The Wish (Buffy episode)
Encyclopedia
"The Wish" is the ninth episode of season 3 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
and Willow
's kiss in "Lovers Walk
", Oz has called a time-out on his relationship with Willow and Cordelia
is decidedly avoiding any contact with Xander. Cordelia returns to school only to be rejected by Harmony and her former clique, taunted as "Xander's castoff". Cordelia goes to the Bronze that night and Buffy
accidentally humiliates Cordelia further by knocking her into a pile of trash in front of her friends while fighting a vampire. Cordelia decides that Buffy is to blame for her predicament, as she never would have dated Xander if his association with Buffy hadn't made him marginally cooler. The next day, Anya
- a new girl who has been trying to befriend Cordelia - gives Cordelia an amulet while goading Cordelia into wishing something bad would happen to Xander. But Cordelia keeps talking about how things would have been better without Buffy, and then wishes that Buffy Summers had never come to Sunnydale
. Anya immediately switches to demon form, that of Anyanka, and grants the wish.
Cordelia is delighted to find herself in a Buffy-free Sunnydale. She is once again the most popular girl in school, her Cordettes are at her beck and call, and handsome jock John Lee wants to date her. However, her happiness is short lived when she realises that the town is overrun with vampires, since Buffy was never there to prevent the success of the Harvest and the Master has risen and created a vast army of vampires, which terrorize the surviving humans. Most of the student body are either dead or vampires and there is a nighttime curfew. Bright garments are banned, because they attract vampires, and the lockers are festooned with garlic
. Cordelia quickly loses her cool when she finds out that Willow and Xander are dead. Walking through the streets at night she meets Xander and Willow – now aggressive, capricious vampires, with no trace of the people they were in life left. Cordy is saved by the "White Hats", a group of human vampire-fighters led by Giles
and including Oz and Larry.
Cordelia tries to explain to Giles what happened and asks to have Buffy back so that things could be the way they were; but, before she can elaborate, she is killed by Xander and Willow, whom the Master had sent as assassins, fearing that Cordelia would summon the Slayer to Sunnydale. The Master is very pleased and Willow gains permission to play with the "Puppy" for a while. As she enters the cell and rolls the prisoner over, we see that the "Puppy" is Angel. She cheerfully begins torturing him with matches while Xander watches.
Giles calls Buffy's contacts in Cleveland
but is able only to leave a message for the otherwise very busy Slayer. He learns that the amulet Cordelia was wearing is that of Anyanka, the vengeance demon of scorned women, whose granted wishes can be undone only if her center of power is destroyed.
The Master has created machinery to industrialize harvesting of blood from captive humans, eliminating vampires' need to hunt for food. Giles, on his way home, is nearly captured by vampires who are herding humans for the plant; he is rescued by Buffy, the Slayer, who in this reality is cold and cynical, resembling Faith. She doubts that Giles can reverse Anya's spell, but does offer to kill the Master while she is in town. Buffy finds Angel imprisoned; when she sees that he is a vampire, she initially rejects his help, but the marks of torture persuade her that he is no friend of the Master.
The Master starts up the plant with the first human victim before a cage of prisoners. Buffy and Angel attack the vampires. Xander kills Angel; Buffy kills Xander; Oz kills Willow; the Master breaks Buffy's neck.
Meanwhile Giles uses a spell to summon Anyanka, who confirms Cordelia's story. Giles soon guesses that Anyanka's own amulet is the center of her powers; he tears it from her neck and prepares to smash it. In a last-ditch attempt to distract him, Anyanka asks how he can be sure the real world is a better one. Giles replies, "Because it has to be." He breaks the power center and reverses the spell.
The original reality is immediately restored, at the moment of Cordelia's wish. As before, Anyanka triumphantly says "Done!", but finds to her dismay and confusion that she is now a powerless human.
Plot synopsis
Following XanderXander Harris
Alexander LaVelle "Xander" Harris is a fictional character in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as in numerous items in the series Expanded Universe, such as comic books, tie-in novels and video games...
and Willow
Willow Rosenberg
Willow Rosenberg is a fictional character created for the fantasy television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer . She was developed by Joss Whedon and portrayed throughout the TV series by Alyson Hannigan...
's kiss in "Lovers Walk
Lovers Walk
"Lovers Walk" is episode 8 of season 3 of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Sound Editing in a Series.- Plot synopsis :...
", Oz has called a time-out on his relationship with Willow and Cordelia
Cordelia Chase
Cordelia Chase is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer; she also appeared on Buffy's spin-off series Angel...
is decidedly avoiding any contact with Xander. Cordelia returns to school only to be rejected by Harmony and her former clique, taunted as "Xander's castoff". Cordelia goes to the Bronze that night and Buffy
Buffy Summers
Buffy Summers is a fictional character from Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise. She first appeared in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer before going on to appear in the television series and subsequent comic book of the same name...
accidentally humiliates Cordelia further by knocking her into a pile of trash in front of her friends while fighting a vampire. Cordelia decides that Buffy is to blame for her predicament, as she never would have dated Xander if his association with Buffy hadn't made him marginally cooler. The next day, Anya
Anya Jenkins
Anya is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She also appears in the comic book series based on the television show. Portrayed by Emma Caulfield, the character appears as a guest star in the third and fourth seasons of the show before...
- a new girl who has been trying to befriend Cordelia - gives Cordelia an amulet while goading Cordelia into wishing something bad would happen to Xander. But Cordelia keeps talking about how things would have been better without Buffy, and then wishes that Buffy Summers had never come to Sunnydale
Sunnydale
Sunnydale, California is the fictional setting for the U.S. television drama Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Series creator Joss Whedon conceived the town as a representation of a generic California city, as well as a narrative parody of the all-too-serene towns typical in traditional horror...
. Anya immediately switches to demon form, that of Anyanka, and grants the wish.
Cordelia is delighted to find herself in a Buffy-free Sunnydale. She is once again the most popular girl in school, her Cordettes are at her beck and call, and handsome jock John Lee wants to date her. However, her happiness is short lived when she realises that the town is overrun with vampires, since Buffy was never there to prevent the success of the Harvest and the Master has risen and created a vast army of vampires, which terrorize the surviving humans. Most of the student body are either dead or vampires and there is a nighttime curfew. Bright garments are banned, because they attract vampires, and the lockers are festooned with garlic
Garlic
Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. Dating back over 6,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent...
. Cordelia quickly loses her cool when she finds out that Willow and Xander are dead. Walking through the streets at night she meets Xander and Willow – now aggressive, capricious vampires, with no trace of the people they were in life left. Cordy is saved by the "White Hats", a group of human vampire-fighters led by Giles
Rupert Giles
Rupert Giles is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The character is portrayed by Anthony Stewart Head. He serves as Buffy Summers' mentor and surrogate father figure...
and including Oz and Larry.
Cordelia tries to explain to Giles what happened and asks to have Buffy back so that things could be the way they were; but, before she can elaborate, she is killed by Xander and Willow, whom the Master had sent as assassins, fearing that Cordelia would summon the Slayer to Sunnydale. The Master is very pleased and Willow gains permission to play with the "Puppy" for a while. As she enters the cell and rolls the prisoner over, we see that the "Puppy" is Angel. She cheerfully begins torturing him with matches while Xander watches.
Giles calls Buffy's contacts in Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
but is able only to leave a message for the otherwise very busy Slayer. He learns that the amulet Cordelia was wearing is that of Anyanka, the vengeance demon of scorned women, whose granted wishes can be undone only if her center of power is destroyed.
The Master has created machinery to industrialize harvesting of blood from captive humans, eliminating vampires' need to hunt for food. Giles, on his way home, is nearly captured by vampires who are herding humans for the plant; he is rescued by Buffy, the Slayer, who in this reality is cold and cynical, resembling Faith. She doubts that Giles can reverse Anya's spell, but does offer to kill the Master while she is in town. Buffy finds Angel imprisoned; when she sees that he is a vampire, she initially rejects his help, but the marks of torture persuade her that he is no friend of the Master.
The Master starts up the plant with the first human victim before a cage of prisoners. Buffy and Angel attack the vampires. Xander kills Angel; Buffy kills Xander; Oz kills Willow; the Master breaks Buffy's neck.
Meanwhile Giles uses a spell to summon Anyanka, who confirms Cordelia's story. Giles soon guesses that Anyanka's own amulet is the center of her powers; he tears it from her neck and prepares to smash it. In a last-ditch attempt to distract him, Anyanka asks how he can be sure the real world is a better one. Giles replies, "Because it has to be." He breaks the power center and reverses the spell.
The original reality is immediately restored, at the moment of Cordelia's wish. As before, Anyanka triumphantly says "Done!", but finds to her dismay and confusion that she is now a powerless human.
Continuity
- Even in the alternate reality, the prophecy contained in the Pergamum Codex (as referenced in "Prophecy GirlProphecy Girl"Prophecy Girl" is the season finale of the WB Television Network's first season of the drama television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the 12th episode of the series. The episode first aired on June 2, 1997 with the series acting as a midseason replacement for Savannah...
") comes to pass: "The Master will rise and the Slayer will die."
Arc significance
- This is Anya's first appearance. She will be an important/main character in the rest of the series.
External links
- "The Wish" at BuffyGuide.com