The Pack
Written by: Matt Kiene & Joe Reinkemeyer
Directed by: Bruce Seth Green
Cast : Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers, Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris, Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg, Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia Chase, Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles.
Guest stars : Ken Lerner as Principal Flutie, Eion Bailey as Kyle, Brian Gross as Tor, Jennifer Sky as Heidi, Jeff Maynard as Lance, James Stephens as the Zookeeper, Gregory White as Coach Herrold, Michael McRaine as Rhonda.
Original broadcast date : April 7, 1997
Sunnydale High students are having an outing at the city zoo, which pleases less Buffy than Xander and Willow, who are eagerly watching the zebras mate. Meanwhile, four mean students, Rhonda, Heidi, Kyle and Tor, have fun by picking on other students, including Buffy and shy, bookish Lance. Principal Flutie breaks up the fun, but Lance sticks up for them and they reward him by having him escort them to the restricted Hyena exhibit. Xander spots them, smells trouble for Lance and walks after them. As for Buffy and Willow, intent on accompanying him, they are stopped by a zookeeper who tells them that the area is restricted because the hyenas just came in from Africa and they are quarenteened.
The four bullies have a ball pushing Lance dangerously close to the hyenas. Xander steps in, but everybody except Lance gets caught by the hyena’s glares. Their glow brightly and they all start laughing. Later, at the Bronze, a newly confident Xander rudely takes Buffy’s food; he also joins the four bullies in cruelly teasing an overweight boy.
At school, Xander goes even further by cheerfully insulting Willow to tears, which, apart from making Buffy quite mad, alarms her enough to have her speak to Giles. Unfortunately, the latter believes Xander is just undergoing teenage crisis.
Meanwhile, as Principal Flutie proudly presents Sunnydale High¹s new mascot, Herbert the piglet, Xander and the pack obviously earmark it for further use Poor Herbert goes from being a plaything in his cage to being lunch. When the remnants of the piglet are found, Giles is finally convinced that there is something wrong with Xander and the other four. The research points to a ceremony in which the spirits of the hyenas were transferred in the five students.
Buffy goes to look for Xander and the four others, hoping to avoid more deaths, when she encounters a sexually-aroused Xander who succeeds in pinning her up against the soda machine and attempting to sexually assault her. Buffy escapes by knocking him unconscious with a desk, and brings him back to the library where she locks him up.
Unfortunately for Principal Flutie, he decides to take up the question of Herbert¹s demise with the four bullies. As he tries to lecture them, they corner him and eat him. After Giles learns of this conveniently blamed by the police on a pack of wild dogs -he and Buffy take off to get more information from the zoo keeper while Willow bravely volunteers to guard Xander. When he awakens, he tries to trick her into letting him out, but she doesn¹t fall for it.
With the zookeeper, Buffy and Giles prepare the transpossession ceremony that will put the hyenas¹ spirits back where they belong. However, when they learn that the pack will come looking for its lost member before feeding, Buffy rushes back to the school to save Willow. But the pack has beat her to it, and breaks Xander out of the cage while Willow runs for her life, hiding under a desk as the bullies-hyenas follow her scent. Buffy and Giles arrive in the nick of time, chasing the pack away. They agree that Buffy will try to lure the pack to the zoo, while Willow will stand guard outside the hyenas¹ cage, in order to warn Giles and the zookeeper of the pack¹s approach.
Meanwhile, the zookeeper, bare-chested and wearing ominous makeup, is preparing for the ceremony that will put the hyenas¹ spirits in him. Giles arrives in time to put it all together, but gets knocked out by the zookeeper before he can do something. When Willow hears Buffy getting closer, the pack in chase, she runs in to warn Giles and the zookeeper. But the zookeeper takes her hostage and holds her at knifepoint as he performs the ceremony that makes him into a hyena.
Xander comes to his senses in time to stop the zookeeper from biting Willow; Buffy fights said zookeepr and knocks him into the hyena cage, where the hyenas get a free snack.
At school the next day, Xander feigns memory loss as he apologizes for anything he may have done while he was a hyena. The girls buy it, but Giles tells Xander that he¹s quite certain memory loss is not a side-effect of the transpossession. However, he promises to keep it secret, to which Xander answers, “Shoot me, stuff me, mount me.”
Summary by OttsFiveByFive.
Episode Ratings
Mac -
“One of the darkest episodes even to this day.”
DJ Angelus -
“Great Xander focused episode.”
Quotes
Key: B=Buffy, G=Giles, X=Xander, W=Willow, PF=Prinicipal Flutie
Pack Member: Do you ever wonder why nobody cool ever wants to hang out with you? B: Just thankful.
X: This is about *not* being in class. B: You’re right. Suddenly, the animals look shiny and new.
PF: I have had it up to here with you four. What are you doing? Kyle: Nothing PF: Did I ask you to speak? …. Okay, I guess I did.
X: Playing with him as a cat plays with a mouse.
W: They’re obnoxious, professionally.
X: Why don’t you pick on someone your own species?
B: Well, I’m not constantly monitoring his health, his moods, his blood pressure… W: 130 over 80. B: You got it bad, girl!
B: I suppose some girls might find him good-looking. If they have eyes. Okay, he’s a honey!
X: You took a bath. B: Yeah, I often do. I’m actually known for it.
B: And the weird behavior award goes to…
G: You just run along to class, while I wait for the feeling to return to my arms.
Gym Teacher: God, this game is brutal. I love it!
G: It’s devastating. He’s turned into a sixteen-year-old boy. Of course you’ll have to kill him.
G: Testosterone is a great equalizer. It turns all men into morons.
B: I can’t believe that you, of all people, are trying to Scully me.
B: What are you going to do? G: Get my books. Look stuff up.
PF: You’re going to have so much detention, your grandchildren’ll be staying after school.
W: Hyenas aren’t well liked. B: They do seem to be the schmoes of the animal kingdom.
W: Why couldn’t he be possessed by a puppy, or some ducks?
X: I’ve been waiting for you to jump my bones.
X: Guess who just got mean.
B: I hit him. W: With what? B: A desk.
B: It’s safe to say that in his animal state, his idea of wooing doesn’t involve a Yanni CD and a bottle of chianti.
B: They ate Principal Flutie?
B: They’re tough, but I think they’re getting stupider.
B: Didn’t your mom teach you? Don’t play with your food.
X: Nobody messes with my Willow.
B: This is definitely the superior Xander. Accept no substitutes.
B: See you at lunch. X: Hey, going vegetarian, huh?
G: I’ve been reading up on animal possession, and I cannot find anything anywhere about memory loss afterwards. X: Did you tell them that? G: Your secret dies with me. X: Shoot me, stuff me, mount me.