Not sure if this has been brought up, so yeah I just finished watching "I Robot, You Jane" on FX. At the very end Buffy says something like "Let's face it, our love lives are doomed!" They all start cracking up and then realize what this potentially means....

So my question is: Has this always been Joss's master plan, even as early as S1??

I mean look at Buffy, she had to kill angel, scott broke up with her, Angel left her, Riley left her, spike was violent and even tried to rape her, etc.

Willow, she loved Xander, but he didn't love her. Oz left her, Tara left her (understandibly), and was eventually murdered.

Xander had a tendency to fall for demons, him and Anya couldn't work either....

I mean even Spike, Dawn, and Joyce had romance problems....


Me thinks: Joss sucks! (in a good way )

Yep, I think Joss early on realized the show was better when Buffy and the others were suffering romantic agnst.

Of course. Joss will not let anybody be happy for too long, he has to take that happiness away. I think at some point on one of the commentaries he said something like, "Don't you all want to be bitter and depressed like me?" Yes, there are definitely some painful, heart-wrenching moments but that's part of what makes the show great, that's part of the brilliance that is Joss Whedon, and they are beautifully portrayed.

Don't forget Spike and Dru, Wes and Fred, Fred and Gun, Xander and Cordy, Giles and Ms.Calendar, Cordy and Gru......
Joss is great at angst.

I like angst, but I think Joss's writing of relationships ending badly was a bit cliched at times. Wesley/Fred were so clearly being set up for tragedy, they were only together for about one episode happily. That was a bit over the top IMO.