Things That Almost Happened, But Didn't

[Samuel Reyes]

It's hard to imagine Buffy not turning out the way it did, but there are several things that didn't happen for a variety of reasons:

Characters That Weren't Supposed to Last:

Darla was to die in "The Harvest", but the writers brought her back in "Angel." And then they killed her off.

Spike was supposed to die at the end of "What's My Line, Part 2", but fan reaction was so positive that Joss kept him alive for the rest of the season. In addition, his last appearance on the show was to be in "Lovers' Walk" when he left to get Drusilla back, but returned to stay for good in Season 4 as a main cast member.

Both Joyce Summers and Jenny Calendar were planned to die in the first season. The two reasons Jenny died was because her actress had become a Christian and was no longer comfortable with playing the part, and because Oz was becoming a fan favorite; otherwise, he would have been the one killed by Angelus. Also, had Oz still been Willow's love interest in Season 6, his death would have started the whole "Dark Willow" phase. Tara probably still might have existed had Seth Green not left the show, but in a much smaller role than the one she ended up with.

"Bad Girls" was to have ended on a much darker note: After Faith's loose-cannon approach to slaying took an unexpected turn with her killing the Deputy Mayor, Buffy would have discovered a guilt-ridden Faith as having hanged herself. Both Joss and audiences liked Eliza so much that they decided to further her character.

Wesley was only supposed to stick around for a couple of episodes and be "gloriously terminated", but the writers grew fond of him and he was brought over to Angel.

Anya's sole appearance on the show was going to be in "The Wish", returning a few episodes later for "Doppelgangland". She was also going to die at the end of "The Gift", but (obviously) died in the finale instead due to Emma Caulfield saying that she would not return for an eighth season, and was therefore fine with being killed off. Alternatively, a death scene for Andrew was written as well. The episode "Storyteller" was done as an experiment to see how audiences would react to an Andrew spin-off.

Xander almost died twice: in the fifth season, the writers considered revealing that he, and not Ben, was Glory's alter-ego (mind****!), meaning that up until that point, the joke was on the entire audience. And of course, one that Joss approved but was denied: Xander was going to get murdered by Caleb in "Dirty Girls" so that the First would appear as him from then on. It was decided that the characters would have insufficient grieving time with only 4 episodes left and several arcs going on at the same time, so Joss was compromised by taking out one of his eyes instead.

Casting: A lot of people already know this, but Sarah Michelle Gellar originally auditioned for Cordelia, and Charisma Carpenter for Buffy. Julie Benz, Mercedes McNab, and Elizabeth Anne Allen, who also auditioned for Buffy, were deemed the "runners-up" and were well-liked enough by Joss to go on to play other characters. Bianca Lawson auditioned for Cordelia and actually got the part, but opted for a role on a sitcom and returned to play Kendra in Season 2 instead. Danny Strong (Jonathan) auditioned for Xander and Nathan Fillion (Caleb) for Angel.

Villains: The Anointed One was going to be the Big Bad for Season 2, but the actor was noticeably aging, so he died at the hands of Spike in "School Hard." The Mayor was originally signed on for just two episodes. Sunday, from "The Freshman", was to have been revealed to be a slayer who was turned into a vampire, hence the reason she was able to defeat Buffy in a fight. (After Faith it was perhaps too soon to have another slayer arch-nemesis). As I mentioned on another post, Tucker Wells from "The Prom" was supposed to be the Big Bad in Season 6 (which makes a whole lot of sense), with Jonathan and Warren as his cowardly ensemble; since the actor was unavailable, Andrew was created and Warren was promoted to main villain. Scheduling conflicts prevented Britney Spears from guest starring as April in "I Was Made to Love You."

 

[Blaze]

There's a few I hadn't heard before. Never heard Xander was gonna die, and I had heard that Oz was suppose to stick around longer, but didn't know they had plans for him until s6.

Thank god the annoying one wasn't the big bad of s2.

 

[omnimercurial]

Wow! Those Xander plans while shocking could have been really really good! 🙂

 

[AnthonyCordova]

Some of those would have made for an interesting change. Better or worse would have been impossible to say though. Overall, I'm happy with what we got.

Xander dying would have pissed some people off, but it could have led to interesting consequences. Then again, for as much as I dislike Xander sometimes, removing him from the group would have deprived the scoobies of his essential purpose of providing perspective...not because he has any valuable perspective to offer himself, (oftentimes his opinion on matters is warped and confused) but because having him around gives Buffy and Willow and even Dawn a solid rock from which to judge other things and people and experiences. Xander is more or less someone you can count on; what I mean specifically in this context is that Xander doesn't change radically, he is a rock for his friends and he is dependable. With him around, the scoobies can understand and judge things and themselves better. It's like having a map to terrain that is constantly shifting but has one key feature like a boulder that doesn't move despite everything else that is moving. Having that boulder on the map means you won't get lost; using it means you still know which direction is which. So Xander keeps the compass pointing North for the rest of scoobies, and they can maintain perspective about themselves through him. Xander staying alive serves a valuable function for the scoobies (he has other good reasons for being around too) so I think losing him would have hurt the scoobies a lot, and it was probably good that he never died. Then again, it could have potentially led to some interesting consequences as the scoobies lost their way, etc. It also might have made the designs Joss had in mind for S6 more effective. Xander's death could have really given their ideas for S6 the extra gravitas required, and it could have given them a different pivot point to approach the idea of the scoobies losing their way and going dark, etc. If he had died then maybe S6 could have been more convincing and gone a different direction to make more sense of the ideas for the season the creator and writers had in mind.

Losing Wesley would have made AtS far less fun to say the absolute very least. I'm a huge Wes fan and I think his evolution on Angel was one of the most interesting developments of any character on any show I've ever seen. It's good that Joss recognized the potential of the character and quality of the actor as quickly as he did.

With regard to the casting choices, I really don't like any of the possibilities mentioned. What we got was definitely for the best. Nathan Fillion as Angel? Bianca Lawson as Cordelia? It would have been for the worse.

Tucker Wells as big bad would have been interesting, I'll admit. Britney Spears, uh no. A shameless reach for new viewers.

 

[VisionBoy]

I love the idea for Sunday, I liked her. But yeah, I guess since last season was focused on a rogue slayer so much, a vamp-slayer might be a bit too similar for season 4.

 

[Silverspike]

"Xander almost died twice: in the fifth season, the writers considered revealing that he, and not Ben, was Glory's alter-ego (mind****!), meaning that up until that point, the joke was on the entire audience. And of course, one that Joss approved but was denied: Xander was going to get murdered by Caleb in "Dirty Girls" so that the First would appear as him from then on. It was decided that the characters would have insufficient grieving time with only 4 episodes left and several arcs going on at the same time, so Joss was compromised by taking out one of his eyes instead."

I find the first Xander 'death' idea very suspect and to be frank I'm not sure If I believe it. The second idea I have heard before around the time it was done and believe that to be correct.

"In addition, his last appearance on the show was to be in "Lovers' Walk" when he left to get Drusilla back, but returned to stay for good in Season 4 as a main cast member."

The version I'd heard at the time was that originally they had wanted both Dru and Spike to make a reappearance, but due to conflicting schedules Juliet couldn't do it, so they had JM on his own. He worked so well with the rest of the characters that it started them off thinking about maybe adding him to the cast full time.

 

[omnimercurial]

I read on another thread (can't remember which) that Wesleys Character Arc/Plot ideas featured in Ats were originally intended for Xander.

How accurate is that? Rumour or Fact?

If this was a real thing, was the change due to Joss doing to Nick Brendon what he did to Charisma Carpenter when she fell Pregnant? Eg Taking out frustrations with the Actor/Actress out on the Character?

I learned on another thread that Nicks's Alcohol problems seemed to emerge in late Season 3 and Season 4, was Wes Canon Story and Xanders Character regression and lack of development due to this?

I'm kind of curious now.

 

[Silverspike]

"I read on another thread (can't remember which) that Wesleys Character Arc/Plot ideas featured in Ats were originally intended for Xander."

I've never heard that before and I find it highly suspect myself.

And yes, I suspect Xander's receding involvement in later seasons was due to Nicks drinking. He said at a convention I attended once years back that sometimes during season 7 he couldn't remember how he'd got home let alone how he'd managed to shoot his scenes.

 

[SiegePerilous02]

I've heard the "Xander was Glory's original host" ideas before. Would he have unknowingly been her host for the entire series up until that point, and she only just started to emerge? Or would there be revelations that she'd been active off-screen in seasons 1-4?

I'm pretty torn about it. It would have been an intensely interesting arc, and God knows Xander needed one of those, but if season 5 wasn't going to be the actual end, I can't imagine the series continuing without Xander. Ending the series on Buffy dying and Giles smothering Xander would be quite the downer, even by this show's standards.

 

[Samuel Reyes]

I've heard the "Xander was Glory's original host" ideas before. Would he have unknowingly been her host for the entire series up until that point, and she only just started to emerge? Or would there be revelations that she'd been active off-screen in seasons 1-4?

I'm pretty torn about it. It would have been an intensely interesting arc, and God knows Xander needed one of those, but if season 5 wasn't going to be the actual end, I can't imagine the series continuing without Xander. Ending the series on Buffy dying and Giles smothering Xander would be quite the downer, even by this show's standards.

I'm not sure which of the two; the first one would have been really mind-boggling, and at the very least, hard to take in due to Xander having been one of the main characters for so long. But since Joss originally intended for Season 5 to be the final season, it's not impossible to believe he might've done it.

And Giles smothering Xander would've been disturbing; I'm sure Buffy would be No. 1 in Most Heartbreaking Series Finales Ever if such was the case.

 

[Blaze]

I read on another thread (can't remember which) that Wesleys Character Arc/Plot ideas featured in Ats were originally intended for Xander.

How accurate is that? Rumour or Fact?

Not sure how accurate that is, first time I hear that. Never read anything on this, I'm no help 😛

learned on another thread that Nicks's Alcohol problems seemed to emerge in late Season 3 and Season 4, was Wes Canon Story and Xanders Character regression and lack of development due to this?

From what I've heard, production at times did have issue with Nick and his drinking problems. But I've also heard that Joss was quick to defend him, and so was the rest of the cast. So from the sound of what I've heard, Joss is actually the reason Nick was there till the very end.

 

[AnthonyCordova]

Thank god wes' story arc wasn't given to Xander. I feel bad about Brendon's drinking problem but it would have far less interesting had it all happened to Xander instead. I don't think I would have believed Xander in wes' shoes for a moment, and I don't think Brendon would have done as effective of a job as Denisof either. 

I read on another thread (can't remember which) that Wesleys Character Arc/Plot ideas featured in Ats were originally intended for Xander.

 

[NothingVentured]

"I read on another thread (can't remember which) that Wesleys Character Arc/Plot ideas featured in Ats were originally intended for Xander."

I've never heard that before and I find it highly suspect myself.

And yes, I suspect Xander's receding involvement in later seasons was due to Nicks drinking. He said at a convention I attended once years back that sometimes during season 7 he couldn't remember how he'd got home let alone how he'd managed to shoot his scenes.

I'd be suspect of a lot of them. The Sunday theory, I do recall, was just a fan theory to explain why she seemed to be stronger than your average vamp. I don't remember any official source suggesting she was a turned slayer.

I'm also not sure I remember any suggestions of Joyce dying. IIRC, the plan was for Joyce to never be seen, but they soon realized how unfeasible that was.

 

[white avenger]

I just can't help wondering, who would have come in to replace Xander if he, rather than Ben, had died at the end of Season 5? Someone who was on the show previously, like Oz or Jonathan? Someone entirely new?

 

[Skanky Vamp]

I just can't help wondering, who would have come in to replace Xander if he, rather than Ben, had died at the end of Season 5? Someone who was on the show previously, like Oz or Jonathan? Someone entirely new?

I think if Xander were 'Ben' then they would probably write Ben into the story the following year. Would be nice for one of the Scoobies to be an intern.

 

[NothingVentured]

My guess is they'd have found another way to deal with the situation. A spell to join them permanently or something. They kinda of did the Xander split thing in Replacement. I wonder if they'd have scrubbed that idea by then or not.

 

[omnimercurial]

I think Giles would be alot more torn about killing Xander than Ben who was an outsider.

On top of which I could even see Xander actually pleading for Giles to kill him and protect the girls.

Alternatively the Wand/Rod of Toth could have seperated Xander and Glory maybe?

The fact a Hell Goddess was the target though could have made things screwy though, who knows at what ratios the division would be at?

 

[bespangeled]

"Xander almost died twice: in the fifth season, the writers considered revealing that he, and not Ben, was Glory's alter-ego (mind****!), meaning that up until that point, the joke was on the entire audience. And of course, one that Joss approved but was denied: Xander was going to get murdered by Caleb in "Dirty Girls" so that the First would appear as him from then on. It was decided that the characters would have insufficient grieving time with only 4 episodes left and several arcs going on at the same time, so Joss was compromised by taking out one of his eyes instead."

I find the first Xander 'death' idea very suspect and to be frank I'm not sure If I believe it. The second idea I have heard before around the time it was done and believe that to be correct.

"In addition, his last appearance on the show was to be in "Lovers' Walk" when he left to get Drusilla back, but returned to stay for good in Season 4 as a main cast member."

The version I'd heard at the time was that originally they had wanted both Dru and Spike to make a reappearance, but due to conflicting schedules Juliet couldn't do it, so they had JM on his own. He worked so well with the rest of the characters that it started them off thinking about maybe adding him to the cast full time.

My understanding was they wanted to see if the ratings spiked 🙂D) because Spike made an appearance in the episode. After they did, and Charisma Carpenter left, they took Marsters back to bring some snark to the show.

The Xander/Glory thing would have been cool. Change Glory into an infection, since Xander didn't know about her. Then have the infection...crap, they did that with Jasmine and it sucked. 

I'd be suspect of a lot of them. The Sunday theory, I do recall, was just a fan theory to explain why she seemed to be stronger than your average vamp. I don't remember any official source suggesting she was a turned slayer.

I'm also not sure I remember any suggestions of Joyce dying. IIRC, the plan was for Joyce to never be seen, but they soon realized how unfeasible that was.

I wouldn't have watched Angel with Xander in the role of Wesley. He just didn't have that range - and even if they had planned it, once they had to let Doyle go because of alcohol and drugs, I really doubt they would have hired someone they knew had a problem with alcohol and drugs. Besides, Nick was in his first rehab (he made an announcement) just after Buffy ended.

 

[Mr Trick]

I actually quite like the sound of Xander taking on the Ben part in that storyline, not sure why. I guess his character was starting to get a bit stale at the time and it would have spiced it up a bit and just added to the storyline possibilities moving forward.

 

[SiegePerilous02]

Thankfully I doubt they would have allowed Xander to give into Glory's demands in "Weight of the World" and betray Dawn the way Ben did in that episode. He would have gone out on a high note, and maybe assisted Giles by holding Glory back long enough to kill him. I would have preferred Xander die in this scenario no matter how depressing it might be. It has way more of an edge to it than miraculously splitting Xander and Glory at the last minute, and would give Giles and the Scoobies too easy a way out.

I'm more skeptical about Xander having Wes's storyline being legit. Would Xander have been moved over to AtS following "the Gift"? Would the shows become more crossover heavy, with Connor being the miracle baby of Angel/Buffy instead of Angel/Darla (which, even for my shipping preferences, is way too fanfic)? Either way, the mental image of Angel trying to smother Xander in a hospital bed is kind of awesome.