfect"

By Jay-Spacedust, Feb 06, 2011 Report Abuse

This review contains spoilers.

When 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' first aired on BBC Two here in the U.K. in 1999, I really enjoyed the Pilot ('Welcome to the Hellmouth' / 'The Harvest'), but was slightly weary that it would be one of those cases of a great Pilot that soon gets watered down and nosedives for the subsequent series. I needn't have worried as 'Witch' perfectly demonstrates, 'Buffy' would always have plenty of engaging stories and lots of creative concepts to engross us.

I know some don't like this one, and it was most definitely superseded as the series progressed, but for me, as a first regular hour-long instalment after the Pilot, it does superbly.

As with the Pilot, Buffy herself here is likeable and funny (something that, I'll dare to say, I didn't find to be the case in some later episodes). Willow and Xander too are again very funny, adding just the right amount of humour to the proceedings.
The script is sharp, with just the right balance of drama, comedy, mystery and mild horror, and is littered with the show's trademark pop culture references (I love "She's our Sabrina"), coming over as very amusing, not trying too hard to be cute or "cool" as was the case in late seasons.

This episode also serves to show that particularly in this first season it's not just vampires that Buffy will be battling, but a much wider array of supernatural beings. There are no vampires at all in this one which I don't mind, as it gives more variety and that includes no Angel (which, as my reviews for the Pilot reflect, I can live with personally!). There is no reference to the Master or any of his minions; the overall season "big bad" story arc is much less prominent than it would be pretty much from the second season onwards.
I disagree with a couple of other reviewers who class 'Witch' as a "filler episode" the non-vampire, non-"big bad" thing was a common trait in season one, and far from being thrown in to bump up the episode count (as is the case with most fillers), I felt this one built on the premise set-up in the Pilot perfectly. And while I enjoy the on-going unfolding plots of later seasons, I also really like the many "stand alone" stories we get here in the first season or so.

I found this to be a really engaging and well-executed story, and, on first viewing all those years ago, really didn't see the revelation of the Amy-and-her-mother body swap coming (though, on subsequent viewings, all the hints are there). Elizabeth Anne Allen puts in a great performance as young Amy or rather, her mother in Amy's body; Amy will feature in a number of later stories (Allen, by the way, auditioned for the role of Buffy).
I also personally enjoyed seeing Robin Riker; I'm a huge 1980s action-adventure TV fan, and Riker did many guest parts in those various shows, so it was good to see her again here, playing Amy-in-her-mother's-body (y'all following this?!).

As I go through the DVDs, watching the episodes in original broadcast order, I am reviewing them "as I find them", and not rating them down simply because even better episodes came later (as I feel some other reviewers might subconsciously do sometimes). When I first watched this episode back in 1999, I really enjoyed it, and it really pulled me into the series; Viewing it tonight on DVD, I still seriously like it. Yes it would certainly be superseded by later episodes, but on its own merits, I like 'Witch' enough to give it a solid 10.moreless

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This episode is very exciting and interesting, one that is very fun to watch, and despite being a filler episode, is very good.

9.0

"Superb"

By sweetcharmed, Feb 05, 2011 Report Abuse

This is the first episode to show us Buffy doesn't just battle vampires, but mystical forces of darkness as well. This week, Buffy and her friends are trying to stop a witch from messing with the cheerleading squad.

This episode sees Buffy trying to fit in at Sunnydale High, as well as her attempting to be a cheerleader. We are introduced to Amy, who is suspected of being a witch, and who will play a role in future episodes. Highlights include Xander giving Buffy a braclet, suggesting that he likes Buffy as more than just a friend. Also, I love the scenes when Buffy goes and visit Amy's "mother", because that was just such brillantly done. Episode lowlights included them testing Amy to see if she was the witch, and most of the bits in the library - I do love the library, but not in this episode.

A great episode which shows us Buffy not only saves the world from vampires, but from various forms of evil. An enjoyable episode to watch, very light and fun, and if you're not in a serious mood, the perfect episode to watch.moreless

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What is it with fully grown witches wanting the same things that teenage girls want, A pair of shoes, and to be a cheerleader.

8.0

"Great"

By Phunner1416, Feb 05, 2011 Report Abuse

This episode shows that they won't only be dusting vamps but also facing witches, and also shows how evil humans can be, and how being on a Hellmouth can really bring that out in a person. The only thing about this episode is that it makes you think that all witches are bad, even though Willow will become one in about two years, though *SPOILER ALERT* If you watch season Seven and read season Eight, you will find that Amy will grow to be an evil witch herself. This is also the first episode not to include vampires, which is a rarity of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.All-In-All a pretty good episode!moreless

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Not a very good episode

1.3

"Abysmal"

By BuffyAngeMaxTru, Jan 30, 2011 Report Abuse

This episode wasn't really a good episode.. i believe it was just thrown in to fill the series... lol.
Even though we got to see that Buffy would be fighting more than just vampires... i just think that it was a poor episode... and could have had alot done to it to make it a better one.

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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Trivia
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- The cheerleader whose hands caught on fire was named Amber. Amy tells Buffy and Willow that she (Amber) trained with the cheerleading coach Benson. What a strange coincidence that Amber Benson went on to play Tara Maclay in the show's 4th season. Edit
- When Cordelia gets out of the car she shuts the door, but in the next shot the door of the car is open just before it is hit by the truck. Edit
- In this episode we learn that Giles drives a gray Citroen. Edit
Notes
ADD NOTES
- An unfilmed scene from the original script has Giles suggesting an alternative way of testing whether Amy is a witch: "Yes, the ducking stool! We throw her in the pond. If she floats, she's a witch; if she drowns, she's innocent... some of my texts are a bit outdated." Edit
- Jim Doughan (Mr. Pole) played a small part in the movie My Stepmother Is an Alien in which Alyson Hannigan portrayed Jessie Mills, the main character's daughter. Edit
- Prints of this episode that aired in the UK incorrectly credit the band who perform the theme song as "Nerfherder" rather than the correct Nerf Herder. Edit
Quotes
ADD QUOTES
- (Amber's arms ignite)
  Willow: She's on fire!
  Cordelia (not looking): Enough with the hyperbole!
  Edit
- Cordelia: Hey, I'm really sorry you guys got bumped back to alternate. Hold it, wait. No, I'm not.
  Amy: Well, I know that I'll miss the intellectual thrill of spelling out words with my arms.
  Edit
- Xander: (to Willow) I gotta be a man and ask her out. Y'know, I gotta stop giving her ID bracelets, subtle innuendos, taking Polaroids outside of her bedroom window late at night. That last part is a joke to relieve the tension because here she comes. Edit
Allusions
ADD ALLUSIONS
- Xander: This is the Invisible Man syndrome. A blessing in Cordelia's case. A curse in Buffy's. The Invisible Man is a novel by H. G. Wells featuring a main character who becomes invisible due to a scientific experiment. Several films have been made based on the novel, as well as more than one television series. Edit
- Xander: She's like the Human Torch. The Human Torch is a superhero from Marvel Comics. The original was an android who fought against Hitler in World War II, the second (and more commonly known) is a member of the superhero team the Fantastic Four. Edit
- Cordelia: These grapes are sour. From the Aesop's fable where the fox, unable to reach the grapes, determines that they are probably sour anyway. The idea being that when something is unobtainable we declare it to be undesirable. Of course the real Amy probably never was much interested in becoming a cheerleader. Edit