In a flashback, set in Sweden, 880 A.D., Anya, originally named Aud, loves a Viking warrior, Olaf.
He is alternately romantic and teasing, and laughs when she says she will share their rabbits with their fellow villagers to demonstrate "selflessly" giving to others.
Rocha filmed her "death scene" in front of a green screen, and her actions were later superimposed onto the images featuring the other actors.
Anya defines herself by her jobs, whether as a demon or as a worker who is subordinate to her boss, whether D'Hoffryn or Rupert Giles at the Magic Box; or, despite being a highly sexualized woman, by her relationships with lovers Olaf and Xander (or even the made-up fraternity guy).
The early incarnation of the character as Anyanka... depicts the destructive power of a monstrous woman in a way that harks back to some of the oldest patriarchal myths and stories.
When Anya becomes human she is mainly a source of comic relief, typically identified either with her status as Xander's girlfriend or her formerly demonic nature.
... Xander tells Buffy that while he is enjoying the single life as a "strong successful male," he worries about Anya because she "seems so sad."
Throughout the episode, Anya's willingness to accept the labels that the patriarchal society places on her are what prevent her from defining herself as an individual.
Singing the "missus" song shows that she is willing to reject the name she gave herself to become Mrs. Xander Harris, and that she considers herself so far to have been merely "lame-ass" in society.
Also showing that she used to support the rise of proletarian revolutions against monarchies, in recent seasons she is a money-obsessed capitalist, which is a socially constructed relationship to money, not self - "I have a place in the world now.
"[16] Spike appears for only a few moments, being still crazy in the Sunnydale High School basement, but he makes an allusion ("Scream Montresor all you like, pet") to Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Cask of Amontillado," in keeping with the themes of murder and revenge.
Club wrote that "the sometimes jarring shifts between the dark business in the present and Anya's lighter-toned backstory were superbly handled, giving both their due.
"[19] Mark Oshiro draws parallels between this episode and "Fool for Love," praises Drew Goddard's handling of the personality conflicts, and concludes, "'Selfless' really hinges on the emotional resolution to this dilemma.