With a kooky plot, Teacher's Pet struggles to tread new ground, as if the producers were having trouble coming to terms with a story that wasn't simply about Buffy and the vampires.

It's also uncomfortably paced, with several elements that seem to have been tagged on to a short script to bring it up to the regulation length. The plot strands involving the fork-handed vampire, the diversion to visit the real Miss French, and Xander's guitar-playing daydream all seem superfluous.

David Greenwalt's script brings some new dimensions to Xander's character, but emphasises the more buffoonish aspects. To compensate, there are a few delightful moments, including Cordelia explaining that some good has come of Doctor Gregory's death, (the discovery of his headless body in the canteen refrigerator has put her off her food and she's lost seven ounces!), and the mental image conjured by Giles' description of his strait-jacketed colleague, Carlisle.

The effects for the She-Mantis are very effective, helped no doubt by the dingy lighting in Miss French's basement. It would have been more satisfying though if there had been more interaction between the She-Mantis and Buffy during the episode's finale.