Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Season 01 - Episode 04 - Teacher's Pet

Dr. Gregory, the biology teacher, has taken an interest in Buffy. After class he tells her that she has a promising future. As soon as Buffy leaves the classroom, a huge praying mantis comes up behind Dr. Gregory, sinks its sharp spines into his neck, and proceeds to devour him. Natalie French, a beautiful substitute teacher in her late twenties, takes over the biology class for Dr. Gregory, who is reported missing. All the boys in class are transfixed by her. Natalie begins her lecture by telling the class that the praying mantis is a fascinating, noble, misunderstood insect. The female lays egg sacks and then looks for a mate. Every boy in class volunteers to help her make some model egg sacks for the upcoming Science Fair. Natalie selects Blayne Mall, a swaggering football player, as the first boy to help her.Later that day the headless body of Dr. Gregory is discovered inside the school cafeteria refrigerator. Buffy, Giles, Xander, and Willow convene in the library to discuss what happened to their teacher. They decide to check out the latest vampire activity in a nearby park. That night Buffy observes a vampire named Claw as he stalks Natalie French in a park. As he gets closer, Claw sniffs Natalie, pulls back in terror, and slithers into the nearest sewer gutter. Buffy wonders what would scare a vampire.In biology class the next day, Blayne Mall turns up missing. He had been working with Natalie the night before. When Natalie thinks no one is looking, she cranks her head around a hundred and eighty degrees to look at something behind her. Buffy takes note of this. Natalie chooses Xander as the next student to help her with the model egg sacks. Buffy tells Giles about the exorcist twist. Giles determines that Natalie must be a She-Mantis, a giant insect creature that assumes the form of a beautiful woman and lures innocent virgins back to her nest. Buffy quickly goes to warn Xander not to go over to Natalie's house to work on the egg sacks. Xander refuses to believe that the nubile substitute is a giant insect.Xander arrives at Natalie's house and reluctantly admits that he is a virgin. She drugs his drink and drags him down to her cellar, where there are several cages. Many contain headless bodies. In a far cage Blayne Mall cries out for help. Natalie, who has turned into the She-Mantis, tends to her eggs. Worried, Willow hacks into the school's computer to get Miss French's address. Buffy discovers that bats are the natural predator of the praying mantis, and gets a recording of bat sonar from the library.Arriving at the address Willow found, Buffy, Giles, and Willow discover a ninety-year-old Natalie French. Realizing the impersonation, Buffy switches to plan B. Buffy captures Claw and forces him to go up and down streets in the neighborhood where he had seen Natalie until he is able to sniff out the house where she lives. Meanwhile Natalie prepares to mate with Xander in her cellar. She ties him up and lowers her mouth toward him, her teeth dripping with unspeakable fluids.Just then Buffy drops in through a ground floor window. She blasts Natalie with bug spray. The She-Mantis howls and knocks Buffy's tape recorder away. Buffy dives after it and hits the play button. A high-pitched sound reverberates through the cellar and the She-Mantis screeches and falls to the floor. Buffy pulls out a machete and hacks the creature to pieces. The next day in biology class, Xander and Blayne deny being virgins. In the closet is a box of Dr. Gregory's personal belongings. At the back is a glistening egg sack which moves and cracks.