Fed up with life as a mortal, Anyanka begs a demon named
D'Hoffryn to create a temporal fold that would allow her to retrieve her
powercenter -- the necklace she wore around her neck -- before it was
destroyed. D'Hoffryn has no interest in helping Anyanka and would rather
see her live out the rest of her life as a mortal. Anyanka pledges to
find someone who will help her.
Outside of Sunnydale High, Willow hones her pencil-floating
skills while Buffy prepares for a traditional Slayer evaluation which
Wesley is conducting. Later, Willow is called to Principal Snyder's
office, where another student named Percy West is also waiting. Percy is
one of the star members of Sunnydale High's basketball team who just so
happens to be having trouble in history class. Principal Snyder orders
Willow to tutor Percy. Afterwards, Willow and Buffy go to the library.
While Willow heeds Giles' request to try to access the Mayor's computer
files, Faith returns with Wesley from the physical portion of the tests.
Faith takes note of Willow's computer search, and she later reports it to
Mayor Wilkins himself during a tour of Faith's new apartment. Decked out
with nearly everything she could ever want, the apartment leaves Faith
absolutely giddy. Back at Sunnydale High, Willow learns that Oz and his
band just returned from an out-of-town gig. Willow tells Oz that she may
have wanted to go. Oz replies with the expectation that Willow wouldn't
have wanted to miss a school day. Spotting Percy, Willow tries to arrange
a meeting time for their tutor session. However, Percy has a different
game plan which involves Willow doing all of the work for him. The last
straw for Willow comes when Buffy comments on her reliability. Tired of
being the goody-two-shoes of the group, Willow stalks off by herself. She
runs into Anyanka, who introduces herself as Anya, a friend of
Cordelia's. Willow's mood takes a turn for the lighter when Anya asks for
her help in performing a spell to create a temporal fold. Anya explains
that she wants to retrieve a lost necklace which was a family heirloom.
When Willow and Anya perform the spell, Willow sees visions of the
alternate universe that Cordelia visited when she told Anya that she
wished Buffy had never come to Sunnydale. Something goes wrong in the
course of the spell. Instead of pulling the necklace out of the alternate
universe, the vampire Willow is transported out just moments before Oz
could dust her on the jagged wood. While Anya futilely searches for the
necklace, Willow leaves her alone to try and figure out what she just
saw.
Elsewhere, the Willow from the alternate reality awakens.
After night falls, she ventures out onto the streets of Sunnydale.
Quickly realizing the vast differences surrounding her, Alterna-Willow
heads to the Bronze. There, she draws stares from everybody in
attendance, including Percy West.
Provoked by Percy's arrogance, Alterna-Willow shoves him over the pool
table, then grabs him by the throat and tightens her grip. Xander pulls
Percy away before noticing Willow's radical makeover. Thinking he's the
Xander of her reality, Alterna-Willow pulls him into her arms, running her
hands all over his body. It doesn't take long for her to realize that
Xander is still a living, breathing human. Buffy arrives and can't
believe her eyes when she sees Willow. When Alterna-Willow recognizes
Buffy as the Slayer who staked her beloved Xander, she turns and heads for
the Bronze's exit. Buffy tries to stop her, but Willow spins around with
vamp face on. She then takes off, leaving Xander and Buffy horrified and
speechless. Outside the Bronze, Alterna-Willow encounters two of Mayor
Wilkins' vampire henchmen, one of whom is named Alfonse. With the help of
a little sadistic brutality, Alterna-Willow convinces the vampires to work
for her and restore chaos to Sunnydale.
Giles gets the word on Willow's untimely death from Buffy and
Xander. During their lament over the loss of their friend, the Willow of
their reality enters the library. Simultaneously confused and happy,
Buffy, Xander, and Giles embrace Willow, who by this point is simply
confused. While they tell Willow about her evil twin, Angel enters the
Bronze in search of Buffy. As he talks to Oz, Alterna-Willow and her
newly-hired cohorts invade the Bronze. After Angel leaves to get Buffy,
Alterna-Willow kills and drinks from one of the customers. Oz tries to
make sense of what's going on, but Alterna-Willow only remembers him as
one of the human rebels from her reality. Anya clears up everything for
the lost vampire, telling her that the Willow of this reality is the only
one who can bring her back to where she belongs. Meanwhile, Angel reaches
the library and walks right up to Buffy, Xander, and Giles. He doesn't
notice Willow standing in the corner as he tells the gang that their
friend is dead. Willow makes her presence known, sending Angel into the
pits of confusion as well. Realizing they have to stop whatever's about
to go down at the Bronze, the group leaves the library. Willow, however,
is reluctant to kill her alter ago. Remembering the tranquilizer gun,
Willow tells the others to go ahead while she heads back into the
library. Before she can get the gun, Willow encounters her mirror image,
who has sneaked into the library unnoticed. Intrigued by the idea of
occupying a world with her double, Alterna-Willow gets uncomfortably cozy
with Willow, who retaliates with a cross. Alterna-Willow knocks her over
the counter. When the vampire circles around the counter, she is greeted
by a tranquilizer dart right in the stomach. Buffy and the gang return
and lock Alterna-Willow inside the bookcage. Buffy then comes up with a
plan to take care of the vampires in the Bronze.
Disguised in the outfit of her other self, Willow prepares
to infiltrate the Bronze and trick the vampires into walking outside, one
by one, and getting staked by her friends waiting outside. As Willow
enters the Bronze, Alterna-Willow wakes up in her prison. While she
notices her own change of clothes, Cordelia enters the library.
Alterna-Willow tries to talk her into opening the cage, but Cordy opts to
use this opportunity to talk about the secret affair with Xander. After
an eternity of rambling, Cordy finally opens the cage. Hungry for blood,
Alterna-Willow chases Cordy through the halls before cornering her in a
restroom. Before the vampire can close in for the kill, Wesley appears
and fends her off with a cross and holy water. Thwarted, Alterna-Willow
turns around and leaves. Meanwhile, Anya and Alfonse eventually see
through Willow's charade. Willow screams, signaling the others to storm
into the Bronze and battle the remaining vampires inside. During the
fight, Alterna-Willow arrives and pins Willow on the stage. After dusting
Alfonse, Buffy leaps onto the stage and drives a pool cue towards the
vampire's heart. Willow screams for Buffy to stop, and the Slayer is able
to halt her weapon's descent.
After all of the customers evacuate the Bronze,
Alterna-Willow and Anya prepare for another temporal fold. Buffy does not
agree with the idea of returning a demon to its own reality where it can
kill again. Willow responds by saying that she simply can't kill her.
Before Willow sits down to perform the ritual, she says her goodbyes to
Alterna-Willow, who says hers in a much more touchy-feely way.
Afterwards, Alterna-Willow is returned to the alternate reality... only to
be grabbed by Oz and dusted on the jagged wood. The next day, Willow
contemplates living up to her good girl reputation and never going out for
fun again. When Percy appears with the history paper completely typed
out, Willow decides otherwise.
Episode Summary by: Alan Hufana