Well folks, after a very drawn out hiatus "Gingerbread" finally hit the air waves. It all begins one starry night in Sunnydale, where the happy go lucky Slayer is doing "the usual" (c'mon now, you know: pointy objects and blood sucking fiends. What else could you possibly expect?) Unfortunately for Buffy, Mrs.Summers makes a cameo appearance in order to slot in some mother/daughter bonding time (which doesn't prove successful after Joyce stumbles upon the bodies of two children). Shaken and confused, Joyce puts together "MOO" (mothers oppressing the occult) which turns out rather badly when Joyce gets loose lipped and brings up the mention of 'Slayers' in a sermon to the community.

Meanwhile Buffy is having her own wig-fest when she discovers that someone with a soul was the culprit behind the deaths of the little ones. Giles does the unpredictable and 'hits the books' *shocker* which are soon unavailable because of a school raid (locker checks included) in search of anything regarding the black arts. It would seem that Joyce betrayed her daughter's confidence and once again let the cat out of the bag *well at least it wasn't some decomposing zombie cat this time around* regarding the possibility that witchcraft may have been the source behind the deaths (there was some funky geometric symbol on the victims, leading Giles to believe there was some bibbidy-bobbidy-boo action goin' on). Willow's loyalty to good-ness is put into question after we see her, Amy, and...I think his name is Stephen (but my memory lapses seem to be recurring here - just picture a testosterone being with an addiction to CoverGirl products) conducting a ritual (which she later claims to a be a protection spell for Buffy's birthday) around the symbol which was seen on the dead children. Now the dynamic..uhhh...trio are under supreme-o suspicion and the Snyde-man gets to play the sadist part *which he does oh so well* and lug his students off to interrogation-land.

In the midst of all the hoop-lah we are introduced to Mrs.Rosenberg - a very busy lady with little/no time for her offspring *hey, but at least she notices Willow's not-so-brand-spankin' hair cut which is a semi-kinda-sorta-possible plus* Joyce and Mrs.Roseberg become aqquainted and after some time they both ban their children from seeing one another. Similar to "Band Candy", the adults go coo-coo for cocoa puffs *luckily they nix it with the make-out sessions* and decide to go wiggy on Willow, Amy and the Buff-ster.

After Joyce tells Buffy that her extra-curricular activities (slaying) are fruitless, Buffy runs into Angel at the scene of the crime and seeks comfort in his knack for moral superiority and comforting hugs *as if I could leave out that part* He insists that fighting is obligatory because there are things to fight for, and also confesses that Buffy taught him to keep on fighting - no matter what *so I guess that means to keep on truckin' even when you're a vampire prepped for some sun bathing on a hill overlooking Sunnydale...on Christmas Eve....before it starts to snow....anyone see the heavy duty hint-age going on here?* Buffy's spider sense goes off when she realizes that no one knows who the children's parents are. After conferring with her Watcher, she and Giles return to her house to have a chit chat with Joyce, who promptly has the G-Man conked out and Buffy sedated.

Now Buffy wakes up to a not so comfy scenario, including bondage and a roaring fire *c'mon now, don't get kinky on me dangnabbit* with Willow and Amy along-side her. The adults of the community *yep, that means Joyce and Mrs.Rosenberg too* have decided to put an end to the shenanigans. *Hmmm, perhaps I should mention the fact that the two children killed are really some ogre- like demon sent every 50 years to reak havoc and manipulate the minds of those in small towns - yeah, that would've helped!* Well luckily for the Chosen One, help is on its way; Giles and Cordelia arrive in the knick of time to conduct a spell which allows the demon to be seen in it's true form. Hysteria ensues and Buffy shish-kabob's the baddy so that the credits may roll.

Assorted opinions from Me, Myself and I: I found this to be one of those stand alone episodes that you either love or hate - there really is no in between; Joss crossed some lines that really shouldn't have been crossed. Seeing our ever so likable compu-diva calling to the "darker powers" (including Beezelbub) for assistance was not a welcome display. Sorry, perhaps I'm being a tad bit closed minded but I, for one, did not enjoy the hell-ish references *which probably makes my train of thought seem overly wacky considering this _is_ the Hellmouth we're dealing with but it's my choo-choo and gosh dangit it's gonna be a wacky one* It has been rumoured for quite some time that Joss was going to dabble in some serious issues on the show, granted this was one of those shows.

Something to note though: the interaction between Buffy and Angel was definitely a refreshing change from the uncomfortable, strangled and awkward encounters they have had so far this season. Yes, there is still a little angst but nothing aside of the obvious; he's there for her and is perfectly willing to play "Sigmund" in her time of uneasiness. His role in her life is a big one and I really don't think that's going to change - even after he's hopped a jet plane outta her sector. They are both there for each other, and each one gets to take a turn in going off the deep end. Looks like "Amends" tidied things up for this verrry screwed up pair; it's amazing what a little 'Jack-Frost action' can do for a tortured vamp.

As for Xander, I know Robyn's going to most likely jump me for this but I really do think his character is becoming a little more likable *I know, I know, it's pretty inconceivable* but maybe the boy finally got his much needed wake up call - it's about time! (My thoughts exactly, chica - it's definitely about time that sad little schmuck stopped feeling sorry for himself and taking it out on the Buffster and Angel, yes? - Robyn)

Well, once again I've used yet another nutshell; I wonder if the supply is never-ending?