Something tells me Xander’s unstable homelife is the reason behind his jumpiness in this scene.
Xander was, is and always will be a hero of mine along with Giles, Willow and Buffy. Buffy came back from the dead twice and survived it, Willow grew from a shy and naive girl into a strong woman who didn’t back down anymore, Giles tought me how to let go of people so that they can grow and Xander… Xander was human and that was the most amazing thing they could do to him. He stood tall among Slayers, Witches, Vampires and Watchers, beautifully flawed and just as awkward as awesome.
Giles is a depressing character to me, I don’t think any of the scoobies appreciated him as much as they should have and seeing him sad and dejected at times just made me want to scream.
Xander does suffer the consequences of his actions. Cordelia and Anya never get back together with him after he hurts them, Giles yells at him when he messes up, and when he casts unsupervised spells they bite him in the ass. It’s just that Xander’s actions aren’t as extreme as those of the other characters, therefore, the consequences aren’t as big either.
