Don't get me wrong, I think the aftermath was great. I've also gained a lot of respect for the sixth season as a whole, which i didn't appreciate in the first go-round. That's why the Xander thing niggles at me.

I think it makes a certain amount of sense that given how awful Xander's parents are, that he would freak out at the idea of becoming them.

I've also gained a lot of respect for the sixth season as a whole

I'm not quite there yet. I liked the latter part of the season a whole lot and of course OMWF, but "Doublemeat Palace" is a stain on my consciousness.

And, just to prove that someone's experience will always contradict that, "Doublemeat Palace" was the very first episode for a friend of mine who has been solidly, devoutly nerdishly obsessed with the show ever since. It helped that he had extremely vivid memories of his own working-his-way-through-college-in-fast-food-hell experience, complete with ghastly training/indocrination videos.

I think it makes a certain amount of sense that given how awful Xander's parents are, that he would freak out at the idea of becoming them.

It was foreshadowed in "Restless," too -- in Xander's dream, when he looks up the basement stairs, towards where his parents are, he says, "That's not the way out."

I never thought that line was meant to be taken literally, when everything else in the dream parts of the episode was metaphorical.

Even if it was planned, which I guess it had to be, it just didn't seem true to Xander's character. He was not a runner and hider. Just the opposite, in fact. There was no particular trauma that would cause him to bolt, like there was for Buffy post-Angel killage. And when he breaks it off with Anya, there was no impetus for the breakup - unlike practically every other failed relationship on the show - Xander/Cordelia (Willow snogging), Giles/Jenny (Ripper's past almost getting her killed), Willow/Oz (Veruca), Buffy/Angel (soul-losing danger), Buffy/Riley (vampire skanks), Willow/Tara (mind controlling), Buffy/Spike (DOA), etc.

It's strange, but I would have been less bothered if Xander or Anya had been killed right before or after the wedding, than I was by the uncharacteristic Xander bail-out. At least death is outside of character development.

This discussion brings on a question that I'd like to put to the board. In your opinion,,,

What is the most out of character moment for each of the main characters during the run of the series?

What is the most out of character moment for each of the main characters during the run of the series?

I assume you mean when there's no in-story explanation for the behavior (a la Band Candy)?

There was a moment in season 7 where Giles made a bizzarely smarmy comment (I recall it as some sort of inneundo), that I think triggered Giles-is-Ethan-shapeshifted theory (coming as it did just after the poorly done fake-out of First!Giles). Even more than the other pod!Giles moments that season, that one struck me as most out of character.

Cordelia, during whatever episode it was where she yelled at Angel for being mean to pregnant Darla. You know, pregnant VAMPIRE Darla.

And although he was a one-season character, I still want to know why Principal Wood went down and cleaned up Jonathan (and how he knew he was there). I've always suspected they were debating a few different directions there (as they did when they tried out the Scrappy gang that one episode, then wisely ditched them).