Entertainment
Forgotten Buffy Episode Made History In the Worst Possible Way
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a show that transformed pop culture forever while transforming some of its stars into household names. The show effectively made history, as evidenced by the many prestigious awards it won, including multiple Creative Arts Emmys and 10 Satellite Awards. However, one Buffy episode made history in the worst possible way: “The Puppet Show” was the series’ lowest-rated episode ever, and to make matters worse, it broke a franchise tradition by playing the credits alongside the final scene rather than separately.
Buffy And The Puppet Show
This is normally where we’d do a recap of the episode in question, but for Buffy fans, “The Puppet Show” is an episode that lives in infamy. It’s a bit of a bait-and-switch story in which Buffy and the Scoobies first believe that they must fight a walking, talking demonic puppet that sounds almost as creepy as he looks. It turns out, though, that he’s actually a demon hunter who has been cursed to live in the doll’s body until he completes a special task. Namely, hunting and killing each member of the brotherhood of seven demons.
While Buffy fans think of “The Puppet Show” as (to put it mildly) a lesser episode, most don’t realize that it is the lowest-rated one of the entire series. In this case, “lowest-rated” is not a measurement of quality, though the episode does have a deservedly terrible reputation. For example, Rolling Stone ranked this episode as #127 in their big list of best-to-worst Buffy tales. That doesn’t sound so bad until you consider there are only 144 episodes, meaning that this one comes dangerously close to scraping the bottom of the barrel.
In this case, “lowest-rated” means instead that out of all the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes, “The Puppet Show” was the one that was viewed the least when originally broadcast. According to the show’s Nielsen Ratings, only 1.9 million households tuned into this puppet misadventure when it was first broadcast. The “first broadcast” part is important because, as you might imagine, reruns invariably pull in fewer viewers than their first-run counterparts.
Buffy fans hate “The Puppet Show” for many reasons (including the bizarre plot and clunky dialogue), but it’s worth noting that it had less competition for lowest-rated episode than you might think. As the show got more popular in subsequent seasons, even really bad episodes (looking at you, Season 6!) would still have millions of viewers more than the average episodes. Ratings were lowest for Season 1, and “The Puppet Show” had the dubious honor of being the least-viewed episode in those tumultuous early days.
Speaking as longtime Buffy fans, we’re also annoyed that “The Puppet Show” made history in another negative way by running the end credits over the final scene via a split screen. Creatively, this was a bizarre choice that ruined the flow of what was already a very bad episode. Apparently, the network agreed: after the initial airing, this final scene was excluded from future WB airings, but (for better or for worse) you can now watch the restored scene on DVD, streaming, and TV.
There you have it, Buffy fans: in terms of viewership, “The Puppet Show” is the worst episode of the franchise. And the strange choice to split screen the credits meant that an already-terrible episode failed to stick the landing. Fortunately, subsequent episodes only got better, making this paltry puppet pablum a thing of the past for fans eager for more stalking demons and less talking dolls.
Entertainment
Best Mothers Day gifts: Show mom some love
Mother figures are the backbone of the world. Yours may be your biological mother, or maybe she’s your mother-in-law, your best friend’s mom, or simply someone whose motherly instinct has helped you through hard times.
Moms teach you the adulting necessities, give advice even if the problem is your fault, and above all, they put up with your shit and (almost) never complain.
The game plan here isn’t just to snag the last bouquet at CVS just so you’re not the kid who forgot Mother’s Day (but definitely also get flowers). And you don’t even need to spend a lot of money. (Peep our list of Mother’s Day gifts that cost less than $50. Want even more cheap gift ideas?
Skip the generic mugs and show your appreciation with a gift picked just for her: Whether it’s something to make a part of her life easier, something she’s mentioned wanting in passing, or simply something to make her feel like a damn queen, you can’t put a price on everything she’s done for you, but heartfelt gifts certainly help.
After all, they say “No matter how hard you try, you always end up like your mother.” But is that even a bad thing?
Entertainment
Ban subscriptions and get Microsoft Office 2024 for life for just £121
TL;DR: Grab Microsoft Office 2024 Home and Business for PC or Mac for just £120.54 through June 1.
You wouldn’t keep paying for Netflix if you could own your favorite shows, right? So why are you still subscribing to Office apps you use every day? Microsoft 365’s price keeps going up, but there’s finally a way to break free — and it’ll cost you way less in the long run.
Microsoft Office 2024 is the answer you’ve been looking for. Instead of monthly payments, simply pay £120.54 once and be set for life (reg. £188.37). It’s that simple. And, yes, this lifetime download works for PC or Mac.
What’s included?
This license comes with:
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Word
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Excel
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PowerPoint
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Outlook
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OneNote
The newest version of Microsoft Office is a little different from Microsoft 365. But just because you’re switching to a lifetime license doesn’t mean you’ll miss out on some of the most recent updates. Word and Excel both still have AI integrations for text suggestions and smart data analysis, and PowerPoint still has improved tools for recorded presentations.
Once you’ve redeemed your purchase, you can install your apps on one computer. After that, they’re yours to use however you want. No more subscription fees or sudden price hikes to worry about.
Why rent when you can own?
Mashable Deals
Get a Microsoft Office lifetime license on sale for £120.54 with no coupon needed.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Entertainment
Wordle today: Answer, hints for May 9, 2025
Oh hey there! If you’re here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we’re serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today’s answer.
If you just want to be told today’s word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today’s Wordle solution revealed. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
Where did Wordle come from?
Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.
Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.
What’s the best Wordle starting word?
The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.
What happened to the Wordle archive?
The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website’s creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.
Is Wordle getting harder?
It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn’t any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle‘s Hard Mode if you’re after more of a challenge, though.
Here’s a subtle hint for today’s Wordle answer:
Gibberish.
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Does today’s Wordle answer have a double letter?
There are no recurring letters.
Today’s Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with…
Today’s Wordle starts with the letter T.
The Wordle answer today is…
Get your last guesses in now, because it’s your final chance to solve today’s Wordle before we reveal the solution.
Drumroll please!
The solution to today’s Wordle is…
TRIPE.
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Wordle.
A'ja Wilson has no shortage of motivation after Aces' early exit in '24
Best Mothers Day gifts: Show mom some love
