Buffy the Vampire Slayer - 6x16 “Hell’s Bells” FULL REACTION

"That's not the way out."

Katherine Thoreson

"Love is pain" - I think that's Joss' motto.

Danna

This episode always breaks my heart. Also I am the maid of honour for my best friend from school and I know I am going to bawl my eyes out when I give the speech.

Mel Saville

This episode always felt quite off to me. And at times ridiculous. ..Everything was just a bit too over the top for me. Xander’s family’s apparently run of the mill behavior, the overall plot.. The “older version of Xander” having a clearly different accent.. it was very much an East coast accent.

Alexis Cardarella

I think it says that Xander was deeply full of fear about the wedding. Signs have been pointing that way practically since the proposal. Those visions were his deepest fears brought to life.

Richard Lucas

I like to think that Wednesday Adams agreed to be his date lol

Richard Lucas

I think Xander has been terrified of this since about a minute after he proposed. Not wanting to announce it, episode after episode, was a huge red flag.

Richard Lucas

Since you mentioned every episode having good moments, can you think of any from Reptile Boy, 2-5. I can find something great in almost every Buffy episode, but that one is a black hole to me. It’s the antithesis of what Joss created the show to be.

Richard Lucas

Hymen's Greetings!!

To me, the only completely unreddemable Buffy episode is Reptile Boy, 2-5, though I’m personally not a fan of The Zeppo. I appreciate what they did with Xander, but the Buffy/Angel/apocalypse stuff just didn’t work for me.

Richard Lucas

I didn’t guess, but looking at it now, they cast an actor who looks very much like an older Xander to me.

Richard Lucas

I think it says that people have a chance, but they have to want to change, or have help to do it. Everyone always says that Buffy has only survived this long because unlike other slayers, she has friends and family who ground her. But this episode got me thinking, Xander would be a lot more like his dad if he didn’t have Willow and Buffy’s friendships in his life.

Richard Lucas

I know you don't like spoilers, but it doesn't count if you spoil it for yourself.

Steve Quast

I have never truly loved Xander the way a lot of other people seem to, he always seems to want what someone else has and is never happy with what he has, example; not wanting Willow til she was with Oz while he had a his own relationship with Cordeila. Having said that I also didn't like this episode the first 20 or so times I watched it, but now I feel that I appreciate it more for the things that came from this episode which where mentioned in many comments before me. Still not one of my favorites but I feel it sets the tone. Also great reaction Liam thank you.

Pho3nixX

Yeah, I agree with you. I actually really like this episode, and I think Xander's fears are genuine and founded, and we've known his family are like this for a long time, but it's something he has never really dealt with.

Laura_Ali

I think we can assume that Buffy et al took responsibility for cancelling the wedding. More importantly, the writers had the two break away and then have Anya walk down the aisle for the visual tragedy of it. I don't think it's fair to condemn Xander just because the writer wanted to get a dramatic shot of the broken bride.

Xander's father is the worst. HIs mom, aunt and uncle aren't even that bad. I'm glad you considered the demon/man's past and whether he's actually that bad. Anya did very horrible things to kind of not so horrible men because scorned women wished for it - and then she forgot about her victims because they were nothing to her. In a way she had it coming. Still very sad though, especially how Xander just leaves her alone at the end.

Alexandra Wege

Xander did Anya dirty, that's like the worse thing for a woman/bride. If he was really uncertain the breakup should have happened before the wedding, that would save her the embarrassment. At the very least, both should stand up in front of everyone and announce that hte wedding is on hold, or on hiatus for the moment that they have to work out some issues. Do it together, in front of everyone, and both of them walk out at the same time. Xander can still not get married, if he feels that's the right thing, but he doesn't have to drag Anya down with him, he could still support her and encourage her life moving forward without him. He didn't have to flat out ditch her.

Brent Justice

I will always defend Xander to the hilt, he's my character, his home life is a nice version of my own family and I had 4 children of my own before I realised that I'm not capable of that kind of relationship and leaving was the best thing I ever did for my family and we are all happier and closer for it. Leaving Anya to make the announcement alone was shameful though and he should be called out on it.

Paul Gibson

Yes, I get that too. If Xander cared about Anya at all he would have had the balls to make the public announcement himself and save Anya the ignominy of having to do it!! I'm all for calling off a wedding if either parties isn't into it (God knows I should have called off mine) but Xander was downright unkind/selfish/lazy to leave Anya (and everyone else) to clear up his mess!!

Carmen Chaproniere

I like how this episode makes me think about the earlier seasons a lot. Willow and Xanders affair. All the little glimpses we got of Xander's home life, largely in the form of stories about Uncle Rory. Xander's infatuation with Buffy. The very beginnings of Xander and Anya's relationship in season 3. I think it was incredibly on purpose that all the other relationships in this episode felt like they were healing a bit (Willow/Tara, Spike/Buffy). Whedon shows inevitably break your heart, but they also inevitably lift you back up, and then let you down again, and then recover again, and so on. Things I don't like about this episode: where is Giles. Willow's "found out I was gay" line. Fake Xander's stiff acting. The rain.

KT

I've seen way too many show where if you hear the vows before the wedding moment where they were suppose to be, it doesn't have a happy ending. That said, I never really liked this episode and I always felt like the whole things was rather forced. Especially how Xander wouldn't tell Buffy or Willow about it and checking if it was even true. He just immediately assumed it was and ran off. It doesn't help to me that last Xander and Anya talked he was reassuring her about their wedding, making it seem like everything was fine. If that hadn't happened this might have been more logical for me.

s jaco

I just can't with Xander leaving Anya to do the walk of shame to the altar and make the announcement herself. If Xander does not want to get married, then fine, that's his choice but at least have the decency to make the announcement himself. What he did to Anya was cruel and cowardly. After Xander half joking about summoning Sweet and indirectly causing mayhem and death, I'm starting to get the feeling that the show is sometimes too generous to Xander.

Rachael

And don't forget the line after that: "The line ends here with us, and you're not going to change that." There is no forming a new family for Xander, at least not one with Harris blood.

KT

This episode is painful to watch. I can relate to Xander’s fears growing up with parents with a broken marriage. I just wish Xander had discussed his fears earlier than leaving Anya at the altar. The great thing about this show is even though Xander’s done an awful thing to Anya we still understand why he done it and can sympathise with him. Also I love seeing happy Buffy in this episode. SMG does great doing comedic stuff.

Sarah McKinlay

Those visions were so horrible that I wanted Xander to avoid that future at all cost. I had a new thought this time around. Maybe the best way to handle Xander's situation would be to go through with the wedding, but commit to entering some form of counseling immediately. After all, there is always divorce. Xander would have many many chances to avoid that future. This episode feels ... awful. Just awful.

UTU49

This episode is so painful to watch. I hated it on first watch, but I've grown to appreciate how it fits in to the theme of Season 6. Instead of battling demons, gods or secret military organizations, the gang's biggest challenges so far are depression, addiction, wage slavery, toxic relationships, and self-loathing. Instead of saving the world from some apocalypse, the scooby gang's herculean task is to survive the tedious struggle of everyday existence - the hardest thing in this world is to live in it. Like everything else so far this season, Xander's fear of his own abusive future is tough to watch because it's so mundane and so real.

""That was a great episode, very painful." And that is why we watch. ♥

Rob Z

One of the many reasons I don't like Xander as much as the other characters. He proposed then he leaves Anya at the altar... He doesn't just call off the wedding, he straight up leaves her there by herself.

Prue

Yes, that was adorable of her. It's nice to see her funny side sometimes. Oh and don't forget the juggling act! (I can't juggle to save my life so I praise anyone who can! lol)

Shierra C Styver

It is interesting I think. We have heard from the very beginning that Xander's family life is not good. So seeing it on screen was a nice touch. Remember Restless in his dream with his Dad saying "you won't come upstairs, you ashamed of us? Your mothers crying her guts out". Emma and Brendan's acting here were fantastic in the final scenes.

Salv Mancuso

"That was a great episode, very painful". Season 6 mood...

Khanach

This episode is so painful. Great reaction as always.

Ashley

@12:19 Wow you smart cookie, you! Yes, it's the Future Xander come to stop to wedding plot twist episode. It could also be 'Xander having cold feet'. What I love about this episode is Buffy trying to keep the audience entertained as best as she could and Spike's compliment to Buffy "You're glowing" before he went away with his No-Name date. lol Spike's date. Gee, to this day, no one knows who she is. Not that it's a big deal but apparently she's nothing but an accessory for Spike to be at the wedding. 👌

Shierra C Styver

There's something herky-jerky about this sequence. It feels in character enough for Xander to panic, but still manages to feel out of left field, like this particular thing wasn't set up (Anya was the one with the set up, all worried about the wedding instead of the marriage). But Emma's performance through this is so amazing, and I like so many of the little details. I'm of a very split mind on this one.

FernWithy

Not my favorite episode of the season, but as every episode has good moments I'm still looking forward to this reaction! Can't believe we're almost done with S6!

Jenn Rose

I like this episode for the feels it gives me. I really get where Xander is coming from and really understand his fears. It reliably has me tearing up (on a par with the Body here). I hate the episode for the awfulness I feel for them both but I think it's done so well. It's like a long slow payoff for all the hints we've had of Xander's parents. I really appreciate the point you make about Xander's character and how well he's turned out despite his upbringing.

I was much like you: painful episode but really curious where they go from here. I seem to be one of the few who like this episode here. It’s definitely not a pleasant watch, but I felt going along with a happy wedding would have undermined a lot of what they’ve been setting up with Xander since the beginning of the show. And it’s hard to see Anya so sad but I also feel like this is the first deep obstacle/conflict she’s had as a human in her own life/plans so how she deals with it is an interesting question.

Shashank

Yeah, this is an episode that took me a long time to appreciate & which was partly helped by a video that Passion of the Nerd did. It's still not one of my favourite ever Buffy episodes, which is an understatement, but I don't hardcore nope on it like I used to.

Claire Eyles

Wow, can't believe you called that creepy guy being future Xander, even though it was just a ruse to make him back out of the wedding. I didn't like that Xander just left Anya to deal with the everyone left at the wedding. Sorry but not cool. Don't just walk o ut...again! Poor Anya.

Val

I don’t want to be suggest that this episode isn’t a good piece of television, because it is, by itself. But I personally don’t love a number of things about it. One is totally ridiculous on my part, that being that Xander’s father, mother, and uncle Rory were all played by actors who were recognizable from American TV. But that’s a stupid thing to complain about, so I won’t; it just takes me out of the show a little and I’m mentioning it. It’s not like I want actors not to have jobs because I have seen them before. That’s like punishing them for success. (But could Xander look less like his dad? Sorry.) ... The real issue for me is that I just really don’t think this unhappy situation was a good idea; the episode should have ended with a successful knot-tying. But... Welp. ... Anyway, I don’t want to go off on a tangent. And I do like Buffy Charades.

Koz

It's about that guy at the Dead Man's Party that Mr. Belvedere couldn't get in touch with

Kristin Carter

Spike/Buffy, Buffy/Xander and Willow/Tara are lovely....as is Anya being so beautifully Anya

SpikesEcho

Anya’s bridal walk always gets me... 😭

Stephen Mintac

I adore Anya, so this episode hits me haaaaard! Anya deserved better!! :'(

4Tom4lepus4

😂😂😂🤣

CeNedra

Sometimes reactors so accurately guess what's coming that I feel like I must've been very dense the 1st time around. Like, guessing future Xander, the accuracy of it all. Even if he wasn't.

It took me way too long to work out what you guys were on about 😂 Bloody autocorrect

Oh god I'm dreading watching this Anya is one of my favourite characters this episode is so painful.

Valkyrie

Is buddy a Buffy spinoff or the full on reboot but with a guy?

Elisa H.

Oh, God, this episode. *Gulp*. Going in...

Raven Dark

Liked your review and reaction but I really hated this episode. Rather than saying anything profound, it just wallows in misery and represents a total regression for so many characters.

Nick Earl

*stares at "Buddy" for way too long Oh Liam, you precious cinnamon role.

Chess Red Eagle

Have you met my buddy? She's a vampire slayer.

Moon Logic

Buffy is such a buddy. ;) *goes to watch*

Chaotic Cam