Plot twists that ought never have been twisted

[litzie]

So I've been rewatching season 7, which for me contains the king of plot twists and misleads, the Giles-is-dead-and-being-impersonated-by-the-first. It bugs me every time he's onscreen at the moment, because to me he seems out of character. It seems like the writers were so intent on making his actions ambivalent and potentially misleading that they changed Giles' character horribly. His loss of faith with Buffy after she gets beat up once by the ubervamp was completely absurd - at what point in her history has she NOT come back to best a villian who was stronger? Cough glory and adam, cough cough. The fact that he dumped everything on her, set her off on her own, and kept talking about how it was all down to her...was if not exactly occ post-season six, at least very unperceptive of him. And overall, this whole subplot is one of my least favorite of season seven, which is my least favorite season. So, in case this isn't clear - I don't like it!

Ok, enough ranting about Giles-is-dead. What I'm wondering is, are there any plot twists and misleads that get up your nose like this one does for me? I think the other obvious example is the whole Spike/Chip/Soul thing, which is also incredibly annoying to me. But maybe there are some other examples that are less obvious? Why doesn't it work? What bugs you about it?

[Wolfie Gilmore]

Spike/Chip/Soul is the biggie. Gah, that makes me so CROSS. You can cry "plot twist" all you like, Joss. It's just bad writing and directing.

[Sosa lola]

Xander summoning Sweet. I would have bought it if it was written better. I mean Xander was singing I Got a Theory for crying out loud, not to mention he knew that people died because of the spell, and he still acted like he didn't know who did it. Is he really that heartless? I don't buy that he wasn't sure it was the spell he did (he's not that stupid) or that he was scared to tell his friends (he confessed to Giles he was behind the spell in BB&B when things went out of hand).

I can buy Xander covering up for Dawn much more, but we all know it's just fanwanking.

[litzie]

Xander summoning Sweet.

Ooh, good one! I completely agree. I also always found his part in 'I've got a theory' disingenuous and out of character for Xander...I felt like Joss actually only decided at the end that Xander did the summoning, and didn't think about how it would look in the early part of the episode, or else didn't care because he wanted to have the wicca joke. Which, granted, funny, but - yes, hard to buy in the context of Xander as the summoner.

[KingofCretins]

Wood having a Slayer mother. Sounds great on paper, but also potentially ficcy. And it led to one of the top 5 or 10 most reviled episodes in the entire series as the payoff, so I'm thinking that qualifies it for "never should have been twisted". Giving him, a new character in whom we had no investment, a revenge arc against Spike, whose side we're apparently supposed to take, was pointless in a way that you typically don't see in the Buffyverse.

[Michael]

The clash between Buffy and Faith in No Future For You was a gratuitous and contrived episode. By contrived I mean it did not arise from the characters or what had been going on between them recently.

Faith has come a long way since This Years Girl and the reconciliation between Faith and Buffy was touching and convincing in the last episodes of Season 7. Now I feel we are being set up for more conflict without any real point.

[Nina]

I know that this is Ats, but the Jasmine twist was very annoying. Do I've to believe that she planned everything team Angel did? I really don't like that one, and I agree with Wolfie ... the Spike twist, awful and respectless to the audience. And Xander summoning Sweet is still a big issue for me as well.

And the fact that we thought that there were like 15 potentials left in season 7, but in Chosen we find out that there are many more ... there were 2000 potentials. Are the CoW and the First that stupid?

And another Ats twist, Wesley's father who was a cyborg in Lineage. It would be so powerful if it was really Roger. And a cyborg ... another one?

[holypotatoes]

Could you imagine if I came in here and said the twist in Enemies shouldn't have happened?! If someone does say that though I'll be annoyed. It was like the best twist ever. Anyway back on topic, I think the twist that shouldn't have been or at least it was one I was a little annoyed by was when we found out about who the Annointed One was. Maybe it wasn't considered much of a twist but in my book it is. It's not the big vamp but a little boy. It's just a little boring is all. Granted I don't really understand the point of having the Annointed One in there at all since he didn't do anything.

[Weredog]

Xander the Summoner and Giles the Not-First were both twists that were poorly written.

Other ones? Well, holypotatoes, don't get angry at me, but I didn't like the twist in "Enemies." Now, now, I'm not talking about the Angel acting as a double agent (I loved that), what I didn't like was the Shaman acting as a double agent. Or rather, I didn't like how it was written. In the episode, The Mayor summons Shaman and proposes him to relieve Angel's soul. Yet, later we find out the Shaman and Giles had been working together to put up a light show? How did that pan out? It would've made more sense if the Shaman approached the Mayor with this "idea" and the Mayor accepts it. That way in the end we would've known that Giles had called the Shaman to propose the "idea" to the Mayor to trick Faith into divulging the Ascension.

In regards to the Spike's-chip-no-wait!-soul twist, I personally think it would've worked better had we not followed Spike between "Seeing Red" and "Lessons". Not only would've it have discarded the soul twist in "Grave", I think viewers would've been equally shocked as Buffy was when he reveals he has a soul in "Beneath You."

[holypotatoes]

Other ones? Well, holypotatoes, don't get angry at me, but I didn't like the twist in "Enemies." Now, now, I'm not talking about the Angel acting as a double agent (I loved that), what I didn't like was the Shaman acting as a double agent. Or rather, I didn't like how it was written. In the episode, The Mayor summons Shaman and proposes him to relieve Angel's soul. Yet, later we find out the Shaman and Giles had been working together to put up a light show? How did that pan out? It would've made more sense if the Shaman approached the Mayor with this "idea" and the Mayor accepts it. That way in the end we would've known that Giles had called the Shaman to propose the "idea" to the Mayor to trick Faith into divulging the Ascension.

WHAT?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I knew I shouldn't have said anything. No I get where you're coming from though. I was always confused on that too. Did Giles come up with this plan before The Mayor did and if so how did he know that he should implement the plan at that point? I just always blow it off since it's not a pivitol matter. There are many things I could latch onto that don't make sense a lot of the time but I tend to disregard them since it's usually not important.

I got another one, it's like a dual twist though. The first twist is good but the second is horrible. In Potential (an episode I can't stand) we find out that Dawn apparently is a potential slayer. Now in my mind, great. I would have been extremely happy about that situation since it does make sense she could be one because of the blood swap in season 5. If Dawn was really made out of Buffy's blood it makes perfect sense to me that she could be a slayer or at least a potential. The second twist is the one I could have lived without. The reveal that no, Dawn is in fact not a potential but Amanda is. WTF?! It came out of nowhere and frankly I would have liked to see what would have happened if Dawn was one of them and what it would have done to Dawn and Buffy's relationship or lack there of.

[Fehmina]

I don't really understand the point of having the Annointed One in there at all since he didn't do anything.

I agree with you there. I hated this part of the storyline, i thought it was pointless and so disappointing! i mean, fair enough, it sort of flowed poetically with the idea of a child leading the slayer into hell. but nothing decent came of his character. i think the writers probably realised they were onto something better with the Spike storyline and decided to get the Annointed One out of the way as quickly as possible.

Another thing, i was never really a fan of Riley, but i never 'got' the idea of him and Adam being 'brothers'. Or that Proffessor Walsh had a higher plan for him. I think that aspect of the story was handled a bit crap.
Unless i'm understaniding it all wrong.

Aaand, i also agree with your whole Potential Dawn thing. However, i'm glad she wasn't a potential, but i was just annoyed at the way she was so willing to pass over the 'power' to Amanda once she realised she wasn't a potential. Also, how could Amanda stake the Vamp ("... vampire?"), with no prior knowledge, and being as scrawny as she is?

x

[Cinderela]

I personally can not stand the 'evil watcher' Gwendolyn Post one episode! There are so many ways that a rogue watcher with a rogue slayer could have gone! I can see huge potential there that was never taken advantage of.......in and out in one episode!

But, considering everything else that was going on in 'Revelations', it seems nit picky, but I just hate that Joss turned what could have been an interesting, exciting sub-plot into a cheap 'never should have been twisted' plot twist!

[DoughnutHole]

ugh... im gonna go with willow turning evil in season 6... i dunno if its necessarily a plot twist... but it sure sent me for a loop! i hated the progression of willow's character. And while the drug/magic was a good allegory, i just didnt like that it happened to her. HOWEVER, i will give joss props for making xander the HERO yet again... he saves the day and i love him for it.

Also, one plot twist that could have sucked major was if Dawn was actually a potential. But thank god that joss had me fooled on that one. Because it would have been kinda cheap.

[caughtup]

I am going to go with the entire Spike thing, from top to bottom. In my opinion, Spike should have stayed EVIL and in love with Druscilla. I think once we had Spike with a chip we had a real change in character where a patheticness grew way too much. He becomes Adam's lackey and I see Spike as a solo villain.
Now, onto the soul. Spike with a chip and a soul is madness. I understand writers need to change things up but going the whole Angel route was a mistake in my opinion. The whole 'Spike as a good man' was hard to take for me because I loved him so much evil.

As for Angel.. the whole Cordelia = an angel sucked. I liked when she became evil though but it all happened a bit too quick.

[vampmogs]

The worst IMO is the 'plot twist' of Spike really going to get his soul. It wasn't written, directed or acted in that way. The writers deserve to have fans claiming they won't believe it, because what they saw on screen most certainly showed them otherwise.

The plot twist with Xander summoning Sweet, was just terrible as well.

[Cinderela]

The worst IMO is the 'plot twist' of Spike really going to get his soul. It wasn't written, directed or acted in that way. The writers deserve to have fans claiming they won't believe it, because what they saw on screen most certainly showed them otherwise.

The plot twist with Xander summoning Sweet, was just terrible as well.

I second these two! It feels like Spike getting his soul was a plot twist just for the sake of a plot twist. I know Joss has spoken to this, but maybe he didn't tell us everything!

And Xander summoning Sweet felt the same way!

[vampmogs]

I second these two! It feels like Spike getting his soul was a plot twist just for the sake of a plot twist. I know Joss has spoken to this, but maybe he didn't tell us everything!

I agree, it felt cheap to me. I love a good plot twist, but it's not good if you show everything to contradict the idea Spike could possibly be going to get his soul. Even keeping it from James so that he'd play it the other way was cheap. It wasn't good writing. A good plot twist is when you don't suspect something but when the truth is revealed you can look back on the scenes and see how it makes sense. You look back at all of Spike's scenes and that just doesn't happen.

I accept that Spike went to get his soul, not only because in an interview Joss said it was true, but because I don't think Spike would have lied about it all this time. BUT in saying that, if it became a plot point later on when Joss changed his mind and had Spike reveal he didn't mean to get his soul after all, which I actually think would be a fascinating story for Spike given his bragging about it to Angel and his relationship with Buffy, I certainly wouldn't call it a bad retcon at all. Quite the contrary, I'd find it brilliant. It'd certainly make more sense in regards to those scenes in season six than what we actually got.

[buffyholic]

I really don?t mind Xander summoning the demon and it doesn?t seem out of character for me. It?s just like Xander to go for an easy way out too and then, act like nothing is his fault. Like Anya said, he always sees things his way. So, he just wanted his happy ending, and maybe he knew what was going on or not, but he was just worried about him. I mean, he only sees things his way.

Willow?s addiction. That is one of the poorest twists in the verse. Just bad writing. It would have been cool to continue with the whole "Willow is addicted to power" but no, they went with the metaphor for drugs. Bad, just bad.

[litzie]

No one else wants to jump in and rant about Giles in season seven? Really? Even with all his ominous making other people carry his things...?

Another one I was just thinking of when reading all your posts...Spike and the trigger. While in some ways you might just think it's a lame plot point rather than lame plot twist (which - definitely with the lame), it was set up in conversations with dead people so that the audience thought that spike was sleeping with random women, then it turns out he bites random women, then it turns out he's got a whole trigger thing going on...so twisty enough by my standards. And...much like KingofCretins said, since the payoff was one of the most hated episodes ever...LAME!

[Retrograde]

Xander summoning Sweet.

I've just rewatched OMWF and to me I don't think this is that bad! We see Dawn taking the pendant AFTER all the singing has started, so her summoning it is out of the picture. It's perfectly reasonable to assume that Xander had no idea this would happen - we have seen before that books on that sort of thing are vague and confusing - he may have thought it was something entirely different to the happy ending he wished for.


I agree about the Spike thing - it wasn't done well. It should have been left ambiguous rather than EXPECTING him to get his chip removed - it should have been 'well, he could either be talking about having his chip removed, or getting a soul'. It just annoys me! Plus he becomes such a pansy afterwards, I prefer evil Spike.