Why Sarah Michelle Gellar Wasn’t In Angel Season 5 When Buffy Summers Was

Angel found a way to reinforce its connection to Buffy the Vampire Slayer by seemingly slipping Buffy into its fifth and final season — even though Buffy’s actress, Sarah Michelle Gellar, wasn’t able to appear. Angel went from a minor character in the earliest episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer to one of the franchise’s most important figures. He became popular enough to carry his own show for five seasons, which existed in the same universe but largely charted its path forward outside of Buffy’s orbit.

The creatives behind the two shows did enjoy finding ways to highlight their connection though, with several characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer appearing in assorted episodes of Angel during its run. Buffy herself appeared twice in season 1, reinforcing their tragic love story and why they had to be broken up. However, Buffy was actually intended to appear again closer to Angel‘s ending. Real-life circumstances changed those plans, although Angel and a subsequent comic follow-up found a clever way to reference this turn of events.

Sarah Michelle Gellar Was Originally Going To Be In Angel’s 100th Episode

Buffy Summers was meant to appear in the 100th episode of Angel, but Sarah Michelle Gellar didn’t end up reprising the role for the Buffy spin-off’s fifth season. Previous episodes of Angel like season 1 episode 8 “I Will Remember You” featured Buffy, but she was meant to show up again in season 5. This would have been especially exciting, given that Buffy’s show had concluded by then. This would have allowed fans to see Buffy one more time and could have provided some closure to the Buffy/Angel/Spike love triangle debate that still rages on decades later.

However, Gellar ultimately didn’t appear in the episode. Due to a family bereavement, Gellar was unavailable to appear in the episode. As a result, Buffy was written out of the hundredth episode, and the episode shifted focus. Instead, season 5 episode 12, “You’re Welcome,” was retooled into something very different. “You’re Welcome” brought back fellow Buffy the Vampire Slayer alum Cordelia, who’d been left in a coma after being possessed by season 4’s big bad, Jasmine. The episode became a farewell for Cordelia, as she was formally killed off by the end of the episode.

Sarah Michelle Gellar Wasn’t Part Of The Plan For Angel’s Series Finale

After Sarah Michelle Gellar didn’t appear in “You’re Welcome,” the potential return of Buffy was moved to the penultimate episode of Angel. However, Gellar was once again unavailable for an appearance — although this time it was due to a professional scheduling conflict, as the actress was in the middle of filming The Grudge. Gellar reportedly offered to appear in the season finale, but as reported by Today at the time, Joss Whedon and the show’s producers feared Buffy would overshadow the rest of the cast. Whedon has since spoken about how Buffy was never meant to appear in Angel‘s finale.

There were other Buffy the Vampire Slayer characters who were suggested as cameos for Angel‘s fifth season. Giles and Dawn were both considered for appearances at various points in the season. However, neither of them were in the season. Andrew replaced the latter in season 5 episode 20, “The Girl In Question” while new character Drogyn took Giles’ place. Buffy technically appeared in “The Girl In Question,” a largely comical episode that saw her dating a former rival of Angel and Spike’s known as the Immortal. However, the Buffy in this episode wasn’t Sarah Michelle Gellar — or even really Buffy.

Buffy Summers In Angel Season 5 Was Actually A Decoy

Although everyone who appears in “The Girl In Question” believed Buffy was romantically involved with the Immortal, the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight comic series retconned that revelation. Considered a canon follow-up to the original series, the fifth issue of the series was a stand-alone story titled “The Chain.” Written by Joss Whedon (with art by Paul Lee, Andy Owens, Dave Stewart, and Richard Starkings), the issue revealed Buffy had two decoys placed around the globe for her protection. One of these decoys was stationed in Rome, and was revealed to have been the one who dated the Immortal.

This was a clever way to reference how Buffy didn’t appear in Angel‘s fifth season. Instead, both in real life and in-universe, the Buffy seen dancing in Rome in Angel was just an impostor. It’s a perfect little meta-texutal aspect of the episode’s Buffy cameo. However, it is a shame that Gellar was never able to appear in Angel‘s final season. While it’s a good thing she didn’t show up for Angel‘s ending, considering how packed it already was, seeing Buffy and Angel together once more in Angel would have been a fitting farewell for the character.

Source: Today