What would you have changed about Kennedy?

[TheXandyman]

The thing I hated most was the way she put herself above the other potentials - I wanted one of them to say 'you're no better than the rest of us!'.

 

[Bear]

Something else...

Push her into a complete support character status rather than forcing her to be involved with all the main characters. That way she would be about as relevant as the other potentials.

 

[thrasherpix]

It occurs to me that Kennedy seems like a perfect narcissistic girl boss of modern media that have replaced genuinely good heroines, so if Buffy were remade, she'd like be made to be like Kennedy! 😱

 

[NotASlayer]

I can't write an answer. Well, I can, but they come out a little too Anya.

 

[thetopher]

Maybe not have her belittle Willow's tragic past?

Being an entitled brat about stuff is one thing, insulting Buffy out of ignorance? Okay, fine. But stop trampling over poor Willow's recent trauma because you're frustrated/bored with it. Coming across as entitled towards a perspective romantic partner is kinda nauseating (S7 has a lot of this problem actually) add to that many fans being kind of protective of Willow given how she has been portrayed so far this season.

Kennedy should've been a bit more like early S3 Faith; sure she was brash and in-your face, but she was eager to help when it came to slayer-business, plus she was covering for brutally losing her Watcher. We could've seen that Kennedy did indeed have layers; some facets that we only got to see when she was around Willow. Something beyond the pierced tongue that is.

Probably the best way to fix her would be to par back her scenes but then delete an ancillary episode of the season (First Date would be the obvious pick) and instead have one single episode to the Potentials; call it 'Refuge' and give the viewer flashbacks to like, 5 or 6 of the girls we're supposed to care about.
I'd pick Kennedy, Molly, Rona, Vi, Chao-An and maybe one more (I wouldn't include Amanda since I think she got fleshed out plenty already, and she seems to be the most liked potential anyway.)
Actually, have one of them be the potential who takes her own life in the very next episode, Chloe?, and make it much more of a gut punch for the viewer and it puts us in Buffy's headspace, feeling that lose at least to some extent.

 

[hoponlilmama]

Something else...

Push her into a complete support character status rather than forcing her to be involved with all the main characters. That way she would be about as relevant as the other potentials.

Yeah, I agree.

But honestly, all of it would need to change. Drop the attitude, and no relationship with Willow (it felt too forced).

I mean if I had my way she wouldn't be in the series at all..

 

[Bop]

Actually, have one of them be the potential who takes her own life in the very next episode, Chloe?, and make it much more of a gut punch for the viewer and it puts us in Buffy's headspace, feeling that lose at least to some extent.

Maybe we don't know much about the potentials because that is Buffy's headspace/perspective, she didn't get to know the potentials individually.

 

[thetopher]

Maybe we don't know much about the potentials because that is Buffy's headspace/perspective, she didn't get to know the potentials individually.

That could be it. Unfortunately then the meta comes in to play here; the audience needs to know something about them to care about what happens, but to Buffy they are real innocents to be saved/protected so of course she cares about them. But, y'know, kinda in an abstract way, and not as much as Spike obvs.

I think the writers could've split the difference by having us see Buffy through the Potentials eyes during this one episode I'm making up; like we get to know a little about them as we see how they feel about Buffy; this incredibly badass, beautiful and powerful but also very remote and kind of aloof protector/leader.
It wouldn't have been how we see Buffy, kinda like how The Zeppo or Storyteller plays around with perspectives. Maybe also foreshadow what happens later on and why.

 

[AlphaFoxtrot]

I think the biggest problem is that the potentials just show up is the problem. If they had made it clear that the First had their families killed, or they had to hitchhike here, or they were being hunted by Caleb the entire time, we would have seen her as possessing the qualities of a slayer without having the powers of one. I think that would have been a little more impressive, as opposed to Models doing arm exercises.

 

[ILLYRIAN]

Sounds like it was a total failure of the Watchers Council. Buffy was told the potentials were all on their way for the Vampire Slayers protection, initially that was just Buffy though when the council could be bothered that included Faith. Did the potentials go to Buffy's house to be protected by Xander, Anya, Giles, Wood, Willow but they stood with the potentials to have a go at Buffy. Friends like that you do not need.

What else could be changed about Kennedy, not much really just her personality and her attitude.

 

[BibliophileAnn]

Change what made Kennedy unlivable so she was likable. For instance, take away her know it all attitude. Give her a better personality all around. Changing these two things would have made Kennedy more likable and endeared her to Buffy fans.

 

[RachM]

Just remove her romantic relationship with Willow.

Outside of the relationship, I don't hate Kennedy. I think her enthusiasm and gung-ho attitude makes a nice contrast to the other Potentials. I particularly love when she joins the final fight and she's just loving the new power "I could get used to this!".

I also think that if they didn't have the Willow romance, they could have maybe explored Kennedy's background and the fact that she had a Watcher and knew that she was a Potential and what it's like growing up knowing that and knowing what your responsibility might be one day. It also might have been nice to have at least one of the Potentials be a more fleshed-out character with deeper characterisation.

 

[AlphaFoxtrot]

Re: Watchers failed: I disagree. In order for the Watcher's Council to function, it has to be hardened against vampire infiltration. Because Vampires can compromise any one of your agents without great difficulty, either by their considerably psychic abilities, or by turning. The Watchers need to be both heavily compartmentalized and to have considerable assets dedicated to counter intelligence. None of those methods work against an omniscient enemy. The Devil doesn't sleep, and it wouldn't take long for the First to completely compromise the Watchers. And their wouldn't be a thing they could

 

[Bop]

I think Kennedy's personality should have been toned down because it was very strong and normally that means people will either hate it or love it but I've basically never seen anybody say they loved it. I don't hate Kennedy because I think she has some good qualities and moments but I can't stretch it to love. I'm sure a portion of people just didn't want to move on from Tara but that can't be the whole issue.

 

[Anyanka Bunny Slayer]

What would you have changed about Kennedy?​

Her birth. 😄

 

[Stake fodder]

If I have to choose one thing, I vote for not having her relationship with Willow. For one thing, the implication that Tara can just be replaced with some rando is insulting to viewers. Secondly, Kennedy was basically sexually harrassing Willow at the start. Thirdly, it was just too much, too soon for Willow.

 

[TheXandyman]

Her personality. Her clothes. Her address!

 

[Mott1]

I keep thinking about whether the Potentials would have worked better if there'd been less of them. The two that grate most for me are Kennedy & Rona, for different reasons, and if there had been only one 'raw' recruit who was more confident in combat but too initially abrasive, that could have been fine when one had been 'offed': a quieter, calmer one like Amanda would remain as a foil, and as her confidence grew Kennedy/Rona would become less bossy or confrontational, more mature and reasoned. Having a house full of characters you either can't remember or don't want to made the show less fun.

One scene I remember from the final season of Buffy is Willow's uncomfortable reaction to Kennedy initially hitting on her - not sure if it's down to poor rapport behind the scenes but Hannigan plays it as actually seeming angry, and the lack of chemistry with Limon is an issue. I keep trying to make more of The Killer In Me, but it never seems to add up. Characters started behaving in a way that felt shoehorned in, and Giles & Willow both suffer particularly from this.

 

[DeepBlueJoy]

What would you have changed about Kennedy?​

Her birth. 😄

Having her on the show. She did not belong.

She was a nasty, spoiled, entitled, sexual predator.

Had a man done the things she did he would have been justly condemned.

She is not a training officer. She an abusive brat who gets off on power. She drives a girl to suicide.

She forces her way into the bed of a grieving widow WHO SAYS NO. She shames Willow into accepting her attentions.

Willow had a psychotic break (the spell activating Warren) because of how guilty she felt. Willow only changed because of her feelings. Amy did not determine the form.

The message is either: it is ok for women to be abusive sex predators OR lesbian relationships are unhealthy and that is ok.
(Or maybe both)

Uhm, no. Maybe joss actually hates lesbians? The relationship is homophobic in my opinion.

Maybe Joss needed to tear down or kill his lesbians?

Willlow went from whiny and insecure to arrogant, murderous, whiny and insecure... But she still does not deserve the shoe-vomit that is Kennedy!

And Kennedy's first words on the series were to disrepect Buffy. I will never forgive her for that. You walk into the house of your protector and the first words out of your mouth are insults? She goes downhilll from there. She should have died instead of Amanda.

I really detest Kennedy.

 

[AlphaFoxtrot]

I would dropped the rich white girl gimmick after you cast Iyari Limon for the role. Let her be Mexican-American, make her friends with the other working class character on the show, Xander. Give her a few episodes to develop her character, then have Xander set her and Willow up. At least you may care about the character by that point.