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| Writer: | Rob Des Hotel and Dean Batali |
| Director: | Ellen S. Pressman |
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| - | Review |
This episode suffers from one major problem: it is way too slow. Aside from that it is a fantastic cliche-bending trip that goes to really unexpected places. For about the first half of the episode I'm sure that the dummy is the bad guy causing the mysterious deaths. Then the focus switches to the owner of the dummy, then it switches to Principal Snyder, then back to the dummy again, then back to Snyder again, then...well, you get the point. There comes a time when you have to just give up guessing who committed the murders and just wait to find out. The final answer is thankfully not the dummy.
I've got to say, Principal Snyder is a breath of fresh air (while also being a breath of vile air to the characters). He comes in with his "I'm not Mr. Cuddly" speech which shows he's a hardliner. All episode long he's snooping around campus looking for trouble makers. It's also obvious from the moment he meets Buffy that he doesn't like her. This dislike will soon be transformed into active expulsion threats all the way through S2.
While I admire the plot twists, it doesn't help diminish the fact that I still don't like any episode involving a dummy. Sid, which is the dummy's name, gets old really quickly so that when he is finally freed from his wooden jail I can't help but not care. Though I suppose he gets points for calling Buffy nubile. Aside from the twisty plot, there are also a lot of laughs which helps fill in the boring time.
| - | Minor Pros/Cons (+/-) |
| Pros: | |
| + | Cordelia sings horribly and is very funny to laugh at. |
| + | Giles in charge of the talent show is very amusing. |
| + | Giles scares away Cordelia by taking Xander's advice of making a gesture and saying "your hair." : ) |
| + | The final scene before the credits is amusing. Snyder says, "I don't get it. Is it avant-garde?" |
| + | The credits rock! Willow runs off stage while Buffy and Xander scoot in and touch the stick! Haha. |
| - | Foreshadowing |
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| - | Quotes |
| BUFFY: | Giles, unto every generation is born one who must run the annual talentless show. You cannot escape your destiny. |
| WILLOW: | The creep factor is also heightened. It could be anyone. It could be me! (gets looks from them all) It's not, though. |
| - | Score |
| 75/100 | B- |
Flawed in some areas. Possibly lacking in character development and relevance or possessing a poor plot and/or villain. There's still a lot of good material mixed in with the mediocre.
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| - | Screencaps |
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| - | Comments (11) |
| 1. | jessica thompsonDec 1, 2006 (Fri) | |
| once again a really great reveiw. jezi292@hotmail.co.uk |
| 2. | LibMaxJul 14, 2007 (Sat) | |
| This is my least favorite of all the Buffy episodes, sorry. It's a mystery without even one valid clue, a comedy that mostly made me groan (except for Snyder). But it's the non-stop barrage of insults to the viewer's intelligence that really put me off. Okay, so there's this Demon Hunter. The episode implies that Demon Hunters are the counterpart to Vampire Slayers, but we'll never hear of them again (excepting the lame title Wesley clearly makes up for himself in "Parting Gifts," Angel S1). But he's killed a demon, and the demon can curse him into an inanimate object (but not, apparently, in time to avoid being killed by him). So what'll it be? Ashtray, doormat, toilet brush? No, a ventriloquist's dummy, so he can walk and talk and wield a knife! What a considerate demon. Now another demon needs a human heart and brain to be able to stay in human form. The demon's behavior clearly shows that it recognizes the advantages of stealth. But it decides to choose both of its victims from a very public high school talent show, and enters the show itself to maximize its chances of getting caught. The Demon Hunter, now in dummy form, tracks the demon to the high school. He can't identify the demon by sight, so he derives no advantage from being part of the show himself - just much less freedom of movement and a reluctant partner who may or may not accidentally betray him. Said partner is a supersmart A student, not someone with a gift for gab or comedy who might make the act look natural. We might suspect that Sid has decided that the demon will go after the kid to get that smart brain, but we're giving Sid too much credit - he pays no attention to his partner, and the demon gets him while Sid is occupied elsewhere. And it turns out (what are the odds!) that this A student has a brain disease which makes his brain useless to the demon so they can all get a second shot at him. Sid, of course, is completely unaware of this. Also, I could have lifted that chandelier, enough to get out from under it, myself. Buffy should have been able to throw it like a frisbee. And these are only the worst of the howlers this episode throws at us. The DVD commentary confirms that this episode was made because Joss and the other writers thought a ventriloquist's dummy would make a creepy adversary. A) How original! B) The dummy itself and every effect involving the dummy were cheesy and campy and not the least bit scary, and C) Maybe it would be a better idea to come up with a story and/or a point first and then fit the monster to it, rather than the other way around. There's no such thing as a Buffy episode with nothing good in it. This one has Armin Shimerman's Principal Snyder, who is hilarious every time he's on screen. There's also the funny travesty of Oedipus Rex, but that was a piece of fluff very appropriately played over the credits, like Boreanaz and Denisof's dancing dork contest in "Expecting," Angel S1. |
| 3. | mikejerJul 14, 2007 (Sat) | |
| LibMax, you make a very convincing case against this episode. Most S1 episodes aren't of the same quality (or in the same ballpark) as the rest of the series, but that doesn't mean I can't still lightly enjoy some of these episodes. "The Puppet Show" is one of those episodes I just don't mind all that much, even though you have brought up some very good concerns. Note: in case you didn't read the note at the top of the S1 review list (no one seems to), I plan on re-writing all my S1 reviews as they're also not of the same quality as the rest of my reviews. So don't give too much weight to the scores I gave episodes in this season. :) |
| 4. | LibMaxJul 23, 2007 (Mon) | |
| Oh, I forgot one. Compare the sequence in which the Scoobies question talent contestants in Puppet Show with the nearly identical sequence in Earshot, Season Three. The sequence in Earshot is hilarious throughout. The biggest laugh in the Puppet Show sequence is the bit about conflict between the swing band and the cheerleaders. Which is observational humor without the humor part - like if Jerry Seinfeld got up on stage and said, "Remember in high school, how much the swing band hated the cheerleaders and vice versa?" And then stopped. This is also a useful exercise for those who consider Season One to be as good as or better than the seasons that came after. YMMV of course. |
| 5. | buffyholicOct 5, 2007 (Fri) | |
| I really like this one. The plot is average but the characters have a lot of fun with it. I love the introduction of Principal Synder, a character I love to hate. My favourite scene is the end credits and also Synder`s remark about being avant garde. That always cracks me up. |
| 6. | OtterBearJan 4, 2008 (Fri) | |
| LibMax, I think you miss what makes this episode fun. When we are talking about a plot involving a talking dummy, we are supposed to suspend belief for a while. The writers knew very well that this is a B-movie situation, and handled the material with the appropriate amount of tounge-in-cheek attitude. As for the dummy effects, well you have to remember that this is season one and the budget was small. Besides, I like that it is a bit campy as it adds to the B-movie feel. The only thing I agree with you about is the chandelier. It just doesn't seem that heavy. But both Buffy and Angel's physical strength varies over the episodes as required by the plot. BTW I love every scene in this episode involving Cordelia. |
| 7. | SamNov 23, 2008 (Sun) | |
| I think Season 1 is underrated. Sure, it's shorter due to being a mid-season replacement, but I think many of the episodes are very enjoyable, and it's remarkably sufficient for a shorter arc. While this isn't my favorite episode, I do think it's very funny. Sid is corny, but the episode gets better as it goes along. I especially love Buffy's "Ewwwww!" when she kicks the villain and his demon skin peers out from under his human disguise. |
| 8. | RaskolnikovAug 6, 2009 (Thu) | |
| I love this one. Partly because it was the first full episode of Buffy that I saw. But even beyond that it's a great comedy with so many great lines and little character moments. The ending pre and post credits are awesome, it takes real talent for Geller and the others to portray such bad acting convincingly. And Snyder was hilarious from the start. "There are some things I won't tolerate in my school. Students loitering after hours. Ghastly murders with the heart removed. Also, smoking." One thing I noticed in rewatch is how spooked and nervous Buffy was towards Snyder. Quite a contrast to S2 when she's so openly dismissive of him (especially I Only Have Eyes For You) and downright threatening in Becoming. There is growing. |
| 9. | BethSep 8, 2009 (Tue) | |
| "The Puppet Show" is my favorite Season One episode. Yep, that's right. I find it very funny, with great character interactions, plot twists and overall silliness. I can see why some people might not like it, but it just happens to work for me. |
| 10. | RedSep 10, 2009 (Thu) | |
| I think it'd be worth noting in the foreshadowing that one of Snyder's first lines is about doing things a certain way, because otherwise it leads to being eaten. And that's how he dies. The episode is a bit ham-handed, but totally worth the end when Synder says, "I don't get it. What is it, Avant Garde?" Best line in the episode. And also the credits with the poorly acted drama and Willow running offstage. |
| 11. | SmallprintMar 4, 2010 (Thu) @ 2:57am | |
| This episode I liked a lot. It was great because of the twist who was the murderer. It also of course reminded me of the horror flicks "Chucky" and Argento's giallo "Deep red". In this film the killer sends a automatic controlled doll to another victim with a knife in his hand. |
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