On the original idea presented by writer David Fury, the drug Giles gives Buffy would make her hallucinate that her mother and friends had turned into vampires, but with The Wish (1998) so close in time, Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt changed the content of the Council test.
This marks the only time Buffy celebrates her birthday without Spike featured in any way.
The story had the working title "Eighteen" as it is set around Buffy's eighteenth birthday.
Buffy lists some good things about being a normal girl in this exchange cut for length: Buffy: "I mean, there's a plus side to being a regular girl. The whole not-bleeding-killing-and-dying experience." Willow: "As for example." Buffy: "Then there's buying outfits without worrying if they're good for bleeding-killing-and-dying in. There's a lot of good to it."
When Buffy is lamenting to Angel about no longer being a powerful slayer she mentions Mr. Pointy the stake she had bronzed. Mr. Pointy is Kendra's lucky stake that she gave to Buffy in season 2 episode 23 "Becoming, Part One". Mr. Pointy will be brought up again throughout the series.