Character Development

[lusciousxander.livejournal.com]

Some characters get the flashy, in-your-face character development (Willow, Wesley, Spike, Cordelia) and there are those characters whose character development is so subtle that you barely notice it, but it’s there.

Xander Harris and Bangel

Xander was a jerk to Buffy and her feelings for Angel on many occasions, like this:



And this:



And this:



But…

Later on Xander will:

1) Admit that he was an ass about Angel and will help Buffy save him in Amends:



2) Witness a lover’s quarrel between Buffy and Angel and genuinely asks if he can help in The Zeppo:




3) When Angel falls ill due to Faith’s poisonous arrow in Graduation Part 1, Xander is there to help Buffy save him. Not only that, but when Oz and Willow are hesitant to reveal the cure, he’ll say:



4) Graduation Part 2, after the battle, Xander reassures Buffy that Angel survived the fight and gently tells her that he might have left after:



Xander Harris DOES learn from his mistakes. He DOES grow up and change. I’m sorry if his character development isn’t as flashy as the other characters, but Xander was never meant to be a larger than life character. He’s a simple human being like the rest of us and changes accordingly.

Note: meta was originally posted on Tumblr and can be found in my LJ