From 18 to 30 in one season..

[Ianigsy]

I think the change happened after S3 when the series wasn't tied quite so tightly to the school year- in the first three seasons there's much more of a sense of episodes occurring at roughly the same time of year that they would originally have been broadcast. While it's nice to have things like Christmas episodes and Buffy's birthday, the nature of building to the climax of each season means that the events of the last half-dozen or so episodes of the later seasons happen over what would realistically be a couple of days.

 

[Bluebird]

Well i don't know...sure some things might be exaggerated but how is anybody supposed to act according to age? Many people act mature when their young and others that act immature when thier old......so I'm not sure that them acting responsible at 20 or so is so unrealistic especially when you live in certain conditions. And in my experience 21 or so is actually normal for people getting married especially in my family that is usually even younger than that half the time. Just saying from another perspective 🙂

I agree. There's a lot of expectation for how people should act because of their age. For example, my boyfriend, who's just turned 20, has a well-paid job, a bought house and a car. Whereas I'm 25 and live the life of a teenager. It's all to do with the person, not the age.

I think Buffy's circumstances made her grow up a lot faster, and she couldn't have gone on until the end of the show still running away from her problems and complaining about being the Slayer. That would have got boring.

Willow seemed to lose a lot of her innocent charm in the later seasons though, I missed that.

 

[Skanky Vamp]

Cordy's growth process in Angel feels much more realistic than Xander's in Buffy. It took Xander being split in half and seeing his other half being successful and then overnight he was. Cordy was given her vision gift and for the rest of the season started her growth gradually.

They both had catalysts for the growth spurt, but to me Cordys seemed much more natural and gradual. I think people need to go back and watch the first few episodes of Angel to remind themselves that Cordy was a "starving artist" living alone in a cheap LA flat, stealing food from parties. You kinda grow up fast from that.

 

[arabella]

I had never even considered that anyone might think they acted in a manner inconsistent with their ages. They were doing and dealing with the same normal life stuff that me and my friends were dealing with at those ages...I don't find it abnormal at all that Xander had a full time construction job. That's normal post HS to get a "real" job if you don't go to University. The others went to University and Buffy dropped out and got a crap job. All seems normal to me. As for Xander and Anya attempting to marry...that too is normal to me. In the area I live in, if you didn't "delay adulthood" by "extending adolescence" in University, it is common to get married young.

As for Cordy, she did grow up a lot to me. It didn't bother me though as I saw her progression a direct result of her life circumstances and therefore fully natural...she had visions and became a higher being...I mean if we can buy that she became worthy of those things, I can buy that she acted more grown-up. Also, she didn't extend adolescence in University and had to accept more adult responsibilities more quickly.
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[Fusions2]

When was it stated on "ANGEL" that Cordelia was somewhere in her late twenties/early thirties? In which episode? And may I remind you that a good number of actors and actresses on both sides of the Atlantic had left school before graduating, in order to start a career in acting.

I don't think anyone was trying to sat it had been stated because it hadn't. It's just the way Cordy suddenly matured from season 2 on wards. I put it down to the visions making her care about others than herself. I however did forget she was meant to be 21 by the end of season 4. Maybe its because I found out that Charisma was in her 30's and at the time it showed.

The sudden maturing of the Scooby Gang didn't show as much to me because every time Buffy had a birthday from season 5 & 6 it always reminded me of the gangs age. It probably wasn't until season 7 that it began to slip and the Scoobys began to feel like they were in their late 20's. They were taking care of Potentials so maybe that had something to do with it.

I would say the aging on Angel was far worse, Fred being in her 30's and Gunn older than Cordy! That was really hard to get around.

 

[Stakesteak]

Cordy's sudden maturation definitely had to do with her getting the visions from Doyle. One episode in particular, the one where W&H amped up the sensitivity of her visions so that she went comatose from everyone's suffering, was a watershed moment for her character where she really started to be less self centered. I don't think it's hard at all to believe that you'd age quickly if you have to live through so much pain and horror all the time.

Xander's character development on the other hand I really dislike. Very up and down in maturity to fit what the writers wanted him to do that episode.

 

[The Unspoken]

Cordy's growth process in Angel feels much more realistic than Xander's in Buffy. It took Xander being split in half and seeing his other half being successful and then overnight he was.

Actually, Xander's other half was given the promotion because of the work the 'complete' Xander had done before.

Anyway, the difference between Cordy and Xander is that the latter was simply used for comic relief in season 4, whereas Cordelia was treated seriously. The sudden maturation of Xander in season 5 is pretty much the writers trying to correct their mistake and treat the character with some modicum of respect.

 

[A Flawed Fashion]

Actually, Xander's other half was given the promotion because of the work the 'complete' Xander had done before.

Anyway, the difference between Cordy and Xander is that the latter was simply used for comic relief in season 4, whereas Cordelia was treated seriously. The sudden maturation of Xander in season 5 is pretty much the writers trying to correct their mistake and treat the character with some modicum of respect.

Sometimes people do hit that moment where they realize they just can't act like a kid anymore. Its been coming and they could see that they had to grow up, but they kind of clung to being young until something inside them just clicks and they realize its time to grow up. I think that's what happened with Xander in season 5. He was still very goofy, but he realized he needed to start acting like an adult or else he'd never get out of his parent's basement.

 

[PassionBecoming]

I think it's mostly what everyone has been through. Though, how long was Buffy dead before they brought her back? I think it said somewhere, but I don't remember. But if it was a year, then they might be 21.

My question about Anya is how did she ever GET an ID??

Also, I would like to know what the HECK the scoobies were doing while Buffy was dead. Oh, they'll live in her house and raise her sister and spend all the money. Then when they rip her out of Heaven, not only is she dropped back onto a Hellmouth, she has no means of actually living. Um, why weren't Tara and Willow working? Dawn could get a part-time job. HelLO?!?!?

 

[The Unspoken]

Sometimes people do hit that moment where they realize they just can't act like a kid anymore. Its been coming and they could see that they had to grow up, but they kind of clung to being young until something inside them just clicks and they realize its time to grow up. I think that's what happened with Xander in season 5. He was still very goofy, but he realized he needed to start acting like an adult or else he'd never get out of his parent's basement.

Nice try, but the writers have pretty much admitted they enjoyed humiliating and buttmonkeying Xander throughout the season. Frankly, I thought the high school Xander who displayed initiative and assertiveness and was willing to challenge Buffy's judgment was plenty mature. The only way to make sense of his characterization in season 4 and up until 'The Replacement' is to just assume he's suffering from depression.

 

[zobothehobo]

Nice try, but the writers have pretty much admitted they enjoyed humiliating and buttmonkeying Xander throughout the season. Frankly, I thought the high school Xander who displayed initiative and assertiveness and was willing to challenge Buffy's judgment was plenty mature. The only way to make sense of his characterization in season 4 and up until 'The Replacement' is to just assume he's suffering from depression.

Ok... so we know the "out of narrative" reason for Xander's behavior in season 4... but what about the "in narrative" reasons for Xander's behavior. The ones within the story?

One of my favorite things to do is write. I just wrote a story... the main character was reflecting on feeling worthless and insignificant. The "out of narrative" reason for the man character's feelings of worthlessness and insignificance is that I share those feelings and am trying to figure out how to deal with them. The "in narrative" reasons are various things that her family, friends, and teachers have said and done over the years... and the big one... her boyfriend breaking up with her to go out with two other girls who would let him date both of them at the same time.

In the narrative... Xander did go back in maturity a little bit. Mainly, probably, because he felt so immature compared to his friends that it was a self fulfilling prophecy. And then he hit a point (The Replacement) when he just realized in an instant "I'm an adult and it's high time I started acting like one."

 

[Ms.Trick]

I was watching Buffy as it aired and never paid attention to their age, but always assumed there were like 27 years old (my memories before the end of season 5 are not great). I was surprised when Willow went back to the university, I thought "Wait what? She's still at the university?". Then when I did my first rewatch, I understood Buffy was 20 in the gift, and I thought: "Wow, that means they are younger than I thought then!"

I think this stroke me because all people around that age I know still live with their parents. They have their own life, jobs, are very mature but don't live alone yet.
I know two girls who are engaged (one just turned 20, the other is 23) and they still live at their parent's so I still see them, you know, young.

Oddly, I tend to see people who don't live with their parents as "more adult" in the sense they start a complete new life outside of the familial sphere.

And in Buffy, at 20, none of them lives with parents, which is why, following my weird logic, they look older. I don't know personaly any 20 years old boy who already lives in a appartment and has a good, well-paid job. Like I said I know people who are engaged, but not married at 20. Buffy lost her mum and has to take care of Dawn so it's natural that she really ages because she's thrown into full adulthood.
Willow and Tara moved into Buffy's house.
What I'm saying is that to me, people are fully adult when they don't live with their parents anymore. And I won't call myself an adult as long as I live with my mum. Because to me, being adult and being mature are two different things. Being adult means that you have to take care yourself of paying your loan, your bills, etc and that you are not supervised anymore by the parents.

So at 20, the Scoobies were adults to me, and I thought they were older because I don't know a lot of people who are adults (according to my idea of adulthood) at 20.


And some actors aged. Xander looks much older in the last seasons. Willow still looks very young.


But I always have troubles with the ages in series. Like when I found out they were 16 in the first season of Gossip Girl I was like "They are only 16?!"

 

[Abby27]

My birthday is very close to Buffy's (1/22) so I often times will find the episode that sorta correlates to my age and compare. Kinda nerdy. For example, I'm 21 so that puts me in season 6 sometime between Normal Again and Entropy. And I see the point of the original post: If one of my friends was having a 21st birthday, it wouldn't involved a nice quite evening at home, it'd be an all out kegger (which, not for me, I don't drink, so my 21st birthday party closely resembled Buffy's 21). But yea, they all do seem a little old for their age, but then again, they always did.

But the thought that my best friend just failed to get married and dealing with all of that, yea, I can't imagine that. A few of my friends are engaged but waiting until they graduate close.

 

[EvilBuffy]

What I'm saying is that to me, people are fully adult when they don't live with their parents anymore. And I won't call myself an adult as long as I live with my mum. Because to me, being adult and being mature are two different things. Being adult means that you have to take care yourself of paying your loan, your bills, etc and that you are not supervised anymore by the parents.

Just got to say something off topic. I'll refer to 2 people for the first part. One of them is 20 the other 23. They both don't live at home because they were kicked out for generally making their parents lives hell. Neither have jobs (unless you want to count selling pills) and they live on that money and food stamps, but have their own places. So not living with parents doesn't exactly equal adult.

 

[frankie]

I accepted the ages of Buffy, Cordy and Xander. They acted older than they were because of the lives they led. All the people I know who didn't go to college and had to work and support themselves seemed to mature quite fast. Xander and Cordy got jobs, had to pay rent. Buffy had to support Dawn. It made perfect sense to me.
Willow, Oz and Tara I never really bought. Responsibilities and maturity are of course still present, but so's the possibility of letting lose and living the college lifestyle.
Anya and Angel still acted like spoiled, immature brats a lot of the time, so age really doesn't always make sense in the Buffy-verse. Being old doesn't mean acting old, being young doesn't mean acting young.

 

[TeamSunnydale]

The scoobies age in S6 didn't really bother me. They all suffered a lot in that season, and kinda had to grow up fast. What bothers me is Cordy going from 18 to 30 in 5 years 🙁