The Wish

Season 3, Episode 9, Aired
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Episode Summary

Wanting to be rid of Xander for good, Cordelia comes to the conclusion that Buffy is the cause of all her problems and makes a wish that Buffy had never come to Sunnydale. A demon grants the wish and Cordelia's world suddenly changes.
9.4
out of 10
EPISODE RATING: Superb
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Fan Episode Reviews (38)

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  • What could have been?

    10
    "Perfect"
    By joxerlives, Jan 19, 2012 Report Abuse
    The Good;
    All of it! Just wonderful! Great reveal of Anya the demon and the action sequences especially

    The Bad;
    Surely in vampdominated Sunnydale people would prefer to let their kids drive home from SDH?

    Best line;
    Buffy; Your logic is not like our earth logic

    Character death;
    Everyone except Giles, Larry, Harmony and Oz. But then thankfully they're all alive again. Cordy's death is particularly disturbing. Of course the obvious question is what about all the people who died in the proper Buffyverse? It would have been a nice touch if Jenny, Jessie and Principle Flutie were still alive at SDH, if Nancy was actually Theresa from Phases. And of course if Buffy never died in the Master's pool then Kendra is still alive too

    Shot;
    VampXander is hit by Buffy's crossbow

    Tied up;
    Angel in chains

    Knocked out;
    Giles and Oz

    Women good/men bad;
    If anything with Vampwillow we see femalekind at it's worse. The way Harmony and co treat Cordy is horrible, you really feel for her but I guess it's revenge for her 'Sheep' speech.

    Kinky dinky;
    Where do you begin? PVC-clad VampWillow plays no-safety-word S&M sex games with 'Puppy' whilst leatherclad vampXander watches. Buffy thinks the hero worship that everyone shows her in Sunnydale is a 'get in my pants thing'.

    Calling Captain Subtext;
    vampWillow has obvious lesbian overtones (her killing of both Cordy and the Master's victim is almost akin to snuff). However she still digs Xander and Angel so it's still more than likely she's bi rather than gay.

    Guantanamo Bay;
    Plenty of torture but only by the bad guys

    Questions and observations
    Staggeringly brilliant in every way and anyone who doesn't think so should be locked up as a danger to themselves and others. Great ending too, cool, touching and funny, wonderful music. Plus Jonathon AND Larry, great.
    What is the Mayor doing in Master dominated Sunnydale? And the Initiative? Where are Darla and Luke, killed by the White Hat's? Where are Hank and Joyce? Who is the Watcher Giles talks to on the telephone? Wesley? Sam Zebuto (Kendra's Watcher)? Gwendoline Post? Giles refers to demonic activity in Cleveland which will be referenced in Chosen as Giles says there's a 2nd Hellmouth there (presumably inactive?) We always knew Buffy was an exceptional Slayer and that the Watcher's found her late but here we see that without Giles and the Scoobies' help she ends up battlehardened, emotionally cut off and with the Slayer deathwish, just like all the others. Interesting to compare 'The Wish' Buffy with Faith (and what's happening to her in the Wishverse?)
    And here's Anya, no sign as yet that she'll become a major character and appear in the opening credits.
    Now, where does the Wishverse lie in the continuity of things? I figure it's a dead end, a right angle to the real timestream that stops dead at the moment Giles smashes the pendant. Of course what happens if the Wishverse had continued? Well with all respect to Kendra I don't see her lasting that long leaving it to Faith to defeat The Master. So that would mean that Dawn is Faith's sister, Giles her Watcher, a grieving Joyce and Hank surrogate parents to both LeHane girls and Larry, Oz, Harmony and Amy as the Scoobygang? Would that make Spike the PTB's souled-vamp champion, just try picturing him and Doyle as a team. Interesting to wonder, huh?
    Once read a great fanfic where all the Scoobys are vamps but this meant that the valiant Darla was the Slayer and The Mayor, Adam, a human Spike and Dru, Glory and the Nerds were all good guys and made up her alternate Scooby Gang. It says a lot for the depth of character Joss gives his villains that the concept actually worked really well, that they all could have been heroes if things had taken a different path.
    Actually Cordy has dated Jonathon before or at least let him buy her a muffin at the Bronze in Inca Mummy Girl. We hear the gang go on about how Faith has become more and more distant since the events of Revalations, Buffy has sympathy for her and we later see she wouldn't have been too different to her under other circumstances. You have to agree with Oz turning Will down, he's right as to her motivations. You note that although things are bad in SD the Harvest wasn't the end of the world it was advertised to be, the rest of the world goes on pretty much unaffected. How do they dispose of all the demon bodies they leave lying around?
    Legend has it there's a girl looking just like Faith amongst the prisoners at the Factory. Eliza Dushku however has stated at a convention that this definitely isn't her, she wasn't even on set that day. Popular explanation is that this is her stand in/stunt double earning some spare cash as an extra.
    10/10 and a whole lot more.
    moreless

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  • Great episode of Buffy. Its fun and interesting, but also dark.

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By rockclimber15, Oct 30, 2011 Report Abuse
    The wish is a very well written episode and its a dark look into what could have been without Buffy.
    Cordelia comes back to school after her injury and finds that things are very different for her. She no longer is miss popular and her old friends laugh and make fun of her. Feeling down she realizes that all her problems started because of Buffy and sheinadvertently makes a wish to the new girl Anya, who just happens to be a vengeance demon.
    Cordelia wishes Buffy never came to Sunnydale and soon finds herself in an alternate reality where vampires reign supreme, the master is still alive, and where Xander and Willow are super scary vamps.
    Now at this point they could have made this episode a typical alternate reality episode where the person throughout the episode learns just how bizarre their alternate reality is and then tries to change it. And in the beginning Cordelia does just that. But things take a turn for the worse when Xander and Willow kill her.
    I think that that was an interesting twist to a story idea that has been rehashed many times. The whole episode is well done. Xander and Willow are terrifying as vampires and its a good setup for Dopplegangland where vampire Willow makes a return.
    The alternate Buffy is also very interesting. She almost reminds me of Faith and I wonder if that's what the writers were going for. She's tough, scarred, and dark with none of the fun loving Buffy we all well...love.
    The end scene in the warehouse is well done. We watch as all of our favorite characters die. The part where Angel gets shot and says, "Buffy." as he turns into dust is sad, but also made even sadder because Buffy doesn't even care. She walks right through him as though he didn't matter.
    Well written episode, great to watch, and its interesting to see how much Buffy has done for Sunnydale.moreless

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  • The Wish

    10
    "Perfect"
    By TrueTvWatcher, Oct 14, 2010 Report Abuse
    The Wish was a true Buffy the Vampire Slayer treat.! This episode was exciting because wa saw the return of Cordelia, introduced to a new cool girl who is not who she appears to be or should I say what. The story for this episode is Brilliant and ties in other story lines really well and I have a feeling it will play a part in the future as well. This episode saw the return of The Master, and in Cordelia's new world Willow and Zander are quite different but still hot for each other. This was good episode to show range of different versions of the various characters.moreless

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  • definitaly not one of my favorite episodes, but they used it well in futre episdoes. I think that this episode is necissary, but not what I like about the show.

    4.7
    "Poor"
    By fermaldehyde, Sep 21, 2010 Report Abuse
    Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one of my favorite shows. I like the first three or four seasons the best, after that they lose thier wit and comedy. There's a nice mix of action, romance, comedy and sci-fi. This episode was one of my least favorite. I don't like the fact that Cordillia is still part of the "Scooby Gang" although she isn't Xander's girlfriend anymore. Then she gets removed at the end of the season. This episode is vital for the rest of the season to make sense though. I like the fact that all of the episodes deal with new topics, but all of the episodes are linked and are related to each other. This is a classic show but they changed it too much after season four. I'll keep watching, but that's only because this show has something that no other show has. I don't know what it is but I like it!moreless

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    0 2

  • The Master is back but not really. Actually, nothing in this episode really happens. Cordelia wishes that Buffy had never come to Sunnydale, and a demon named Anyanka actually grants her wish, but it is all reset by the end of the episode.moreless

    2.0
    "Terrible"
    By swingthesickle, Sep 21, 2010 Report Abuse
    The Wish is yet another episode penned by Marti Noxon. Noxon joined the Buffy staff with season two as story editor. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was her first job in Hollywood, and she wrote six episodes her first season working. Only Joss Whedon can claim the same: he wrote six episodes of Roseanne the first season he was hired, and Roseanne was his first Hollywood job. Noxon received multiple promotions every season. She was promoted to Executive Producer and took over Whedon's role as show runner during the last season of Buffy, because Whedon was busy developing Firefly at this time. I have no doubt that Noxon is a very talented writer; I simply have not liked most of the episodes she has written so far.

    It seems like most series finally get around to an alternate reality episode--especially sci-fi series. Sometimes they are good. Most of the time, they are bad. The Wish was bad. In fact, as a Buffy fan, it was painful to watch. In alternate reality episodes that are good, the writer has fun with the characters and setting. Nothing about The Wish was fun. It was dark and creepy. Xander and Willow came off as lame Spike and Drusilla wannabes. Buffy came off as bored with her lame alternate persona.

    This episode was also riddled with plot holes. They made such a huge deal about prophecy and destiny in the first season with the Master. All the prophecies about the Master intricately involved Buffy as slayer. In season one we were told that he could not even escape without the help of Buffy. All this is ignored in this episode, and the Master escapes without the help of Buffy. Since all of Sunnydale is aware of the vampire threat, why is everyone not toting crosses and holy water? Why is Giles the only one smart enough to pack a crucifix?

    There was actually no character development in this episode, because none of the events really happened, and we knew from the very beginning that none of the events were going to have any consequences. There was no truth for the characters to learn in this episode either, because nobody remembered a thing. Most reviews of this episode compared it to It's a Wonderful Life. This is an unfair comparison. It's a Wonderful Life had a definite message that this episode did not even come close to. The dues ex amulet was the final blow that crushed any hopes of this episode being taken seriously and receiving better than a 2 out of 10.

    -Matthew Miller
    Find this review and more at tv.swingthesickle.commoreless

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    0 5
 

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

    ADD TRIVIA
    • Shortly after Buffy's crossbow bolt hits Vampire Xander in the shoulder we see Xander and Willow together (when Willow says that the Puppy got out) and there is no visible injury to Xander's shoulder. Edit
    • After Anya grants her wish, Cordelia's hairstyle changes. In the real world, it was teased up in the front, but after the world changes, it's styled so that she has a part in the front and is less voluminous. Edit
    • Even in this alternate reality, the prophecy mentioned in "Prophecy Girl" is fulfilled: "The Master will rise, and the Slayer will die." Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • Music: Cordelia leaves the Bronze -- "Get Out Of My Way" by Music House Vamp Willow and Vamp Xander enter the Bronze to see the Master -- "Dedicated To Pain" by Plastic While Buffy, Willow and Xander watch Cordelia at the Bronze -- "Tired Of Being Alone" by The Spies Cordelia makes wishes at the end of the episode -- "Never Noticed" by Gingersol Edit
    • Anya/Anyanka's origins were included in the original script, but they were eventually cut from the episode. And while we learn about them piece by piece over time, her origins aren't fully shown until Season 7's Selfless (7x05). Edit
    • This episode is number six in Joss Whedon's list of his top ten favorite episodes according to The Last Sundown featurette in the season seven DVD box set. In a later list which is exclusive to the Australian Chosen Collection Box-set, this episode is placed as number five. However the episodes on this top ten list were not ranked, but rather put in order of which episode aired first, so that does not mean that this is his fifth favorite episode, it is just a favorite episode that is placed fifth in air-date order. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Anya: Nice purse. Prada? Cordelia: Good call. Most people here don't know Prada from Payless. Edit
    • 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! Edit
    • Oz: So Cordelia wished for something? If it was a long, healthy life, she should get her money back. Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • Evil Xander: Oh look, it's the White Hats. This is a reference to the early silent cowboy movies where the good cowboys wore white hats and the bad guys wore black ones. White Hats has since become a synonym for good guys. Edit
    • Buffy: You take an awful lot on faith here, Jeeves.
      Jeeves is a character created by the British humorist P.G. Wodehouse. Jeeves is the manservant to bumbling Bertie Wooster. When Wooster gets into trouble, Jeeves gets him out of it. Edit
    • The Master: What news on the Rialto?
      This is a quote from William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. Edit

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