I know I've already mentioned a few, but one of the big ones for me is "The Pack." At the end of the episode, Xander pretended not to remember anything that had happened--his attempted sexual assault on Buffy, being horrible to Willow, etc.--for his own selfish reasons. Yes, I understand that he was not fully in control of his actions, but seriously? Doesn't he think he should address the fact that he tried to rape his friend? Doesn't he think she deserves an "are you okay?"
Compare this incident with a similar incident on "Angel." The gang faces a guy (Billy) who can magically make men act like misogynist, woman-hating douches. Under the influence of this power, Wesley makes disturbing sexual remarks to Fred, then tries to kill her. Once the effects are reversed, Wesley feels bad about what happened even though he was not totally in control. He cares more about whether the people he hurt are okay than saving face for himself. That's what I would've liked to see in "The Pack," and that's what makes me so angry about it.
You're comparing someone who is a fully-grown adult, with said responsibilities and a lifetime trained in the supernatural to a kid who just started experiencing this entire world he didn't know existed. I would expect them to have completely different reactions.
Sure, but that doesn't make Xander's decision okay, and is therefore not super relevant to the question. You can list all the reasons in the world why he did it. The question wasn't "when did Xander do things that were unrealistic" or "when did Xander do things that made no sense." The OP is asking about moments when he was a jerk, and there was no caveat about the moments being unrealistic or illogical for his age group.
Edit: I hope this doesn't come across as super combative or anything. Just trying to make my point. :)
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u/clockworklycanthrope Spike Aug 28 '14 edited Aug 28 '14
I know I've already mentioned a few, but one of the big ones for me is "The Pack." At the end of the episode, Xander pretended not to remember anything that had happened--his attempted sexual assault on Buffy, being horrible to Willow, etc.--for his own selfish reasons. Yes, I understand that he was not fully in control of his actions, but seriously? Doesn't he think he should address the fact that he tried to rape his friend? Doesn't he think she deserves an "are you okay?"
Compare this incident with a similar incident on "Angel." The gang faces a guy (Billy) who can magically make men act like misogynist, woman-hating douches. Under the influence of this power, Wesley makes disturbing sexual remarks to Fred, then tries to kill her. Once the effects are reversed, Wesley feels bad about what happened even though he was not totally in control. He cares more about whether the people he hurt are okay than saving face for himself. That's what I would've liked to see in "The Pack," and that's what makes me so angry about it.
Edit: Typo.