Buffy the Vampire Slayer/The Pack

The Pack
Season 1, Episode 6
Airdate	April 7, 1997
Production Number	4V06
Written by	Matt Kiene & Joe Reinkemeyer
Directed by	Bruce Seth Green
← 1x05 Never Kill a Boy on the First Date	1x07 → Angel
Buffy the Vampire Slayer — Season One

The Pack is the sixth episode of the first season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. On a field trip to the Sunnydale Zoo, Xander plus a group of students are possessed by spirits of the hyena.

Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase) (credit only)

and Anthony Stewart Head (Giles)

Guest Starring: Ken Lerner (Principal Flutie), Eion Bailey (Kyle), Michael McRaine (Rhonda), Brian Gross (Tor), Jennifer Sky (Heidi), Jeff Maynard (Lance)

and James Stephens (Dr. Wierick)

Co-Starring: David Brisbin (Mr. Anderson), Barbara K. Whinnery (Mrs. Anderson), Gregory White (Coach Herrold), Justin Jon Ross (Joey), Jeffrey Steven Smith (Adam), Patrese Borem (Young Woman)

Plot Overview

Buffy and Willow discover that all men are animals when Xander and the other boys from school are possessed by bloodthirsty demonic hyenas.

Notes

Monster of the Week

• Hyena Demon: In the episode, a hyena shows the ability to possess people who look it in the eye. According to the guard who stops Buffy and Willow from intruding, the Masai of the Serengeti are preyed upon by the hyena, who calls the name of the weak tribesman and kills him when he's led away from the rest of the group. The tribe itself is real, but the "Primals," the offshoot who live in a state of animal transpossession, are fictional.

Body Count

#	Whom	By Whom	How	Where
1	Principal Flutie	The Pack	Eaten	School

Music

• "All I Want" by Dashboard Prophets: In the first scene after the opening titles, "All I Want" by Dashboard Prophets is playing in the background while Buffy and Willow talk at The Bronze.

• "Reluctant Man" by Sprung Monkey: When Kyle and the gang of hyena possessed bullies arrive at The Bronze, "Reluctant Man" by Sprung Monkey is playing in the background. It is the sixth Sprung Monkey song to appear in the series, likely because the band appeared on stage in the pilot.

• "Job's Eyes" by Far: When the pack of hyena possessed teenagers, including Xander, are walking down the hall in slow motion, "Job's Eyes" by Far plays in the background. "Job's Eyes" first appeared on the band's third album, Tin Cans with Strings to You. The emocore band is most famous for being a starting vehicle for Jonah Matranga (who would go on to form Onelinedrawing).

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• Sunnydale High: Principal Flutie becomes the first Sunnydale High principal to be killed on the job when possessed students quite literally devour him. He begins a trend of very unlucky high school principals who run afoul the Hellmouth. Additionally, the cage in the library is destroyed for the first time.

Characters

• Willow: Although it has been hinted at in previous episodes, Willow's crush on Xander is made very clear in this episode.

Trivia

The Show

• M.I.A.: Charisma Carpenter does not appear in this episode.

Behind the Scenes

• International Titles: Because Buffy the Vampire Slayer is an international phenomenon, the title of this episode has been translated into several different episodes to go along with the redubbed show. Some of these names are listed below:
  • French: "Les Hyènes" ("The Hyenas")
  • German: "Der Ruf der Hyänen" ("The Call of the Hyenas")
  • Italian: "Il branco" ("The Pack")
  • Japanese: "群れ" ("Mure" - "The Pack")
  • Portuguese: "A Matilha" ("The Pack")

Allusions and References

• Scully: Dana Scully was a character on the television show The X-Files and was characterized as always being skeptical of the supernatural occurrences her partner, Fox Mulder, believed in.

Buffy: I cannot believe that you, of all people, are trying to Scully me!

Quotes

• Kyle: (notices Buffy walking alone) Oh, look. It's Buffy and all her friends.

Buffy: That's witty.

Tor: Do you ever wonder why nobody cool ever wants to hang out with you?

Buffy: Just thankful.

• Xander: We just saw the zebra's mating. Thank you, very exciting.

Willow: It was like the Heimlich, with stripes.

• Giles: Right! That's enough training for one day.

Buffy: Well, that last roundhouse was kinda sloppy. Are you sure you don't wanna do it again?

Giles: No! No, no, that's fine. You just... run along to class. While I wait for the feeling to return to my arms.

• Giles: Xander's taken to teasing the less fortunate?

Buffy: Uh-huh.

Giles: And, there's been a noticeable change in both clothing and demeanour?

Buffy: Yes.

Giles: And, well, otherwise all his spare time is spent lounging about with imbeciles.

Buffy: It's bad, isn't it?

Giles: It's devastating - he's turned into a sixteen-year-old boy. Of course, you'll have to kill him.

Buffy: Giles, I'm serious.

Giles: So am I. Except for the part about killing him. Testosterone is a great equalizer. It turns all men into morons. He will, however, get over it.

• Buffy: Wow. Apparently Noah rejected the hyenas from the Ark because he thought they were an evil impure mixture of dogs and cats.

Willow: Hyenas aren't well liked.

Buffy: They do seem to be the schmoes of the animal kingdom.

Willow: Why couldn't Xander be possessed by a puppy, or some ducks?

• Willow: Oh, my God, Xander! What happened?

Buffy: I hit him.

Willow: With what?

Buffy: A desk.

• Willow: I heard the vice principal's taking over until they can find a replacement.

Buffy: It shouldn't be too hard to find a new principal. Unless they ask what happened to the last one.

• Giles: I've been reading up on my, uh, animal possession and I cannot find anything anywhere about memory loss afterwards.

Xander: Did you tell them that?

Giles: Your secret dies with me.

Xander: Shoot me, stuff me, mount me.