The Wish - Interesting Facts

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The Wish

Writer: Marti Noxon
Director: David Greenwalt
Air Date: December 08, 1998

Trivia:

- In the series finale, Giles says that there is a Hellmouth "in Cleveland". This is a reference to another throwaway line, in the/spot Season 3 episode "The Wish": in an alternate reality where Buffy never came to Sunnydale, Giles phones her watcher, and then says, "Yes, I know there is a lot of demonic activity in Cleveland.... There happens to be a Hellmouth in Sunnydale...."

- Anya was only meant to appear in the episode "The Wish" but was brought back for "Doppelgängland" where she was made more humorous. When the producers realized how funny Emma Caulfield was they simply kept bringing her back, until she was made a regular cast member (including appearing in the opening credits) at the start of season five.

- Mark Metcalf makes his return as the Master, last seen dying in "Prophecy Girl" (it wasn't him in "When She Was Bad"), and Larry Bagby III makes his fourth appearance as Larry, the first since his cameo in "Anne."

- We see Cordelia's bedroom for the first time in this episode.

- Nicole Bilderback, who plays "Cordette #1" in this episode, appeared with Seth Green in the 1998 film Can't Hardly Wait as a girl with whom Seth's character nearly has sex.

- Nancy notes that vampires are attracted by bright colors. Although this hasn't been mentioned before, it probably holds true in the "real" world as well.

- As Vamp Xander and Vamp Willow walk toward the Bronze to meet the Master, they pass a girl being bitten by a vampire. Some people have wondered if that girl is Eliza Dushku, who plays Faith. A frame-by-frame of the DVD reveals that it doesn't look as much like Eliza as one might at first think, and though we can't now find it, we could swear we once saw a writer (or possibly Joss) confirm that it wasn't her.

- Even in the parallel universe, Buffy ultimately faces the Master and is killed, as prophesied in the Pergamum Codex (this text and prophecy were introduced in the normal reality in "Out of Mind, Out of Sight" and "Prophecy Girl").

- Vampire Willow's trademark phrase "bored now" will be repeated by Dark Willow just before she flays Warren in "Villains".

References:

- "Most people can't tell Prada from... Payless." Prada is an Italian company run by Miuccia Prada, whose clothes and accessories have been pretty trendy since she first pushed "geek chic" back in 1995. Payless Shoe Source is an American chain of discount footwear dealers.

- "Tears of a clown, baby." "Tears of a Clown" was a 1966 song.

- "I had no idea her wish would be so exciting. Brave new world." Brave New World is a classic science fiction novel written in 1932 by Aldous Huxley.

Best quotes:

- Buffy: World is what it is. We fight, we die. Wishing doesn't change that.
Giles: I have to believe in a better world.
Buffy: Go ahead. I have to live in this one.

- Xander: But you know what really bugs me? Okay, we kissed. It was a mistake, but I know that was positively the last time we were ever gonna kiss.
Willow: Darn tootin'.
Xander: And they burst in rescuing us, without even knocking? I mean this is really all their fault.
Buffy: Your logic does not resemble our earth logic.
Xander: Mine is much more advanced.

- Anya: You trusting fool! How do you know the other world is any better than this?
Giles: Because it has to be.

- The Master: Hungry? I've lost my appetite for this one. She keeps looking at me. I'm trying to eat and she looks at me!

- Xander: I cannot stress enough how much I don't have plans.

Soundtrack:

- "Tired Of Being Alone"
The Spies

- "Dedicated To Pain"
Plastic


- "Get Out of My Way"
Music House Music Library

- "Never Noticed"
Gingersol



Source: http://imdb.com
 
Keche that would be cool.
This is not my favorite episode but I like the idea and enjoy watching it. I loved seeing Vamp Willow and Xander.
 
E
Enemies
merrick banner karma :)
One of my favorite episodes of the whole series. I love the Wishverse and how different it would've been (though I find the Master rather lame in it). Also adore Wish-version Buffy. Not to mention the 'they all die' end of it. 🙂
 
Goby
Goby
[No message]
BuffyElevated
BuffyElevated
[No message]
I loved this episode. It would have been cool to have seen an alternate universe where either Willow or Xander never came to sunnydale, that idea would be interesting too.

Willow and Xander are Sunnydale natives (Sunnydalians?). How can they not be in the town?


I'm not too crazy about most of Marti Noxon's episodes, but this episode is one of my favorites of the entire series. The fact that it's paired with Doppelgangland? Even better.

I'm even willing to overlook the alternate reality inconsistancies.
 
Geez... a single episode gives us (1) Anya, (2) our first real glimpse of how far the show could take the character of Willow, (3) an awesome nihilistic alternate-Buffy showing how much of real-Buffy's humanity comes from having friends, (4) more depth to the Cordelia character than we otherwise see across three seasons on BtVS...

Could a single episode really be so chock-filled with import?
 
I loved this episode. It would have been cool to have seen an alternate universe where either Willow or Xander never came to sunnydale, that idea would be interesting too.

I thought Willow and Xander were born and grew up in Sunnydale so how can they not be in it?

I love this episode!
 
PrincessBuffy16
PrincessBuffy16
Well maybe, if they never were born there, but Buffy still moved to Sunnydale and had no suport! ;)
Yeah, Willow and Xander are born in Sunnydale. Still it's possible to have an alternate universe where they never came to Sunnydale (say their parents lived in a different town and thats where Xander/Willow was born).
 
I have to say that I was slightly disappointed in my re-watch: there is just not as much comedy & wit as I'm used to in season 3 so far, but also not the angst that you felt at the end of Lovers Walk. Still, incredibly fascinating view of the world as it might be sans Buffy. Loved vamp Willow & Xander. And Larry! I loved Larry!! Why don't we have more Larry? I think the Larry/Oz friendship combo is awesome. [Oh, right, Larry is gay, and just like the rest of television, 2 gals gettin' it on is OK, but the double standard exists here as well. That's disappointing.]

Anyway, I digress. Cool the way the main characters were killed by each other ("cool" being a relative term, you understand): Xander & Willow kill Cordy. Xander kills Angel. Buffy kills Xander. Oz kills Willow. The Master kills Buffy, which of course fulfills the prophecy.

ETA that this is not the Anya I know and love! I much prefer her in the later episodes, she is soooo subdued here! I do realize that they hadn't intended for Emma Caufield to come back, but still, it's weird to see her like this.
 
In Season 1 the Master tells Buffy that if she never came to his lair (allowing him to absorb her energies) he could never break free from his prison.

So if Buffy never comes to Sunnydale, how does he break fee?
 
I just watched this one in my rewatch. There are so many things that I love about this episode. Vamp Willow and Xander for example.

It's extremely interesting to see a different way for Buffy to have developed. Whatever watcher she was assigned to much have really done a number on her and it really makes me appreciate Giles even more.

And I love that it's Giles that saves everyone in this episode.

This part:

Anya: You trusting fool! How do you know the other world is any better than this?
Giles: Because it has to be.

The way that ASH delivers that line, it's so full of hope and despair . . . it's just really beautiful to me.
 
M
Mithol
That line brought a tear to me eye the first couple of times I watched this. And Giles saves the day! Go Giles!
Yes!!!

This episode is hard for me to watch. I find it really depressing... But you're right, it's very touching the way he delivers that line.

Also, larry's a white hat in that world. I think that's interesting.
 
^ You guys did it again!!! LOL!!! Are you two sisters??


Anyway, this is one of the greatest episodes of TV EVER!!! Of course all the credit goes to Vamp Willow. I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE this and Dopplegangland.

I'm rewatching some of Season 3 and I'm loving it. I'm really liking Oz; more than I did the first time.

Aly does a brilliant job here, but so does everyone else. I love it when they can be so "different" from their usual characters. Aly and SMG are great.
 
^ You guys did it again!!! LOL!!! Are you two sisters??

Nope, we are just awesome!

And yes! Vamp Willow is one of the very very best things about this episode.

And Oz grows on me more and more with every episode. I liked him the first time but now he is seriously awesome!
 
Goby
Goby
Like Xander, I find him to be a honorable person who truly loved Willow. :(
The end where everyone was dying really is depressing to watch but nevertheless Vamp Willow is truly amazing but much more amazing in Doppelgangland.
 
I love this episode. The concept was brilliant, and the alternate reality was absolutely captivating to watch. Vamp Willow and Vamp Xander were totally hot and killer, and I loved that even though Buffy wasn't there, Giles never stopped fighting the good fight with his own little band of Scoobies. And Wishverse Buffy was badass!!
 
Yes!!!

This episode is hard for me to watch. I find it really depressing... But you're right, it's very touching the way he delivers that line.

Also, larry's a white hat in that world. I think that's interesting.


Yeah this episode was very depressing. I remember disliking it when I first saw it because of how the cast was dying, it wasn't fun to watch. Cordelia 🙁

Ironically the episode I didn't like brings Anya<3, which the show would NOT be the same without.
 
I really love this episode. Of course, it is a bit depressing, but I just find the idea so interesting. And I didn't really feel sad about everybody dying in the end, since it was not in the 'main' dimension anyway, so it wasn't 'real'.
 
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