Anya's death

So, what? People who aren't all hearts and bunnies all the time aren't worthwhile characters?

You don't have to be nice and sweet or even a particularly likeable person to be a really awesome character. Look at Faith. Look at Spike. Look at Drusilla. Look at the Mayor. A lot of the show's baddies or semi-baddies were incredibly endearing and/or charismatic characters with interesting personalities and/or growth. The core characters, too, had their flaws. Willow tried to destroy the world, for goodness' sake! A character who isn't nice and doesn't win you over with her stunning personality isn't necessarily a bad character; she's probably just a complex one.

I, personally, thought Anya was a beautiful work of art. Watching her struggle with her newfound humanity, watching her form ties to people, watching her break, watching her struggle to stand on her own, watching her eventually choose to lay her life on the line -- and to lose it -- for humanity... my God! There's an entire lifetime of development in Anya.

Also, there's something to be said for her bluntness. She was never cruel. She was forthright and rational. Anya told the truth. She didn't dissemble. She didn't prevaricate. She didn't lie. I think it is telling that we humans are raised to think that there is something wrong with that. In many ways, Anya was pure. She was new. She was uncorrupted by the crazy, nonsensical parts of society that we humans take for granted. She questioned things that we should, perhaps, question more often than we do. She was bewildered by things that, perhaps, should bewilder us. She was beautiful.
 
J
Joyce Summers
You're right. This brain sharing should be scientifically explored...I'm sure even the best would be baffled. Haha
November
November
just what i was trying to say but better and with more words
J
justanotherjen
best explanation yet
B
Blondie Bear
Good points, all.
I love both Cordilla and Anya...and it was always a toss up on who I loved more(would have liked a second meeting of the two of them after season 3) ...I thought Xander was Anya's connection into the human world. At first she didn't understand humans or why they do certain things. She still thought like a demon, but over time this changed. That's why it's so heartbreaking in both Hells Bells and Selfless to see that the connection with Xander has been severed because she couldn't go back to her demon life since she was more human now. That's why I always felt her death was fitting because she died not as a demon in some supernatural, grand way, but as a human fighting for her friends, and dying a small but meaningful death. I always thought Anya's character and arc was layered and interesting.
 
Yeah! And plus..even if Anya doesn't seem so great, if we were to see
like an alternate seasons 3-7 (anyaless) You would probably see a drastic
change in the show feeling. She adds so much and she's my favorite character! :nod:
 
I love anya. Does anyone remember? It was her idea for using the troll hammer in Season 5 to kill Glory.She does have heart she took back killing the frAt guys and the scene in the episode "the killer in me" Where there leaving to go see if Giles is part of the first and Xander goes i know the girls are out there alone with him and he said that in reaction to Anyas look to him. She also stayed to fight and she gave this whole speech to andrew when they were stealing supplies from the hospital about being a human and what it means.I was sad when she died I think she gave the show much of its humor.OH also when Joyce died how she trying to understand how to go threw greif of a person who died.She cried and was very emotinonal about it.Yes she is blunt and sometimes does not think before she says something but i do think she helps.Oh also she protecting Andrew and Johnathon when Willow went evil .She did so will would not kill another person and lose herself more.I am just saying she was not all bad. I loved anya! The person who was annoying was Dawn.She would not stop nagging!
 
Oh, Goddess, when I read his post I thought I was gonna have a FIT! Mostly, 'cause ya know, Vicky thinks Anya rocks. Vicky like Anya...Wait, why am I calling me Vicky...? Okay, that's beside the point; ever seen Selfless...? If you have, you're craze, if you haven't...then that explains it. But I don't get the problem with Anya...she was blunt and straight up...but like Joss said in the commentary [I can't spell that word <_<] for 'Superstar' it really helps get the Storyline moved along. Plus, she didn't know any better. She was a vengeance demon for eleven hundred and twenty-four [correct me if I'm wrong on the exact amount] years. And I wouldn't say she was ever a 'mean' character, sure a little selfish and capitalist but who doesn't love money!?!, but it's just what she knew. Anya was one of the best characters there was, in my opinion, I get that everyone has different opionions, and I'm usually very open to that, I just don't get the huge dislike of Anya.
 
B
Blondie Bear
You spelled commentary exactly right, silly face. :)
Initially, wasn't a fan of Anya. But I grew to adore that woman! I mean, she's into money, she dislikes bunnies. Already her and I had two great things in common.

But what happened to her at the end, blew me away, totally unexpected. I cried. Yup. Tears were streaming. I was more upset about Anya's death than Buffy ending!
 
Elithustra said:
Initially, wasn't a fan of Anya. But I grew to adore that woman! I mean, she's into money, she dislikes bunnies. Already her and I had two great things in common.

But what happened to her at the end, blew me away, totally unexpected. I cried. Yup. Tears were streaming. I was more upset about Anya's death than Buffy ending!
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I totally agree! I was prepared for Buffy's ending. I was unspoiled for Anya's death, though. It hurt. Physically. I was like, "NO!" I liked Anya. She and I are a lot alike. I think I would have been more upset if Giles had died. Anyone else? Fine. Kill 'em. Just save Anya!
 
Buffy obsessed fan said:
Oh, Goddess, when I read his post I thought I was gonna have a FIT! Mostly, 'cause ya know, Vicky thinks Anya rocks. Vicky like Anya...Wait, why am I calling me Vicky...? Okay, that's beside the point; ever seen Selfless...? If you have, you're craze, if you haven't...then that explains it. But I don't get the problem with Anya...she was blunt and straight up...but like Joss said in the commentary [I can't spell that word <_<] for 'Superstar' it really helps get the Storyline moved along. Plus, she didn't know any better. She was a vengeance demon for eleven hundred and twenty-four [correct me if I'm wrong on the exact amount] years. And I wouldn't say she was ever a 'mean' character, sure a little selfish and capitalist but who doesn't love money!?!, but it's just what she knew. Anya was one of the best characters there was, in my opinion, I get that everyone has different opionions, and I'm usually very open to that, I just don't get the huge dislike of Anya.
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I don't get why people dislike Anya either. She came to be my favorite character in the show. Said what she thought, sometimes didn't know what was wrong to say, but how could she, she wasn't a human for hundreds of years, than bam. She has to get used to everything. She doesn't understand alot of things in the beginning, thankfully Xander and her connect and she is able to learn and develop. Now Xander isn't the best teacher... but Anya turned out great. Funny, insightful, always having something to ask or say, always 'omg' I don't want to die. She was funny without knowing/trying to be. I loved it. Atleast she died fighting for something. But still If I could turn back time and change things, I would.
 
A
Anya Jenkins-Harris
Totally Agree =] Karma for loving Anya so much xD
I would consider Anya to be an annoying but yet loveable character for me. I really loved the way she just said things, no matter how irrational or nasty they were. It was the way she constructed them and it came out of her mouth that tickled my funny bone. I always will respect Anya in that regards, she was a different happy/loveable and evil character at one point and she never really lost any of those traits (except during season 6/7 where she sort of went back to her old ways and still kept a bit of good in her).

You know I'll be honest? When I first watched Chosen, I was so emersed in the battle and stuff I actually missed her death the first time! I remember did reading Anya was going to die in the finale, and after finishing watching the finale, I was thinking "So Anya died alive while Sunnydale was crumbling underneath her...boy what a way to go.." .. 🙂 It wasn't until I watched it a second time I saw her get that sword slashed into her , and realised it was her as it just went by so quick.
 
I felt the same damn way about Tara. She was exasperating to the 10th power. I didn't feel bad when she left/died.
 
awww... I loved Anya. She was sweet & funny & yes, sometimes she said the wrong thing, but she never meant to hurt anyone. I was really sad that she died .
 
I believe she always had a suggestion on a tight situation or just was there to makes us laugh..also her character grew quite a lot...she learned to live with humans for starters..also apart from loving Xander and changing her hole life for him she sacrificed herself for Andrew not because she had feelings but because it was the right thing to do...
 
For me, Anya's death was the saddest thing in Buffy finale🙁
She was one of my favourite characters, she was so funny and she brought in a lot of humour to the show. Such a character was really needed in the show. Without Anya BTVS wouldn't be the same.
This is true that Anya was very concerned in money, but we all need it. It isn't bad thing that she wanted to have organized life, home,savings. She didn't want anything for free, she was putting in a lot of work to achieve it. But still, the money wasn't the most important thing in her life.
It also can't be said Anya was cold and cruel. She never said things just to hurt someone. She was just straight and was always telling the truth. She really loved Xander, she was even ready to give up her life for him. We could see it fo example in "The gift" when she saves him. It isn't also a truth that she didn't care about other Scoobies. She really wanted to help Willow when she went bad. When Giles was badly hurt she was so afraid he could die, she didn't want to lose him, I think he was kinda like a father for her. She always felt like part of a team, even when she bounced back to be a vengeance demon. I remember that dialogue between her and Spike in "Entropy": Spike:And I can't stand the lot of you. Anya: Me either! I hate us!
And after all we can't forget her sacrifice in the last episode. She died to save other people. I think it definitely makes her a hero.
 
Yep, Anya was fantastic, sometimes I wonder whether people are just trying to stir confrontational arguments when they say things along the lines of 'Anyas death meant nothing'. Anya was one of my favourite female role models growing up. I could see a lot of myself in her, and admired and aspired to her strength, bravery and honesty.

Anyas death was heartbreaking and real. One of those rare people that realise that the things they have done wrong need an outcome. In Selfless she thought she was giving up her own life when in reality she had to lose her good friends. Her heartbreak over losing Halfrek instead of herself shows loyalty and compassion. From willing to put her life on the line for the wrongs she did in Selfless proves that she was willing to do so again.

In other words - I like Anya and mourned her death almost as if she was a friend in real life.
 
G
GATEGOD
I love you
Anya was one of the best characters. I was devastated when she died in such a truely crap and overly quick death...
 
Okay I know I haven't been in this thread awhile me being the one who started it and all. But I must admit that her death hit me after I rewatched it so to all those who love anya. I must apologize i believe that its my duty because I teared up when i rewatched it and she died such a horrible way she didn't even know it was coming she really didn't deserve that.
 
I always (well almost) loved Anya but her death affected me less than I thought it should. Of course I wasn´t happy about it but still. You can´t have a fight this big without anyone dying, and although Spike did die it´s not the same thing. His death had a purpose, and most of us I guess knew he would come back on Angel. True, some potentials died but not anyone the´d grown to love and I´d rather see Anya die than Dawn, Giles, Xander, Willow or Faith. Buffy could have been an option doing the ultimate sacrifice if it hadn´t been done already. That leaves us with Andrew and Robin and let´s face it, if they´d died it wouldn´t affected us as much as it did with Anya. Even if I must say that Andrew´s my favourite character in season 7.

And last I think Xander sums it up real good: "That's my girl. Always doing the stupid thing." A fitting end to her character in my eyes. The only "bad" part is that it happened so quick and that we never really got the chance to let it sink in.
 
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