The Hidden Foreshadowing in Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 1 That Fanatics Must Know!
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 1 tantalized viewers with unfulfilled mysteries From the enigmatic She-Mantis to the elusive invisible assassins, these intriguing plot lines kept fans on the edge of their seats only to be left wanting more
Summary
Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 1 hinted at the return of the She-Mantis, but the plotline was never revisited, leaving a loose end for viewers.
The series introduced the concept of an FBI-operated school housing imperceptible assassins, but unfortunately, this captivating idea was never fully delved into. However, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, despite abandoning these intriguing plot hints, thrived in enriching its central relationships, characters, and mythology over the course of its seven-season journey.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 1 had two teasing moments that ultimately went nowhere. The popular series focused on Sarah Michelle Gellar's character, Buffy, who was the Slayer of her generation, tasked with fighting against evil forces. While each season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer had overarching storylines, the show often shined when it presented stand-alone monster episodes. Despite a somewhat uneven start in its first season, Buffy still introduced memorable one-off characters.
During its initial episodes, the show hinted at the potential return of certain villains or unresolved storylines. It was expected that these story continuations would fizzle out as the series was still finding its footing during its 12-episode first season. In fact, many aspects of Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 1 were drastically different from the later seven-season series. Throughout those initial episodes, the writers focused on developing the show's central relationships, characters, and lore. Nevertheless, it would have been satisfying to revisit these dropped plotlines in future seasons of the '90s supernatural drama.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 1 Teased The Return Of The She-Mantis
In season 1, episode 4 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer titled "Teacher's Pet," substitute biology teacher Natalie French (played by Musetta Vander) had a peculiar fascination with insects and made highly inappropriate advances towards the male students at Sunnydale High. Among her admirers was Xander (played by Nicholas Brendon) who was infatuated with her. It was revealed that Ms. French was actually a part-praying mantis creature, similar to the insect. She would lure men into her trap and mate with them, ultimately decapitating them. In the end, Buffy defeated the disguised Ms. French, rescuing Xander, and destroying the She-Mantis' eggs that were found in her house.
However, towards the end of the episode, Buffy, unfortunately, missed the fact that there were still unhatched She-Mantis eggs attached to the bottom shelf of the biology lab's closet. As the credits rolled, one of the eggs began to hatch, suggesting that there could potentially be more of these dangerous creatures lurking somewhere in Sunnydale. Although the return of the She-Mantis storyline may not have had a significant impact on the show's overall narrative, addressing this unresolved plot point could have added more consistency to the world of Buffy. Furthermore, acknowledging the loose end would have demonstrated the series' attention to detail, rather than leaving viewers wondering.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Set Up Invisible Assassins (Who Never Returned)
Although certain aspects of Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 1 improved over time, the abandoned plot hints were not one of them. In the episode "Out of Mind, Out of Sight," Marcie Ross, a disregarded student at Sunnydale High (portrayed by Clea DuVall), became invisible due to the neglect from her peers and teachers. Marcie utilized her newfound ability to seek revenge on her classmates until Buffy and her friends intervened and saved the day. Towards the conclusion of the episode, two federal agents took Marcie to an FBI-operated school where other invisible students resided. Marcie amused herself by laughing while perusing her textbook, entitled "Assassination and Infiltration."
The implication, naturally, suggested that the FBI was recruiting an army of invisible individuals for some form of espionage program. Regrettably, the series never explored this intriguing concept, which became even more frustrating when Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 4 introduced the enigmatic government organization referred to as the Initiative. As Buffy and the Scoobies gradually uncovered, the Initiative was a covert government endeavor with the purpose of researching demons and monsters for military applications. The FBI-recruited squadron of invisible individuals appeared to align seamlessly with an organization like the Initiative, making it all the more disappointing that Buffy the Vampire Slayer chose to overlook yet another captivating hint from its first season.
