I know, very controversial topic, but I think it is one that applies to him. I say this with the caveat of liking a lot of his arcs and finding his chemistry with his 2 best friends and Cordelia/Anya awesome but like of the core 4 his arc is significantly the lesser of the 4. Giles slowly feeling distanced from his pupil until he attempts to have Spike assassinated and Buffy ousted from command, Willow becomes a lesbian and a stronger witch, while Buffy grows alienated from the people she loves, leading to death seeming like the better option multiple times. Xander moves out, fumbles Anya, saves the world, and then doesn’t really contribute anything to season 7.

Brendon IIRC once said he was told around S4 that they had no real use for his character after high school ended and he was there simply because he was grandfathered in. (and definitely not a good fit for Angel, with the personal animosity against the guy and all.) And we can obviously see the way the women respond to his behavior throughout the show with a certain nonchalance shows Whedon’s author appeal in an unflattering way. But we can also look to a show maybe catered to a younger audience than Buffy for evidence. ATLA: Sokka is very much like Xander: The wisecracking muggle whom attracts women far stronger than him due to his charms. But throughout the show, I feel like they show the vulnerability of Sokka a lot better than in Buffy with Xander, and you have to read between the lines to know why Xander is that way.

I hope this convo stays civil and not about double standards for the vampire boys or Faith Willow and Cordy, because I all think they had more intention to their writing than Xander.

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