23 Years Ago Today, the Buffyverse’s Worst Ever Story Started (& It Ruined One of the Best Characters)

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Both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel are beloved vampire shows, but like any long-running series, they weren’t perfect. When you make so many episodes each season, it’s bound to happen – some storylines just don’t quite work, and not everything can be as good as the very best episodes. Season 6 of Buffy often gets criticized for things like Willow’s storyline, the villains known as the Trio, and the overall gloomy tone, but it’s far from the weakest part of the entire series.

I believe the worst season of either Angel or Buffy the Vampire Slayer is actually Angel Season 4. The season simply has the weakest episodes overall. A major reason for this is how the show handled Cordelia Chase, a character who was usually one of the strongest in either series. While her return to Earth without her memories in the early episodes had potential, the problems truly began with Episode 5, “Supersymmetry,” where she starts living with Angel’s son, Connor, and a romantic storyline begins to develop.

Angel Season 4’s Cordelia Storylines Are The Buffyverse At Its Worst

Okay, so the whole Connor and Cordelia thing on Angel was… a lot. It started with Connor training her to kill vamps, which was strange considering her history with Angel and how she basically grew up with Connor. I thought maybe it could be a one-time thing, especially since Cordelia seemed really lost and confused about everything after that training. Even when her memories came back and she remembered being in love with Angel, the show still pushed this romance between her and Connor. Seriously, just two episodes later, they ended up together, and it felt… out of nowhere and honestly, a bit jarring.

This storyline is deeply unsettling and feels very contrived, and unfortunately, things don’t improve as it goes on. It involves a poorly handled mystical pregnancy (which was partly due to the actress Charisma Carpenter being pregnant in real life), demonic possession, and ultimately ends with Cordelia in a coma and effectively leaving the show. It’s widely considered the worst part of the entire Buffyverse – it’s not enjoyable to watch and really damages one of the show’s strongest characters, hurting the series as a whole. She only appears in one episode of Season 5 after this arc concludes.

Even when watching it again, the show is hard to get through, filled with questionable choices. Actress Charisma Carpenter has spoken openly about the difficult and harmful environment created by Joss Whedon during filming, including instances where he made hurtful comments about her weight while she was pregnant and questioned her decision to have a child. She’s also previously shared her strong dislike for the storyline involving Connor and Cordelia on TikTok, describing it as deeply disturbing, creepy, and predatory, and saying it left her feeling devastated and strongly opposed.

@charisma_carpenter

Just thinking about Cordelia Connor’s storyline! Such a great character on Angel. #tvshow #angel #cordelia #connor

♬ Silence – Vick Lezcano

The story is still very upsetting due to its on-screen content, but the problems during production make it even more troubling. It’s widely considered a weak point in the Buffy universe, and the characters of Faith and Cordelia deserve a better portrayal. The actress who played Cordelia created a truly captivating character with excellent development, and it would be wonderful if the new Buffy reboot could find a way to include her, despite the issues with Season 4 of Angel. It won’t be easy to move past those past mistakes, but it would be a fitting tribute.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel are available to stream on Hulu.

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2025-11-03 23:47