I refuse to accept Kennedy as Willow's end game pairing / one true love.

[hoponlilmama]

Kennedy isn't heartless- 😍 she has hearts in her eyes for willow right away. She also doesn't lack in reflection- she admits that she is a brat that likes to get her way. She's a strong character and I appreciate that (love how she took to being a slayer); and that was needed not only to contrast with Tara but because she was only there for one season to make a strong impression.

I think it makes them incompatible. Willow's never really been drawn to someone brash. Look at her previous relationships, even her crush on Giles.

Kennedy was too abrasive for my liking. She'd muscle in on the team, and a situation that she had no clue about.

They purposely shoved Willow into a relationship when it was unnecessary, and still healing from everything that had happened in s6.

Kennedy along with Riley, Dawn & Connor gets such a bad rap when Xander, Willow, Anya, Cordelia, Wes, Spike, Angel etc. all have serious flaws that are probably worse than anything Kennedy did but everyone hates her.

Secondary characters or characters introduced later in a series I think will always be under a little more scrutiny than the leads. Connor was annoying, so was Dawn.

Can't say much about Riley, I liked him from the very beginning!

 

[fauxindigo]

I think Kennedy as a character by herself is fine. As you've pointed out, she has a lot of solid character traits and she does make a strong impression.

However Kennedy as a love interest for Willow is where most of the hate comes from, at least IMO. As others have pointed out, it was an unnecessary romance, the two actresses had little chemistry and it felt very unbelievable that Willow would move on so quickly after Tara.

So yeah, Kennedy alone? Fine. Kennedy with Willow? Atrocious.

Atrocious is probably too strong a word but I've considered Willow wouldn't move on "so quickly" and still believe it's possible; she was with Tara less than a year after her and Oz broke up. And she went through a serious grieving process after losing Tara... and with the help of Kennedy in the Killer in Me. I'll just always play devils advocate for Kennedy. Also Dawn only was an annoying brat a few times. Connor I won't defend even though it's not his fault he was raised in a hell dimension, the things he did to Angel and co. were horrific compared to anything Dawn ever did.

 

[RachM]

Atrocious is probably too strong a word but I've considered Willow wouldn't move on "so quickly" and still believe it's possible; she was with Tara less than a year after her and Oz broke up. And she went through a serious grieving process after losing Tara...

Less than a year? That doesn't sound right.

They got together officially at the end of Season 4, are together all through Season 5 and break up in early Season 6. That's easily a year and a half in-Universe.

And I kind of disagree that she went through a serious grieving process; I mean, she went straight into her "Dark Willow" persona and then Giles whisked her away to England, so we really didn't see her properly grieve Tara, we mostly just see the rage and vengeance. The closest we get to seeing her properly grieve is when she visits Tara's grave in Season 7.

 

[thetopher]

Longer I feel; Tara and Willow were 'out' by the end of S4 amongst friends but they'd been seeing each other in secret from 'The I In Team' onward. Even if they didn't 'call' it a relationship then both didn't treat it like a friendship. So I'd say 2 seasons, then the break-up, then the sweet reconciliation, then the brutal, tragic, violent ending.

Also the 'I will get with the only other lesbian in the midst of an apocalyptic siege-situation' wasn't that convincing. Or maybe it was just lazy, contrived and convenient.


And considering all that it also lasting way too long (even if most of it was off-screen) since, if we consider the comics, Willow/Kennedy is Willow's longest relationship.

 

[thetopher]

@Ethan Reigns : Sure, I get that. 'Hush' is when they meet but then 'Doomed' and 'A New Man' happens and Tillow isn't really a factor. But by 'The I In Team' it's established that Willow and Tara are a 'super-secret-friend-couple' that Willow doesn't tell anybody about. That's episode 13 which is halfway through the season and this is when I'd say they're a couple, as defined by the intent of the writers.

 

[hoponlilmama]

fauxindigo There's a first for everything though & just bc Oz & Tara were chill doesn't mean Willow wouldn't possibly be attracted to Kennedy too. At least we agree on Riley, even though it is a shame he was so insecure with Buffy.

Fair point, but the problem is that the romance felt rushed and forced. If there was a definite s8 in the works, then perhaps they could build on their connection slowly, and we as an audience could get to know Kennedy. Unfortunately, s7 was crammed with too much, and there was too much focus drawn on...other characters.

So as it stands, I don't think Willow really would've gone for someone like Kennedy, given her previous history.

 

[silvermoon]

Haha, exactly!
I will say it's also tiring pairing up someone just in order for them to have a 'love interest'. There was so much going on in s7, it wasn't needed. I think the audience would've understood (and likely preferred) if she remained single.

100 to that!!

Post automatically merged: Jul 31, 2024

Personally I found Kennedy uninteresting. Tara had depth and a huge heart. Kennedy just seemed like an opportunist. She liked Willow because she was powerful. It would have been so cool if they had either left it alone as others said, or had her meet an actual fleshed out, well thought out character with a past. Tara had a past. The trouble is, Kennedy was just a blank, a cipher.

 

[Ethan Reigns]

Haha, exactly!
I will say it's also tiring pairing up someone just in order for them to have a 'love interest'. There was so much going on in s7, it wasn't needed. I think the audience would've understood (and likely preferred) if she remained single.

I was a fan of warehouse 13, a drama with a mixed male and female cast and NO ROMANCE. It was so refreshing to not have to sit through will they / won't they scenes when the story didn't need any of it.

 

[hoponlilmama]

I was a fan of warehouse 13, a drama with a mixed male and female cast and NO ROMANCE. It was so refreshing to not have to sit through will they / won't they scenes when the story didn't need any of it.

That's great to hear! The will they/won't they, or creating love triangles can just become so dull. How long did the WH13 series run for?

Also @NotASlayer, absolutely agree on both points.

Post automatically merged: Aug 1, 2024

100 to that!!

Post automatically merged: Jul 31, 2024

Personally I found Kennedy uninteresting. Tara had depth and a huge heart. Kennedy just seemed like an opportunist. She liked Willow because she was powerful. It would have been so cool if they had either left it alone as others said, or had her meet an actual fleshed out, well thought out character with a past. Tara had a past. The trouble is, Kennedy was just a blank, a cipher.

They built Tara's character, they built her and Willow becoming closer and realising their feelings for one another. Giving Willow a romance (as I've stated earlier) after trying to end the world and killing people over Tara wasn't a wise move from the writers.

Which could be said about s6 and s7 but that's another discussion...