Saddest Whedoning of a character in his works? *Spoilers*

[Ryan]

I was talking about a friend with this earlier this week comparing and contrasting how Joss Whedon and George R.R. Martin treat their characters and was curious what others felt about the way they go about it.

[Phantom Lord]

Fred's death for me on Angel was one of the few times a characters death legit upset me. It was one of those you don't see it coming things. Then to compound that she gets transformed into Illyria. I just hated that to no end. I mean if you're gonna kill off a character then kill them off.

 

But yeah, Fred's death for me is up there.

[Ace]

The only thing that compares to Fred was the double-shot of Penny from Dr. Horrible and Kitty Pryde in the same week.

[Ryan]

I like the Ilyrria character a lot, but Fred's death was just heart-crushing.

[EVA]

Ms. Calendar FOREVER. FOREVER. FOREVER. FOREVER...

[Cristobal]

I am a leaf on the wind....watch me soar.

[odessasteps]

Wash.

[EVA]

I wasn't really that affected by the FIREFLY deaths. Probably because by the time I saw the movie, it was already clear there was never going to be another one, and so I knew that SERENITY was it. There were never going to be anymore Wash stories, regardless of whether he lived or died.

[The Man Known as Dan]

I wanna go comics here, if you you will also take "Whedoning" to mean " take 12 months to write 6 issues and kill a comics momentum dead", and give the entirety of the Runaways. Completely killed the series momentum

I want my Runners back you son of a bitch.

[JRGoldman]

I wanna go comics here, if you you will also take "Whedoning" to mean " take 12 months to write 6 issues and kill a comics momentum dead", and give the entirety of the Runaways. Completely killed the series momentum

I want my Runners back you son of a bitch.

 

That's actually called "Millaring".

[Brian Fowler]

Heinberging?

[Spritenaut 32]

What exactly is Whedoning?  All or most of the characters in the poll died at some point during their shows.  is that all it is?  'Cause I'm fairly sure Joss doesn't have the market cornered on killing off characters.

 

EditL I actually don't remember a few of those characters dying.  Maybe that's not Whedoning.

 

Is Whedoning when Joss finds roles for people in future prospects who otherwise would never work again?  I think of that as "Mr. Hannigan'ing"

[piranesi]

If it's "pretending to kill someone but not really" then I'd nominate Giles' obvious death in season 7, explained away by "I rolled out of the way at the last second [from the axe that was half-way through my neck]."

 

Not soul-killing, but faith-ending.

[Ryan]

It is more along the lines of killing off main characters on a whim and repetitively. Often with no warning and no character is immune. I could see him offing the entire cast of a show or movie if it worked.

[Leonidas]

Anya because she was only killed to up the bodycount in the finale no other reason, she deserved more.

[offspring515]

Jenny Calendar crushed me.

[LooseCannon]

It is more along the lines of killing off main characters on a whim and repetitively. Often with no warning and no character is immune. I could see him offing the entire cast of a show or movie if it worked.

 

Who did he kill off on a whim? 

[muhammedboehm]

It is more along the lines of killing off main characters on a whim and repetitively. Often with no warning and no character is immune. I could see him offing the entire cast of a show or movie if it worked.

Who did he kill off on a whim?

Buffy the first time?

[piranesi]

End season1.

[LooseCannon]

 

 

It is more along the lines of killing off main characters on a whim and repetitively. Often with no warning and no character is immune. I could see him offing the entire cast of a show or movie if it worked.

Who did he kill off on a whim?

Buffy the first time?

 

 

Please give me your definition of "whim".

[Brian Fowler]

I understand the term to mean "incredibly painful and unexpected death of a beloved character" fwiw.

 

Fred SHOULD be  my vote, but the incredible feat of killing one of my favorite characters, and replacing her with a character that is every bit as compelling and interesting in a completely different way prevents it from getting my vote, and that leaves...

 

Tara.  "Your shirt..."  Just so fucking unfair, Joss.  They JUST got back together.  Just.

 

That said, the actual most soul crushing thing in his entire work is The Body.  I've never read a book, seen a movie, seen another episode of tv, anything ever that comes close to the levels depression and dismay that episode causes.  It's the only fictional work I've ever come across that actually accurately reproduces the feeling of a loved one's death.  The numb shock, the way you can't understand how the rest of the world just keeps moving, the emotional devastation, the just flat out not knowing what to do.  If you can make it through Anya's speech in that episode unmoved, then I frankly don't want to know you, you sociopath.

[Brian Fowler]

(Bennett in Dollhouse was, at least for me, the worst in that series, and the one that most hit me with "I really should have seen that coming."  I'm not sure Kitty Pryde in Astonishing X-Men counts, since she was still alive, but "Disappointed, Ms. Frost?"  "Astonished, Ms. Pryde" is heartbreaking and beautiful all at once.)

[Fat Spanish Waiter]

Fowler you need to grow a pair. There are better late-season X Files episodes.

Anyway the most crushing thing Whedon did was bring Buffy back and make it clear that she was in a better place.

[The Man Known as Dan]

(Bennett in Dollhouse was, at least for me, the worst in that series, and the one that most hit me with "I really should have seen that coming."  I'm not sure Kitty Pryde in Astonishing X-Men counts, since she was still alive, but "Impressed, Ms. Frost?"  "Astonished, Ms. Pryde" is heartbreaking and beautiful all at once.)

I considered giving a "honorable mention to killing but not killing Kitty, my favorite X-Men, you fucking asshole"

[Brian Fowler]

Even if I had known for a 100% fact that he was going to take somebody out of the toy box for a while in that book, I never, ever would have guessed it would be Kitty.