Well, to be fair, he was tricked by one of Anya’s previous victims into believing that the marriage would be a complete disaster and make everyone miserable. Although that opens for some people an entirely new can o’ worms over whether or not that victim’s curse should have been undone when alt-Giles smashed Anya’s necklace. Me, I have no problem with the ret-con or just assuming that either alt-Giles was wrong or that it undid all of Anya’s curses that existed in the alt-Buffyverse (which would really just be Cordy’s).
Correct me if I am wrong, but Xander knew it was fake when he left. It was supposedly his father’s behavior and his fear that he would become him (probably egged on by the false vision) that made him leave. Uhh yeah, right :rolleyes: . The unhappy relationship principle must be observed, and the desire to shock and stick with the “Life as the Big Bad” disaster were at the root of the decision. It seems contrived then, and contrived now.
Looking at the transcript it appears that Xander made the decision before knowing it was fake. He saw the visions, left, thought about the visions in conjunction with his previously undisclosed doubts and comes back to break it off. That’s when he sees his parents arguing which presumably cements his decision. So we’re both half right.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t leave home without my cellphone. Everyone I know has a cellphone. So let’s see - If I lived in Sunnydale, worked as a carpenter, hung out with the slayer, knew about the Hellmouth and TFE, and went on a roadtrip in the middle of the night to confront what might be TFE, who has summoned his loyal army of bringers to kill all the Slayerettes, and being this stupid, I’m also bringing the Slayers kid sister… jeez… I don’t know. I would at least try to reach the Slayer on her phone. She might not be underground in the Initiative yet. They might be done and outside again. A quick call to the voicemail, saying what we’re up to, might be an idea.
ME pointedly introduced cell phones in the first episode this season. There have been so many occasions, when speed dialing one of the other Scoobies would have made sense. But no.
So yeah. I think the cell phones are a big deal.
As for Pylea (and that debate). I suffered through the three episodes, and I stand by my opinion and memory. It doesn’t hold. A lot of it is played for cheap laughs. There are quite a few moments that make me cringe. And even though i get to :drool: over Charisma Carpenter in a faux Leia-slouching-in-front-of-Jabba outfit, it’s not enough. Pylea might be labeled ‘Hell Dimension’ - or a ‘close second’ as Lorne puts it - but it’s simply the Mexican Village from Universal Studios, looking vaguely arabic/midieval, populated by Lorne’s cousins, priests looking like Bringers, but still with eyes and Clem’s grandma. It might have two suns, but it’s got our own familiar moon.
Demon dimensions don’t have farmers, high tech collars, constables in S/m-outfits.
And by showing me where all the bad guys (well some of them) come from, these three episodes took away some of the magic for me.
Pylea sucked, of that we agree. But rememebr, one’s hell dimension is another’s industrial base. It seems to me that most demons behave like humans, fundamentally. They eat, drink, etc. Just as we think the telepathic demons from Earshot are ooky, so did Lorne’s people about our music.
BTW, has the source of Lorne’s mystical music connection ever been explained? Is it just empathic ability + musical talent?
No Otto, when Xander left her the second time, he knew damned well the demon showed him a false reality.
Bolding mine.
He left because he was scared of turning into his father, not because he knew for a fact what would happen if me married Anya.
Which is pretty much why I said “it appears that Xander made the decision .before knowing it was fake.. He saw the visions, left, thought about the visions in conjunction with his previously undisclosed doubts and comes back to break it off…”
Bolding mine.
So he thought it was real, left, decided to break it off, came back, found out it was fake, saw his parents fighting, and stuck by his original decision.