Killing Xander in Dirty Girls

[Btvs fan]

Ok so for those who don't know, Joss Whedon was seriously considering killing Xander off in Dirty Girls and then have the First appear as Xander. The other writers persuaded him not to and so he lost an eye instead.
I also wonder if Nick Brendons known issues was another factor ie that having him do more scenes might have been a bit much for him.
But anyway it got me thinking leaving the back stage issues aside, should it have happened ?

For me Im gonna say yes. I actually think the next episode Empty Places would've worked better too with Xander dead.

Also fun fact but Joss wrote about 80% of this script including the Caleb scenes.
Link to DVD Commentary below.

 

[twoslayers]

I think yes, it would have raised the stakes. Killing recurring characters happens a fair bit on Buffy, but main cast, and they actually stay dead, I don't think happens at all until the finale. It would have shown this isn't just any apocalypse, its really serious this time. Also in many ways the most dispensable character, as the least useful in fighting or magic or anything.

 

[Btvs fan]

I think yes, it would have raised the stakes. Killing recurring characters happens a fair bit on Buffy, but main cast, and they actually stay dead, I don't think happens at all until the finale. It would have shown this isn't just any apocalypse, its really serious this time. Also in many ways the most dispensable character, as the least useful in fighting or magic or anything.

I wouldn't even go that far. Angel was a regular but sent to hell/killed in Becoming and he's back the next episode. Buffy the regular is killed in the Gift and she's back by the next episode. Spike a regular was killed in Chosen but again he's back by the next episode on Angel. So yes you could say Joss kills regulars but he brings them back straight away.

There was Anya in the finale but really that was more a punishment of the actress as much as story driven and you could've killed her in Selfless and really not missed anything for the rest of the season.

In terms of reoccurring you got Jenny in Season 2 then possibly Faith in Season 3(though it was a coma) then Larry and Harmony in Graduation Day. Though 1 is barely reoccurring and more a guest for gay jokes and the other becomes a Vampire.
I don't really class Verucca as reoccurring.
Forrest, I guess counts as reoccurring, in Yoko Factor.
Then Joyce in Season 5 (God I wish Glory had done this)
Tara in Season 6, made a regular for that 1 episode that she dies.
Jonathan in Season 7

Looking back I think Jesse was wasted potential. Maybe have him around for a few episodes first so we as an audience can get to know him before making him a Vampire and then have him for a few episodes before killing him off.

 

[thetopher]

No, its a bad idea.

And just goes to show that a lot of the time Joss' instincts as a writer were dead wrong. The death of Xander at such a late stage would not only have been shock for shocks sake but it would've also be a damning indictment of Buffy's cavalier attitude this season, and an irreparable one at that.
The death also doesn't serve Xander's character at all, which is kinda ironic since in the final season he has a stronger arc than in the previous two and still Joss obviously thought he was disposable.

Sometimes I see the merit in killing off a main character for some narrative purpose; Giles dying in late S5 probably would've worked better since it goes on to suit the new tone of the show- the scoobies are the grown-ups now- and you don't directly link a character's death to Buffy's failures in judgement.

 

[garfan]

I think yes, it would have raised the stakes. Killing recurring characters happens a fair bit on Buffy, but main cast, and they actually stay dead, I don't think happens at all until the finale. It would have shown this isn't just any apocalypse, its really serious this time. Also in many ways the most dispensable character, as the least useful in fighting or magic or anything.

yeah, it would have. I'm against that

I wouldn't even go that far. Angel was a regular but sent to hell/killed in Becoming and he's back the next episode. Buffy the regular is killed in the Gift and she's back by the next episode. Spike a regular was killed in Chosen but again he's back by the next episode on Angel. So yes you could say Joss kills regulars but he brings them back straight away.

three eps

There was Anya in the finale but really that was more a punishment of the actress as much as story driven and you could've killed her in Selfless and really not missed anything for the rest of the season.

she requested it

 

[Btvs fan]

yeah, it would have. I'm against that

three eps


she requested it

Ok 3, he's still back

Because of how he'd treated her and she'd had enough. Like I said I think she should've died in Selfless and leave Hallie alive

 

[DeepBlueJoy]

Ok so for those who don't know, Joss Whedon was seriously considering killing Xander off in Dirty Girls and then have the First appear as Xander. The other writers persuaded him not to and so he lost an eye instead.
I also wonder if Nick Brendons known issues was another factor ie that having him do more scenes might have been a bit much for him.
But anyway it got me thinking leaving the back stage issues aside, should it have happened ?

For me Im gonna say yes. I actually think the next episode Empty Places would've worked better too with Xander dead.

Also fun fact but Joss wrote about 80% of this script including the Caleb scenes.
Link to DVD Commentary below.

If they had killed off xander too (as well as having killed off) joyce and tara and anya and Spike, not to mention Buffy's death and brutal return... i doubt i would get much out of rewatching the series. It was already becoming deaths stealing more and more joy. Xander would have been one last straw.

Buffy was taciturn and utilitarian for a reason.

Season 6 &7 she alone was mostly in character. She behaved exactly as a traumatized lonely, broken hero would. Of course she is miserable. She has nothing left to live for. She is finally what the council wanted. A deconstructed automaton that saves the world and does not consider or connect with friends or family. She has to shut down or she would give up.

It is why I watch Firefly and do not rewatch Serenity. I prefer to remember my on screen friends having crazy adventures.

Death is inevitable for me and my loved ones and often personally brutal. Why wallow in it before we get there? It is only 'touching and meaningful' if you cannot stand in their shoes. Honestly, i think it is part of why i enjoyed earlier seasons more even for the campiness. There were deaths (Jesse) but it was not as brutal.

I think having real life tragedy early made me not that entertained by favourite and core-character death laden shows. I watch TV for escape. Enjoyment from death only comes from putting bad guys in the ground. Even that gets old (John Wick).

If you care about the dying characters, it gets depressing. If you don't, it becomes meaningless.

I am not ashamed to like happy endings and non-death character exits. Not saying no one must die, just don't make merry sport of it. Frankly Xanders loss of his eye made his anger beleivable and that was much more humanly complex. As D'hoffryn says, go for the pain...

But excess core character death? Not my thing. Yes i am not a fan of GoT.

 

[BuffyElevated]

Xander was one of my favorite characters on the show; I would have legit rioted if they killed him off- especially that late in the game.

I think Xander losing an eye was the better choice. It showed that Caleb was definitely dangerous and that nobody was safe from his wrath, without killing off another character for pure shock value. He had already done that with some of the Potentials.

 

[wolfheart]

Yes but with a big if, after this episode he was more interesting to me, but if he wasnt around i wouldnt miss him either( my humble opinion)

 

[Btvs fan]

Xander was one of my favorite characters on the show; I would have legit rioted if they killed him off- especially that late in the game.

I think Xander losing an eye was the better choice. It showed that Caleb was definitely dangerous and that nobody was safe from his wrath, without killing off another character for pure shock value. He had already done that with some of the Potentials.

No one cared about the Potentials though

Post automatically merged: Today at 4:56 PM

Yes but with a big if, after this episode he was more interesting to me, but if he wasnt around i wouldnt miss him either( my humble opinion)

They would've had First Xander, instead we got First Buffy