what if darla wasn't killed?

[angeldarla]

hi! i love darlas character and i was thinking what would have happened to the bangel relationship if angel hadn't killed her? would she interfered in their relationship? it could be more interesting if she was on the show for at least one more season... we could learn more about angel's past...

 

[Black Eye Guy]

In one why I think it would have been interesting, but the Bangle relationship had enough drama it really didn't need any extra. It was also the perfect way to get Buffy to trust Angel to set up all the later events, I don't think Buffy could have fallen for him so much if hadn't done something huge to prove himself.

 

[Edmund Blackadder]

This is definitely one of those things I'd not change.

Darla season 1 was OK, but its due to her death that she had the great return in TSILA and season 2 of Angel the way it is, is just awesome.

Now, I don't want to imagine Darla 'living' longer than she did fisrt time, it would completely change what happened in Angel.

 

[watcher1006]

Well I've wondered about this, how far ahead JW and the other creators of the show were thinking. For example did they actually think Angel would live past Season 1? He wasn't in the opening credits originally. They couldn't know for sure that there'd even be a second season. But once things really got rolling with BtVS I wonder if at least some of the creative staff might have regretted losing such an interesting character - at least in the vampire flesh - so early in the show. Not to say it would have made the show better to have kept her, of course we can never know.

I think it's possible that keeping Darla on longer would have led to storylines that would have delayed or even prevented the introductions of Spike and Drusilla early in Season 2.

 

[The Watcher]

I think it would have posponed Spike and Dru's introduction, unless they all returned and formed an alliance. I'm not really sure?

 

[Edmund Blackadder]

I think it would have posponed Spike and Dru's introduction, unless they all returned and formed an alliance. I'm not really sure?

So in essence this is a none comment.
You think A might happen, but actually it might not with a little twinge.

If Darla did not die here, ultimately it would have been written there was some resolution between Angel's character and what Darla meant to him which would have completely changed seasons 2-5 of Angel.

Darla was a weak character at this point.
If you put the Darla we are told about through flashback alone against this character you will see they are totally different.
It was the greatest decision of the show to kill Darla so early.

 

[Jules]

Darla's death was like an example of how much Angel cared about Buffy. He was willing to kill his Sire and woman he had spent 100+ years with to protect Buffy. If Angel hadn't killed Darla it would have been a huge reflection on the Bangel relationship. It would have been a less meaningful love than it turned out to be in season 1.

I think, if Darla hadn't been killed, she would have played a similar character to Angelus in Season 2. She would have played mind games with Buffy and Angel and put a further stain on their relationship.

But as BEG has already said, the Bangel relationship had enough to deal with without Darla 🙂