Tara and Oz - who contributed more to the overall story?

[YummySushiPJs]

This isn't about who you liked better, it's about who was a more important/relevant character.

I was just planning to make some mock opening credits and it struck me as odd that Oz was on the opening credits when Tara wasn't, when IMO she seemed to bave a more substantial arc on the show. Thoughts please 🙂

(I like Oz btw!)

 

[Still a Scoobie]

yeah but Tara wasn't in the opening credits for a reason. FWIW I think they're about equal but Joss obviously held Tara back so he could kill her off in her first episode as a regular.

 

[Buffy Summers]

Oz - Tara was pretty much window dressing lol

 

[thetopher]

If we're talking about who was more important to the plot then I'd edge towards Oz, he was more fully one of the gang, more involved with the plots during S3, monsters of the week, he had a few episodes to himself (Phases, Beauties And The Beast, Wild At Heart)

Also he's still around in the comics- he's pretty much the only thing I like about the 'Retreat' arc.

If we're talking Willow's development as a character I'd maybe edge towards Tara, Willow grew more in her magic specifically because of Tara...which ultmately had more effect on the plot I suppose. 😕

So, since Willow is pretty much the most important character in terms of the end of Buffy (the empowerment spell) it's really who effected Willow's growth/confidence more...to which I say, 'Beats me, they both did.'

I think Willow flourished a lot more under Oz because she was less sure of herself- she gained huge ammounts of confidence from her relationship with him, but equally she gained better direction and control in her magics because of Tara- she may've done that anyway but still, Tara was key to those developments.

Not to say that Tara wasn't important to Willow emotionally, but Willow just seemed more balanced/confident by the time she meets Tara-college had really agreed with her.
And I just realised I haven't answered the question...I should go into politics. 🙂

 

[Blaze]

If were talking about who was more important to the story. Then Tara was because of s6 alone. She is the factor that caused Willow to go dark, and the entirety of Willow's arc from s6 and beyond is influenced by Tara. No Tara? They have to change s6 and s7 completely. No Oz? Not a whole lot changes overall.

As for who is the more relevant character, I think both were really important for Willow's development. In my opinion they are fairly comparable. Neither was really essential to the rest of the gang, but really influenced Willow as a character. I still favor Tara's importance over Oz though, she just seems, I don't know? More important to Willow somehow.

I think I might be bias though.

 

[Lyri]

I was just planning to make some mock opening credits and it struck me as odd that Oz was on the opening credits when Tara wasn't, when IMO she seemed to bave a more substantial arc on the show.

That was at Amber Benson's request. She didn't want to be in the main credits, as a main cast member isn't able to accept other work during the shoot schedule of the show. Considering Amber had other things she was working on (her books, her scripts, etc) it makes sense that she would want the freedom to move around.

If we're talking impact on the show, I think Tara made a bigger bang than Oz did. Tara was the catalyst for a lot, and a lot of that fallout is still happening now.

 

[EVIL UU]

Let's do the maths. Oz and Tara are both present in 3 seasons, Oz is in 40 episodes, Tara in 47. OK, that's pretty close, the amount of dialog lines is pretty similar too. Hmm.... Alright, I'd say that Oz is more important. Why? Tara's death was super important and it seems like Willow still hasn't completely healed from it, I guess, but that's not on Tara. That's on Warren, right? As to Oz - I think that Willow's relationship with Oz shaped her as a person more than her relationship with Tara. So there's that.

 

[Fuffy Baith]

This is a tough question because I think both characters contribute to the overall story. I agree that s6 would be completely different without Tara and her impact on Willow is very important to Willow's arc from the first time they meet in Hush. Without Tara we might have ended up with a different Willow. Not to mention Tara and Buffy's relationship in S6.

I will admit that I am slightly bias because I don't really care for Tara and I don't think she really does anything, especially outside of Willow. But she does have an overall impact on the show. I love, love, love Oz! I didn't realize he was in that many episodes. I would say that Oz contributes in a different way to the show. Him being a werewolf adds to the overall mythology of the Buffyverse and I think that itself is important. I think that he interacts more with the other Scoobies than Tara did and he was more involved and actually would come up with ideas and had a very level headed sense about the situations. He certainly had an impact on Willow like Tara did. Willows started being more confident and coming out of her shell when she was with him.

If were saying who contributes more by comparing how the show would be different without each character then I would say Tara because of how season 6 unfolds. But lets not forget just because you take Tara or Oz out doesn't mean the writers still couldn't have explored the same path or relationship to Willow. So in that sense I would say then neither contribute more than the other or more than a replacement character would have. But I love Oz, did I mention that already?😛

 

[YummySushiPJs]

I feel that Tara as a character grew more. She went from shy to confident over the course of her run. The Tara we met in Season 4 would NEVER have stood up to Anya the way she did in Older and Far Away.

Oz was always kind of the same: quiet, confident and cool. He was very relaxed about realising he was a werewolf and it didn't really affect his character much. It was only when they needed to come up with an exit storyline when Seth quit, that it suddenly became an issue. Apart from that he didn't really have substantial character growth that I can remember (though I admit season 2 is one of my least watched seasons so I could be wrong).

So in that respect I feel Tara contributed more to the show in that she was a more interesting character to watch her develop. She also had more interesting things happen to her like being brain sucked by Glory and then mind-raped by Willow, so even though they were ultimately Willow's storylines, Tara had more things happen to her.

I'm not sure I agree that Oz contributed more to the scooby meetings. From what I remember, he didn't say much most of the time. Neither did Tara, but she had a lot of knowledge and could also perform spells when needed, with or without Willow, so she contributed more IMO, or at least, equally.

I agree that it was Oz who brought Willow out of her shell, which was a great thing for Willow's character. Willow needed to develop in order to stay interesting so Oz played a vital role in that. It was kind of sweet to see Willow do the same thing for someone else later on.

I'm interested to know what Oz is getting up to in the comics...

 

[Blaze]

Is it just me that feels like Willow would have come out of her shell with or without Oz? I'm not saying that Oz wasn't important to Willow's development (he definitely was), I mean when I look at Willow's evolution from s2 to 4 (with Oz) and s4 to 6 (with Tara), her evolution continues just as much with Tara as it does with Oz.

 

[Fuffy Baith]

I'll be honest I don't pay attention to Tara so she might contribute to the Scoobies more than I think. But I think Oz just has different perspectives on situations. Plus he contributes by driving everyone around in his van and playing music at the Bronze. So I think outside of just Willow, Oz contributes more. He doesn't have a lot of character development or emotions but when he does it stands out by contrast.

Is it just me that feels like Willow would have come out of her shell with or without Oz? I'm not saying that Oz wasn't important to Willow's development (he definitely was), I mean when I look at Willow's evolution from s2 to 4 (with Oz) and s4 to 6 (with Tara), her evolution continues just as much with Tara as it does with Oz.

This is what I was talking about. If it wasn't Oz or Tara it would have been someone else. So it's hard to say who contributes more because it could have been anyone else they brought in. They were going to tell the story of Willow the way they want no matter who it was.

 

[Blaze]

This is what I was talking about. If it wasn't Oz or Tara it would have been someone else. So it's hard to say who contributes more because it could have been anyone else they brought in. They were going to tell the story of Willow the way they want no matter who it was.

Exactly, but I don't like to use this as an excuse either. Because it can be said about everything. As in all the events surrounding the main characters would have happened anyway because the writers wanted to. It's not exactly the right way of thinking when talking of a story. But in this exact case, it makes sense to think of it this way because neither character really affect Willow more or less in my opinion. They both have a huge impact on her, and at the same time, Willow could have grown without either of them too.

 

[Fuffy Baith]

Exactly, but I don't like to use this as an excuse either. Because it can be said about everything. As in all the events surrounding the main characters would have happened anyway because the writers wanted to. It's not exactly the right way of thinking when talking of a story. But in this exact case, it makes sense to think of it this way because neither character really affect Willow more or less in my opinion. They both have a huge impact on her, and at the same time, Willow could have grown without either of them too.

This is true. I think what I'm saying is you can take out Oz or Tara and replace them with just any love interest and you would get almost the same character growth out of Willow. Whereas you can't replace Angel with just any other love interest character and get the same character growth out of Buffy.

 

[Blaze]

This is true. I think what I'm saying is you can take out Oz or Tara and replace them with just any love interest and you would get almost the same character growth out of Willow. Whereas you can't replace Angel with just any other love interest character and get the same character growth out of Buffy.

Very good point. And I can't help but think that part of Willow's growth in s3 is not only because of Oz, but because of Xander too, and because of Willow's own mistakes. Oz didn't really do too much, aside from being supportive. Which Tara also was.

And with Tara, at times her character growth is also induced by outside factors applying to Tara, but not because of Tara herself (eg: Glory making jello out of Tara's mind, Tara dying).

I can't really tell who influenced Willow the most as a person. As a gay woman, I want to say Tara, because nothing quite beats the realization of being attracted to a woman for the first time lol. But really, Oz and Tara both influenced Willow, but not in a way that was really exclusive to either of them (if that even makes any sense). Like let's say we treat Willow as a real life person. Chances are, she would have came out of her shell with or without Oz (maybe at a different pace though), she would have realized she was gay with or without Tara, she would have struggled with addiction with or without Oz/Tara. A lot of Willow's traits aren't really that define by her relationships, which eh, is a good thing.

 

[Fuffy Baith]

Very good point. And I can't help but think that part of Willow's growth in s3 is not only because of Oz, but because of Xander too, and because of Willow's own mistakes. Oz didn't really do too much, aside from being supportive. Which Tara also was.

And with Tara, at times her character growth is also induced by outside factors applying to Tara, but not because of Tara herself (eg: Glory making jello out of Tara's mind, Tara dying).

I can't really tell who influenced Willow the most as a person. As a gay woman, I want to say Tara, because nothing quite beats the realization of being attracted to a woman for the first time lol. But really, Oz and Tara both influenced Willow, but not in a way that was really exclusive to either of them (if that even makes any sense). Like let's say we treat Willow as a real life person. Chances are, she would have came out of her shell with or without Oz (maybe at a different pace though), she would have realized she was gay with or without Tara, she would have struggled with addiction with or without Oz/Tara. A lot of Willow's traits aren't really that define by her relationships, which eh, is a good thing.

Good point about Xander in S3. His thing with Willow, definitely impacted Willow and made her realize she wants to be with Oz. Plus we see her reaction when she finds out he slept with Faith. It clearly affected her. I think as far as Willow is concerned, were on the same page, they are basically the same. So the question then is who contributes the most to the show overall. I still go with Oz.

 

[sk]

Very good point. And I can't help but think that part of Willow's growth in s3 is not only because of Oz, but because of Xander too, and because of Willow's own mistakes. Oz didn't really do too much, aside from being supportive. Which Tara also was.

I think Willow's growth in the earlier seasons was more due to meeting Buffy than anything else.
Things like Buffy's seize the day speak in the pilot and just being around someone like Buffy make everything else possible, including meeting Oz.

I'm surprised to see that Oz and Tara had very equally runs.
To me it feels like Tara was on the show much longer than Oz was.

My first feeling was also that Tara did more for the show, was more involved etc.
But after reading the thread I'm not so sure any more.
Now I think they are fairly similar important
Both was mainly supporting characters that only had very few own stories.
Oz had the werewolf thing, Tara the magic and her family.

If I was going to do a mock opening credits I would probably just include both.

/SK

 

[thetopher]

Is it just me that feels like Willow would have come out of her shell with or without Oz? I'm not saying that Oz wasn't important to Willow's development (he definitely was), I mean when I look at Willow's evolution from s2 to 4 (with Oz) and s4 to 6 (with Tara), her evolution continues just as much with Tara as it does with Oz.

For me I think I just like Willow's development more in the early seasons, from shy highschool nerd blossoming into college girl, and Oz was a big part of that confidence boost.
Willow's development from mid S4- to 6 I find less likable, not her relationship with Tara but ultimately what Willow's character becomes in the end.
So I guess I'm bias towards Oz. 🙂

Plus Oz's interactions with the other Scoobies just felt smoother to me, he could be funny with Xander, or riff with Giles about his music, he had a van and played at the Bronze.
He also was pretty unflapped when interaction with Cordelia or Angel. (their respective conversations in 'In The Dark' always make me smile)

He just seemed to have a different persceptive on things that led to some of the shows key moments (guessing that the Judge would attack the mall, 'We attack the Mayor with hummus'...) useful suggestions or not I always remember his contributions more that Tara's.

 

[Blaze]

For me I think I just like Willow's development more in the early seasons, from shy highschool nerd blossoming into college girl, and Oz was a big part of that confidence boost.
Willow's development from mid S4- to 6 I find less likable, not her relationship with Tara but ultimately what Willow's character becomes in the end.
So I guess I'm bias towards Oz. 🙂

Plus Oz's interactions with the other Scoobies just felt smoother to me, he could be funny with Xander, or riff with Giles about his music, he had a van and played at the Bronze.
He also was pretty unflapped when interaction with Cordelia or Angel. (their respective conversations in 'In The Dark' always make me smile)

He just seemed to have a different persceptive on things that led to some of the shows key moments (guessing that the Judge would attack the mall, 'We attack the Mayor with hummus'...) useful suggestions or not I always remember his contributions more that Tara's.

Yes, I think this whole topic is fairly bias lol. I guess I have a very similar opinion as you, but opposite (make sense?). I'd rather watch Willow's transformation in season 4-6, and I like her run better when she's with Tara. Although I do love Woz seasons very much. Actually my favorite Willow season is s4, where there is an overlap of the two relationships, so I guess that says something.

But overall, as much as Oz had priceless interactions with the Scoobies, it's Tara's interactions that I found more marking. Oz was always this sort of background guy that was funny and got along with the group. Tara was much more of an outsider, this I'll agree with. But even if her interactions were not smooth, they gave some of the best moments in the series for me. A highlight will always be Family, one of my favorite episode. And I think that Tara and Buffy's friendship in s6 is one of the best part of the season. And I love Tara and Dawn, again it's just a contribution from Tara that I can't see be played by another character. With Tara, it's more about those little moments that really marked me (her talk with Buffy in the Body, the bathroom scene with Anya, Tara to Xander in the body "It hurts", Buffy breaking down in front of Tara in s6, the coffee date with Anya and Willow, etc etc.)

But again, those are all just bias opinions, there's no real comparison system in place.

 

[Fuffy Baith]

He just seemed to have a different perspective on things that led to some of the shows key moments (guessing that the Judge would attack the mall, 'We attack the Mayor with hummus'...) useful suggestions or not I always remember his contributions more that Tara's.

I agree, that's what I was saying. But like @Blaze said we're all just a little bias to who we prefer and it depends on what you consider a contribution is. I'm looking from an outside the scoobies perspective and who brings more to the Buffyverse as a whole. Tara doesn't really bring in or establish anything new and we don't really see her outside of the Scoobies. So it just all depends on what your looking at I guess.

 

[YummySushiPJs]

To be honest when I started the thread I wasn't thinking so much about what Tara and Oz contributed to the Scoobies, or what they did for Willow's character, though it's been interesting to read people's thoughts on that. To put it really simply, I guess I just meant who did more, on an episode by episodes basis, and on a whole.

I think Tara just had more stuff going on. Whether this was the cause of self-development or outside factors happening to her, doesn't really matter. More stuff happened involving Tara that made episodes interesting or exciting, whereas nothing really happened to Oz outside of being a werewolf. So I feel in that sense, she contributed more to the overall story. But as a whole, I think it's pretty much tied.

I totally agree that when Oz does show emotions it stands out by contrast. One of my favourite Oz moments is when everybody is arguing about whether to save Willow in Choices, and Oz smashes the pot, ending the discussion and rendering the debate null and void. He's a man of few words and actions but when he steps up he rocks.