Buffy Logo 'The Witch'
Story Code '4V03'

by Dana Reston
Buffy

It's time for the cheerleading tryouts at Sunnydale High, and so Buffy decides to give it a go, seeing as she was a member of the cheerleading squad at her old school of Hemrey High. Along with a nervous student called Amy, she is successfully named as one of the reserves. But as practices begin, horrible things begin to happen to the cheerleaders: one girl bursts into flames; another’s mouth freezes over; and then Cordelia inexplicably becomes blind. Xander, Willow and Buffy begin to suspect that Amy may be behind the attacks, as her mother was one of the best ever cheerleaders at Sunnydale, and she seems to be putting a lot of pressure on her daughter to succeed. When the three friends decide to perform a simple spell which will reveal whether Amy really is a witch or not, the test shows positive. Meanwhile, Amy returns home and is particularly abusive towards her mother, Catherine; she then retreats to her attic to perform a spell to get rid of Buffy. When Buffy begins acting bizarrely Giles realises that she has been cursed with a deadly ‘draining spell’ and will die if it is not reversed; he decides to take Buffy to Amy’s house, where they meet Amy's mother. But an extremely weak Buffy realises that Amy is actually inhabiting her mother's body and vice versa; 'Catherine' reveals that her mother is an extremely powerful witch, and has swapped bodies with her so that she can re-live her glory days as a cheerleader. All three return to the school, where Giles begins a reversal spell to cure Buffy. Willow and Xander keep an eye on ‘Amy’, but she realises what is happening and attacks them. She then tries to assault Buffy, but Giles manages to complete the spell in time, restoring Buffy to full health. Catherine attempts to cast another spell on Buffy, but the Slayer uses a mirror to reflect the spell back at the witch; Amy is restored to her proper body, while her mother is left to spend an eternity trapped inside a statue atop a trophy in a cabinet containing the school’s awards.

Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase), Anthony Stewart Head (Rupert Giles), Kristine Sutherland (Joyce Summers), Elizabeth Anne Allen (Amy), Robin Riker (Catherine), Jim Doughan (Mr. Pole), Nicole Prescott (Lishanne), Amanda Wilmshurst (Senior cheerleader), William Monaghan (Dr. Gregory)
Directed by Stephen Cragg

TX (US): 17th March 1997
TX (UK - Sky One): 17th January 1998
TX (UK - BBC 2): 6th January 1999

Notes:
*The first appearance of Amy Madison