The Puppet Show

Buffy Episode Review

In which there are school activities.

What Happened

Buffy, Xander and Willow are ordered to participate in the Annual Talent Show, which puts them in the middle of a super-natural murder mystery.

The Good

• Cordi. Singing.
• "Sunnydale has touched and felt for the last time." Armin Shimmerman as Principal Snyder. 'nuf said.
• Giles getting rid of Cordelia by making her think something's wrong with her hair. "Xander was right. Worked like a charm."
• "Bye-bye now. I'm completely inanimate." Xander actually had a good idea, grabbing Sid.

The Bad

• Buffy would have covered up smashing the lock on Morgan's locker how?
• Why didn't the audience hear the commotion from the fight scene and where were all the other talent show participants? And who opened the curtains?

The Cliche

• Toys that might be alive should really not be such a hard concept for the gang to grasp. Hello? Hellmouth? Chucky movies?
• Sidekicks in danger. Giles is so stupid. Large blade. I thought Marc was after someone intelligent.

Best Lines

Buffy: "Giles, into every generation is born one who must direct the Annual Sunnydale Talentless Show."

Buffy: "I saw a dummy. It gave me the wig. There really wasn't a story there."

What Did I Think?

Terrific intro leads into a episode that's more style than substance, all moody lighting and dramatic finishes. Three red herrings (Snyder, Morgan and Sid) were two too many, though each character was likeable in their own way.