In the first of one of his "my love interest is a monster" moments, Xander falls for a substitute teacher who preys on virgins.
Tropes:
- Always a Bigger Fish: A vampire with a nightmarish metal claw is about to attack a woman when she turns around and is revealed to be the substitute teacher. The vampire hisses, recoils, runs off and dives into a manhole.
- A Man Is Not a Virgin: Xander and Blayne vigorously deny being virgins after their rescue.
- As You Know: Giles feels the need to explain who the Master is to the only other people who already know.
- Attempted Rape: By a giant mantis.
- The Beard: After Blayne mocks Xander's non-sex life, he asks Buffy and Willow to pretend to be his girls. Willow is certainly eager to play along.
- Big Creepy Crawlies
- Buffy Speak
Giles: That's all he said? Fork Guy?
Giles: I think there are too many 'guys' in your life.
- Chekhov\'s Classroom: The lecture from the science teacher's substitute about the cannibalism seen in female praying mantises.
- Cut Apart: Buffy is about to kick down Ms French's door when a harmless old lady opens it — turns out she's the real Melanie French, whose identity the She-Mantis used as a cover.
- Daydream Surprise: Xander saving Damsel in Distress Buffy. Plus he's a rock star.
- Distracted by the Sexy: Xander mentions being distracted by the cheerleading squads' new short skirts, then is distracted on camera by Ms French's slow-motion Sexy Walk.
- The End... Or Is It?: Some of Ms. French's eggs are still unaccounted for. And they're starting to hatch. Oddly enough, this is never brought up again.
- Evil Detecting Dog: Buffy captures the Claw-vampire and uses him to find out where the She-Mantis is.
- Exorcist Head
- Flashback Echo: Xander flashbacks to the dream of himself as a rock star when he thinks he's scored with the new teacher.
- Gender Inverted Trope: Buffy and Willow rescuing the boys from Virgin Sacrifice.
- Gone Mad From The Revelation: Dr. Ferris Carlyle on discovering the existence of the She-Mantis.
- Hook Hand combined with Wolverine Claws for "Claw".
- Horny Devil: The closest we get to this trope on the series.
- Hot For Teacher
- I Do Not Speak Nonverbal: Willow trying to tell Buffy the answers behind Dr. Gregory's back.
Dr. Gregory: If you read the homework you should know the two ways that ants communicate.
(Willow strokes Xander)
Buffy: Touch...
(Willow sniffs Xander)
Buffy: B.O.?
- Incredibly Lame Pun: When forcing her to take counselling, Mr Flutie shouts at Buffy to "Heal!" She sits.
- Little Black Dress. One might also call it a Freudian Slip.
Xander: It's the most beautiful chest... dress I've ever seen.
- Lecture As Exposition
- Matter of Life and Death
- Monster of the Week: The She-Mantis.
- Padding: Oh, the number of lines explaining the perfectly obvious, and pointless flashbacks. The script clearly came in short.
- Percussive Therapy: Xander takes a machete to the She-Mantis eggs.
- Police Are Useless: Buffy's fight with Claw is interrupted by the police arriving (one of whom was disguised as a wino earlier). This appears to be one of the few occasions we see the Sunnydale police actively trying to catch a killer.
- Screaming Woman: With a camera pullback from inside her mouth.
- Shadow Discretion Shot: Buffy killing the She-Mantis — likely more for budget reasons than averting violence.
- Ship Tease: Buffy continuing to wear Angel's coat, and her "Oh boy" as she watches him walk away at the end.
- Slipping a Mickey
- Urban Legend Love Life: Jerk Jock Blayne
- Virgin Power
- Weirdness Magnet: The first time this hits Xander.
- You Must Be Cold: Angel lends Buffy his coat, pissing off a Genre Savvy Xander who knows what it implies.
