Buffy the Vampire Slayer- "Gingerbread"- Aired 12 Jan 1999

I will start this article off by admitting that I am a big 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' fan, since the movie and the first season of the TV show.  I have always enjoyed the show- it's a FUN show, and I like to have fun as much as the next guy, probably even more.  With that said, I am disappointed in this episode- not as disappointed as I was 30 minutes into it, but disappointed all the same. 
     'Buffy' is not new to Witchcraft, they have had several characters on the show, including one of the major supporting characters right now (Willow) who have claimed to be Witches, and they have always dealt with it very well.  No evil demon pacts, no broomsticks- Willow even admits she's not a real Witch, she has to study for years to become a full Witch.  Actually, until this day, I had been contemplating writing an article congratulating the writers of 'Buffy' for their decent treatment of an often maligned subject matter.
     Tonight, the 12th of January 1999, that changed, although not as much as it could have.  The episode begins with two dead children, a horrible crime for which a cult is initially blamed.  They then get into the 'Witch Bashing' full force, some of the 'concerned adults' wanting to take back their town from the 'Witches and monsters', and beginning a full scale Witch hunt, going through student's lockers and confiscating everything from herbs to scented candles to imported hairspray!  They raid the library and take every book dealing on any type of 'occult' subject matter, to 'protect the children'.  Willow's mother finds out that Willow is 'dabbling' in the Craft and grounds her, isolates her from her friends, and tells her that Witchcraft and Magic are just delusions that many teens 'manifest' during the difficult high school years.  Also, a strange symbol found on the dead bodies of the children is described as a 'Wiccan coven' symbol dating back a few hundred years. By this time, I was pretty much steaming at the treatment Witches were getting, and was already working up a good rant to post here as soon as the end credits were rolling.  Then, they saved it- mostly- and by the end of the episode I was once again a 'Buffy' fan.
     It seems that Buffy, our pert young heroine and slayer extrodinaire, figures out that the poor dead children that sparked the whole Witch Hunt were pretty much anonymous, no family had claimed them, they didn't even have names.  It is soon discovered, via the wonders of the internet, that this same event has played out in different communities every fifty years since as early as the 1600's, and the children were actually Demons who thrived on the chaos and carnage of a community in turmoil- sort of like bon-bons. ; Of course, as Buffy is preparing to save the day, the zombified adults, heeding the call of the 'children' to rid the town of all 'evil occult influences', go completely nuts and drag the suspected 'Witches' out of their homes, tie them to stakes, and start the fires burning.  They are of course saved, the Demon is defeated, and all the adults who were under it's power realize they had one mocha latte to many and come back to their senses, all the 'Witches' are freed, and all is right with the world- until next episode.
     I understand where the writers of this episode were going with their anti-witch dialogue, I think it was a great way to show how this sort of thing can happen, even in today's society.  I'm not suggesting that a demon had anything to do with the Witch Trials of Salem and so many other places, but it showed how even a civilized community can 'lose it' and become an unruly mob, with the right catalyst.  I still had a few problems with the episode, but sometimes I'm just too picky. ;
     -The 'Witch Symbol' found on the dead children was, in fact, (at least in the show) a Wiccan Coven symbol- but it was one of protection that Willow had been using for a spell for Buffy, and it is cleared of any evil connotations.
     -During the 'Witch Burning' scene, one of the girls at the stake, who ironically WAS a Witch, called upon the powers of Hecate and turned into a rat to escape.  Granted, it's TV, they have dramatic license, but I didn't like it.  Cool effect, though.
     -There was an awful lot of negative Witch Bashing going on, because of the plot, and although Witches were 'cleared' of any evildoing in the end, it was sort of assumed, never vocalized. I'm just waiting for the show that actually is so bold as to say 'Sorry, we were wrong about the Witch thing, and we now understand that Witches are good'.  Is that too much to ask??
     -The end of the episode, although it was clever, annoyed me.  Buffy and Willow are doing a spell (I guess Buffy was just helping, she's not a Witch) and working with Hecate.  They complete the incantation with the prerequisite puff of smoke and look down, and the rat, who was the Witch who escaped, is sitting there looking at them- still a rat.  Apparently Hecate changed her into a rat, but wouldn't change her back!  Again, clever, but not my taste, I prefer my Goddesses to be treated a little more respectfully- call me old fashioned.
     Overall, I liked this episode, it really hit where it counted and used TV make-believe to make a very real life point, even shedding some light on topics several hundreds of years old.  It could have been better in places, and I'm sure there are some Witches out there who have a stronger opinion of the episode than I do, but you pulled it off this time, WB- I'll be watching next week.