Buffy for Beginners 1.3: The Witch

The episode begins with Buffy informing Giles of her plans to join up with the high schools Cheerleading Team. Giles tells her, in his very British way, that he thinks it‘s a cult and irresponsible of her to join. Needless to say Buffy shows up to try outs. At tryouts Buffy meets Amy. A very sweet girl who talks about her very intense mother, and said mother‘s insane need to live vicariously through her, Because she used to be the Cheer Queen back in the day. Tryouts take a turn for the weird when a girl (Amber) trying out suddenly bursts into flames.

During a Scooby meeting in the library Giles and gang figure out that it must be, that‘s right kids, witchcraft. They decide to investigate the first victim Amber. Willow and Xander set out to find out what they can as Buffy goes to find out if she made the team. Turns out both her and Amy made the top alternate spots. This sends Amy into a tantrum about how this never would have happened to her mother the Cheer Nazi.

Cut to the creepy scene in someone‘s attic. A large caldron is brewing and a woman is saying a spell. She takes out a Barbie, who she identifies as Cordelia, wraps its little face with a scrunchy and tosses it in. Later, back at the school. Cordelia begins roaming the halls in a haze. She goes out to her drivers ed course and speeds herself , her teacher, and a few classmates through a fence a few bushes and into the street. Dazed from the spell and the wreck Cordy steps out of the car and directly in front of a speeding UPS truck. Luckily for her Buffy has her back and saves her from the truck, only to realize at this point Cordy has gone completely blind.

Again the Scooby‘s meet in the library. This time they surmise that Amy must be the witch, because she wants to impress her mother so badly. They find a potion in a book that will turn a witches skin blue ifins she‘s done a spell in the last few days. So after very sneakily stealing some of Amy‘s hair in science class they create the potion and spill it on Amy. Instantly verifying that she is indeed the witch that‘s been Hexing Cheerleaders. Suddenly across the room another Cheerleader literally loses her mouth, its all quite shocking to the student body.

After school Amy heads home. When she arrives she bitches out her mom then stomps upstairs to deal with the Buffy stealing bits of her hair situation. The next day Buffy wakes up and is super bouncy and happy. With the other cheerleaders injured or otherwise out of the way she‘s now on the team. When she gets to cheerleading practice it becomes clear that her overly hyper state is being caused by a spell. In her enthusiasm to be on the team she chucks a cheerleader across the gym, (Best part of this episode if you ask Me.) and is expelled from the team. Making Amy the newest member of the Sunnydale Cheer squad.

Over stimulated Buffy is dragged off to the library by Willow and Xander. When they arrive the hyper wears off and now she‘s just super sick. So taking matters into there own hands B and Giles go to Amy‘s house to find the witched book of witchcraft and the counter spell. Willow and Xander are left to watch Amy who is performing with the Cheerleaders at a basket ball game.

Once at Amy‘s humble yet creeptastic abode, they find her mother. Or rather they find Amy in the body of her mother. Her mother had decided that Amy was wasting her youth and talents so she pulled a body swap. Giles locates the book and finds several Barbie‘s dangling in the attic. Taking all of this back to the school, they begin to set up for the counter spell. Mean while Amy, or rather Amy’s super bitch of a mom is out Cheering in her new Amy suit, but begins to feel the effects of the counter spell. After she topples off the top of the pyramid she rushes off to find the cause of the disturbance in her spell.

Giles is almost done with the counter spell when Amy‘s mother axes her way through the door. Buffy‘s still incapacitated and laid out on a desk, it looks like she‘s about to get hacked into tiny pieces when Giles reverses the spells and Amy is Amy again. Her mother pissed about this turn of events starts tossing people around with her magics. Unfortunately for her Buffy is feeling much better, so as Cheermom tries to throw her last spell at Amy, Buffy knocks a mirror down and sends it right back at her. Forever trapping her into her own cheer trophy that resides in the Sunnydale High trophy case.
Favorite episode quote:
Xander-”I laugh in the face of Danger…then I hide till it goes away!”

Previously: Buffy for Beginners 1.2 – The Harvest

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About Katie: “I‘m a geek to the core. I love all things Joss Whedon, Star Trek, Doctor Who and Sci-Fi in general. As a crazed fan girl I enjoy staring soulfully at pictures of David Tennant, and watching the You Tube music videos of spiced Doctor Who scene‘s and crappy music.You know what Im talking about.

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