12 Small Details You Only Notice Rewatching Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Towards the end of Buffy’s final season, Xander conducts traffic as the gang battle against evil priest Caleb. Noticing this, the villain declares that Xander “sees everything”, and accordingly gouges his eye out. It’s a shocking moment (though Caleb’s assessment of Xander’s usefulness is perhaps generous).

More than a full season earlier, however, the seeds were laid for this. In season six episode All The Way, Xander shows off his pirate Hallowe’en costume, complete with… an eyepatch.

Granted, the patch doesn’t cover the eye that Xander will later lose, but given Joss Whedon’s reputation as a writer who plans way in advance, there’s no way this isn’t deliberate. Xander mostly played the comic relief role in the series, making his disfigurement all the more shocking. This goofy hint reflects the way his character evolved over time.

Xander’s frustration at being powerless in a gang of superheroes grows over the final season, and it isn’t until late on that they develop the idea that he’s the one person who really notices what’s going on around him. Naturally, this becomes a case of 'be careful what you wish for', as his observational skills lead to him being targeted in one of the final battles.