Almost tragically funny the way Jesse does not at all haunt the narrative of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Like. He is set up as being a trio with Xander and Willow, and for all intents and purposes is meant to feel like one of the main cast for that first episode (to the extent that Whedon originally wanted him in the opening credits of the pilot so his death would come as a surprise), but then he dies and it’s a Moment, sure… but Willow and Xander just… get over it. Just like that. And then he’s never brought up or even implied to be relevant again.
Going forward, Xander and Willow pre-Buffy’s arrival in Sunnydale are only ever spoken about in terms of “Xander and Willow” exclusively, no mention of Jesse. I understand this was a practical narrative choice by the writers and the show could’ve had a different vibe and journey for Xander and Willow if they did go everywhere with the spectre of the best friend they couldn’t save hanging over them (and I’m certainly not saying I would’ve preferred it if they did) and maybe we’re actually not meant to interpret Jesse, Xander, and Willow as a trio, and more “Xander and Willow, best friends since childhood - and also Xander’s friend Jesse” but if we were, that is fucking brutal for Jesse.
What if you were violently murdered and your best friends moved on really easily, actually, completely unaffected by the horrid conclusion to your too-short life. What if you were replaced before your body was even cold, with someone they went on to have way more meaningful friendships with than you ever got to. What if, to the people closest to you, from the moment you died it was like you had never been alive.
