by Chris Snelgrove
| Published
For the most part, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Fans were happy with the final season. Sure, it lacked the emotional and creative highs of seasons two and three, but it felt like a refreshing return to form after the empty dreariness of season six. However, it turns out that last season was almost ruined due to the unexpected source. For everyone. Along with actor Nicholas Brendon, Sarah Michelle Gellar originally pitched showrunner Joss Whedon the idea that Buffy and Xander should meet in season seven.
Buffy and Xander's romance
Some longtime fans of the show are complaining now, and don't worry… we'll dive into why this romantic pairing is a terrible idea. First, let's address the elephant in the room: why did he do it? Sarah Michelle Gellar And does her actor think a Buffy/Xander romance would be a good idea in the first place? In short, both characters were dealing with heartache. Xander left Anya at the altar in Season 6, and she ended up hooking up with Spike, Buffy's enemy with benefits who ended up trying to rape her before the season ended.
Sarah Michelle Gellar and Nicholas Brendon wanted their characters to have a happy romantic ending, and felt that Buffy and Xander became an element that would give each of their characters some romantic closure. That didn't happen, of course, and Season 7 was all about unrequited feelings for our favorite characters. Buffy didn't get the perfect boyfriend, but she did have to be snagged by both Angel and a recovered Spike before the season ended; As for Xander, he reached out to Anya again before she tragically lost her life in the last episode.
Why was Sarah Michelle Gellar wrong?
Now, we love Sarah Michelle Gellar more than some of our family members, so why do we think she was wrong to want a romance between Buffy and Xander? For one thing, it looked like a bad bounce. Xander's puppy dog crush on Buffy back in Season 1 highlighted how immature he was, and his subsequent relationship with Anya emphasized how much he had grown as a character. He and Buffy will suddenly feel like his personality has declined and he will diminish his romance with Anya by implying that he never stopped wanting Buffy.
Additionally, Sarah Michelle Gellar's brilliant acting ensured that Buffy never viewed Xander as a romantic interest, which is why she spent all her time falling in love with evil vampires and a corn-fed super-soldier. Suddenly tying her up with Xander would have been completely arbitrary and unmotivated, and the show could have done a lot worse for it, especially in the final season. Honestly, it was probably worse than Willow's character assassination in Season 6, where she went from being a magical lesbian goddess to a magical junkie who can't stop hurting the people she loves most.
Final reason against Buffy/Xander
Finally, the Buffy/Xander romance would have destroyed a fundamental aspect of Buffy's character: that, at the end of the day, she always wants what she can't have. Falling in love with chiseled but unavailable men was part of that, a method the assassin used to subconsciously prevent anyone from getting too close to her. Xander is someone she could have literally had at any point in the series for his awkward little crush, and it would be unusual for her to suddenly give up her love of unavailable bad boys in favor of hooking up with harmless youngsters. The nerd who has never stopped following her since they first met.
Fortunately, Joss Whedon didn't listen to Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Buffy didn't end up with Xander or anyone else by the end of season seven. This was sad but appropriate. Once again, the assassin saves a world she can't fully enjoy. But let's be real: isn't being alone a lot better than ending up with Xander?
