My worst thought though, actually was this: "Fuck. Can you imagine what Joss would've done to Kaylee if Firefly had lasted five seasons? He would've turned her into a Reaver just to gut us."

It was a disturbing thought.

Yeah, you know, I have to admit, there's a little piece of me that's glad Firefly didn't stay on long enough for Joss to destroy the characters, poor lambs. I'm not sure I could've watched that happen again.

I think not—Kaylee was the Willow. River, however, might have ended up the Queen Reaver after a few years.

And she would have done it to save the rest of the crew. You just know it would have been a choice on her part, much as she was capable of choice.

I expect Whedon to you know, have the sweet girls raped, impregnated with demon spawn, and then go evil.

I just roll my eyes and start a new drinking game. What I'd never forgive?

Zoe: You're a champion, Mal. A champion.

I'd like to see someone try to rape Zoe.

She'd make brilliant raging evil, though. Hottie reaver, or berserker seeking vengeance for her murdered husband.

You're a champion, ita. A champion.

No killing Wash. Beat the piss out of him, sure.

I don't think she'd take vengeance (not the rampage I envision) if he was still alive. She'd be with him until he was good again, and by then her rage would have cooled into something still terrifying but more focussed and with less collateral damage.

I like collateral damage.

What I'd never forgive?

Zoe: You're a champion, Mal. A champion.

Didn't "Take me sir. Take me hard." pretty much ensure that we'd never be subjected to this possibility? If nothing else, I'd hope that the torch bearing mobs convinced Joss that kyerumption is a road best left untread...

Ahem:

Cordelia: Oh, I'll you dead.

Remember? On the roof? She meant it, once upon a time. The bitch is back. But then, she went far, far away.

Hard to quiet the inner feminist who ticked off the bodycount: Cordy, dead; Fred, dead; Tara, dead; Anya, dead.

Although on Buffy there's a strong argument to be made that women die because women are the protagonists; the men in Buffy are either villains, sidekicks or love interests (or all three).

Although on Buffy there's a strong argument to be made that women die because women are the protagonists

Buffy is the protagonist, but Tara and Anya were just as much sidekicks/romantic partners as Riley and Oz. Tara and Anya died; Riley and Oz left town.

I don't think the shows or the writers are consciously sexist, but the pattern is a bit hinky if you just count off who died. I think Dru is the only female character who left the show and didn't die.