0:50 : Willow asks if the demon is going ‘to go poof’. She’ll ask a similar question in Hell’s Bells.

1:02 : Xander asks why Faith hasn’t turned up, and Buffy confirms that Faith has seemingly been avoiding her since Revelations.

1:56 : A great line from Buffy, which we’ve often quoted ourself: “Your logic does not resemble our Earth logic.”

2:38 : This marks the first and only time we see Cordelia’s bedroom and home whilst she’s in Sunnydale.

3:17 : The pictures that Cordy cuts don’t match the ones burning in the bowl.

4:36 : Willow mentions that she’s seen old friend Amy Madison at the mall at some point before this episode, which is a nice way of reminding the audience she’s around – for her next appearance in the next episode!

4:46 : The absolute power shot of Cordy, in full Queen C mode, getting out of her car, all determined! Fantastic!

5:11 : Harmony is back, for the first time since Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered. Fellow Cordette Nicole Bilderback, who’s character still doesn’t have a name, initially appeared in the unaired pilot. This is her first and only appearance onscreen during the series.

5:20 : Among the Cordettes, rather quiet considering, is Anya, played by Emma Caulfield.
Caulfield made her television debut as Brandon’s girlfriend Susan Keats in over thirty episodes of Beverly Hills 90210.
    Her appearance as Anya in this episode was originally designed to be a one-off, with writers later placing her character in three other episodes of the season.
    By the time the fourth season was over, Emma had been offered a regular slot on the series, and Anya became a central character from that point onwards.

6:08 : Harmony, rather meanly, points out a Xander replacement for Cordy, in the form of Danny Strong‘s Jonathan!

6:08 : Viewers may not have forgotten that Cordelia briefly went on a date, or allowed Jonathan to date her, in Reptile Boy.

8:05 : Sunnydale High jock John Lee is played by actor Nathan Anderson, who also appeared on Mad Men and Reasonable Doubt.

8:55 : Although it’s not used in this episode onscreen, both official guides to the series depict Anya’s surname as ‘Emerson’ in this episode. We consider it a false name used to ingratiate herself in to high school, but by Season Five, she’s chosen ‘Jenkins’ as her surname in order to marry Xander.

9:12 : Emma Caulfield starts as she means to go on, instinctively giving Anya a sense of humour that is straight to the punch. Her thoughts on Harmony: “If that girl had an original thought, her head would explode.”

9:55 : The music heard in the background throughout this scene is The Spies song “Tired of Being Alone”.

11:15 : It doesn’t work, but it’s a cute moment: the Scooby Gang pretend they can ignore the pain in their lives for a while… until Buffy gives in and orders them all chocolate!

13:55 : Cordelia brings up several incidents we’ve seen in the past: she was impaled in Lovers Walk and was bitten by snakes in I Only Have Eyes for You.

14:34 : Anya gives her necklace to Cordelia here, but it’s not really made clear why. As soon as she gives it away, doesn’t she risk not being able to retrieve it? And how does it protect Cordelia from the world changing?

15:04 : Surprise! Anya is revealed to be Anyanka, demonic patron saint of scorned women, emissary of the Vengeance demon D’Hoffryn… and who will stay with us to the series’ end now as a central character!

15:04 : Emma Caulfield hated the prosthetic make-up and was horrified when she had to wear it again in subsequent seasons.

15:17 : Reality, and the world, twists around Cordelia, creating a new timeline where Buffy never arrived in Sunnydale. The necklace must protect Cordelia, since surely she would have died during the events of The Harvest? Willow and Xander were probably turned at the same event, and the Master is free, but the Hellmouth hasn’t been opened. There’s also no sign of Darla or Luke – presumably Angel killed them before getting imprisoned?

16:10 : Cordelia’s bright blue dress is mentioned by several characters as being unusual to wear, considering. We find out why later…

16:47: The teacher here is played by Gary Imhoff, but doesn’t seem to have a counterpart in the Sunnydale High we’re used to. The actor also appears in The Green Mile.

18:11 : Cordelia (and other students) aren’t allowed to drive in this reality, which raises the question of whether Cordelia’s keys, or the rest of the contents of her purse for that matter, survived the reality swap…

18:20 : The caretaker who tells Cordelia about her car is played by Robert Covarrubias, who worked for years with Jay Leno on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

19:23 : The alternate Xander has at least heard of Buffy, despite her never having come to town. Her reputation, as it does in the home reality, seems to precede her.

19:35 : Willow’s entire personality in this reality is more akin to Drusilla than anything we’ve seen from her before! We know vampires are clued into the personalities of the human and it releases their inhibitions, but whoa Willow!

20:10 : Surprise, if you hadn’t guessed it from the clothes alone: Willow and Xander, in this reality, are vampires, with Nicholas Brendon wearing the prosthetic for the first time.

20:47 : Oz’s van is blue, even in this alternate reality.

21:10 : The White Hats, as Xander calls them, consist of Giles; Oz; an alternate version of football player Larry, played by Larry Bagby III and last seen in Anne; and Nancy, played by Mariah O’Brien. She never has a counterpart in the main reality.

21:15 : Nancy explains a new fact about vampires, which we assume is accurate in the home reality as well: vampires are seemingly attracted to bright colours.

21:28 : The Bronze, in this reality a vampire den, presumably has been in the hands of the Master since The Harvest.

21:36 : Despite fan debate and the remarkable likeness, we can confirm that that is not Eliza Dushku being bitten by the vampire as they enter the club.

22:15 : Surprise! Another shocking moment: Willow and Xander walk in on their lord and superior, and presumably sire… as Mark Metcalf makes a fantastic return as Season One Big Bad The Master!

22:37 : Willow vamps, putting Alyson Hannigan in the vampire make-up. She would have to endure it again in a few episodes time…

23:16 : “Someone has to talk to her people. That name is striking fear in nobody’s heart.” Xander’s line echoes the real life issue the series had being sold: FOX and The WB repeatedly tried to change the title of the show to Slayer, as they thought Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a cheesy and stupid title.
    Not laughing now are they?

24:58 : In a stunningly shot moment, Willow and Xander, in slow motion, grab Cordelia and bite her. It’s a damn good shot and it’s dangerous on so many levels. The violence and the sexuality alone is just graphic enough. Please note, Cordelia’s body doesn’t make a sound when it drops.

25:18 : There’s an interesting question to raise here: wouldn’t Cordelia’s death reverse the wish, her being the one that wished it?

26:59 : Giles is seemingly on the phone to Buffy’s current Watcher, presumably Merrick from Becoming and The Origin. He doesn’t seem to know where Buffy is, but he does know that there’s a great deal of demonic activity in Cleveland…

27:20 : What Giles says here has had fans questioning for years. He tells Merrick that ‘Sunnydale is on a Hellmouth’ – suggesting there’s more than one. We find out in Chosen that there is indeed one in Cleveland and in Spike: A Dark Place, we also discover one on Rapa Nui, which is known as Easter Island.

27:44 : This entire scene with Willow and Angel is extremely well shot, with just the right amount of edge. It’s absolutely full of sexual subtext (watch Xander’s hand as he watches Willow) and is remarkably violent.

28:30 : The fact that Angel is in Sunnydale means that for some reason, Buffy didn’t arrive, but was meant to. Was he captured trying to stop the Harvest?

30:11 : Two great lines in a row here!
    When Giles finishes his explanation about the wish and how it works, Oz (cool as a cucumber no matter what happens) gives us this gem: “Cordelia wished for something? If it was a long and healthy life, I think she should get her money back.”

30:27 : When Giles explains more, that Anyanka’s spell altered all of reality, Larry then chimes in with: “Okay, the entire world sucks because some dead ditz made a wish? I just wanna be clear.”

31:05 : Even in this reality, Giles still has his (less than trusty) Citroen!

32:00 : And here we meet the alternate Buffy Summers. In this reality, she dresses for combat, has a scar across her face and has an attitude much more akin to Faith’s at her worst! It really does go to show how Buffy would be completely different without her family and friends around to support her. Sarah Michelle Gellar plays the character with relish.

33:48 : Giles gives us further evidence of the Master being Willow and Xander’s sire when he refers to them as his most ‘vicious disciples’.

35:21 : Angel tells Buffy that he was waiting for her, something he won’t tell the original Buffy until Helpless.

37:03 : This factory could be the same one as Spike and Drusilla’s in Season 2 (we never see the outside), but we do see it in our reality in Doppelgangland – and it doesn’t look burnt out.

38:27 : A little tiny goof here: when Giles summons Anyanka, she’s wearing her necklace – which Giles took off Cordelia earlier in the episode…

38:45 : Nicole Bilderback, who’s been waiting to appear on the main show since before the show even started, is the unnamed Cordette who’s chosen to be the first guinea pig for the draining machine.
    Poor girl has no luck in either reality. We never see her again.

40:39 : Anyanka doesn’t mention that she’s a vengeance demon, a sign that this was really intended to be a one-off appearance for the character.

41:33 : And in this reality, everyone dies: Angel goes first, staked by Xander; Willow is tackled by Oz and Larry, and Oz delivers the final shove onto wood that dusts her; Xander is staked by Buffy…

41:44 : It’s a beautiful, but spine-shivering moment on it’s own, but the music, by Christophe Beck is stunning. It’s titled ‘Slayer’s Elegy’. The footage is also slowed down for dramatic effect and is one of the highlights of the season.

41:55 : From this episode on, the vampire dusting effect has been improved and now features the vampire’s skeleton as they dissolve to dust.

43:15 : Just as in our reality, Buffy faces the Master – and is killed by a snap of her neck…

43:20 : Giles, in a desperate and heart-breaking moment, smashes Anyanka’s necklace, taking away Anyanka’s powers and wish and trapping the demon in her high school disguise!

43:28 : The final scene of this episode is a lovely lift after all that horror!
    As Cordelia continues on with her day and walks off screen, she keeps on coming up with more and more outlandish wishes – with a powerless Anya helplessly following her, screeching “Done” the whole time!

43:48 : Emma Caulfield would return as Anya in Doppelgangland, cementing her as a recurring character…