Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Pack on AllMovie

In episode six, Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and friends attend a school field trip to the zoo. Also on the trip are Kyle (Eion Bailey), Tor (Brian Gross), and Heidi (Jennifer Sky), Sunnydale High's resident bullies. In attempting to protect the nerdy Lance (Jeff Maynard), Xander (Nicholas Brendon) follows them into the ominously closed hyena exhibit. Upon exiting the exhibit, everyone except Lance has seemingly taken on the predatory characteristics of the hyena. Xander begins hanging out with the four bullies and acting belligerent and nasty -- even verbally humiliating Willow (Alyson Hannigan). Among other things, the group eats the school's pig mascot. When questioned about the pig, Kyle, Rhonda, and Tor eat the principal -- alive! At first Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) does not believe Buffy's view that something is supernaturally wrong with Xander and comically states, "It's devastating -- he's turned into a 16-year-old boy. Of course, you'll have to kill him." But after researching Primals -- animal worshipers who imbue themselves with the spirits of animals -- Giles and Buffy go to the keeper of the hyena exhibit for help. The keeper turns out to be a Primal, and he attempts to draw the hyena spirit from Xander and the bullies into himself. After succeeding, Buffy throws him to the hyenas.