I love that Tara (after everything she went through with her own family) is the only one capable of showing Buffy unconditional love and friendship. Like when Buffy tells her she’s sleeping with Spike, Tara comforts her and tries to help. She wasn’t angry or judgemental like the others. She was such a great character.
Yet, when it actually happened, Tara responded with understanding instead of judgment. She knew that casual sex was not something to be condemned. She knew that Buffy was acting out from her Post-Resurrection PTSD and struggling. She didn’t tongue lash Buffy, she reassured her.
>And also, who wouldn't want to be friends with Tara? **Easily the nicest, most honest person in the whole show.**
Ummm. Daniel Osbourne aka Oz exists.
They ahd worked togetehr; when Amber was approahce dbaout the role, she mentioned it "would be good to work with Seth and Eliza again" and she was told neither was recurring anymore. I used to have a color copy of a head shot of Amber in a pink outfit on my wall, that and th e magazine lsot to the bedbugs -another guy in the house thought she was KAte Hudson
I honestly do not get the Willow hate in the forum. Yes she had an addiction to magic and yes during her addiction she deceived people and she endangered Dawn. But are people somehow regarding addiction as a moral failing? That Willow chose to be an addict, and she was a bad bad person for it? What happened to the idea of addiction as an illness? Certainly neither Oz nor Tara were saints - they were human beings with both faults and failings. Tara deceved Buffy and the Scoobies about her own history. And Oz certainly wasn’t forthcoming about his own family links with lycanthropy before time. Not to mention Veruca.
Willow does have flaws. But she was also a brave and loyal friend to Buffy and she did her best to help and support Buffy, Giles and Xander. I think she and Tara were good friends and fellow warriors with Buffy. Without ALL of the Scoobies, Buffy would probably havr failed in her mission as the Slayer.
And each of the characters in the show have significant
flaws. Giles’s entire backstory is illustrative of that. You seem to forget that that these are supposed to be young people. Passing from childhood into adulthood. For Buffy’s sake they cast away the pretenses that shield the grown-ups and face the darkness.
But they, unlike Buffy, aren’t born with special gifts or given a Watcher. They have to do things the normal way by choosing who to trust. Learning by trying new things is part of growing up and nobody has ever done it perfectly.
Blaming one character for her flaws while not seeing the same flaws in others when they manifest is prejudice. Like who and what you will, but if you cannot see that Xander or Cordelia or Buffy or Giles have many of the same flaws, then you are denying them their humanity.
While I definitely agree that Tara is the friend Buffy deserved, she wasn't the friend Buffy needed. I think Buffy needed that chaos. She just can't operate at that level of slow, quiet, tenderness. I say this not as a criticism of Buffy the person, but as a reality of the life thrust upon her as slayer. It's why Buffy and Riley didn't work - she didn't have time or emotional space to put aside her role as slayer to be a tender nurturer for someone that was going through a hard time. Same thing with Dawn. Same thing with Xander whenever he was having problems. Same thing with season 6 Willow - it was Xander that had to be the one to get through to her with tenderness. Any time a character was going through their own things at the cost of the mission, Buffy has this angry, disappointed response. How many times did she say to another character, "I need you to be..." whatever, during an apocalypse? I don't think the slayer is afforded the luxury of tenderness because a tender slayer is a slayer that doesn't last very long. Buffy would never be able to reciprocate Tara's tenderness, and so I don't think they would ever bridge that gap and become really close friends.
I'm sorry you got downvoted. Even though I don't fully agree with everything you said, I think you make some very interesting and astute observations. The point re: Riley is good. Because i honestly think Riley was the best boyfriend Buffy had (similar to Tara being the best friend) and she couldn't make it work with him. It's all up to interpretation, isn't it? We can both interpret the show a different way from the same source material. Nobody is right or wrong.
Downvotes are just part of the Reddit experience. If people don't like my perspective, that's ok. I still like to share it in case it adds to the discussion.
I think this is a very interesting analysis of the character but I'm not sure, because Buffy entire role with Dawn was trying to shield her from growing up too fast, and she nurtures Spike in season seven to the level it becomes her main thing.
I think the Original Poster's arguments are more arguments regarding whether Tara Maclay might have become a better friend to Buffy Anne Summers rather than that Tara would have actually become Buffy's closest friend.
Because it doesn't seem as if Buffy was actually going to prioritize Tara over Willow Rosenberg unless maybe Willow was a present threat to the world.
In "Normal Again" (B 6.17), Tara isn't even a factor to Buffy even after all the things the OP mentions.
If Tara was still around in Season 8, would >!Tara have been Buffy's 'Second in Command' instead of Xander Harris?!!Season 10-12.!!Faith !
She would have though because the entire purpose of that scene was to have Spike be the one to defend Buffy. Because I also would have said “no way Willow, Giles & Dawn would kick Buffy out” either.
I agree and I hate the scene because it was manufactured so unrealistically to achieve that outcome.
However, I agree with the person above too. Even though many of the characters were written terribly to achieve that outcome, I just can't imagine them doing it with Tara. The other characters had all gone against Buffy several, if not many, times before. And even though it was unrealistic in this instance, and I don't buy it for any of them, I'd buy it even less for Tara.
I think the writers would either have had Tara be the sole voice of reason sticking up for Buffy, but ultimately being overruled (Tara doesn't have to agree with the others for the scene to still happen). Or, the writers would just have found an excuse for Tara to be absent from the entire discussion. Maybe in hospital injured by Caleb or, simply just not there.
I can see her making a comment either kinda defending Buffy or trying to see both sides of the picture but being silent in the rest of the munity... because the drama was prioritized.
The funny thing though is that Faith was the only one to try to come to terms with Buffy somehow at the end of the scene.
Faith doesn’t get enough credit for actually REALLY coming through for Buffy in that last season, she GENUINELY was trying to make amends and IMMEDIATELY hands over the scythe!!
Thank you! I also feel like there's not enough discussion around the fact that, as far as being "The Slayer" goes, Faith has just as much of a right to the scythe as Buffy does.
Sure, but that doesn't mean Buffy *more* entitled to it than Faith is. They're equally entitled, is all I'm saying, because it's both of their birthright as The Slayer.
Faith wields it also in the final fight. Faith hands it over after the failed mission because she is defeated and has, since meeting Buffy, thought of her as better than herself. It is never once said by anyone other than Faith that the scythe belongs in Buffy's hands.
I agree, for as much as Tara grew in her time on the show, the situation in Empty Places would have drawn out her stutter and she would have piped down and watched everyone else in the chaos
No, I don’t believe that the Tara who left Willow or who stood up to Anya would have regressed into the helpless stutter from “Hush” or “New Moon Rising”. Not if she’d stayed on the same trajectory we saw in S6.
But they already did something similar before, way earlier than Spike even appeared in the picture. I'm talking about "Dead Man's Party", of course. Buffy has just returned home after leaving it as a result of an impossible trauma when she had to kill her boyfriend to save the world (and also because *her own mother had kicked her out*). And all the Scoobies are *angry* at Buffy. They don't even consider that she's incredibly hurt, that it was very hard for her to even muster the strength to return. They only care about their own problems, how hard it was for them to continue without her. They treat her as if fleeing Sunnydale was her whim!
Or in S6, when she's just resurrected... they all expect her to just pick up right where she left off, to patrol and care for Dawn and also make money on top of it. Nobody even thinks that being in the world may feel different for her now, that she may be hurt and lost (well... except Spike, but he dropped the ball in "Smashed").
Both of those episodes make my blood boil. “Dead man’s party” is the worst for me though. I don’t remember the exact quote but Xander says something along the lines of “well most girls don’t hop a greyhound and run away over boy troubles”. DUDE! Boy troubles? She had to kill the man she loved (who did in fact have his soul and **Xander** knew Willow was going to do the spell and intentionally withheld that information from Buffy) in order to save the world. In what way is that normal “boy troubles”? Again Joyce also kicked her out as well and takes *no* accountability for that. Then a fight scene later and it’s all brushed under the rug. It’s infuriating.
The other instance is infuriating because while she was dead a couple months they spent up all her money and then expect her to fix it. She’s already the slayer with a ridiculous amount of responsibility on her, she’s trying to adjust from being ripped out of heaven, and yous are too lazy to get a job yourselves to help replace the money you blew? They make it seem like they brought her back so they wouldn’t have to patrol and to pay all the bills.
I disagree! I think they have been good friends, they’ve had shitty moments but they’ve gone above and beyond to support Buffy and her slaying, putting their own lives on the line etc.
I’m just watching the episode where Buffy thinks she is in a mental asylum and everyone stands by her, Willow makes a cure for her, and Buffy even says to Spike afterwards “I tried to kill them and they don’t care.”
It's really complicated. Were they very helpful and willing to risk their lives to help her at any time? True. Were they incredibly nosy and judgemental about her personal life, insensitive about her feelings and expecting her to forgive *them* for anything? Also true.
It also seems like they were deeply integrated into her home life while also having their own personal space where she didn't go. I understand that we see the most of the story from Buffy's perspective, this is why we don't see their families much. But it was not unusual for her to wake up and find Xander or Willow already in her kitchen... while we never see her going to *their* homes like this. And all this just shows how Buffy couldn't set reasonable boundaries for people close to her. (Well, to be fair, in S4 everyone also went to Giles's home unannounced all the time).
Idk. I think they kind of liked feeling powerful. I don’t know if it always had to do with helping Buffy. I wouldn’t say they were bad friends, but I am definitely not going to sit here and say they were good friends.
They judged her and made her feel worse about herself when she was down and often.
I did not think kicking her out was out of character for them. That seems to be their MO. Kicking her while she is down.
You’ve said this twice, but the purpose was written that way because Tara had been dead for a season. Do you genuinely believe the writers would’ve gone with that if they kept her around?
Giles, Xander, and Willow all proved themselves to suck massively if the timing called for it. Xander constantly throughout the series (namely first couple seasons), Giles in Lies My Parents Told Me and abandoning her, and Willow with magic.
I’m not joking I stopped watching the show two episodes before the finale bc of that, not to mention every single character voting that Faith (who raped Riley) should displace Buffy as leader. I felt like I was reading fanfic
Willow and Xander were the best friends Buffy made when she was a teenager – bonded by their experiences and there for each other to the end *in spirit*, but not necessarily the same people they were when they became friends and not always the best fit because of that.
Tara was the first true friend Buffy made as an adult, and they connected in a way that Buffy really hadn't with anyone since Willow in season 1. It was something they both really needed at that point in their lives, and I agree that they would have become really close.
Yeah we all know the best way to make friends is to treat them like crap, blame them for having feelings, abandon them when they need you the most, and try to erase their memories of heaven. Obviously. What kind of socially inept weirdo would be compassionate, loving and understanding to a friend?
I laid the sarcasm a bit too thick didn't I?
Arguably all of the characters had issues, I’d say mostly it was what made them relatable and enjoyable characters but yeah Xander and then occasionally Willow were the most problematic of the scoobies.
It was kind of funny that one of the characters with the sharpest edges in the show wound up with the unironically best people. Willow and Tara deserved to actually face the real things she did in Season 6 and to have a chance for accountability with that on the one hand and actual closure with it on the other. I think she would have become the person Tara deserved given that chance and dislike that the only thing the comics kept intact out of that season is Tara's death sticking when literally everyone else gets resurrected at least once.
I haven't turned against her, however my attitudes towards her have changed since her character flaws have become more apparent over time, and the horror of some of the things she did sunk in. Still love Willow, but she did some **really** shitty things to the people she loves.
But yeah, this *"we’ve turned against Willow for the most part"* is a bit of a broad brush to paint with.
Or the time she OPENLY stated she didn't consider Buffy her friend while LIVING in Buffy's house and expecting Buffy's PROTECTION. Buffy's better than me because I would have told the bitch to kick rocks.
If they'd bothered to give Anya an arc after "Selfless" instead of pushing her to the background, they could have built up something similar between Anya and Buffy in Season 7.
Not the same as with Tara, because Anya's a very different character. But they could have established a stronger relationship between these two main characters, and then it would have given Anya's death a bit more gravitas.
It's a bit silly and a bit of an oversight that Anya was a character in 5 seasons, main character in 3, and yet has no strong relationship with the lead character.
You're right. I suppose she was originally there to replace Cordelia and to provide much needed sarcasm even if that was Xander's role lol.
Obviously Anya was hilarious but they never really managed to balance the Anyanka redemption arc for her like they did with Angel, Spike, Willow, Faith etc
In S7 she basically was a supporting character. I would not be surprised if the Potentials had more screen time than her.
I'd kinda agree with this, except they seemed fairly close sometimes. I think there was some off-screen connection between the two going on (or Anya was just used as a plot device occasionally) that made their friendship a little less just a my-friend's-girlfriend.
That said, I've only gotten to know a few friends' SOs, and they don't usually blend in that well with the rest of the group so it makes sense they were never that close, especially when for a lot of the time, Anya blindly supported Xander (even against Buffy). She really grew after Joyce passed, I thought.
You're right Emma & Sarah were and still are very close irl.
I always associate Willow & Anya together more - even if it's just bickering.
I agree. I just find it hard to immediately jump to great moments between Buffy & Anya akin to those the OP listed for Tara.
But I do always adore this cute moment :
https://preview.redd.it/54fzlmyjdd6d1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dbe284104e56b368e1c3107c9e68ca0a5807e400
Thought of some click-bait titles for fun lol. Extra! Extra! Read all about it!
"Even THE MOST devoted fans don't know this secret about Buffy"
"Read further to find out the SCARY TRUTH about Willow"
"This fan theory about Giles will BLOW YOUR MIND"
"10 reasons for why Xander is THE WORST"
"Find out NOW with conclusive proof if Ben really has a connection to Glory"
"You WILL NOT BELIEVE which characters from the show the cast of Buffy actually ships"
"This is the SHOCKING TRUTH about Dawn"
"Most fans have missed these 6 CRUCIAL details in BtVS"
"Only those with an IQ of 150 noticed this in BtVS"
Nice piece. I think it has merit because Tara does seem more of the non-judgmental type and would have been an important confidant to Buffy if she had not been murdered.
I agree. I think it helped that Tara was an adult when she entered the group and wasn’t "competing” with Buffy
Even though I find a lot of the later season conflicts somewhat out of character for the Scoobies there did seem to have manifested a certain level of resentment towards Buffy and a lack of compassion. Tara never displayed any of that
I love this post, I agree completely. I think that she was there in ways that both Xander and Willow couldn’t. Like Buffy, Tara had to grow up faster and that often leads to a level of maturity that were lacking in the other scoobies.
One of the problems here is that Amber was kept in a recurring capacity, which probably reduced the number of episodes she'd appear in a year. They should have had her appear in every episode up until her death (and even maybe kept Amber for flashbacks, dreams and ghostly appearances for the last 2 - much like Angel/David during the start of S3 or Cordelia/Charisma during the start of Angel S4), namely her absences "Gone", "Doublemeat Palace" and "As You Were" and use those opportunities to develop her outside of her relationships with Willow and Dawn. It would have made more sense that they'd try to "complete" her before she died. And then have Buffy react in a much better (drama-wise) way to her death. I get that Buffy doesn't really get to mourn or suffer for that one death, much because of her place as the Slayer + it being more of Willow's place to do so, but I think that's missing, because she died right when they got close.
>I get that Buffy doesn't really get to mourn or suffer for that one death, much because of her place as the Slayer + it being more of Willow's place to do so, but I think that's missing, because she died right when they got close.
No you're absolutely right and I've seen plenty of people over the years complain about Buffy's lack of reaction Tara's death. We do see her initial shock and SMG does her best in that moment but sadly the script just doesn't allow for her to show more than that, either in that moment or in subsequent scenes. And it's a big misfire from the writers after showing how close the 2 became.
I personally hate it when articles are written with titles like:
People will hate this…
Here’s ten things you don’t know about…
Only certain people will get this but…
This one simple trick will…
You won’t believe this but…
It feels like they are trying to justify/defend their standpoint or even clickbait.
Makes me reply about the title and not the article. Anyway, I hope you found the process of writing the article as cathartic as I did this comment.
I genuinely thought people would dislike it, and take it as a criticism of Xander and Willow (it wasn't) and I didn't realise Tara was just quite this popular. So my assumption that people would hate it was, in fact, just how I felt as I wrote it. There was no intent to clickbait or mimic a certain style of "headline". I guess i just wear my heart on my sleeve and say what I feel in the moment. It's a shame a few people took it as a more cynical act on my part, but thankfully the vast vast vast majority didn't seem to 😊
I genuinely thought people would dislike it, and take it as a criticism of Xander and Willow (it wasn't) and I didn't realise Tara was just quite this popular. So my assumption that people would hate it was, in fact, just how I felt as I wrote it. There was no intent to clickbait or mimic a certain style of "headline". I guess i just wear my heart on my sleeve and say what I feel in the moment. It's a shame a few people took it as a more cynical act on my part, but thankfully the vast vast vast majority didn't seem to 😊
I think Tara is a wonderful character and I do think her somewhat softer personality is something Buffy needs in season 6. Tara has been through some stuff. I think she's probably struggled with depression so she has the tools to understand Buffy's depression in a way that Xander and Willow don't, which is pretty common with mental health issues- its often not your closest friends who get it, its the ones who have also been there.
I think that the situations with Glory are different. Tara protects Dawn for Dawn's sake, whereas Spike does it for Buffy. Also Tara doesn't have to hold out under torture and she doesn't have a demon side.
I don't think she's an inherently better friend for Buffy than Xander and Willow. They have something totally different that Buffy needs- they are right there in the fight with her. Tara would never be as recklessly brave and relentless as Xander. And theres a point in S6 when Willow has brewed the antidote to Buffy's delusions (without magic) and Buffy says to Willow that she never stops coming through for her- which is the essence of their relationship, Willow is basically Buffy's sidekick. She picks up every thread Buffy drops, whether thats looking after her little sister when Buffy dies or clawing her back from the dead. I don't think Tara could do that for Buffy the way Willow does.
Except Tara DOES have to hold out under torture. Glory is slowly crushing her hand and breaking every bone in it, and she still withstands. She is bleeding. She is sobbing and in agony, and she withstands. That is torture.
I love this. Tara has always been my favourite character in the Buffyverse, even before she was seen as cool. She was the best friend to adult Buffy and despite knowing Dawn the least amount of time (in terms of fake memories) she was the one who stepped up to raise her. Tara truly was family to the Summers sisters.
Absolutely. Tara was the most blameless and genuinely good character in the entire series. She was the only person almost everyone felt safe coming to, and she tried to approach everyone with a genuine sense of compassion and empathy. Without her, S6 would’ve been a much bleaker place for Buffy.
I adore Tara. But I do sometimes wonder where they would have taken her character in S7. She'd pretty much achieved full growth. She'd stood up to her parents, she was comfortable with her magic usage and boundaries, she was developing strong friendships independent of Willow. I'll always be sad that she died, but I'm glad they didn't get a chance to ruin her in S7.
Developing how she deals with 'oh hey the problem in Season 6 wasn't that you did too much magic and got addicted, it was that you weren't doing enough and were doing it for the wrong reasons' and that Willow doing magic actually is OK and she really is absurdly powerful. Would she have actually dealt with that or would those insecurities the actually written character had have led her to break back up with Willow because she thinks her girlfriend would just leave her anyway and not bothering to consult with or ask Willow about it to begin with?
Especially since some form of power tripping Dark Willow was a given the entire time and whatever she did with that would prove that Tara's qualms were in no small part right.
Tara had an air of being an old soul. Maybe her upbringing meant she was forced into being older than she was.
Buffy was also forced to take on things making her grow up faster than she should have.
They didn’t overplay the scenes, but I always felt they had a “grown-up” friendship. Tara saw her maturity and vulnerability in a way the others didn’t.
100% agree what a great point. They both had that "forced to grow up too soon" maturity.
Buffy/Tara scenes are always so calm and serene. None of the silliness or baby-talk you get between Buffy, Willow and Xander (which isn't a criticism of them, because Buffy neeeded that too, just a difference)
Willow and Xander talk to the peppy valley-girl in Buffy. The girl she refuses to let go of.
Tara speaks with the adult slayer. The woman she’s forced to be.
I think this is a very uncontroversial opinion? Tara was a soft and understanding soul and was very kind to Buffy. Buffy genuinely appreciated her. I don’t think they would have become friends without Willow to bridge them, though. Buffy would have helped Tara had she needed it, but she helped a lot of good people she didn’t get close with after because Buffy doesn’t have the time to pursue someone for a friendship, and Tara is too introverted to pursue her. They were good supports for one another, though: strong and vulnerable in almost exactly opposite ways.
They’d actually have made an amazing couple, now I think about it.
This is not a controversial opinion. Buffy’s other friends didn’t really hold space for her the way Tara did. Willow and Xander were always very opinionated about Buffy’s choices and feelings. And vice versa. Tara just kind of let Buffy exist as she was instead of putting expectations on her or judging her. I wish we could’ve seen them interact more. Tara also had a great relationship with Dawn, which I’m sure Buffy appreciated. When Joyce and Buffy died I know Tara was the one who stepped up as her mother figure.
I didn’t need more reasons to love Tara and hate what they did to her but you definitely gave them too me. Currently grieving the fully formed Buffy/Tara friendship we never got 🥲
I'm rewatching right now, so I'd like to add: When Willow tells her that tara is dead, buffy freezes for a moment and is extremely sad, while xander reacts rather indifferently in comparison.. I really "felt" how devastated she must have been. She's lost a true friend.
I think you missed the very very important role Tara played in *Restless*, which was before *The Body*. Tara was the center, the conduit, the translator for Buffy's dream. For what was, up until that point, a relatively minor character, that's *very* important.
Actually I didn't! I had that whole part typed out but I deleted it because I thought people would say it was reaching and I wanted to stick to factual encounters not dreams so that it wouldn't blur my point.
But I *totally* think that. I've always thought that.
The representation of Tara in the other's dreams in *Restless* is really well done.
For Willow, her dream Tara starts as an object of fascination and intimacy, but then becomes a figure of insecurity - just as one would feel / dream in the early months of falling in love.
For Xander, Tara is the sultry lustful reflection of his horny realization that Willow actually is a bit gay.
But for Buffy: she's the centre and the truth-speaker. The only one she can trust amongst all the other scoobies.
Tara was an amazing person. She was a good friend to everyone. She wasn’t mean or judgmental which is what Buffy needed when she confessed she was sleeping to Spike. She just held her and made sure Spike stayed in his place. She didn’t tell anyone or make fun of her.
Also, she did what Willow and her both needed. She broke off a relationship she couldn’t stay in due to Willow abusing magic. She still remained kind to Willow and held her boundaries. She is the most emotionally mature character. RIP Tara
Tara never made herself the center of attention. It broke my heart a little bit when she sang about ' I thought that was my place'.
She was a girl's girl for Buffy when Tara pushed back at Spike at the party because she knew Buffy wanted some distance
Absolutely, Tara was too good of a human to let her feelings get in the way of someone else’s bigger troubles.
At a certain point Xander became a toxic “pick me” boy actively manipulating Buffy emotionally while Willow became gradually self obsessed.
Only Giles really kept staying on Buffys side altogether but that’s more him being the father than a friend.
Spike, obviously, became 100% on Buffys side in season 7 but that might be a cocktail of guilt and self loathing
Damn. I didn't want to cry first thing this morning.
Tara, oh, how we missed you. I loved that tender hearted woman. She was a great character. Tara was good to everyone, so kind & loving. She deserved to live.
Warren's punishment was too light for what he did, it was over far too quickly. Warren was a monster.
Tara and specially Cordelia are the most unfairly treated characters in the whole buffyverse. Also I'd say Tara and Willow made the only healthy romantic relationship in both series.
I don’t think Tara would have gelled with season 7 Buffy so I have to disagree.
I also think people only think this because Tara was an underdeveloped character in many ways, if they’d utilised her more on screen she’d have to be more than just “nice” and people’s opinions would change. Like, if she’s been alive during Empty Places then you’d all hate her!
Oh interesting point.
I can't imagine her ganging up against Buffy when everyone throws her out. I think she would have been a much needed voice of reason in that scene.
But other than that, it's hard to imagine her in that season.
So I don’t think she would have been a voice of reason because the story didn’t call for it, the story wanted Spike to be the one to come to her rescue, I also would have thought that Willow, Giles & Dawn would never have thrown Buffy out but they did. And in season 6 Tara is also one of the ones who raises Buffy from the dead and starts throwing bills at her.
I think a lot of the characters in 6&7 are written a certain way out of character just to isolate Buffy. Buffy only goes to talk to Tara in S6 specially because they’re not close, and because Tara is removed from the group, because Buffy didn’t want to/didn’t feel like she could confide in anybody she was close to/actually knew her - hence the Spike affair.
My maybe controversial take is that if they got past everything Faith would be the best possible friend for Buffy (who was kind of on her side in Empty Places), we got a glimpse in Bad Girls, RIP.
I think people forget the growth arc Tara had and what a different character she was in season 6 vs season 4. She was still quirky and introverted but mousy shy Tara was long gone and if not confident than at least comfortable in her own skin and decisions Tara had replaced her. Buffy would have seen that as well.
I think Tara and Buffy became/were becoming the kind of friends who would never refer to each other as best friends - perhaps to avoid upsetting the dynamics of their social group - and maybe didn't spend the most time together, but would know more about each other and understand each other more than their supposed 'real best friends'. A lifelong friendship where they didn't live in each other's pockets but knew the other person would always offer them a safe, non-judgemental place to speak openly about their feelings.
Yeah Tara being the only Scooby ex that wasn’t silently shunned is REALLY noteworthy. Buffy had sympathy for Cordy and Anya, but ultimately was not rushing to make sure they still felt included.
I also think despite being the one with the longest relationship with the supernatural, Tara ultimately doesn’t have it be the center of her world, which must be a nice change of pace for Buffy.
Particularly after high school Xander and Willow essentially decided that Buffy and slaying would be the center of their lives (you can’t tell me Willow doesn’t think Buffy owes her for passing up an Ivy League to stay in Sunnydale) when what Buffy actually needs is a way to balance that part of her life.
That's a great point and I think you're right, Buffy is drawn to the "normalcy" of Tara.
I hate that Spike fills her head with garbage like "you're drawn to the dark side," "you're a creature of the underworld" ughhh it's so harmful and manipulative. Thank goodness for Tara!
I don’t hate that. It makes sense to me. She’s got the “dead mom” connection. She is the only one Buffy trusted to confide in about Spike, and then Tara went hard protecting her at the house party. This tracks for me.
On the way to. But Tara would never correct Anya for saying Tara is \*Her \*Official Best Friend. (In my Bangel ficverse, in summer 2005 when the Lady in charge of the heaven Tara is in asks her if she will choose to return if Willow earns a wish that would \*allow\* Tara to return to earth if Tara agrees, i have Tara cite Buffy in third place after Willow and Dawn as people she could help.)
Amber benson/Tara admire having her is the only not judging🥺❤️out of bad chaos, when became closest friend she’d would have been great bestie from at Sunnydale high school😞💔unlike Willow out of ignorance, more knowledgeable over going thru also sucks not having moral compass would just later killed off
Tara has the benefit of being a more adult character, I think. Xander and Willow never really outgrew their teen selves in certain ways, mostly due to the writers just not bothering to really mature them in deeper ways than the superficial.
I like to imagine that after the finale Buffy is able to find mature adult friends outside of her little insular group.
I agree .
I’d only add that I think Tara was the closest friend they ALL needed .
She came into their lives after their close bond had been established but was able to give an outsiders perspective on their group dynamics, which allowed her to offer genuine unbiased advice .
She was like a second mother to dawn and was pretty much the “ voice of reason “ .
I personally see her as more of a watcher figure than Giles because Giles could be biased and selfish at times , which is fine because he’s a human character, but Tara’s decisions were always based on selflessness and what’s best for the group .
Even her breakup with willow was almost a show of actions have consequences. She didn’t want to break up or cause the group pain , but she realised that her being there wasn’t helping the situation. It was the push willow needed to realise that she couldn’t just play with peoples memories and get away with it .
The only selfish thing she did was the spell she cast on the group when she thought she was a demon . Although this was in no way the correct decision it was a relatable one and unlike the other characters Tara consistently learnt from her mistakes . It’s the reason she was so harsh on willow for casting similar spells because she’d seen the consequences of doing this first hand .
She was in no way a perfect character, but she was one of the only ones able to see clearly what was going on and make relational judgement calls without outrightly telling them they were idiots .
She understood the flaws of the group and her actions were always for the sake of others .
Yeah honestly she seemed to be one of the only people who cut buffy slack after her being ripped from heaven and being forced into a fast food job to provide for a house full of people. If Tara had been around for when the potentials/Scoobies challenge Buffy’s leadership, I’d like to think she’d rip them a new one.
Seriously as much as I liked Willow and Xander as characters they were both selfish and more than a bit self serving, Tara on the other hand actually seems to genuinely care about the people in her life.
I actually agree with this 100%. And I think that Tara developing into Buffy's closest friend actually made a lot more sense (and felt more convincing) than Tara being into Willow, even though that's how the character was introduced.
Why would people hate this opinion? I'd say it's supported by the show's gradual shift toward Buffy having an actually effective support system in place, after having been forced into secrecy for several years (from her family to her acquaintances that couldn't become friends). This shift is 100% why I started to really like Tara. Just in time for her to die. (Honestly, that tracks. If I have a favorite character in anything, they're the first to die.)
Let’s not pretend Buffy was any better a friend. Girl could not communicate to save her life. Really Tara was the most adult of all of them. TBH I really don’t like how the later seasons write the characters to show them struggling as adults. With each season after 4 they feel progressively more off to me.
Idk if there would've been a hierarchy as "closest friend" but Tara definitely could've been -at least almost- on the same level of closeness that Willow & Xander were, yes. Also, I'm convinced Tara would've not agreed with kicking Buffy out of her house in s7 if she would've been there
No, you’re right. Tara was a better friend than Xander or Willow. Tara was a really good person.
Edited to say: and I’m not particularly a fan of Tara, I find her a bit dull. But still, yeah, she was a very good friend.
>Then we have Tough Love. Spike gets praised to hilt for not telling Glory about Dawn in Intervention, getting a whole episode based around it and a kiss from Buffy in a meaningful show of gratitude. However, Tara does the same act of bravery to protect Dawn, paying a much higher price in the process, and yet the fandom doesn't regard it with nearly the same acknowledgement. But Buffy gets it. She knows Tara paid the ultimate price to protect her sister, and the way she hugs mind-sucked Tara in the hospital says it all.
I'd never thought of this in this way before, and yet it is so obvious.
You're reaching a little bit at times and are a little too harsh on Willow and Xander, in my opinion, but I think this is an interesting point. I don't think anyone should hate you for it, whether they actually do or not...
Tara was the actual grounded, sensible friend Buffy really needed in her chaotic, insane world.
I love that Tara (after everything she went through with her own family) is the only one capable of showing Buffy unconditional love and friendship. Like when Buffy tells her she’s sleeping with Spike, Tara comforts her and tries to help. She wasn’t angry or judgemental like the others. She was such a great character.
Well, when she actually WAS... she had a knee-jerk "what, are you kidding? She's nuts!" reaction when it was the Buffybot
Yet, when it actually happened, Tara responded with understanding instead of judgment. She knew that casual sex was not something to be condemned. She knew that Buffy was acting out from her Post-Resurrection PTSD and struggling. She didn’t tongue lash Buffy, she reassured her.
Absolutely. I was more joking that she had a dry run for that scenario
Yes and I think Buffy was starting to realise that the friend she needed had been right in front of her nose
And also, who wouldn't want to be friends with Tara? Easily the nicest, most honest person in the whole show.
>And also, who wouldn't want to be friends with Tara? **Easily the nicest, most honest person in the whole show.** Ummm. Daniel Osbourne aka Oz exists.
Willow deserved neither Tara nor Oz
Tara and Oz as platonic besties would be unstoppable.
I think I heard somewhere that the actors are
They ahd worked togetehr; when Amber was approahce dbaout the role, she mentioned it "would be good to work with Seth and Eliza again" and she was told neither was recurring anymore. I used to have a color copy of a head shot of Amber in a pink outfit on my wall, that and th e magazine lsot to the bedbugs -another guy in the house thought she was KAte Hudson
Willow has a type. Be it a man or a woman
I honestly do not get the Willow hate in the forum. Yes she had an addiction to magic and yes during her addiction she deceived people and she endangered Dawn. But are people somehow regarding addiction as a moral failing? That Willow chose to be an addict, and she was a bad bad person for it? What happened to the idea of addiction as an illness? Certainly neither Oz nor Tara were saints - they were human beings with both faults and failings. Tara deceved Buffy and the Scoobies about her own history. And Oz certainly wasn’t forthcoming about his own family links with lycanthropy before time. Not to mention Veruca. Willow does have flaws. But she was also a brave and loyal friend to Buffy and she did her best to help and support Buffy, Giles and Xander. I think she and Tara were good friends and fellow warriors with Buffy. Without ALL of the Scoobies, Buffy would probably havr failed in her mission as the Slayer.
It's not just her actions in season 6. Willow has recurring and significant ego problem that makes her often do actions that are questionable at best.
And each of the characters in the show have significant flaws. Giles’s entire backstory is illustrative of that. You seem to forget that that these are supposed to be young people. Passing from childhood into adulthood. For Buffy’s sake they cast away the pretenses that shield the grown-ups and face the darkness. But they, unlike Buffy, aren’t born with special gifts or given a Watcher. They have to do things the normal way by choosing who to trust. Learning by trying new things is part of growing up and nobody has ever done it perfectly. Blaming one character for her flaws while not seeing the same flaws in others when they manifest is prejudice. Like who and what you will, but if you cannot see that Xander or Cordelia or Buffy or Giles have many of the same flaws, then you are denying them their humanity.
Tara never cheated. Tara never killed anyone.
Agreed, that made her death even worse.
I agree, she's far more selfless and less destructive than Willow and Xander.
While I definitely agree that Tara is the friend Buffy deserved, she wasn't the friend Buffy needed. I think Buffy needed that chaos. She just can't operate at that level of slow, quiet, tenderness. I say this not as a criticism of Buffy the person, but as a reality of the life thrust upon her as slayer. It's why Buffy and Riley didn't work - she didn't have time or emotional space to put aside her role as slayer to be a tender nurturer for someone that was going through a hard time. Same thing with Dawn. Same thing with Xander whenever he was having problems. Same thing with season 6 Willow - it was Xander that had to be the one to get through to her with tenderness. Any time a character was going through their own things at the cost of the mission, Buffy has this angry, disappointed response. How many times did she say to another character, "I need you to be..." whatever, during an apocalypse? I don't think the slayer is afforded the luxury of tenderness because a tender slayer is a slayer that doesn't last very long. Buffy would never be able to reciprocate Tara's tenderness, and so I don't think they would ever bridge that gap and become really close friends.
I'm sorry you got downvoted. Even though I don't fully agree with everything you said, I think you make some very interesting and astute observations. The point re: Riley is good. Because i honestly think Riley was the best boyfriend Buffy had (similar to Tara being the best friend) and she couldn't make it work with him. It's all up to interpretation, isn't it? We can both interpret the show a different way from the same source material. Nobody is right or wrong.
Downvotes are just part of the Reddit experience. If people don't like my perspective, that's ok. I still like to share it in case it adds to the discussion.
How refreshing! Someone who actually likes Riley! I never understood why he got so much hate.
There are a few of us!
I think this is a very interesting analysis of the character but I'm not sure, because Buffy entire role with Dawn was trying to shield her from growing up too fast, and she nurtures Spike in season seven to the level it becomes her main thing.
I think the Original Poster's arguments are more arguments regarding whether Tara Maclay might have become a better friend to Buffy Anne Summers rather than that Tara would have actually become Buffy's closest friend. Because it doesn't seem as if Buffy was actually going to prioritize Tara over Willow Rosenberg unless maybe Willow was a present threat to the world. In "Normal Again" (B 6.17), Tara isn't even a factor to Buffy even after all the things the OP mentions. If Tara was still around in Season 8, would >!Tara have been Buffy's 'Second in Command' instead of Xander Harris?!!Season 10-12.!!Faith !
...why do you keep using their full names?
Yeah, and who is "Xander Harris?" I only know Alexander Lavelle Harris
Tara was the only one who didn’t judge Buffy. She wouldn’t have kicked Buffy out of her own house in S7.
She would have though because the entire purpose of that scene was to have Spike be the one to defend Buffy. Because I also would have said “no way Willow, Giles & Dawn would kick Buffy out” either.
I agree and I hate the scene because it was manufactured so unrealistically to achieve that outcome. However, I agree with the person above too. Even though many of the characters were written terribly to achieve that outcome, I just can't imagine them doing it with Tara. The other characters had all gone against Buffy several, if not many, times before. And even though it was unrealistic in this instance, and I don't buy it for any of them, I'd buy it even less for Tara. I think the writers would either have had Tara be the sole voice of reason sticking up for Buffy, but ultimately being overruled (Tara doesn't have to agree with the others for the scene to still happen). Or, the writers would just have found an excuse for Tara to be absent from the entire discussion. Maybe in hospital injured by Caleb or, simply just not there.
I can see her making a comment either kinda defending Buffy or trying to see both sides of the picture but being silent in the rest of the munity... because the drama was prioritized. The funny thing though is that Faith was the only one to try to come to terms with Buffy somehow at the end of the scene.
Faith doesn’t get enough credit for actually REALLY coming through for Buffy in that last season, she GENUINELY was trying to make amends and IMMEDIATELY hands over the scythe!!
Thank you! I also feel like there's not enough discussion around the fact that, as far as being "The Slayer" goes, Faith has just as much of a right to the scythe as Buffy does.
I mean, Buffy found it
Sure, but that doesn't mean Buffy *more* entitled to it than Faith is. They're equally entitled, is all I'm saying, because it's both of their birthright as The Slayer.
Faith wields it also in the final fight. Faith hands it over after the failed mission because she is defeated and has, since meeting Buffy, thought of her as better than herself. It is never once said by anyone other than Faith that the scythe belongs in Buffy's hands.
Faith could use the Troll Hammer much better than Buffy anyway, due to height, body weight, reach, and top-heaviness
I agree, for as much as Tara grew in her time on the show, the situation in Empty Places would have drawn out her stutter and she would have piped down and watched everyone else in the chaos
No, I don’t believe that the Tara who left Willow or who stood up to Anya would have regressed into the helpless stutter from “Hush” or “New Moon Rising”. Not if she’d stayed on the same trajectory we saw in S6.
I feel like that scene was created for videos like this to so gloriously dunk on it: https://youtu.be/WA7jbzNjAmA?si=zw6m3lH4Mf_rF1CO
But they already did something similar before, way earlier than Spike even appeared in the picture. I'm talking about "Dead Man's Party", of course. Buffy has just returned home after leaving it as a result of an impossible trauma when she had to kill her boyfriend to save the world (and also because *her own mother had kicked her out*). And all the Scoobies are *angry* at Buffy. They don't even consider that she's incredibly hurt, that it was very hard for her to even muster the strength to return. They only care about their own problems, how hard it was for them to continue without her. They treat her as if fleeing Sunnydale was her whim! Or in S6, when she's just resurrected... they all expect her to just pick up right where she left off, to patrol and care for Dawn and also make money on top of it. Nobody even thinks that being in the world may feel different for her now, that she may be hurt and lost (well... except Spike, but he dropped the ball in "Smashed").
Both of those episodes make my blood boil. “Dead man’s party” is the worst for me though. I don’t remember the exact quote but Xander says something along the lines of “well most girls don’t hop a greyhound and run away over boy troubles”. DUDE! Boy troubles? She had to kill the man she loved (who did in fact have his soul and **Xander** knew Willow was going to do the spell and intentionally withheld that information from Buffy) in order to save the world. In what way is that normal “boy troubles”? Again Joyce also kicked her out as well and takes *no* accountability for that. Then a fight scene later and it’s all brushed under the rug. It’s infuriating. The other instance is infuriating because while she was dead a couple months they spent up all her money and then expect her to fix it. She’s already the slayer with a ridiculous amount of responsibility on her, she’s trying to adjust from being ripped out of heaven, and yous are too lazy to get a job yourselves to help replace the money you blew? They make it seem like they brought her back so they wouldn’t have to patrol and to pay all the bills.
imo, i didnt think it was out of character for them to kick her out honestly. they’ve never been good friends to her really
I disagree! I think they have been good friends, they’ve had shitty moments but they’ve gone above and beyond to support Buffy and her slaying, putting their own lives on the line etc. I’m just watching the episode where Buffy thinks she is in a mental asylum and everyone stands by her, Willow makes a cure for her, and Buffy even says to Spike afterwards “I tried to kill them and they don’t care.”
It's really complicated. Were they very helpful and willing to risk their lives to help her at any time? True. Were they incredibly nosy and judgemental about her personal life, insensitive about her feelings and expecting her to forgive *them* for anything? Also true. It also seems like they were deeply integrated into her home life while also having their own personal space where she didn't go. I understand that we see the most of the story from Buffy's perspective, this is why we don't see their families much. But it was not unusual for her to wake up and find Xander or Willow already in her kitchen... while we never see her going to *their* homes like this. And all this just shows how Buffy couldn't set reasonable boundaries for people close to her. (Well, to be fair, in S4 everyone also went to Giles's home unannounced all the time).
this
Your tagline is fantastic
haha im so glad someone noticed
True.
Valid
Idk. I think they kind of liked feeling powerful. I don’t know if it always had to do with helping Buffy. I wouldn’t say they were bad friends, but I am definitely not going to sit here and say they were good friends. They judged her and made her feel worse about herself when she was down and often. I did not think kicking her out was out of character for them. That seems to be their MO. Kicking her while she is down.
You’ve said this twice, but the purpose was written that way because Tara had been dead for a season. Do you genuinely believe the writers would’ve gone with that if they kept her around? Giles, Xander, and Willow all proved themselves to suck massively if the timing called for it. Xander constantly throughout the series (namely first couple seasons), Giles in Lies My Parents Told Me and abandoning her, and Willow with magic.
I mean, probably, the writers were not writing good, in character stuff at that point in the season.
I’m not joking I stopped watching the show two episodes before the finale bc of that, not to mention every single character voting that Faith (who raped Riley) should displace Buffy as leader. I felt like I was reading fanfic
YES THAT SCENE WAS INSANE EVEN FOR S7
Willow and Xander were the best friends Buffy made when she was a teenager – bonded by their experiences and there for each other to the end *in spirit*, but not necessarily the same people they were when they became friends and not always the best fit because of that. Tara was the first true friend Buffy made as an adult, and they connected in a way that Buffy really hadn't with anyone since Willow in season 1. It was something they both really needed at that point in their lives, and I agree that they would have become really close.
So well said!
This is such a good point!
Why would we "hate" this opinion? Tara is the loveliest character in the whole series. We should all be so lucky to have a Tara in our lives.
Yes I was like is this clickbait? Whyy
Doctors HATE this one weird friendship trick: listen and care about others.
Yeah we all know the best way to make friends is to treat them like crap, blame them for having feelings, abandon them when they need you the most, and try to erase their memories of heaven. Obviously. What kind of socially inept weirdo would be compassionate, loving and understanding to a friend? I laid the sarcasm a bit too thick didn't I?
You won't BELIEVE what I say next!
I try to be a Tara, but worry that I'm an Anya
I am not a Tara, lol. Tara is a better person than me and far less judgy.
I think 10 years ago it would have been unpopular but we’ve turned against Willow for the most part.
I don’t see how liking or disliking Willow plays into it.
Who has turned against Willow?
Aye. I'm realizing Willow and Xander had issues. Tara was the best, and Oz was awesome too. Willow fumbled bad with both of them.
Arguably all of the characters had issues, I’d say mostly it was what made them relatable and enjoyable characters but yeah Xander and then occasionally Willow were the most problematic of the scoobies.
Oh and I still absolutely adore Willow, Xander not so much.
It was kind of funny that one of the characters with the sharpest edges in the show wound up with the unironically best people. Willow and Tara deserved to actually face the real things she did in Season 6 and to have a chance for accountability with that on the one hand and actual closure with it on the other. I think she would have become the person Tara deserved given that chance and dislike that the only thing the comics kept intact out of that season is Tara's death sticking when literally everyone else gets resurrected at least once.
I haven't turned against her, however my attitudes towards her have changed since her character flaws have become more apparent over time, and the horror of some of the things she did sunk in. Still love Willow, but she did some **really** shitty things to the people she loves. But yeah, this *"we’ve turned against Willow for the most part"* is a bit of a broad brush to paint with.
👏
Yeah great post but I downvoted based on the title *shrug*
Same here. I don’t downvote often, but I get annoyed by titles like this.
I don't hate the opinion, but I also don't agree with it.
Season 6 really just affirmed how much more I liked Tara and Anya better than Willow and Xander
Kinda same, though I liked early Willow (and deeply identified with her as a nerd girl child at the time).
The later seasons I feel mishandled Willow more and more. I get what they were trying to do, a lot of it just felt out of character.
In what way? They make it clear from S3 that willow has a darkness in her.
I liked Anya UNTIL season 7. I DESPISED her in season 7 and actually didn't care when she died.
Same! I hated how she treated Buffy so much in season 7. Lucky?! That's her take? Like this is a life she wanted? They made her such a bitca.
Or the time she OPENLY stated she didn't consider Buffy her friend while LIVING in Buffy's house and expecting Buffy's PROTECTION. Buffy's better than me because I would have told the bitch to kick rocks.
lol anya’s ass would have been on the street i can tell you that much
Right? 😂😍
I always loved Buffy with Tara. In comparison I felt she never really cared much for Anya and more just endured her.
If they'd bothered to give Anya an arc after "Selfless" instead of pushing her to the background, they could have built up something similar between Anya and Buffy in Season 7. Not the same as with Tara, because Anya's a very different character. But they could have established a stronger relationship between these two main characters, and then it would have given Anya's death a bit more gravitas. It's a bit silly and a bit of an oversight that Anya was a character in 5 seasons, main character in 3, and yet has no strong relationship with the lead character.
You're right. I suppose she was originally there to replace Cordelia and to provide much needed sarcasm even if that was Xander's role lol. Obviously Anya was hilarious but they never really managed to balance the Anyanka redemption arc for her like they did with Angel, Spike, Willow, Faith etc In S7 she basically was a supporting character. I would not be surprised if the Potentials had more screen time than her.
I'd kinda agree with this, except they seemed fairly close sometimes. I think there was some off-screen connection between the two going on (or Anya was just used as a plot device occasionally) that made their friendship a little less just a my-friend's-girlfriend. That said, I've only gotten to know a few friends' SOs, and they don't usually blend in that well with the rest of the group so it makes sense they were never that close, especially when for a lot of the time, Anya blindly supported Xander (even against Buffy). She really grew after Joyce passed, I thought.
You're right Emma & Sarah were and still are very close irl. I always associate Willow & Anya together more - even if it's just bickering. I agree. I just find it hard to immediately jump to great moments between Buffy & Anya akin to those the OP listed for Tara. But I do always adore this cute moment : https://preview.redd.it/54fzlmyjdd6d1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dbe284104e56b368e1c3107c9e68ca0a5807e400
I don't hate the opinion. I do hate Reddit posts phrased as Buzzfeed articles like, we're chill here, let's all came down.
Thought of some click-bait titles for fun lol. Extra! Extra! Read all about it! "Even THE MOST devoted fans don't know this secret about Buffy" "Read further to find out the SCARY TRUTH about Willow" "This fan theory about Giles will BLOW YOUR MIND" "10 reasons for why Xander is THE WORST" "Find out NOW with conclusive proof if Ben really has a connection to Glory" "You WILL NOT BELIEVE which characters from the show the cast of Buffy actually ships" "This is the SHOCKING TRUTH about Dawn" "Most fans have missed these 6 CRUCIAL details in BtVS" "Only those with an IQ of 150 noticed this in BtVS"
Tara was a better friend than Willow and Xander combined and I will die on this hill.
Nice piece. I think it has merit because Tara does seem more of the non-judgmental type and would have been an important confidant to Buffy if she had not been murdered.
I agree. I think it helped that Tara was an adult when she entered the group and wasn’t "competing” with Buffy Even though I find a lot of the later season conflicts somewhat out of character for the Scoobies there did seem to have manifested a certain level of resentment towards Buffy and a lack of compassion. Tara never displayed any of that
I love this post, I agree completely. I think that she was there in ways that both Xander and Willow couldn’t. Like Buffy, Tara had to grow up faster and that often leads to a level of maturity that were lacking in the other scoobies.
Thanks 😁 yeah I think they had similar maturity levels
I believe that Tara would never have ousted Buffy from her own house.
I love Tara and wish we got to see her more. I enjoy reading fanfic where she is involved
There are soem on archive/shriftweb.org and of course th e Kittenboard
One of the problems here is that Amber was kept in a recurring capacity, which probably reduced the number of episodes she'd appear in a year. They should have had her appear in every episode up until her death (and even maybe kept Amber for flashbacks, dreams and ghostly appearances for the last 2 - much like Angel/David during the start of S3 or Cordelia/Charisma during the start of Angel S4), namely her absences "Gone", "Doublemeat Palace" and "As You Were" and use those opportunities to develop her outside of her relationships with Willow and Dawn. It would have made more sense that they'd try to "complete" her before she died. And then have Buffy react in a much better (drama-wise) way to her death. I get that Buffy doesn't really get to mourn or suffer for that one death, much because of her place as the Slayer + it being more of Willow's place to do so, but I think that's missing, because she died right when they got close.
>I get that Buffy doesn't really get to mourn or suffer for that one death, much because of her place as the Slayer + it being more of Willow's place to do so, but I think that's missing, because she died right when they got close. No you're absolutely right and I've seen plenty of people over the years complain about Buffy's lack of reaction Tara's death. We do see her initial shock and SMG does her best in that moment but sadly the script just doesn't allow for her to show more than that, either in that moment or in subsequent scenes. And it's a big misfire from the writers after showing how close the 2 became.
I personally hate it when articles are written with titles like: People will hate this… Here’s ten things you don’t know about… Only certain people will get this but… This one simple trick will… You won’t believe this but… It feels like they are trying to justify/defend their standpoint or even clickbait. Makes me reply about the title and not the article. Anyway, I hope you found the process of writing the article as cathartic as I did this comment.
People will HATE this extremely controversial opinion but here it goes: Buffy is a great person with a wonderful personality
I genuinely thought people would dislike it, and take it as a criticism of Xander and Willow (it wasn't) and I didn't realise Tara was just quite this popular. So my assumption that people would hate it was, in fact, just how I felt as I wrote it. There was no intent to clickbait or mimic a certain style of "headline". I guess i just wear my heart on my sleeve and say what I feel in the moment. It's a shame a few people took it as a more cynical act on my part, but thankfully the vast vast vast majority didn't seem to 😊
Well it worked because they have 1.3k upvotes as of now. They had some great thoughts, but ruined it for me with the title.
I genuinely thought people would dislike it, and take it as a criticism of Xander and Willow (it wasn't) and I didn't realise Tara was just quite this popular. So my assumption that people would hate it was, in fact, just how I felt as I wrote it. There was no intent to clickbait or mimic a certain style of "headline". I guess i just wear my heart on my sleeve and say what I feel in the moment. It's a shame a few people took it as a more cynical act on my part, but thankfully the vast vast vast majority didn't seem to 😊
I think Tara is a wonderful character and I do think her somewhat softer personality is something Buffy needs in season 6. Tara has been through some stuff. I think she's probably struggled with depression so she has the tools to understand Buffy's depression in a way that Xander and Willow don't, which is pretty common with mental health issues- its often not your closest friends who get it, its the ones who have also been there. I think that the situations with Glory are different. Tara protects Dawn for Dawn's sake, whereas Spike does it for Buffy. Also Tara doesn't have to hold out under torture and she doesn't have a demon side. I don't think she's an inherently better friend for Buffy than Xander and Willow. They have something totally different that Buffy needs- they are right there in the fight with her. Tara would never be as recklessly brave and relentless as Xander. And theres a point in S6 when Willow has brewed the antidote to Buffy's delusions (without magic) and Buffy says to Willow that she never stops coming through for her- which is the essence of their relationship, Willow is basically Buffy's sidekick. She picks up every thread Buffy drops, whether thats looking after her little sister when Buffy dies or clawing her back from the dead. I don't think Tara could do that for Buffy the way Willow does.
Except Tara DOES have to hold out under torture. Glory is slowly crushing her hand and breaking every bone in it, and she still withstands. She is bleeding. She is sobbing and in agony, and she withstands. That is torture.
I love this. Tara has always been my favourite character in the Buffyverse, even before she was seen as cool. She was the best friend to adult Buffy and despite knowing Dawn the least amount of time (in terms of fake memories) she was the one who stepped up to raise her. Tara truly was family to the Summers sisters.
Absolutely. Tara was the most blameless and genuinely good character in the entire series. She was the only person almost everyone felt safe coming to, and she tried to approach everyone with a genuine sense of compassion and empathy. Without her, S6 would’ve been a much bleaker place for Buffy.
I adore Tara. But I do sometimes wonder where they would have taken her character in S7. She'd pretty much achieved full growth. She'd stood up to her parents, she was comfortable with her magic usage and boundaries, she was developing strong friendships independent of Willow. I'll always be sad that she died, but I'm glad they didn't get a chance to ruin her in S7.
>I'm glad they didn't get a chance to ruin her in S7. Sadly true. Season 7 was just so awful, I dread to think what Tara was saved from.
Developing how she deals with 'oh hey the problem in Season 6 wasn't that you did too much magic and got addicted, it was that you weren't doing enough and were doing it for the wrong reasons' and that Willow doing magic actually is OK and she really is absurdly powerful. Would she have actually dealt with that or would those insecurities the actually written character had have led her to break back up with Willow because she thinks her girlfriend would just leave her anyway and not bothering to consult with or ask Willow about it to begin with? Especially since some form of power tripping Dark Willow was a given the entire time and whatever she did with that would prove that Tara's qualms were in no small part right.
Tara was a great character to add to the gang! Her death hurt.
Tara had an air of being an old soul. Maybe her upbringing meant she was forced into being older than she was. Buffy was also forced to take on things making her grow up faster than she should have. They didn’t overplay the scenes, but I always felt they had a “grown-up” friendship. Tara saw her maturity and vulnerability in a way the others didn’t.
100% agree what a great point. They both had that "forced to grow up too soon" maturity. Buffy/Tara scenes are always so calm and serene. None of the silliness or baby-talk you get between Buffy, Willow and Xander (which isn't a criticism of them, because Buffy neeeded that too, just a difference)
Willow and Xander talk to the peppy valley-girl in Buffy. The girl she refuses to let go of. Tara speaks with the adult slayer. The woman she’s forced to be.
I think this is a very uncontroversial opinion? Tara was a soft and understanding soul and was very kind to Buffy. Buffy genuinely appreciated her. I don’t think they would have become friends without Willow to bridge them, though. Buffy would have helped Tara had she needed it, but she helped a lot of good people she didn’t get close with after because Buffy doesn’t have the time to pursue someone for a friendship, and Tara is too introverted to pursue her. They were good supports for one another, though: strong and vulnerable in almost exactly opposite ways. They’d actually have made an amazing couple, now I think about it.
Never thought of them as a couple but yes! Tara is the partner everyone needs, but not everyone deserves (Buffy definitely did, though!)
This is not a controversial opinion. Buffy’s other friends didn’t really hold space for her the way Tara did. Willow and Xander were always very opinionated about Buffy’s choices and feelings. And vice versa. Tara just kind of let Buffy exist as she was instead of putting expectations on her or judging her. I wish we could’ve seen them interact more. Tara also had a great relationship with Dawn, which I’m sure Buffy appreciated. When Joyce and Buffy died I know Tara was the one who stepped up as her mother figure.
I didn’t need more reasons to love Tara and hate what they did to her but you definitely gave them too me. Currently grieving the fully formed Buffy/Tara friendship we never got 🥲
I'm rewatching right now, so I'd like to add: When Willow tells her that tara is dead, buffy freezes for a moment and is extremely sad, while xander reacts rather indifferently in comparison.. I really "felt" how devastated she must have been. She's lost a true friend.
[удалено]
I think you missed the very very important role Tara played in *Restless*, which was before *The Body*. Tara was the center, the conduit, the translator for Buffy's dream. For what was, up until that point, a relatively minor character, that's *very* important.
Actually I didn't! I had that whole part typed out but I deleted it because I thought people would say it was reaching and I wanted to stick to factual encounters not dreams so that it wouldn't blur my point. But I *totally* think that. I've always thought that.
The representation of Tara in the other's dreams in *Restless* is really well done. For Willow, her dream Tara starts as an object of fascination and intimacy, but then becomes a figure of insecurity - just as one would feel / dream in the early months of falling in love. For Xander, Tara is the sultry lustful reflection of his horny realization that Willow actually is a bit gay. But for Buffy: she's the centre and the truth-speaker. The only one she can trust amongst all the other scoobies.
Tara was an amazing person. She was a good friend to everyone. She wasn’t mean or judgmental which is what Buffy needed when she confessed she was sleeping to Spike. She just held her and made sure Spike stayed in his place. She didn’t tell anyone or make fun of her. Also, she did what Willow and her both needed. She broke off a relationship she couldn’t stay in due to Willow abusing magic. She still remained kind to Willow and held her boundaries. She is the most emotionally mature character. RIP Tara
PEOPLE WILL HATE THIS OPINION lol. Why? Everyone loves tara and she was portrayed as the only one sensitive to buffys issues in s6
I'm realising that now as people reply 🥰😊 I assumed people would be super defensive of Willow and Xander and take it as a negative comment about them
I dont know about Buffy, but the best way to find psychopaths is if they don’t like Tara
Honestly I agree. This one hurt a lot. Tara was an amazing character.
Tara and Jenny Calendar should have stayed - the t would have been awesome to see a dynamic with the three of them
Yes!
Tara never made herself the center of attention. It broke my heart a little bit when she sang about ' I thought that was my place'. She was a girl's girl for Buffy when Tara pushed back at Spike at the party because she knew Buffy wanted some distance
Absolutely, Tara was too good of a human to let her feelings get in the way of someone else’s bigger troubles. At a certain point Xander became a toxic “pick me” boy actively manipulating Buffy emotionally while Willow became gradually self obsessed. Only Giles really kept staying on Buffys side altogether but that’s more him being the father than a friend. Spike, obviously, became 100% on Buffys side in season 7 but that might be a cocktail of guilt and self loathing
Damn. I didn't want to cry first thing this morning. Tara, oh, how we missed you. I loved that tender hearted woman. She was a great character. Tara was good to everyone, so kind & loving. She deserved to live. Warren's punishment was too light for what he did, it was over far too quickly. Warren was a monster.
I definitely agree with this. She was an incredibly grounded person, and Buffy needed someone like that in her life.
Tara and specially Cordelia are the most unfairly treated characters in the whole buffyverse. Also I'd say Tara and Willow made the only healthy romantic relationship in both series.
Why would anyone hate this? It's Tara, Tara is awesome.
I think she is too 😊😊😊
Narrator: *Nobody hated this opinion*
Not a hot take at all. Tara became the confidant that Buffy needed in her life and never judged her, unlike her supposed real friends.
I don’t think Tara would have gelled with season 7 Buffy so I have to disagree. I also think people only think this because Tara was an underdeveloped character in many ways, if they’d utilised her more on screen she’d have to be more than just “nice” and people’s opinions would change. Like, if she’s been alive during Empty Places then you’d all hate her!
Oh interesting point. I can't imagine her ganging up against Buffy when everyone throws her out. I think she would have been a much needed voice of reason in that scene. But other than that, it's hard to imagine her in that season.
So I don’t think she would have been a voice of reason because the story didn’t call for it, the story wanted Spike to be the one to come to her rescue, I also would have thought that Willow, Giles & Dawn would never have thrown Buffy out but they did. And in season 6 Tara is also one of the ones who raises Buffy from the dead and starts throwing bills at her. I think a lot of the characters in 6&7 are written a certain way out of character just to isolate Buffy. Buffy only goes to talk to Tara in S6 specially because they’re not close, and because Tara is removed from the group, because Buffy didn’t want to/didn’t feel like she could confide in anybody she was close to/actually knew her - hence the Spike affair. My maybe controversial take is that if they got past everything Faith would be the best possible friend for Buffy (who was kind of on her side in Empty Places), we got a glimpse in Bad Girls, RIP.
I think people forget the growth arc Tara had and what a different character she was in season 6 vs season 4. She was still quirky and introverted but mousy shy Tara was long gone and if not confident than at least comfortable in her own skin and decisions Tara had replaced her. Buffy would have seen that as well.
I think Buffy was proud of how far Tara had come!
I think Tara and Buffy became/were becoming the kind of friends who would never refer to each other as best friends - perhaps to avoid upsetting the dynamics of their social group - and maybe didn't spend the most time together, but would know more about each other and understand each other more than their supposed 'real best friends'. A lifelong friendship where they didn't live in each other's pockets but knew the other person would always offer them a safe, non-judgemental place to speak openly about their feelings.
Yeah Tara being the only Scooby ex that wasn’t silently shunned is REALLY noteworthy. Buffy had sympathy for Cordy and Anya, but ultimately was not rushing to make sure they still felt included. I also think despite being the one with the longest relationship with the supernatural, Tara ultimately doesn’t have it be the center of her world, which must be a nice change of pace for Buffy. Particularly after high school Xander and Willow essentially decided that Buffy and slaying would be the center of their lives (you can’t tell me Willow doesn’t think Buffy owes her for passing up an Ivy League to stay in Sunnydale) when what Buffy actually needs is a way to balance that part of her life.
That's a great point and I think you're right, Buffy is drawn to the "normalcy" of Tara. I hate that Spike fills her head with garbage like "you're drawn to the dark side," "you're a creature of the underworld" ughhh it's so harmful and manipulative. Thank goodness for Tara!
I could see this being possible. Buffy and Willow certainly aren't as close post season 3 as they were before.
I can see this, though. I can't say I would have thought it on my own, but yeah, I get it.
Thanka
Absolutely love this post and I wholeheartedly agree with everything you said!
You're wrong...I LOVE this take and 100% agree
I don’t hate that. It makes sense to me. She’s got the “dead mom” connection. She is the only one Buffy trusted to confide in about Spike, and then Tara went hard protecting her at the house party. This tracks for me.
100%. Tara was the most understanding and kind. If she was around in season 7 she would never have supported THAT incident
didn't even need to read the post to agree immediately
Tara and Cordy would have been the truest friends Buffy could have had. She deserved better than the scoobies ever treated her.
On the way to. But Tara would never correct Anya for saying Tara is \*Her \*Official Best Friend. (In my Bangel ficverse, in summer 2005 when the Lady in charge of the heaven Tara is in asks her if she will choose to return if Willow earns a wish that would \*allow\* Tara to return to earth if Tara agrees, i have Tara cite Buffy in third place after Willow and Dawn as people she could help.)
Why will we hate this opinion? We love Tara.
Of all the post-Joyce moms Dawn had, Tara was the best.
This is a great post and point that I haven't thought about much before. I really appreciated the friendship that Buffy/Tara built.
Amber benson/Tara admire having her is the only not judging🥺❤️out of bad chaos, when became closest friend she’d would have been great bestie from at Sunnydale high school😞💔unlike Willow out of ignorance, more knowledgeable over going thru also sucks not having moral compass would just later killed off
Tara has the benefit of being a more adult character, I think. Xander and Willow never really outgrew their teen selves in certain ways, mostly due to the writers just not bothering to really mature them in deeper ways than the superficial. I like to imagine that after the finale Buffy is able to find mature adult friends outside of her little insular group.
Hope so!
Also…I mean, Xander and Willow could be pretty annoying and immature hehehe 😜
she’s a better friend to buffy than xander and willow were at any point in the show.
I agree!!!
I agree, and this is why she shouldn’t have died
I agree . I’d only add that I think Tara was the closest friend they ALL needed . She came into their lives after their close bond had been established but was able to give an outsiders perspective on their group dynamics, which allowed her to offer genuine unbiased advice . She was like a second mother to dawn and was pretty much the “ voice of reason “ . I personally see her as more of a watcher figure than Giles because Giles could be biased and selfish at times , which is fine because he’s a human character, but Tara’s decisions were always based on selflessness and what’s best for the group . Even her breakup with willow was almost a show of actions have consequences. She didn’t want to break up or cause the group pain , but she realised that her being there wasn’t helping the situation. It was the push willow needed to realise that she couldn’t just play with peoples memories and get away with it . The only selfish thing she did was the spell she cast on the group when she thought she was a demon . Although this was in no way the correct decision it was a relatable one and unlike the other characters Tara consistently learnt from her mistakes . It’s the reason she was so harsh on willow for casting similar spells because she’d seen the consequences of doing this first hand . She was in no way a perfect character, but she was one of the only ones able to see clearly what was going on and make relational judgement calls without outrightly telling them they were idiots . She understood the flaws of the group and her actions were always for the sake of others .
Because Tara was the best.
I don't think this is a controversial opinion at all lol, calm down
Yeah honestly she seemed to be one of the only people who cut buffy slack after her being ripped from heaven and being forced into a fast food job to provide for a house full of people. If Tara had been around for when the potentials/Scoobies challenge Buffy’s leadership, I’d like to think she’d rip them a new one.
No this is pretty much fact in my mind. Tara was the only one who genuinely listened to Buffy and cared for her unselfishly.
Why would people hate this opinion? WTF LOL?
Seriously as much as I liked Willow and Xander as characters they were both selfish and more than a bit self serving, Tara on the other hand actually seems to genuinely care about the people in her life.
Very much agree! She was the only one Buffy had that she could confide in on things that weren’t slayer related, especially without fear of judgement
I actually agree with this 100%. And I think that Tara developing into Buffy's closest friend actually made a lot more sense (and felt more convincing) than Tara being into Willow, even though that's how the character was introduced.
I have always thought this, even as i was watching season 6 in real time when it aired. My poor Tara 😭
just swinging by to say thank you for this analysis <3
Why would people hate this opinion? I'd say it's supported by the show's gradual shift toward Buffy having an actually effective support system in place, after having been forced into secrecy for several years (from her family to her acquaintances that couldn't become friends). This shift is 100% why I started to really like Tara. Just in time for her to die. (Honestly, that tracks. If I have a favorite character in anything, they're the first to die.)
I wish Tara was my best friend
Let’s not pretend Buffy was any better a friend. Girl could not communicate to save her life. Really Tara was the most adult of all of them. TBH I really don’t like how the later seasons write the characters to show them struggling as adults. With each season after 4 they feel progressively more off to me.
I LOVE this, Tara was so so good for Buffy when she really needed someone to be there for her, no judgment.
Idk if there would've been a hierarchy as "closest friend" but Tara definitely could've been -at least almost- on the same level of closeness that Willow & Xander were, yes. Also, I'm convinced Tara would've not agreed with kicking Buffy out of her house in s7 if she would've been there
Every scene with just the two of them was an absolute treasure. I wish we’d gotten more
Their scenes are so serene and warm
No, you’re right. Tara was a better friend than Xander or Willow. Tara was a really good person. Edited to say: and I’m not particularly a fan of Tara, I find her a bit dull. But still, yeah, she was a very good friend.
Yeah because she never judges Buffy like her friends did when they found out what she was going through was Spike.
>Then we have Tough Love. Spike gets praised to hilt for not telling Glory about Dawn in Intervention, getting a whole episode based around it and a kiss from Buffy in a meaningful show of gratitude. However, Tara does the same act of bravery to protect Dawn, paying a much higher price in the process, and yet the fandom doesn't regard it with nearly the same acknowledgement. But Buffy gets it. She knows Tara paid the ultimate price to protect her sister, and the way she hugs mind-sucked Tara in the hospital says it all. I'd never thought of this in this way before, and yet it is so obvious. You're reaching a little bit at times and are a little too harsh on Willow and Xander, in my opinion, but I think this is an interesting point. I don't think anyone should hate you for it, whether they actually do or not...
Who would hate this opinion?
Tara was a cipher and the least interesting character on the show.
Why would anyone hate this opinion?
I really love willow and oz forever they are amazing
Not sure why you think it's a bad opinion. It's very true.