10 Weirdest Buffy The Vampire Slayer Episodes
9. Teacher's Pet (Season 1, Episode 4)
Season 1 is the most repetitive season. The monster-of-the-week trope is persistent throughout, and each episode follows a similar storyline. ‘Teacher’s Pet’ is no exception, but the primary villain is rather disconcerting.
When the old biology teacher goes missing, his replacement – Natalie French – arrives at Sunnydale High and immediately gets a lot of male attention. As it turns out, her appearance is just a disguise. In reality, she’s a giant mantis who seduces her victims before mating with them and eating their heads.
Xander becomes the latest victim, but he’s saved in the nick of time when Buffy and the gang turn up to rescue him. Buffy’s battle with the giant mantis feels like something out of Power Rangers, and it’s hard to take anything seriously given the ludicrous premise of the story.
‘Teacher’s Pet’ isn’t terrible, it’s just pretty ridiculous and one of the more dispensable episodes in the first season.