Post by ptnewell on May 11, 2009 12:52:28 GMT -5
A first cut at likes and dislikes in the Buffyverse. Romantic attractions are mostly left out.
Angel: Liked by: Willow. From Late S1 BtVS (invited Angel to tag along to the formal dance at the end of Prophecy Girl) through the early part of S2, Willow encouraged the Angel-Buffy relationship. In S2 “Reptile Boy” she ordered Angel to have coffee with Buffy, which he had refused to do, figuring one thing would lead to another. After Angel returned in S3, she was the only Scoobie (other than Buffy naturally) to “like him again” (in “Revelations”). Her visit to LA in AtS S4 showed clear and easy affection for Angel, and there are multiple other incidents.
All of Team Angel at least respects Angel. Gunn may be the only one not to also personally like him(at least not for quite a long time), because of his bitter history of fighting vampires.
Disliked by: Xander even before Angel was outed as a vampire. Afterwards, Xander’s intense distrust shows in “School Hard”, and elsewhere. In S3 “Revelations” he talks Faith into (wrongly) trying to stake a still weak Angel. In S4 “The Yoko Factor” he essentially talks Riley into a (fruitless) attack on Angel. In S3 “Enemies” Angel seems to take advantage of the situation (play acting Angelus) to get in a lick on Xander. Giles is hostile to Angel only after Angelus kills Calender and tortures Giles. Interestingly, despite his greater grievance, he is markedly less hostile than Xander (and subsequently speaks better of Angel, who leaves town, than Spike, who remains).
Spike: Put only slightly too simplistically, Spike likes all women, and dislikes all men (which does not stop him from routinely hitting women). Possibly Spike only likes attractive women, but in the context of the Buffyverse, that is a distinction without a difference. Xander has a deep hatred for Spike, probably for much the same reasons he disliked Angel (but it is more intense with Spike). It certainly goes beyond rivalry over Buffy – Xander likes Riley, for example. Xander fundamentally distrusts Spike for being a vampire. Spike doesn’t much care for Xander, though he probably doesn’t take him seriously enough to return the vitriol full force. Willow seems agnostic toward Spike (though shocked when told that Buffy had been having sex with him). In S3 “Spiral”, when the Scoobie gang is trying to run from Glory, Giles and Xander want Spike out of the bus, Willow says nothing, and Buffy wants his help (really a no-brainer, tactically). Dawn (who likes everyone) is initially the only Scoobie character other than Buffy to like Spike (at least until she finds out about his attempted rape of Buffy). Afterward Anya is at least sexually attracted to Spike. Spike fits in with Team Angel somewhat better than the Scoobies, perhaps because the former is a team of outcasts and monsters. It is not clear to me whether Spike’s rivalry with Angel is purely about Buffy. In any event, by the middle of AtS S5, Angel is routinely referring to Spike as a “Champion” (grudgingly, and still more respecting him than liking him).
Riley: Liked by Willow (who gives him tips on talking to Buffy), by Xander (who gives him tips on how Angel can turn evil), and of course by Dawn who likes everyone. Riley seems to have no dislikes – other than his rivals for Buffy (Angel and Spike).
Oz: Oz is almost as universally popular as Dawn. When he visits Angel in L.A., (S1 AtS) they seem natural together, but Oz is also clearly comfortable with Riley. Oz is fondly remembered by Xander after he leaves. (Incidentally, Oz is right and Xander wrong when they argue, for example, on the types of kryptonite). When Oz returns and finds Tara dating Willow, he discovers his first and perhaps only dislike.
Cordelia: Liked Buffy at first meeting, disliked Buffy after the latter chose Willow and Xander over the cool crowd; affiliated with the Scoobies after she started dating Xander. After the Xander-Willow betrayal, Cordelia briefly hated the Scobies, but Xander won her over again by buying her a prom dress (purely altruistically). Once in L.A., Cordelia’s intense attachment to Angel caused her to view Buffy with some ambivalence. At times she seemed to regard her as a role model (Cordelia became increasingly attached to the “help the hopeless” cause) but at times she seemed to resent Angel’s “Slayer obsession”. She regarded all of Team Angel as family (to be headed by Angel). Cordelia (along with Anya and Faith) are among the few actively disliked by Willow, probably because of her protective regard for Xander. In S4 AtS we see Cordelia and Willow together again after both have greatly changed. Unfortunately, because Cordelia is then demon-possessed, we miss any chance to see how they would have connected after Xander was no longer an issue.
Dawn: Likes everyone and vice versa (excepting fans). For the most part, Dawn is more of a plot device than a 3-D character. She is a damsel-in-distress or an impediment to Buffy with implausible regularity.
Connor: Loved by Angel. Cordelia (S3 AtS) is determined to love Angel’s son; however the relationship between Connor and S4 Cordelia, who is demon-possessed, should be discounted. Otherwise, Connor is the most widely disliked character on either show (excepting, naturally, explicit villains). Conversely, Connor does not appear to like anyone whatsoever except for a romantic interest in Cordelia (notice even his relationship to Holtz is strained). His rehabilitation in S5 AtS did seem to set up the possibility of re-introduction to the series.
Gunn: His relationship with Angel is quite interesting initially, in that he greatly respects him, but does not actually like him. It is not clear whether that ever changes (though the level of trust seems to increase). Gunn starts to bond with Cordelia, but that is dropped almost immediately. Gunn then bonds closely with Wesley, only to bitterly fracture over Fred. It seems to me that in the end he may once again be a little closer to Wesley than anyone else.
Fred: Although Fred’s team role is similar to Willow (brainy but socially inept woman who is consistently tougher than surface appearances suggest), her relationships work more like Dawn’s or Oz’s (i.e., universally liked or loved).
Lorne: No real conflicts (with trifling exceptions, like Connor’s initial reaction), but conversely, the bonds of affection do not strike me as being as strong as those binding other members of Team Angel. A character who inspires no strong sympathies or antipathies is probably not the best of choices for a slot on the credits (Team Angel could have used more women – how about replacing Lorne with Faith? That would have stirred up some real emotion.)
Buffy: The center of the Buffyverse is probably too widely loved. Conflict mostly arises when other characters turn evil, or when the Scoobies trust their reason over Buffy’s slayer-enhanced instincts (instances occur every season). Faith, Anya, and Cordelia probably more look up to Buffy than like her.
Giles: The actor is superb. The character, though popular, is bland to the point of caricature. In the 50s and early 60s, every D.C. superhero had essentially the same competent, outwardly humble, considerate “personality”, along with a shyness toward women, old fashioned sensibilities, etc. No other character dislikes Giles, and no one but the Scoobies particularly like him. He serves as a sort of benevolent father figure toward the Scoobies generally and Buffy particularly – without having any real power of course. His only real fault, shared by the other Scoobies, is that he discounts Buffy’s intuitions in favor of reason. In the first season or two this seemed logical. By, say, S4 (“The Freshman”) it was rather ridiculous. By the end of the series it was tedious. Insofar as Giles can be said to have a character, it does not evolve.
(Edit: Okay, I was at least partially wrong. Giles has enough distinctive quirks and background that the above is not fair. But Giles does very predictably go with the story flow, and it is almost always the other characters whose action and personality drive stories.)
Tara: Tara is the most interesting of the characters not to be in the opening credits (the episode of her death does not count). In most ways, she is a better defined character than Dawn or Giles, despite far less screen time. She is vastly better defined than characters such as Joyce, who is purely used as a plot device (and was essentially written out before being brought back to die). Although we see Tara mostly interacting with Willow, we see her butting heads with Anya, we see her being the first one Buffy confides in about Spike, and other interesting scenes (personally, I thought she was the best singer in OMWF as well).
Willow: The only one of the Scoobies to change significantly over the course of the series (by contrast, everyone on AtS evolves). Her likes and dislikes are pretty much covered above. It seems to me that by the end of the series, her (platonic) love for Xander was greater than her love for Buffy.
Angel: Liked by: Willow. From Late S1 BtVS (invited Angel to tag along to the formal dance at the end of Prophecy Girl) through the early part of S2, Willow encouraged the Angel-Buffy relationship. In S2 “Reptile Boy” she ordered Angel to have coffee with Buffy, which he had refused to do, figuring one thing would lead to another. After Angel returned in S3, she was the only Scoobie (other than Buffy naturally) to “like him again” (in “Revelations”). Her visit to LA in AtS S4 showed clear and easy affection for Angel, and there are multiple other incidents.
All of Team Angel at least respects Angel. Gunn may be the only one not to also personally like him(at least not for quite a long time), because of his bitter history of fighting vampires.
Disliked by: Xander even before Angel was outed as a vampire. Afterwards, Xander’s intense distrust shows in “School Hard”, and elsewhere. In S3 “Revelations” he talks Faith into (wrongly) trying to stake a still weak Angel. In S4 “The Yoko Factor” he essentially talks Riley into a (fruitless) attack on Angel. In S3 “Enemies” Angel seems to take advantage of the situation (play acting Angelus) to get in a lick on Xander. Giles is hostile to Angel only after Angelus kills Calender and tortures Giles. Interestingly, despite his greater grievance, he is markedly less hostile than Xander (and subsequently speaks better of Angel, who leaves town, than Spike, who remains).
Spike: Put only slightly too simplistically, Spike likes all women, and dislikes all men (which does not stop him from routinely hitting women). Possibly Spike only likes attractive women, but in the context of the Buffyverse, that is a distinction without a difference. Xander has a deep hatred for Spike, probably for much the same reasons he disliked Angel (but it is more intense with Spike). It certainly goes beyond rivalry over Buffy – Xander likes Riley, for example. Xander fundamentally distrusts Spike for being a vampire. Spike doesn’t much care for Xander, though he probably doesn’t take him seriously enough to return the vitriol full force. Willow seems agnostic toward Spike (though shocked when told that Buffy had been having sex with him). In S3 “Spiral”, when the Scoobie gang is trying to run from Glory, Giles and Xander want Spike out of the bus, Willow says nothing, and Buffy wants his help (really a no-brainer, tactically). Dawn (who likes everyone) is initially the only Scoobie character other than Buffy to like Spike (at least until she finds out about his attempted rape of Buffy). Afterward Anya is at least sexually attracted to Spike. Spike fits in with Team Angel somewhat better than the Scoobies, perhaps because the former is a team of outcasts and monsters. It is not clear to me whether Spike’s rivalry with Angel is purely about Buffy. In any event, by the middle of AtS S5, Angel is routinely referring to Spike as a “Champion” (grudgingly, and still more respecting him than liking him).
Riley: Liked by Willow (who gives him tips on talking to Buffy), by Xander (who gives him tips on how Angel can turn evil), and of course by Dawn who likes everyone. Riley seems to have no dislikes – other than his rivals for Buffy (Angel and Spike).
Oz: Oz is almost as universally popular as Dawn. When he visits Angel in L.A., (S1 AtS) they seem natural together, but Oz is also clearly comfortable with Riley. Oz is fondly remembered by Xander after he leaves. (Incidentally, Oz is right and Xander wrong when they argue, for example, on the types of kryptonite). When Oz returns and finds Tara dating Willow, he discovers his first and perhaps only dislike.
Cordelia: Liked Buffy at first meeting, disliked Buffy after the latter chose Willow and Xander over the cool crowd; affiliated with the Scoobies after she started dating Xander. After the Xander-Willow betrayal, Cordelia briefly hated the Scobies, but Xander won her over again by buying her a prom dress (purely altruistically). Once in L.A., Cordelia’s intense attachment to Angel caused her to view Buffy with some ambivalence. At times she seemed to regard her as a role model (Cordelia became increasingly attached to the “help the hopeless” cause) but at times she seemed to resent Angel’s “Slayer obsession”. She regarded all of Team Angel as family (to be headed by Angel). Cordelia (along with Anya and Faith) are among the few actively disliked by Willow, probably because of her protective regard for Xander. In S4 AtS we see Cordelia and Willow together again after both have greatly changed. Unfortunately, because Cordelia is then demon-possessed, we miss any chance to see how they would have connected after Xander was no longer an issue.
Dawn: Likes everyone and vice versa (excepting fans). For the most part, Dawn is more of a plot device than a 3-D character. She is a damsel-in-distress or an impediment to Buffy with implausible regularity.
Connor: Loved by Angel. Cordelia (S3 AtS) is determined to love Angel’s son; however the relationship between Connor and S4 Cordelia, who is demon-possessed, should be discounted. Otherwise, Connor is the most widely disliked character on either show (excepting, naturally, explicit villains). Conversely, Connor does not appear to like anyone whatsoever except for a romantic interest in Cordelia (notice even his relationship to Holtz is strained). His rehabilitation in S5 AtS did seem to set up the possibility of re-introduction to the series.
Gunn: His relationship with Angel is quite interesting initially, in that he greatly respects him, but does not actually like him. It is not clear whether that ever changes (though the level of trust seems to increase). Gunn starts to bond with Cordelia, but that is dropped almost immediately. Gunn then bonds closely with Wesley, only to bitterly fracture over Fred. It seems to me that in the end he may once again be a little closer to Wesley than anyone else.
Fred: Although Fred’s team role is similar to Willow (brainy but socially inept woman who is consistently tougher than surface appearances suggest), her relationships work more like Dawn’s or Oz’s (i.e., universally liked or loved).
Lorne: No real conflicts (with trifling exceptions, like Connor’s initial reaction), but conversely, the bonds of affection do not strike me as being as strong as those binding other members of Team Angel. A character who inspires no strong sympathies or antipathies is probably not the best of choices for a slot on the credits (Team Angel could have used more women – how about replacing Lorne with Faith? That would have stirred up some real emotion.)
Buffy: The center of the Buffyverse is probably too widely loved. Conflict mostly arises when other characters turn evil, or when the Scoobies trust their reason over Buffy’s slayer-enhanced instincts (instances occur every season). Faith, Anya, and Cordelia probably more look up to Buffy than like her.
Giles: The actor is superb. The character, though popular, is bland to the point of caricature. In the 50s and early 60s, every D.C. superhero had essentially the same competent, outwardly humble, considerate “personality”, along with a shyness toward women, old fashioned sensibilities, etc. No other character dislikes Giles, and no one but the Scoobies particularly like him. He serves as a sort of benevolent father figure toward the Scoobies generally and Buffy particularly – without having any real power of course. His only real fault, shared by the other Scoobies, is that he discounts Buffy’s intuitions in favor of reason. In the first season or two this seemed logical. By, say, S4 (“The Freshman”) it was rather ridiculous. By the end of the series it was tedious. Insofar as Giles can be said to have a character, it does not evolve.
(Edit: Okay, I was at least partially wrong. Giles has enough distinctive quirks and background that the above is not fair. But Giles does very predictably go with the story flow, and it is almost always the other characters whose action and personality drive stories.)
Tara: Tara is the most interesting of the characters not to be in the opening credits (the episode of her death does not count). In most ways, she is a better defined character than Dawn or Giles, despite far less screen time. She is vastly better defined than characters such as Joyce, who is purely used as a plot device (and was essentially written out before being brought back to die). Although we see Tara mostly interacting with Willow, we see her butting heads with Anya, we see her being the first one Buffy confides in about Spike, and other interesting scenes (personally, I thought she was the best singer in OMWF as well).
Willow: The only one of the Scoobies to change significantly over the course of the series (by contrast, everyone on AtS evolves). Her likes and dislikes are pretty much covered above. It seems to me that by the end of the series, her (platonic) love for Xander was greater than her love for Buffy.
