Buffy The Vampire Slayer 6x16 | Hell's Bells
Added 2025-10-18 20:28:42 +0000 UTCMy reaction to Buffy Season 6 Episode 16 "Hell's Bells".
Comments
Ooh thank you I didn't realize!
Chance's House Of Horror
2025-12-27 23:22:31 +0000 UTCJust a heads up that this one didn’t make it to the season 6 playlist. Maybe okay, with how heartbreaking it is 😭 but thought you should know
Amanda Grace
2025-12-27 22:51:19 +0000 UTCPassion of the nerd did an amazing critique on Xander in selfless where he explains how the writing was on the wall all along. Xander was always bound to end up back in the metaphorical basement caused by all his childhood trauma. He wasn’t ready for marriage. The proposal itself was only because he genuinely thought they would all die in the apocalypse and he loved Anya so much he just wanted to calm her by expressing how much he loved her- with a really impulsive & not well thought through plan. Which left Anya humiliated at the alter. So sad
Alysha
2025-11-18 08:57:48 +0000 UTCI always thought they were too young to get married and that it was kind of weird of the show to introduce that, except of course that the actors look/are older than 20/21 and they’ve been given more mature living situations than the average 20 year old (big fancy apartment, Xander having a rapidly advancing career). So that softened the blow for me. But I do feel bad for pretty much everyone involved.
BattyT
2025-10-25 03:59:57 +0000 UTCI never understood this episode when i watched this 25 odd years ago. I couldn't understand why he would self-sabotage this way, and hurt Anya so badly. Having now spent 25 years navigating adult life, and seeing how trauma plays out in peoples lives, i undrstand this so much better now. How self-loathing works, how difficult it is to carve out a healthier path... I feel desperately sorry for Xander here. To have grown up constantly surrounded by alcoholism, abuse, conflict - it's devastating for kids, and it can be so difficult to get to any kind of emotional equilibrium as an adult.
Bri
2025-10-23 12:18:07 +0000 UTCAs someone whose mother married a man like Xander after leaving my father—who stayed silent for ten years and only spoke up after twenty years of marriage—I’ve seen firsthand how painful emotional neglect can be. But you can’t go back in time and undo those choices. What matters now is that she has the chance to move forward with someone truly capable of love. And let’s not forget—Xander is only about 21. Most people don’t recognize emotional toxicity at that age, let alone know how to name it. Back then, we didn’t have the kind of access to mental health resources that we do now. It’s so much easier today to learn about emotional maturity, trauma, and self-worth. Xander isn’t a stand-up guy by any means, but he’s also a young man who desperately wanted to be loved—because deep down, he didn’t love himself. That doesn’t excuse what he did, but it does help explain it.
Penny
2025-10-22 21:54:54 +0000 UTCAbsolutely agree. Don’t wanna end up like your dad? Then you choose to not be. It ain’t that hard!
Janine
2025-10-22 12:35:52 +0000 UTCI agree that he's a dumbass for not anticipating what breaking her heart might lead her to do, but ultimately her actions are still her own responsibility. She's an adult with her own agency. This whole, 'look what you made me do,' logic is dangerous and could be applied to some... other things in this series and irl that we don't want to make excuses for. Still love you though, George 😅
Maia Brodsky
2025-10-19 15:48:35 +0000 UTCI totally got them mixed up lol
Chance's House Of Horror
2025-10-19 15:24:29 +0000 UTCI don’t care if people come for me, xander can suck it, he knew what Anya was like, why would he think of proposing to her when he understands how intense she can be and saying “it could be real” is just a non point , cos what do you even mean
George Alexander
2025-10-19 14:45:10 +0000 UTCBuffy's time-stalling performance in front of the guests is my oasis in this sea of heartache. - Adorable ❤❤❤
Ian Ramsey
2025-10-19 06:01:46 +0000 UTCYes there actually is a Greek god of marriage (specifically marriage ceremonies) whose name is Hymen. Part of the wedding ceremony in Ancient Greece involved singing songs to Hymen, and possibly running around shouting his name to ensure his attendance at the wedding to ward off disaster. Maybe D'Hoffryn should have gifted them with Hymen himself, they could have made a funny scene of showing a God of marriage take one look at Xander then nope right out of the ceremony.
Claire Eyles
2025-10-19 01:35:50 +0000 UTCA lot of others share your opinion about Xander, but I do feel really bad for him here. He has a lot of unresolved childhood trauma that he's just now starting to recognize and hasn't even begun to heal from. Let's not forget, this was the boy who slept outside on the lawn on Christmas Eve just to avoid what was going on inside his own house. I feel bad for Anya too, but she also has centuries of evil behind her that she has done no self-reflection on and very little in terms of atoning for, and it just came back to bite her in the ass. (Side note: the demon guy pretending to be Xander wasn't acting pervy earlier in the episode. I think you were confusing him with Xander's uncle Rory.)
Maia Brodsky
2025-10-19 00:13:05 +0000 UTCXander continues in his unabated efforts to prove why he never earns those 'wise' or 'heart' of the team moments. This was complete cowardice and an imaginary monster of his own making. You don't wanna be like your dad, don't. Don't become a drunk and don't take your regrets out on her or your family. You and Anya never fought like that before, so you just decided you were as weak as your PoS daddy & said fuck it? Ugh. Good but sad & frustrating episode. Good react, man.
Kai d'T
2025-10-18 23:07:15 +0000 UTC
