Thank god for Angel?

[DigitalLeonardo]

So I was wondering, if Angel never got a spin-off where would Cordelia be?

I am thinking she'd either still be on Buffy and have a love triangle with Anya for Xander, but slowly fade out and not be a main character in season 5.

or

Have left for LA, and never really heard of for the rest of the series and MAYBE a return episode in season 5 or 6, but then after that nothing.

Her character worked really well for high school, but I don't know how'd it fit in for the remaining four seasons. What do you guys think?

[Laura]

I agree, I don't think Cordelia would fit in well with the remaining seasons of Buffy. Of course, she grew so much in Angel, maybe she could grow in Buffy and stay with the gang.

I believe either she would have disappeared off the show for good, as she left for L.A. Or, I think since she was put into Angel which means Joss wanted her character to return, I think she would have stayed with Buffy and maybe went to college in Sunnydale. It would have been interesting to see how that played out though.

Of course, who knows what would have become with her character since Doyle would not have been there to give her her visions. Maybe something else would have happened to her...

[DigitalLeonardo]

Yeah, Cordelia really was that vision girl, she with out a power I don't think she would have fit with the Sunnydale gang. Though I'm sure Joss would have fit her in, but with the season 5 story line so close to family/friends, I just can't see Cordelia fitting in with out it seeming wrong.

[Laura]

digitalleonardo said:

Yeah, Cordelia really was that vision girl, she with out a power I don't think she would have fit with the Sunnydale gang. Though I'm sure Joss would have fit her in, but with the season 5 story line so close to family/friends, I just can't see Cordelia fitting in with out it seeming wrong.

Yeah, that is true, but Cordelia actually became kinda part of the gang in season 3. I think maybe if she had stayed with them and continued to help them, they could have become closer. I don't know how Dawn and Cordelia would have reacted to each other, though. Or Riley and Cordelia...there are a lot of possible clashes between Cordelia and new characters. I do think she would have moved on from Xander, though.

[Allan]

She did become part of the gang, but I think she would have still left for LA, and that would have been the last we saw of her. It''s what the character always wanted, so anything else would have sold her out.

[Glenn]

I wouldnt have cared too much, she was coming to the end of any interesting-ness (new word) her character held on Buffy and wouldnt have really needed to see her again. She did well on Angel (up to season 3 anyway )

[Allan]

By the end of season 3 on Buffy, I really felt that Cordy had come full circle. Her family lost her money which grounded her somewhat, she learned to forgive Xander to a degree, etc.

It was a three year character arc which worked nicely IMO.

[Beck]

She wouldn't have had a place on BtVS anymore, so I'm glad she crossed over. I don't think her character had come full circle at that stage, but she had no use on BtVS anymore.

[Allan]

I think she came "full circle" as far as her character arc at that point was going. Granted, she wasn't beyong further development, but for the stage she was at over the show, I don't think she needed more.

[Beck]

I'll have to disagree there. I think Cordy had grown a lot, but her story had barely been touched upon. Riches to rags, but not much more was explored with Cordy. I think as an original character on the show, she deserved more :dunno: And I was thankful she got it on Ats.

[Allan]

Nah, that's fair enough. Though I link it to also her ship with Xander, and the resolution, and also her going from nastiness to the Scoobies to a begrudging member, to full fledged.

[Deleted]

I wouldn't have liked Cordy to stay on Buffy instead of cross over to Angel, but if she had stayed I don't think it would have been that bad.

Firstly I don't think the character Anya would have returned if Cordy was still around, the two in a way are quite similar when you boil it down. They both speak their minds in a blunt, crude, hilarious fashion, another person like that on the same show wouldn't have worked and I think a writer said something along these lines on one of the Season 4 commentaries.

I think Xander and Cordelia would have stayed together until the end, maybe a few bumps here and there, but not get married like Xander and Anya did (well I hope not, Cordy just doesn't seem like the getting married kinda girl.) She would have to have grown closer and closer to the group as the series went on, by Season 5 I'm sure she'd have been very attached to the group and not just because of Xander.

But as for a role, I'm sure Joss would have thought up of something to give her more purpose in the show. Anywhoo I'm glad she crossed over, if she stayed in Sunnydale where bitchiness is all she knows I don't think she'd have changed as drastically as she did after moving to LA. I think a new location, a new life and a fresh start helped kick start her development as a person in a major way.

[Allan]

Joss may have thought up something for Cordy season 4 onwards, though to me her moving to LA to pursue her dreams (regardess of Angel) seemed like the natural thing.

I agree that if it weren't for Cordy leaving the show, Anya wouldn't be the beloved character she is now.

[shred]

I can see Cordy staying till season 4 of Buffy, maybe halfway through season 5, then leaving the show altogether.

I cannot picture Cordy in season 6 or 7. Mostly because in Buffy, there wasn't anything to happen to her in order to make her grow. In Angel, there was the whole vision story for her but what about in Buffy?

And also, there were already too many characters in Buffy to take care off and more important (in terms of growth) than Cordy. So eventually, she'll fade away - just like Oz did.

So, yeah, thank god for Angel. Not that I'm practically happy with her progression on Angel.