"The Puppet Show" is one of those episodes that could have been very silly. Fortunately, in the capable hands of the Buffy creative team, it turned out to be one of the best. After principal Flutie gets eaten alive in "The Pack", Sunnydale High School gets a new leader in Principal Synder, an unpleasant, troll-like little man who is played to putrid perfection by actor Armin Shimmerman (perhaps best known for his role as Quark on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine). Synder does not like or trust any of his students and is a complete haunt; he ensnares Buffy, Xander and Willow into participating in the High School Talent Show, an activity which he believes will help Buffy to stay out of trouble.

However, trouble has a way of following Buffy around, and it is not long before one of the Talent Show members is found dead with her heart removed. Buffy and the gang go into action, trying to sort out who could be the prime suspect among the troupe. Their gaze of suspicion falls on a boy named Morgan, who has entered the Talent Show with a ventriloquist dummy named Sid. Morgan has been spotted acting very strangely with Sid, as if the dummy was alive. Just when the gang begins to question if they are dealing with a true supernatural case, or a regular psychopath, Buffy has a scary encounter with Sid, who is very much alive, and has plans of his own for the Slayer.

"The Puppet Show" is great for two reasons: The first is, just when you think you know how the episode is going to go (remember "Magic", that Anthony Hopkins movie with the puppet?), there is a neat twist about halfway through that changes the entire dynamic in an unexpected and brilliant way. The second reason this episode is great is because of several screamingly funny moments--including the very final shot, which still gets me giggling every time I see it. And that's not all, be sure to watch the end credits, which shows Buffy, Xander and Willow performing their Talent Show act with the intensity of a trio of deer caught in oncoming headlights.