The Osiris Theory

[Josh the Writer]

Hey, I'm kinda new to this so we'll see how it goes. Anyway, I decided to address a topic I've been thinking about for a while now. I call it The Osiris Theory. I had this idea and wanted to share it. OK - here we go!

In Bargaining Part One, Willow calls upon Osiris (with the help of Anya, Xander, and Tara) to bring Buffy back from the dead. Osiris indeed brings back Buffy, and from there begins a very depressing season. But why was this season so depressing? What if The Trio/Dark Willow weren't the Big Bads of Season Six? What if Osiris was the Big Bad of Season Six? Hear me out...soon after Buffy comes back, something sad happens to almost everyone in the group. For starters, Willow becomes addicted to magic, her and Tara separate, and they reunite episodes later only for Tara to be killed by Warren. Along with that, Buffy becomes involved in an abusive relationship with Spike, culminating in the tragic and horrible scene in which Spike attempts to rape Buffy. At the same time, Xander breaks off his marriage to Anya, and she reacts by tragically becoming a Vengence Demon again. For the most part, people treat the immense sadness as the "real" Big Bad of Season Six, but what if it's something else? Isn't it strange that all Willow had to do was sacrifice a lamb to bring back a human (and not just a human but the Slayer)? What if instead, in return for bringing back a life, Osiris asked for something awful in return. Something not mentioned in the spell Willow read? What if Osiris caused all of the sadness that happened in Season Six. All the people who were involved in the spell (Willow, Tara, Xander, Anya, and even Buffy) experienced the most sadness and pain in the series. Dawn didn't experience much sadness, she just was a kleptomaniac for a few episodes. As for Spike, he was the one who abused Buffy. Both Buffy and Spike took advantage of each other, but Spike wasn't affected as nearly as much by the abusive relationship as Buffy. So, Osiris caused sadness in the lives of each of the people involved in Buffy's resurrection spell. For starters, Anya and Xander broke off their marriage, which is strange because Xander was so quick to propose to Anya in Season Five as if he was ready to marry her months before the wedding. Then, Buffy's abusive relationship with Spike occurred after she came back from Heaven. Finally, Willow became addicted to magic after the resurrection spell, then her relationship with Tara ended, and after they got back together, Tara died. Was it because Osiris wanted to see the people who did the spell tortured in return for his power to raise Buffy from the dead? And, after Tara dies, Willow calls on Osiris again before becoming Dark Willow. After Season Six, the suffering goes away and all that remains is the aftermath of that suffering. Was it because Osiris was finally pleased when Tara died? Maybe, Tara was the true sacrifice instead of the lamb because she was the loved one of Willow, who led the spell to bring Buffy back? In return for bringing back a soul, Osiris took the soul of a living and tormented the souls of those involved in the resurrection spell.

Just a thought. I know it's long and somewhat confusing, but the more I thought about it the more it sounded reasonable.

 

[EarthLogic]

In return for bringing back a soul, Osiris took the soul of a living and tormented the souls of those involved in the resurrection spell.

I like the idea of that - works well as a much graver repercussion of bringing Buffy back than the thaumogenesis demon (though I liked that too). Your theory fits in well with the events that transpired; however, I can't get on board with it because Osiris being the cause of everything would basically absolve everyone from responsibility for their own actions.

Welcome to the boards by the way. Feel free to introduce yourself in the 'Check In' forum.

 

[Spanky]

thaumogenesis demon

I did really like that episode as well. Anya being possessed was great. I think it was the shadows hitting the contours of Caulfield's face. Looked very wicked.

 

[Buffy Summers]

I like the idea that each of them had to make a sacrifice to bring Buffy back

I'm wondering if maybe another Osiris connection is that he is a god of rebirth or regeneration, so maybe it's more that he's causing a restart for those involved in the spell?

 

[flow]

Hi,

and welcome to the boards.

That is an interesting theory of yours. I love discussions like this one.

I don`t really know about Osiris being responsible for Willow starting to use magic, Xander leaving Anya at the altar, Anya getting back into the vengeance business and Buffy spiralling into an emotional turmoil, because, as @EarthLogic says, that would relieve them all of the burden of their own responsibilities for their actions.

But what I like - though in a sad way - is the thought, that resurrecting Buffy required not the sacrifice of a lamb but the sacrifice of a human and that this is the reason, Tara had to die at the end of season6. That would mean, that the resurrection spell would take it`s toll on those, who have initiated it and mostly on Tara and Willow. It would also make Tara the real sacrificial lamb. As I said, that is an interesting theory.

flow

 

[EarthLogic]

I like the idea that each of them had to make a sacrifice to bring Buffy back

That would be doubly harsh on Buffy though. She didn't ask to be brought back and had already sacrificed her life so why would Osiris need another sacrifice (via her depression and self-harm) from her?

The death of Tara makes sense as a consequence for Willow as the actual spell-caster though. Fittingly tragic.

 

[Buffy Summers]

It is harsh - tragic - but she didn't sacrifice her life to Osiris, so he might expect to be paid for bringing her back, whether she wanted it or not. lol

 

[Last Watcher]

But what I like - though in a sad way - is the thought, that resurrecting Buffy required not the sacrifice of a lamb but the sacrifice of a human and that this is the reason, Tara had to die at the end of season6. That would mean, that the resurrection spell would take it`s toll on those, who have initiated it and mostly on Tara and Willow. It would also make Tara the real sacrificial lamb. As I said, that is an interesting theory.

Not sure about the rest, but I can see why this would be a factor. All the way through Willow's magical growth it is stressed time & again that every spell has it's consequences. And bringing Buffy back from the dead wasn't a trivial spell. I really don't think that just sacrificing an animal that she had no connection to would be enough of a payback for a spell of this magnitude.....

Interesting theory....and Welcome to the Boards @Josh the Writer

 

[Spanky]

I really don't think that just sacrificing an animal that she had no connection to would be enough of a payback for a spell of this magnitude.....

Of course she had a connection to it. It was life. Part of the world. Interconnected with everything. Her mandate was do no harm. She did great harm. She damaged the earth by sacrificing the fawn. She was connected to the fawn as, she found out later, she was connected to everything. By sacrificing the fawn she sacrificed that aspect of her psyche.

 

[Josh the Writer]

Thanks everyone for putting in your input. This theory is kinda jumbled and I like to see what you all think

 

[EarthLogic]

It is harsh - tragic - but she didn't sacrifice her life to Osiris, so he might expect to be paid for bringing her back, whether she wanted it or not. lol

That's a heck of a lot of sacrifice for one soul. Tara makes sense in a life-for-a-life way, and Xander/Anya's misery since they were involved in the spell, but then Buffy's own misery on top of that?? Perhaps you could say it requires a little extra to rip a Slayer out of heaven.

 

[Last Watcher]

Of course she had a connection to it. It was life. Part of the world. Interconnected with everything. Her mandate was do no harm. She did great harm. She damaged the earth by sacrificing the fawn. She was connected to the fawn as, she found out later, she was connected to everything. By sacrificing the fawn she sacrificed that aspect of her psyche.

True, but at that point she was wasn't thinking about any of that, she just wanted Buffy back. Also, I think she didn't really get into the 'Earth magic' thing until her little holiday in England with Giles.......at that time she was still all dark magic & power.

 

[EarthLogic]

True, but at that point she was wasn't thinking about any of that, she just wanted Buffy back. Also, I think she didn't really get into the 'Earth magic' thing until her little holiday in England with Giles.......at that time she was still all dark magic & power.

But just because she didn't know about that connection doesn't mean it didn't exist. Her experience in England shows her why what she did was so wrong: she abused the interconnectedness of magic and used it to disrupt the natural order of things.

 

[Last Watcher]

I'm not saying it didn't exist, just that Willow didn't care at that point.....
As for the animal sacrifice, I still think the magnitude of the spell to rip Buffy out of Heaven would cost her more than her realisation that she had harmed an innocent creature later on. A (Human) life for a (Human) life seems more in keeping with the other consequences suffered by the scoobs for mucking about with magic at other times.....

 

[EarthLogic]

I'm not saying it didn't exist, just that Willow didn't care at that point.....
As for the animal sacrifice, I still think the magnitude of the spell to rip Buffy out of Heaven would cost her more than her realisation that she had harmed an innocent creature later on. A (Human) life for a (Human) life seems more in keeping with the other consequences suffered by the scoobs for mucking about with magic at other times.....

I agree, but maybe you could see that killing of the fawn as the instance which initiates the further abuses of magic throughout S6 - as in it opens the door to it - so it's like a gradual sacrifice of the better parts of her nature as payment for Buffy's resurrection..? Mind you, I personally don't think this works completely as like I said, it would absolve Willow of ownership of her actions. I prefer the life-for-life theory.

 

[GraceK]

Interesting theory. I don’t think Osiris is to blame for the events of season 6, but I do think Tara’s death was the price of Buffy’s resurrection. I’ll try to explain myself...the spell Willow did opened a door I think that helped her on her road to magic addiction. If Willow and Tara had never broken up, they would probably have not been in that bedroom for days making up, and then Tara wouldn’t have gotten shot. So in a way, certain events lined up as a result of that spell that resulted in Tara’s death. Just an opinion it’s all head cannon but it makes sense to me that a spell of that magnitude would have such horrific consequences. A life for a life, and not just any life, but the life of someone Willow loved most of all seems like the type of deal with a devil thing that would allow for such an upheaval of natural forces.

 

[WillowFromBuffy]

I don't think we need bring in Osiris, but the fact that Tara was cosmic justice for Buffy is a common theory. The episode is called Bargaining after all. In S8, Will has a conversation with Kennedy that suggests she feels she unwittingly sacrificed Tara for Buffy by putting her in danger.

 

[thrasherpix]

It's an intriguing idea, especially about Osiris wanting Tara as the sacrifice since Willow would care more for her than a fawn she called by magic. And from a Fourth Wall perspective, the writers were Osiris (or is it that Osiris is all the writers of Buffy? )

 

[AlphaFoxtrot]

I like it. Granted, I don't know if that's what the creators had in mind when they wrote that season, but the idea of magic having a monkey's paw quality is one of those things spoken of in Buffy but never actually shown.