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156-519: The opening narration in the Buffy series states " In every generation there is a chosen one . She alone will stand against the vampires , the demons, and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer. " While they are commonly referred to as "Vampire Slayers" within the series, even by Watchers and vampires themselves, The Slayer may operate as a defender against all supernatural threats. The reputation of

312-579: A Slayer's natural ingenuity and practical capability, the Watcher's Council administers a test known as "the Cruciamentum" if/when they turn eighteen, which strips the Slayer of her powers and forces her to fight a powerful vampire without them (" Helpless "). The compound used to weaken the Slayer makes her typically weaker than most normal humans. This renders a Slayer who would still normally be physically fit without her powers remarkably feeble even for

468-664: A Slayer, their average lifespan is quite short after being called. Consequently, the Shadow Men's spell also created a large number of Potential Slayers—normal girls around the world who may one day be called. When a Slayer dies, one of the Potentials—seemingly chosen at random—gains the powers and abilities of a Slayer. The Watcher's Council tries to identify and train these "Potentials" before they are called, locating some as babies, but are not always able to do so, with some girls only being found after they have been activated as

624-744: A Thousand Faces King asleep in mountain Christ figure References [ edit ] ^ Gawaran, Alyssa (2022-11-05). "Top 7 Chosen One Characters in Movie History" . MovieWeb . Retrieved 2023-09-30 . ^ Ma, Dafni (2023-01-26). "7 Great Movies That Feature The Chosen One" . Game Rant . Retrieved 2023-09-30 . ^ Stoebakk, Anita Olsen (2017-11-05). " "The Chosen One" In Genre Literature" . The Nerd Daily . Retrieved 2022-08-29 . ^ "Definition of CHOSEN" . www.merriam-webster.com . Retrieved 2022-08-29 . ^ "What does

780-422: A bold representation of gay relationship, remarking that "they hold hands, slow-dance and lay in bed at night. You won't find that kind of normalcy on Will and Grace ." Despite Whedon's intentions of not making Buffy about overcoming issues, he said Willow's exploration of her sexuality "turned out to be one of the most important things we've done on the show". Although the show's writers and producers received

936-569: A bullet into his body, then kills him by magically flaying him. Unsatisfied, she attempts to kill the other two members of the Trio but is unsuccessful due to her weakening power. She solves this problem by killing her 'dealer' from earlier in the season and draining him of his magic. When she is confronted by Buffy they begin to fight, only to be stopped by Giles who has borrowed magic from a coven of wiccans. Willow successfully drains him of this borrowed magic, fulfilling his plan and causing her to feel all

1092-444: A cement sidewalk and be only dazed before fully recovering in moments, and at a later time, to fall four stories down, crash through the cement roof of an adjacent building and fall down the height of one more story, and recover instantly. Buffy can leap from a window with a man in her arms, landing on the ground and letting her body take the brunt of the fall. Buffy has been hit by a moving truck, got up and run off. Faith has fallen from

1248-646: A circle of light until Willow falls back on a pillow gasping and moaning. Within the Buffy universe, magic is portrayed in a mostly female realm. As opposed to it being evil, it is an earth-bound force that is most proficiently harvested by women. The treatment of the lesbian relationship as integral to magic, representative of each other (love is magic, magic is love), earned the series some critical commentary from conservative Christians. To avoid large-scale criticism, scenes had to be shot several different ways because censors would not allow some types of action on screen. In

1404-467: A competitive streak and she accuses others who share their concerns that she uses magic for selfish purposes of being jealous. No longer the conscience of the Scooby Gang, Willow cedes this role to Tara then revels in breaking more rules. After Tara leaves Willow, Willow divulges to Buffy that she does not know who she is and doubts her worth and appeal—specifically to Tara—without magic. Contradicting

1560-503: A conscious effort to focus on Willow and Tara's relationship instead of either's identity as a lesbian or the coming out process. When Willow discloses to Buffy what she feels for Tara, she indicates that she has fallen in love with Tara, not that she is a lesbian, and avoids categorizing herself. Some critics regard this as a failure on Willow's part to be strong; Em McAvan interprets this to mean that Willow may be bisexual . Scholar Farah Mendlesohn asserts that Willow's realization that she

1716-409: A dark force that takes her on a redemptive journey in a major story arc when she becomes the sixth season's main villain, threatening to destroy the world in a fit of grief and rage. The Buffy series became extremely popular and earned a devoted fanbase; Willow's intelligence, shy nature, and vulnerability often resounded strongly with viewers in early seasons. Of the core characters, Willow changes

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1872-429: A day and show no lingering disabilities. A Slayer naturally has formidable fighting skills. Buffy is shown to easily fend off multiple vampires at the same time while under a memory loss spell, with no memory of her combat training—relying entirely on her natural Slayer instincts, presumably indicating an instinctual grasp of fighting. Dana is seen holding her own against Spike without having any previous combat training. It

2028-472: A distance of presumably over 20–25 feet, with no downward arc to his trajectory (which was only interrupted due to his hitting a metal grate, which was extensively deformed on impact). The psychotic Slayer Dana is able to, through several violent shoves, knock down a metal door as well as deform the edges of a metal gate as she tore it from its hinges. Buffy and Angel often shows inconsistencies in their characters' physical strength; for example, Buffy

2184-408: A goddess. Willow's earliest and most consistent relationships are with Buffy and Xander, both of whom she refers to as her best friends although they have their conflicts, and Giles as a father figure. Willow takes on the leadership role when Buffy is unavailable, and her growing powers sometimes make her resent being positioned as Buffy's sidekick. Some scholars see Willow as Buffy's sister-figure or

2340-436: A guide who will force her to grow. She begins a relationship with Kennedy. Following protests angry about the death of Tara, Whedon and the writing team made a decision to keep Willow gay. In 2002, he told The Advocate about the possibility of Willow having a relationship with a man, "We do that now, and we will be burned alive. And possibly justifiably. We can't have Willow say, 'Oh, cured now, I can go back to cock!' Willow

2496-404: A half-woman half-snake demon named Aluwyn. Willow is still involved with Kennedy through Season Eight , but becomes intimate with Aluwyn while they are together. She also continues to deal with grief from Tara's death, and struggles with the dark forces of magic that put her in opposition to Buffy. At the conclusion of the season, Buffy destroys an object, a seed, that is the source of the magic in

2652-1036: A heart of gold Ingénue Loosu ponnu Magical girlfriend Catgirl Monster girl Manic Pixie Dream Girl Vixen Hag Cat lady Crone Fairy godmother La Ruffiana Loathly lady Hawksian woman Dragon Lady Femme fatale Tsundere Woman warrior Jungle girl Magical girl Virago Queen bee Princesse lointaine Southern belle Valley girl Yamato nadeshiko LGBT Class S Laotong Lady-in-waiting Columbina Mammy stereotype Geek girl Gamer girl Damsel in distress Final girl Princess and dragon Masculine Harlequin Pierrot Scaramouche Father figure Wise old man Elderly martial arts master Young American mappillai Himbo Ivan

2808-435: A height of three stories on top of a closed dumpster, rolled off it to hit the ground and got up immediately with no signs of damage; she also was able to hold her own in a fight with Buffy less than 24 hours after waking from a nine-month coma—a coma which she entered after surviving a deep stab wound to the abdomen immediately followed by a fall from the top of a multi-story building into a moving truck. Also, in an attempt from

2964-408: A host of new abilities including being able to fly and absorbing others' magic to deconstruct it. The Big Bad of Season Eight is a being named Twilight who is bent on destroying magic in the world. A one-shot comic dedicated to Willow's story was released in 2009 titled Willow: Goddesses and Monsters . It explores the time she took away to discover more about her magical powers, under the tutelage of

3120-400: A human. This forces the Slayer to rely solely on her intellect and wit, which Buffy proves to have. She killed an insane vampire called Kralik by using his weakest point against him—his medication (without which he suffers extraordinary pain). When he rushes to take his pills, he searches for a glass of water. After drinking it, he realizes that Buffy had filled the glass with Holy Water. There

3276-429: A loser. And she always has been. People picked on Willow... and now Willow's a junkie." Vamp Willow served as an indicator of what Willow is capable of; immediately before she flays Warren in one violent magical flash, she uses the same line Vamp Willow used in the third season: "Bored now." Following the sixth season, Willow struggles to allow herself to perform magic without the darkness within her taking her over. She

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3432-497: A magical source; Buffy trains constantly and works out to enhance and maintain her abilities, suggesting that they would atrophy otherwise. A "normal" workout routine that would enhance a regular human's strength and speed increases her abilities much faster and at greater magnitude. Also, the concoction created in the Season Three episode " Helpless " (which Giles says includes muscle relaxants and adrenal inhibitors) would have

3588-411: A metal portcullis which an entire group of people were unable to budge. She is also capable of bending a steel rifle barrel with little apparent effort and easily bending open the bars of prison cells with her bare hands. Buffy has been recorded throwing human-sized subjects sizable distances and casually lifting steel girders used in construction building During a fight, Faith Lehane is able to pick up

3744-526: A minimal negative reaction from Willow choosing Tara over Oz, the response from viewers and critics alike was overwhelming towards Whedon for killing Tara, accusing him of homophobia . Particularly because Tara's death came at a point where Willow and Tara had reconciled and were shown following an apparent sexual encounter, the writers were criticized for representing the consequences of lesbian sex as punishable by death. Series writer and producer Marti Noxon —whose mother fell in love with another woman when Noxon

3900-473: A model for Willow to reference when she encounters her own attraction to evil. When Willow and Oz decide to commit to each other, Willow is enthusiastic that she has a boyfriend, and, as a guitarist in a band, one so cool. Her relationship with Oz endures the high school storylines of exploring her attraction to Xander, which briefly separates them. She worries that she is not as close to Oz as she could be. They stay together through graduation into college, but Oz

4056-484: A multitude of new powers: her strength, speed, agility, and reflexes have been greatly enhanced, and she has also developed telescopic vision, superhuman hearing, flight , and a level of invulnerability. Willow initially theorizes that these powers are a result of Buffy unwittingly absorbing the collective powers of all of the Slayers who have died since their organization began, but Angel later claims that they are in fact

4212-426: A new Slayer to be called, and, when she is discussing why she has been revived a second time with Giles, Buffy states, "It was my time, Giles. Someone would've taken my place." Following her second death, Buffy herself, addressing a group of Potential Slayers, says: "My death could make you the next Slayer." However, the shooting script for the final episode on the show originally included a much longer speech by Buffy to

4368-408: A place that respects her intellect, while Buffy has difficulty in classes and Xander does not attend school. Willow's relationship with her boyfriend, Oz, continues until a female werewolf appears on the scene, aggressively pursuing him, and he leaves town to learn how to control the wolf within. She becomes depressed and explores magic more deeply, often with powerful but inconsistent results. She joins

4524-769: A place where she can be the focus of Tara's attention, not having to appease or sacrifice as she has in the past. Tara, however, eclipses Willow's role as the moral center of the Scoobies, and as Willow becomes more powerful and less ethical, Tara becomes a maternal figure for the group. Willow acts as a sort of middle child between Xander's immaturity and Buffy's weighty responsibilities. She becomes completely devoted to and enamored of Tara, and then manipulates her to avoid conflict when Tara does not conform to what she wants. Displeased with how Willow abuses her power, especially toward herself, Tara leaves Willow while continuing to counsel Dawn and Buffy. Long after Tara's death, Willow faces

4680-421: A positive act on the series. Through witchcraft, Willow becomes the only member of the group to cause damage to Glory. She reveals that the spells she casts are physically demanding, giving her headaches and nosebleeds. When Glory assaults Tara, making her insane, Willow, in a magical rage that causes her eyes to turn black, finds Glory and battles her. She does not come from the battle unscathed (after all, Glory

4836-610: A positive example of a depiction of a Jewish woman, who stood out among portrayals of Jews as harsh, unfeminine, and shallow. Producer Gail Berman states that as a Jew, Willow "handles herself just fine, thank you". In Queer Girls and Popular Culture , Susan Driver states that television ascribes to viewers what lesbians look and act like, and that realistic portrayals of girls outside the norm of white, upper or middle class, and heterosexual are extremely rare. Realistic depictions of lesbians are so rare that they become strong role models and enable "hope and imagination" for girls limited by

Slayer (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) - Misplaced Pages Continue

4992-588: A possessed Cordelia Chase in " Bad Eggs " and with a detached mannequin arm by Ethan Rayne in " The Dark Age ", and was also rendered unconscious when Drusilla jolted her with a cattle prod in " Crush ". In addition, the Slayer can be injured by conventional bullets, bladed weapons, and more advanced weaponry (such as the energy weapons commonly used by the Initiative) just as easily as an ordinary human can, but they can recover from even very severe injuries in remarkably short periods of time. Usually, Buffy

5148-473: A reward because of the fulfillment of her destiny and involvement with the coming of a new reality. Slayers typically use weapons to fight vampires and other demons . Simple wooden stakes, crucifixes, and holy water are commonly used due to their effectiveness against vampires. Swords , axes , and knives are the most common implements used for dispatching demons, though other melee weapons (generally of medieval European design) are also used. Ranged weaponry

5304-551: A romantic storyline between Willow and Tara, but at the same time placed barriers on how far it could go and what could be shown. Two episodes later, Hannigan and Amber Benson were informed that their characters would become romantically involved. The actors were not told the end result of the Willow–Oz–Tara storyline, not sure what the eventual trajectory of the relationship would be, until Hannigan said, "Then finally it was, 'Great! It's official. We're in luurrvvve.'" Whedon made

5460-529: A significant focus of the show. Willow at times reminds the other characters of her religion, wondering what her father might think of the crucifixes she must apply to her bedroom wall to keep out vampires, and commenting that Santa Claus misses her house every Christmas because of the "big honkin' menorah". Buffy essayist Matthew Pateman criticizes the show for presenting Willow's Jewish identity only when it opposes Christian declarations of holidays and other traditions. The New York Times , however, named her as

5616-455: A source of power, and has an instinctive sense of ownership of the weapon. When Buffy showed the Scythe to Faith, she said that she "felt like it belongs to me", but immediately surrenders it to Buffy, saying that it was hers because she was a Slayer first. When Buffy discovers the weapon, she tracks its lineage to a mysterious woman who explains its origin. Centuries ago, a group of women known as

5772-566: A spell that causes demons to be invisible to the gang, Buffy orders everyone to be quiet and fights a demon without seeing it. A Slayer also has the limited ability to detect the presence of vampires (and presumably other demons). This power must be honed as with the heightened awareness, and the Slayer must focus to achieve the full effect. This does not prevent Buffy (and other Slayers) from being ambushed by vampires. Buffy could be unusually deficient in this sense: Although she initially distrusts Angel when first meeting him and seems to sense that he

5928-737: A television special effects budget, Season Eight explores more fantastic storylines, characters, and abilities for Willow. Willow's cover art is done by Jo Chen , and Georges Jeanty and Karl Moline produce character artwork and provide alternative covers. It was followed by two closely interlinked sequels, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine and Angel & Faith (both 2012–14). Willow features at different times in both series, as well as in her own spin-off miniseries. Jeanty continues to provide Willow's likeness in Season Nine , while Rebekah Isaacs and Brian Ching are

6084-410: A walking hormone in this place that is just so cruel. There were times that were OK, but it's not the little myth that high school is the best years of your life. No way." Whedon intended Willow to be realistically introverted, saying, "I wanted Willow to have that kind of insanely colorful interior life that truly shy people have. And Alyson has that. She definitely has a loopiness I found creeping into

6240-443: Is "a little bit stronger" than he is, though the humorous tenor of the exchange suggests he may have been understating the difference. The Slayer's strength appears to be largely metaphysical , as it does not seem to add to their body mass and they remain buoyant enough to swim. Melaka Fray is able to pick up an overweight vampire several times her own size and body mass, lift him up over her head with both hands and throw him over

6396-836: Is "far from being a cut-out angry lesbian, is more fleshed out, and more terrifyingly alive, than she has ever been before. More than any other character, she has driven the momentum of the past few episodes; she very nearly drove it off a cliff." Several writers state that Willow's transition into Dark Willow is inevitable, grounded in Willow's self-hatred that had been festering from the first season. Both Dark Willow and even Willow herself state that Willow's sacrifices for her friends and lack of assertiveness are her undoing. In "Doppelgangland", Willow (posing as Vampire Willow) says "It's pathetic. She lets everyone walk all over her and gets cranky at her friends for no reason." In "Two to Go", Dark Willow remarks "Let me tell you something about Willow. She's

Slayer (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) - Misplaced Pages Continue

6552-606: Is a fictional character created for the fantasy television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003). She was developed by Joss Whedon and portrayed throughout the TV series by Alyson Hannigan . Willow plays an integral role within the inner circle of friends—called the Scooby Gang—who support Buffy Summers ( Sarah Michelle Gellar ), a teenager gifted with superhuman powers to defeat vampires, demons, and other evil in

6708-519: Is a goddess and Willow "just" a very powerful witch) and must be assisted by Buffy, but her power is evident and surprising to her friends. The final episode of the fifth season sees Willow restoring Tara's sanity and crucially weakening Glory in the process. It also features Buffy's death, sacrificing herself to save the world. Willow and Tara move into the Summers house and raise Buffy's younger sister Dawn ( Michelle Trachtenberg ). Fearing that Buffy

6864-403: Is a goddess named Glory ( Clare Kramer ) that Buffy is unable to fight by herself. The writers of the series often use elements of fantasy and horror as metaphors for real-life conflicts. The series' use of magic, as noted by religion professor Gregory Stevenson, neither promotes nor denigrates Wiccan ideals and Willow rejects Wiccan colleagues for not practicing the magic she favors. Throughout

7020-464: Is a less sexual character than the others in the show. She is displayed as "cuddly" in earlier seasons, often dressing in pink fuzzy sweaters resulting in an innocent tomboyishness. She becomes more feminine in her relationship with Tara, who is already feminine; no issues with gender are present in their union. Their relationship is sanitized and unthreatening to male viewers. When the series moved broadcast networks from The WB to UPN in 2001, some of

7176-410: Is a narrative trope where one character, usually the protagonist , is framed as the inevitable hero of the story as a result of destiny, unique gifts, and/or special lineage. The trope is similar to the hero's journey template, where the main difference is that The Chosen One usually does not have a choice because of destiny. Chosen One narratives often incorporate Bildungsroman , following

7332-2338: Is a page-turner" . The Columbus Dispatch . Retrieved 2022-08-29 . ^ Forhan, Connor (2022-04-01). "The One: "Dune's" Paul Atreides as the Quintessential Messiah" . POVwinona . Retrieved 2023-08-07 . v t e Stock characters List Archetype By ethics and morality Heroes Classic hero Action hero Christ figure Chosen One Everyman Folk hero Knight-errant Legacy hero Mythological king Paladin Superhero Youngest son Antihero Byronic hero Man alone Tragic hero Other Cyberhero Super soldier Space marine Rogues Lovable rogue Gentleman detective Jack Trickster Tricky slave Zanni (servants, clowns: Harlequin ,  Brighella ,  Scapino ,  Pulcinella  and  Pierrot ) Outlaw Bad boy Gentleman thief Pirate Air pirate Space pirate Other Good cop/bad cop Rake Villains Antivillains False hero The mole Double agent Evil twin Terrorist Social Darwinist Dark lord Mad scientist Supervillain Monsters Bug-eyed monster Evil clown Killer toy Monster girl Skeleton Slime Swamp monster Vampires Zombie Nazi zombies Other Alazon Archenemy Folk devil Igor Masked villain Miser Vecchio (wealthy old men, Pantalone and Il Dottore ) Il Capitano (self styled captain, braggart) By sex and gender Feminine Love interest Bishōjo Blonde stereotype Farmer's daughter Girl next door Hooker with

7488-473: Is also shown that Potential Slayers have innate skills in combat, even before being called, as Amanda was able to defeat a vampire without any previous combat training in " Potential ". The Slayer's Watcher trains her to hone these talents, and to teach her specific fighting skills, such as various martial arts. The training helps her to battle the occasional demon whose physical strength outclasses her own. For most situations, however, her strength suffices. To test

7644-505: Is an aggressively bisexual vampire. In a related episode, " Doppelgangland ", Willow meets "Vamp Willow", who dresses provocatively and flirts with her. Willow chooses to attend college with Buffy in Sunnydale although she is accepted to prestigious schools elsewhere. Her relationships with Buffy and Xander become strained as they try to find their place following high school. Willow becomes much more confident in college, finally finding

7800-458: Is assumed to be quite old considering its contents. At the time Buffy received it, it was in a brown leather bag, and contained several objects, including a boomerang , a vase , a locked box containing shadow casters, and a mystical book written in Sumerian . The shadow casters are placed onto the smaller circular metal piece in front of a light, creating shadow images on the wall, and the book

7956-495: Is broken when Willow acknowledges her guilt and Kennedy kisses her again. Kennedy expresses that she does not understand the value of magic and assumes it involves tricks, not the all-consuming energy that Willow is capable of. When Willow eventually exhibits what power she has, it briefly frightens Kennedy. Willow worries about becoming sexually intimate with Kennedy, unsure of what may transpire if she loses control of herself. In season 7 episode 20, "Touched", in which practically all

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8112-430: Is completely healed within 24 hours of being injured, though more serious injuries have been shown to take at least a few days, and Slayers can receive scars. Buffy has survived contact with a live electrical wire; the normally lethal jolt simply renders her unconscious and melts her shoe soles. The Slayer also appears to have a heightened immune system: Buffy is depicted as almost never getting sick, aside from contracting

8268-474: Is drawn to Veruca , another werewolf. He admits an animal attraction to Veruca, which he does not share with Willow. He sleeps with Veruca and leaves shortly after to explore the werewolf part of himself. Willow becomes very depressed and doubts herself. She drinks, her magical abilities are compromised, her spells come out wrong, and she lashes out at her friends when they suggest she get over it (" Something Blue "). Joss Whedon did not intend to write Oz out of

8424-403: Is evidence of an incredibly high pain tolerance. It is difficult, though not impossible, to bruise them, break their bones or strain their joints. Buffy has suffered from a sprained arm as a consequence of fighting vampires. Melaka Fray is hit with a steel girder thrown at her from a demon and recovers within minutes; she is also shown to fall from a height of over five stories to land face-first on

8580-432: Is following her for a period of time, she doesn't realize until he shows her his vampiric face for the first time that he is a vampire. However, her ability might have been compromised by the presence of Angel's soul. Additionally, in " Dirty Girls ," Faith attacks Spike under the impression that he is chasing an innocent girl and is unaware that he was in fact pursuing a vampire until said vampire attacks her from behind. In

8736-489: Is found with Melaka Fray, the Slayer of the future, and her vampire brother. She possesses all the strength and physical abilities, but everyone dismisses her and no one takes her seriously, though her brother, who possesses all of her non-physical abilities, was instantly accepted as a leader among his peers, despite him being newly sired and inexperienced. Overall, the Slayer's abilities seem to be enhancements of normal human attributes, rather than extra abilities garnered from

8892-421: Is imbued with superhuman abilities and attends a high school situated on a portal to hell. Whedon created a group of friends for the main character, including Willow Rosenberg and Xander Harris . A half-hour pilot was filmed starring Riff Regan as Willow, but it was eventually left unaired and network executives requested that Regan be replaced. Willow's character demanded that she be shy and unsure of herself, and

9048-843: Is in hell, Willow suggests at the beginning of the sixth season that she be raised from the dead. In a dark ceremony in which she expels a snake from her mouth, Willow performs the magic necessary to bring Buffy back. She is successful, but Buffy keeps it secret that she believes she was in heaven. Willow's powers grow stronger; she uses telepathy which her friends find intrusive, and she begins to cast spells to manipulate Tara. After Willow fails Tara's challenge to go for one week without performing magic, Tara leaves her, and for two episodes Willow descends into addiction that almost gets Dawn killed. Willow goes for months without any magic, helping Buffy track three geeks called The Trio who grandiosely aspire to be supervillains. Immediately following Willow's reconciliation with Tara, Warren ( Adam Busch ), one of

9204-419: Is in love with Tara allows viewers to re-interpret Willow's relationship with Buffy; in the first three seasons, Willow is often disappointed that she is not a higher priority to Buffy, and even after Willow enters a relationship with Tara, still desires to feel integral to Buffy's cause and the Scooby Gang. Willow's progression has been noted to be unique in television. Her relationship with Tara coincides with

9360-527: Is in love with Tara makes her "the best role model a teen could ask for". When viewers realized that Willow was falling in love with Tara, Whedon remembered that some threatened to boycott the show, complaining "You made Willow a fag", to which he responded, "Bye. We'll miss you a whole lot. " However, he also said, "For every (negative) post, there's somebody saying, 'You made my life a lot easier because I now have someone I can relate to on screen'." Gay characters had been portrayed before on television, and at

9516-521: Is inferred that she may be stronger due to the fact that she has been activated the longest. Slayers are able to move faster and react more quickly than normal human beings. Buffy has been shown snatching a crossbow bolt in mid-flight, dodging gunfire from multiple ranges and setting off a bear trap, but not getting caught in it. At one point Buffy was fast enough to outrun a raiding motorcyclist on his bike shortly after her resurrection. Faith has been shown to dodge shotgun blasts at point-blank range and Dana

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9672-573: Is made clearer: Sunnydale falls under the spell of a demon who throws the town's adults into a moral panic , and Willow's mother Sheila (Jordan Baker) is portrayed as a career-obsessed academic who is unable to communicate with her daughter, eventually trying to burn Willow at the stake for being involved in witchcraft; her father is never featured. In " The Wish " a vengeance demon named Anya ( Emma Caulfield ) grants Cordelia's wish that Buffy never came to Sunnydale, showing what would happen if it were overrun with vampires. In this alternate reality, Willow

9828-604: Is made concrete for her in the First Slayer. "In every generation there is a Chosen One. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer." Thousands of years ago in ancient Africa, a group of tribal elders known as the Shadow Men used powerful magic to infuse a captive girl with the heart, soul and spirit of a demon known as the Shadow Demon. This process granted

9984-571: Is no longer able to abstain from magic as it is such an integral part of her that doing so will kill her. In the instances when she is highly emotional the darkness comes out. Willow must control that part of her and is occasionally unable to do so, giving her a trait similar to Angel, a cursed vampire who fears losing his soul will turn him evil. In a redemptive turn, when Willow turns all the Potentials into Slayers, she glows and her hair turns white, astonishing Kennedy and prompting her to call Willow

10140-415: Is no..." The page then ends, and it's unknown what comes next. The Chosen One (trope) Narrative trope For other uses, see The Chosen One (disambiguation) . Not to be confused with Chosen people . [REDACTED] Luke Skywalker from Star Wars is an example of an archetypal Chosen One The Chosen One , also known as The One or The Chosen ,

10296-517: Is not going to be straddling that particular fence. She will just be gay." Kennedy is markedly different from Tara. She is younger, outspoken, and aggressively pursues Willow, who hesitates to become involved again. When they first kiss in the episode " The Killer in Me ", Willow's realization that she let Tara go reacts with a curse put upon her by another witch named Amy Madison ( Elizabeth Anne Allen ), turning Willow into Warren, Tara's murderer. The spell

10452-427: Is nothing like her. Many Buffy fans saw this as a funny Easter egg when Willow revealed herself to actually be lesbian in later seasons. As surprised as Willow is with Vamp Willow, she feels bound to her, and does not have the heart to allow Buffy to kill her. Both Willows make the observation that "this world's no fun", before they send Vamp Willow back into the alternate dimension from which she came, whereupon she

10608-465: Is often shown making choices that allow her to acquire power or knowledge and avoid emotional conflict. The story arc of Willow's growing dependence on magic was noted by Marti Noxon as the representation of "adult crossroads" and Willow's inability and unwillingness to be accountable for her own life. Willow enjoys power she is unable to control. She steals to accomplish her vocational goals and rationalizes her amoral behavior. This also manifests itself in

10764-468: Is some evidence to indicate that The Slayer might possess some supernatural influence or presence over others. Part of the role of the Slayer is being a leader and deciding the appropriate course of action to be taken. In the course of the entire timeline, The Slayer has always instantly been acknowledged as the leader and the final decision maker, superseding even that of the Watchers. This is touched on in

10920-478: Is someone else Willow is in love with, who she will never see again. Kennedy's role split many Buffy fans into two groups. Many viewers hated Kennedy, because they saw her as a way of saying; "Tara's dead, let's move on." and they weren't ready to. After the emotional death of Tara and Willow's reaction (nearly ending all life on Earth) many fans thought that it was ridiculous for Willow to recover and move on so quickly. Kennedy overall, has received much hate, but there

11076-446: Is staked and dies immediately. A shadow of Dark Willow appears to fight Glory in the fifth season episode " Tough Love ", but she does not come into full force until the sixth season in " Villains ", " Two to Go ", and " Grave ". The transition from Willow into Dark Willow, precipitated by Tara's immediate death when she is shot through the heart, was ambiguously received by audiences, many of whom never foresaw Willow's psychic break. It

11232-564: Is the other side who say that she was exactly what Willow needed to recover and continue a happy life. Willow Rosenberg is undoubtedly the most complexly represented girl in love and lust with other girls to be developed within a mainstream network television series. Susan Driver in Queer Girls and Popular Culture Willow's religion and sexuality have made her a role model for audiences. Whedon, however, has compared her Jewish identity to her sexuality, stating that they are rarely made

11388-492: Is then read to tell the story. The book will then translate itself, possibly into English, or perhaps into whatever the reader's language might be. The shadows cast by the metal figures will then become enchanted themselves and begin to move on their own, recreating the story of the First Slayer. A portal is then created, allowing the Slayer to speak directly to the Shadow Men that created the First Slayer , but "exchanging"

11544-412: Is usually confined to crossbows. On occasion, more sophisticated weaponry is used; Buffy Summers has used a military-issue rocket launcher to defeat a particularly tough demon . The Slayer Melaka Fray uses weaponry native to her time period, such as rayguns , as well as traditional Slayer weapons. Buffy has a personal dislike for firearms , and has made it a rule that no Slayer in her group use them. On

11700-545: The New York Daily News writes that Willow's progression is "unlike anything else I can recall on regular prime-time television: a character evolving naturally over four seasons of stories and arriving at a place of sexual rediscovery". Not all viewers considered Willow and Tara's relationship a positive development. Some fans loyal to Willow reacted angrily as she chose to be with Tara when Oz made himself available, and they lashed out at Tara and Amber Benson on

11856-424: The 1992 film , the ability to detect vampires manifested itself in the form of feminine cramps. (Merrick describes this as a "natural reaction to their unnatural presence".) This ability was inconsistent, as Buffy was unaware that a vampire was hiding in a photo booth right next to her. The movie, however, is not considered canon , and this aspect of her powers was not carried over to the series. All Slayers through

12012-464: The "king of pain") and viewers responded strongly when she was placed in danger, needing to be rescued by Buffy. Scenarios with Willow in various predicaments became common in early episodes. However, Willow establishes herself as integral to the group's effectiveness, often willing to break rules by hacking into highly secure computer systems. In the second season when the characters are in 11th grade, Willow becomes more sure of herself, standing up to

12168-549: The Chosen One mean? - eNotes.com" . eNotes . Retrieved 2022-08-29 . ^ Bradford, K. Tempest (2008-07-23). " "The Chosen One" vs. The One Who Chooses" . Fantasy Magazine . Retrieved 2022-08-29 . ^ Pool, Katy Rose (2019-09-09). "Are You The One? Exploring The Chosen One Trope in SFF" . Tor.com . Retrieved 2023-12-13 . ^ Chowdhury, Radhiah (2006-12-01). "A chosen sacrifice:

12324-489: The First Evil. Willow is able to escape with Buffy, Xander, Giles, Faith and Kennedy as Sunnydale is destroyed. Through the gamut of changes Willow endures in the series, Buffy studies scholar Ian Shuttleworth states that Alyson Hannigan's performances are the reason for Willow's popularity: "Hannigan can play on audience heartstrings like a concert harpist... As an actress she is a perfect interpreter in particular of

12480-1379: The Fool Jack Jock Little Johnny Nice guy Nice Jewish boy Superfluous man Prince Charming Bishōnen Knight-errant Primitive Feral child Noble savage Caveman Mountain man LGBT Seme and uke Otokonoko Bad boy Pachuco Black knight Others Adolescent clique Barbarian Clown Dragonslayer Donor Fool Identity formation Imaginary friend Innamorati ("The Lovers") Little green men Magical Negro Mole people Pop icon Redshirt Shoulder angel Sidekick Straight man Tokenism Town drunk Tragic mulatto Truck-kun Village idiot White savior Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Chosen_One_(trope)&oldid=1258645265 " Categories : Mythological archetypes Literary motifs Fantasy tropes Stock characters Science fiction themes Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description matches Wikidata Articles containing Japanese-language text Willow Rosenberg Willow Rosenberg

12636-482: The Guardians forged the Scythe for the Slayer. The Guardians kept the weapon a secret from the Shadow Men, and later the Watchers. The Scythe was used to kill the last pure demon on Earth in what would later become Sunnydale, California. It was lost after that, until discovered by Buffy embedded in stone. Willow Rosenberg is soon after able to harness the Scythe's mystical essence and activate every Potential Slayer in

12792-408: The Scythe's essence at Buffy's request, and performs a spell that calls every living Potential Slayer at once, thus ending the legacy of "one girl in all the world". After taking the time to find and count them, Buffy states that there are at least 1800 Slayers in the world, 500 of whom are working with the Scooby Gang. Potentials now awaken as Slayers when they reach suitable maturation; for instance,

12948-523: The Slayer Soledad was awakened on her sixteenth birthday. At the end of Season Eight , Buffy destroys the Seed of Wonder, affecting the magical world; while all active Slayers present on Earth remain, no new Slayers can be called. At some point in the 21st century, a Slayer faces an army of demons. As a result of this battle, all demons and magicks are banished from Earth's dimension. At this point,

13104-399: The Slayer for a particularly powerful demon, releasing the demon onto Earth through the same portal. The Slayer can then gain more power through the Shadow Men if she is willing, but only through taking in more of the essence of the demon which gave the Slayer her powers in the first place. The only apparent way to bring the Slayer back to Earth is to bring the released demon back to the site of

13260-404: The Slayer is well-known and revered even throughout other dimensions. The notion of the Slayer has been compared to the equivalent of a Demonic "Boogey-Man", incredibly feared and considered by most to be essentially unconquerable. Rhonda Wilcox explains that the First Slayer was violated by the Shadow Men. She contrasts this with Buffy's offer of choice to the potentials. Wilcox notes that despite

13416-430: The Slayer line becomes dormant—while Potential Slayers still exist, none are called for two hundred years. In the far future, demons eventually find a way to return to Earth's dimension, and the next Slayer is finally called—a girl named Melaka Fray. The continuity of the Slayer line is still unclear since Melaka had a twin brother who was given the dreams and visions typically possessed by the Slayer, while Melaka received

13572-414: The Slayer. This process continues through the generations until 1997, when one Slayer— Buffy Summers —is killed in battle (by drowning) only to be revived via CPR. Buffy retains her Slayer powers, but her clinical death is enough for the next Slayer to be called. For the next year there are two Slayers in the world: first Kendra , who was called on Buffy's death, and then Faith , who was called when Kendra

13728-409: The Trio, shoots Buffy; a stray shot kills Tara right in front of Willow. In an explosion of rage and grief, Willow soaks up all the dark magic she can, which turns her hair and eyes black. In the final episodes of the season Willow becomes exceedingly strong, surviving unharmed when Warren hits her in the back with an axe. “Axe not gonna cut it,” she quips. She hunts Warren, tortures him by slowly pushing

13884-404: The Watcher's Council to capture Faith without killing her in " Sanctuary ", they prepare a tranquilizer that is capable of knocking out a man twice her size, which is more than enough to subdue an ordinary young woman her size. Despite these feats, the Slayer is far from invulnerable. For instance, Buffy has been knocked out by blunt force trauma, such as being hit over the head with a lead pipe by

14040-410: The ability to feel the world's pain, becoming determined to put the world out of its misery. She does not acknowledge her grief, and only Xander can force her to face it when he tells her that he loves her no matter what or who she is, and if she is determined to end the world she must start by killing him. Only then does Willow return, sobbing. At Salon.com , Stephanie Zacharek writes that Dark Willow

14196-470: The adult world". Cynthia Fuchs similarly says Buffy's character brought an understanding of teenage life, but that her "'secret identity' as the slayer exacerbates such ordeals and dreams. She explains further, when analyzing a sequence with the First Slayer, "Buffy's perpetual sense of displacement, her sense that she belongs to another "race", apart from her world (which is populated by humans, demons, and vampires, communities into which she never quite fits),

14352-473: The ages share a psychic link, manifested in dreams. A Slayer will frequently dream of herself as a Slayer in another time and place. These dreams are usually vague, but can also be prophetic. Dreams exist in their own mystic plane or "dreamscape" where for a Slayer, precognitive sense and the inherited memories of other Slayers can manifest themselves. Also, Slayers have been shown to appear in each other's dreams, and Buffy and Faith shared several dreams while Faith

14508-530: The anti-Buffy, similar to Faith , another Slayer whose morals are less strict. In early seasons, Willow's unrequited crush on Xander creates some storylines involving the relationships between Xander, Cordelia, and Oz. Willow is part of a powerful quartet: she represents the spirit, Giles intelligence, Xander heart, and Buffy strength of the Scoobies. Although they often drift apart, they are forced to come together and work in these roles to defeat forces they are unable to fight individually. Willow meets stoic Oz in

14664-418: The audience, making her appear to be stable. She is unsure of who she is; despite all the tasks she takes on and excels at, for much of the series she has no identity. This is specifically exhibited in the fourth season finale " Restless ", an enigmatic pastiche of characters' dream sequences. In Willow's dream, she moves from an intimate moment painting a love poem by Sappho on Tara's bare back, to attending

14820-516: The bare emotional directness which is the specialty of [series writer Marti] Noxon on form." Subsequent to Buffy ' s television finale, Dark Horse Comics collaborated with Joss Whedon to produce a canonical comic book continuation of the series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight (2007–11), written by Whedon and many other writers from the television series. Unfettered by the practical limitations of casting or

14976-429: The bullet from her chest, but later commandeers a tractor trailer, making it slam into Xander's car while he and Buffy are inside protecting Jonathan and Andrew, the other two members of the Trio. She floats, flies and dismantles the local jail where Jonathan and Andrew are held. She is cruelly honest to Dawn and Buffy, and overpowers everyone with whom she comes in contact. When she takes Giles' magic from him, she gains

15132-457: The campus Wicca group, meeting Tara Maclay, for whom she immediately feels a strong attraction. Willow adapts to her newfound sexual identity, eventually falling in love with and choosing to be with Tara, even when Oz returns to Sunnydale after apparently getting his lycanthropic tendencies under control. Each season the Scoobies face a villain they call the Big Bad . In the fifth season, this

15288-501: The casting department encountered some difficulty finding actors who could portray this effectively and still be likable. Melanie Lynskey turned down the role as she wasn't interested in TV acting at the time. After seven auditions, 23-year-old Alyson Hannigan was hired for the role. She was chosen for being able to spin the character's lines with a self-effacing optimism. She later stated in an interview, "I didn't want to do Willow as someone who's feeling sorry for herself. Especially in

15444-492: The characterization of Willow's issues with magic as addiction, Buffy essayist Jacqueline Lichtenberg writes "Willow is not addicted to magic. Willow is addicted to the surging hope that this deed or the next or the next will finally assuage her inner pain." Vamp Willow appears in the third season episodes " The Wish " and " Doppelgangland ". She is capricious and aggressive, the opposite of Willow's usual nature; her bad behavior so exaggerated that it does not instill fear into

15600-469: The choices she made: in the Season Eight issue " Anywhere But Here ", Willow tells Buffy that she is responsible for Tara's death. Her ambition to bring back Buffy from the dead inevitably led to Tara getting shot and killed. In the one-shot comic, Willow is offered Tara as a guide for her mystical path to understanding her own powers, but rejects her as being an illusion, too much of a comfort, and not

15756-455: The conceited Cordelia Chase ( Charisma Carpenter ), and approaching Xander, on whom she has had a crush for years, although it is unrequited as Xander is in love with Buffy. Seth Green joined the cast during the second season as Oz , a high school senior who becomes a werewolf , and Willow's primary romantic interest. The show's popularity by early 1998 was evident to the cast members, and Hannigan remarked on her surprise specifically. Willow

15912-511: The conditions of their immediate surroundings, who may know of no other gay people. The time and space given to Willow to go from being a shy scared girl into a confident woman who falls in love with another woman is, as of 2007, unique in television; it does not occur in one flash or single moment. It is a progression that defies strict definition. Manda Scott in The Herald states that Willow's lack of panic or self-doubt when she realizes she

16068-408: The core cast. It simply presented storylines that resembled coming out stories. In the fourth season episode " Hush ", Willow meets Tara, and to avoid being killed by a group of ghouls, they join hands to move a large vending machine telekinetically to barricade a door. The scene was, upon completion, noticeably sensual to Whedon, the producers, and network executives, who encouraged Whedon to develop

16224-723: The course of both series. She is also featured in an animated series and video game, both of which use Hannigan's voice, and the comics Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight (2007–2011), Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine (2011-2013), Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Ten (2014-2016), Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eleven (2016-2017) and Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Twelve (2018) which use Hannigan's likeness and continues Willow's storyline following

16380-617: The development of her magical abilities becoming much more profound. By the seventh season, she is the most powerful person in Buffy's circle. Jessica Ford at PopMatters asserts that Willow's sexuality and her magical abilities are connected and represented by her relationships. In her unrequited attraction to Xander, she has no power. With Oz, she has some that gives her the confidence she sorely lacks, but his departure leaves her unsure of herself. Only when she meets Tara do her magical abilities flourish; to Ford, sexuality and magic are both empowering agents in Willow's story arc. David Bianculli in

16536-466: The doomed destiny of the Child Messiah in late twentieth-century children's fantasy" . Papers: Explorations into Children's Literature . 16 (2): 107–112. ^ Hoyle, K. B. (2021-11-09). " "Paul Atreides Must Die": Dune as Bildungsroman" . Christ and Pop Culture . Retrieved 2022-08-29 . ^ Staff Writer. "Book review | 'Cursed Child': Like series, Harry Potter script

16692-450: The end of the second season, Willow begins to study magic following the murder of the computer teacher and spell caster Jenny Calendar ( Robia LaMorte ). Willow is able to perform a complicated spell to restore the soul of Angel ( David Boreanaz ), a vampire who is also Calendar's murderer and Buffy's boyfriend. During the third season three episodes explore Willow's backstory and foreshadow her development. In " Gingerbread ", her home life

16848-659: The episode "Chosen", with Faith and Buffy hypothesizing that one of the major reasons they don't get along is that there should only be one. This could also be the major reason why Slayers went rogue and constantly struggled for sole leadership of the Slayer Army in Season Eight and the Potential Slayers kept questioning both Faith and Buffy's judgement in Season Seven. Further evidence of this phenomenon

17004-469: The expense of the girl, and the composite character is found inexplicably wanting," going on to explain this is a flaw in analysis of the character. Pender goes on to discuss the "struggle to balance the demands of her supernatural duties as the Slayer and her desire to live what she sees as a normal teenage life. As several critics have pointed out, this struggle literalises the challenges many, if not all, adolescents experience when negotiating their entry into

17160-445: The fansite message boards. Whedon replied sardonically, "we're going to shift away from this whole lifestyle choice that Willow has made. Just wipe the slate. From now on, Willow will no longer be a Jew. And I think we can all breathe easier." However, he seriously explained his motivation, writing "My show is about emotion. Love is the most powerful, messy, delightful and dangerous emotion... Willow's in love. I think it's cool." Hannigan

17316-430: The fictional town of Sunnydale . The series begins as Buffy, Willow, and their friend Xander ( Nicholas Brendon ) are in 10th grade and Willow is a shy, nerdy girl with little confidence. She has inherent magical abilities and begins to study witchcraft; as the series progresses, Willow becomes more sure of herself and her magical powers become significant. Her dependence on magic becomes so consuming that it develops into

17472-413: The first day of drama class to learn that she is to be in a play performed immediately for which she does not know the lines or understand. The dream presents poignant anxieties about how she appears to others, not belonging, and the consequences of people finding out her true self. As Willow gives a book report in front of her high school class, she discovers herself wearing the same mousy outfit she wore in

17628-509: The first episode of the show (" Welcome to the Hellmouth ") as her friends and classmates shout derisively at her, and Oz and Tara whisper intimately to each other in the audience. She is attacked and strangled by the First Slayer as the class ignores her cries for help. Long a level-headed character who sacrifices her own desires for those of her friends, she gradually abandons these priorities to be more independent and please herself. She

17784-433: The first season, she couldn't talk to guys, and nobody liked her. I was like, 'I don't want to play somebody who's down on herself.'" In the beginning of the series, Hannigan used her own experiences in high school—which she called "overwhelmingly depressing" —to guide her portrayal of Willow: "My theory on high school was, get in, get out and hopefully I won't get hurt. Basically it was a miserable experience, because you're

17940-466: The flu during a period of great emotional stress. Slayers possess a heightened awareness of their surroundings. This heightened awareness can, with experience, allow the Slayer to know the position of an attacker and fight them blindfolded or in the dark. This is not a constant ability, however. This skill must be honed through practice and the Slayer usually must focus to achieve the full benefit, as shown in season 5 "Family", during which, when Tara casts

18096-723: The fourth and fifth seasons, the characters could be shown on a bed, but not under the covers. Hannigan noted the inconsistent standards with the other relationships on the show: "you've got Spike and Harmony just going at it like rabbits, so it's very hypocritical". As a couple, Willow and Tara are treated by the rest of the Scoobies with acceptance and little fanfare. Susan Driver writes that younger viewers especially appreciate that Willow and Tara are able to be affectionate without becoming overly sexual, thus making them objects of fantasy for male enjoyment. Willow and Tara's influence on specifically younger female viewers is, according to Driver, "remarkable". Academics, however, comment that Willow

18252-510: The girl great strength, speed, agility, reflexes, healing, endurance and psychic abilities in the fight against evil, she became the First Slayer, called to fight the vampires and other demons that populate the Earth. The Shadow Men's descendants went on to form the Watchers' Council , an organization dedicated to finding, training, and supporting Slayers. Due to the violent nature of the life of

18408-454: The growth of a character from childhood to adulthood. The character's gifts, lineage or destiny are often unknown at the start of the plot or presented to the audience as dramatic irony . The Chosen One trope is rooted in religion and mythology, and often appears in speculative fiction that uses elements of mythology. The Chosen One trope is comparable to the religious concept of messiah . See also [ edit ] The Hero with

18564-402: The high-end feats of Slayer strength can go above and beyond what one would expect. One example of a Slayer being stronger than most vampires is in " The Gift ", when Buffy easily lifts Olaf's hammer with one hand when Spike was barely able to do so with both hands in " Blood Ties ", and when she defeats the demon Doc easily when Spike is unable to. Angel also remarked in " Sanctuary " that Buffy

18720-421: The inception of Willow's character in the first season, she is presented with contradictions. Bookish, rational, naive, and sometimes absent-minded, she is also shown being open to magic, aggressively boyish, and intensely focused. Willow is malleable, in continuous transition more so than any other Buffy character. She is, however, consistently labeled as dependable and reliable by the other characters and thus to

18876-549: The latter smashed it clean in two with a backhanded punch. The "emergency kit" is a bag found in the possession of Robin Wood . It was given to him by his mother Nikki Wood . When he gave it to Buffy, he claimed that it was a "Slayer heirloom" that should have been passed down to the next Slayer, but he kept it instead, presumably because he did not have much by which to remember her. It is unknown how long this had been passed down, and has not been mentioned by any other Slayers, but it

19032-479: The main cast has sex (two by two) Willow and Kennedy take part in the first lesbian sex scene on primetime television. In Season Eight , Kennedy and Willow are still romantically involved, but separated during Willow's self-exploration. Unlike her relationship with Tara, Willow is able to hold a separate identity while with Kennedy. When she realizes her powers have gone at the end of Season Eight , however, Willow ends her relationship with Kennedy, saying that there

19188-402: The message of sharing power around the world, not all women are made slayers. She then equates being a slayer with being a leader. Patricia Pender discusses the potentials and sharing of power as well, noting the cultural aspects and providing critique of the cultural portrayals. Pender also analyzes the reception of Buffy as the slayer in early criticism of the show: "the Slayer is celebrated at

19344-419: The most positive relationships of the series. Despite not being a titular character, Willow Rosenberg holds the distinction of having the second largest number of appearances on episodes of Buffy and the spin-off series Angel . Alyson Hannigan appeared as Willow in all 144 episodes of Buffy , as well as guest appearances in three episodes of the spinoff Angel , for a total of 147 on-screen appearances over

19500-431: The most, becoming a complex portrayal of a woman whose powers force her to seek balance between what is best for the people she loves and what she is capable of doing. Her character stood out as a positive portrayal of a Jewish woman and at the height of her popularity, she fell in love with another woman, a witch named Tara Maclay ( Amber Benson ). They became one of the first lesbian couples on U.S. television and one of

19656-425: The other hand, the rogue Slayer Simone Doffler and her criminal gang are enamoured of guns. The Scythe is a weapon resembling a metal lochaber axe with a wooden stake and a flanged mace head built into the handle. Due to its design, the Scythe can be used as an axe, sword or spear, depending on the fighting style of its wielder. The Scythe exhibits some mystical properties. A Slayer who picks it up recognizes it as

19812-471: The pain of everyone in the world. She tries to ease the pain by destroying the world, finally stopped by Xander’s passionate confession of platonic familial love for her. The seventh season starts with Willow in England, unnerved by her power, studying with a coven near Giles' home to harness it. She fears returning to Sunnydale and what she is capable of doing if she loses control again, a fear that dogs her

19968-460: The physical attributes (strength, reflexes, stamina, accelerated healing). On top of that, Melaka's brother has died and become a vampire. The powers that are bestowed upon the Slayer are mostly physical enhancements that vary in degree from Slayer to Slayer. Slayers are endowed with strength far greater than that of regular humans, some demons and the vast majority of vampires. Buffy Summers , for instance, has been shown to lift, with great effort,

20124-471: The portal. The text translated from the book is as follows. "First there is the Earth. Then, there came the Demons. After Demons, there came men. Men found a girl. And the men took the girl to slay demons. They chained her to the Earth. Filled her with Dark. You cannot be shown. You cannot just watch, but you must see. See for yourself, but only if you're willing to make the exchange. This is the only way. There

20280-516: The potential Slayers, including the line "It's true none of you has the power Faith and I have. I think both of us would have to die for a new Slayer to be called, and we can't even be sure that girl is in this room. That's the rule. So here's the part where you make a choice." The mystical "rules" governing the Calling of Slayers change again in 2003, when Buffy discovers a Scythe forged for the Slayer to wield. Willow Rosenberg uses magic to tap into

20436-430: The primary pencillers of Angel & Faith and Willow: Wonderland respectively. While Season Nine and Angel & Faith are substantially less fantastical in tone than Season Eight , Willow's spin-off is high fantasy and focuses on her journey through magical alternate worlds. Willow appears to Buffy and Xander, who are in charge of thousands of Slayers, a year after the destruction of Sunnydale. Willow reveals

20592-500: The relationship between Willow and Tara Maclay. Whedon and the writing staff had been considering developing a story arc in which a character explores his or her sexuality as the Scoobies left high school, but no particular effort was made to assign this arc to Willow. In 1999, at the end of the third season, the Boston Herald called Buffy "the most gay show on network TV this year" despite having no overtly gay characters among

20748-625: The restrictions were relaxed. Willow and Tara are shown in some scenes to be "intensely sexual", such as in the sixth season episode " Once More, with Feeling " where it is visually implied that Willow performs cunnilingus on Tara. When Willow and Tara reconcile, they spend part of the episode in " Seeing Red " unclothed in bed, covered by red sheets. Willow is more demonstrative in the beginning of her relationship with Tara. Where in her relationship with Oz she described herself as belonging to him, Tara states that she belongs to Willow. Willow finds in Tara

20904-530: The same effects on a normal human as they did on Buffy; the effects are simply more pronounced. Also, regular illnesses such as the flu were shown to have effects on the Slayer not greatly different from its effects on humans; once again the handicap is more noticeable given the Slayer's usually enhanced abilities, though it was nonetheless proven to be enough that it nearly cost Buffy her life while fighting Angelus. Recently in Season Eight , Buffy has gained

21060-479: The second season. Their courtship is slow and patient. Oz is bitten by a werewolf, and just as Willow begins to confront him about why he does not spend time with her, he transforms and attacks her. She must shoot him with a tranquilizer gun several times while he is wild, but her assertiveness in doing so makes her more confident in their relationship. Oz's trials in dealing with a power he cannot control is, according to authors J. Michael Richardson and J. Douglas Rabb,

21216-418: The series, " Chosen ", Buffy calls upon Willow to perform the most powerful spell she has ever attempted. With Kennedy nearby, cautioned to kill her if she becomes out of control, Willow infuses every Potential Slayer in the world with the same powers Buffy and Faith have. The spell momentarily turns her hair white and makes her glow—Kennedy calls her "a goddess"—and it ensures that Buffy and the Potentials defeat

21372-407: The series, magic is employed to represent different ideas -— relationships, sexuality, ostracism, power, and particularly for Willow, addiction -— that change between episodes and seasons. The ethical judgment of magic, therefore, lies in the results: performing magic to meet selfish needs or neglecting to appreciate its power often ends disastrously. Using it wisely for altruistic reasons is considered

21528-458: The series. Seth Green came to Whedon early in the fourth season to announce that he wished to work on his film career. Whedon admitted he was upset by Green's announcement and that if he had wanted to continue, Oz would have been a part of the story. However, to resolve the relationship between Oz and Willow Whedon says, "we had to scramble. And out of the heavens came Amber Benson." Buffy earned international attention for its unflinching focus on

21684-425: The sight of monsters, but quickly forms a friendship with Buffy and is revealed to have grown up with Xander ( Nicholas Brendon ). They are mentored by the school librarian who is also Buffy's Watcher , Rupert Giles ( Anthony Stewart Head ), who often works closely with Willow in researching the various monsters the group encounters. Joss Whedon found that Hannigan was especially gifted reacting with fear (calling her

21840-411: The television series. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (often simplified as Buffy ) was originally conceived by Joss Whedon for a 1992 feature film . However, in its development Whedon felt it lost some of the quirkiness he considered was the heart of the project, and it was not received as well as he would have liked. He began to develop for television the concept of a fashion-conscious girl named Buffy, who

21996-496: The time the popular sitcom Will & Grace was on the air. Lesbian-themed HBO special If These Walls Could Talk 2 won an Emmy. Twenty-three television shows depicted a gay character of some kind in 2000. However, these other characters were mostly desexualized, none were partnered or shown consistently affectionate towards the same person. Willow and Tara's relationship became the first long-term lesbian relationship on U.S. television. Jane magazine hailed Willow and Tara as

22152-471: The vampire Angel with one hand and easily throw him across a room, then lift him over her head and slam him into the ceiling. Once, while fighting Buffy, she punched her fist into a wall. She is also seen picking up a barbell with one hand and hitting a woman in the face with it. Genevieve Savidge once slapped a fellow Slayer so hard that her neck snapped in a fit of rage. Since Slayers can take blows from superhuman beings with little to no injury, this indicates

22308-402: The viewer like other female vampires in the series, but indicates more about Willow's personality. Shocked upon seeing her alter ego in "Doppelgangland", Willow states "That's me as a vampire? I'm so evil and skanky . And I think I'm kinda gay !" Angel is stopped by Buffy in telling the Scoobies that the vampire self carries many of the same attributes as the human self, at which Willow says that

22464-497: The way Willow talked, which was great. To an extent, all the actors conform to the way I write the character, but it really stands out in Willow's case." The Buffy television series first aired mid-season in March 1997, almost immediately earning positive critical reviews. Willow is presented as a bookish nerd with considerable computer skills, dowdily dressed and easily intimidated by more popular girls in school. She grows faint at

22620-464: The whole season. Buffy and the Scoobies face the First Evil , bent on ending the Slayer line and destroying the world. Potential Slayers from around the globe congregate at Buffy's home and she trains them to battle the First Evil. Willow continues to face her grief over Tara's death and, reluctantly, becomes involved with one of the Potentials, Kennedy ( Iyari Limon ). In the final episode of

22776-601: The words from the pages with her fingertips. As the words crawl up her arms and soak into her skin, her eyes and hair become black and her posture "aggressively aware and confident". Susan Driver writes that it is "crucial to recognize that never before in a teen series has raw fury been so vividly explored through a young queer girl responding to the sudden death of her lover". Dark Willow is preternaturally focused on revenge, relentless and unstoppable. Lights explode when she walks past. She forcefully takes advantage of any opportunity to further her goals. She saves Buffy by removing

22932-477: The world, leaving Willow powerless. Whedon divulged that recovering her magical abilities will become Willow's "personal obsession" in a miniseries where she will be the central character. Willow returns to Sunnydale in Kendare Blake ’s young adult novels, Buffy: The Next Generation Series . This trilogy is a sequel series to the television show and focuses on Frankie Rosenberg, Willow’s daughter. From

23088-417: The world. The Scythe is seen 200 years later in the hands of the demon Urkonn, who passes the weapon on to Melaka Fray. Melaka Fray did not seem to sense anything in particular upon wielding the Scythe for the first time, likely because she is cut off from the slayer's psychic abilities. It is during Fray's time as Slayer that the Scythe was destroyed; during a confrontation with a time-displaced Buffy Summers,

23244-478: Was able to dodge a tranquilizer dart also fired at point-blank range. A Slayer is capable of superhuman feats of agility. She can leap to great heights; though the maximum is unknown, Buffy was shown to be capable of reaching the roof of the original Sunnydale High in a very short period of time, after running up a sloping wall then flipping onto the roof. A Slayer's body is substantially more durable and resistant to blunt force trauma than an ordinary human's and there

23400-432: Was also positive about the way the character and her relationship with Tara was written: "It is not about being controversial or making a statement. I think the show is handling it really nicely. It's about two people who care about each other." Contrasting with some of the more sexual relationships of the other characters, Willow and Tara demonstrate a sentimental, soft, and consistent affection for each other. Some of this

23556-491: Was in a coma. Faith provided the first cryptic reference to Dawn Summers ' arrival. Melaka Fray, the Slayer of the far future, lacks these abilities. Due to the unusual nature of their birth, her twin brother received these visions instead. While a regular person may require eight to ten hours sleep, a Slayer seems to require considerably less but needs some rest to function. Buffy herself has been seen as staying awake for days although she will usually "crash" and sleep for half

23712-468: Was killed by Drusilla. Regardless, Buffy is still referred to as the Slayer. Buffy's second death did not result in another slayer being called because of Faith—a new slayer would not be called until her death; however, Buffy's second resurrection for some reason caused an imbalance in the Slayer line. Following her first death, Mayor Wilkins says that he does not want Buffy killed, because that will cause

23868-469: Was noted to be the spirit of the Scooby Gang, and Hannigan attributed Willow's popularity with viewers (she had by May 1998 seven websites devoted to her) to being an underdog who develops confidence and is accepted by Buffy, a strong, popular person in school. Hannigan described her appeal: "Willow is the only reality-based character. She really is what a lot of high-schoolers are like, with that awkwardness and shyness, and all those adolescent feelings." At

24024-449: Was pragmatic: the show was restricted in what it could present to viewers. Willow and Tara did not kiss until the fifth season in an episode that diverted the focus away from the display of affection when Buffy's mother dies in " The Body ". Before this, much of their sexuality is represented by allusions to witchcraft; spells doubled for physical affection such as an erotic ritual in " Who Are You? " where Willow and Tara chant and perspire in

24180-456: Was simultaneously lauded for being an overwhelming depiction of a powerful woman, and derided as representative of a worn cliché that lesbians are amoral and murderous. Dark Willow proved to be exceptionally more powerful than Buffy. She changes visually when she walks into the Magic Box, a store owned by Giles, telekinetically retrieves dozens of dark magic books from the shelves, and leeches

24336-403: Was unable to bust open a metal door in " I, Robot... You, Jane ", but casually breaks down metal doors in both " The Harvest " and " End of Days ". Buffy also been successfully bound by rope or chains on multiple occasions. This has been acknowledged frequently in commentaries and interviews by writers and creators of the shows. However, it is stated by Riley that Buffy gets stronger "every day" and

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