History Recap / BuffyTheVampireSlayerS1E4TeachersPet

The next day, Buffy informs Giles about 'the fork guy'. The substitute biology teacher, Ms. French arrives and her beauty turns every boy's head. She seems to have an interest in insects, particularly the praying mantis. At lunch, Cordelia finds the headless body of Dr Gregory in the cafeteria locker. The Scoobies try to figure out if there's a connection to the Master but don't rule out the possibility of another monster lurking about.
Later that night, Buffy is patrolling in the park and confronts a vampire with a large, claw-like hand. The fight is interrupted by the police and the vamp escapes. While pursuing him, Buffy sees the vampire bump into Ms French. She simply stares at him and the vampire immediately flees in panic.

At school the following morning, Buffy is sent to a counsellor to help her get over seeing a dead body. This causes her to be late for Ms French's class, where she has prepared a test. She helps Xander with a question. Buffy peers in through the window and sees Ms French turn her head 360 degrees to look at her. After class, Ms French asks Xander if he could come over to her house in the evening to work on a project to which Xander gleefully accepts.

Back at the library, Buffy tells Willow and Giles about Ms French's head spinning. She convinces the two that she believes the teacher is a praying mantis. They discover that Blayne, a student who worked on a project at Ms French's house, never came home. Buffy tries to warn Xander, who brushes her off and states that she's just jealous.

Ms French welcomes Xander into her home with a drink, a fire lit in the fireplace and a revealing dress. The drink is spiked and knocks Xander out. The teacher drags him into the basement as she turns into a giant insect. Xander is locked in a cage alongside Blayne, the student from the previous day. Blayne tells him how Ms French mates like a praying mantis, before biting the head off her victims.

In the library, the gang discovers the She-Mantis lures virgins into her lair as mating partners. Willow reveals that Xander is a virgin before calling his mother and asking if he's home. They realise that Xander is in great danger. Buffy gets Giles to record bat sonar as Ms French picks Xander as her next victim. The Scoobies visit the house belonging to Ms French but are greeted by an elderly lady. She is the real Ms French but had retired from teaching in 1972. In order to quickly track down Xander, Buffy finds the one-handed vampire and forces him to tell her where the She-Mantis hides. He's quick to tell her as his fear of it is so great. The vamp tries to attack Buffy but she swiftly stakes him with a broken fence post. Buffy breaks through the window as the She-Mantis prepares to mate with Xander. She uses the bat sonar to weaken it before hacking it up and destroying it. Xander, meanwhile, destroys the eggs already in the house.

Buffy, wearing Angel's jacket, meets him at the Bronze. He tells her to keep it and Buffy is clearly smitten with him.

Later on, Buffy puts Dr Gregory's glasses back in his classroom closet, not noticing there are She-Mantis eggs attached to the bottom shelf...

* SlippingAMickey

In the library, the gang discovers the She-Mantis lures virgins into her lair as mating partners. Willow reveals that Xander is a virgin before calling his mother and asking if he's home. They realise that Xander is in great danger. Buffy gets Giles to record bat sonar as Ms French picks Xander as her next victim.
The Scoobies visit the house belonging to Ms French but are greeted by an elderly lady. She is the real Ms French but had retired from teaching in 1972. In order to quickly track down Xander, Buffy finds the one-handed vampire and forces him to tell her where the She-Mantis hides. He's quick to tell her as his fear of it is so great. The vamp tries to attack Buffy but she swiftly stakes him with a broken fence post. Buffy breaks through the window as the She-Mantis prepares to mate with Xander. She uses the bat sonar to weaken it before hacking it up and destroying it. Xander, meanwhile, destroys the eggs already in the house.

At school the following morning, Buffy is sent to a counsellor to help her get over seeing a dead body. This causes her to be late for Ms French's class, where she has prepared a test. She helps Xander with a question. Buffy peers in through the window and sees Ms French turn her head 360 degrees to look at her.
After class, Ms French asks Xander if he could come over to her house in the evening to work on a project to which Xander gleefully accepts.

The next day, Buffy informs Giles about 'the fork guy'. The substitute biology teacher, Ms. French arrives and her beauty turns every boy's head. She seems to have an interest in insects, particularly the praying mantis.
At lunch, Cordelia finds the headless body of Dr Gregory in the cafeteria locker. The Scoobies try to figure out if there's a connection to the Master but don't rule out the possibility of another monster lurking about.

** An in-universe example that also serves as FridgeBrilliance: During the dream sequence, Xander finishes off the vampire by staking it... Through the opposite side of the chest from where the heart actually is. Xander is not good at biology.

* LiteralManeater: The She-Mantis needs a virgin male to fertilize her eggs, and whom she will then devour.

* GoneMadFromTheRevelation: Dr. Ferris Carlyle on discovering the existence of the She-Mantis.

* HotForTeacher

* ConceiveAndKill

* VirginPower

* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale: While the whole episode could be interpreted as a metaphor for the fact that adult women preying on male minors is just as bad as if the genders were switched, nobody in the episode itself seems to share that opinion. The principal mentions to Buffy that the school would come down hard on any "wrong touching" that might happen between her and the grief councillor, but none of the kids or even Giles point out that a female teacher encouraging the amourous hopes of 16-year-old boys is creepy as hell even without the whole "eating them afterwards" aspect. She girls just humor Xander in his plans to get laid with the teacher. When Buffy calls Miss French "predatory", she really just means she's a human-eating predator.

Back at the library, Buffy tells Willow and Giles about Ms French's head spinning. She convinces the two that she believes the teacher is a praying mantis. They discover that Blayne, a student who worked on a project at Ms French's house, never came home. Buffy tries to warn Xander who brushes her off and states that she's just jealous.

The Scoobies visit the house belonging to Ms French but are greeted by an elderly lady. She is the real Ms French but had retired from teaching in 1972. In order to quickly track down Xander, Buffy finds the one-handed vampire and forces him to tell her where the She-Mantis hides. He's quick to tell her as his fear of it is so big. The vamp tries to attack Buffy but she swiftly stakes him with a broken fence post. Buffy breaks through the window as the She-Mantis prepares to mate with Xander. She uses the bat sonar to weaken it before hacking it up and destroying it. Xander, meanwhile, destroys the eggs already in the house.

Later on, Buffy puts Dr Gregory's glasses back in his classroom closet, not noticing there are She-Mantis eggs attached to the bottom shelf..

* DreamSue: Xander dreams of saving Buffy and be a rock star.

* {{Matter of Life and Death}}

* OohMeAccentsSlipping: Ms. French has a strange way of pronouncing her r's. It works for the character, given that she's a giant insect. Really it's because her actress is South African.

* {{Slipping a Mickey}}

* UrbanLegendLoveLife: JerkJock Blayne

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Whatever happened to the eggs...

* YouMustBeCold: Angel lends Buffy his coat, pissing off Xander who knows what it implies.

* AManIsNotAVirgin: Xander and Blayne vigorously deny being virgins after their rescue.

* ShoutOut: Buffy described Ms. French's head-twisting abilities as "[[Film/TheExorcist and Exorcist-twist]]".

** Blayne is never seen or mentioned again after this episode, despite surving and clearly being set up as a sort of GenderFlip version of Cordelia to antagonise Xander. It wouldn't seem so odd but this episode comes straight after the one introducing Amy Madison who becomes a reccurring character on and off til the end of the show's run.

* TheObiWan: Buffy's biology teacher expresses confidence in her abilities as a student and encourages her to excel. He is immediately slaughtered by a giant insect.

In the first of one of his "my love interest is a monster" moments, Xander falls for a substitute teacher who preys on virgins.

* DaydreamSurprise: [[RescueRomance Xander saving]] DamselInDistress Buffy, who's wearing a [[LadyInRed red dress]]. Plus he's a rock star. When Ms. Finch invites him to her house [[HotForTeacher it cuts back to him jamming.]]

* AnArmAndALeg: The Claw vampire was ocne a member of the Order of Aurelius who [[YouHaveFailedMe displeased]] the Master and gave his hand in penance.