An encounter with a strange staff carried by a demon with an interest in Buffy creates a second Xander who proceeds to take over the original’s life…

At last! After addressing fan concerns about Giles in the last couple of episodes, it’s time to deal with Xander’s continuing role in the series. This episode not only gives Nicholas Brendon a lot to do (although Xander doubling is done by his identical twin brother Kelly), but it also sets Xander on a more coherent career path and sorts his life out, something that hasn’t really been addressed before now.

Not only that, it also gives us plenty of Anya, whose reaction to there being two Xanders is exactly is unlikely as you’d expect. It’s been something of a mystery what the two see in each other all this time, but Anya’s realization of mortality and Xander’s new ability to give her what she wants brings the unlikely coupling closer together and shows what they each get from the relationship: support. Both are fairly alone in the world, and they each need the other to cope. This examination of relationships also leads to one of those things Buffy has been doing less frequently lately: providing a surprising ending with a silent fade to black. It used to be a stock-in-trade in the earlier series, but it’s been a while since we had an abrupt and really quite tragic ending like this one.

Of course, with Xander being central, there are plenty of laughs along the way. The ‘original’s theory as to what’s happened to him is suitably way-out and it takes Willow to point him in the right direction in a scene that reminds us of the close bond of friendship that the pair have. Especially fun is Xander telling her to see how she copes with an evil twin before leaving, allowing Willow to point out that she coped pretty well to the room at large. Giles also has some great lines again, and it seems that this year Anthony Stewart Head has asked to get all the best lines and pithiest comments. The only thing that’s starting to get a bit wearing now is the way Spike is being increasingly desperately brought into plotlines. He badly needs a purpose.

The reason for Xander’s splitting is a neat idea and continues the theme of Buffy versus her Slayer heritage, and the fact that it can be easily reversed is a laugh too, not to mention the trauma of having two Xanders in one room. All in all then, a fun and enjoyable episode that will hopefully give Xander a new lease of life. Okay, so episode one was a Buffy episode, episode two was Dawn, episode three was Xander. Next week is Riley, and it’ll be interesting to see if the writers can firstly work their way through all the main cast and secondly make them all rounded and interesting characters. Next week could be the test.

****

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