Xander's supposed death in Dirty Girls

[spikenbuffy]

Xander was originally supposed to die in Dirty Girls. What are your thoughts about it?

Me, the first thing I'm thinking about is how horrible it would have been for Willow to lose her lifetime bestfriend after the loss of Tara.

 

[katmobile]

Xander was originally supposed to die in Dirty Girls. What are your thoughts about it?

Me, the first thing I'm thinking about is how horrible it would have been for Willow to lose her lifetime bestfriend after the loss of Tara.

Yeah I'm glad they didn't do that.

 

[AstridDante]

True, I think it would have finished Willow off. I kinda think the original Scoobies is the trio had to be left in tact. Saying that Zander was getting on my nerves at points in Season 7

 

[Priceless]

I really liked Xander in Season 7 so it would have been a shame to kill him off when he had finally matured. I agree that the original four and Dawn had to survive, otherwise the ending wouldn't have been uplifting. I'm sorry Anya died, but it didn't break my heart. I thought it was an honourable ending for her character.

 

[AlphaFoxtrot]

Seriously, I think blinding him fulfilled the requirement to put Caleb over as a serious threat.

 

[katmobile]

Seriously, I think blinding him fulfilled the requirement to put Caleb over as a serious threat.

Plus creating the division and tension between the Scoobies.

 

[AlphaFoxtrot]

P.S. To be fair, giving Nicky Brendon a short run as the First Evil may have done wonders for his career. I would support it for that reason, and that reason alone.

 

[Give Us A Kiss]

Killing of Xander would have been horrendous for everyone...Willow would have become Dark Willow all over again...

 

[thrasherpix]

Xander got spared by the writers at the last minute and just horribly mutilated/injured, much like Spike? I guess Spander IS the One True Pairing! (Hey, it's better than some other shipping "logic" that is given in all sincerity.)


Being season 7, I don't think I'd care that much.

Oh I would the first time I watched it. I'd have actually been more moved than when Tara died, which is saying something. And as I had a lot more faith in it on first viewing, I'd have hated it all the more by the time it was over, though I think I'd end where I'm not anyway with a "meh" for the season that I'm sure I'll never watch again save an episode or two. (While I'm not crazy about season 6 either--not because of its so-called darkness since I watch shows way darker than that and love them and also consider other seasons of Buffy darker--it's conceivable I could watch that entire season again, unlike s7, both of which I've seen twice in their entirety.)



Though I realize now...this is a new realization...there are plenty of shows, movies, and stories where most can be killed off and I love it. And yet the killing of Tara and Anya (and I think others I'm not remembering at the moment, or maybe it's other Whedon shows and movies) just...well, like a lot of how the shipping starts (and often ends) scenes, comes off as sloppy and I feel kind of ripped out of the story. I'm not really explaining it right so I'll just say it rubs me the wrong way. I know Joss likes the undermine expectations (but he does it the same way over and over that watch enough of him and he DOES become predictable in his own way) but at least from season 6 on I just didn't care for it. Not because it hurt, but it just rubbed me the wrong way in some meta-story way. (Though that said, I did like the death scene of Wesley in Angel.)

And I know it's not because "they died" as there are plenty of shows with horrific deaths and mutilations that I love and I think they add significantly to the story (in more than just a "trigger the next scene"). I'm certain Xander's death would've been just another one to rub me the wrong way (though I suppose it would be kind of cool to have the First imitate Xander, assuming they could pull it off right which is probably expecting too much from burned out writers).

 

[HowiMetdaSlayer]

Killing of Xander would have been horrendous for everyone...Willow would have become Dark Willow all over again...

Bet Dark Willow would've kicked The Worst First's booty.

 

[darkspook]

I think they should have killed him off. Xander got little or no development on the show in seven 6 & 7 and became very much a background character. Killing him would have given Nicholas something to do differently and also been a good idea for the show. I found the First evil to be all talk at times. Just endless scenes of whoever standing there talking to Spike or Buffy so killing off a main character would have been shocking! You go into your last run of episodes with a main character dead it raises the stakes. Plus I feel it would have united the group rather than just had Buffy turn up at the last episode saying I got an idea.

 

[AlphaFoxtrot]

The producers considered that, but ultimately decided that rewarding loyalty with death and undeath as a mocking demonic puppet wasn't the best message. Now, knowing what we know about Amy Acker...

 

[Ethan Reigns]

The message would have been, "if you hang around a slayer long enough, you are going to die horribly". I think that would have undermined the core four and would have given credence to the idea "no good deed goes unpunished". In some cases in the real world, people who help other people do die and get a hero's death but that is not the kind of entertainment this show had always been. We expected the core four to survive.

I can't resist pointing out the foreshadowing dialogue in "Dead Man's Party" where Buffy returns to Sunnydale after a summer away while other scoobies are patrolling:

Buffy: (lowers the stake) Didn't anyone ever warn you about playing with pointy sticks? (shakes it at him) It's all fun and games until somebody loses an eye.
Xander: You shouldn't sneak up on people like that!

As support for Spander, Spike was the one who diverted Caleb's attention and kept Caleb from blinding Xander's other eye. I don't ship Spander but it is a great moment for those who do.

 

[Btvs fan]

I would've done it. All he did that season was fix window's anyway. It would've given Nick Brendon something beside booze to focus on as the first. Besides which SMG looked so bored as First Buffy I would've preferred First Xander

 

[Faded90]

I would've done it. All he did that season was fix window's anyway. It would've given Nick Brendon something beside booze to focus on as the first. Besides which SMG looked so bored as First Buffy I would've preferred First Xander

I didn’t think she looked bored I think she just wasn’t given anything ‘meaty’ to do as The First. I think they should have had her appear as The First in The beginning of Touched to individually mock each scooby for what they’ve just done kicking Buffy out. It would have been incredibly sinister and would have had more impact I think than Spike telling them off. They missed a trick there

imagine The First giving Dawn a twisted rendition of the ‘hardest thing in this world is to live in it’ speech. It would really ramped up the emotional manipulation