On Xander and being offended on characters' behalves

[gryfndor_godess]

I’m not the only one who gets offended on characters’ behalves, right?  Normally I view canon in a Watsonian way- I try not to think of the characters as “written” and actually powerless to do anything of their own free will and, you know, fictional- but sometimes when I’m thinking about them in a Doyleist way, I get so offended by some of the choices that were made for them.  Prime examples:

1. I get really offended on Spike’s behalf about the AR because while I don’t think it’s necessarily OOC, I don’t think it was the only way to accomplish what the writers wanted, and in that case, how could you make him do that to the person he loved most in the world.

NOTE: I also get offended on Buffy’s behalf, obviously!  But I’m offended for Buffy’s sake whether I’m being Watsonian or Doyleist, whereas I’m only offended on Spike’s behalf when I’m thinking of the writers as cruel puppet-masters.

I’m also always offended on our, Spuffy fans’, behalf, because screw you, writers, for making us seem like de facto rape apologists and causing us occasional crises of faith about our ship.

But I digress.  Prime example number two-

2. I get really offended on Dawn’s behalf in “End of Days.”  When I’m Watsonian, I’m like, SCREW YOU, DAWN, HOW CAN YOU DO THAT TO YOUR SISTER.  And when I’m Doyleist, I’m like, SCREW YOU, WRITERS, HOW COULD YOU MESS UP HER CHARACTERIZATION LIKE THAT AND HAVE HER BETRAY HER SISTER.

Other people feel this way occasionally, right?

The other major thing I get offended by, and the impetus for this post, is Xander’s regression is S6.  Here’s the thing: I think Xander’s characterization regarding the wedding is IC for S6.  BUT: I think his S6 characterization is not in-character with his S5 characterization.   I think his characterization by season makes much more sense in this order than in canon:

 S4 --> S6 --> S5 --> S7.

I’ve never really understood why Xander regressed so much in between S5 and S6.  You could point to Buffy’s death, obviously, but I think it would make more sense if the death of his best friend made him grow up, not regress.  Shouldn’t his best friend’s death at the age of 20 and the reminder that he could die any day have made him more sober and mature?  Shouldn’t it have made him appreciate more the important, precious things in life, like his fiancée?

(Note, I am not saying there’s only one way to react to death.  That would be pompous and stupid of me.  But I think it is a generally accepted narrative principle that death makes people grow up, and some things are cliché for good reason, and if you’re going to deviate from a GANP, I think there should be some damn good characterization to back it up, and I don’t see any in Xander).

You can also argue that Xander’s S6 characterization is plausible because he’s only 20-21, and wow, that’s so young to get married, of course he’s going to flake out.  Aside from the fact that lots of people do get happily engaged or married when they’re 20-22 years old, the show didn’t treat Xander as a normal 20-year-old in S5, so the writers have no excuse for basing his characterization on his age in S6.  He starts S5 feeling worthless and direction-less, but he ends it with a good job, a nice home, and a loving girlfriend whom he loves in return.  Even if the apocalypse prompted his proposal, he and Anya had been together for over a year, and the show stated unequivocally, multiple times, that Xander and Anya loved each other,* so claiming they were "rushing" to the altar doesn’t work for me either as an excuse for his regression.

*(It really is interesting to me now that I think about it how often the show stated in Clear, No Uncertain Terms that they were in love- "The Replacement," "Triangle, "The Gift".  It kind of feels like up until S6, the writers were pulling for them more than any other couple, including Bangel, Willow/Oz, and Willow/Tara.  And by the way, while this essay focuses on Xander, but I am equally offended by his S6 characterization as a Xander/Anya shipper).

So why regress Xander?  (Aside from the obvious reason that Joss apparently doesn’t like romance and anything that can be construed as a happy ending- I would pay to know which writers were pulling for Priya/Victor on DH and how they managed that coup.)

I’m guessing the answer is for Anya’s characterization. 

All of her characterization from “Hell’s Bells” through the entirety of S7 is predicated on Xander betraying her.  And you know, I love Anya’s characterization.  I love that she becomes a demon again and then chooses to give it up and that she chooses to fight with the humans until the bitter end.  I love Anya in S4 and S5 when she’s just socially inept and greedy and adorable, but she is more often than not used for comic relief and as the brunt of jokes.  I love how in S7 she really becomes her own character.  Despite her diminished screen time (at least it feels diminished, as it does for every Scooby except for Buffy and Spike), she’s no longer just Xander’s funny girlfriend.  The show would be sorely lacking if Anya hadn’t become a demon again.

However, was regressing Xander really the only way to accomplish that?

Obviously, I’m going to say no.  Here’s another idea for how it could have happened:

Xander and Anya get engaged.  Anya becomes pregnant unexpectedly.  She’s really excited because to her, making babies is the natural progression in their relationship.  Xander’s more terrified than happy because wanting to get married and wanting to be a father are two entirely separate things, and he’ll love the baby, but he’s scared of turning into his own father.  Either before or after they’re married (it doesn’t matter which), Anya is injured in a fight in a run-of-the-mill MoW episode and miscarries. 

She is utterly devastated.  Xander is unhappy, but for a split second he also registers relief; not relief that his child is dead but relief that he’s not going to be a father (I want to make it very clear, I’m not saying Xander would be happy about the miscarriage; he would just feel a perfectly realistic, involuntary moment of relief that the source of his panic was gone, and then he would probably despise himself for it).  Anya sees that relief, though, and knowing that Xander was always reluctant in the first place, accuses him of being happy that their baby is dead.  She’s heartbroken and not entirely rational, and Xander is not great at the comfort.  Anya says she need to get away from it all and leaves him.  She becomes a demon again because she feels betrayed by mortality, having lost her child, and wants nothing to do with humanity anymore.

Voila, you get a messed up Xander/Anya relationship, you get cynical, bitter, demon Anya, and you don’t have to regress Xander at all.

I would really have appreciated that version, because (a) nicer Xander characterization, (b) more potential for reconciliation in S7 because neither betrayed the other, and (c) narratives that deal with miscarriage sensitively are really rare in shows and movies.

So thus is my much-longer-than-expected rant about Xander’s S6 characterization.  It was inspired by Mark Watches’ recent review of “The Replacement,” an episode I adore and which cements for me the fact that Xander became so much more than the insecure, jealous, sexist teenager he was in the early seasons.  Here’s the quote from the review that particularly struck me:

“His certainty is just hidden behind so much distrust and hatred for himself. So now I’m curious to see how Xander is going to change in season five. I’m glad this episode is so early on in the season, as it sets up a fascinating character arc for him. Will Xander realize he’s a whole lot better than he thinks he is?”

Well, yes and no, Mark.  He’ll realize it in S5, and then in S6, for no apparent reason, all his metaphorical demons will come back and he’ll start feeling immature and insecure again and won’t trust himself.

And that’s why I’m offended on Xander’s behalf.

Comments

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

When I’m Watsonian, I’m like, SCREW YOU, DAWN, HOW CAN YOU DO THAT TO YOUR SISTER. And when I’m Doyleist, I’m like, SCREW YOU, WRITERS, HOW COULD YOU MESS UP HER CHARACTERIZATION LIKE THAT AND HAVE HER BETRAY HER SISTER.

I only feel this way all of the time. I'm like you: 95% of the time, I'm a Watsonian. But then something will come along and it's so jarring it kicks me right out of the story and forces me to become a Doyleist, and that's when I get angry. I always feel like it's a betrayal of both the audience and the characters. We shouldn't ever be kicked out of a story like that. IT DEFEATS THE POINT OF THE STORY.

S4 --> S6 --> S5 --> S7

Agreed.

I don't think that 20-21 is terribly young to get married. I mean, yes, it's on the young side, but not shockingly so. But this is probably a cultural thing--we get married younger in my part of the country than other people do. Plus my grandmama (and her mama before her) got married at 16 and had her first baby (my daddy) at 17, which actually is shockingly young, so 20-21 seems downright mature in comparison.

He starts S5 feeling worthless and direction-less, but he ends it with a good job, a nice home, and a loving girlfriend whom he loves in return.

Yeah, exactly. If it was presented as a mental health issue, I would totally get that. With how he grew up, that sort of thing would be expected, and kind of the definition of mental health problems is that what's going on in your head doesn't match up with reality--so you can be severely depressed even with those good things in your life. But it's not presented that way AT ALL.

(Aside from the obvious reason that Joss apparently doesn’t like romance and anything that can be construed as a happy ending- I would pay to know which writers were pulling for Priya/Victor on DH and how they managed that coup.)

HAHAHA SO TRUE.

Xander’s more terrified than happy because wanting to get married and wanting to be a father are two entirely separate things, and he’ll love the baby, but he’s scared of turning into his own father.

That would be exactly how he would react, I agree.

I'm not sure I trust Joss to handle a miscarriage plotline, but it would be interesting if done well.

Interesting thoughts!

[gryfndor-godess.livejournal.com]

I always feel like it's a betrayal of both the audience and the characters. We shouldn't ever be kicked out of a story like that. IT DEFEATS THE POINT OF THE STORY.

YES. Ugh, if your audience can see the strings you're pulling to contrive something or send a certain kind of message, you're doing it wrong.

I don't think that 20-21 is terribly young to get married. I mean, yes, it's on the young side, but not shockingly so.

I was trying to convey that it could have been a stereotype the writers wanted to rely on, rather than a judgment on my part, but I might not have done that well. I do personally find it young, but as you said, it's mostly a cultural thing, and if you think about 13-14 year-olds getting married and having kids like they did centuries ago, well, 21 is just ancient.

If it was presented as a mental health issue, I would totally get that.

Ooh, that would have been an interesting possibility. If they had even explored more the reasons for a possible (but non-explicit) mental health issue, like showing his parents interfering in the wedding planning in early S6 and showing the audience more of what he feared, I would have been more on-board with the storyline.

I'm not sure I trust Joss to handle a miscarriage plotline, but it would be interesting if done well.

Heh, yeah, when I was writing, I was thinking, but what are the odds that Joss could have handled a miscarriage sensitively...? Oh well. Might as well dream big. Different S6 and better, more sensitive writers...

[snickfic]

It really is interesting to me now that I think about it how often the show stated in Clear, No Uncertain Terms that they were in love- "The Replacement," "Triangle, "The Gift". It kind of feels like up until S6, the writers were pulling for them more than any other couple, including Bangel, Willow/Oz, and Willow/Tara

Yup. This is the big reason I get so mad about Xander/Anya in S6 - because Xander and Anya was the couple that never should have worked, that I really didn't believe in at all, but eventually bought because the writers told me so. For sheer immaturity and apparent personality mismatch, Xander/Anya should have survived S4, but we were told they were the unlikely comedic couple (a la Wash/Zoe), so, okay. Xander/Anya. Fine.

And then the writers changed their minds. On a ship that ought never have worked in the first place.

Bleah. :P

[gryfndor-godess.livejournal.com]

This is the big reason I get so mad about Xander/Anya in S6

There are a ton of things I've grown to appreciate about S6 that I used to hate- Buffy's depression, the twisted Spuffy, etc.- but I don't think I'll ever be able to understand/appreciate what happened to Xander/Anya as natural and/or logical. Sigh.

And then the writers changed their minds. On a ship that ought never have worked in the first place.

I really wish we had transcripts of what went on in the writers' room. Did Joss always intend to break them up or did he decide it only in S6? Did the other writers care?

[kikimay]

Personally, I loved Anya and Xander is Season Four and Five. Their relationship made me like a little Xander. I'm so much offended by the authors assumptions went they seems out of blue. For example, I'm totally offended by Buffy's characterization in the comics: "She's just twenty-somenthing!"
I get it. But she's much more mature and experienced than a normal twenty-something (Like me, for example), so why she have to make the same mistake of the others?
Xander's anxiety about marriage ... Isn't only about becoming like his father, I think. Given to his past, Xander believes that people married harm each other inevitably. His fears aren't about his relationship with Anya and the fact that, maybe, they will end hating each other. I know some people who fear the marriage for the same reasons. But they would never, ever buy a ring.

[gryfndor-godess.livejournal.com]

I feel the same way, that Anya helped make Xander a more likable character.

But she's much more mature and experienced than a normal twenty-something (Like me, for example), so why she have to make the same mistake of the others?

Yes! I don't like Buffy's characterization in the comics at all. She's not nearly as grown-up, self-aware, and secure as S7!Buffy.

I know some people who fear the marriage for the same reasons. But they would never, ever buy a ring.

Yup. If Anya had proposed and Xander had gotten cold feet, then I could understand, but considering that it was Xander who put thought and effort into the idea of getting married? It just seems contrived to make him go back on it.

[kikimay]

Yes! I don't like Buffy's characterization in the comics at all. She's not nearly as grown-up, self-aware, and secure as S7!Buffy.

Oh God, exactly!
I love S7!Buffy and, in general, the character deserve so much more.

Yup. If Anya had proposed and Xander had gotten cold feet, then I could understand, but considering that it was Xander who put thought and effort into the idea of getting married? It just seems contrived to make him go back on it.

Absolutely!

[gryfndor-godess.livejournal.com]

I love S7!Buffy and, in general, the character deserve so much more.

Word. Another way in which I get offended on a character's behalf...

[rahirah]

I am often offended on the characters' behalf. (Behalves?) It's not that I think they shouldn't have flaws, but it seems to me that the writers are awfuly damn careless and slipshod about what kind of flaws they give the characters, with very little thought to the consequences of the characters having those particular flaws, expressed in that particular way. I often get the feeling that the writers want to have their cake and eat it too - make the characters ~dark and edgy~ but then expect the audience to forgive and forget instantly and keep treating them as if they're the spunky teens of S1.

[gryfndor-godess.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I didn't know whether it was behalf or behalves, but Microsoft didn't correct me when I typed the latter...

You describe it perfectly. They give characters flaws that they either don't follow up on or later try to hand-wave away with another explanation (e.g., blaming Willow's sins on addiction to magic instead of her own controlling-ness) or else they ignore/underestimate the consequences of flaws (like Xander in OMWF and Spike with the AR, respectively; seriously, how could the writers have been surprised by the huge fan backlash against the AR). Considering how much continuity on the writing staff BtVS had, they should have been better at characterization than that.

[rebcake.livejournal.com]

in S6, for no apparent reason, all his metaphorical demons will come back and he’ll start feeling immature and insecure again and won’t trust himself.

You know, I agree with all of this post, though I admittedly don't focus too much on Xander, so my thoughts aren't totally solid. However, when I read that line, I had a thought: What if finding out that they pulled Buffy out of heaven was the trigger that made him not trust himself again? I mean, it's a pretty big screw-up, and he doesn't really want to face it, but maybe it really had a deep effect on him. It seems like the kind of thing that would make a person realize that he/she doesn't have it as much together as previously thought.

Just one option...

[gryfndor-godess.livejournal.com]

I could maybe buy that except the writers don't focus on his guilt very much (so it would take a lot of fanwanking, and I'm not inclined to do that when we got so little in return), and he demonstrates a lot of insecurity/immaturity/nervousness regarding the wedding and his life (e.g., "I'll Never Tell") before the Buffy's revelation.

Friday April 27th, 2012

[livejournal.livejournal.com]

User audela referenced to your post from Friday April 27th, 2012 (http://su-herald.livejournal.com/586962.html) saying: [...] has thoughts about Xander and being offended on characters' behalf [...]

[ever-neutral.livejournal.com]

1. You are most definitely not alone. 95% of the time, when I get RAGE at a character's actions, it's rage at the writers' choices. But if it's well-written and sense-making, I don't really tend to get ragey. I might objectively declare a certain character the worst, but fictional reprehensible behaviour doesn't viscerally bother me as much as bad writing does… LOL.

[gryfndor-godess.livejournal.com]

But if it's well-written and sense-making, I don't really tend to get ragey.

I feel the same way. Frex, most of Xander's early behavior doesn't enrage me because it fits his character. It irritates me because I don't like sexism, but I'm annoyed at the character, not the writers.

[auroramama]

She becomes a demon again because she feels betrayed by mortality

I don't generally favor pregnancy storylines because they so often seem to see women as a different species, but this could have been a wonderful confrontation of what it means to be mortal. Not all of us humans experience pregnancy, but we're all betrayed by mortality sooner or later. Is anything worth the perpetual possibility of losing anyone and anything in your life?

FWIW, I *was* impressed with Darla's storyline, again because choosing whether to die as a person who is capable of love or live without it is a restatement of the human condition; it's a human decision, not a specifically female one.

[gryfndor-godess.livejournal.com]

I appreciated Darla's storyline, too, from a purely Watsonian perspective. I have issues with it in the context of AtS as a whole because it's yet another example of how the writers used pregnancy to kill a female character, as though pregnancy is something evil instead of natural, but on its own it's a beautiful and heartbreaking conclusion of Darla's story.

[samsom.livejournal.com]

I don't tend to give Xander a lot of thinky thoughts because he has always irritated me, but I have to say that yes, I am offended on certain characters' behalves. Mostly Buffy, and mostly in relation to how Xander tended to treat her friendship and with everyone else in her life except Spike in End of Days.

It's funny, with Xander I'm offended on a Watsonian level, because I never really saw anything completely out of character - not even when he left Anya at the altar - because I always saw him as focusing on how things affect him and only him, so I could buy his running away.

With something like the AR, I never saw that as in character for Spike or for their relationship - which was emotionally destructive but rarely physically dangerous - so all I could do was rage at the writers for bringing Spike to such a low moment. It was a humiliating scene for both Spike and Buffy and the actors who played them. I still can't fathom its necessity when there were other ways to show how dysfunctional they were....say, like screwing against a dumpster? That was disturbing but it didn't kick me out of the story. But Spike forcing Buffy to the ground? And Buffy being weak enough not to immediately kick his ass? STUPID WRITING CHOICES AND THEIR CONSEQUENCES.

If my trust in the writers and Joss Whedon hadn't already burnt to the ground with the fuckery over at AtS, the AR would have done it.

[gryfndor-godess.livejournal.com]

and the actors who played them.

Yeah, that makes my mind boggle more than anything else. Even if you think the scene makes narrative sense (which is debatable at best), if you're making your actors that uncomfortable, you should really take a step back and reconsider.

If my trust in the writers and Joss Whedon hadn't already burnt to the ground with the fuckery over at AtS

OMG, I could write a freaking dissertation on how much the writers betrayed the characters and audience on AtS. Compared to the Fang Gang, the Scoobies got off easy. *headdesk*

[samsom.livejournal.com]

Compared to the Fang Gang, the Scoobies got off easy.

Considering s6 and non-Spuffy parts of s7, that's seriously saying something. Wow.

*cries for Shows*

[browneyedkat.livejournal.com]

I mean okay i do get what you're saying but on the other hand, when he's thinking about marriage in s5, it's a bit idealized for him; it's the logical ~next progression~ of his life, he's surrounded by a loving makeshift family, and his experiences in season 5 have solidified his very uncertain idea that a loving family *can* exist. Season six does the exact opposite - his example of a happy family falls apart, he's left helpless and alone in a way that he hasn't been since he was ~sixteen, and as the wedding grows closer he's faced with the reality of it instead of his idealized hopes; and the reality, to him, is what his parents have. It makes sense that fears which hadn't seemed real to him in season five come back in full force right before his marriage. As for his overall regression, the stability of season five - which helped him mature and get his life under control - has disappeared to be replaced by each of his makeshift family suffering in silence. To me, it makes perfect sense that with the stabilizing influence of the tight-knit scoobies removed, he regresses to the teenage boy who's faced with a helluvalot more than he can handle and no way to make it easier to handle.

I think Xander's regression adds a lot to the whole narrative of season six - Willow's story gets bad by her gaining power, Buffy's by being torn away from something great, Dawns by being ignored, Spike's by pulling Buffy down, but Xander's own personal misery is returning to what he was like before. What does that say about his character?

[gryfndor-godess.livejournal.com]

I don't know if I would agree that S5 is "stable." From an outsider's perspective, the group's dynamics are certainly more stable than in S6, but there was a lot of upheaval in S5, too (Riley left, and I think we're supposed to assume he and Xander were friends; Joyce died, and that affected all the Scoobies; they learned one of their family wasn't even real; Glory had them more scared than any previous villain), and given how everyone tries to put on a good face in S6, I'm not sure someone living it would realize/react to, 'oh, this year is so much worse than last year!'

Arguably Giles leaving had a big impact on Xander, but I never got the impression that Giles much cared for/liked Xander in the first place and was a father figure to him. Also arguably, maybe the fact that they don't think they're in a lot of danger (because they don't really see the Trio as a threat) for the first time in years makes Xander regress because for the first time he's faced with the prospect of actually living a long-ish, healthy life and facing the consequences of all his choices.

There are certainly arguments for both sides, but for me, personally, I saw his regression as more contrived than natural, and I thought it was a cheap cop-out on the writers' part.

[browneyedkat.livejournal.com]

Well, to me at least, season five had a very family feel to it, and season six was more that family gradually growing apart and falling apart. Which I think would have regressed Xander because his childhood was made up of this toxic family surrounding him constantly, and season six was the contrastingly safe clique turning into that, not to mention his own return to family-issues-that-he-can't-talk-about, just this time with his trusted friends, his makeshift family that replaced his family before that.

But, like I said, I do get what you're saying, and it does make sense. I never felt put-off or taken out of the story by his regression, but I can see the argument you're making.

[gryfndor-godess.livejournal.com]

but I can see the argument you're making.

Same here!

[browneyedkat.livejournal.com]

Haha glad to know we're on the same page, even if we are on different sides of it :)