Was it believable how quickly Fred became less nerdy?

[Anyanka Bunny Slayer]

It seems to me that in S5, she suddenly became more of a professional scientific type...and less of an awkward, goony shy girl. It was rather abrupt.

Did the W&H memory wipe somehow facilitate this?

 

[Buffy Summers]

I feel like she had been so traumatized by her experience on Pylea that it took her a while to go back to "normal".

 

[Anyanka Bunny Slayer]

Yes, but it was so abrupt. Almost as though she woke up one morning and became a "normal" person; one who is suddenly capable of running the Science Department at W&H. It just seemed so sudden. Like, boom! Season 5 begins and Fredikins can run the Science Department...plus, most of those weird quirks she had seemed to disappear; as did her "Pylean Maddness."

 

[Blaze]

Well we know that they did get some benefits with the W&H jobs, so it's not impossible that she got some social skills to go with that brain 😛

I do think she gradually got better the longer she was back in the regular world though, and the memory wipe technically removed some more of the trauma the group experienced in the past, so it makes sense that she's better adapted in s5.

 

[Monkey Pants]

I feel like Fred would have always been capable of running the science department. She was never painted as having crippling social problems or anything of the sort. She's always been goofy but extremely smart and capable. I don't think she changed that much. Maybe she just realized how much responsibility she had now and buckled down a little.

 

[Anyanka Bunny Slayer]

Maybe she just realized how much responsibility she had now and buckled down a little.

You mean, Burkled down a little? 😛

 

[Fuffy Baith]

I completely buy that Fred is running the science lab. She was a physics major or something and even had like her work published and received an award or something in Supersymmetry. So I'd say she's qualified to run the science lab, especially with Angel as the boss. lol. I think it's just that her craziness from Pylea wore off after a while. She got her sane mind back, and maybe erasing the memory of Connor might have had an effect.