Because I'm curious - The Buffy Fandom Character Wars Poll

[shadowkat]

I got curious about this while reading a post on the internet...don't ask which one.
Weird things inspire me. Anyhoo...I left out the obvious ones, because let's face it we already know who prefers Xander to Spike, Buffy to Spike, and Spike to Angel - we've argued those to death. Really. Who cares?? But these are harder choices because in a lot of these cases, people dearly love both characters. I'm making you pick one. Roll the dice. Which one at this particular point in time do you prefer? [ETA: DO NOT OVERTHINK THIS PEOPLE. BY PREFER - I mean which character you liked or enjoyed watching on the show better as a fictional character in the series. Not who you think is the better human being, more morally upstanding, or prefer as a role model for the kiddies or to hang with or be your best bud. This is a fictional character fandom poll not who I want to be friends with or marry poll.]

Don't worry, you're not being held to it. You can change your mind next week or tomorrow as the case may be. I certainly will. Polls are anything but definitive.

I do hope more than 10 people respond or I'll look like an idiot. ;-)

[Poll #1850464]

Comments

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Who would've guessed that the most for me the most difficult to choose between would be Anya V. Cordy

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

this poll does seem kind of random since a lot of these characters I love a lot and others I never ever cared for at all. So if you pit two I dislike, like Connor and Dawn, then my choice is even more meaningless than when you compare two I adore like Giles and Wesley.
How about a rating of best to worst:
Giles
Willow
Buffy
Spike
Wesley
Jonathan
Anya
Faith
Andrew
Gunn
Dawn
Connor
Angel
Cordelia
Warren
Riley
who did I leave out? LOL

I'm fascinated by Mark's love of Cordelia and I'm looking forward to his seeing Ats S4 when Cordelia gets really icky.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I still hold a grudge over what they did to Cordy. Taking her over, forcing her into eye-spork sex, forcing her to give birth to a hell god then KILLING her.

Not cool, dude.

Not. Cool.

[rose-griffes.livejournal.com]

For a lot of these choices, the answer depends on when, and which show. I far prefer Giles to Wesley on BtVS, but Wesley wins my fannish love on Angel.

And even the word prefer is tricky. Prefer to hang out with? Prefer to watch at a safe distance? Prefer to imagine as my BFF?

[kikimay]

Hi! My answers are: Buffy, Spike, Willow, Anya, Spike, Connor (but, to be honest, I'm kinda indifferent to both), Gunn, Willow, Buffy, Wesley (But they are at the same level! Hard decision, I love both) Jonathan, Spike and "sometimes" (so, yes)

[rebcake.livejournal.com]

That was easy! Give me some more!

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I really agree: Wesley was my very favorite character on 'Angel' (with Lorne coming in second).

[ann1962]

I pick Riley now, but probably would have picked one of the others back in the day. Riley's character has aged well on the show, surprisingly enough.

And I have extremely mixed feelings about Willow.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

I'm fascinated by Mark's love of Cordelia and I'm looking forward to his seeing Ats S4 when Cordelia gets really icky.

Oh yeah...that boy is in for a world of pain. His favorite characters are Willow, Tara, Cordelia and Anya...Bwhahhahhahh! We know what happens to Tara and Anya...and Willow and Cordy have horrific arcs.
Diehard fans of those characters went batshit during S6 of Buffy and S4 of Angel. It's why a lot of those fans hate those seasons.


How about a rating of best to worst?

Hee, your choices are interesting. You like Giles better than I did. (Don't get me wrong - I adored ASH, but Giles had a lot in common with Uther Pendragon.)

Spike
Buffy
Willow
Xander
Faith
Giles
Wesley
Anya
Angel
Gunn
Cordelia
Connor
Dawn
Riley
Jonathan
Andrew
Warren

Damn, that was hard. Sorry, my poll is a lot easier. ;-)

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

LMAO!!

You're over-thinking this. Just pick the one you happen to like on tv better at the moment. ;-)

Prefer means - I like watching on tv better than the other character.
(They are fictional characters after all - they do not exist. Which means they can't be your BFF, sorry them's the breaks.)

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately that horrible S6 episode As You Were destroyed the character of Riley for me forever...not helped greatly by the Whedon comic books.;-)

Now, if I skip AYW...or forget it...than I like him better.

And I have extremely mixed feelings about Willow.

I do as well. Her character arc is uneven...the writers blended too many metaphors and as a result it go really muddied in S6 and S7. Also, I felt they didn't do a good enough job of redeeming the character in S7, they sort of let her off the hook - "bad evil magic made me do it".
I really wanted a Spike/Willow conversation.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Uh...

Darla vs. Dru

Harmony vs. Amy

Harmony vs. Cordy

Cordy vs. Faith

Spike vs. Harmony

Lilah vs. Eve

Lilah vs. Lindsey

Doyle vs. Wesely

Doyle vs. Whistler

Angelus vs. the Mayor

Have at it. ;-)

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Wesely and Lilah were admittedly my reasons for watching Angel in S3 and S4.
Could not stand Wes in Buffy and S1 Angel- S2.

It really wasn't until S3 that the character got interesting. I'd given up on
Angel during S3 and it was Wes' arc that brought me back to it.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

It was oddly enough...for me too. After I posted the poll, I thought, damn.
It depends on which day of the week and the mood I'm in.

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, I loved Lilah, that was a wonderful character!
If we were talking about Angel the show alone my favs are:
Wesley
Lorne
Lilah
Illyia
Gunn
Lindsay
Harmony
Angel
Cordy
Doyle
I really had trouble getting into the first season of Angel because I really didn't like anyone on the show (the Spike crossover was the only reason to even tune in IMO)

[sophist.livejournal.com]

I couldn't answer between Spike and Willow. They're tied for second behind Buffy.

And damn, I actually had to pick Xander ahead of Riley and Gunn. I need a shower now. :)

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Which was why I picked Anya over Cordy.

I'm guessing certain writers who shall remain nameless had it in for that character, not helped by certain other writers who shall equally remain nameless who adored the character and wished to elevate her to saint-hood. Both did the character a great injustice.

Want to talk about character wars? I think the writers on these shows definitely had their own private little character wars.

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I expect that Mark watching season 6 is going to be really entertaining (well, that's mean, because I'm sure he will find it painful...).

And yeah, I adore Giles, of course it helps that ASH is the nicest man in the world (I've loved him since I first saw him promoting instant coffee).

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Oh, again, a few variations in taste. Hee.

If we were talking about Angel the show alone my favs are:
Darla
Wesley (S3 onwards)
Lilah
Illyria
Fred
Gunn
Connor
Doyle
Faith
Lorne
Angel
Cordy
Lindsey
Harmony

I loved Glenn Quinn, who was also a favorite on Roseanne. I watched S1 for Glenn Quinn and was annoyed when they replaced him with the grating Wes, so stopped watching until the Faith and Buffy cross-overs.

Ended up getting tapes from people on ATPO board during S3 so I could see the episodes I skipped.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

LOL! I surprised you didn't pick Gunn...then again maybe not, Gunn has almost no arc. And the one he did have bordered on cliche. I liked the character, but not until the 4th and 5th Season...where they sort of jumped beyond the cliche and tried to develop him a little bit.

Like I was telling ann1962 above, I liked Riley until AYW. Now if I could just expunge that episode from my memory...I seriously think it was hands down the worst episode of the entire series, yes, even worse than Beer Bad, Where the Wild Things Are, Doomed, Teacher's Pet, Doublemeat Palace, Older and Farther Away, Wrecked, Gone, All The Way, Two to Go, Showtime, Inca Mummy Girl, Bad Eggs, etc. All those episodes I can find something to redeem them. Something I liked. As You Were? I got nothing. Bad episode. Which may explain why Doug Petrie hasn't done that much. That was his episode - he wrote, directed, and did everything - with no interference. Big mistake.

Hee. I knew you wouldn't be able to pick between Spike and Willow, but I was curious to see...LOL!

[sophist.livejournal.com]

They definitely did. On the S4 commentary, Doug Petrie expressly says there were writers favoring Riley and those favoring Angel. I'm sure that's true for others as well.

[sophist.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, AYW was devastating to Riley. It's far and away the worst of the series. I thought it was an insult to the viewers.

Edit to add: Your list of bad episodes is very similar to mine. I've reconciled myself to 2-3 of the ones you list, but the rest are all there. Don't forget Go Fish. Or better, do forget it.

And you're evil for making me choose. :)

[cactuswatcher.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately that horrible S6 episode As You Were destroyed the character of Riley for me forever

Kinda what happened to me with Willow and season six. It pointed out flaws she'd had all along, and then topped it off with some really bad acting by AH in the last two episodes that year. And we all thought Dark Willow was so great before that!

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

And yeah, I adore Giles, of course it helps that ASH is the nicest man in the world (I've loved him since I first saw him promoting instant coffee).

Probably ;-)

I started watching Buffy because of ASH. I followed him there from VR5 which aired for one year, then got cancelled. His role was better on VR5 and a lot more interesting. I remember being annoyed that crappy Buffy had replaced VR5 and there wasn't more ASH - at the time. I'd seen him about two or three years earlier in London in the musical Chess - he portrayed the American and was brilliant. I fell in love with him when he was on stage. I was three rows from the front. He was subbing for his brother Murray Head.

[cactuswatcher.livejournal.com]

Disclaimer: I really like all of the characters listed exccept the Trio and Cordy of season 4 Angel.

Even Riley!