Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Doppelgangland

Doppelgangland
Season 3, Episode 16
Airdate	February 23, 1999
Production Number	3ABB16
Written by	Joss Whedon
Directed by	Joss Whedon
← 3x15 Consequences	3x17 → Enemies
Buffy the Vampire Slayer — Season Three

Doppelgangland is the sixteenth episode of the third season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the fiftieth episode overall.

Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase), David Boreanaz (Angel), Seth Green (Oz)

and Anthony Stewart Head (Giles)

Guest Starring: Harry Groener (The Mayor), Alexis Denisof (Wesley Wyndam-Pryce), Emma Caulfield (Anyanka), Ethan Erickson (Percy), Eliza Dushku (Faith)

and Armin Shimerman (Principal Snyder)

Co-Starring: Jason Hall (Devon), Michael Nagy (Alfonse), Andy Umberger (D'Hoffryn), Megan Gray (Sandy), Norma Michaels (Older Woman), Corey Michael Blake (Waiter), Jennifer Nicole (Body-Double Willow)

Plot Overview

When Anya attempts to retrieve her lost powers, she inadvertently pulls the Willow from the alternate universe created by Cordelia's wish. As the real Willow feels everyone sees her as routine and reliable, her vampiric doppelganger attempts to make Sunnydale the way she knew it, starting with the Bronze.

Notes

Monster of the Week

This episode is the sequel to "The Wish", in which the evil vampire Willow is transported to the regular world. The only new demon to appear is D'Hoffryn, Anya's former boss.

Body Count

#	Whom	By Whom	How	Where
1	Sandy	Vampire Willow	Bitten	The Bronze
2–3	Vampires	Buffy	Staked	The Bronze
4	Vampire	Giles	Staked	The Bronze
5	Vampire	Buffy	Staked	The Bronze
6	Vampire Willow	Alternate Oz	Staked	The Bronze

Music

• "Virgin State of Mind" performed by K's Choice: The band playing on stage at The Bronze is K's Choice, playing "Virgin State of Mind". The song does not appear on any of the Belgian duo's albums, although it is included in a career retrospective compilation and on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Album.

• Spectator Pump - "Priced 2 Move"

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• Vampire Lore: While comforting Willow, she tells her that a vampire's personality is not influenced by who they were in life. Angel begins to correct her, but is shut down quickly to spare Willow's feelings. The retention of some personality traits by vampires is a plot point which is picked back up in season six episodes dealing with Spike's past.

Referbacks

• 3x09 - The Wish: Anya's power center was destroyed by Giles in a parallel Sunnydale ravaged by vampires. She was formerly a demon who granted wishes to women scorned by men, in this case she "helped" Cordelia by granting her wish that Buffy never come to Sunnydale. The evil vampire Willow in this episode comes from that alternate universe.

• 2x20 - Go Fish: The swim team was dosed with experimental steroids by their coach. Although the plan did put the team in the running for finals, it had the side effect of turning their top stars into fish creatures. Snyder demanding that Willow do Percy's homework mirrors his previous demand that she unfairly pass a student athlete in her Computer Science class as well.

Snyder: ...Especially after last year's debacle with the swim team.

• 2x20 - Passion: Snyder mentions Willow's love of teaching, something which did not come about until she took over Ms. Calendar's classes after she was killed by Angelus.

• 3x08 - Lover's Walk: Xander reminds Willow that they needn't fall back on "bad habits" when she verges on "naughty touching." Xander and Willow shared a brief fling which destroyed Xander's relationship with Cordelia and strained Willow's relationship with Oz. Cordelia brings up "the ethics of boyfriend stealing" which also references this encounter.

Trivia

The Show

• Although it appears she was simply killed, the girl Willow bites was evidently sired, as she would return in Season 5 as a vampire.

Behind the Scenes

• Joss Whedon liked the character of Vamp Willow when she was first introduced in "The Wish" so much that he wrote this episode specifically for her.

• Alyson Hannigan loved her vampire make-up so much that she was made up again as Vamp Willow to attend a Halloween party that same year.

• Guest stars Andy Umberger and Michael Nagy would both go on to guest star on Joss Whedon's other shows Angel and Firefly.

• International: Buffy the Vampire Slayer has been dubbed into many different languages and the title translated for each different international version. Some international translations of this episode's title are:
  • French: "Les deux visages" ("The Two Faces")
  • Italian: "Il mondo parallelo" ("The Parallel World")
  • German: "Doppelgängerland"
  • Japanese: "ウィローのドッペルゲンガー" ("Wirō no Dopperugengā" - "Willow's Doppelgänger")
  • Spanish: "La tierra de las bandas" ("The Land of the Gangs")

Quotes

• Anya: For a thousand years I wielded the powers of the wish. I brought ruin to the heads of unfaithful men. I brought forth destruction and chaos for the pleasure of the lower beings. I was feared and worshipped across the mortal globe. And now I'm stuck at Sunnydale High. Mortal. Child. And I'm flunking math.

• Percy: I'm challenged.

Snyder: You're lazy, self-involved, and spoiled. That's quite the challenge.

• The Mayor: No Slayer of mine's going to live in a fleabag hotel. That place has a very unsavoury reputation. There are immoral liaisons going on there.

Faith: Yeah, plus all the screwing.

• Willow: Yeah, that's me. Reliable-dog-geyser person.

• Anya: I swear, I am just trying to find my necklace.

Willow: Well, did you try looking inside the sofa in Hell?

• Giles: She was truly the finest of all us.

Xander: Way better than me.

Giles: Much, much better.

• Buffy: Willow, you're alive.

Willow: Aren't I usually?

• Willow: Say, you all didn't happen to do a bunch of drugs, did ya?

• Xander: Will, we saw you at the Bronze. A vampire.

Willow: I'm not a vampire!

Buffy: You are. I - I mean, you - you - you were. Giles, planning on jumping in with an explanation any time soon?

Giles: Well, uh... something... something, um, very strange is happening.

Xander: Can you believe the Watchers Council let this guy go?

• Devon: Man, we need a roadie. Other bands have roadies.

Oz: Well, other bands know more than three chords. Your professional bands can play up to six, sometimes seven completely different chords.

Devon: That's just, like, fruity jazz bands.

• Vamp Willow: Well, look at me. I'm all fuzzy.

• Giles: That's extraordinary

Willow: It's horrible! That's me as a vampire? I'm so evil and skanky. And I think I'm kinda gay.