It was written and directed by the show's creator, Joss Whedon, and originally aired on The WB in the United States on February 23, 1999.
"Doppelgangland," a very popular episode, revisits the alternate reality portrayed in "The Wish", in which Buffy never arrived in Sunnydale and vampires ruled the city.
Frustrated and unhappy, Willow then quarrels with Buffy and Xander, telling them that she feels rebellious and may change her look and behavior, and storms off.
Assisting Anya with a spell to retrieve a lost amulet, Willow's conjuration goes awry and instead summons an alternate Vampiric version of herself.
Angel, Buffy and Xander head for the Bronze, but Willow turns back to get the tranquilizer gun and is grabbed by her doppelgänger.
[5] Billie Doux, giving the episode 4 out of 4 stakes, writes, "Evil double plots are done to death, but they can be marvelous when they're done well.
[7] Vox, rating it at #13 in a list of all 144 episodes, writes, "Watching Willow wrestle with an alternate-reality version of herself is even better when you know what’s to come in later seasons ("Hands!
We also get our first look at Anya since she lost her powers — impatient and frustrated and unable to even order a beer — which is endearing even though she nearly sabotages the gang’s plan to save the day.
Club commented that the episode "is terrific on myriad levels, from the dialogue to the plot twists to the multiple spot-on character moments.
But mostly it's a top-drawer episode for the way it binds the Buffyverse together, by demonstrating how adept the writing staff is at remembering everything they've done on the show before, and re-using the elements that still have plenty of juice in them.