First of all, I have to say that this particular post isn't going to be about the beloved "Once More, with Feeling", I am saving that for another day, sorry! What this post is going to be about, however, is a certain redheaded witch. Obviously I am referring to Willow Danielle Rosenberg, she who "eats danger for breakfast", and all that. Specifically, I am going to be writing about how her use of magick shaped her character. I am of the opinion that Willow had the greatest character development in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", and she is my favourite character, so I have got rather a lot to say!
Willow was introduced into the series as an unassertive, bright teenage girl who was still dressed by her mother ("Welcome to the Hellmouth"). She was by no means popular and her only friends were two guys, Xander and Jesse, whom she had known since childhood -- Willow also harboured a childish crush on the former. As soon as Buffy arrived, things began to rapidly change for Willow. The first major change was Jesse's death, at the hands of Xander (albeit accidentally), and this was after Jesse had been kidnapped and sired. So two episodes in, and Willow had already lost a best friend, who had been turned into a vampire. That served as a major incentive for both her and Xander to stick with Buffy and aid her in the fight against evil.
Willow was introduced into the series as an unassertive, bright teenage girl who was still dressed by her mother ("Welcome to the Hellmouth"). She was by no means popular and her only friends were two guys, Xander and Jesse, whom she had known since childhood -- Willow also harboured a childish crush on the former. As soon as Buffy arrived, things began to rapidly change for Willow. The first major change was Jesse's death, at the hands of Xander (albeit accidentally), and this was after Jesse had been kidnapped and sired. So two episodes in, and Willow had already lost a best friend, who had been turned into a vampire. That served as a major incentive for both her and Xander to stick with Buffy and aid her in the fight against evil.
Fast forward two seasons, another turning point for Willow was in season three's "Doppelgangland" in which her vampire self from the alternate Sunnydale (first seen in "The Wish" came to regular Sunnydale to unleash terror. Willow clearly sympathised with her evil twin and she admitted whilst posing as Vamp Willow that she always got pushed around and that she got cranky at her friends. Before her vampire self came to Sunnydale, Willow was upset with being treated unfairly by others, though she didn't mention it again for a while in the series after the episode, it is obvious that that was how she felt most of the time. It was also Vampire Willow that made Willow question her own sexuality; another huge part in her development.
So what have those two points I just made got to do with her magick playing an important part in her character development? Well, I would argue that there was quite a big part of Willow that was dark, way before season six, and events early on in the series shaped that. I will get to her actions in season six later in this piece.
Of course as a witch, magick was a very important part of Willow's role in the series. She performed her very first spell at the end of season two ("Becoming, Part 2"), and it was an extremely powerful one, ensouling Angelus. Giles had warned her that once she started (performing magick), she may never be able to close that door again; a statement which was especially true for Willow throughout season six. Though she performed plenty of spells in season three, they were seldom successful. Her real magickal development occurred in season four, when she met Tara, a fellow witch (starting with "Hush"). Though Tara had been practicing for longer, being a natural witch, Willow quickly surpassed her. We saw a glimpse of Dark Willow in season five's "Tough Love", when Willow unleashed vengeance on Glory for hurting Tara. Though Willow wasn't successful in beating Glory, she did hinder her. Considering that Glory was a Hell God that was seemingly invincible, Willow did a rather impressive job.
So what have those two points I just made got to do with her magick playing an important part in her character development? Well, I would argue that there was quite a big part of Willow that was dark, way before season six, and events early on in the series shaped that. I will get to her actions in season six later in this piece.
Of course as a witch, magick was a very important part of Willow's role in the series. She performed her very first spell at the end of season two ("Becoming, Part 2"), and it was an extremely powerful one, ensouling Angelus. Giles had warned her that once she started (performing magick), she may never be able to close that door again; a statement which was especially true for Willow throughout season six. Though she performed plenty of spells in season three, they were seldom successful. Her real magickal development occurred in season four, when she met Tara, a fellow witch (starting with "Hush"). Though Tara had been practicing for longer, being a natural witch, Willow quickly surpassed her. We saw a glimpse of Dark Willow in season five's "Tough Love", when Willow unleashed vengeance on Glory for hurting Tara. Though Willow wasn't successful in beating Glory, she did hinder her. Considering that Glory was a Hell God that was seemingly invincible, Willow did a rather impressive job.
In season six, Willow started to truly abuse her powers after resurrecting Buffy ("Bargaining, Part 1"). Though fans generally refer to it as a "magick addiction" and it was implied that way in the writing, I believe that it was a power addiction more than anything else. It makes sense seeing as Willow suffered from low self esteem for virtually all of her life. She clearly had an incredible affinity for magick, and that was how she felt validated. Being the best friend of "The Chosen One" (Buffy) also played an impact in her clearly evident inferiority complex. By the end of the season, Willow had hurt those closest to her (nearly getting Dawn Killed, mind-raping Tara, lying to the gang, etc), but most of all, she had hurt herself. Tara's death was merely the catalyst for Dark Willow; Dark Willow had been a long time coming. Willow wasn't in control of Tara's death, and though she had tried resurrecting her, it was forbidden as her death was considered to be from a natural cause. She had no control over it and it flicked a proverbial switch in her. Willow once again took revenge in Tara's name, but this time, in a far more extreme and gruesome way, by flaying Warren alive. But she didn't stop there, it ended up going beyond simple vengeance, for she tried to kill Andrew, Jonathon, Buffy, Giles and Xander. Again, her hatred towards Buffy wasn't sudden, it had been brewing for a long time. Willow had always felt inferior to Buffy, and she was tired of being the sidekick. It didn't help that she had ended up ripping Buffy out of heaven with the resurrection, and so Buffy, understandably wasn't thrilled to be back. Willow no doubt felt guilty for it, and she was struggling within herself. In "Grave", Willow finally tries to end the entire world, after absorbing magick from Giles and feeling everybody's pain. Fortunately, Willow was brought back to her senses thanks to Xander, and season six ended in a terrifically tear-jerking way.
Skip to season seven and magick is now a very scary concept for Willow. The season starts with the episode "Lessons" in which Willow is in Devon, England where she is taking part in a quasi-rehab programme facilitated by Giles. However, she doesn't complete it as there is great evil on the horizon and Giles believes that she is ready to return to her friends. Upon returning, Willow was terrified of seeing everybody again, due to her previous actions and everybody being afraid of her. Her "witchy subconscious" wreaked havoc, causing her to become invisible to the Scoobies (and vice versa). The spell eventually caused her to become captured by the horrific flesh-gobbling demon, Gnarl who started to flay her. Although the threat of The First Evil was looming, Willow was still extremely reluctant to use magick, in fear of losing control and turning evil again. Her fears were not helped when The First, posing as Cassie in "Conversations with Dead People" told Willow that she had to kill herself, otherwise, she would end up killing everyone if she used magick again. After being persuaded by the others to perform a locator spell in "Bring on the Night", Willow was briefly possessed by The First, which well and truly turned her off from using magick.
Skip to season seven and magick is now a very scary concept for Willow. The season starts with the episode "Lessons" in which Willow is in Devon, England where she is taking part in a quasi-rehab programme facilitated by Giles. However, she doesn't complete it as there is great evil on the horizon and Giles believes that she is ready to return to her friends. Upon returning, Willow was terrified of seeing everybody again, due to her previous actions and everybody being afraid of her. Her "witchy subconscious" wreaked havoc, causing her to become invisible to the Scoobies (and vice versa). The spell eventually caused her to become captured by the horrific flesh-gobbling demon, Gnarl who started to flay her. Although the threat of The First Evil was looming, Willow was still extremely reluctant to use magick, in fear of losing control and turning evil again. Her fears were not helped when The First, posing as Cassie in "Conversations with Dead People" told Willow that she had to kill herself, otherwise, she would end up killing everyone if she used magick again. After being persuaded by the others to perform a locator spell in "Bring on the Night", Willow was briefly possessed by The First, which well and truly turned her off from using magick.
As the season progressed, Willow was encouraged by Kennedy to be more confident about using magick. In "The Killer in Me", Willow's subconscious caused problems for her yet again, and she found herself atoning for her previous Dark Willow deeds. A jealous Amy had placed a hex on Willow which caused her to slowly turn into Warren after Willow shared a kiss with Kennedy. Amy even admitted to Kennedy that other witches had to work twice as hard as Willow to be half as good as her. In "Get It Done", Kennedy (who was very naive about magick) got a taste of Dark Willow when Willow performed the dimension spell. Willow accidentally took Kennedy and Anya's energy which briefly caused tension between Kennedy and Willow. Fortunately, in the series finale, "Chosen", Willow was able to transcend her guilt, causing her to become a Goddess after she successfully completed a spell that turned every potential into a full Slayer.
One of the many theories I have about Willow is that she was either the reincarnation or the human vessel for the Greek Goddess of magick, Hecate. I propose this for a number of reasons, the first being because of how rapidly she learned magick. Some may argue that it was merely a byproduct of her living on the Hellmouth, but if that is the case, then why weren't Tara and Amy, two natural witches anywhere near as good? Another reason supporting my theory is because Willow could not stop using magick, no matter how hard she tried. Once she started it, way back at the end of season two, that was it for her, there was no going back. Magick was a core part of her being and she had the power before she had even unlocked it with the ensouling spell. Not only that, but one suggested derivation behind the name Hecate is from the Greek word "will", and obviously, "Will" was Willow's nickname. Hecate is often represented as being dog-shaped, or by having a dog with her. I will leave this quote here, by Willow - "I'm more of a "dog person myself, but I'm not, like, death to all cats." - that could link!
One of the many theories I have about Willow is that she was either the reincarnation or the human vessel for the Greek Goddess of magick, Hecate. I propose this for a number of reasons, the first being because of how rapidly she learned magick. Some may argue that it was merely a byproduct of her living on the Hellmouth, but if that is the case, then why weren't Tara and Amy, two natural witches anywhere near as good? Another reason supporting my theory is because Willow could not stop using magick, no matter how hard she tried. Once she started it, way back at the end of season two, that was it for her, there was no going back. Magick was a core part of her being and she had the power before she had even unlocked it with the ensouling spell. Not only that, but one suggested derivation behind the name Hecate is from the Greek word "will", and obviously, "Will" was Willow's nickname. Hecate is often represented as being dog-shaped, or by having a dog with her. I will leave this quote here, by Willow - "I'm more of a "dog person myself, but I'm not, like, death to all cats." - that could link!
The personality of Willow is a complex, deep, and rich one with many dimensions and contradictions. Though she changed a great deal over the series from a naive wallflower to an unbelievably powerful Goddess, her integrity and altruistic nature did not. Overall, she was a sensitive soul who treated everybody around her with care and patience. Even as Dark Willow, her incentive for ending the world was to stop everybody's pain. Willow was not a perfect character by any means, she could be selfish and she did hurt those she loved, but she ultimately (more than) redeemed herself. I have always found Willow to be a very accessible character with her warm smile and her typically gentle persona. Like with the other characters, it was her flaws and contradictions that made her such a fascinating character.
On a personal level, Willow is certainly my favourite character from the entire Buffyverse, not just because of how realistically she was written, but because of Alyson Hannigan's incredible portrayal of her. Every single time she cries, I can't help but find myself mirroring her. Alyson's facial expressions have always been believable and perfectly acted.
Getting super personal, having not been exposed to many, if any gay people as a child, it was Willow and Tara's beautiful relationship that helped me to discover my own sexuality. In addition to their relationship, I especially loved the fact that Willow proudly identified as being ethnically Jewish. Much of my ancestry is Jewish, so seeing a lesbian, Jewish character who was not just powerful, but also a beautiful person has always been lovely representation for not just myself, but for others like me. Whether you are Jewish and gay or not, though, Willow is still an easily relatable character for all of those people out there who suffered bullying in school and who were underrated.
Willow's sexuality and ancestry did not define her character, though, it was rather her altruistic and strong nature that defined her. Those things, combined with her exceptional character development and Alyson's supreme acting is what in my humble opinion, makes Willow Rosenberg my favourite female fictional character of all time.
Getting super personal, having not been exposed to many, if any gay people as a child, it was Willow and Tara's beautiful relationship that helped me to discover my own sexuality. In addition to their relationship, I especially loved the fact that Willow proudly identified as being ethnically Jewish. Much of my ancestry is Jewish, so seeing a lesbian, Jewish character who was not just powerful, but also a beautiful person has always been lovely representation for not just myself, but for others like me. Whether you are Jewish and gay or not, though, Willow is still an easily relatable character for all of those people out there who suffered bullying in school and who were underrated.
Willow's sexuality and ancestry did not define her character, though, it was rather her altruistic and strong nature that defined her. Those things, combined with her exceptional character development and Alyson's supreme acting is what in my humble opinion, makes Willow Rosenberg my favourite female fictional character of all time.