Season 3, Episode 16 | Aired: 23 February 1999 | Written by: Joss Whedon | Directed by: Joss Whedon
Anya, attempting to retrieve her amulet, pulls Vampire Willow from the Wishverse into the present-day Sunnydale. Vampire Willow — leather, fangs, deeply tactile — prowls the Bronze and terrifies everyone while real Willow pretends to be her and real Willow pretends to be herself and the whole thing becomes genuinely funny in a way that also manages to say something about identity. One of the show’s best standalone episodes.
What Happens
Anya’s spell goes wrong and deposits Vampire Willow in the present timeline. She’s confused and hungry and genuinely dangerous. Real Willow puts on the leather and plays her double to buy time. Eventually Vampire Willow is returned to the Wishverse, where she is immediately staked. The episode ends with real Willow looking at herself in the mirror and being unsettled in ways she can’t quite articulate.
Key Moments
Vampire Willow’s entrance at the Bronze — unhurried, comfortable in a way regular Willow never is, helping herself to whatever she wants. Alyson Hannigan plays the two versions as genuinely distinct without making either a caricature.
“I’m a bloodsucking fiend — look at my outfit!” — real Willow, who has also clocked what the leather means about herself, and is not ready to think about it.
Monster / Villain
Vampire Willow — not the episode’s villain exactly, more its mirror. Anya’s bumbling attempt at power restoration is the proximate cause of everything.
Notable Quote
“She was truly the finest of all of us… way prettier than me.” — Oz, on the death of Vampire Willow. Delivered completely straight.
Where It Fits
Doppelgangland plants seeds the show won’t harvest for another three seasons — Willow’s power, her darkness, her identity. It does this while being very funny and featuring Alyson Hannigan doing some of her best work. The episode earns its reputation.