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 they weren’t perfect. It’s understandable – with 22 episodes each season for multiple years, not every story can be a hit. There will inevitably be some weaker episodes and choices, and few will reach the quality of ‘The Body.’ Season 6 of Buffy often receives criticism for things like Willow’s storyline, the Trio villains, and its overall gloomy tone. However, it’s not the worst arc in the entire series.

I believe the worst season actually belongs to Angel Season 4, which consistently features the weakest episodes of both series. The biggest problem is how the show handled Cordelia Chase, a character who was usually one of the strongest in either show. While her return to Earth without her memories in the early episodes of Season 4 was interesting, things really went downhill with Episode 5, “Supersymmetry,” when she started living with Angel’s son, Connor, and a romantic storyline began to develop.

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

The episode “Supersymmetry” features a kiss between Connor and Cordelia after he’s trained her to fight vampires – a strange development considering her past feelings for Angel and her history with Connor, having grown up with him as a child. While the show could have presented the kiss as a fleeting moment, especially since Cordelia is confused about her identity and emotions at the time, it surprisingly pushes the idea of a romantic relationship between them. Just two episodes later, they become intimate, further developing this unexpected connection.

This storyline is deeply unsettling and feels very contrived, and unfortunately, the rest of the season doesn’t improve things. It involves a poorly handled mystical pregnancy (which coincided with Charisma Carpenter’s real-life pregnancy), possession, and ultimately ends with Cordelia in a coma, effectively removing her from the show after Season 4 – she only appeared in one episode of Season 5. This is widely considered the worst part of the entire Buffyverse; it’s not enjoyable to watch and severely damages one of the show’s best characters, ultimately harming the series as a whole.

Even after watching it again, the show is hard to get through, with consistently frustrating plot choices. Actress Charisma Carpenter has spoken openly about the difficult and harmful behavior she experienced on set from Joss Whedon, including him calling her “fat” while she was pregnant and questioningly asking if she planned to keep the baby. She recently shared on TikTok that she strongly disliked the storyline involving Connor and Cordelia, describing it as “difficult,” “awful,” “creepy,” and “predatory,” and said it deeply upset her.

@charisma_carpenter

Just thinking about Cordelia Connor’s storyline! So many memories. #tvshow #angel #cordelia #character

♬ Silence – Vick Lezcano

The story is still very upsetting due to its on-screen content, but learning about what happened during production makes it even more problematic. 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 memorable character with excellent development, and it would be fantastic if the Buffy reboot could find a way to include her, despite the issues with Angel Season 4 making that a challenge.

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

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2025-11-03 21:11