Buffy The Vampire Slayer: 10 Great Moments In Mediocre Episodes
6. The Parents Burn The Witches (Season 3, Episode 11)
‘Gingerbread’ is an odd little episode. Stuck in the middle of a terrific season, this strange adventure centres around a demon who takes the form of two children and persuades the parents of Sunnydale to execute those with supernatural powers.
It’s a fun yet dispensable episode that peaks in the final act. Having captured Buffy, Willow, and Amy, Joyce and the other parents attempt to kill their captives by burning them alive. In response, Amy accidentally turns herself into a rat, while Xander and Oz attempt to infiltrate the room by crawling through a ventilation shaft. Giles and Cordelia, on the other hand, bicker away and attempt to save the girls with a German incantation.
The reason this ludicrous finale works so well is that it fully embraces the silly factor, and this is the perfect way to end what is essentially a filler episode. Even the final takedown – which involves Buffy plunging a giant stake through the demon’s throat – is wonderfully ridiculous.