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Buffy Thursdays! Season 6 Episode 18 Reaction! (Patreon)

Published:
2025-08-07 16:47:29
Imported:
2026-08
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Content

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fXtGKOk_TQYRKgB8mcPkUX_7eMPydoBs/view?usp=sharing

####### EPISODE SPOILER REVIEW BELOW! APPARENTLY SOME OF YOU ARE WATCHING FOR THE FIRST TIME ALONG SIDE ME, SO PLEASE DON'T READ BEYOND THIS POINT UNTIL YOU HAVE SEEN THE EPISODE YOURSELF! ######

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Wow, I had no idea what direction this one was going! It definitely surprised me (in a good way).

I just... can't stop feeling really annoyed at Xander! XD To the point now that I think I MUST be wrong! Would love to hear your take on the current situation.

Sorry about my obcession with the couple walking down the street. Good extras disappear into the background, I could NOT take me eyes off those two! XD

And yay, Willow & Tara!!

Hope you guys are having a great week!

As always, if you click the video just after this post, you may need to  download it first.  This should be fixed in a couple of hours!

Comments

Maia Brodsky

Oh my gosh, one of the most controversial Buffy episodes. EVERYBODY'S got a different take on this one. I will be copying and pasting some of my commentary (with my particular takes) from a different reaction channel after I watch your reaction later.

Emery Sea

I think most people are aware by now that Xander is supposed to be Joss Whedon's self-insert character. Once you know this, his character starts to make more sense. Joss clearly wanted Xander to be paired with an attractive, powerful woman. The thing is, Anya was not his first choice, evidenced by the fact that she was supposed to die at the end of season 5. So, he attempted to create a scenario where they could be split up while still keeping Xander sympathetic. Mixed results in my opinion. The unfortunate thing is his first choice for Xander was someone...younger if you get my meaning. Luckily, someone somewhere squashed that idea, at least while the show was still airing. The comics are another matter.

Jake M

I know entropy is something to do with time, and I only know that because N. Tropy was the Crash Bandicoot villain who designed the Time Twister XD

Maia Brodsky

Entropy is basically the tendency for things to fall apart, as Tara said at the start of the episode's final scene. You talked over it, but at the very end of the scene outside the Magic Box, Spike said about Xander, "You know, I wish-" and Anya cuts him off and says, "Don't." She doesn't want vengeance against Xander anymore, and as she had already admitted to Spike, she never really did. I'm curious as to what you think Xander could say that he didn't already say. He made it clear that he should've voiced his doubts and put the wedding on hold earlier, but that answer only enraged Anya, even when he said he still wanted to marry her someday. I still have to go find my other comments about who I blame the most and the least in this episode, which I will do in a little while.

Lime Pie

Entropy is the idea that systems tend to move toward a state of disorder. The title seems to be a reference to how the relationships in this episode come undone, except for the ending scene with Willow and Tara which gives a sliver of hope that things do work out sometimes. Making the first 3 seasons of Buffy free seems like it could be a good idea. If you want to do it, I say go for it. Spike claiming he would never hurt Buffy is baffling. Even if you don't count everything he did in the past, he literally threatened to let a vampire loose on her in the beginning of this episode to get her to tell her friends about their relationship that Buffy doesn't want anything to do with anymore. Also, one of the first things Spike did when he met Buffy was film her, so although I do think the Trio are more likely suspects, I don't think it's a reach to jump to Spike. You are absolutely not alone in being annoyed with Xander lol. I was actually surprised at how many people sympathized with Xander in the comments on your 'Hell's Bells' reaction because I've read/heard a lot of opinions on Xander and sympathy for him is hard to come by. I do think he is out of line in this episode though, but I think a lot of other characters are too. Xander is supposed to be the heart of the group, which means he reacts emotionally, but I feel like leaving someone at the altar gives that someone the right to move on and Xander shouldn't judge how Anya chooses to do so. I do find it interesting that Xander is exhibiting behavior similar to his father after leaving Anya to avoid that happening though. I can't say that Spike doesn't deserve to be killed, not for getting with Anya, but for everything he has done in the past that he hasn't answered for. Anya was definitely overreacting when she wished Xander was never born. She is a vengeance demon again now though so it makes sense. I also think Buffy is being a little immature for judging Spike for trying to move on after she has tried to make it clear that she wants Spike out of her life. It's just a big mess really, one that Xander is partly to blame for, but there's definitely more factors than him that made it imo.

Maia Brodsky

I agree with most of this comment, but I do think that if we argue that Spike deserves to die, we have to say that Anya does too. They both haven't atoned for their sins, and Anya has probably killed more people, considering she's been doing the vengeance gig five times longer than Spike (or William for that matter) has even existed. Personally, I love them both, and I think they were both unfairly judged for sleeping together in this episode.

Maia Brodsky

And as for Spike saying he doesn't hurt Buffy, I think he wants to believe that, but you're ultimately right that he doesn't have the capacity to be that person without a soul. I just also think that Buffy doesn't realize her own capacity to hurt Spike, because she doesn't really see him as a person either.

Lime Pie

Yes, thank you! I knew I left something out. Both Anya and Spike are entertaining characters, but neither one of them is innocent.

Ashley Evers

I completely understand being annoyed with Xander. I will say, in this episode, I am also pretty much of the mind that Anya and Spike didn’t do anything wrong? Anya made it clear that she considered her relationship with Xander over. And Buffy had told Spike to move on. Neither of them intended to be seen, they weren’t trying to hurt anyone. Well, I guess Anya *was* trying to hurt Xander at one point, but what happened instead was actually a less destructive attempt at coping 🤣 Xander and Buffy’s reactions are very understandable, but definitely not fair. It’s funny, cause I think the last time I watched this I would have been 100% with you that Xander was just being an entire idiot, and was fully in the wrong for the way he handled all of this. And I still do think he was very wrong and cowardly and immature to not have the conversation sooner and at the very least ask for a longer engagement. But he’s immature because he *is* immature. He’s like, 22. He *is* pretty young to be getting married, and very clearly isn’t ready. Part of not being ready is not having the emotional maturity to deal with all of this well. And it’s a tiny bit on Anya that she doesn’t consider that being at least a century older than her fiancé might make his desire for more time reasonable. I think I’m less upset with him about the actual wedding episode this time because I realize that was the one moment when he actually did the right thing. He should have done it a lot earlier, and he is definitely in the wrong for that. But I can’t be mad at him for the moment he finally did what he needed to do. I’m mad about all the moments leading up to then when he should have had this conversation, and when he was dismissive or disrespectful to her, and how that last conversation still shows how little respect he has for her or her ability to make choices for herself.

Jake M

You talked over it (through no fault of your own!), but right at the end Spike says "I wish-" and Anya says "Don't."

CeNedra

I think the detail most people don't talk about is that despite recent happenings, they're a big friend group and sleeping with another member of that friend group is a no no. It wasn't that Spike moved on, it was that he slept with someone Buffy knew/liked. That would piss me off more than if my ex had slept with a random stranger 🤷‍♀️

JosieMorita

I agree with everyone in the comments: Xander is annoying. Everytime I re-watch the show I find something new he does to be annoyed with. I think, while they have their flaws, Spike and Anya didn't do anything wrong here. It was consensual, they're both adults and single. Go, do the thing. While I agree that Xander's (and Buffy's) reaction are understandable, it's none of their business anymore. Xander is extremely good with judging other people's actions while downplaying his own. Going to Anya and almost demanding to be let back in after leading her on for months and then finding the worst possible moment to call it off is unbelievably entitled. And now he can spin it his way saying "I wanted to fix it but she cheated on me". Oh no, it's the consequences of my actions! Also, he has absolutely no right to judge Buffy's actions. She can sleep with whoever she wants, she doesn't need his approval. Ok, my rant is over. One thing on the Trio I wanted to comment on but didn't on the actual episode: When they killed Katrina, there is a moment when Jonathan realises who he is actually dealing with in Warren. They went from cartoon villains with freeze-rays and invisibility guns to sneak into the girls locker room to kidnapping, assaulting and killing a human being. This changed the dynamic of the Trio and the trajectory of their story moving foward.

Madikuma95

I will start by saying that I still love Xander! But yes he should've told Anya he wasn't ready long before the wedding. I understand why he and Buffy are upset with Anya and Spike, but they broke up with them and don't really have a say over what they do. That said, both Anya and Spike look regretful afterwards and it's not like they were trying to get revenge, they didn't know they were being watched.

Alicia P

I had completely forgotten about (or maybe purposely blocked out) everything that happened in this episode 😆 Everyone was right and everyone was wrong, but Xander said some nasty things for sure. Spike and Anya are technically a lot older (especially Anya) than everyone else but they also haven't tried to behave as "human" for a very long time -- I think, their histories considered, they are doing pretty well. People lash out and do and say wild things when they are hurt, so I give them all a bit of grace. In my mind, nothing we've seen from any of the other Scoobies (including Spike) this year has been as bad as Willow mind-effing Tara multiple times.

Diego Zenhäusern

Veggie you're not wrong. I 100% agree that Xander was in the wrong last episode. And I think I'm actually way less forgiving than you are. I'm really annoyed with him and don't feel sorry. He should really have told her way ago that he needed mor time to think abaout their future. Hell, even going through with it on the day and then telling her later on that he needs some space to think about things would have been better. But ruining her wedding day and making her look like a fool in front of her and his entire familiy? Nope, zero compasion from me! And same one with this episode: I felt a bit bad for Xander having to see it since he clearly still feels something for her. But I think neither Anya nor Spike did anything wrong there. Buffy made it clear to Spike that she didn't like him like that. And even if Xander still has feelings for Anya, leaving someone at the altar is a breakup. End of the discussion. So the two of them were two adults who were single and consenting. In my opinion there is not the tiniest bit of grey in this situation, they were in the right! And I actually think it is disgusting that Xander thinks he has ownership over Anya and can decide with whom she's sleeping.

Diego Zenhäusern

Entropy isn't really about time. That said it can't exist without the passage of time. Here's what I mean by that Simply put entropy is the natural tendency of EVERYTHING in our universe to get more "chaoting" OVER TIME. And the only way to have a process that doesn't increase "chaos" is to invest energy. Here are some examples: A vase can easily shatter into many pieces (e.g. by falling over) or your room gets messy over time. But a vase will never spontaneously reassemble itself to one piece and your room wont get cleaner by itself. In both cases you have to use energy (i.e. you physically putting the vase together or cleaning your room) to "reverse" the effects of entropy. A more scientific example is to pour a drop of food colouring into a glas of water. If you wait long enough the food colouring will evenly spread throughout the whole glas (because having food colouring everywhere in the glas is a way more "chaotic" state than having a few self contained droplets floating inside the water). On the other hand, the food colouring inside the glas will never go back to form a single droplet no mater how long you wait. (But you could use energy to distill the water off and so you could reverse the effects of entropy to get your glas of water and your drop of food colouring back)

Diego Zenhäusern

I loved that moment it really showed how much the nights events had put thing into perspective for Anya.😊

Diego Zenhäusern

Good point about Willow! It's easy to forget (I tend to do so) but what she did really was the worst thing as it wasn't just emotionally hurtful (as everything else the couple people did) but was actually an assault (on Tara's mind, not her body but still an assault). That said, I personally think she really regrets it now and—in opposition to everyone else—she actually took actions to both change herself and atone for what she did. So I think she actually "deserves" being forgiven the most out of all of them. And apparently Tara seems to agree with me on that... xD

jolt45

Xander, Anya, Spike, Buffy, and Willow all suck to be honest. It is basically the theme of the season. They all have reasons to be the way they are and some are more justified than others. Xander and Anya are honestly pretty poorly written characters. They are sweet with each other when the plot demands it and they are horrible to each other when the plot demands it. That being said... Xander grew up in a neglectful/abusive home. He was force fed a false vision of ruining Anya's life on the day of his wedding and backed out due to fear and guilt of being like his father. He hates vampires. He has never liked Spike or Angel. For example, he was much more in favor of Riley than either of them. He doesn't understand why he is doing what he is doing and he needs therapy. 6/10 believable character motivations Anya voluntarily became a vengeance demon and killed millions of men for 1000 years. Her and Xander weren't ready to be married tbh (because neither them is good at helping the other deal with their problems). Xander chose the exact worst time to call of the wedding and her response is to go right back to what she was doing for 1000s of years. She is wrong for trying to curse him but what she did with Spike is understandable given the situation. She doesn't understand why she is doing what she is doing and she needs therapy. 6/10 believable character motivations

Janis Hope

Did you know that Joss has quashed the rumour about Xander being his stand-in? He said that the only thing that he and Xander have in common is that they are both nerds. I guess it's a case of everyone choosing their favourite version.

Janis Hope

Xander doesn't annoy me in the slightest but your feelings towards him must spoil the whole show for you. That's a shame.

Emery Sea

I'd like to know what your source is if he is refuting these claims. Also, I am less inclined to believe Joss Whedon in this matter since it was brought to light recently that he was a less than reputable person during filming. It also doesn't change the fact that he had planned to have Anya die in season five so he could pair Xander with Dawn.

Hanneli Norrgard

Buffy and Xander can be upset if they want, but they have no claims over Anya and Spike. Xander broke up with Anya, and Buffy would never "be together" with Spike in the first place. All season, she's been using him when she wants to and throwing him aside when she feels like it. Now she has an issue with him? Screw her. I've been "away" for a bit because boy howdy I've not been doing well mentally in real life. However, it's good to be back and watching your reactions. I think a trial run of the show is absolutely fair to get people to subscribe, too. I don't necessarily think it would have to be three seasons because people should know by the then what your reactions are like.

Alicia P

re: Willow and Tara -- totally, Willow recognizes what she did and is clearly trying to get better, and she does deserve forgiveness. But I personally can not forget that what she did was truly horrible and not something I could ever understand doing to someone you love. And considering we know Willow and Tara slept together after at least one of these events, I would consider that a physical assault as well -- Tara was unable to give knowing consent because she was not aware of what had been done to her. If I were Tara, I don't think I could ever trust Willow again even if I did forgive her. But one of the major themes of the show overall is learning how and when to forgive others and forgive ourselves in order to move forward, and how hard it sometimes is to really and truly do that, so, I have to roll with the choices the writers made for these two 😆 I think Xander also knows what he did was "wrong" in the sense of, he should have probably said something sooner and obviously it was a terrible moment to back out of the marriage, but at the same time I think it was better to call it off (even on the day of) than have to possibly go through a divorce. So in that instance, he wasn't totally wrong and he has also tried to apologize. But the stuff he said to Spike and Anya this episode was way out of line so I think any anger toward him is fully justified. At the same time, it's weird and messy and hard to hear about someone you loved (or possibly still love) sleeping with someone new. Now imagine that person they slept with is someone you have never gotten along with and has tried to do you grievous bodily harm multiple times. So for this reason, I also sympathize with his feelings -- not his words or his actions, but his feelings, and for that reason I think he deserves some grace while he is going through everything. I still of course feel way worse for Anya than for Xander, though. She didn't deserve any of this and she had every right to sleep with whoever she wanted.

Pauline Robertson

She didn't have an issue with him being with that girl at the wedding? You don't think it's maybe because he slept with Anya in particular? Buffy never said she had a claim to Spike? and you just said she's allowed to be upset so not sure what the "screw her" is for?

Pauline Robertson

I wouldn't say what they did was wrong necessarily, but they can't pretend they didn't know it would hurt Buffy and Xander if they found out. It's not like if they had slept with some random that neither knew. it's kinda personal in this case.

Pauline Robertson

Thank you! Buffy was fine with the girl at the wedding.

Maia Brodsky

So I finally got around to pulling my comments from The Horror Bandwagon's reaction to this episode. My original comment before the debates started: "I can feel for all four of them, but to me, Buffy and Xander were the most out of line. Xander is judging Anya for sleeping with Spike because he's evil, but Anya has a whole thousand plus years of evil under her own belt. Very hypocritical. And Buffy blames Spike for sleeping with Anya when she told Spike she doesn't love him, that he needs to move on, AND that he can go ahead and tell her friends about them sleeping together. I feel the worst for Spike out of the four of them in this scenario. He didn't tell anyone about his history with Buffy until Xander was beating the crap out of him, knowing he can't fight back, and talking about how much of a disgusting thing he is. After all the times Buffy has said the same thing about him, it's not surprising that he would lash out the only way he could - with words." My response to someone saying Spike was the most to blame for sleeping with Anya and trying to absolve Anya bc she had a broken heart: "What did Spike do wrong exactly? Neither he nor Anya did anything wrong by sleeping with each other. Anya trying to curse Xander was extremely wrong and evil, but how was Spike sleeping with Anya wrong? He and Anya were both nursing broken hearts, and they were both single." My response to two people arguing about Xander judging Anya for sleeping with Spike vs. Anya trying to harm Xander with a vengeance wish: "We can be upset at both of them for each of these things. I know I am. But yeah, Anya trying to maim/kill him is way worse than whatever hypocrisy Xander may be guilty of here. Not even comparable tbh, but people rarely seem to identify that her vengeance attempts are the worst offense by anyone in this episode, by far." And my follow-up to that comment: "Imo, the second-worst offense is Xander trying to kill Spike for sleeping with Anya. Next-worst is Xander judging them for sleeping with Spike when Anya herself is/was just as evil as Spike, if not more so. Next-worst after that is Buffy, for blaming Spike for sleeping with Anya, after she repeatedly used and rejected him. Then lastly comes Spike telling everyone about him and Buffy, which I don't even blame him for at all in that moment. Spike and Anya sleeping together does not even register as a wrong in my book, on either of their parts. I've never actually thought about how I would put these all in order before now, but Anya trying to curse Xander is way worse than anything else they did." Very complicated situation. Just wanted to get all my thoughts on this episode out there before the next reaction drops, for... reasons.