When it comes to the series finale of a show, especially one in the drama genre, some heartache is bound to be a piece of the package. Whether it be through tearful monologues, characters going their separate ways, or the shocking death of a long-standing character.Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s series finale was no different, it packed a punch that was as sad as it was beautiful.It was a poignant end to the seven-season journey we had been on, which isn’t an easy feat to accomplish. But there is one major flaw with the finale, and that’s the aforementioned major character death that occurs. Given that the series finale was gearing up towards a big final battle, it was pretty much set in stone that there would be some deaths. So it wasn’t exactly a surprise when that death came along in the form of Anya Jenkins (Emma Caulfield). What was surprising, however, was how it was handled.And by that I mean it was barely even acknowledged, which just makes the entire death feel like it was for nothing.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
A young woman, destined to slay vampires, demons and other infernal creatures, deals with her life fighting evil, with the help of her friends.
Anya Became an Unexpected Favorite
While Anya eventually became a beloved character by fans of the show, her first appearance wasn’t exactly something to rave about.The first time we meet Anya is in the Season 3episode “The Wish”, where she enrolls herself at Sunnydale High School, andbefriends Cordelia Chase(Charisma Carpenter). She tricks her into making a wish, which she then grants, and opens up an alternate universe in which the Master takes over Sunnydale, and Willow (Alyson Hannigan) and Xander (Nicholas Brendon) are vampires themselves. See, Anya is a vengeance demon — or at least, she was when we first met her. But upon Giles’ (Anthony Head) discovery of what she had done and what she was, he destroys her amulet which was the root of her powers — undoing the alternate universe Anya had set up, andleaving her as a mortal in the process.
Anya slowly learns how to adapt to life as a mortal, and eventually asks Xander to the prom as neither of them have dates. This led to Anya gradually developing feelings for him, something she admits to him in the Season 3 finale before fleeing ahead ofthe Mayor’s (Harry Groener) ascension. Come Season 4, she still has the hots for him and the pair sleep together, which then leads to them sparking up a proper relationship. Due to her romance with Xander, she is let into the Scooby Gang, and her past life as a demon provided much use to the group as they fought through many a demon and vampire. Though Anya’s lack of social awareness, and tendency to bluntly say whatever she thinks, was a bit jarring to the Scoobies, it was endearing to viewers, and she quickly won over fans of the show. Sure there are moments where she does some questionable things, but she always made up for it in some way. And besides, she was once a vengeance demon, so surely we can cut her a little slack. By the final season she was a staple part of the show, and she had grown a lot from the first time we met her.She learned to love, to sympathize, and through it all she slowly came to terms with morality. So when she met a grisly end in the series finale, it was devastating. But what made it worse was how it was handled — or rather, how it wasn’t.
Anya’s Death Is Barely Acknowledged
Given that she was once an immortal who became mortal against her will, Anya was consistently bothered by the thought that she would one day die like everyone else. So the fact that she agreed to risk her life for her friends by joining the battle against The First wasa testament to her character growth. She chose to fight alongside Andrew (Tom Lenk) and together the pair battled the Harbingers of Death. The battle is pure chaos, and during it,Anya is killed from behind after being sliced by a sword. It’s sudden, tragic, and unexpected, but it’s also so quick that it’s easy to miss, which is a bit jarring for a main character. Couple that with the minimal aftermath effect and it’s like she wasn’t even there. She is avenged by Andrew, who kills the Bringer with his own sword, which is a cheer-worthy moment. But from the rest of the gang, the silence is deafening.
As the school begins to crumble, the Scooby Gang makes a break for it. On the way out, Xander looks for Anya, calling her name repeatedly to no avail. He gets pulled out of the building before he can find her, and the camera pans to Anya’s lifeless body, hidden among rubble, fellow victims, and fallen enemies — so close, yet so far. It’s gut-wrenching to know that her body was left unfound by those who care for her, even more so when the town of Sunnydale sinks into the Hellmouth like it never existed. Now that evil has been defeated for good, you would think that this would be the perfect time to pour one out for Anya, but it just doesn’t happen. Instead, we get a clumsy exchange as Xander pulls Andrew aside after the battle and asks if he saw what happened, to which he responds that “She was incredible. She died saving my life.” We watch as Xander smiles faintly, lip quivering ever so slightly, as he replies,“That’s my girl. Always doing the stupid thing.”And then, that’s it. That’s the only reaction we get from Anya’s on-again-off-again boyfriend of over three years. Yes, they weren’t together anymore come the finale, but it seemed like that’s where they were heading before she died. And regardless, given how long they were together prior, you’d think Xander would have had more of a reaction to her death. You’d think everyone would have a bigger reaction, but Andrew and Xander are the only ones who even bring her up. Sure there was just a lot going on, so it’s understandable that it would take a minute to comprehend what all happened. But once they were all out safe and gathered as a group,did no one notice Anya wasn’t among them? Or did they just not care?
Not every death needs a big, emotional monologue to follow it but a little acknowledgment for Anya’s life would have been nice. That’s not to say that every character needs to have a big reaction, but for her death to go seemingly unnoticed by the group felt cold and unusual, especially since we’ve seen howprevious deathsaffected them. For how long Anya was around, and how much she grew as a character, it’s just baffling that her death was handled so passively. Anya is a character who started out not understanding humans and the fleeting nature of life, and eventually grew to a point where she was willing to fight for them and risk her life.It’s beautiful in a bittersweet way, but it doesn’t change the fact that her death deserved a bit more recognition. In fact, I’d argue that it makes her death even more worthy of emotion from those around her. She lost her life helping them and yet no one seemed to really care. It’s honestly hard to watch.
Emma Caulfield Thinks Her Character’s Death Was “Lame”
It’s easy as a fan to look back on Anya’s death and be disappointed by it. After all, we’re the ones who grow attached to these characters. But when the actors themselves speak out, it becomes a lot more prevalent. Back in 2017,Entertainment Weekly reunited the castofBuffy the Vampire Slayer, and in an interview, Emma Caulfield — who plays Anya — shared her thoughts on her character’s death.
“What I noticed about the finale is how little everyone cared that I died.” She said, in between jokes with Nicholas Brendon (who played Xander). “I just think that’s kinda lame. I just kinda think that Anya garnered a little more, you know, sad face.”
Also for Entertainment Weekly,Caulfield penned a eulogyfor her fallen character, and in it she perfectly summed up Anya — crummy unacknowledged death and all:
“She was a glitter-filled rainbow, who sprinkled forever-honest fairy dust on friends and foes alike. Though she died without much fanfare (like, ‘Oh well, Anya’s dead, later!), her courage, her legacy, her selflessness lives on. And that gives me something to sing about.”
There’s really no better way to say it, sohere’s to you Anya, we’ll never forget you!
Buffy the Vampire Slayeris available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.
