This is the you that you chose.
Anya brings bitterness to a tense group therapy session. While exploring the woods on the Brightcliffe grounds, Ilonka meets a healer named Shasta, who hints at mystical forces at play in the land. A deep cut sends a shaken Spencer to the infirmary.Tropes in this episode:
- Affectionate Nickname: Shasta christens Ilonka "Bright Girl", both because, according to Shasta, "Ilonka" means "Light" in Hungarian, and also because she views Ilonka as intelligent for thinking to bottle the water on Brightcliffe's grounds.
- Ambiguously Gay: Mark positively gushes over having seen Interview with the Vampire, and how sexy Antonio Banderas is in the film, and Spence mentions he recommends the movie to him frequently. However, it's not made clear if Mark is actually queer or just trying to cheer Spence up.
- Anachronism Stew: A few:
- Kevin makes a joke that's a play on Radiohead's song "Exit Music for a Film", which was not released until 1997, three years after the show is set.
- Amesh's video-game console references don't quite match up with the timeline.
- Arc Symbol: Ilonka sees a mysterious hourglass symbol carved into a tree while exploring the woods.
- Armor-Piercing Response: When Anya criticizes Ilonka for her general vibe and herbalism habits to Kevin and Spence, Kevin chimes in that Anya clearly just wants to punish Ilonka for giving them the faintest glimmer of hope with her story of Julia Jayne, and not because she likes making special teas. Anya has no response for this.
- Bad Liar: When Ilonka tries to subtly ask Dr. Stanton questions about Julia Jayne and the Paragon (the cult that used to own Brightcliffe), Stanton unconvincingly claims to have little knowledge of either.
- Casual Danger Dialogue: Subverted. Spence seems to think Mark the nurse is acting this way, what with him casually describing the plot of Interview with the Vampire while stitching up Spence's finger, due to the danger his HIV-infected blood poses to Mark, despite his gloves. Mark gently tells him that no, the PPE Mark is wearing is for Spence's protection, not Mark's, because Spence is immunocompromised. The situation actually poses relatively little risk to Mark.
- Celebrity Paradox: Christopher Pike, the author of the original book, apparently exists in this world, as Natsuki is seen reading his novel "The Road to Nowhere" to Tristan.
- Chekhov's Gun: Fired almost immediately. Ilonka enters the art room to see all the club members busily folding paper cranes for Amesh, except for Spence, who is using a paper cutter to cut the craft paper into the squares they need. Throughout the scene the sound of slicing paper is continuously heard, building in tension despite the light conversation, up until Spence pauses to joke with Amesh and tries to slice more paper without looking, and ends up slicing his finger open.
- Comfort the Dying: Natsuki has taken to reading to her near-death roommate Tristan through the intercom speaker to her quarantine room.
- Eldritch Location: Played with. Shasta claims that there are several "Healing Vortexes" on the land surrounding Brightcliffe, even that Ilonka is sitting in one as she talks. However, she clarifies that this is technically a legend, and offers no proof of their existence.
- Foreshadowing: Natsuki is seen reading a book with characters named Freedom Jack and Poppycorn. These will later become important when she tells a story in a few episodes.
- Granola Girl: Stanton reveals it's common for many of Brightcliffe's patients to go through an herbalism phase, partially as a means of desperately trying to keep themselves healthy.
- Ilonka brings a large assortment of herbal remedies with her, and offers to make Anya some tea, which Anya takes offense at.
- In group therapy, Anya reveals that her deceased roommate, Rachel, became obsessed with herbalism briefly, before moving on to other remedies.
- Stanton gently reminds Anya that she herself went through this phase when she first got to Brightcliffe.
- Shasta gives off this vibe, in both her appearance and her talk of "The Vortex".
- Healing Spring: Shasta hints that spring she filling her bottles from has these properties, but doesn't outright say it.
- Minor Injury Overreaction: Subverted. Ilonka briefly thinks Spence and the others are reacting this way when he cuts his finger, but learns it's entirely justified because of his illness.
- Oh, Crap!: Two:
- Spence freaks out and flees to the infirmary when he accidentally slices his finger with the paper cutter he was using to make paper squares for Amesh's cranes. The others react similarly, except Ilonka, who is only confused.
- Anya is petrified when she starts seeing the same Living Shadow that Rachel had described seeing before her death.
- The Last Dance: Amesh describes how he has a "Before I Die" list that he is trying to compete. He's apparently frequently adding to it as well. This leads to his idea for the cranes.
- Shadowed Face, Glowing Eyes: The Shadow Anya sees flashes glowing eyes at her. She later incorporates this into her story.
- Shout-Out: Several:
- Natsuki is reading the book "Road to Nowhere" to her roommate Tristan.
- Kevin mentions being a fan of Radiohead. He jokes that they would make great "exit music for a life", making a joke about their song "Exit Music for a Film" from their 1997 album OK Computer.
- Amesh mentions both the Nintendo 64 and the PlayStation.
- Sandra mentions she named her parrot after MacGyver, because his voice sounds like Richard Dean Anderson.
- Anya quotes the song "Suddenly Seymour" from Little Shop of Horrors.
- Spence has a poster in his room for Do the Right Thing.
- Mark describes a portion of the plot of Interview with the Vampire to Spence.
- In Anya's story, Dana at one point is watching the film Babe with her parents.
- Swiss-Cheese Security: Ilonka tries to use an Improvised Lock Pick in the dark to break into Stanton's office, but fails because she has no idea what she's doing. Kevin just checks and finds out the door was already unlocked. He lampshades this by pointing out that this is because Stanton implicitly trusts the patients not to break in, and they should feel horrible for violating that.
- 1000 Origami Cranes: Amesh decides he wants to accomplish this, and enlists the other club members to help him. Natsuki accidentally gave him the idea.Amesh: I've always wanted to try it, ever since I found out about it this morning from Natsuki. (Beat)Natsuki: (Sheepishly to the others) I knew. The moment I said it I knew.
- Tragic AIDS Story: After wondering aloud why Spence and the others freaked out when he cut his hand, Anya informs her that his terminal illness (which he had not said aloud previously) is AIDS. Anya then proceeds to brutally verbally dress down Ilonka for even thinking anything bad about Spence because of this.
- Vomit Discretion Shot: When getting up to go to a club meeting, Ilonka hears Anya vomiting into their shared toilet. She stops to help, but Anya croaks to go to the club without her and she will catch up, which she does.
- You Remind Me of X: Dr. Stanton tells Anya that she reminds her of herself, only tougher.
Tropes in Anya's story:
The Two Danas
Based On: "The Devil and Dana", a short story from The Midnight Club by Christopher Pike.
- Adaptational Name Change: In the original book, Anya's story was called "The Devil and Dana".
- An Arm and a Leg: The final confrontation between the two Danas results in them shooting one another, with one dying and the other losing a leg from the injury.
- …And That Little Girl Was Me: At least some of the story, presumably minus the supernatural elements, are implied to autobiographical of Anya. Especially the fact that Dana is also an Irish immigrant and missing her right leg by the end of the story, and her broken ballerina statue.
- Broken Ace: Dana begins the story being described by as perfect at everything. She is perfect in the eyes of her religious parents, being a talented ballerina and student. However, she is craving virtually any form of excitement or fun in her life, and is so desperate to escape that she accepts the Devil's offer to split her in two.
- Deal with the Devil: Averted. Dana expects the Devil to offer this, but instead the Devil asks for nothing in return. Turns out she operates by being a Jerkass Genie, gambling that the people who's wishes she grants will damn themselves if they get what they want.
- Deliberate Injury Gambit: Dana 1 starts self-harming, including cutting herself with knives and stabbing herself through the hand, in an attempt to communicate with Dana 2 and convince her to stop her destructive lifestyle. Dana 2 instead responds by burning her own palm, to threaten Dana 1 into stopping the self-harm.
- Early-Bird Cameo: The boy playing the role of Bill in the story, who is described as Dana's best friend, and whom she deeply hurt with her behavior.
- Foreshadowing: Dana 1 has a hallucination caused by Dana 2's drug use while looking at her friend bill, and hurls a ceramic ballerina statue at him. The statue's right leg breaks off, and by the end of the story, Dana has also lost her right leg.
- Gender Flip: In the novel, Anya described the Devil as being male and resembling James Dean. Here the female Devil looks like Dr. Stanton by way of Cruella de Ville.
- Game-Breaking Injury: Dana 1 gruesomely snaps her ankle during a ballet audition because Dana 2 is busy shooting up heroin at the same time.
- Glowing Eyes of Doom: The Devil first manifests as a Living Shadow in Dana's closet, then emerges in the darkness with glowing orange eyes before extinguishing them and looking more human.
- Literal Split Personality: When Dana is split in two, Dana 1 and Dana 2 are not immediately this, instead being identical in personality and appearance. However, as they make different choices, they gradually morph into this.
- The Modest Orgasm: Dana 2 loses her virginity to her new musician boyfriend while Dana 1 is watching TV with her parents. Dana 1 has to stifle her shocked reaction when she experiences Dana 2's pleasure, and ends up having to get up and leave the room to keep her parents from realizing what's happening.
- Murder Is the Best Solution: Dana 1 and 2 both simultaneously come to the conclusion that one of them will have to murder the other, both because the other is planning it and because they are literally torturing one another through various forms of self-harm. One of them survives this.
- Synchronization: How the Dana's remain connected. They can physically feel everything the other does, and experience even the same thoughts. They both end up weaponizing this against each other.
- Tattoo as Character Type: The Devil has twin snake tattoos on either forearm. She also has some tattoos on her chest, although they are slightly obscured.
- Voice of the Legion: The Devil's voice goes in and out of this.
