"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" Gingerbread (1999)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

James Whitmore Jr.

Writers:

Joss Whedon (creator)
Jane Espenson (teleplay)

TV Series:

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997)

Original Air Date:

12 January 1999 (Season 3, Episode 11)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Fantasy

Plot:

The discovery in Sunnydale park of a boy and girl aged 7-8, apparently murdered ritually as indicated by markings...

Plot Keywords:

Female Protagonist | Heroine | Library | Demon | High School

Cast

Sarah Michelle Gellar	...	Buffy Summers
Nicholas Brendon	...	Xander Harris
Alyson Hannigan	...	Willow Rosenberg
Charisma Carpenter	...	Cordelia Chase
David Boreanaz	...	Angel
Seth Green	...	Oz
Anthony Head	...	Rupert Giles (as Anthony Stewart Head)
Kristine Sutherland	...	Joyce Summers
Elizabeth Anne Allen	...	Amy Madison
Harry Groener	...	Mayor Richard Wilkins
Jordan Baker	...	Sheila Rosenberg
Armin Shimerman	...	Principal Snyder
Lindsay Taylor	...	Little Girl
Shawn Pyfrom	...	Little Boy
Blake Soper	...	Michael Czajak (as Blake Swendson)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:TV-PG

Company:

Mutant Enemy

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: At 23:23, during Willow's spat with her mom, there is a brief moment as the camera is tracking Mrs. Rosenberg when you can see over the top of the set behind her.

Quotes:

Giles: We need to save Buffy from Hansel and Gretel.
Cordelia: Now, let's be clear, the brain damage happened before I hit you.

Movie Connections:

References "MisteRogers' Neighborhood" (1968)

Not the best episode of the season

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

"Gingerbread" is about censorship. A militant parents-right's group has taken over Sunnydale. They're searching school lockers for objectionable materials, banning inflammatory books, persecuting people who are different, etc... It's a monster-of-the-week that deals with real life issues under the guise of witchcraft and fairy tales. This isn't the best episode of the season, but it's still pretty good in places. You could skip "Gingerbread", if you're in a hurry and watching the season on DVD. But, really, it's worth seeing just so you can understand the running Amy/rat joke in the seasons to come.

"Gingerbread" has Hansel and Gretel coming to Sunnydale. While out on patrol with Buffy, Joyce stumbles across the bodies of two children and is horrified. Determined to stop the violence and mysterious happenings in Sunnydale, Joyce organizes "Mother's Opposed to the Occult" or "MOO." Suddenly, everyone in town is preoccupied with avenging the deaths of the children and tracking down the witches that apparently killed them. They're confiscating Giles' books, stealing Cordelia's scented candles and questioning Willow about her wicca-ness. It soon becomes apparent that the whole town is under some sort of spell.

The dead children are really Hansel and Gretel and, to make things even more complicated they are also a demon. It hides in the guise of the children, breaking communities apart and inspiring them to persecute witches. Joyce and Willow's Mom capture their daughters and tie them up. Willow, Amy and Buffy are all soon set to be burned at the stake. Amy morphs into a rat to escape. Oz and Xander fight to save Willow and Buffy, while Giles and Cordy work on a cure for the demons spell.

There are some good parts to the episode. I like that "Gingerbread" finally addresses the dangers of living in Sunnydale. The disappearances and skinnings and "sudden neck ruptures"... There's no way that the citizens of Sunnydale could fail to pick up on the problems in their town. They have a willful, blind ignorance of the darkness that surrounds them. And Pricipal Snyder reading off the titles of the confiscated library books is hilarious. "Blood Rites and Sacrifices." I can't believe that Giles just has those books sitting on the shelves. Also, it's good to finally see Willow's mother and understand a bit more around Willow's home life. No wonder Willow wants to spend all her time at school. Lastly, I like Amy turning into the rat. Poor Amy will be stuck like that for quite a while.

Also aside from the Hansel and Gretel reference, the title of the episode has a hidden meaning. The word Gingerbread has the letters D-A-N-G-E-R in it.

On the downside, Angel's not in this episode very much. He should have been involved in the "lets-save-Buffy" plan. And did Giles' books really get burnt? He won't like that.

My favorite part of the episode: Willow's mother's rant against the patriarchal biased of "Mr. Roger's Neighborhood."