Is it Bad I Want More? "The Wish" REACTION | First Time Watching Buffy 3x9 (Commentary)

[@leahwalko145]

I actually really like the fact that Cordelia didn't remember. If she were to remember, the episode would become - at least in part - about her learning a lesson, and I don't think she needs to learn a lesson. Cordelia needs a moment and space to process her emotions. Was her anger a bit misplaced? Yes, but she had no reason to expect her wish to come true or that it would lead to such horrible consequences. Loved your reaction btw

[@jspettifer]

100% agree. The standard alternate reality trope is someone learns how life would be different and changes their view (eg It’s a Wonderful Life) It was a bit of a shock to see them bypass this trope and showed the maturity and courage to do things differently.

[@xyex]

I kind of agree, but also I wish *someone* remembered, just to help out Buffy in Gingerbread. We the viewer know she's made a difference, but Buffy herself never gets to see that.

[@Scarygothgirl]

I love your comment that life for Buffy in the alternate reality reflects what life is like for Faith without support from Giles or friends

[@TylerAlexander]

[@samanthas8340]

Me too. It's usually the fans that point out the high contrast between the support of the two. I think it could have served the story to emphasize this more than they did. Although, to be fair, Eliza wasn't as available for screen time given her age. :/

[@FilmBuff54]

I think Cordelia’s death so early in this episode shows the futility of vengeance. She gets her “wish” and it ends up destroying her.

[@janeldavis905]

I have never seen a reactor so quickly catch on to how unfortunate Faith's situation is and have such immediate compassion for her. I love it!

[@partycitydumpster]

Giles while on the phone with the other watcher is disgusted that they don't know where Buffy is exactly. And yet Buffy says at the beginning that Faith is just off on her own somewhere.

[@feudist]

Buffy as the typical Slayer. Cold, distant and utterly alone. Dying before she turns 18 with a look of peace on her face because she doesn't have to do this anymore.

[@daphneglasurus7886]

We’ve literally never heard of a slayer that wasn’t like this except Buffy

[@tanyaisonYT]

SMG definitely took elements of Faith for her performance of ‘Cold’ Buffy, and made it make sense for Buffy’s character. Dressed like Kendra the last time we saw her too!

[@Henrik_Holst]

Many tend to see some Faith here which I honestly never do. To me this version of Buffy is all Slayer and no fun while Faith was more all fun and no Slayer so to speak, so IMHO she was far more like Kendra if anything.

[@tanyaisonYT]

@@Henrik_Holstyeah I hear you. To be clear I don’t think it’s a Faith impression per sa. She isn’t impulsive or wild like Faith, I just think she flavours the way other Buffy is jaded by mirroring some of the ways Faith behaves. Kendra is definitely in there too with the costume and single minded focus.

[@TheSpaceCowboy907]

She reminds me a lot of the buffyverse comic Fray. Very similar characters.

[@matte5705]

Even this Buffy falls to the prophecy, she will always be destined to die to the master, and this time there's nobody in her life who'd revive her

[@mikechappell4156]

Actually forgot that little tidbit.

[@annicajakobsson]

I love that you have such a deep understanding of Cordelia, the show does a great job taking her character from the mean girl bully to someone we care for without it feeling forced.

[@FizzyWM]

Cordelia becoming one of the more genuinely likeable characters in the show (not to imply the others aren’t genuinely likeable! I mean it in reference to her being so unlikeable to becoming likeable) is one of my more appreciated character arcs in TV because of the subtlety and nuance to it. She’s still blunt spoken, she’s still spoiled, she’s still selfish, but you can see the good sides to her too. That she does actually care deeply, despite the facade she puts up to mask her emotions. I find her incredibly relatable in many ways. Being rich isn’t one of them, but hey. 😂

[@user-dx2dm8oq8g]

Yeah, this break up is worse for Cordelia because she lost the only genuine friends she had. Being around them would mean having Xander and Willow around, she would need space like Oz. Buffy is stuck in the middle as she mentioned, because her friendship with Cordelia did develop. Eliza being a kid and not being able to work full time does work. Faith's isolated with no one looking after her, checking on her, making sure her basic needs are met. Giles having Buffy's trust and with his dark past would have been the perfect foster parent for her. If school's not for her, he could have convinced her to learn a trade. Yes this episode shows that without a support system a slayer is weaker and that's Faith's current situation.

[@littlecitygirl]

I've always loved that there's no recognition between Buffy, Xander and Willow in the scene at the factory. It would have been so easy to give a wink to the audience but I love that the show held its nerve that this Buffy has no conception that there is other reality where she has friends. As an aside, thanks for recognising that Willow and Xander have equal blame in cheating. Many people seem to put most of the blame on Xander which always seems unfair to me because they were both equally a fault. Nice reaction as always, Tyler. The Wish is a definite fan favourite.

[@AngelWedge]

Wanting more is entirely understandable. Bad Willow is always fun :)

[@grkpektis]

I think the show implies Buffy lost her family too because she had to go live with her watcher

[@daphneglasurus7886]

Doubtful they would’ve bonded at all without Buffy

[@Henrik_Holst]

The real world explanation for why Faith is missing is that Eliza was still a minor and wasn't allowed per law to film as much as the other cast. She turned 18 at some time after episode 13 was filmed.

[@proy14]

If Buffy never came to Sunydale, she never died, so there is no Faith.

[@ceceliam9014]

Wasn't she legally emancipated from her parents at a young age because she was working in Hollywood and wanted to get around child labour regulations?

[@daphneglasurus7886]

But Faith never would’ve been called if Buffy never came to Sunnydale. She’s just a potential in this world.

[@scottwallbank4794]

Are we sure on that? There's a character introduced in future seasons that is multiple years younger than Faith/Eliza is here, yet is in every episode.

[@Henrik_Holst]

@@daphneglasurus7886 I'm not talking about the wishverse, I'm talking about by Faith is missing from so many of the early S3 episodes.

[@MoonStruckBunnyIRL]

My take on the Watchers is that Giles is the black sheep of the organization. Their whole thing is that they "watch", they'll train up a potential and new slayer, but other than that she's own her own. They don't need to care for the Slayer, because there will always be another one when this one dies. Don't worry, there will be more about them coming soon.

[@jdb101585]

Such a bad return on your investment.

[@amacampbell]

Random thing: when I was a teenager (through my 20s), well before this episode, I kind of wanted a scar across my lips because I thought it looked so cool, and when this Buffy had that scar, I felt very validated.

[@melissaisloud7404]

Buffy without Giles and the Gang is essentially Kendra.

[@LazyPoetess]

I think in these early seasons with the Buffy/Faith dichotomy, especially with things that are coming up, you see a lot of themes of privilege. Buffy has a mother and father who love her, an additional father figure, friends, is middle-class and basically grew up with a lot of privilege and continues to have those in her life. She has the option for college, and in that episode everyone just goes 'well, Faith can take over'. Faith's life is reduced to being the Slayer, while Buffy balks against that for pretty much the entire show. That's all Faith has and it's all anyone ever allows her to be. She's a tool, an instrument, and it's the only value she or anyone else assigns to her. Understanding that makes her such a sympathetic character in my eyes, despite how things turn out on this show. (Though, there are a few utterly unforgivable things she does in the future that are NOT given the proper weight in the episode they happen in, in my opinion.)

[@keltzy]

Vampire Willow is always iconic.

[@chaptereight2639]

Absolutely the adults should have taken more care of Faith. But it's pretty realistic, I think, that Giles and Joyce don't feel an obligation to take care of her, because their focus and duty and love is with Buffy. Especially because Faith is all about Faith and loves causing a ruckus and acts like she doesn't want or need to be taken care of. She's a problem child that isn't either Giles or Joyce's responsibility, so it's easier to forget her than to take on the monumental task of helping someone who acts like she doesn't want to be helped. That happens all the time with problem kids in the real world, so it's super realistic to me. One thing I've always found interesting about the show is that potential slayers are taken from their families and raised by their would-be watchers, if they can be. And the watchers don't appear to love them or see them as girls, but as weapons, as evidenced by Kendra only having one shirt and stowing away in the cargo compartment of the airplane. If they can't take the girls away to raise them, as with Buffy and Faith, they tend to walk away from their families/parents once they become slayers. Buffy is definitely an anomaly.

[@davidmeadows3351]

That also therefore implies that watchers must get "expenses" for their slayers, if they are normally expected to house and feed them. This explains how Faith can afford even a grotty motel room (which makes no sense otherwise, unless she's working double shifts at burger king). That then implies that, as Joyce is keeping buffy, Giles is simply pocketing the expenses he is receiving for her. Crafty :D

[@chaptereight2639]

@@davidmeadows3351 he does have a metric ton of any kind of weapon or occult book or spell ingredient you can think of, so at least some of it is going towards slaying. 😂

[@ChrisCollins068]

@@davidmeadows3351some people implied she was “doing things” with men to get money for that cheap motel room

[@user-dx2dm8oq8g]

@@ChrisCollins068 that is sad and could be true, if she was robbing them the cops would be called on her. I could see her working as a bouncer.

[@tinesess3521]

Wow..i never really thought about it until i was listening to you talk, but i think xander is attracted to the unattainable, which says something. This is an iconic episode❤ (Also as a fellow vegan, the horror of the mass production in this episode is fascinating to me)

[@troikas3353]

Makes sense given its established he has such an abusive home life he willingly chooses to sleep outside in the elements just to not hear the fighting. So much of how he sees and acts towards the others is influenced by that aspect of his life that unfortunately just never really gets explored. They could have done a lot with him, but really he just gets relegated to being the punch line of jokes or the go to character to say something harsh or unpopular when a script needs someone to do it. Willow's family being deeply neglectful as well also basically just never gets brought up despite her intense imposter syndrome being such a central part of her character.

[@tinesess3521]

@troikas3353 Oh, I 100 % agree! So much of their characters follow the very flawed people they are but it doesn't get explored or shown in great depth why. you gotta look hard at the "subtext" . even in a somewhat heroic moment like the zeppo...his final standoff is actually really sad if the audience really thinks about it

[@jspettifer]

His issues with Cordy were also around his massive self confidence issues meaning that he couldn’t accept that she would actually be interested in him.

[@beautye5909]

2:57 Technically Cordy already dated Jonathon, in season 2 'Reptile boy', after she found college guys to be too much 'trouble'. It was a small scene, he forgets the 'extra foam'!

[@MrLorenzovanmatterho]

Is it bad to want more? That is what fanfic is for.

[@renae_understandz]

Tyler is absolutely hilarious. Love the apologies for the best jokes. 24:19

[@Re0nack]

Early Cordelia to me was always Buffy’s mirror - the person Buffy would have been without the slayer powers.

[@tornadochaser2457]

We see that in "Becoming: Part 1", she was fashionable, popular, and rather air-headed, but she didn't possess Cordelia's nastiness.

[@Re0nack]

@ because the slayer power kicked in - as she grew it’s not unreasonable to assume she may have gone that way as well - Buffy often yarns for the life Cordy has (in s1&2) - can’t really going into more details without spoilers but that “link” between them shows more over time

[@sweetesttaboonyc9937]

I’ve been waiting for this one. It’s a favorite and excellent analysis as usual. This season is top notch

[@honeybumble1012]

Faith is fully absent in the alternate universe since Buffy never died, Kendra was never activated and killed for Faith to be activated

[@mikechappell4156]

Doesn't make them absent. Just not Slayers yet.

[@lilbbyjade5281]

faith got killed outside the bronze actually

[@honeybumble1012]

@@mikechappell4156 absent from this version of Sunnydale, Faith remains an unactivated slayer wherever she is originally from

[@honeybumble1012]

@@lilbbyjade5281 *Spoiler* I thought that was the girl vampire Sandy who Riley ends up killing in season 5

[@richardcutts196]

The actor who played the Master played Niedermeyer in Animal House. He also played the authority figure, The Teacher and the Father, in a couple of Twisted Sister videos.

[@ceceliam9014]

Faith and Kendra have always been foils for Buffy. The type of slayer/person Buffy is has some degree if Kendra's discipline and Faith's rebellion, but both Faith and Kendra are isolated. In different ways, but like all the slayers that have come before they are alone against the darkness, on track to die young... The human sacrifice comparison in inca mummy girl was also not an accident. Buffy is breaking the wheel already, simply by having friends. Not to mention catalyzing the first ever circumstances to lead to 2 slayers being in existence at the same time (also a result of having support that came for her and fought to bring her back). Your reactions are great by the way, its so much fun to dive deep into the Buffy metaphors and depth the show has to offer. You have really interesting insights and sometimes I reconsider perspectives on a show I've loved for decades with your interpretations.

[@noahrobin1941]

I think your comments about Buffy’s personality in the new reality being due to the lack of a support system are spot on. On that note, I commend your attention waaaaaay back to one of Spike’s last lines in School Hard (2x03): “A Slayer with family and friends; that sure as hell wasn’t in the brochure.” Spike has some experience with Slayers; if you trust his judgment in this regard, even he seems to think that Buffy’s support system is anomalous, Slayer-wise.

[@larissabrewington9065]

I've seen this episode dozenS of times. I've seen many reactions. Your reaction actually scared the crap out of me. There were too many things I didn't consider! Great reaction. Thank You.

[@killianlpc]

The Wish is always a fan favourite. A great concept here with the alternative reality. We get introduced to Anya The Vengeance Demon, the moral of the episode is be careful what you wish for. Cordelia being Cordelia opens up the alternative dimension, some great comedy one liners here too, and of course foreshadowing again for the future. Cordelia's vacuous airhead friends are so cruel to her and others. Giles saves the day confronting Anya and restores things back to normal. Again we see S3 being so innovative with much better writing and storylines. It just gets better and better. I told you it's a 'bangerfest' from here on in to the S3 finale.

[@xyex]

I feel like every season has its stand out stand alone/mow episode, and Wish is definitely the one for S3. There's another episode that comes really close, but doesn't quite beat it. *MILD SPOILERS, DO NOT READ BELOW* 1. Nightmares 2. Halloween 3. Wish 4. Hush 5. The Body 6. OMWF 7. Selfless Best one offs, IMO. OMWF and Hush have some arc important moments, but I still feel they classify as one offs.

[@MerryMachiavelli]

I've been binge watching another reactor I found who uploaded all of the Expanse, and steadily ignoring my notifications when other reactors I sub to, upload new videos, even of my favorite series's. Right up until I saw you upload this. I clicked this so fast I got whiplash. Thanks for another awesome video!

[@ButtonsandBookends]

I love the It's a Wonderful Life energy of this episode

[@alooncnej4696]

The red door is captivating 😄 great episode, this season is creative and the second half almost perfect.

[@lesleymaroquin5777]

Love your commentary on this one. I love this episode

[@akelly4207]

I always loved the image of Angel whose in this alternate reality has still changed because of Buffy and is a bit in love with her being staked and calling her name as she marches stone faced through his dust unbothered. I think there might be something wrong with me😅

[@paratus04]

13:17 I never noticed the crosses in the background. That’s a great touch.

[@ernesthakey3396]

Yep, per the Prophecy, Buffy faced the master, and died. Ouch... SMG played "world-weary Slayer" Buffy perfectly.

[@moramorandobianchi7093]

This is definitely one of the episodes that reminds me how good this show is and how much I love it. Interesting point about the show choosing to have two main characters have that storyline, it's great that a show can make characters that are technically good but still have flaws and make mistakes and poor decisions. And then the show gives us their dead in very poetic ways, so if the audience was angry at them for cheating it's kind of satisfying to see them die on screen (knowing that it will not affect them in our timeline in any way). (Also, seeing Angel die on screen was kind of satisfying for me, not gonna lie). Having Cordelia die early in the episode was also a great choice that helps differentiate this show from others, and then I genuinely enjoyed having The Master back, what an amazing call back. And the prophecy becomes true once more: Buffy is killed by The Master, with no loophole around it this time.

[@gungho1284]

Faith never got called up as slayer in this reality because Buffy wasn't around for the Master to kill.

[@MalkavTheMadman]

And Buffy not being associated with Kendra means that assuming Kendra was called after Buffys death in this reality, and lived a few more years (usual slayer lifespan), Faith might be too old and Kennedy is the next known, likely candidate to be called.

[@Ataraxy123]

The last time I made a top 10 list of Buffy episodes, this was my second favorite.

[@page349]

I really like the way you drew that comparison between alternate Buffy and Faith - I hadn't consciously thought of it that way before.

[@Kap00rwith2os]

In the alternate reality presumably Joyce is dead too, which would have added to the reason Alternate Buffy is the way that she is.

[@blairsanne]

I remember questioning how anyone knew about the whole Xander/Willow thing too, but Oz is cool and connected to people, so I feel like it's most likely that he confided in someone and they told others and it spread. Because Buffy, Willow, and Xander aren't too connected, and I feel like Cordy probably wouldn't have run to Harmony and them about it right away.

[@peterd9698]

17:28 I always wonder if that is Faith too. I figure some fan would have mentioned it by now though. (It would be a non-slayer faith, and I guess there is absolutely no reason for her to be in this part of the country)

[@CJ77777]

Absolutely agree with you. Xander definitely gets targeted the most when they are both equally in the wrong. As far as how Xander thinks, he is often a very practical thinker i.e. The sky is blue, the grass is green kind of thing. That doesn't mean he can't think outside his practical box, but it takes more time and observation. One of Willows' faults is, as much as she's a great friend and tries her best to be there for people, she does need validation and often she thinks quite selfishly.

[@chrisleneil]

Absolutely love this episode, & your commentary is spot on. (and yeah, we all loved the scar & Vamp!Willow from moment 1) 💜🌈🧛🏻‍♀️

[@zDom]

Full circle: The episode begins with a demon who's defeated but doesn't go poof and ends with a demon who's defeated and doesn't go poof.

[@corgiluver9718]

Excellent episode in an excellent season. Enjoyed your reaction/discussion, thanks.

[@JagoBC]

Absolutely one of my favorite episodes of the series. And not just because of Evil Willow. I'd say what the main reason is, but that would involve a major spoiler!

[@ekted]

Damn, dude! As insightful and eloquent as ever!

[@dfunkt2291]

Yeahhh I was idly wondering yesterday if you were up to this episode next... couldn't tell you why... but cool!

[@NanaAphesis]

Great reaction👍 I 100% agree with you💯

[@mythra7174]

I like this episode. Little glitch in "the wish" though, as Buffy actually DOES come to Sunnydale. The wish was that she NEVER comes to Sunnydale, not just at the time she actually came. Maybe it was because the wisher (Cordelia) died that it kind of cancels out and Buffy comes AFTER Cordy dies in that reality -- and she came *because* of Cordelia, since she was the one who gave Giles the info. So, in a way, Cordy actually saved the correct reality by telling Giles about it, prompting Giles to make that call. Although, it actually wouldn't have mattered whether or not Giles called Buffy because Buffy wasn't actually the savior of this scenario. She was actually defeated by The Master and it was Giles who destroyed the necklace, fixing that reality. (The reactor may have brought this up, but I never watch the after-discussions on reaction shows, just the parts where they are making commentary while they are watching the actual episodes, heh).

[@crystalfire5564]

So if destroying Anya’s necklace set things back to normal, would it have reverted if they just burned Cordelia with the necklace? Or would the necklace be flame proof?

[@xyex]

I think the necklace Cordy had was powerless. Anya still had hers when Giles summoned her. I think it got duplicated when the reality shifted, but depowered, and the one held by this reality's Anya was the real one.

[@crystalfire5564]

@ But then how did smashing the one in the alternate reality make things change back? And then Anya lost her necklace completely. I may be thinking too much.

[@xyex]

@@crystalfire5564 Magic. Anya's power source stayed with Anya. When it was lost, it was lost. I see the power source as a fixed object, a part of Anya herself. It spanned both realities, just as Cordy and Anya themselves did.

[@vaanfluff]

oo I hadn't considered that a slayer living longer relieved the next potential slayer of the curse being that they are called between a certain age.

[@janeldavis905]

There's a throw-away line in this series somewhere where Giles is describing a demon and he says something like, 'It consumes the organs of other creatures to restore its own degrading body.' and I always wondered if that was an intentional dig at meat-eating humans or if the writer genuinely didn't realize that's exactly what most of us do.

[@padawansound6423]

Fun fact for any grunge fans in here - Nancy (the girl in Giles and Oz's vampire hunting gang) is played by Mariah O'Brien. She's an actress and model who most notably appeared on the front cover of Alice In Chains' seminal sophomore album, Dirt. Great reaction as always, your Cordelia commentary was on point.

[@FrankieNuggetGaming]

If you haven't seen it already i would recommend sopranos reacts could be good! I watched it last year just after watching breaking bad for the first time and just before my first viewing of better call saul, and rhere is definitely themes and links. And on the animal comment ... Wasn't offended at all. My partner turned veggie a few years ago before i met him and he was a big meat eater apparently.. but he loves animals had a similar thought that its a contradiction to eat them, soo he tried to go veggie now like 4 years later hes still veggie. Me on the other hand still eats meat and but being with my partner my diet is probably 80-97% veggie food. I have thought about taking the jump into it because i do love animals but i know in myself as soon as i say i cant have meat ever again all im gonna crave is meat. Which in ways makes me very weak minded probably. But i eat alot less meat then an average meat eater and a good portion of the time choose veggie over the meat option (no more meat BBQ's). My main point is i wasnt offended i understand the contradiction and have stuggled with it myself, i am a meat eater on a veggie diet that can have the options of meat. Props to all you veggie and vegans out there. Sorry for the long rant ! As always love the buffy reacts!

[@TylerAlexander]

Hey, if you ask me 'veganism' is *reducing* animal products in your diet. I think if even there's one moment of 'I'll substitute steak this one night for x' then you're doing great. I appreciate there are extenuating circumstances that one person might have that another doesn't have to deal with that makes it harder/easier. Equally, we all have different ways in which food hits us and how we treat that too, whether that's desire or cravings or what we feel tastes better to us. You're not weak for not being 'pure' vegan or veggie, not even close 💙

[@andrewdunn8778]

​I second the motion for The Sopranos. It's a deep, funny, dark, incredibly well acted show that's about family trauma and the crumbling of the American dream. You would feast on the all the symbolism and hypocrisy g​@@TylerAlexander

[@jacobtampa2817]

I never realized buffy never went to Sunnyvale she never died and Kendra and faith never vote called up.

[@Figgy5119]

What I really don't like about how Xander and Willow are presenting the situation, they're making it sound like that was a one time thing, when it had been going on for a while. If I were in Oz's shoes, I might be forgiving-- they thought they were going to die, it was well documented that Willow had been holding a torch for Xander for years, if it was one time in that situation, I could possibly forgive. But they seem to be hiding the truth of thr cheating. And not that this is bad writing per say or unrealistic character writing, it's very much how real people would act, I just "I'm very disappointed in you" toward the characters themselves. :P

[@michaelolivero1626]

Not that it's a justification by any means, but cattle and sheep are prey animals in nature, sort of meant to be eaten. (This is Not an advocation for eating them) Dogs and cats are not, they're domesticated predators. It's less about the value we put on different animals and more a classification system created by nature learned by our prehistoric ancestors and carried thru today. .

[@padawansound6423]

There are plenty of cultures that eat cats and dogs and others that don't consume cattle, all of whom will also be following the example of their "prehistoric ancestors". Prey is in the eye of the beholder, plenty of carnivores are also prey in the wild. Plus, there's actually nothing "natural" about the animals we eat - they're just as domesticated and bred for purpose as cats and dogs are. I'm not vegan, btw, I just think there are some flaws in that argument. Breeding, domesticating, and mass producing animals for consumption is just as "unnatural" as cultivating huge monocultures of plants such as wheat or barley - it's a completely human social construct that has more to do with the needs of trade and capital, rather than the fundamentals of basic human nourishment. If we were to truly follow the examples of our ancestors, we'd all be hunter-gatherers with diets consisting of about 20 - 30% meat at most. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad we're not in that position. But I also don't think that the industrialised meat industry has anything to do with the natural order of things.

[@mirandasaralyn]

Really enjoyed your insights on Cordy and Xander's relationship and how each of them viewed it. I think you are spot on and I haven't really seen too many people seem to read Xander that way. I def think he is more focused on Cordy's status then seeing her as an actual complex individual person- let alone his own interiority and possible feelings for her. As we see in this episode he doesn't want to feel bad or guilty or even admit he did anything wrong he just wants to move on without processing, because he really doesn't seem to have great tools to self-reflect or process emotions. (Willow also wants to move on from feeling bad quickly, but at least has the emotional intelligence to feel bad and admit that she is in the wrong.)

[@Ylyrra]

I'm not normally a Xander "defender", but he does TRY to reach out and make amends with Cordelia, she doesn't let him (and she's entirely within her rights to!). He does at least show some recognition that he's hurt her, and regret, and affection towards her, and realisation of what he wasn't appreciating in her... and then failing to channel that at all usefully, he moves on to trying to act like he's done nothing wrong and so forth. I think it's one of the few moments where Xander actually displays some true empathy and respect for others, too little, too late, and too fleeting as it is. He knows he's done wrong, his desperation to pretend he hasn't tells you that much, he's trying to convince himself as much as anyone. I think pretty much this and one other future time are the only points where Xander truly realises how he treats the people around him, before backing away into convincing himself he isn't that person and that he's a "nice guy".

[@tedkord1968]

If Buffy had never come to Sunnydale, she didn't die in season one, so no Kendra and no Faith.

[@crawdaddy1234]

1:42 It absolutely is the “same.” It’s that the hurt parties are very different.

[@migmit]

Buffy didn't die until now. So, Kendra, and then Faith, were never activated. The only sad thing about that episode was that it was a “what if” kind of thing that by design couldn't have any consequences whatsoever. White hats: Larry the gay non-werewolf, Oz the non-gay werewolf, Giles the non-gay non-werewolf, and Nancy that we've never seen before, but logically she should be a gay werewolf.

[@Sephiroth766]

Faith wouldn't be a slayer because she hadn't died yet. In fact, Buffy dying here, activated Kendra as the slayer

[@michaelolivero1626]

Anya isn't a genie, shes a vengence demon, patron of scorned women, wielding the power of the wish to bring vengeance upon mankind

[@matte5705]

The term Vengeance demon hasn't been used by the show yet

[@reneanderson8225]

I hope you continue this journey with the series ‘Angel’ Right after this season. For it helps you understand the importance of both characters Buffy & Angel 🥰

[@grife3000]

"I wouldn't go so far as to call a dog filthy but they're definitely dirty. But, a dog's got personality. Personality goes a long way."

[@spacejack400]

I thought this episode could have twisted the knife a little harder if Jenny were still with Giles in this reality.

[@pinkylittleme]

Apparently Robia Lamorte became reeaaally into religion and regretted a lot her part in Buffy because it's associated with witchcraft and evil and stuff.

[@ayla1316]

Ooof, I had never thought of that but yeah, and Giles' faith that the other world must be better when he smashed the amulet... ouch, yeah that would have been a big ol knife twist. And if Cordy had seen Jenny and said she's dead and Gules had to make the choice. Wow wow

[@gungho1284]

She probably never took the job in the first place, since she wasn't needed to keep an eye on Buffy and Angel.

[@ChrisCollins068]

@@gungho1284yes exactly

[@bellatronics]

​@@gungho1284She was just sent to keep eye on Angel actually, to make sure he was still suffering under the curse. She was not sent specifically to watch Buffy and Angel. Her people didn't even give her the full info at first about how Angel's curs works with a moment of true happiness. Her uncle only explains it to her when he arrives in Sunnydale. So yes she would have been there, but in the Wishverse she may have died already or been turned. That would have been awesome to see a vamp Jenny.

[@tonneauperdu6927]

Tyler : "I like devastation" 👀

[@wrongnumber878]

If you liked this episode and the cattle stuff, I strongly recommend ''The Strain''- another TV show. It's not as great as BTVS, not by a long shot, but it has some horrific vampire stuff you might appreciate.

[@cruzinbosco]

Ironically, I became a vegetarian because of David Boreanaz's other series, "Bones". 😂

[@gungho1284]

I used to be a hard-core vegan. Then I got IBS and became too much of a sugar addict so I gave up all carbs for carnivore. Which works great for me now.

[@chelsjones]

SPOILERS “is it bad that i want more” HILARIOUS title considering the future

[@martinlopatka4409]

This episode shows how much scoobies mean .. and why slayer not alone is the best one. Without friends she cannot defeat even one big bag.. she managed to kill with them.. love the show.

[@SlyPearTree]

I've watched this episode a lot of times but never made a parallel of the Master's machine with factory farming somehow, thanks. Not that I think mass productions is a bad thing, it has bad sides like everything but we owe our standard of living to it, heck lots of us owe our lives to it as machines used in the medical field, to produce medication or help in diagnostics, would be too expensive without mass production.

[@WWalton1996]

You don't come off as a preachy vegan, no worries. I've dated a vegan, had a best friend who is vegan, and have had plenty of encounters with vegans in day-to-day, and you don't seem judgmental or aggressive (at least not in your videos). You're a likeable, deep-thinking guy and I agree with a lot of your points in your commentaries. Though personally, I think that you can love animals, and eat them too. It's a respect thing. I recognize that humans are animals, we're part of the food chain (despite what some believe, if you wander through the woods you absolutely can be back on the menu), and I can love animals for both their personality, behavior, beauty, and still respect them while appreciating the sustenance they provide. I wish all animal farming was done as humanely as humanly possible, recognize that unfortunately we live a cruel cruel world that doesn't make that possible (because humans are some of the WORST animals, no better than any in the animal kingdom, our cruelty knows no bounds it seems, though I always hope for a betterment to mankind), and so I accept that unfortunately for me to enjoy a nice steak I have to recognize that some animal suffering probably went into that. With more and more developments into the "awareness" of plants we're discovering that certain crops recognize they're being harvested and cry out to warn others, sort of an extension of the people that thought that eating fish was the only humane animal to eat because fish were somehow 'less aware' or 'less capable' of feeling pain, only for research to disprove that. I don't think there's much in this world that doesn't mind being eaten, even vegetables and fruit. I simply pay my respect and recognize the unfairness of the event, but it's not going to stop me from eating the meat, especially since once slaughtered and put on the shelf, it feels kind of disrespectful for me to then leave their meat to rot instead of taking in sustenance and doing as nature intends from omnivores. And to anyone who wonders if I draw lines on the types of meat, I'm not the asshole who draws lines at pet-friendly species humans have bonded with: all animals in the animal kingdom are eventually, going to be meat, eaten or not, through age, accident, getting food-chained by a predator species, or by man. If the animal is already dead, I think it's wasteful not to appreciate the food provided, so while I would never seek out cat, dog, horse, or any other animal's meat that people usually shy away from, I don't see the distinction, or a reason to say no to that meat while eating others, that just seems like people drawing silly lines to me. Funnily enough this makes me the enemy of a lot of meat eaters and vegetarians/vegans because even hardcore meat eaters tend to draw lines at which animals are okay to eat, and I could care less. Sustenance is sustenance, humans are omnivorous by nature, and fighting nature instead of working with it is why this world falls to pieces, just look what we've done to the Earth, climate change, war, man-made disasters, mass extinction events... I just take every day as a blessing and pay respect to all, whether that is in the bonds the living share, or the benefits of eating a picked fruit, a harvested, veggie, or a (preferably humanely) slaughtered animal. And I also FULLY respect vegetarians, vegans, etc. Everyone can make choices about where they draw the moral line on food, just because I view it as a member of the animal kingdom, while others place themselves in an enlightened position, believing human intellect means we can rise above baser instincts, doesn't mean I dislike anyone for those choices. Like saying I can't appreciate religious people while being an atheist.

[@arjenlaan4103]

Thank you for those forbidden thoughts ;-)

[@psychomagicshop]

I enjoyed watching you watch this episode a lot ❤

[@grkpektis]

I wish (no pun intended) we got more episodes with evil Anya, she was such a fun villain

[@spikezcrypt]

The mass farming thing brings up the really interesting question to me of, are vampires really evil, just for feeding? a lot of them do extra torture-y things, but not all of them. And no matter how you feel about the ethicalities of eating animals/animal products (I have my own, im plant based,) I dont think most even hardcore vegans view those who eat meat as evil. Its normalised to us. we are sentient in a way that as far as we now, most animals arent. And we know that vampires are conscious on a level that humans arent in btvs, Jesse talks about it way back at the beginning of s1 when he gets turned. to vamps, humans really are lower on the food chain and not as conscious of a life form as they are, in the same way most of us might view eating animals. That isn't to say that most vampires are good, most of them still seem quite torture happy, but its an interesting thing to think about.

[@la_beatrice]

8:00 - Ah, 90s shows high-schoolers 😂 That "popular" dude looks 37. I mean, Cordelia always looked like she could be the gang's teacher, and the gorgeous but mature-looking leather outfit isn't helping, but that guy looks like he's approaching 40.

[@ingerlise6164]

There is a spin off after season 3. Are you considering reacting to it?

[@TylerAlexander]

yup!

[@ingerlise6164]

@@TylerAlexander Great! :D

[@tilltab]

@@TylerAlexanderokay, this has me dancing a little! There are a few episodes that correlate to each other, so I highly recommend syncing an episode of Buffy to one from Angel for the most complete experience, though they mostly stand alone. When I watched this on Sky One back when it was first on, they had the two shows back to back, Buffy then Angel. Happy days! I miss sitting up on a Thursday night excited for whatever would come next.

[@iAmPimmiCue]

@@TylerAlexander Hope it's not buffy, wait 2 weeks then Angel, then another 2 weeks for Buffy. Cause then it's just gonna take like 6 years to finish the show on youtube

[@TylerAlexander]

@iAmPimmiCue why are you in such a rush? Or are we after me tanking my mental health sat in a room spending all my days morning, noon, and night, editing hours of footage? I'd hope you didn't want that for me too 🙄

[@jennarobinson4136]

Such a good episode! I really liked your commentary expecting Cordelia to learn a lesson and then instead she's just killed. Buffy's always a great show for taking risks and subverting expectations.

[@jdb101585]

Nice hair!

[@Nexusofgeek]

Another banger of an episode in a season chock full of them. For a while season 3 was my favorite of the show, but if you keep watching you will see there is more good stuff to come. :-)

[@GJS2183]

Wait for the season 6 finale...

[@Buffy8Fan]

I think it would have been a good justce for Willow and Xander to remember, but I'm glad no one else does.

[@davidwalsh7128]

Hail Anyanka!!!!

[@tilltab]

Don’t worry, as a meat eater, I wasn’t offended by your comments on eating meat. I live with the contradiction of loving animals and also eating them, and have conflicted feelings on continuing to do so. For me, I grew up with a ton of allergies, some of which still remain, and meat has always been a safe food option for me. I’ll go for a vegetarian option now and then, but my allergies to peas and, to a lesser degree, other legumes, means a lot of vegan alternatives are not an option for me, and so I chose to allow myself to eat the things I can. I do wish I had the money to make more ethical choices in the meat I do eat too, but I just have to try when I can and accept my limitations. Do love vegan food when I can have it though, especially since egg is another thing I’m allergic to, so I get to eat yummy deserts safely! :) Hurrah for vegans (even if they’ve also inadvertently led to peas being included in more meat products now, presumably because the same companies are using it in vegan products, so it’s easier/more economical to use in meat ones too, meaning I have to be extra careful reading ingredients!) I think there’s balance in all things, and we have to do what works for us.

[@bobmathis-friedman6742]

The difference between a cow and a dog? for me, intelligence. I had a condition where I pass proteins faster than I actually use them for organic processing, so I had to consume proteins that process as slowly as possible (which means meat), or I'm prone towards passing out during any significant period of exertion. Since I respect the ethics of Veganism, I've compromised by drawing a line at anything of cat-level intelligence or higher (which includes Pork and octopus, BTW). Cattle falls below that category, so I eat it.

[@AngelWedge]

Now I find myself wondering how this episode would have been received if Kendra had shown up instead of Buffy… maybe Buffy would already have died without her friends' support. Looking forward impatiently to Doppelgangland now…

[@ninipookie]

Then Cordelia would have to wish Buffy was never born but what do u know seeing that you are just spoiling things

[@sherrysink3177]

I love this episode. I thought it was a fascinating take on what would happen if everyone in the Buffy verse took a different path, and seeing Xander and Willow as vampires was chilling yet strangely kind of cool. Until Buffy killed them. I didn't realize just how much they meant to me as characters and how I simply couldn't separate the vampire versions of them from the Xander and Willow we know and love. When Buffy killed Xander, and Oz killed Willow... oh my heart hurt. It was painful to see that happen. (But brilliantly written)

[@Ylyrra]

Willow gets treated differently because it's not the same. They both cheated, and that in itself is equally as bad, however the context for Willow is different to the context for Xander. There's never been any sign that Willow doesn't respect Oz, or doesn't have strong feelings for him, her cheating feels like an aberation. Xander on the other hand has constantly been disrespectful towards Cordelia, and his cheating feels like an extension of that lack of respect. The broader context is also that Willow has had a crush on Xander since they were kids, and so is feeling torn between two people she has feelings towards, whereas Xander has largely ignored Willow and taken her for granted until someone else has her and suddenly NOW he values her and has an interest. Willow was conflicted and made a bad decision in the face of strong emotions, Xander once again perceived women as their main value being how much other people wanted them. One IS more forgivable than the other, and one is a unique circumstance, whereas the other is a pattern of behaviour.

[@jeanbot]

This is one of my favorite episodes because of hot vampire Willow.

[@cookienator2762]

I just realized why Faith is not in this episode! She had never become a slayer in this universe!! (Buffy hadn't died... yet).

[@alexie5201]

Faith became the slayer because Kendra died, not Buffy. And since Kendra was never called in this universe, Faith wasn't either.

[@cookienator2762]

@alexie5201 yea yea, point still stands, both I'm the episode itself + in the reaction, ppl wondered where she is. :o

[@daphneglasurus7886]

3:40 I genuinely think you’re overestimating Cordelia’s place in the scoobies. Buffy came to respect Cordelia but it’s a stretch to say she or Willow really liked her. It’s not really accurate to say they were all equal besties. Cordelia had every right to feel like an outsider to them, especially when Xander never fully made her feel welcome there, as you say.

[@bananaspliitz9136]

1:32 I think the difference in how Xander and willow r shown in this has more to do with Cordelia and oz. Cordelia has laid down her boundary, the relationship is over, so Xander needs to respect that. While, not show yet at this point in the ep, oz has expressed a need for space but not ended the relationship.