Buffy The Vampire Slayer: 10 Reasons Season 2 Was The Best

7. Xander and Cordelia Are The Perfect High School Couple

In total contrast to the gentle, warm-glow relationship forming between Oz and Willow, season 2 also gave us the start of the hilariously fraught Xander and Cordelia pairing. They followed a fairly typical rom-com pattern, in that they hated each other to begin with, were seemingly polar opposites and then ended up thrown together, unable to resist their attraction to each other. However, this story was elevated by the explosive chemistry between Brendon and Charisma Carpenter (which is her real name- makes Cordelia Chase sound almost dull by comparison). The unlikely couple were never built to last, which made them perfect- and realistic- for a high school show. Though Xander would be a character in the series right up to the end and Cordelia would go on to have a bigger role in Angel, their most likeable incarnations were when they were together. Xander was still young enough in season 2 for his frequently selfish behaviour to be excusable (it gets kind of wearing later on *cough* leaving Anya at the altar *cough*). And Cordelia may have become wise and deity-adjacent when she got to LA but in Sunnydale she was one of the most entertaining mean girls of all time. You've gotta love a character who openly relates to Marie-Antoinette. Together, they were a reliable comedy team (who managed to sneak some touching moments in here and there).