In the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode Doppelgangland, Willow must face an evil vampire doppelganger version of herself. The fact that I found most interesting about this episode is the compassion Willow feels for her doppelganger despite the horrific and violent actions of the vampire. Despite the fact that her doppelganger certainly deserves some sort of vengeance to be inflicted upon her, Willow refuses to do so, as she is able to see herself inside her doppelganger. Unable to commit what she views as a form of suicide, Willow instead opts to banish her doppelganger to another universe with the hope that good inside Willow will somehow make its way through the doppelganger and make her good. It is my belief that Willow’s decision demonstrates a great deal of belief and optimism in the human spirit, as Willow believes that her doppelganger will in the end be able to transcend her evil-doing ways, and become more like Willow herself. Whedon brings up an interesting point in this episode, pondering whether or not one of us could kill our own doppelganger if we were able to see small parts of ourselves within them. This is a question that I still cannot answer with any sort of certainty.
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