[continued from previous message]   
      
   just impossible to buy that Buffy would ever be friends with this drip, and   
   this deflates the moral dilemma somewhat.   
      
      
           5 HURT: ANDREW J. FERCHLAND AS THE ANOINTED ONE   
      Remember the Anointed One? The evil child vampire leader from the early   
   days of Buffy? If not, the most memorable thing he did was burn to a crisp   
   when Spike tossed him into a cage and elevated him into the harsh light of   
   day. While it’s unfair to put the blame entirely on Andrew J. Ferchland –   
   he   
   was, after all, just a kid – it’s a rare thing for a child to be able to   
   pull off evil and intimidating. Ferchland just didn’t have that kind of   
   eerie presence. Also, with Ferchland on the verge of a growth spurt, the   
   entire idea seemed ill-conceived from the get go.   
      
      
           3 HURT: MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG AS DAWN   
      As Buffy’s teenaged sister with huge abandonment issues and an   
   inferiority complex, it’s always clear where Dawn’s angst is coming from.   
   Yet, that doesn’t make her infamous screams of “Get out, get out, GET   
   OUT!”   
   any better to sit through.  Dawn’s propensity for whining and moaning just   
   couldn’t be channeled in a sympathetic way through young Michelle   
   Trachtenberg’s performance.   
     However, it must be mentioned that Trachtenberg upped her game   
   considerably in the seventh season. It’s a great shame, though, because   
   Buffy stepping up to take care of Dawn after Joyce’s passing makes for some   
   of the best moments of the excellent fifth season.   
      
      
           1 HURT: NICHOLAS BRENDON AS XANDER   
      Nicholas Brendon, though certainly not on the same level as the rest of   
   the actors of the main cast, brought a certain geeky zesty charm to everyman   
   Xander Harris. His comedic chops certainly made Xander’s more obnoxious   
   traits likeable at times.   
     Yet, the episode “Hells Bells”, is a key example that Brendon’s acting   
   ability was lacking in certain areas. This was most obvious in the alternate   
   future scene, where Xander is shown that a marriage with Anya will turn him   
   into a bitter and abusive drunk.   
     Fake scenario   
   or not, this was the fulcrum of Xander’s years long relationship with Anya.   
   It needed to be at least convincing.   
     Instead, it’s one of Buffy’s more unintentionally hilarious scenes.   
      
      
   David   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)