AllMovie

After granting a particularly nasty wish, Anya (Emma Caulfield) comes under fire from Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and the Scoobies and is forced to atone for returning to the fold of vengeance demons. The trouble begins with a co-ed who runs afoul of a bunch of frat-boy jerks and wishes for revenge. One pile of corpses later, Anya is overcome by guilt and cowers in a corner, reminiscing about her centuries-ago transformation from an abrasive Scandinavian lass into a scaly, evil wish-granter. Back in the present, Willow (Alyson Hannigan) stumbles onto the frat-house carnage and invokes some of her repressed dark magic to deal with the fallout from Anya's curse. Despite their long friendship, Buffy decides that Anya needs to be taken out, provoking an outcry from Xander (Nicholas Brendon), who feels responsible for the whole mess after having left the once-human Anya at the alter. After a knock-down, drag-out fight between Buffy and Anya, another solution presents itself: Anya summons D'Hoffryn (Andy Umberger), her demon master, and asks him to nullify her latest curse. He reminds her that the price for such a reversal is the death of a vengeance demon, and the soul-weary Anya acquiesces to certain doom. As it turns out, though, Anya survives and becomes a mere human once again -- but with one less friend and one more supernatural enemy. Originally broadcast Oct. 22, 2002, on the UPN network, "Selfless" marked episode 127 of the cult-favorite series. Freed from his troll makeup during this episode's flashback, recurring guest star Abraham Benrubi -- who plays Anya's unfaithful lover, Olaf -- may be more recognizable this time out to fans of his longtime role as mischievous desk clerk Jerry on ER.