Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV Series) Selfless (2002) User Reviews

Oh my! What an episode..

[tv_is_my_parent · 10/10 · 3 November 2016]

This episode is marvelous television writing. One of the last episodes of the show that we will say "what an episode" after watching i. Anya is pretty much my favorite character apart from Buffy. I really feel the struggle of being without a self she is going through. We see that since her human life Anya didn't know who she was, what was her personality. She practically wasn't a human when she actually was one. A deep subject, being told through a demon. But it's all thanks to Emma Caulfield's brilliant acting. She wowed the viewers once again after her breathtaking performance in "The Body".

Really few can be said when an episode's writing is top notch. Sorry to see this is the only Anya-centric episode, since she's a very interesting character played by a very talented actress. I get very emotional during the last scene with Xander and Anya. One of the show's top episodes. Near perfection.

Anya's take

[Joxerlives · 10/10 · 10 May 2012]

The Good; Lovely to see Anya singing in her gorgeous wedding dress again. Great scenes between Anya and Halfrek, wonderful Swedish scenes and a terrific ending. Also like Buffy's busy school day.

The Bad; ?

Best line; Villager; "Pelt him with fruits and various meats!"

Women good/men bad; D'Hoffryn kills Halfrek to spite Anya, almost like killing one of his daughters. What the Frat boys do to the girl is horrible but doesn't warrant having your heart torn out.

Jeez!; Frat boys with their hearts ripped out! Not the ep for you if you're arachnophobic (we know Willow is from 'Nightmares' but she appears to keep it in check)

Kinky dinky; Love Will's miniskirt and booties, you forget what a hot momma-yomma she can be sometimes! Buffy comments that Anya 'boned a troll' whilst Anya refers to the 'sweaty' part of a relationship.

Captain Subtext; Xander refers to himself as 'giddy' which even Willow comments isn't a very masculine term.

Guantanamo Bay; Buffy is prepared to kill Anya for the greater good, Xander doesn't want to. Buffy makes a good point that Spike, Angelus, The Master etc never chose to be evil, Anya chose to become a vengeance demon once again and poses an ongoing threat to humanity. Also do we doubt that Xander and certainly Giles would have killed Angelus in season 2 if they could have?

Missing scenes; I would love to have seen the scene where D'Hoffryn looks at the slaughtered frat boys and says someone should phone Maxim and cancel 12 subscriptions, perhaps a comment on the Buffy/Angel girl's tendency to strip off and pose for that particular magazine seemingly at the drop of a hat (or a large cheque/free publicity for their upcoming projects?). Also interesting on the commentary is that they wanted Halfrek to appear to Anya in 'Conversations with Dead People'.

Scoobies knocked out: yep, Xander

Kills: demon spider for Buffy

Scoobies go evil: Anya does although she's not technically a Scooby at this point

Recurring characters killed: Halfrek but she's evil so she doesn't count-12

Sunnydale deaths; 12 frat boys dead but alive again by the end of the ep 99

What the fanficcers thought; Read a bizarre one once called Web of Desire where Buffy and Xander are captured by the demon spider and Buffy get's impregnated by it (which is normally Cordy's job?). But in the follow up story they both escape after Buffy beguiles the spider with her feminine wiles and strangles it with it's own web because SHE's the Black Widow, she mates and then she kills (she certainly did with Angel!). You know what they say about the female of the species?

Also a much funnier one is where Anyanka's bunny fear stems from her cursing an unfaithful man to 'Go like a bunny forever' whereupon he is turned into a killer rabbit which goes on to attack Gabrielle in the Xena ep 'In sickness and in hell' and takes on the Monty Python's Knights of the Round table before being finished off by the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch!

Questions and observations; Very little Dawn in this one (plenty of her next ep), she only has one scene but it's Anya's ep so that's OK. A wonderful tour de force showing us all how much we've learned to love and care about Anya who was introduced as a one-note character 4 years back but who is now a regular and so deserves to be! Especially love her little vengeful stare when she first meets D'Hoffryn.

Buffy still doesn't know about Xander's lie in Becoming pt2, another point against Normal Again being true but you wonder will he ever really pay for what he did? Dawn's advice to Willow about fitting in is reminiscent to that given to Bart by Homer Simpson. It never occurred to me until this ep but much like the end titles for season 6 having the Buffybot at the end this season actually has the First-as-Buffy.

Unfortunately the last we'll ever see of D'Hoffryn or Halfrek. Anya comments she's good with math which is weird as we heard that she was failing it in season 3 (maybe running the Magic Shop improved it?). Anya's invented surname is Jenkins, did we know that before? A vengeance demon's 'soul' is referred to? The final scene is very reminiscent of the final bit 'The Harsh Light of Day'.

Marks out of 10; 10/10 first of the season

The definitive Anya

[ossie85 · 9/10 · 24 August 2022]

For the first time since Anya has her powers back, she kills, and in an incredibly blood thirsty way. Anya tries to cover up what she did and Willow finds out. Buffy realises that she has to kill Anya and Xander tries to stop her.

Why It's So Good - The writer of this episode - Drew Goddard - would go on to be an Oscar nominated (The Martian) and Emmy nominated (Lost, The Good Place) writer, as well as the director of Cabin in the Woods and creator of Daredevil. This was his debut, and you can see the guy was legit from the start. Stunning examination of Anya as a character, and was full of connections with past Buffy moments.

Watch Out For - A return to Once More, With Feeling.

Quote - " The flaying of Warren Meers? Oh, truly inspired. That was water cooler vengeance. Lloyd has a sketch of it on his wall.." - D'Hoffryn.

One of the best

[daedreams2 · 28 January 2006]

Selfless is one of the most easily forgotten best episodes in the entire show. The construction and writing is beautiful. The acting is superb and the direction is amazing. This is the episode in which Anyanka makes the conscience choice to give up her vengeance powers. The flashback scenes to Aud and the musical were pivotal to Anya's character development. The scene breaks are surprising and different. Specifically the cut from the musical memory back to present time, when Anyanka is presumed dead. How clever to give us another song from Once More With Feeling. Plus Willow gives us a glimpse into her addiction. The road to recovery is a rocky one. If you've forgotten this episode, watch it again!! You'll thank me.

The Origin Of Anyanka

[erickd201 · 9/10 · 16 December 2015]

It's easy to forget how important a character can be when they are always placed in the background. This episode showed how complex and fun a character like Anya can be. It was cool to see how exactly she came to be a vengeance demon in the first place. D'hoffryn saw her potential for vengeance when he saw her curse against her lover and from there took her in as a protégé and seemingly a daughterly figure. It was interesting to see how she's been affected by her decision to be a demon again since she's been living among humans for awhile now. You can see it's hard for her to come to terms with the vengeance she's been dishing out and at the same time she feels she's too far gone. One thing that got to me was Buffy's decision to just go ahead and kill her without question. I mean Anya has done some pretty heinous things of late and Buffy does have a point that her friends wanted her to take out Angel without remorse at one point. But I feel it should've been talked about more. Its not like no one who has went over the line couldn't be talked down (looking at you Willow).

Pros: Anya's origin story

Buffy and Anya throw down

Cool flashback to the musical episode...

Cons: ...though it felt kinda out of place

Buffy's rushed decision to take out Anya

Overall Score: 8.5/10

One of the episodes I love in Season 7

[buffysummersapologist · 10/10 · 8 April 2023]

"Selfless" is a stunning episode that perfectly executes the metaphors and themes that Buffy the Vampire Slayer has become known for. This episode explores the themes of guilt, redemption, and forgiveness, and does so with expert storytelling and action-packed scenes.

The episode centers around Anya, a former demon who has become human and is now living among the Scooby Gang. However, her past comes back to haunt her when she is forced to confront the consequences of her actions as a demon. The episode uses Anya's story to explore the theme of redemption, as she struggles with feelings of guilt and shame over her past deeds.

The episode also features a number of powerful metaphors, including the use of the demon D'Hoffryn as a representation of toxic masculinity and the patriarchy. The scene in which Buffy confronts D'Hoffryn is particularly memorable

Overall, "Selfless" is a standout episode that showcases the brilliance of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The themes and metaphors are expertly executed, and the action-packed scenes keep viewers on the edge of their seats. This episode serves as a reminder of the power of storytelling and the ability of television to deliver important life lessons.

The One Where Anya Becomes Human, Again...

[taylorkingston · 9/10 · 1 November 2014]

I love this episode. I finally got to see one centered around Anya, which I had been waiting for.

In this episode, Anya, being the vengeance demon that she is, grants a girls wish. To have this group of frat guys know what it's like to have your heart ripped out. The girl had been humiliated and Anya decides grants that wish, which brings out a giant spider demon to rip all of the mens hearts out. When Willow is re-enrolling college, she she's Anya coming out of the frat house and asks her how she is. She says good, but Willow sees Anya's wrist, which still has a bit of blood on it. Willow goes into the house and finds out what happens, then she tells Buffy. Buffy knows what must be done, and she's dreading that she has to do it. But she does have to kill Anya. Xander tries to convince her that she doesn't, and they get into a huge argument. Buffy brings up the time she killed Angel, and that he was cheering her on. Buffy goes and confronts Anya, and they have a big fight. We think Anya is dead when Buffy rams a sword into her chest. But then Anya just wakes up. It's a flesh wound, it can't kill her. Anya admits that she wants to take it back, so she summons D'Hoffyrn. Anya is willing to make the sacrifice to die, so that the men can come back to life. D'Hoffyn agrees, but then summons Halfrek, and kills her instead. Anya is devastated and scared, now that D'Hoffyn has turned her human, and sworn that he will kill her.

Overall, I give this episode a 9 out of 10.

Anya's Crossroads

[Samuel-Shovel · 8/10 · 5 November 2018]

In "Selfless", Anya grants a wish that ends up killing a house full of fraternity members. Distraught at the terror she's caused, Anya attempts to cope. Willow discovers the bodies and alerts Buffy. Buffy decides the only option is to kill Anya. Xander tried to stop her. Spike continue to be nuts in the high school basement.

Anya and Buffy duke it out. Buffy's close to killing Anya for good when D'Hoffryn shows up and gives Anya a chance to take it back... at a cost: the life of a demon. Anya accepts her fate. D'Hoffryn brings the murdered guys backs to life and repays the debt with a twist: he kills Halfrek instead. Anya leaves as she attempts to cope with a life that has no friends or purpose left.

This episode was quite the escalation! Before now, everyone seemed to accept Anya the demon as a nuisance rather than a threat but that all changes here. Once human lives are in the balance, Buffy can no longer view her as an old friend, as much as Xander wants her to.

So where do we go from here? Will Anya skip town and be out of the show (a la Oz)? Or will she try to earn back the trust of the group and reconnect with Xander?

All about Anya

[katierose295 · 7/10 · 7 September 2006]

"Selfless" is sort of like an Anya version of "Fool for Love," Spike's episode back in season five. In "Fool for Love," Spike is transformed from a Black Hat to a sympathetic anti-hero through flash backs and pivotal character turning points. Anya is one of my favorite characters on BTVS and I'm glad that she finally gets an episode. The only problem with "Selfless" is, Anya doesn't NEED to be reformed. She's helped save the world three separate times and fought evil on a weekly basis for years. I don't blame Anya for her return to vengeance demon work. Xander's right, it's is a reaction to her broken heart. She's not a bad "person" and she deserves some understanding from the Scoobies. If Anya's killing again, then Buffy should confront her... But she shouldn't try to stab Anya in the chest!! Has Buffy completely lost her mind? I watch this episode and I'm SO on Anya's side. The flashbacks just serve to make Anya seem even more sympathetic and misunderstood. If Buffy didn't make me so angry, I'd probably give "Selfless" more stars because it's a pretty good episode. And if you like Anya, you won't want to miss it.

Basically "Selfless" revolves around Anya. After a UC Sunnydale student is humiliated by her boyfriend, she calls on Anya for vengeance. Anya whips up a spider demon that rips out the hearts of the entire fraternity. Anya is horrified by what she's done and hurries out of the frat house. Willow is signing up for classes again and runs into Anya. Seeing blood on Anya, she goes to investigate the frat house and is attacked by the spider demon. She calls Buffy and explains what happened. Buffy kills the spider. Then she declares that she must kill Anya.

Xander panics. He still loves Anya and he refuses to let Buffy hurt her. He goes to find Anya, tracking her back to the frat house. Meanwhile, Willow calls on D'Hoffryn and asks him to undo the wish. Buffy also finds Anya and says that it's her job to kill her. She and Anya fight. Then D'Hoffryn shows up. He tells Anya that in order to undo the wish and bring the frat boys back to life, a vengeance demon must die. Anya agrees to give her life for their's. But instead of killing Anya, D'Hoffryn kills Halfreck to teach Anya a lesson. Anya is heartbroken, but human again.

There are some really great parts to this episode. I love Anya's flash backs. From the grainy footage of Olaf being turned into a troll, to Anya and Halfreck toasting the Russina Revolution to a new "Once More With Feeling" song, it's all really great. Olaf is especially hilarious, lumbering around after Anya curses him. The towns people run screaming "Hide your babies and your bead-work!" I laugh every time I see it. And Anya's shift from giving away bunnies, to espousing the "common sense" of "The Communist Manifesto," to her current love of capitalism is really cool. And I just love Anya trying to cover her frat house massacre with Willow. "My new boyfriend goes here. Yes, we just got through having lots and lots of sex." Anya always uses sex as a deflection and it usually works.

I think that this episode is trying to draw comparisons between Anya and Buffy, showing their contrastingly narrow views of life. We have Anya saying that she is "vengeance." Being a vengeance demon is her identity and all that she cares about. And we have Buffy saying that she's the "law." Being the Slayer is Buffy's identity and it consumes her. Both of them are seeing that world in black and white. To Anya, all men are evil and less than women. They deserve punishment. To Buffy, all demons are evil and less than humans. They don't deserve mercy. At the end of "Selfless," both women have to confront the shades of gray that surround them.

On the down side, I think Buffy was WAY out of line in this episode. Killing Anya was a total over reaction. This is Sunnydale! We fix stuff like this twenty-two times a season and we (hardly ever) have to stab our friends in the chest to do it. It's like Buffy didn't even want to hear any other options before she decided to kill Anya. Also, how could Willow have passed all her finals "like magic" last year? She swore off spells in "Wrecked," which is in the middle of the season six, and stayed clean until "Seeing Red," at the end of the season. Unless, Dark Willow stopped by UC Sunnydale to take some exams during her apocalyptic rampage through town, I don't think that chronology is right. And why did Halfreck have to die? I love Halfreck and it's not fair that she was killed for something that she had nothing to do with. Finally, if Anya wanted to return everything to normal, save those boys, and become human again, why didn't she just break her necklace? That's how Giles fixed everything back in season three's "The Wish."

My favorite part of the episode: Willow finally finding out that Xander lied to Buffy about the spell to re-ensoul Angel back in season two's "Becoming Part Two." It's about time that poor Willow heard that she was being blamed for telling Buffy to, "Kick his ass!" Honestly, I think that "Selfless" probably has more references to the show's history than any other BTVS episode. Right off the top of my head, I can think of stuff from, "Hell's Bells," "Once More With Feeling," "Older and Far Away," "Triangle," "The Wish," "Something Blue," and even some hints of what will happen in episodes come like, "Dirty Girls" and "Chosen." It's really cool.

"Never go for the kill when you can go for the pain."

[skay_baltimore · 2/10 · 8 August 2010]

Never go for the kill when you can go for the pain. That seems to be the fundamental operating principle of the writers of BtVS this season.

Moving on...

Is there anything more moving than a Vengeance Demon with a conscience? Well...that depends. Willow and Tara in bed are quite moving. But as I said...it depends...on what's moving.

Anywho...

Selfless is All About Anya. (Is that a contradiction in terms?) Anya is one of the more interesting characters in Buffyverse. She's sort of a combination of Spock & Carrie At The Prom, with a serious case of Social Tourette Syndrome tossed in for good measure. And so when her Olaf comes home, smelling of "blood and musk", then tries to tell "Aud" (Anya) that it's because of a band of minor trolls, when she knows it's because of a local, load bearing bar matron, it's not long before she turns him into Olaf The Troll. It's pretty funny stuff. So are lines like: "Run...Hide your babies and your bead work". "Hit him with fruits and various meats".

And while I'm the first to point out that Buffy not only routinely over-reacts -- she also over ACTS just about every line she gets her mouth on -- in this episode, I do not agree with the other reviewers who state that Buffy was way out of line in her decision to kill Anya. She'd been anticipating what might have to be done if/when Anyaka the Vengeance Demon did something that needed to be redressed for quite some time. As such, this was not something that just popped up, out of the blue, at that particular moment.

But Willow...trying to dictate judgment to a vengeance demon? Does it get any more hypocritical than that?

Folks...this series is a mess. A total, flaming, mess.

Do as I say...and not as I do...and stop watching it. (Could I be any more hypocritical than that?)

But seriously...this series hasn't just gone off the track...it's reached critical mass, and is imploding faster than Chernobyl.

A mixed bag

[roryhughevans · 6/10 · 9 June 2010]

In my opinion, this episode has brilliant moments and some bizarre, frankly terrible ones.

Let's start positive: the twist at the end where Anya agrees to die in return for the undoing of the vengeance wish and then her demon master kills Halfreck instead is brilliant. For starters, I genuinely thought Anya was going to die and was extremely shocked, but secondly I think it draws amazing parallels with what Anya has been doing as a vengeance demon. Like the wishes she grants for vengeful girls, she gets her wish, but in a horrible twisted way that she didn't want.

But I also have some negative comments. For starters, Buffy deciding she's going to kill Anya is possibly the biggest overreaction EVER! While what Anya did was evil and horrible, things like this happen all the time in Buffy and there's always some better way out of it. Buffy doesn't even try and talk to Anya and convince her to stop before she charges wildly into the situation wielding a sword.

Secondly, some people love the flashback scenes, but I think they're hideous. Previous episodes featuring flashbacks have been tasteful and insightful into the characters lives (and to be fair I don't mind Anya's Russian Revolution flashback) but the flashback to her early days is awful. It feels like some dreadful comedy sketch without an ounce of realism or drama at all. I also despise the 'Once More With Feeling' flashback. Once More With Feeling is my favourite Buffy episode ever, but this flashback just seems like an excuse for Joss Whedon to milk it, and it totally breaks the tone of the episode for no reason. We all get that Anya was really looking forward to marrying Xander and then got betrayed by him, we don't need to be reminded through the medium of song.

Also, there's a humongous continuity error. If Anya wanted to return everything to normal, save those boys, and become human again, why didn't she just break her necklace? That's how Giles fixed everything back in season three's "The Wish." It seems everyone appears to have completely forgotten about this.

Overall a nice conclusion to an otherwise pretty poor episode.

Buffy and the sudden change of heart vampire slayer

[MikeyTonkin · 7/10 · 24 July 2020]

It really irks me when they suddenly change a character without any lead up.

By Buffy's logic in this episode is irrational and out of character - by her logic she should have killed Spike long ago, she should have killed Willow last season... Her logic is flawed.

I like that in the lead up to this episode they had shown Anya showing remorse for her actions. Something Buffy should have taken into account.

Had they spent the beginning of this season developing the tension between Buffy and Anya I could forgive it. But it's just lazy.

Poor, lazy writing that this seasons sadly suffers from in boatloads.

Mutant Enemy production was spread so thin, writing and producing S7 of Buffy, S4 of Angel and S1 of Firefly.

Such a shame.

On a high note - Anya and Halfrek's relationship through the ages was beautiful and hilarious.