Buffy the Vampire Slayer

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

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I know some don't like this one, and it was most definitely superseded as the series progressed, but for me, as a first regular hour-long instalment after the Pilot, it does superbly.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

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.

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!

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.

The Witch was another exciting episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In this episode Buffy wanted to try out for cheerleading at Sunnydale High to have some thing normal to do like all the other teens. This news is welcome by her mother, but Mr. Giles has some reservations. It is fun to see how Buffy and Mr. Giles's Relationship is growing, and how they respond to each other. Girls start suffering from supernatural attacks, and the gang discover a Witch is behind it. Turns out Amy's mom was a cheerleading champion back in the day, and she wants to relive those moments, literally through her daughter Amy. At the end when she is about to use a spell on Buffy she reflects the spell using a mirror in the Lab. The Dark Place now has Amy's Mothers Soul, and it was quite an ironic place that it trapped her. The Dark Place must have a Dark sense of Humor. Another Classic Episode!!!

Thus one wasn't too bad.



We got to see Buffy in a cheerleader outfit and few other other hot girls wondering around. The idea was ok too. a Mother wanting to relive her glory days as a cheerleader and turns to witch craft. She got revenge on the cheerleaders by casting spooky spells to get them out.



One of victims is the nasty girl Cordilia and the spell made her flunk her driving test and make her eyes go white. Pretty scary. Plus she seems to have a pretty short term memory and doesn't seem to remember anything from the last episode.



Plus Xander seems to be coping pretty well after stabbing his friend with a stake.

Not a bad episode at all. Buffy wants to be a cheerleader, but there are a bunch of combustions and mysterious occurrences.

Willow: She's on fire!

Cordelia: Enough with the hyperbole!

LMAO. Cordelia is awesome. She is just way too conceited, though. I liked Cordelia's little driving session. The plot for this episode was a little weird, though. I liked it though. It was still very entertaining to watch, thanks to Sarah Michelle Gellar and the awesome writing. It was extremely creepy when Cordelia couldn't see. Buffy singing Macho Man is a classic part of the series, in my opinion. I ALWAYS remember it when I think of Buffy. Good episode, and I liked the ending. :)

This episode was pretty decent. It also marks the introduction of recurring character Amy the witch. There were a couple surprises here and there and it continued to have some great dialog that is emblematic of the series. The scene where the UPS driver doesn't slow down when Cordelia is in the middle of the street could have been done better. It is kind of ridiculous to think he would just keep driving. They should have had Cordelia stumble out in front of the truck at the last moment. However, all in all it was a good, but not great episode.

The Witch remains to this day one of my favourite stand-alone Buffy episodes; their are so many neat one-liners, dramatic and creepy scenes (Buffy saving Cordelia from being road-kill being for instance. The mystery that surrounds this episode is never died down and the revelation that Amy's mother, Catherine Madison has switched bodies with her daughter to relive her dream is both surprising and makes for a very entertaining conclusion and battle scene at the end of the episode



I also want to congratulate the spectacular guest stars: Elizabeth Anne Allen and Robin Riker (who play both Amy and her mothe respectably) as well as Kristine Sutherland who has some great one-liners and really conveys Joyce's concern for her daughter Buffy's wellfare spectacularly

first episode without any vampire in it. I guess it's the first epi I have memory about since 1998. and it's really good. I mean, till certain moment I had no clue that Amy was actually Catherine -- her mother... full of funny moments again: "Macho Man" song, Xander and Willow saving Buffy... and full of cheerleading that I admire! it's easy watching and completely unforgettable. plus, shows us why people can still afford a house in Sunnydale: first vampires -- now witches :) actually, that is something that doesn't depend on living near the Hellmouth -- it's just about the human nature, at least I think so.



FAVE SCENE: Buffy's morning "Macho Man" song.



FAVE QUOTE: Xander: I laugh in the face of danger. Then I hide until it goes away.

I Love this episode! This was the first episode I ever watched, so it got me into Buffy the Vampire Slayer, my favorite television show of all time. The reason I love this episode is because I love the twist in it, the daughter and mother have switched bodies! I didn't see that coming AT ALL. I loved that character of Amy, she was a minor character, but an interesting and fun character. That's a main reason why I love this show. Joss Whedon can make even the minor character so complete and understandable. This is an instant classic for me. I can not praise this episode enough, it is that good. That is why this is my favorite episode of the entire series.

This is the first Buffy episode I've ever seen in its entirety (I just started watching Buffy from the start), so I thought I'd give it a try and watch this show since I already watch Charmed. As many other reviews mentioned what I like about this episode is that it briefly takes the focus away from vampires to other supernatural creatures (I had the misconception the show would be just about her kicking and stabbing random vampires every night).



Although Charmed has been my favorite show, Buffy has a way of making the supernatural seem a bit more realistic and the stories more interesting since she has to rely more on her own resources than on powers.



The plot twist in this episode was interesting and so was the fight sequence in the lab (some good telekinetic and vanquish/banish action).



I didn't understand the end, but I will certainly keep watching this show and see what happens!

buffy tries out for the cheerleading squad. amy seemed to be so damn serious about getting in & she's using some kind of spell to her advantage to make sure she'll get in. she wants to be just like her mom who was the cheerleading queen during her time. buffy found out that amy & her mom switched bodies & it's amy's mom who's really putting the show. w/ the help of the gang, they tried to reverse the spell & cast off amy's mom. then at the end, buffy & amy were talking at the school looking at the cheerleading trophy unaware that amy's mom was trapped inside.

Something that Buffy the Vampire Slayer can capture is a feeling of both suspense and comedy. The characters really start to become interesting in this one, and the main plot is great for a third episode. There's this whole mystery about who the witch is, and there are a few twists and turns along the way. Though the special effects aren't the greatest, the episode recovers with its strong plot. Although this is a "normal" episode, it manages to be special in its own right. It is another improvement over the first two, so I look forward to where this Buffy world will take the plot next.

This episode starts with Giles giving Buffy a lecture about wanting to join a "cult", being the cheerleading squad. Scene changes to a cauldron of green ooze. Then to the gym where heaps of girls are warming up for tryouts. Willow recognizes and old friend, Amy. Some great gymnast, Amber, tries out with Buffy, Willow and AMy watching, when she spontaneously combusts. Buffy quickly runs and puts out the fire. Giles and the scoobies try to figure out why and how Amber caught on fire. The following day the tryouts continue. In group routine Amy knock Cordelia over. Later in the hall, Buffy finds out that Amy's mother was a cheerleading champion when she was back in high school. Amy starts freaking that she's not as talented as her mother. Scene cuts to Amy in the locker room being confronted by Cordelia. She intimidates Amy about her screw-up in the tryouts. The cheerleading list gets posted. Cordelia makes the squad. Buffy gets first alternate. Amy gets third. Scene cuts again to the cauldron where someone is putting a spell on Cordelia. The next day, Cordelia walks around all zombie like. She goes for a driving lesson, still in her zombie state. She totally loses control of the cars. When she gets out she is almost hit by a truck, but Buffy saves her just in time. Cordelia's eyes go completely white and she can't see anything. Giles figures out that it's witchcraft. Buffy figures out that it's Amy because she desperately wants to be a cheerleader, so she's eliminating the competition. Giles finds a spell to make sure the witch is Amy. When they make the potion and spill it on Amy, it turns blue, proving she's the witch. But just after Buffy spills the potion on Amy, another student in their class starts making a fuss and when you can see her face, you see she has no mouth. You see Amy at home talking with her mother and she reveals that she has Buffy's bracelet. The nest day, Buffy starts her day in a particularly goofy mood. At cheer practice she is really un-co and goofy and she accidentally throws a girl across the room. Xander and Willow carry Buffy out. All of a sudden Buffy starts feeling really ill. Buffy and Giles go to Amy's house to try and get her spell book. Her mother answers the door and Giles starts grilling her about Amy. Buffy realizes that Amy is actually in her mothers body. Her mother had cast a spell so she could relive her glory days. Giles goes up to the attic to find all the evidence of all the spells cast. He collects all the dolls and the spell book. He, Buffy and Amy head back to the school, to the science lab where Giles starts to perform a reversal spell. Both Amy and her mother start to feel the reversal. Amy's mother takes off from cheerleading to find Giles and Amy. Willow and Xander try to stop her but she attacks them. Amy's mother breaks down the door to the science lab that Giles, Buffy and Amy are in just as Giles completes the spell. When Amy's mother tries to attack Amy, Buffy steps in to fight instead. Amy's mother tries to cast a spell on Buffy but Buffy knock down a mirror and the spell reflects back onto herself. Amy gets to live with her dad. Cordelia is back on the squad, attitude completely back to normal. Amy and Buffy stop by the trophy case where Amy's mum's display is and it looks totally normal, but just as they are walking away the eyes of the trophy move around frantically, so you know Amy's mum is safely locked up, for now. This episode was a nice change from vampires, I mean I know it's call Buffy the VAMPIRE Slayer, But the series never would have lasted as long if it were just constant vampires. It was a good start of the involvement of witchcraft, which comes onto the show more frequently later on. Best episode of the series so far.

The Witch-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?



Being the first non-vampire storyline of the series, "The Witch" is does well by introducing another new character, having some cool disturbing moments and mother/daughter issues. Amy makes for nice new face (who will have a much more recurring role in future seasons). You do feel bad for here as she just wants to leave up to her mother's expectations by becoming a cheerleader. Also, I liked the whole take on cheerleading in this episode. I loved how the teaser plays out so dramatic yet it's only Giles commenting on how ridiculous cheerleading is for a slayer. Also, we have Cordelia being very mean and petty to anyone who will stop her in her way to becoming a cheerleader. The creepy scenes had some pretty decent special effects for second episode of a series. The cheerleader combustion, eye-blinding, mouth disappearing, and spell casting scenes were cool. I especially loved the last spell Amy's mother casts on Buffy and how Buffy deflects it with a large mirror in the science lab.



Also, there are some great sceneslike watching Xander commenting on Willow being "my guy friend who knows about girl stuff" only for Buffy to comment on Xander being "one of the girls", lol. It's also here we find Xander has a crush on Buffy which was a hopeless sub-plot from the start as you know they would never get together...ever! I also liked how Buffy and her mother had their little touching moments in this episode. All and All, a good-follow up to the premire.

Witch, was the very first episode of Buffy I ever saw and it is the reason that I watched the show; I loved it. I had seen Buffy the movie years before and really liked it, so when I turned on this episode and saw Buffy cheering I had a connection with her and the show immediately. I feel in love with Buffy when she and Giles went to Amy's house and Buffy realized that they switched bodies -- I knew that Buffy had evolved from the movie and the show was going to be something very special. And if I needed any more reason to like the show, it came during the fight with Catherine, when Buffy gets back up off the ground, tells Catherine that she "feels much better," and then knocks her across the room. I was hooked, and I couldn't wait to watch more. This episode aired over 10 years ago and I still want more Buffy :)

For the third (or the second one) episode, I am surprised as to how original the plot of this episode is. Cheerleaders catching fire - the perfect way to break off from the intro. Joss couldn't have made a better way to continue smoothly from the two episodes of 'housekeeping'. In my eyes, this was the first 'fun' episode of the season (and the series). It didn't have much to do with the seasons plot and it showed us a lighter side to some of the characters. Everyone in this episode was hilarious and I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy this. Although, I didn't like this as much as the first two episodes, this stands out as a great episode.

I do enjoy watching this episode...I remember when it initially aired on tv, I thought, "wow, they have really changed directions with this show.", but that's not it at all. This episode lets the viewers know that its not just about vampires or The Master...It's about all the kooky creatures that go bump in the night. Fun show, loves it.

- You’re the slayer, and we’re like the slayerettes. –



Witch is the first Buffy episode to do the thing no show does as well as Buffy: It takes an old idea (the body swap) and turns it into something fresh, fun and original. The best thing about Witch is the fact that it is so unpredictable. Whenever you have things figured out, there’s a twist and you’re back to zero. I’m not a huge fan of stand-alone, monster-of the-week episodes, but Witch really works for me, and as one of the first episodes of the series, it works as a way to set the tone of the series. It does establish the fact that Buffy fights so much more than vampires, it introduces the whacky fun of magic, and it further develops the relationships of the scoobies.



I love the main plot, about the cheerleading, and the mad mom-witch. I also loved the fact that Cordy’s total bitca-ness is used to its fullest. Cordy was given many moments to shine, and had many great lines. I also liked Xander’s crush on Buffy, and his awkwardness and panic attacks gave many funny moments. The guest stars of the episode were also very good. Particularly Elizabeth Anne Allen and Robin Riker (Amy and her mom) gave outstanding performances, both as evil skank and good-hearted girl.



The episode also developed the character of Joyce, who up until now hasn’t had a lot of do on the show. The relationship between Buffy and her mom has always been one filled with chemistry, and Witch is no exception.



All in all, Witch is a fun and original episode, with many funny moments (Buffy singing Macho Man, anyone) and many twists and turns. A solid monster-of-the-week episode.

Buffy, a cheerleader? That so doesn't seem like who she is, at least not anymore. But the episode does prove to be very humorous, after a witch casts a spell of several of the sunnydale cheerleaders including Buffy herself. For such an early episode in the series the bond between Buffy and Giles is cemented quite early, which is ofcouse part of the appeal of Buffy (the bonds between the characters, especially in the earlier seasons). As it turns out Willow's friend Amy is responsible, or is she? Another reason why this episode is unique is because it is the first introduction of witch craft into the series, which becomes a key theme for the series and the character of Willow later in the series.

When I first read the episode summary for Witch, I figured it was one of the original girls of the team who didn’t want to be replaced or something like that. That first chick who tried out for the cheerleading squad was a pretty remarkable dancer. Then her hands catch fire! Thankfully, Buffy was there to save the day.



You know, I almost felt bad for Cordelia when she was robbed of her eyesight. Almost. When Amy tested positive for being a witch I figured she was innocent and that it was someone else doing all the witch craft. But, the next scene certainly proved that wrong. I was totally surprised when it turned out that Amy’s mom had switched bodies with her daughter to get a second chance at being a start cheerleader. Well, in the end she got her wish. She was trapped in the cheerleading trophy she won back when she went to school. This episode was totally wicked.

The first season consisted mostly of stand-alone episodes like this and I like that, Buffy had a lot of those episodes and they're often the best of the season (like Hush, Restless, the body, although in season three I thought the whole Faith-mayor story was great too) It was the first time that it showed Buffy wasn't going to be all about vampires but about all the intriguing creatures of the night and I thought it shows an original look on most. The introduction of the recurring caracter Amy was also fun and it was great seeing Buffy as the cheerleader she once was in LA.

This episode marks the first time Buffy faces a foe that is not of vampiric nature. The episode is well written, like every episode in the show's run, and is one of my favorites from the first season. This episode iintroduces us to Amy Madison (played by Elizabeth Anne Allen), who will become a reoccuring character in the seasons to come.

So Buffy wants to try out for cheerleading and Giles is less than enthusiastic. She tries out anyway, along with Amy and Cordelia. Things get hot during tryouts as a girl who is in the middle of her routine starts smoking (not marlboros) and her hands are on fire. Buffy puts her out and we have our latest case for the gang. I really liked this episode because it centered around some of the other kinds of evil, besides vampires, that Buffy will get the pleasure of battling. We also got to see Cordelia temporarily blinded, which was gratifying as she is a total bitca for the majority of the first season. Very good ep!

Best Scene:

This episode has so many good scene's it is really hard to choose a favourite. But for me personally it has to be... when Buffy is in the first throws of Amy's spell. Her crazy, happiness is really fun to watch. Worst Scene:

Cordelia's eyes going white alwyas kinda freaks me out in this episode!



Funniest Moment:

The above with Buffy being very enthuastic in Cheerleading!



Best Quote:

Buffy: You’re my Xander-shaped friend. Do you have any idea why I love you so, Xander?

Willow: (to Xander) We gotta get her to a…

Xander: (to Willow) Let her speak.

Buffy: (to Xander) I’ll tell you. You’re not like other boys at all.

Xander: Well.

Buffy: You are totally and completely one of the girls. (to Willow) I’m that comfy with him.



Worst Quote:

This is not a bad quote in the sense of it. It is just more that I'm not a fan of the term Slayerette's; I prefer Scoobies much more!



Willow: Yeah! You're the Slayer, and we're, like, the Slayerettes



Episode in Season Rating:



3rd out of Twelve

Buffy wants to be normal so she tries out for cheerleading. Giles did not like this idea. He was right. At the tryouts a girl caught fire. Then Buffy meets this girl who's mother was a champion cheerleader when she was in high school. Then other bad things happen. Cordy looses her eyeesight and a girl can't talk. That means that Buffy is on the team making her the next target. The girl who's mom was the cheerleader was putting curses on others so she could make the team. She makes Buffy really peppy and during practice she flies a girl through the air. Then Buffy gets kicked out. Buffy then gets really week and tired. Giles takes her to the girl's house and they find out the mother is the daughter and the daughter is the mother. It turns out that the mother wanted to relive her glory days. In conclusion,cheerleaders are evil.

A mum swapping bodies with her daughter, just so she can be great at athletics again! That's definately different. I like the voodoo curses put on Cordelia, and of course, on Buffy. Just to be the greatest athletic at the school. I found thisepisode very interesting, quite different from where the series seems to be heading. No vampires, just witches. Curses, voodoos and all sorts of twisted ideas mixed into one episode, creating a perfect set up for Bufy to almost die. A bit early for her time to die, but still alive to fight another day, being saved by the daughter in the mum's body, Giles, Xander and Willow.



An overall adventurous episode.

As this series is only in its early stages at this episode it was a big shock to the viewing audience when we learned that Amy and her mum had switched. It set the boundaries and expctations of witches for the rest of the season and showed us that vampires are not the only things Buffy has to worry about.



It was important to bring witches into the series at an early to point to show that Buffy will be facing a range of enemies. If this episode was shown later in the season people may think that they are reaching the bottom of the barre with vampires and so they threw in witches. This was a cleverly written and executed episode and I love it!