Gingerbread (Buffy episode)
Encyclopedia
"Gingerbread" is episode 11 of season 3 of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
not only encounters a vampire, but her mother looking for some quality time and a chance to "share" in the slaying experience. As Buffy kills the vampire, Joyce
discovers the bodies of two dead children in the park.
At school the next day, Buffy tells Giles
that the crime should not go unpunished. She draws a symbol which was found on the hands of the two children. He says it's probably occult-related, but Buffy cannot quite believe that a human being could do this.
At lunch, Willow
and Amy
sit with Xander
and Oz—who exchange a few awkward words. Buffy joins them and fills them in on the murders. Joyce shows up at school and announces that she has spread the word about the murders to all her friends, and that there will be a vigil at City Hall that night.
Many concerned parents attend the vigil, including Willow's mother. Mayor Wilkins says a few words before handing the mic over to Mrs. Summers. She gives a speech about how the people of Sunnydale must take back their city from the monsters, and witches, and Slayers.
Later, Michael, Amy, and Willow—three witches—are shown performing a spell in a circle that surrounds the symbol Buffy found on the children's hands. The next day, Michael is shoved up against his locker by another student who threatens both him and Amy. Buffy makes a brief appearance and the "big, tough" guys go running. Cordelia
, having witnessed the whole incident, comments to Buffy about involving oneself with losers.
Buffy goes to Willow, who has a book Giles needs for researching the symbol. Buffy finds the book, and also finds the witch symbol in one of Willow's notebooks. Willow explains that the symbol is part of a protection spell for Buffy's upcoming birthday.
Meanwhile all the school lockers are searched for witch-related material, and Giles's occult books are seized by police. Amy and Willow are taken to Principal Snyder's office for questioning.
At home, Joyce – founder of Mothers Opposed to the Occult ("MOO") – takes credit for the locker searches, forbids Buffy to see Willow anymore, and says Buffy's Slaying does Sunnydale no good. Buffy angrily goes out on patrol. The ghosts of the two children appear to Joyce and tell her she has to hurt the "bad girls."
Willow goes home where her mother calmly tells her she's grounded. Willow flips out, unable to control her anger towards the fact that her mother does not believe that she's a witch.
At the park, Buffy talks with Angel, who convinces her not to give up fighting. When he makes a passing remark about the children and their parents, Buffy is struck by the thought that the children's parents were never mentioned. She returns to the library to find Giles, Xander and Oz, where she realizes that none of them know anything at all about the two child victims. The only fact anyone knows about them is that they were found dead - yet MOO's publicity uses pictures of them alive. Buffy and the others quickly realise that there is absolutely no information regarding the children's names, their families, or where they lived. After using the Internet to contact Willow, the Scooby Gang learn that every fifty years throughout history, the murdered bodies of two nameless children have been found dead. The earliest record dating from Germany
during 1649, where a cleric from the Black Forest
discovered the corpses of "Hans and Greta Strauss", inspiring the fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel
. Giles explains that certain demons thrive on watching humans destroy each other through persecution and ignorance. This demon assumes the form of the murdered boy and girl, and returns every fifty years to persuade a town to kill the "bad girls" – innocents accused as witches, and thus peaceful communities are torn apart through vigilante madness. According to Giles, this is what set off the Salem Witch Trials
.
Amy, Willow, and Buffy are taken by force to City Hall where they are tied to wooden posts, atop a pile of books. Xander and Oz get to Willow's room to discover her gone and her room in a shambles. Cordelia finds Giles unconscious at the Summers' home, wakes him and they rush to City Hall. Just as Buffy wakes up, her mother lights books on fire, sentencing the three girls to death by burning at the stake. Amy escapes by transforming herself into a rat (as she had once done to Buffy).
On the way to City Hall, Giles practices an incantation while Cordelia prepares a concoction to force the demon to show its real self. Oz and Xander climb through the air vents in the hope of saving their friends. Giles and Cordelia break into the room while the parents watch the growing fire, and Cordelia uses a fire hose to put the fire out. As the demon—now in its true, ugly form—goes for Buffy, she breaks the stake she was tied to and impales the creature with it. Everyone is safe, and the demon is dead. Moments after, the vents give way, and Xander and Oz fall to the ground. Taking in the wreckage, Oz lamely says "We're here to save you."
The next day, none of the parents remember much of the recent events. Buffy and Willow are performing a spell in Willow's room to restore Amy, but it fails and Buffy suggests, "Maybe we should get her one of those wheel thingies
."
Plot synopsis
While on the nightly patrol, BuffyBuffy Summers
Buffy Summers is a fictional character from Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise. She first appeared in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer before going on to appear in the television series and subsequent comic book of the same name...
not only encounters a vampire, but her mother looking for some quality time and a chance to "share" in the slaying experience. As Buffy kills the vampire, Joyce
Joyce Summers
Joyce Summers is a fictional character in the fantasy television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer . Played by Kristine Sutherland, Joyce is the mother of the main character, Buffy Summers . Joyce appears regularly from the first episode until the character's death in the fifth season episode "The...
discovers the bodies of two dead children in the park.
At school the next day, Buffy tells Giles
Rupert Giles
Rupert Giles is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The character is portrayed by Anthony Stewart Head. He serves as Buffy Summers' mentor and surrogate father figure...
that the crime should not go unpunished. She draws a symbol which was found on the hands of the two children. He says it's probably occult-related, but Buffy cannot quite believe that a human being could do this.
At lunch, Willow
Willow Rosenberg
Willow Rosenberg is a fictional character created for the fantasy television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer . She was developed by Joss Whedon and portrayed throughout the TV series by Alyson Hannigan...
and Amy
Amy Madison
Amy Madison is a fictional character, a witch played by Elizabeth Anne Allen in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and by Shay Astar in the Season 8 motion comics. She made appearances in every season of Buffy except Seasons Five .Amy is a witch...
sit with Xander
Xander Harris
Alexander LaVelle "Xander" Harris is a fictional character in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as in numerous items in the series Expanded Universe, such as comic books, tie-in novels and video games...
and Oz—who exchange a few awkward words. Buffy joins them and fills them in on the murders. Joyce shows up at school and announces that she has spread the word about the murders to all her friends, and that there will be a vigil at City Hall that night.
Many concerned parents attend the vigil, including Willow's mother. Mayor Wilkins says a few words before handing the mic over to Mrs. Summers. She gives a speech about how the people of Sunnydale must take back their city from the monsters, and witches, and Slayers.
Later, Michael, Amy, and Willow—three witches—are shown performing a spell in a circle that surrounds the symbol Buffy found on the children's hands. The next day, Michael is shoved up against his locker by another student who threatens both him and Amy. Buffy makes a brief appearance and the "big, tough" guys go running. Cordelia
Cordelia Chase
Cordelia Chase is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer; she also appeared on Buffy's spin-off series Angel...
, having witnessed the whole incident, comments to Buffy about involving oneself with losers.
Buffy goes to Willow, who has a book Giles needs for researching the symbol. Buffy finds the book, and also finds the witch symbol in one of Willow's notebooks. Willow explains that the symbol is part of a protection spell for Buffy's upcoming birthday.
Meanwhile all the school lockers are searched for witch-related material, and Giles's occult books are seized by police. Amy and Willow are taken to Principal Snyder's office for questioning.
At home, Joyce – founder of Mothers Opposed to the Occult ("MOO") – takes credit for the locker searches, forbids Buffy to see Willow anymore, and says Buffy's Slaying does Sunnydale no good. Buffy angrily goes out on patrol. The ghosts of the two children appear to Joyce and tell her she has to hurt the "bad girls."
Willow goes home where her mother calmly tells her she's grounded. Willow flips out, unable to control her anger towards the fact that her mother does not believe that she's a witch.
At the park, Buffy talks with Angel, who convinces her not to give up fighting. When he makes a passing remark about the children and their parents, Buffy is struck by the thought that the children's parents were never mentioned. She returns to the library to find Giles, Xander and Oz, where she realizes that none of them know anything at all about the two child victims. The only fact anyone knows about them is that they were found dead - yet MOO's publicity uses pictures of them alive. Buffy and the others quickly realise that there is absolutely no information regarding the children's names, their families, or where they lived. After using the Internet to contact Willow, the Scooby Gang learn that every fifty years throughout history, the murdered bodies of two nameless children have been found dead. The earliest record dating from Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
during 1649, where a cleric from the Black Forest
Black Forest
The Black Forest is a wooded mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south. The highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 metres ....
discovered the corpses of "Hans and Greta Strauss", inspiring the fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel
Hansel and Gretel
"Hansel and Gretel" is a well-known fairy tale of German origin, recorded by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812. Hansel and Gretel are a young brother and sister threatened by a cannibalistic hag living deep in the forest in a house constructed of cake and confectionery. The two children...
. Giles explains that certain demons thrive on watching humans destroy each other through persecution and ignorance. This demon assumes the form of the murdered boy and girl, and returns every fifty years to persuade a town to kill the "bad girls" – innocents accused as witches, and thus peaceful communities are torn apart through vigilante madness. According to Giles, this is what set off the Salem Witch Trials
Salem witch trials
The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings before county court trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Middlesex in colonial Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693...
.
Amy, Willow, and Buffy are taken by force to City Hall where they are tied to wooden posts, atop a pile of books. Xander and Oz get to Willow's room to discover her gone and her room in a shambles. Cordelia finds Giles unconscious at the Summers' home, wakes him and they rush to City Hall. Just as Buffy wakes up, her mother lights books on fire, sentencing the three girls to death by burning at the stake. Amy escapes by transforming herself into a rat (as she had once done to Buffy).
On the way to City Hall, Giles practices an incantation while Cordelia prepares a concoction to force the demon to show its real self. Oz and Xander climb through the air vents in the hope of saving their friends. Giles and Cordelia break into the room while the parents watch the growing fire, and Cordelia uses a fire hose to put the fire out. As the demon—now in its true, ugly form—goes for Buffy, she breaks the stake she was tied to and impales the creature with it. Everyone is safe, and the demon is dead. Moments after, the vents give way, and Xander and Oz fall to the ground. Taking in the wreckage, Oz lamely says "We're here to save you."
The next day, none of the parents remember much of the recent events. Buffy and Willow are performing a spell in Willow's room to restore Amy, but it fails and Buffy suggests, "Maybe we should get her one of those wheel thingies
Hamster wheel
Most wheels are constructed of steel or plastic, both with advantages and problems. Solid plastic wheels are safer for some types of pets, such as hamsters and hedgehogs, because the space between rungs is solid and the animal's feet or legs cannot get stuck between rungs, an injury risk in steel...
."
Continuity
- This is the first and only time that Willow's mother, Sheila Rosenberg, is shown.
- Angel and Buffy philosophically discuss why they fight, reactively defeating evil threats that never stop coming. This theme is prominent in the spin-off series AngelAngel (TV series)Angel is an American television series, a spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series was created by Buffys creator, Joss Whedon, in collaboration with David Greenwalt, and first aired on October 5, 1999...
. - Amy MadisonAmy MadisonAmy Madison is a fictional character, a witch played by Elizabeth Anne Allen in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and by Shay Astar in the Season 8 motion comics. She made appearances in every season of Buffy except Seasons Five .Amy is a witch...
turns herself into a rat to escape the stake; she will be restored again by Willow in a brief moment in the episode "Something Blue," before being turned into a rat again, and then fully restored two years later in the Season Six episode "Smashed." - Cordelia helps Buffy and Willow avoid being burned at the stake, marking the beginning of her re-alliance with the Scooby Gang which will continue, albeit tempestuously, for the remainder of the season.
- JoyceJoyce SummersJoyce Summers is a fictional character in the fantasy television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer . Played by Kristine Sutherland, Joyce is the mother of the main character, Buffy Summers . Joyce appears regularly from the first episode until the character's death in the fifth season episode "The...
and GilesRupert GilesRupert Giles is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The character is portrayed by Anthony Stewart Head. He serves as Buffy Summers' mentor and surrogate father figure...
are still very embarrassed when together since their teenage "behaviour" in "Band Candy", as their awkward discussion shows while the group is at the "MOO" conference. - The fact that Giles knows how to pick a door's lock is another hint about his tempestuous youth, as Cordelia noticed: "God, you really were the little youthful offender, weren't you? You must just look back on that and cringe.".
- When Cordelia finds Giles at Buffy's house and awakens him, she says, "I swear, one of these times, you're going to wake up in a coma," a sentiment which foreshadows her later experience during Season Five of AngelAngel (TV series)Angel is an American television series, a spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series was created by Buffys creator, Joss Whedon, in collaboration with David Greenwalt, and first aired on October 5, 1999...
, in "You're Welcome."