How did you react when Willow killed that Bambi?

[Chosen Enemy]

I know willow had to sacrifice the Bambi in order to resurrect Buffy in the beginning of season 6. But speaking for all animal lovers out there, it was terrible! My mom was in shock when she saw that, so much that she started hating Willow.

Now, I don't hate Willow for that, but at that moment I couldn't see a good person in her. She started her Dark Willow phase. That's how I see it. Killing an innocent creature for something selfish (bringing Buffy back without knowing she was actually happy in heaven. Not the topic though), is beyond evil for me.

What are your thoughts on that? How did you react when you saw Willow killing the Bambi? Was she still the good girl anymore, in your eyes?

 

[WakingNightmare]

More than a little surprised. It wasn't a very Willow-ish thing to do, but it's kinda tame compared to all of the crazy stuff she did for the rest of the season.

Off topic thing, Bambi was my childhood nickname. Not a clue in the heavens why.

 

[white avenger]

Yeah, I always thought that Willow using Dawn's blood would have worked better. I don't mean killing her, just that using "Summers blood" would have made more sense in bringing Buffy back. I know that they would have had, at the very least, a hard time doing that without letting Dawn know what they were trying to do, but they could have worked it out somehow.

 

[The Unspoken]

Maybe it's because I'm not an animal lover by any means, but I don't have a problem with Willow's ritualistic sacrifice here. I thought it was pretty much par for the course for a full-blown resurrection, and not anything that I couldn't see either Xander or Anya doing as well.

And the resurrection was a selfish act? I beg to differ. There was no way of knowing whether Buffy was happy. There was, however, the quite reasonable assumption that Buffy's swan dive into a hell-dimensional portal would transport her to a hell dimension.

 

[Gum Gnome33]

I've said this before--it disappoints me to no end when writers feel the need to incorporate the killing of an innocent animal into the plot. I mean, I get it: it's a (fictionally) realistic show in which sometimes tragic things happen to humans and animals alike but when there is no plot-driven need for these kinds of things to be shown, I get upset.
The spell's ingredients, obviously, were arbitrary so the decision to use a fawn is just cruel.
I do, however, understand that their intention was probably to illustrate that bringing one being to life could never be as simple as collecting a bunch of sage and corriander; that some sort of sacrifice was necessary. For this reason, I accept it on a deeper level and keep my fast forward button close by when watching Bargaining 🙂

 

[PrincessBuffy16]

I was surprised, but I would've been more surprised if she hadn't shattered one single tear while doing it..

 

[Icarium]

Now, I don't hate Willow for that, but at that moment I couldn't see a good person in her. She started her Dark Willow phase. That's how I see it. Killing an innocent creature for something selfish (bringing Buffy back without knowing she was actually happy in heaven. Not the topic though), is beyond evil for me.

So do you think that everybody who eats meat is "beyond evil", then?

For me, it's merely clumsy foreshadowing. Look, Willow is up to no good, she is killing Bambi! Very subtle guys, maybe next time you will have Willow be in a car crash in order to show me how she had hit rock bottom. Oh, wait.

 

[Chosen Enemy]

So do you think that everybody who eats meat is "beyond evil", then?

For me, it's merely clumsy foreshadowing. Look, Willow is up to no good, she is killing Bambi! Very subtle guys, maybe next time you will have Willow be in a car crash in order to show me how she had hit rock bottom. Oh, wait.

We've seen where it led to. To killing humans. Animals aren't worth less than humans just because they're animals. They have a soul too, they feel pain. It would be like killing a human so Buffy could live again, IMO. I see no difference.

 

[xfivebyfive]

I thought it was very sad. But I don't agree with you Chosen Enemy, she was doing it for Buffy. She was trying to bring her friend back. She thought she was in hell and she wanted to save her. I didn't see it as Willow viciously murdering an animal. It was very shocking to see her do that though and I believe it was supposed to be shocking. To show us Willow was changing.

Also, even though I love animals, no I don't see killing an animal as the same thing as taking a human life. If I hit an animal with my car, I'd feel horrible. But I doubt it would be with me for the rest of my life eating me up. If I killed a human, that would never leave me. I would always feel guilty.

 

[Chosen Enemy]

I thought it was very sad. But I don't agree with you Chosen Enemy, she was doing it for Buffy. She was trying to bring her friend back. She thought she was in hell and she wanted to save her. I didn't see it as Willow viciously murdering an animal. It was very shocking to see her do that though and I believe it was supposed to be shocking. To show us Willow was changing.

Also, even though I love animals, no I don't see killing an animal as the same thing as taking a human life. If I hit an animal with my car, I'd feel horrible. But I doubt it would be with me for the rest of my life eating me up. If I killed a human, that would never leave me. I would always feel guilty.

The annoying thing is, she killed an animal for selfish purpose. She didn't even stop thinking if Buffy was in hell or heaven. She just assumed she was in hell, suffering. She wanted her back, and even though the rest kept telling her it's wrong. She didn't care about right and wrong. She just wanted Buffy back, no matter what. Those rituals are very risky. Did Willow care? no. She killed an animal without thinking twice that she might be wrong.

 

[Deus Ex Machina]

I was horrified. That's the short and thick of it.

 

[WakingNightmare]

The annoying thing is, she killed an animal for selfish purpose. She didn't even stop thinking if Buffy was in hell or heaven. She just assumed she was in hell, suffering. She wanted her back, and even though the rest kept telling her it's wrong. She didn't care about right and wrong. She just wanted Buffy back, no matter what. Those rituals are very risky. Did Willow care? no. She killed an animal without thinking twice that she might be wrong.

I'd find it kind of hard to believe that Willow spent an entire summer planning on bringing Buffy back and it never once crossed her mind that she might be wrong.

I can't get into this though, because I find Willow's obsession with power in season six to very out of character.

 

[Chosen Enemy]

I'd find it kind of hard to believe that Willow spent an entire summer planning on bringing Buffy back and it never once crossed her mind that she might be wrong.

I can't get into this though, because I find Willow's obsession with power in season six to very out of character.

Umm, she WAS wrong. Buffy WASN'T in hell. And she came back a little "broken" and could have been worse.

Remember when she helped Dawn getting the resurrection spell that would bring Joyce back? She knew it was wrong and bad, yet she helped Dawn do it anyway. She doesn't always think straight.

But I agree about it being out of character, always felt that.

 

[Icarium]

The annoying thing is, she killed an animal for selfish purpose. She didn't even stop thinking if Buffy was in hell or heaven. She just assumed she was in hell, suffering. She wanted her back, and even though the rest kept telling her it's wrong. She didn't care about right and wrong. She just wanted Buffy back, no matter what. Those rituals are very risky. Did Willow care? no. She killed an animal without thinking twice that she might be wrong.

Willow risked her life to save her friend. And that's selfish somehow? We don't know if it was possible to make sure if Buffy was in hell. And who was telling her it was wrong? She didn't force Xander, Tara and Anya into doing the spell, if you want to blame Willow, blame those three too.

Then again, I never understood why the writers expected me to feel for Buffy who was depressed because she was alive. I mean, if she is finding it so hard, she can just let a vampire kill her and go back to heaven, what's the big deal? Which is why a part of why I view the resurrection as heroic, not selfish.

Remember when she helped Dawn getting the resurrection spell that would bring Joyce back? She knew it was wrong and bad, yet she helped Dawn do it anyway. She doesn't always think straight.

No, the guy in your avatar helped Dawn and then loudly whined about "Magic always has consequences" when the rest dared not include him in the resurrection. Willow merely gave a book of spells to Dawn, without thinking Dawn would be stupid enough to try them on her own.

 

[Chosen Enemy]

Willow risked her life to save her friend. And that's selfish somehow? We don't know if it was possible to make sure if Buffy was in hell. And who was telling her it was wrong? She didn't force Xander, Tara and Anya into doing the spell, if you want to blame Willow, blame those three too.

Then again, I never understood why the writers expected me to feel for Buffy who was depressed because she was alive. I mean, if she is finding it so hard, she can just let a vampire kill her and go back to heaven, what's the big deal? Which is why a part of why I view the resurrection as heroic, not selfish.

Willow doesn't always think far ahead. Not as of this season and even a year before. It might have been impossible to know, but why risk it? What if she WAS happy where she was? And she was! The thing is, Willow didn't even CONSIDER other situations. Didn't even consider if Buffy was happy or not. She just assumed based on the fact that Angel was in hell or whatever. That's my point. She ASSUMED, and didn't think that she might be wrong.

And yes, the others told her it was wrong, here:

Just where we left off. Deep cabal. Everyone sits up a little, fear and adrenaline pumping.


ANYA
Tomorrow.


XANDER
I don't know...


ANYA
Discovery Channel has monkeys. And
our tape machine's sorta wonky--


WILLOW
Guys. I need you guys on board here.


XANDER
It just ... it feels wrong.


TARA
It is wrong.

Willow shoots her a look -- didn't expect that.


TARA (cont'd)
It's against all the laws of nature
and practically impossible to do
but it's what we agreed to. If you
guys are changing your minds--


WILLOW
Nobody's changing their minds.
Period.

Seems to me like Willow didn't really care if it was wrong. She dismisses her friends and orders them to go through with it.

 

[BuffangelLovE]

I don't think she liked killing Bambi, at least it looked like that to me. It was an offering she had to make in order to "save" Buffy. I understand her motives here.

To be honest though, it's her talk with Giles after he returns to Sunnydale and her attitude towards Buffy and the others in the first couple episodes that have freaked me out much more than the Bambi scene. It was like, WTH?! Are you completely nuts, girl?

 

[Icarium]

Seems to me like Willow didn't really care if it was wrong. She dismisses her friends and orders them to go through with it.

They picked Willow as a leader on their own. Nobody forces them to obey her. You can't blame only Willow, just because the others made a token protest.

 

[The Unspoken]

Willow doesn't always think far ahead. Not as of this season and even a year before. It might have been impossible to know, but why risk it? What if she WAS happy where she was? And she was! The thing is, Willow didn't even CONSIDER other situations. Didn't even consider if Buffy was happy or not. She just assumed based on the fact that Angel was in hell or whatever. That's my point. She ASSUMED, and didn't think that she might be wrong.

The mere possibility that Buffy could be in heaven doesn't offset the possibility that she just as well could be in hell. I'd argue that being resurrected after being in heaven is far less worse than being forever stuck in hell. And how were the Scoobies to know that this world would suddenly feel like hell to Buffy? Even if they had considered the possibility that she could be in heaven, the logical assumption would be to assume that being brought back wouldn't be an improvement, but it wouldn't be a severe downgrade either.

 

[Chosen Enemy]

They picked Willow as a leader on their own. Nobody forces them to obey her. You can't blame only Willow, just because the others made a token protest.

I don't just blame Willow, I never said that. I think they could have strictly said no. But then she would have probably done it by herself. Willow ignored all of their protests. They told her it was wrong, and she went through with it anyway. And dragged them down with her, into doing something wrong. Point is, she DIDN'T CARE it was wrong.

 

[Icarium]

I don't think it was wrong at all, to be honest. Even if there was a only a one percent chance of Buffy being in hell this was a chance Willow couldn't take and I agree with her.