10 times the Scooby Gang were the real villains of Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Buffy The Vampire Slayer is a beloved series known for its cheesy one-liners, stylish wardrobe, and “Big Bads.” I adore this show. For a program that debuted the year I was born, it holds up remarkably well—for the most part.

Across seven seasons, we watched the Scooby Gang grow from awkward high-schoolers to apocalypse-stopping baddies. As such, we can’t expect to watch a group of kids ascend to adulthood without a few growing pains. Here are 10 key moments where the Scoobies were the actual worst in every way other than committing actual crimes or murder (looking at you, veiny Willow). Prepare for spoilers and light character-bashing ahead. 

10. Nobody knew what to get Tara for her birthday

We’ve all been there. Invited to a birthday party, perhaps as someone’s plus one, and stuck facing the awkward prospect of buying a birthday gift for someone you don’t know that well. The issue of Tara’s birthday is an indication of a greater problem. None of the Scoobies knew anything about Tara other than that she was a witch and Willow’s girlfriend.

Throughout the seasons, Tara became little more than an addition to Willow’s character. I would have loved for Tara to come out of her shell more and excel in her own domain of magic. Perhaps she could have become a green witch and used her calming aura to heal others. Only Dawn — arguably also an outsider — spent any real time with Tara, and when she and Willow split up, no one bothered to check in on her, even though she was most definitely the injured party. In short, we deserved to see more of Tara outside Willow’s shadow.

9. Giles left Sunnydale… again

I think the showrunners ran out of ideas for Giles. Most of his character arc in the later seasons agonized over his decision to remain in Sunnydale or return to England. Although I sympathize with him to an extent, I think he was a tad selfish. It must be difficult to see your charge outgrow you and no longer depend on you in the same way they once did, but Buffy needed him in a much more important way. Perhaps she no longer needed a Watcher, but she needed a father.

Giles could have stayed in Sunnydale to provide emotional support and simply be by her side. Perhaps his hubris got in the way, and he couldn’t stay to watch himself become complacent. Along with the Magic Shop, maybe he could have become a professor on campus and taught occult studies. Lord knows the denizens of Sunnydale needed all the help they could get, and it would have satiated his need to teach whilst keeping him close to Buffy.

8. Everyone judged Anya

Anya is probably my favorite character in the entire series. She is over 1000 years old and has an encyclopedic knowledge of various species of demons. Despite this, the gang rarely used her expertise or asked her about her life in any way. I think it stems from the fact that Xander wanted to forget about her past as a vengeance demon. The history lover in me is crying. If it were me, I’d demand to know everything I could about past cultures, people and stories. Instead, they mock her and simplify her character into someone who just ‘likes money’.

There’s no recognition of the fact that she changed her entire life to fit into a society that she hadn’t been part of for a millennium. She was pretty well-adjusted, all things considered. It’s a similar issue to my point about Tara—they never accept Anya into the gang. Also, Xander only ever commented on her physical attributes and would often patronise and put her down in front of others. He’s a sleaze.

7. Faith was driven to darkness

We’ve spoken at length about the Scoobies’ unwillingness to allow other members in the club. Faith is a prime example. I would even argue that they drove her right into the Mayor’s arms. Faith never had the same support network or privileges as Buffy. Instead of sympathizing with Faith’s difficult upbringing and isolation, Buffy saw her as a threat. When Faith accidentally killed a human, instead of giving her some space to sort through her emotions, Buffy demanded that she repent with a ‘holier than thou’ attitude that was doomed to aggravate Faith.

The father-daughter relationship that was fostered between Faith and the Mayor is a classic example of seeking solace in the wrong sources. Why couldn’t Giles offer that role to Faith as well as Buffy? Even Joyce—who is one of the most oblivious characters in the show—recognized that they needed to make an effort with Faith. By the time they realized Faith was turning, the damage was done.

6. The gang resurrected Buffy

At the start of season 6, the gang brought Buffy back to life and casually forgot to dig up her grave to check and see if the spell actually worked. Putting this egregious mistake aside, there was almost no sympathy for Buffy and what she went through. Willow even expected a ‘thank you’. They just expected her to slip back into her normal life. Any sign of struggle made them sad and put a heavy emotional burden on Buffy.

Of course, this all culminated in Buffy’s dalliance with Spike, the only other being who understood her and didn’t judge her. So, what happened when the gang found out? They judged her. Buffy carried the weight of the world on her shoulders, but the heavier burden by far was the expectations of her friends.

5. The affair that absolutely no one wanted to see

For whatever strange reason, Willow carried a torch for Xander for years. To him, she was little more than his nerdy little sister, however, and he made it clear there was no room for any romantic development. That was until she started dating Oz. Then Xander saw her as a woman and naturally, made moves. I’m convinced nobody actually wanted to see a Willow/Xander romance because the story was immediately dropped once Oz and Cordelia caught them out. Cheating is bad enough, but cheating with Xander? Unforgivable. At least Cordy had a lucky escape.

4. Willow and Tara were mooches

Imagine this scenario: Your friend tragically dies, and you agree to move into her home to look after her underage sister. You slowly sponge away all of your friend’s resources, and money becomes tight. Do you, get a job and help contribute to the house you’re living in, or resurrect your dead friend and regretfully inform them that they have awoken into destitution?

Yeah. This storyline rankled fans and for good reason. Tara and Willow were quite happy to continue at college and watched as Buffy had to drop out to take care of Dawn. It just made no sense whatsoever. Also, why didn’t The Watcher Council pay Buffy? It was literally her full-time job, and they had no issue with paying the Watchers. We know they had resources, so why didn’t they dedicate some the Slayer? It’s in their best interests to have her solely focused on her duties but she can’t do that if she’s worried about her house being taken from her.

3. Willow brainwashed Tara

On her journey into magical madness, Willow thought it was a good idea to wipe Tara’s memories after every inconvenient argument. This came after the storyline of Glory basically doing the same thing and leaving Tara with mental trauma. Seems like a good idea, right?

Putting aside the manipulation and complete violation of someone’s free will, after the gang finds out what Willow has done, they have the audacity to comfort her. They don’t hold her accountable at all. Instead, they feel sorry for her because Tara broke up with her. The only good thing to come out of this storyline was the ‘Tabula Rasa’ episode, which canonized literal loan sharks and showcased the fantastic squabbling between Rupert and ‘Randy’ Giles.

2. Anya was left at the altar

Xander had commitment issues. I get it. He came from a horrendous family with parents who should never have stayed together. I also understand why he proposed to Anya. It was an apocalypse, and he thought they were probably going to die anyway. He had an entire year, however, to tell Anya about getting cold feet. Instead, he let her get all the way to the altar before ditching her. He then had the audacity to judge her for turning back into a vengeance demon. Her world had just been ripped apart, and she returned to the only other thing she had ever known — hardly a surprise. Again, the rest of the Scoobies never held him accountable and comforted him afterwards. There was a distinct lack of empathy for Anya. 

1. Buffy was kicked out of her house

Of all the betrayals and mistakes the Scoobies have made over the course of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, this one is the worst. In the final season, Buffy is up against her most dangerous foe yet. There is no room for compromise; the state of the very world is at stake. During this, the cracks that have been forming within the Scoobies’ friendship over the past few years start to show with force. There is resistance to Buffy’s role as the leader, and the gang actually tells her to leave.

After everything that Buffy has sacrificed, after dying twice to save the world over and over again, they kick her out of her house. I suppose they think that Buffy is being too rash and uncompromising, but to be fair, given her experience with apocalypses, I would probably give more credence to her instincts. Lo and behold, as soon as she leaves, they immediately start to squabble amongst themselves. There has always been a sore spot among the Scoobies and some resistance about Buffy doing things alone, but she’s the Slayer. The responsibility is hers alone. Also, shame on you, Dawn, for telling Buffy it’s your house, too. You were literally a ball of energy a year prior.