How would you have felt if Oz had returned in S7?

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Robb Stark

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And become involved with Willow again? Or if Xander had?

Despite the increasingly on-the-nose comments over the course of the series, I always kind of thought of Willow as someone who falls in love with the person, and their sex comes secondary. Sexuality with Willow always seemed more complicated than her being "gay" or "straight" (which is probably pretty realistic. It's kind of a Hollywood invention that people have to be one hundred percent one way or the other). I always felt that Willow was deeply in love with Xander, Oz and Tara (not really Kennedy though...), pretty much evenly, and that the sex of the person didn't matter. Does that make any sense?

So if Oz had come back in S7, or if Xander was re-introduced as a love interest, would it have worked?
 
I think by S7 Willow had made it emphatically clear that she was gay. Not bi, or "temporarily gay". She identified herself as a gay woman and so, that is exactly as I see her.

I don't think she was deeply in love with Xander. Actually, looking back on her feelings for him they seem rather childish. There was petulance and self indulgence to them that pales in comparison to her other great loves.

I think she was head over heels in love with Oz, but Tara, Tara was the love of her life. By a long mile. Still is. And while I don't think it is impossible for Willow to fall for another man, I'd be shocked because she identifies so strongly with being a lesbian. In fact, once she began dating Tara she never expresses attraction to men again. (Well, except for that one time Giles sang at the Expresso Pump. But come one, she's gay, not deaf and blind! 😛)

EDIT

But Willow aside, I would have LOVED if Oz had returned. Just imagine him dealing with all those teens. :lmao:
 
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Astral
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NightBird
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Ooh, this is interesting to think about. By season 7, Willow is definitely in an entirely different place than she was when she last encountered Oz or was with him. She has discovered not only her new sexuality but also a love (and loss) deeper than anything she'd experienced. I think she would still have been fond of Oz if he returned, and maybe she'd fall into old habit of trying to be with him for a brief while but I don't really see them lasting again in a romantic sense. Way I see it Oz will always be the one male love of Willow's life, but they were done and I'm guessing he would've moved on romantically as well. All that said I adore Oz and his return to the show would've been so welcomed. I would've loved to see Andrew bask in his coolness, haha. His reaction to the fact of Willow's "evil" period would've been interesting to see too.
 
I think it could've worked with Oz or Xander. Despite Willow's strong identification as a lesbian from season 5 on, I thought it was more about Willow being with Tara and asserting this identity because of that relationship. Willow always tries to assert a newly found aspect of herself as strongly as possible.

I felt like there were moments between Willow and Xander in S7 that made me think "WHY AREN'T THEY TOGETHER" especially after he comment back in S5 expressing her disappointment in Xander for not finding smart girls hot back in 10th grade, as if to say "If you had known then, what you know now, things would be completely different".

And I think the last discussion between Oz and Willow kind of left things open. I know that yes, it could be read in a "Of course she'll always love him. You'll always love your first love" but it just read as open ended to me with him always being there with her. I think if Willow had picked Oz over Tara, Oz would've left anyways because of his inability to control the wolf within, and Tara did not have this issue. Willow couldn't possible keep putting up with Oz running off. If he had come back by S7, I would expect the writers to have given him a "cure" of sorts.

However, by the time S7 rolled around, the writers lost their edge and I don't think either pairing would've been written in a realistic way just like Willow and Kennedy weren't.
 
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Sweet J
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I would have been very frustrated if he had returned, and the emotion would only be quadrupled if he tried to start something up with Willow again.
Tara was Willow's big love, and I don't think that she would go back to Oz.
 
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I would take Oz over Kennedy any day but I think her homosexuality was a very important role and empowering message in the show and having Oz get back together with her would have made the message seem less important. But like Kean said, I would have also loved if Oz returned as well.
 
I think that it would've been awesome for Oz to have come back, but not so much as a love interest. I'm no big fan of Kennedy, but I think that if they were going to give Willow a romance, it should've been somebody new.

If Oz had showed up again after they'd been apart for so long, and after all that had happened (especially after Tara) it's doubtful that either one of them would've wanted to pick up where they'd left off and start something up again. I speak from experience here, too...your high school sweetie might be someone you stay friends with and/or greet warmly if you see years later, but you've probably moved on to the point that you don't think of them in that way anymore.

But I really liked Oz a lot, and would've loved if he'd been back as a character and as a Scooby. But not as Willow's boyfriend.
 
He might have saved an awful season

I heard he was going to be in Angel season 6 though, to help Nina, I think that would have been really cool
 
Aimee
Aimee
I'd have loved to see him back in Buffy S7 and then help out Nina in Angel S5. That would've been awesome
I would have been ecstatic for Oz to come back, with or without a Woz romance picking back up. I know a lot of people see Willow as absolutely, no-holds-barred gay, but I don't see her that way. She obviously at one time had very strong feelings for men, so I believe that Willow was bisexual, if nothing else, even if she identified herself as a lesbian. However, I love Oz so much it wouldn't have mattered to me if he and Willow got back together if he returned; I would have just been excited to have him there. 😀
Now Oz and Xander hooking up? Um, no. I could never see this ever happening. Xander definitely had his moments in the show where he showed little signs of being possibly bicurious, but I don't ever see Oz as the type to be attracted to men at all.
 
I would have liked to see Oz return in S7 if they could work it in with the storylines and etc. I liked Oz. So I'd be happy to see him return. To see him help defeat the First.
 
Mmm, no. I love Oz. I prefer him to Tara both as a character and as a romantic interest, but he wasn't right for the show and for Willow (since she had firmly identified herself as lesbian and not bi) anymore. I doubt he would have fitted back in.
 
Short answer: Over the freaking moon 🙂 I would have loved to see Oz back in the show, be it as a potential love interest for Willow or not. Assuming that they kept the established character arc of Willow being gay I would have loved to have seen him working the Oz magic on Vi. They would have made the most adorable couple ever!

More important than who he would doink though, I would love see his imparting wisdom in his own laconic fashion. The contrast of these terrified girls and young women and Oz's laissez-faire attitude would have been comedy gold. Also having the First messing around with his werewolf nature and turning him at inopportune moments could have had real comedy or horror potential, depending on the situation.
 
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BlessedLunatic
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I'm pretty much in the minority I know, but I don't like Oz... It would have made the season worse for me to be honest. 😛

And plus, the fact that Willow was gay would result in an odd relationship... 😛
 
I would absolutely love to see Oz back, but I can not see him as a romantic interest for Willow again. I really struggle to see Willow with men after being with Tara, mainly because of all the straightforward hints from the writers that Willow is ultimately attracted to women.

Anya: I know what broke up him and Cordelia, you know. It was you, and your lips.
Willow: No, it was not! Well, yes, it was so, but, uh, that was a long time ago. Do you think I'd do that again?
Anya: Why not?
Willow: Well, hello? Gay now!
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I think Xander, even if he was a girl (Xandra? lol), wouldn't work with Willow either. I think that in the earlier seasons, their chemistry and flirting had a lot to do with high school hormones and struggling with identity/friendship rather than genuine romantic love. That one quote from S6 where Willow says to Xander "Couldn't you have figured that out in the 10th grade?" is aww-worthy.

I'm usually pretty open-minded about whether certain characters would work together. But to me, all three of these characters have undergone way too many changes over the years to be able to reform their romantic ties.
 
I would have loved for Oz to come back because I think he's a great character but I think I would have prefered it if he was a guest-star every now and then and for him not to get involved with Willow once more...
 
I think it's weird that many fans shut down the idea of Willow being with a man again. I mean, Willow was with Oz for 2 seasons, and identified as straight and was saying things that could be construed as "HELLO, Straight!" However, she fell in love with Tara and was now "HELLO, Gay!" It's as if we're saying that once you go through one change, sexual orientation wise, there's just no possible way you can go back, which isn't true.

Yes, I know that ultimately the writers stuck with Willow being a lesbian, but I'm mostly just interested in the views of those who are like "Willow CAN'T BE with a man, she's a lesbian now" when I don't think any of us thought it was a possibility for Willow to be with a woman from seasons 1-3. I also understand the huge importance it was to have an LGBT character and a healthy LGBT relationship on the show, but I'm just curious as to why fans think it'll NEVER happen and if they felt that Willow being with a woman would also NEVER happen in S1-3.

Or is that a separate thread altogether?
 
Nothing new to add. Just another one that would have liked to see him back but not getting back together with Willow. Not because she can't be with a man. The whole "Gay now" is a nice catch phrase but nothing more. I've always seen her as bi. She falls in love not concerning herself as such things as gender. Although that's just a personal opinion.
 
I could see an opportunity to use Oz in Season 7, possibly delivering some pertinent information about the First Evil near the beginning of the season, then staying on to help out when the Potentials start showing up. I can see him being very supportive of Willow and helping her deal with her loss. I'm not really sure that having him reconcile with Willow would work, however, mainly for the same reason that I never saw her relationship with Kennedy working. It was just too soon after Tara's death. I won't go so far as to say that they could never be together again, but I think that it would have to be a very gradual process.
 
Deus Ex Machina said:
I think it's weird that many fans shut down the idea of Willow being with a man again. I mean, Willow was with Oz for 2 seasons, and identified as straight and was saying things that could be construed as "HELLO, Straight!" However, she fell in love with Tara and was now "HELLO, Gay!" It's as if we're saying that once you go through one change, sexual orientation wise, there's just no possible way you can go back, which isn't true.

Yes, I know that ultimately the writers stuck with Willow being a lesbian, but I'm mostly just interested in the views of those who are like "Willow CAN'T BE with a man, she's a lesbian now" when I don't think any of us thought it was a possibility for Willow to be with a woman from seasons 1-3. I also understand the huge importance it was to have an LGBT character and a healthy LGBT relationship on the show, but I'm just curious as to why fans think it'll NEVER happen and if they felt that Willow being with a woman would also NEVER happen in S1-3.

Or is that a separate thread altogether?
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We'd only know if Willow is gay, straight or bi based on what she herself says. In S1-S3, she identified as straight. Later, she seemed to be bi, but then outright said she was a lesbian, so she is a lesbian. If in the comics, she identifies as bi, then we can say she is bi. It depends on Willow/the writers, not what we want, think or predict.
 
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