Why could Buffy, Cordelia and Willow seperate Angel from Angelus but Xander couldn't?

[Kana]

After Jenny's death and his torture is when Giles adopts this thinking (Revelations and Amends are AFTER both). Before then we never saw him equate Angel and Angelus.

Aside from the original Watcher mythology he espoused, there is little evidence he separated the two. As I've said in the other thread, the problem is a pronoun game which Angel himself plays to his detriment (if Angel and Angelus are separate.)

I always thought that Xander wanting to kill Angel was more punitive towards both Angel and Buffy. Punish Angel for being a vampire and Buffy for choosing to love a monster and hide his return from them. I never saw it as Xander being altruistic.

I mostly agree. I think he sees Buffy as his hero and is genuinely disappointed that she didn't do her duty and stop Angelus killing innocent people. It's unfair of him to hold her to this standard, but this can happen with people we greatly admire. I don't think he was lying in the "Freshmen" when he said Buffy is his hero. This said, his stance on killing Angelus should stand on the merit of it's argument (or not depending on your perspective) because while motivation is relevant to character analysis, it's not required to discern whether or not Xander and Buffy are correct. Xander makes this logical fallacy when he accuses Buffy of being selfish in wanting Angel back, but that cuts both ways. The punitive argument he makes in Becoming and the utilitarian argument in Revelations should stand on their own merit even if his motives are selfish. The question I'd ask is, whether he's right or not. Either way it's understandable that after everything that happened, he'd be concerned that Buffy was kissing him and hiding his return!

 

[Ethan Reigns]

Let's not dismiss Xander's judgement summarily.

Xander had been around teenage girls long enough to know that a first love makes a lot of rational judgement evaporate. There is the old saying, "Know that tingly feeling when you meet someone new and interesting? That's common sense leaving your body." The emergence of Angelus was a complete surprise to everyone else because there were unknown aspects of the Gypsy's spell that some of the Gypsy's knew (Jenny and her uncle) but no one else. Now, with no further connection to the Gypsies, were there any other "spell bomb" surprises waiting for them? Maybe he would revert if he drank squirrel blood or some such thing. The only thing that was certain was that if Angelus was dusted, there would be no more surprises.

Similarly, when Willow said she wanted to try to reinstate Angel's soul, Xander sent the message to Buffy that Willow had said to kick his ass. Xander was well aware that Buffy would do anything to get Angel back including hesitating so Willow would have more time. This could have been fatal, not just for Buffy but for the world. Buffy had been unwilling to terminate Angelus after the rocket attack on Acathla, so he assumed she was not and might never be up to performing her duties. As in Season 7, Xander was the guy who could see clearly. He could see that without a moment's notice, Angel could revert to Angelus and that is the subject of this thread. Cordelia and Willow were friends of Buffy who would never advise Buffy to ditch Angel because she wouldn't and it would cause a rift in their friendship. All of them could see the difference between Angel and Angelus but Xander considered Angel to be an unstable state, capable of reverting without warning.

 

[white avenger]

All of the argument/discussion about why Xander didn't distinguish between Angel and Angelus can be summed up in 4 words: He. Didn't. Want. To. Neither he nor Giles trusted re-ensouled Angel in Season 3, and I'm not sure that they ever really trusted him again, knowing how easily Angelus could return. Ironically, I think that Xander's relationship with ensouled Spike may have helped him come to accept Angel more than anything prior to that point. (That, of course, is strictly opinion and conjecture)

 

[Spuffy Slayer]

xander never liked angel so he didnt care whether he was angel or angelus he accually probably prefered angelus so he was the bad guy

 

[RomanticSoul]

Aside from the original Watcher mythology he espoused, there is little evidence he separated the two. As I've said in the other thread, the problem is a pronoun game which Angel himself plays to his detriment (if Angel and Angelus are separate.)

Once Giles finally knew who the mysterious stranger was, Giles started reading up on Angelus. If he really thought Angel and Angelus were the same, would he really condone Buffy dating him? I kind of doubt it.

I mostly agree. I think he sees Buffy as his hero and is genuinely disappointed that she didn't do her duty and stop Angelus killing innocent people. It's unfair of him to hold her to this standard, but this can happen with people we greatly admire.

That's one of my big problems with Xander. That as a geek he treats Buffy like a comic book hero come to life. To him she's not a human being first, or even a friend. Which is why things can get nasty when/if she fails this super hero expectation. It's unfair to Buffy.

Xander had been around teenage girls long enough to know that a first love makes a lot of rational judgement evaporate. There is the old saying, "Know that tingly feeling when you meet someone new and interesting? That's common sense leaving your body."

Are you saying that Xander, as a guy, is exempt from that? Because the Buffy/Cordelia/Willow mess tells me differently. So lets not pretend guys can't get irrational when it comes to love/lust.

Similarly, when Willow said she wanted to try to reinstate Angel's soul, Xander sent the message to Buffy that Willow had said to kick his ass. Xander was well aware that Buffy would do anything to get Angel back including hesitating so Willow would have more time.

The 'general's decision' just never worked for me precisely because the message comes from Xander. Xander is as irrational when it comes to Angel as Buffy is. If Giles had been the one to deliver it, of course. Even Willow, who as much as she would love her friend to be happy, would have put Buffy's life first. But not Xander.

Buffy had been unwilling to terminate Angelus after the rocket attack on Acathla, so he assumed she was not and might never be up to performing her duties.

Utterly and totally factually incorrect. At the beginning of 'Passion' Buffy wanted to end Angelus for good. It was Giles AND XANDER who told her not to. I love how that always gets forgotten by fans and Xander, especially since Xander is always the one invoking Jenny's name. Guess he forgot his part in her death, it's only ever Buffy's fault for not killing Angelus sooner.

As in Season 7, Xander was the guy who could see clearly.

Lol, what? S7 Xander seeing clearly? I assume we are talking about Selfless. To which I say, when he was in the same boat as Buffy he wanted exceptions to be made and not have his love killed. Funny how his 'standards and rules' go flying out the window when it's someone he cares about.

He could see that without a moment's notice, Angel could revert to Angelus and that is the subject of this thread. Cordelia and Willow were friends of Buffy who would never advise Buffy to ditch Angel because she wouldn't and it would cause a rift in their friendship. All of them could see the difference between Angel and Angelus but Xander considered Angel to be an unstable state, capable of reverting without warning.

And how exactly does Xander know he could turn at any moment? Can he see into the future? Or does he have some special knowledge about the curse that the rest don't. Cordelia would most certainly tell Buffy to ditch Angel, she neither cares about Buffy nor Angel. It's not like she is friends with either. And no, Cordy doesn't see the difference between Angel and Angelus and arguably never does.

 

[white avenger]

Once Giles finally knew who the mysterious stranger was, Giles started reading up on Angelus. If he really thought Angel and Angelus were the same, would he really condone Buffy dating him? I kind of doubt it.

This is pure guess and conjecture on my part, but it would seem logical to me to assume that, over the history of the Watchers, alliances, if not actual partnerships, with occasional demons, or even the occasional vampire wouldn't have been unheard of. The fact that Giles knew about Angel's soul and the circumstances under which he got it probably helped, but quite possibly, Giles saw Angel as not a whole lot more than Angelus with a muzzle, more under control than truly trustworthy. Certainly, after Season 2, and especially Jenny Calendar, he always had that in mind. He had seen, up close and personal, just how easily Angelus could be set free.

As for Giles "condoning" Buffy's relationship with Angel, if he knew just how far it was going, even if he hadn't known about the curse, I don't think would have approved, any more than Joyce would have. Aside from being a couple of centuries old, Angel gave the appearance of a man in his middle 20's, someone far too mature to be involved with a 16 year old high school student. Most likely, Giles saw Buffy's feelings for Angel as little more than a school girl crush, and assumed that Angel would be too honorable (which is, I know, a contradiction to the "Angelus with a leash" analogy above) to "take advantage" of so young and inexperienced a girl.

 

[thetopher]

How about NOT wanting to murder a souled being for starters? No one is asking him to go after anyone. No one.

All I'm just saying that Xander being at the Bronze stewing over Buffy and Angel situation isn't any evidence of Xander's mindset; he's angry at BOTH of them.

Of course I'm not saying what he did was right; I hated what he did. To Angel & to Faith.

No, he is not worried about Angelus. If he were he wouldn't be out alone at night.

Xander is in a public place and therefore not in any real danger from vampires anyway.

I think Xander is worried about the 'what -if' factor. Buffy as kissing Angel after everything that happened the previous year had him pissed at both of them but he is genuinely worried about potential danger. He just isn't thinking clearly.

If he wanted to punish Buffy- that's calculated 'I do this and then I hurt Buffy' but if he wants to get rid of Angel (and I'm not approving of his actions here) then that's straight forward anger- 'do this to stop this.'
You see the difference? One is bad but the other is way worse.

But Xander knows it's Angel, not Angelus. Xander actually doesn't care whether it's Angel or Angelus, he wants him dead, PERIOD. What Xander is actually doing is sending Faith off to kill a souled being. Just because he both hates that person and is pissed at Buffy for not killing said souled person.

If you're saying that its BOTH well I can't really argue, but I think his hatred of Angel is the main focus here and less about punishing Buffy and making her miserable and single again.

He hates Angel and he doesn't trust Buffy to do what needs to be done (despite the fact that she already did last Season), on top of being pissed at Buffy for being anywhere near Angel.

Well Buffy stopped Angelus eventually after a big rampage and stuff. He did plenty of damage in the meantime- that has always been Xander's focus.
His sympathy for Buffy and her plight was...lacking to say the least.

I still say that its more 'kill Angel' and less 'punish Buffy'.

 

[GraceK]

Sometimes I think some questions have simple answers. I think what it boils down to is that Xander never liked Angel, never trusted Angel, and especially in season 1 and majority of season 2 was jealous and resentful that Buffy chose him . It's regular teenage jealously made easier by the fact that Angel is vampire, not human, so Xander doesn't feel like it's wrong to want him dead. It's easier that Angel is a demon and makes, to himself anyway, his actions and distrust justified. Then, lo and behold, Angel loses his soul and starts killing people, stalking Buffy and teams up with 2 vampires who are also the enemy, and Xander feels like his feelings were validated. That he was proven right. And after all that Buffy still has a hard time killing him and still loves him. As much as I love Xander, I'm guessing one part of him hoped Buffy would say to herself " wow Xander was right all along, how wrong I was, it's Xander I should be with". And she didn't. Then Angel comes back, after all that happened, and he sees Buffy kissing him . He's pissed, and in some level he has a right to be. Angelus hurt them all, not just Buffy, and I think he genuinely feels that Buffy is putting them all at risk again, and lying to them. He doesn't want to give Angel the benefit of the doubt. Is what h does right? In telling Giles, yes I think it was. But trying to have him killed and using Faith to do it was wrong on every level and was not the actions of a good friend. But I think it was impulsive and an act of anger, and once he cooled off he did come to his senses. But he never stops hating Angel, even way into season 4. Why? Not because I still think he wants to be with Buffy, but because the history between them is shitty history and that's it. He just doesn't like him.

To me it's the same reason Angel had Lindsay killed, even though he let others live who had done much worse. He just didn't like Lindsay and that was that. This of course, is just how I see it . 🙂

 

[RomanticSoul]

He had seen, up close and personal, just how easily Angelus could be set free.

But it's not just Angel. You can take anyone's soul away in this verse. All it needs is a little magic. That Angel has the curse on top of that as a possible soul-removal makes no difference. If killing Angel is right because he might lose his soul at some point again for whatever reason, then all souled beings in the verse should be killed IMO.

As for Giles "condoning" Buffy's relationship with Angel, if he knew just how far it was going, even if he hadn't known about the curse, I don't think would have approved, any more than Joyce would have. Aside from being a couple of centuries old, Angel gave the appearance of a man in his middle 20's, someone far too mature to be involved with a 16 year old high school student. Most likely, Giles saw Buffy's feelings for Angel as little more than a school girl crush, and assumed that Angel would be too honorable (which is, I know, a contradiction to the "Angelus with a leash" analogy above) to "take advantage" of so young and inexperienced a girl.

Giles apparently did condone, otherwise he wouldn't have suggested Buffy spend some time with Angel when she has an evening off. And I doubt he saw what Buffy felt as a crush when he was right there from the end of Innocence and onward, where he also made it clear that he thinks for Angel it was than 'taking advantage'.

Xander is in a public place and therefore not in any real danger from vampires anyway.

Because a public place would stop Angelus? Since when? Or snatching Xander on the way to or from the Bronze. The fact that Xander is alone at night is proof enough for me that he is not actually worried about Angelus being on the loose.

I think Xander is worried about the 'what -if' factor. Buffy as kissing Angel after everything that happened the previous year had him pissed at both of them but he is genuinely worried about potential danger. He just isn't thinking clearly.

But everybody is worried about the 'what-if', EVERYBODY. And all of them make that known to Buffy. But you don't see the rest of them inciting MURDER.

If he wanted to punish Buffy- that's calculated 'I do this and then I hurt Buffy' but if he wants to get rid of Angel (and I'm not approving of his actions here) then that's straight forward anger- 'do this to stop this.'
You see the difference? One is bad but the other is way worse.

His anger is mostly directed AT Buffy, that's the thing. So to me there is an element of 'punishing' Buffy.

Well Buffy stopped Angelus eventually after a big rampage and stuff. He did plenty of damage in the meantime- that has always been Xander's focus.

Then he should have owned up to his own part in Jenny's death (and others), which conveniently gets forgotten by both him and the show. And Giles for that matter. There are only 2 episodes between Innocence and Passion. Buffy wants to end Angelus for good at the beginning of Passion, Giles told her not to go after him and Xander agreed. But somehow it's all Buffy's fault? Give me a break (not you, the show).

As much as I love Xander, I'm guessing one part of him hoped Buffy would say to herself " wow Xander was right all along, how wrong I was, it's Xander I should be with".

Well the show would agree with you. If Xander's degrading 'Surprise' fantasy is anything to go by.

To me it's the same reason Angel had Lindsay killed, even though he let others live who had done much worse. He just didn't like Lindsay and that was that. This of course, is just how I see it . 🙂

I tend to ignore Angel S5 in Angel's character development. Whedon needs to stay the hell away from the show and the character. S5 Angel I still don't get. But it mirrors S7 Buffy (who I also don't understand), so there is that.

 

[thetopher]

Because a public place would stop Angelus? Since when?

Since 'Killed By Death' at the very least. Xander faced off against Angelus in a public hospital and said 'if you try anything all these other people will stop you as well.'
Vampires are generally sneaky and rarely try anything aggressive in a public place unless they have strength in numbers like Luke or VampWillow did.

But everybody is worried about the 'what-if', EVERYBODY.

But all these other people have conflicting emotions to go along with it; Giles has his 'big picture' Watcher-duty, Willow has her empathy for Buffy's pain, Cordelia is too self-absorbed, etc.
Xander is very 'emotions/ID/self-gratification' etc, he's not very tempered at this point, he reacts without thinking (that much).

I'm not saying its right, but it is in-character for Xander to think in those terms.
Xander doesn't think, he feels. Egging Faith on to kill Angel to punish Buffy requires a level of thought that...doesn't seem very Xander-like to me. (I'm not trying to be cruel to the guy or anything), whereas killing Angel to prevent him becoming Angelus again (Plus payback!) is very a+b= c outcome. It doesn't require that much deep thought, only action.

Then he should have owned up to his own part in Jenny's death (and others), which conveniently gets forgotten by both him and the show. And Giles for that matter. There are only 2 episodes between Innocence and Passion.

I mean that Buffy could've easily killed Angelus at the end of Innocence but couldn't do it, and then Angelus went on to kill a whole bunch of people after.
I understand why Buffy wasn't ready then, and that things are different now but Xander is not in the frame of mind to make that distinction rationally; he's the one who saw them kissing so it's gonna have more of an effect on him, I guess.

 

[Kana]

Once Giles finally knew who the mysterious stranger was, Giles started reading up on Angelus. If he really thought Angel and Angelus were the same, would he really condone Buffy dating him? I kind of doubt it.

Well, as always, my issue is linguistics. You would think a Watcher would be an expert on metaphysics but perhaps CoW focused their efforts into understanding it from a pragmatic perspective rather than academic perspective. This is the reason I don't entirely accept the original vampire lore as fact. To me, it's one theory.

My answer to your question is "possibly". The following quote wouldn't make linguistic sense if Giles thought of Angel and Angelus as literally separate entities.

Kendra: Angel? You mean Angelus? I've read about him. He is a monster.

Giles: No, no, no, he's, he's good now.

Willow: (smiles) Really!

Buffy: He had a gypsy curse.

Kendra: He has a what?

Buffy: Y'know what, just trust me on this one, okay? He's on the home
team now.

If he's good now, then implies that he wasn't before. This doesn't make sense if we are talking about two different individuals. As White Avenger said, the nature of his curse and seeing Angelus upfront and personal caused Giles' change in attitude but he never argued even before Angel lost his soul, that Angel and Angelus were separate.

 

[RomanticSoul]

Since 'Killed By Death' at the very least. Xander faced off against Angelus in a public hospital and said 'if you try anything all these other people will stop you as well.'
Vampires are generally sneaky and rarely try anything aggressive in a public place unless they have strength in numbers like Luke or VampWillow did.

Angelus couldn't have taken on the hospital security? Please, we have seen him face those odds and worse. He was there to make a point with just his visit, and he did. If he really wanted to he could have killed Xander right there and taken on the security.

But all these other people have conflicting emotions to go along with it; Giles has his 'big picture' Watcher-duty, Willow has her empathy for Buffy's pain, Cordelia is too self-absorbed, etc.
Xander is very 'emotions/ID/self-gratification' etc, he's not very tempered at this point, he reacts without thinking (that much).

Giles might be big picture but he gave Buffy an insight into his personal feelings when they were alone. And if anyone would have been off to kill Angelus, it would be the big picture guy (ala S7 with Spike). But even big picture didn't run off first chance to do it.

I'm not saying its right, but it is in-character for Xander to think in those terms.
Xander doesn't think, he feels. Egging Faith on to kill Angel to punish Buffy requires a level of thought that...doesn't seem very Xander-like to me. (I'm not trying to be cruel to the guy or anything), whereas killing Angel to prevent him becoming Angelus again (Plus payback!) is very a+b= c outcome. It doesn't require that much deep thought, only action.

And you think Faith killing Angel which would hurt Buffy is not as much of an easy a+b=c for Xander? He knows it will hurt Buffy and he does it anyway because he is pissed at her. I will never buy that it was 100% because of the risk of Angelus. That has never been Xander in regards to Angel.

Well, as always, my issue is linguistics. You would think a Watcher would be an expert on metaphysics but perhaps CoW focused their efforts into understanding it from a pragmatic perspective rather than academic perspective. This is the reason I don't entirely accept the original vampire lore as fact. To me, it's one theory.

IMO sometimes people pay too much attention to what is said. Because I doubt the writers themselves did.

If he's good now, then implies that he wasn't before. This doesn't make sense if we are talking about two different individuals. As White Avenger said, the nature of his curse and seeing Angelus upfront and personal caused Giles' change in attitude but he never argued even before Angel lost his soul, that Angel and Angelus were separate.

First of all it's still the same body whoever is in charge. And quite frankly did that look like the time to get into specifics with Kendra?

 

[thetopher]

Angelus couldn't have taken on the hospital security? Please, we have seen him face those odds and worse.

Angelus is very cautious to the point of cowardice. He doesn't take chances he doesn't have to so he wouldn't go hog-wild in a hospital unless he had no other choice. He saw that Xander would make a stand even if it cost him his life and so he backed off.
Could he have killed all of them and gotten to Buffy? Almost certainly, but it would've been a risk; one person getting lucky or whatever. Maybe Xander had a stake on him? Angelus' fun was in the taunting and bullying, not in the prospect of violence.

Also its not about what actually would happen its about what Xander perceives would happen; Xander is brave enough to face off against Angelus then so therefore he isn't worried about being out in public. That's his state of mind.

Giles might be big picture but he gave Buffy an insight into his personal feelings when they were alone.

Yes. Now Giles WAS pissed at Buffy, as he made it clear. Buffy had hurt him, it wasn't really about Angel- because Giles can see the difference between a souled and an unsouled being. Giles was angry that Buffy had not trusted him- after what he went through.

Also Giles and Buffy had some close moments during the S2 rampage; the immediate aftermath (Buffy is Giles' car and standing at Jenny's grave). I think that Giles knew what Buffy had gone through more than Xander had- at that point- and therefore was in a better position to trust Buffy not to do anything so reckless again.
He was upset but he could separate his emotions from the situation at hand. Xander couldn't- Xander was all emotion, hence no scheming in my view.

And if anyone would have been off to kill Angelus, it would be the big picture guy (ala S7 with Spike). But even big picture didn't run off first chance to do it.

Again Giles realized that Angel was no a current threat- he's rational. He killed Ben because he was a potential threat (Glory would rise again), that was also his reasoning being Spike (he's an agent of The First).
That's big picture. Xander's assessment is immediate, personal and ultimately selfish.

And you think Faith killing Angel which would hurt Buffy is not as much of an easy a+b=c for Xander?

That's one step too far removed for me; that's 'Xander gets Faith to do this just so it will have this effect'. Too calculated.

Anyway I'll let you have the last word on this. 🙂

 

[RomanticSoul]

Anyway I'll let you have the last word on this. 🙂

Agree to disagree?

Good last words IMO...

 

[Carrie Hopewell]

On the subject of the Scoobies and etc. calling Angelus Angel, Angelus doesn't roll of the tongue as well as Angel, does it? Also, they only know Angel and not Angelus, and Angel could be seen as Angelus' new, modern name.

That's just my shallow, random observation. I'm watching Becoming 😉. Did anyone notice that in Becoming part 1 Cordelia is the one who waves the incense around and that in Orpheus, it's Fred?

 

[Ethan Reigns]

School Hard was the episode where Xander had to get out of the school and contact Angel and Angel takes him into the school in a headlock. He nearly sacrifices Xander to Spike. Here is how Angel explained it all afterwards:

XANDER
So when you were giving him my neck
to chew on, how come you didn't clock
him before he clocked you?

ANGEL
I told you, I couldn't make the first move.
I had to see if he was buying it or not.

XANDER
And if he bit me, then what?

ANGEL
We would have known he bought it.

I think this was far more traumatizing to Xander than he let on. This was Angel - not Angelus - who put him in mortal danger and this exemplified the treacherous streak in Angel that continued right into his own show with locking the best and brightest of Wolfram and Hart in a wine cellar with Darla and Drusilla, fired all his employees and killed the Drogyn in order to infiltrate the Circle of the Black Thorn. Of course he was never going to trust Angel because even without reverting to Angelus, he was capable of doing plenty of damage, even with a soul. Angel would do whatever he thought it took to accomplish his goal with no regard for the people around him. He had no reason to separate Angel from Angelus because Angel put him in as much danger as Angelus would have. Killing Angel / Angelus, it didn't matter which, is something he had proof would make for a better world.

 

[sosa lola]

School Hard was the episode where Xander had to get out of the school and contact Angel and Angel takes him into the school in a headlock. He nearly sacrifices Xander to Spike. Here is how Angel explained it all afterwards:

XANDER
So when you were giving him my neck
to chew on, how come you didn't clock
him before he clocked you?

ANGEL
I told you, I couldn't make the first move.
I had to see if he was buying it or not.

XANDER
And if he bit me, then what?

ANGEL
We would have known he bought it.

I think this was far more traumatizing to Xander than he let on. This was Angel - not Angelus - who put him in mortal danger and this exemplified the treacherous streak in Angel that continued right into his own show with locking the best and brightest of Wolfram and Hart in a wine cellar with Darla and Drusilla, fired all his employees and killed the Drogyn in order to infiltrate the Circle of the Black Thorn. Of course he was never going to trust Angel because even without reverting to Angelus, he was capable of doing plenty of damage, even with a soul. Angel would do whatever he thought it took to accomplish his goal with no regard for the people around him. He had no reason to separate Angel from Angelus because Angel put him in as much danger as Angelus would have. Killing Angel / Angelus, it didn't matter which, is something he had proof would make for a better world.

That moment was played as a joke but if you see it from Xander's prospective, being bit isn't a joke and who's to say Angel will save him in the end - Xander wouldn't think Angel would.

 

[DeadlyDuo]

That moment was played as a joke but if you see it from Xander's prospective, being bit isn't a joke and who's to say Angel will save him in the end - Xander wouldn't think Angel would.

Angel's plan didn't seem to extend beyond that. What would Angel have done if Spike had bitten and killed Xander? The moment he made any move against Spike, he'd be back to square one pre-Xander death. I don't see how offering Spike Xander would've benefitted Angel in any way. In fact it would be to his disadvantage, as Buffy would be pissed at him if Xander had gotten killed because Angel gave him to Spike.

Maybe that's the real reason Xander hates Angel? He's sat down and done the math and figured out that there was no real reason for Angel risking Xander's life like he did. Angel only did it for the fun of it.

 

[RomanticSoul]

Except that by the time of 'School Hard' Angel had already saved Xander's life several times, twice in S1 alone and gotten nothing but contempt. If Xander hates him for that then I wish Angel would stop. Of course that would also mean Xander is toast when we get to S3. And attributing FUTURE actions of Angel's into past Xander's thinking so does not work especially when they are from a whole other show.

And seriously, Xander was not freaked out enough in SH, one of the reasons why Angel's flimsy plan fails actually. 'Undead liar guy' totally gave Xander away. If it was so traumatizing though why is Xander fine afterwards? I'm not defending Angel's actions because they really make no sense but some things Greenwalt is bad at as a writer.

 

[Tome]

He could separate them, he just did not want to most of the time. For that he had a good reason: he did not like Angel. This reasoning is seen over and over again during the two series. Whenever a character does not like Angel or Ensouled!Spike, they act as if vampires are evil weither they have souls or not.

On why Xander did not like Angel, well... half of it was because he was jealous and the other half because he realized Angel could become Angelus again.