Whedonesque : Comments on 18311 : Classic moments: Buffy kills Xander.

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December 07 2008

Classic moments: Buffy kills Xander. Digital Spy has a look at that scene from 'The Wish'.

Simon | BtVS | 11:10 CET | 19 comments total | tags: buffy, xander, the wish

I found the most shocking part of that sequence NOT to be Buffy killing Xander, but her reaction to Angel being staked in front of her.
To see Buffy just turn around and walk through his dust with an expressionless face was jarring after a few seasons of drama between the two. YMMV, of course.

missb | December 07, 11:44 CET

A fantastic episode. And don't forget Oz killing Willow and Xander killing Cordy for good measure.

zz9 | December 07, 11:47 CET

There's too many good scenes from that episode to choose. Anyanka's "I had no idea her wish would be so exciting! 'Brave new world.' I hope she likes it" speech always give me goosebumps. And Cordelia getting killed off so casually was awesome.

Simon | December 07, 11:49 CET

Nitpicking here - in the article it says that Giles gets Anya to reverse the spell. Doesn't Giles fail to convince Anya of anything, and then HE breaks the spell by smashing her necklace (power center)?

KariAri | December 07, 15:45 CET

If only one thing from this episode may enter the annals of history then, for the love of puppies, make it
Buffy spitting on herself.

Goosebumps. And a tingly feeling.

KariAri, that’s how I remember it as well.

hence | December 07, 16:06 CET

While all the death scenes were indeed jarringly fascinating (with the who killed who, and who didn't care about it), what really got me was how the ending went beyond hysterical irony, considering the next four seasons of the show:

Cordelia: And I wish that Xander Harris never again knows the touch of a woman.
Anya: Done!

Taaroko | December 07, 16:43 CET

(after digging out my season 3 dvds and doing a little fast-forwarding): Yup, it's Giles who breaks the spell, not Anya reversing it.

And for me, the most jarring thing was seeing Oz kill EvilWillow.

KariAri | December 07, 16:49 CET

Oh, the "who kills who" sequence was utterly excellent. But for utterly blood-chilling moments, I gotta go with "Bored now."

I've only seen "The Wish" twice, actually. It's too unsettling for frequent repeat viewings. What hit me, however, was how in a lot of ways the episode just sets up the darkness of later seasons. With a lot of changes, of course, but Buffy's in a bad spot, Giles has nothing to do, Willow and Xander are causing trouble... it's Season Six as seen in a funhouse mirror.

ManEnoughToAdmitIt | December 07, 17:27 CET

That whole scene made my heart hurt the first time I watched it. Just didn't sit right seeing them all killing each other and not caring. I love it when the Scoobs are at odds with one another, but not that much at odds.

Nolan | December 07, 19:47 CET

Someone needs to make a toy like this of Ben & Glory.

ETA: LOL, I just realized I've confused The Wish with The Gift. Sorry, it won't happen again.

[ edited by Succatash on 2008-12-08 00:03 ]

Succatash | December 07, 23:22 CET

My favorite quote from that episode is courtesy of the Master:

She's still alive, you see...for the freshness.

Chris inVirginia | December 07, 23:26 CET

"Sorry, it won't happen again."

Too late. Hand over your Whedonesque membership card and Joss Decoder Ring immediately and leave the site quietly. Unforgivable mistake!

;)

The Highlander | December 08, 00:23 CET

LOL, I just realized I've confused The Wish with The Gift.

That Glory, she's a crafty one. Messing with your mind and all.

redeem147 | December 08, 00:45 CET

[insert "Ben is Glory" joke here]

ManEnoughToAdmitIt | December 08, 02:52 CET

Is everyone here very stoned? ;-)

svt121 | December 08, 06:31 CET

Oh goodness, I love the frivolous turn this thread's taken (yes, chills abound when Buffy is unfazed by Angel's death then goes to stake Xander...ooooh....I shudder just typing it).

However, the new direction allows me to revel in the beautiful, concise "Cordelia is in a stroppy mood." I love it.

And confusing The Wish with The Gift? It's not worse than my brother's confusing the Rolling Stones and Guns 'n' Roses...

BandofBuggered | December 08, 06:45 CET

Glad the thread has taken a frivolous turn since the episode isn't. Very hard to watch from Moment #1. Of course, as a fic writer the idea of wishes is useful *g.

Well, so's every epsiode since certain things happened with me... Joss's shows are chock-full of moments that are hard to watch on a par with such film scenes as "T'was beauty killed the beast....How green was my valley then....My white plume... Shane! Come back....Dad, c'mon, get up, we gotta go home." And isn't that a big reason why we watch it?

DaddyCatALSO | December 08, 18:30 CET

In the Buffyverse, given how not-so-apparently-rare Vengeance Demons seemed to be, I wonder how often history was revised due to wishes. Unless Anya`s just happened to be the first one that almost stuck (if not for Giles` intervention), it stands to reason that perhaps the Buffyverse has been altered numerous times by more than the cause and effect of run-of-the-mill actions and magics by humans and demons.

Kris | December 08, 19:55 CET

Kris; Yes, meat for "spec'lation," and many of us have doen so, well, at least I have *g.

Very clever choices in the Disturbing Department; obviously some thought given to who killed whom.

Oz was absolutely right in the beginning of the episode, but did he have to be that cold about it?

DaddyCatALSO | December 08, 20:49 CET

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