I want my Anya!

I do not usually get so excited watching something I have seen at least 3 times already, but I do. I notice things that I hadn’t before, and it causes such wonderful emotions, but also such disappointment.
I am currently at the beginning of season 5 of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”. This is the season where Sarah Michelle Gellar nails it as an actress. When she has to cope with her mothers’ illness she is a fantastic study in held-at-bay grief. Such a shame she has yet to prove her talent on the big screen.
Also disappointing are the careers of James Marsters (Spike), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia) and especially Alyson Hannigan as Willow. I had really hoped for a series spin off with Willow, but it wasn’t to be.

However as much as a loved all the actors in the show, there is one who upon my re-watching stood out like a beacon of light. You all know I am talking about the wonderful comic delivery and sensitive dramatic clout of Emma Caulfield.

Emma was such a breath of fresh air in Season 5. Joss Whedon must have had a ball writing dialogue for her as she was able to deliver her lines with comedic rapid fire.
At the end of Season 7, I wanted to personally kill Xander for his almost blaze´ attitude to her demise. It was tragic and horrible and left me so cold inside. Anya was gone. No one mourned.

The same could also be aid for her after Buffy career. I was so sure she would be able to get a fantastic career in comedy, big or small screen but it never panned out. While in Buffy, from her first ever appearance (“The Wish”) it was obvious she was more than just a guest star as she left such a big impression and the vengeance demon, and seemed to be able to handle the dialogue and humour with such ease.
As she slowly became more and more human in the show she began to show her dramatic range. In one of the shows most amazing episodes “The Body” she tries to come to terms with the death of Buffy’s mom and with mortality, something she never really though about. She delivered her lines like a pro.

So where is the career?

Well there wasn’t much of one until 2007 where she starred in a little short film called “Hollow” which she won praise and a few awards. The film itself is a visually creepy take on a childs perception of reality, and she does not get a lot of screen time, but it serves as a reminder of what could happen if she was given a bigger part.
Perhaps this may be the beginning of the career which she deserves.

Here is the only You Tube clip I could find that showed the actual show and not some fan made video of clips to “My Immortal”. I really wanted the scene where she asks Xander to go steady.