If Angel had told Buffy....

[VisionGirl]

If Angel had told Buffy after the fact about the events of IWRY & that he had asked for the day back, how would it have changed season 4 of BtS? Do you think that she still would've chosen to date Riley? Would it have changed her attitude toward Angel & Faith: would she have been more understanding of Angel's actions, or even more jealous & angry? And looking forward another 2 seasons, would it have changed her relationship with Spike?

 

[dan k]

If Angel had told Buffy after the fact about the events of IWRY & that he had asked for the day back, how would it have changed season 4 of BtS? Do you think that she still would've chosen to date Riley? Would it have changed her attitude toward Angel & Faith: would she have been more understanding of Angel's actions, or even more jealous & angry? And looking forward another 2 seasons, would it have changed her relationship with Spike?

Firstly that's a great question. I personally think she would have needed time to digest the fact that she had been close with Angel again even if she didn't remember it. Consequently her relationship with Riley may not have happened so quickly. I still think it probably would have happened but who knows.

I don't think it would have changed her attitude towards Faith. Her problem with Faith wasn't to do with Angel.

I don't see it having an effect on Buffy hooking up with Spike either.

 

[xaphania]

I think him telling her would have caused problems, actually.

I imagine she'd have felt betrayed and angry that a) he did it in the first place, b) he kept it a secret from her and c) he made a decision for her (again).

 

[dan k]

I think him telling her would have caused problems, actually.

I imagine she'd have felt betrayed and angry that a) he did it in the first place, b) he kept it a secret from her and c) he made a decision for her (again).

I think she would have felt like that at the beginning but as time passed she would understand and accept his decision much like she did when Angel left her in season 3.

 

[Wesley]

Yeah but you have to remember that she would have absolutely no memory at all of it. Him telling her would be like him telling her a really cool then really sad story, but that's all it would be to her, a story. She would probably be somewhat hurt and upset but really... if I told you something happened to you but you have no memory of it and never will and there's nothing you can do about it... how would that really affect you?


I think it would have been more painful to her to tell then to not.

 

[TaylorSwift]

She would be upset of course, all shocked and hurt that he made that choice all by himself..then, after the initial shock and anger, she would understand him and a bittersweet sensation would kick in.

 

[PrincessBuffy16]

If Angel had told Buffy after the fact about the events of IWRY & that he had asked for the day back, how would it have changed season 4 of BtS? Do you think that she still would've chosen to date Riley? Would it have changed her attitude toward Angel & Faith: would she have been more understanding of Angel's actions, or even more jealous & angry? And looking forward another 2 seasons, would it have changed her relationship with Spike?

You asked some great questions, which I ask myself from time to time.

First, if he did told her about the events, that would change her relathionship with Riley. Buffy doesn't wait for changes for happen, and she doesn't welcome them with open arms. We saw how the thing with Parker hurted her, and I think, she would be very sad, and not ready for a new relathionship.

I don't see how could that fact change her attitude towards Angel and Faith, but I think she would use the fact he took something most precious from them just to hurt him.

I don't think it would change her relathionship with Spike, because that relathionship started because she was confused.

 

[BibliophileAnn]

If Angel had told Buffy...

I don't think Buffy would use the information to hurt Angel because before time is reset after Angel has explained Buffy says she understands. Buffy initial reaction is to feel hurt but after thinking about it she comes around to Angel's way of thinking.

 

[LostBeloved]

Wow. Thats one of the best questions that I read on here. I think it would have make the heartache that Buffy continued to feel throughout the rest of the series alot more painful. Its one thing to wish that you had something and to dream, but knowing that you had it and someon ripped it away from you is completely different. I think that it wouldve tainted the way that Buffy viewed Angel. She would have felt like he didnt truly love her, and she would have crumbled. Everyone on that show had a companion or their other alf, Buffy needed that imaginary idea of he happily ever after with Angel to continue throughout her struggles. She loves him. She will always not only love him, but be in love with him. And she probably wouldve been with Riley but treated him just as bad as she treated Spike.

 

[Steven123]

Good question.

I think that had he of told her they may have even of got back together (But that would have to have ment a huge cross over between AtS and BtVS), obviously though it would be as it was in season 3 where they knew what the relationship would give them, and what it couldn't. (Early season 3)

But assuming they didn't get back together i think it probably would have been as painfull for her as it was in Becoming when she had to kill him. I don't think she would have dated Riley and i think she would have become very distant from everyone. BUT she did say that she "understood" why he had to do it, and i think that giving time, if he did tell her, that she would have understood again why he had to do it.

But again, i think we might have seen either a huge cross over, or DB would have been in BtVS a lot more (like a 5-10 minute scene every other episode or so) And we probably would have seen Buffy more in AtS.

But as i said, if they didn't have a cross over, i think in time she would have come to terms with it. Could have been a scenario similar to The Yoko Factor. Where she agree's with Angel about what he said about them now leading two different lives.

 

[SlayerFest]

She wouldn't have been pleased. I don't know why he would though, all it would do is cause problems/upset her.

 

[white avenger]

(My feelings about Angel's actions in this episode are well known here on the Boards, as well as elsewhere, so I doubt that my comments here are going to come as a shock to anyone.)

I think that Buffy's initial reaction would have been shock, anger, and an acute sense of betrayal. Possibly with enough time to cool down and consider the situation more thoroughly and, maybe, more dispassionately, she might have come to see and accept some of Angel's logic in making the decision that he did, but still, especially if she had learned about it in Season 6, after she had sacrificed herself in order to save, not Angel, as the Powers had told him, but Dawn, there would have been a sense of futility and a feeling of being forced into an inescapable fate (remember, I said that this would depend on her finding out in Season 6, when her depression was at its peak) which would have only served to strengthen her already near suicidal mood.

Probably, eventually, there would be some sort of reconciliation between Buffy and Angel, but her sense of total trust in him would have been lost, for a very long time, if not forever. She would still love him. Buffy will always love Angel. But he would no longer be her White Knight.

As to whether or not her relationship with Riley would still have taken place if she had learned in Season 4 instead of later, yes, almost certainly it would have. Remember how she described him in "Five By Five?" "Someone who can I love. SOMEONE WHO I CAN TRUST." I don't think that it was either an accident or simple coincidence that she chose those words. Trust is a major factor for Buffy, in all of her relationships, whether with friends or lovers. At least initially, if not forever afterward, Buffy would never get over a feeling of betrayal for what Angel had done.