Who grew the most during the course of the show?

[joxerlives]

Going to limit this to just the Buffy characters so Angel characters will be over on the other forum. Reached the last 3 eps of the Buffytube rewatch and just considering the characters and how they've progressed over 7 years;

Start with the core four-

Buffy-goes from vapid cheerleader (let's call her Spordelia) to single mother, general, warrior, bi-sexual lover, teacher and world saver. Buffy's journey symptomatic of young girl reaching maturity

Willow-goes from the softer side of sears to leather wearing, world destroying bad guy skinning badass and back again. Becomes a lesbian (or bisexual?) and ends up a white haired goddess who saves the world

Xander-immature, most unpopular guy at school, loses his eye, loses 2 girlfriends, becomes a respectable artisan, kills a few vamps and saves the world through talking

Giles- actually of them all he probably changes the least, becomes a bit less stuffy but by the end of the series is still very much the same guy we meet in WTTH

Next up; Faith, Dawn, Andrew and Anya

[Randi Giles]

Honestly I going to have to go with Willow as someone who grew the most throughout the show. She is almost the complete opposite of who she was. Now she's a lesbian, that is a goddess with confidence that she didn't have before. Then it's Buffy, but not by a long shot at all. Then Xander and Giles.

[willowsummers]

I probably have to say Willow too. She went from having extremely low self esteem, to becoming a rocker groupie, becoming wiccan, becoming a lesbian, getting an addiction and getting over it, killing and getting over it...

[buffyfan21]

That's one of the many things I love about Buffy, Joss does not shy away from character progression. He is not afraid to let his characters grow, develop, and change, as is true to real life. The core scoobies we see in S7 (and S8 for that matter) are not the same scoobies we met in S1. This is not to say that they are completely changed. On the contrary, they are very different people, but at the same still retain all the quirks, personality traits, etc, that made us fall in love with them in the first place. In other words, though are beloved characters have evolved over the course of 8 seasons, they still possess all those qualities that make them recognizable to us. It is a fine line to walk, and Joss does it so well. I guess it's true that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

I would say that of the core four, Willow, Xander, and Buffy have changed the most remarkably, Giles having the least progression of all, though this is not to say that he did not evolve at all.

Buffy - At the beginning of the series we see a young girl struggling to come to terms with her destiny as the slayer. By S7, Buffy has not only embraced her slayerhood, but has now come full circle and is sharing her power with others like her. We see her progress from teenage girl, to mother, mentor, teacher, and leader. Although I would say that Buffy was always very mature, even during her teen years she was (for the most part) very adult and responsible, wise beyond her years and able to make the hard choices. Buffy's remarkable maturity and selflessness has been a constant throughout her character development.

Willow - When we meet her she is very self-conscious and painfully shy, our hearts immediately go out to her. Through meeting Buffy and helping her to save the world, we see Willow's confidence begin to grow. Even by the end of S1 we see that Willow is less soft spoken and reserved than the girl we met in the first episode, we begin to see glimmers of the confidence she possesses just beneath the surface. Through meeting Buffy and becoming a part of the "scooby gang," Willow has found a purpose, a place to belong and be accepted unconditionally.

Xander - Very similar to Willow in the sense that when we met him, he is sort of aimlessly blundering through life with no sense of purpose or anything that really drives him. We see him struggle throughout the series to find his identity. Flash-forward to S8 and we see has now become a highly respected voice of authority for the group.

Giles - When we meet Giles in the beginning he is a very stuffy guy (but not necessarily in a bad way) who doesn't like to stray far from the rules. He does everything by the book, believing that everything has its place and proper order, etc. You might say that he is a little uptight in the beginning. Throughout the series we see Giles become more and more relaxed. He is always the respected authoritarian and father of the group, but by the end he is much less stuffy and uptight. He comes to realize that is ok to deviate from the rules, and eventually begins to think more on his own terms.

These are just a few of my thoughts (incoherent as they may be), more to come later...

[Tea - Total]

I think every character development grew with time, realistic themes to show understanding of the responsibilities of true life. Each character had development and their took on a path thew life and they all took on responsibilities and consequences and even choice , god even some characters make the wrong decisions but thats good because its realistic to the real world.
Everyone make choices and some choices are wrong and some are right, but thats life.
I Think every character has the theme of growing up ,which is a good thing because for that reason the show could be really boring, so if we relate to them of our own experience we will watch them go threw their path,which makes Buffy so appealing and realistic to the audience.
That why i appreciate this quote, "Dawn, the hardest thing in this world ... is to live in it.", and thats inspire people that life is hard but live, so inspirational thats why i love Buffy.

I think every character grew up.

[Billie Erin]

I think that the one who grew up the most was Willow:
. She became more open-minded (being gay and all)
. She became MUCH more powerful which forced her to be more responsible and aware of her own actions
. She suffered the loss of her true love Tara, which forced her to grow up emotionally by opening her eyes up to the horrors of the world

But I agree that all the characters grew

[willowsummers]

Jan 9, 2010 15:27:01 GMT -5 Tea - Total said:

I think every character development grew with time, realistic themes to show understanding of the responsibilities of true life. Each character had development and their took on a path thew life and they all took on responsibilities and consequences and even choice , god even some characters make the wrong decisions but thats good because its realistic to the real world.
Everyone make choices and some choices are wrong and some are right, but thats life.
I Think every character has the theme of growing up ,which is a good thing because for that reason the show could be really boring, so if we relate to them of our own experience we will watch them go threw their path,which makes Buffy so appealing and realistic to the audience.
That why i appreciate this quote, "Dawn, the hardest thing in this world ... is to live in it.", and thats inspire people that life is hard but live, so inspirational thats why i love Buffy.

I think every character grew up.

This is one of the things that makes Buffy such a powerful show and so important to me. When I first found Buffy, I had been through a lot of traumatic things, losing three loved ones and overcoming poverty, and it really helped me a lot to meet these characters and to see/feel what they went through.

[buffyfan21]

I think Spike is also a character who grew a lot, but that is another story for another time...

[tkts]

I'd say Willow, for sure. Even if you ignore the whole "she went crazy and tried to destroy the world" thing, her arc takes her from the painfully shy dormouse who's so used to letting herself be picked on that she practically does it herself pre-emptively ("Did you want me to move?") to someone who's infinitely more secure, confident and self-assured.

Buffy and Xander go through very similar progressions themselves -- all three are far more confident, mature individuals at the end of the show than they were at the beginning -- but Willow's growth stands out the most.

I'm leaving out the three whose progressions had more to do with external MacGuffins that imposed changes on the character: Anya (demon, non-demon, demon, non-demon), Angel (soul, no soul, soul), and Spike (evil, chipped, chipped and whipped, ensouled).

[Jaz ♀♀]

I would have to go with Willow as well for the reasons other people have listed above. I think that's why I love her character so much! She changes so much...but at the same time the writers still keep her very Willow-y at heart which is why I can believe those changes in her when they come and embrace them and not be put off and think "no way, that's not Willow!" Does that make since? lol

[joxerlives]

Anya; vengence demon to human to girlfriend to vengence demon to hero. She goes from hating men to loving humanity

Dawn; didn't exist when the series began. But she goes from Joyce's little pumpkinbelly to Buffy's emotional rock to a full blooded Scooby to the junior Watcher in the last season, blossoms from little girl to extraordinary young woman (and then giantess, centaur, doll and back to human again)

Oz; stoic musician, boyfriend, werewolf, werewolf in love, cheats on Willow with Verucca, goes to tame the beast within, succeeds and returns to Willow only for have to accept he can never control himself when it comes to her. Does the decent thing and let's Willow and Tara go to be happy

Riley; lovesick college boy/commando. Breaks free of Prof Walsh's influence, becomes a scooby, begins to question his faith in the goverment, breaks free, becomes Buffy's boyfriend then realises that he isn't dark enough for her and goes back to what he knows best. Finishes as a married man (the only scoob to be so)

[Tea - Total]

Jan 9, 2010 16:47:13 GMT -5 willowsummers said:

Jan 9, 2010 15:27:01 GMT -5 Tea - Total said:

I think every character development grew with time, realistic themes to show understanding of the responsibilities of true life. Each character had development and their took on a path thew life and they all took on responsibilities and consequences and even choice , god even some characters make the wrong decisions but thats good because its realistic to the real world.
Everyone make choices and some choices are wrong and some are right, but thats life.
I Think every character has the theme of growing up ,which is a good thing because for that reason the show could be really boring, so if we relate to them of our own experience we will watch them go threw their path,which makes Buffy so appealing and realistic to the audience.
That why i appreciate this quote, "Dawn, the hardest thing in this world ... is to live in it.", and thats inspire people that life is hard but live, so inspirational thats why i love Buffy.

I think every character grew up.

This is one of the things that makes Buffy such a powerful show and so important to me. When I first found Buffy, I had been through a lot of traumatic things, losing three loved ones and overcoming poverty, and it really helped me a lot to meet these characters and to see/feel what they went through.

Same, this show is so inspirational.

[buffyfan21]

Anya is definitely one of the most changed characters on the show. Her character progression throughout her time on the series is just so amazing. We initially meet her as a one-shot character and then she goes on to become a very influential series regular. Interesting that in the beginning her only goal was to seek vengeance on Xander for the sake if the scorned Cordelia. Little did she know at the time that she herself would end up falling for Xander Harris, a fate I very much doubt even Anya herself would ever imagine possible. It was Xander that Anya trapped in her human guise, and Xander that ended up ultimately changing her life forever. Anya falls in love with Xander, and then later becomes the scorned party herself, much like Cordelia years before. Except this time, instead of seeking revenge for a third party, this is all about Anya's own heartbreak at the hands of Xander Harris. This time around it is not simply work for Anya, or a duty to be held. She is acting out of a place of very personal grief, this is not merely a job to be performed. Interesting that this should be her first task, once again, when she returns to the vengeance fold, seeking vengeance on the hapless Xander Harris. Anya was human once, had her heart broken and became a demon, became human a second time, and had her heart broken by love once more. It is not hard to see that Anya's story came full circle in so many ways. I am glad that she was able to make peace with humanity in the end, however. So much so, in fact, that she became willing to die for the very species she once loathed and made her living torturing. Really is beautifully poetic and tragic at the same time.

[The Girl In Question]

Spike changed a whole lot as well. I'd explain, but its 2:30 AM and I have to get up early. Maybe someone else, possibly a huge Spike lover, can explain for me?

[joxerlives]

Jan 11, 2010 5:33:11 GMT -5 The Girl In Question said:

Spike changed a whole lot as well. I'd explain, but its 2:30 AM and I have to get up early. Maybe someone else, possibly a huge Spike lover, can explain for me?

Oh absolutely, in many ways you could argue he is the central figure in the Buffyverse but he isn't finished developing, meet me over on the Angel section of the board to review his progress through season 5 of Angel

[CourtneyDax]

I'd have to say that I agree that Willow has grown the most in the show. Buffy had the confidence and the power 98% of the time, but Willow was a complete sad story until Buffy built up her self-esteem in seasons 1 and 2.
Besides Will, I'd say Anya next. This 1000 year old ex-demon did a complete 180 in her opinion of humanity, all in the course of a few short years. That's pretty remarkable if you think about it.

[Randi Giles]

Spike is the type of character that manage to stay the same and yet grow tremendously throughout the series. He may still have that chain smoking bad boy attitude and style, but we've seen how much he's grown. He was this narrow minded slayer killing vampire constantly reacting. The so called big bad that cause destruction and was so in love with Drusilla. Then he became a chip head that fell in love with a slayer, fought to get his soul back and then died saving the world letting Buffy go. I could go, but really can't cause I have to agree with joxerlives that he isn't finished developing yet which is why I love this character so much. There's always something with him.

[drusillacakes]

Jan 9, 2010 15:27:01 GMT -5 Tea - Total said:

I Think every character has the theme of growing up ,which is a good thing because for that reason the show could be really boring, so if we relate to them of our own experience we will watch them go threw their path,which makes Buffy so appealing and realistic to the audience.
That why i appreciate this quote, "Dawn, the hardest thing in this world ... is to live in it.", and thats inspire people that life is hard but live, so inspirational thats why i love Buffy.

That's really well put. I totally agree, and I think that's why so many of us love BtVS and find parallels between the show and our own lives. Maybe we don't fight big baddies from the hellmouth, but we can understand how it feels to lose people we love, or have the will to fight when the odds seem against us. Personally, the musical was when it really hit me that I really relate. "Going through the motions"? "Give me something to sing about"? I know I've definitely been there. One of my favorite lines from the song is Spike's-- "Life isn't bliss, life is just this... it's living." (Which also shows how much Spike has grown too.)

I also wanted to say that Xander is definitely a character that I felt grew a lot over the course of the show. Sometimes it's easy to overlook him because his contributions aren't as obvious as say, Willow or Buffy's. But to think that that Xander Harris went from falling off his skateboard with no apparent direction in life, to training potentials and being a bona fide leader is truly awesome.

[hellmouth]

I have read some of the posts about how much Buffy grew as a character/person. If we changed the topic and said how much did the character change, but we limited it to seasons 1-6, does everyone still feel like Buffy changed that much?

[joxerlives]

Yes, especially when you consider the final scenes in Grave