On a typical night of patrol and slaying, Buffy's routine
is unexpectedly interrupted by the arrival of her mother.
Joyce feels that it's time to get a better understanding
of her daughter's world by watching Buffy in action.
Almost as soon as Joyce arrives, a vampire enters the
scene. After Buffy chases him into the thick of the
woods, Joyce discovers the bodies of two dead
children, one boy and one girl, at a nearby playground. A strange symbol has been
enscribed in the palms of their hands. While the police investigate the crime
scene, Buffy tries to console her distraught mother.
Buffy tells Giles about the murdered children in the
library the next morning. She sketches the symbol she
noticed on their palms and shows it to Giles, who
believes it implies the handiwork of a cult. Buffy cannot
believe that humans are responsible for this as opposed
to demons. At lunch, nobody notices Joyce walking
into the cafeteria and straight to the gang's table. Buffy
excuses herself and takes her mom into the hallway. Joyce tells her daughter that
she's organized a meeting at City Hall for that night to discuss the murder. Dozens
of parents attend, including Sheila Rosenberg, Willow's mother. Willow can't
believe she's there, considering the fact that they barely communicate with each
other. After the Mayor delivers a textbook speech to the crowd, he invites Joyce to
the stand to lead them in a moment of silence. Instead, Joyce proposes a call to
action, declaring an end to the city's silence concerning the ubiquitous dangers
that plague Sunnydale. Later that night, Willow, Amy, and their friend Michael
gather together to explore their world of the black arts. On the floor beneath them
is the very same symbol that appeared on the two dead children.
At school the next morning, a group of students harass Michael by his locker,
stating their belief that witches were responsible for the children's murder. Amy
tries to fend them off, but it's Buffy who gets them to back off. Giles finds Buffy and
tells her that witches may in fact be the prime suspects. The book that Giles
needs to research this further was checked out by Willow, so he asks Buffy to get
it for him. Buffy finds Xander sitting in the lounge, who points out Willow's stuff.
As she picks up the book, Buffy notices the symbol
drawn on Willow's notebook. She asks Willow to
explain it, but their conversation is cut short by the
sudden commotion in the hallways. Under Principal
Synder's supervision, the local police inspect each and
every locker, looking for any signs of materials
pertaining to witchcraft. After Amy is escorted to the
office, Willow tells Buffy that the symbol is for a protection spell that she wanted to
cast for Buffy's upcoming birthday. In other words, the symbol and what it stands
for are completely harmless. At that moment, the cops open Willow's locker and
ask her to come with them. Buffy runs to the library and discovers a similar scene.
As the cops pack up all of Giles' books concerning the supernatural, Buffy tells
him about the misleading symbol.
Later that night, Buffy argues with her mother, who is
the founder of MOO (Mothers Opposed to the Occult).
Buffy insists that this matter be dealt with by the
Slayer. However, Joyce doesn't believe that Buffy's work
is making Sunnydale any better. After Buffy takes off,
the two deceased children appear in the kitchen... very
much alive. Joyce listens to them intently as they beg
her to make their murderers suffer. Meanwhile, Sheila grounds Willow for getting
into trouble at school. She orders her daughter to stay in her room for the rest of
the night.
At the park, Angel finds Buffy standing by the scene of
the crime, which is now decorated with flowers,
candles, and pictures of the children from a time when
they were still alive. Buffy has not forgotten her mother's
criticism of the Slayer's effectiveness. Angel reassures
Buffy that her destiny is not in vain. During their
conversation, Angel inadvertently alerts Buffy to a
mystery concerning the two children. She heads to the library and finds Giles,
Xander, and Oz trying to find any useful information on the internet. Buffy shares
her realization that nobody seems to know anything about the two children,
including their names or where they came from, and yet their pictures were
somehow available for use in MOO's campaign. Oz sends an instant message to
Willow, who then begins to search the web for any files or articles relating to the
two children. Apparently, the dead bodies of these same two children have been
repeatedly discovered once every fifty years, dating all the way back to 1649. The
oldest article identifies them as Hans and Greta Strauss. Unfortunately, Sheila
cuts off Willow's computer access at this moment, forcing Giles and the gang to
figure the rest out on their own. Giles recalls a theory that many fairy tales are
based on actual accounts of the supernatural. Buffy fills in the blanks, recalling the
story of Hansel and Gretel, who must have been based on Hans and Greta.
Suddenly, Michael bursts into the library and tells everybody that he was attacked
by his own family. He also informs them that Amy was taken from her home.
Xander and Oz head towards Willow's house while Buffy and Giles race back to
the Summers home to warn everybody. Back at the Rosenberg's, Willow answers
the knocking at her door and finds her mother... along with a group of angry
parents who want nothing but her death. Meanwhile, Buffy and Giles interrupt
another MOO meeting. As they take Joyce into the foyer to speak with her alone,
the rest of the group sneak up from behind and knock Giles unconscious. Joyce
does the same to Buffy with the help of some chloroform.
Buffy, Willow, and Amy are tied to large stakes in City
Hall, ready to be burned for the crimes they've been
accused of. Willow and Amy unsuccessfully struggle
with their restraints, while Buffy remains unconscious.
Meanwhile, Xander and Oz burst into Willow's room,
which was left a total mess in the wake of the angry
parents.
As they leave for City Hall, Giles is awoken by
an impatient Cordelia, who came to the house to find out what was going on. They
hurry to Giles' car and speed towards City Hall. During the drive, Giles has Cordy
mix together the ingredients for a spell while he tries to recall the incantation from
memory. Back at City Hall, Buffy finally regains consciousness and realizes the
situation she's in. Joyce refuses to listen to her daughter's pleas. Amy escapes
danger by transforming herself into a rat and bolting out of the room, but Willow
and Buffy are still moments away from a fiery death. Just as the fire is about to
engulf Buffy and Willow, Giles and Cordy burst into the room. While Cordy
extinguishes the fire, Giles casts the spell on the two children, who then combine
and change into the true form of a tall, hideous demon. As the parents realize the
deception and try to escape, Xander and Oz approach the scene via a ventilation
shaft above the ceiling. Without the help of the parents, the demon attempts to kill
Buffy and Willow directly and charges them. Buffy breaks the stake she's been
tied to in half and leans forward -- just in time to impale the demon. The silence
that follows is soon interrupted by the sight and sound of Xander and Oz falling
down through a weak spot in the ceiling and crashing down onto the floor.
A while after their near-death experience, Buffy and Willow discuss Sheila
Rosenberg's convenient memory loss concerning the demon, just like the way
Joyce Summers' memory used to operate before learning that her daughter was
the Slayer. Willow then makes another attempt at restoring the Amy rat to human
form. Unfortunately, Willow is going to need a little more practice before she can
pull this one off.
