Well, we can't say we didn't see the events of tonight's "Buffy" coming as Willow goes totally nova.
What's interesting is how much sense it all makes if one takes the long view, on two levels. First, Willow has a history of using magic for immediate gratification, as a quick fix so she doesn't have to deal with long, drawn out processes...be it emotional coping or even, in the current case, judicial proceedings. Second, Willow's very first major use of magic was when she restored Angel's soul back at the end of the second season. Keep in mind, what she did at the time was, technically speaking, *not* a positive thing even though it served a higher purpose. It was repeatedly referred to as "cursing" Angel. And Giles said it himself: That if Willow embarked on that course, she might be opening a dark door that she would not be able to close. Well, that sure as hell turned out to be the case.
Excellent use also of what was essentially an in-joke for long time viewers: Willow's singsong "Bored now" required knowledge of either "The Wish" or "Dopplegangland" from third season to appreciate. My work on "Captain Marvel" precipitated lengthy discussions about the use of in-references, and some people seem to feel that things which harken back to moments from years gone by are somehow a bad thing. This, I think, indisputably proves how such uses can be extremely powerful. To a newcomer, her blase "Bored now" was simply a throwaway comment. To the long-time fan, it was of course the chilling complaint that Vamp Willow would utter just before she committed some sort of fatal mayhem.
This has been an almost unremittingly depressing season. It seems odd to call this episode a bright spot. I suppose it is, mostly due to Alyson Hannigan's frightening and tour-de-force turn to the dark side. It definitely did not leave me bored now.
PAD
Posted by Peter David at May 15, 2002 12:27 AM | TrackBack | Other blogs commentingY'know what? I was a little bored.
It's certainly true that "Dark Willow" was well telegraphed, but that makes the actual event sort of flat.
And this season HAS been depressing. Which is why this link gives me great joy:
http://www.eonline.com/Gossip/Wanda/Archive2002/020503d.html
I agree that Hannigan was great, though.
In-references really increase my enjoyment of episodic narratives. I prefer a feeling of history rather than the equivalent of a soft reset after each chapter.
For me, the whole Dark Willow shebang has restored a forward motion to the series that has been lacking for some time. Her actions might not be very positive, but they provide some sort of catharsis after a season bogged down in angst and depression.
Although, I did find the musical episode enthralling ...
I read somewhere that he was a big fan of old X-Men comics and somewhat models Buffy after it. I guess so.
I read somewhere that Whedon was a big fan of old X-Men comics and somewhat models Buffy after it. I guess so.
Oh. The error means "You've posted successfully", apparently.
Hey, it's the all-powerful
Redhead problem. Phoenix, Lyta Alexander, and now Willow. Give a redhead enough power and she goes power-mad. :)
David
David,
You're right about the redhead thing. And you forgot Margaret Thatcher.
I agree that a sense of forward motion has been re-established. I was unfortunate to read a teaser of last night's episode saying that Willow would turn to dark magic to avenge the death of a friend. While I was fairly certain that that friend would be Tara, I was more afraid of who the killer might be. I was absolutely terrified that following the melancholic pattern of this season, our beloved Anya returned to her Vengeance Demon ways would somehow be the murderer. Dark Willow versus Demon Anya with poor Xander stuck in the middle. I really think I would have run screaming from the TV had that happened. I get the feeling that now everything that could be classified as "depressing" has taken place. We can get back to "suspenseful" and "exciting."
And yes, I found "Bored now" to be the most chilling moment in the entire episode, a verbal punch in the gut.
I just hope that there's some way to salvage Willow's wonderful character... I came into the show in season 4, so I had no experience with Vamp Willow, but damn, creepy moment... and I really hope she's around for the final season. With Tara dead, the best reasons to watch the show are now Spike and Willow. Without Willow, I'm not sure I'd watch for just Spike.
Just finished listening to the episode and it was great (altough I really think it's a bit too much like Dark Phoenix Saga but hey, who am I to argue? :) )
Just a side note; PAD you said "My work on "Captain Marvel" precipitated lengthy discussions about the use of in-references, and some people seem to feel that things which harken back to moments from years gone by are somehow a bad thing."
Well it's not a bad thing but the Willow reference you said is nothing like Cap's past references. As much as I love Cap Marvel, my girlfriend didn't understand half of the in-jokes which is why she left the series while I (a big fan of your Hulk days) enjoyed it a lot. :)
The Willow reference didn't ruin the scene for somebody who didn't the older shows. IE it wasn't required "reading" (or wathcing), unlike Cap Marvel.
Anyway, keep up the great work! Can't wait to read all thos BID I missed. :)
"Bored now" indeed. Please. I ws on the edge of my seat throughout the whole thing. As I am a sadist, I loved Willow's torturous murder of Warren, but my God that was GRAPHIC for prime time!
My concern is, as always, What Next? Joss has told us that next season will be "back to the beginning" with Willow no longer being a magic junkie and a much lighter overall feel to the stories. But how can Willow possibly be redeemed after her actions this and next week? (Trying to avoid spoiling it for everyone.) Will she be a little more Faith-esque? I'm dying to see. God, I love this show.
BTW, watch "Welcome To the Hellmouth" and "Villains" one right after the other, if you have them taped. Kudos to the writers and Alyson Hannigan for developing Willow's character so beautifully and subtly.
"I was absolutely terrified that following the melancholic pattern of this season, our beloved Anya returned to her Vengeance Demon ways would somehow be the murderer. "
I was fairly certain it wouldn't be Anya. It has always been well established that a person killed by "mystical" means can possibly be brought back, whereas someone dying by human means is pretty much toast.
Had Anya killed Tara (though there is no real reason why she would want to, vengance demon or not), Willow could have brought her back as she did Buffy. So I guess there is a sort of rule of thumb we can follow if we wonder if a character is dead for good. Was it "magical" or "natural" death?
Come to think of it, since Willow used magic to kill Warren, it's possible she could later reverse it and therefore, redeem herself. That would be kinda lame, but it IS possible.
Brandon.
This was my favorite episode of this season. I loved last week's battle between Buffy and Warren, but this week's blew away the competition. That final scene was just chilling.
Like PAD, I loved Willow's "Bored now," and I can't wait to see what comes next.
I'm SORRY! I kept getting an error and didn't think my posts were going through.
Again, my most humble apologies.
I didn't think that Anya would deliberately kill Tara, but that a wish finally cast against Xander might go awry. The cause of death wouldn't be directly mystical, but a happenstance of whatever might be intended for Xander, i.e, someone wishes that a piano fall on him and Tara shoves him out of the way (or something like that, make up your own scenario if you want.)
Still, even if Willow could bring Tara back, she would still be quite miffed at the perpetrator. Either way, I'm happy that Anya's hands weren't bloodied by Tara's death, as I'd feared.
The issue of mystical death versus natural death is indeed an interesting one in the Buffy-verse. After all, Darla was dusted and brought back. Could that happen again? Does that mean that the slaying of a vampire is inherently mystical and thus reversable?
I guess we could assume from Joyce's botched resurrection that an attempt to revive a person from a natural death would result in the old "Monkey's Paw" scenario.
I agree that this season has been incredibly depressing. I was just wondering if other fans can say that they enjoyed this season. Do you think you will feel closer to the characters as a result of all they have been through this year? Or was it just too much?
It's funny, because when I saw this episode, one of the first things I thought of was some of Peter's previous work. Specifically, in Hulk, when Marlo was killed, and Rick was going around to everyone he could think of trying to get Marlo raised back from the dead. The speech that Dr. Strange gave reminded me a lot of what Osiris told Willow.
PAD - could you put spoiler space or something in your journal entries relating to recent new Buffy? Readers overseas don't get to see the episodes for anything from a few days to a few months, and you kind of ruined the whole Tara surprise thing for me. I've now seen the episode and the one after it, but if you're not more careful in future then I can't read this any more.