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The episode starts on a field trip at the Zoo.  While there, a group of bullies picks on a studious type guy named Lance.  Principal Flutie breaks it up, but they coerce Lance to go with them down to the Hyena exhibit, which is closed to the public.  The Scooby Gang figures something's up, and Xander follows them.  Inside the bullies begin to dump Lance into the hyena pit, but suddenly they (including Xander) are all posessed by the Hyena spirit.  Lance, who was not, quickly runs out.  At the Bronze later, Willow comments that Xander has been acting weird, and eventually admits her feelings for him.  Back at school, Sunnydale's new mascot "Herbert" the pig squeals and struggles in Buffy's arms when Xander walks by...then stops when he's gone.  That day in gym, it's dodgeball inside.  Buffy and Willow are on one side, Xander, the rest of the Pack, and Lance are on the other.  Eventually, everyone's out but Buffy on her side, and The Pack and Lance on theirs.  As one, the Pack turns and pummels Lance with their dodgeballs.  Buffy breaks it up and helps Lance up.  Later, Willow confronts Xander about his behavior, and he is mercilessly cruel to her.  Buffy overhears and goes to Giles with her suspicions.  Meanwhile, the Pack breaks into Herbert the mascot's room, and devour the pig.  When news of this reaches Giles and Buffy, they know there's something going on.  In the meantime, Principal Flutie brings the Pack into his office for the killing of Herbert.  The Pack circles him like prey, and eat him too.  Xander however, is missing.  Buffy finds him in Herbert's room, where Xander tries to sexually assault Buffy.  She knocks him out and locks him in the cage in the library.  (the first time the cage there is used for this sort of thing...but not the last) They leave Willow in charge of him, and Buffy and Giles to go the Zoo to talk to the Zookeeper in charge of the hyenas.  While they're gone, Xander wakes and tries to get Willow to let him out, playing on her feelings for him.  It doesn't work, but the rest of the pack comes for him and breaks him out. The Zookeeper tells Buffy and Giles about the hyena spirit ritual, and he offers to help them do a reverse transposession.  They rush back to get Willow and Xander.  Back at school, Buffy sends Giles and Willow ahead to the Zoo, while she tries to lead The Pack there.  Giles goes to the hyena cage to see if things are prepared, and realizes that the zookeeper had been trying to "harness the power of the hyenas" for himself, and that was how the kids had gotten posessed in the first place.  The zookeeper makes short work of Giles and hides him away.  When Willow comes he binds her wrists and prepares to kill her for the predatory act necessary for the transposession. Buffy and the Pack run in, and the Zookeeper shouts some ritual verse and takes the posession from the kids into himself.  Xander jumps up to save Willow, and Buffy knocks the Zookeeper into the pit, where he is eaten.  The next day Xander pretends that he doesn't remember anything from when he was posessed, but Giles lets on that he knows the truth, though he'll keep Xander's secret from Buffy and Willow. Flaws:  They make a big deal out of the pig sqealing and freaking out when Xander walks by early in the ep, so we'll suspect what's happened to Xander...but when the whole Pack is circling Herbert's cage before they eat him, he seems perfectly calm.  Woops.  Thoughts on the episode: Nothing really important relayed in this episode..there is a nice little reference to it in "Phases" (Season 2), though.  Also, it pretty much comes out in the open to everyone that Willow loves Xander, Xander loves Buffy, and Buffy's got a thing for Angel. Best Line:  N/A

"The Pack"

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