Fans of the Buffyverse have felt troubled by the idea that such an empowering and beloved fictional world could have sprung from the mind of such a malicious creator. Some have questioned the morality of watching and loving the show, the making of which caused so much pain for so many people. The beautiful thing about Benson’s 2023 Audible series? It’s not tainted by Whedon.
“One of the most important things to me about ‘Slayers’ is that it is an opportunity to give the ‘Buffyverse’ fandom permission to enjoy the show, enjoy these characters again in a way that is representative of perseverance, of work ethic, of the familiar,” Carpenter explained to Variety. “It has really been made clear to me how much entertainment in general and the previous show and what this future show will do to provide comfort, empowerment, self-belief and reminders of our purpose.”
In addition to being grossly mistreated on the set of “Angel,” Carpenter’s character was written off the show abruptly, slipping into a coma in the season 4 finale only to be given a proper ending in the middle of season 5 that would strike any Buffyverse fan as too little, too late. Thankfully, “Slayers” will right the way that Carpenter was wronged in more ways than one.
“The way that things ended for her was absolutely not what I wanted for that character that I had played, and all the blood, sweat and tears that went into her,” the actress said in an interview with TV Line. “And also the life that I personally was living and sacrificing for. To bring this character to life and to have it go the way that it did was like a part of me died. And so to be able to bring this about in this way was the ultimate justice for Cordelia.”