Was Kennedy Necessary for Willow?

[desmndlibrarian]

I'm sure a discussion thread like this has been made, but do you think Kennedy was the right person to help Willow move on, whether or not it was too soon from Tara's death? Do you think they've had a healthy relationship? Was Kennedy not really pushing Willow?

 

[Blaze]

ahhh those who know me know that I'm a big supporter of Willow and Kennedy. Yes, I think Kennedy is what Willow needed at the time. Kennedy was pushy but not in the sense of forcing Willow to do stuff she didn't want to do, she was pushy in the sense of bringing Willow out of her comfort zone in a good way. She was the support Willow needed at the time, Willow needed someone she could rely on to do the first steps and with who she could just fallow.

I don't think Willow and Kennedy were ever going to be end game, but they sure were good for each other in s7.

Only thing is that yes, it was a bit quick, but I'm happy they introduced a new female love interest for Willow in s7. Tara's death was sad on so many level (she was my favorite character), but seeing Willow be destroyed for the remaining of the series would have been even sadder.

 

[Still a Scoobie]

I don't like Kennedy at all but it has to be said that Willow comes through the events of the last half a season in part because of Kennedy. Could there have been a more right character for the job? In my opinion, yes. Was Kennedy wrong? Much as it does slightly pain me to say it, no.

 

[Lyri]

I liked the Kennedy and Willow relationship. Yeah, I know, shoot me.

I don't consider that Willow has a 'type' when it comes to the people she falls in love with, but I do think that she needed someone the complete opposite of Tara in order for her to actually let Tara go.

I do think that Willow moved on slightly too fast, but then again, people grieve in different ways and I'm not going to judge Willow for needing someone to share her life with. But I don't think Kennedy pushed her or was too aggressive in her advances. I don't think Willow would be in a relationship with her if she thought that. Willow is a strong woman, she's independent and she makes up her own mind, she won't be forced to do anything, so if she wasn't attracted to Kennedy and didn't want to be with Kennedy, then she wouldn't be with Kennedy. It's as simple as that.

Let's not forget, this wasn't some rebound fling for Willow, she was with Kennedy for almost three years, longer than she was with either Tara or Oz. And they only broke up because of Willow's insecurities in herself.

I do think, however, that Kennedy loved Willow more than Willow loved Kennedy. I don't think it's necessarily Willow's fault or something she caused. I think she honestly loved Kennedy in the beginning, but I think magic and power mean more to Willow than her relationships and I think she took advantage of Kennedy, especially towards the end.

I wouldn't be opposed to Willow and Kennedy getting back together, I thought Kennedy was good for Willow's confidence, but Willow needs to sort herself out first, because, as she is right now, I don't think Kennedy wants her back.

 

[Ethan Reigns]

To answer your questions, yes, Kennedy was necessary for Willow to move on and yes, she had to be as pushy as she was in order to break through Willow's self-absorption and grief. Ultimately, it was going to be a disposable relationship and I don't think there was ever a sense of Willow being The One for Kennedy or vice versa. Given this, the relationship was healthy because neither of them were going to lose anything that couldn't be replaced and although Kennedy pushed, there was no unhealthy co-dependency or psychopathy involved.

Don't forget that of all the Potentials, Kennedy was the only one who actually relished the job of slaying. She was the one delegated to lead the training and she was the one who liked weapons and fighting. Her background of growing up in an expensive home and having the best of everything was a bit like General Patton in WWII - he was by far the wealthiest of the generals to enter the war, but also the most effective. She was a breath of fresh air among the whiners and complainers that seemed to be overrepresented among the potentials.

 

[Still a Scoobie]

I don't consider that Willow has a 'type' when it comes to the people she falls in love with, but I do think that she needed someone the complete opposite of Tara in order for her to actually let Tara go.

She won't ever let Tara go, it just doesn't work like that when someone dies. She got over the sadness though. Whether Kennedy needed to be totally opposite to Tara to facilitate that I'm not sure, but I think the audience kinda did need her to be like that, even if there's a fair few of us who don't like it.

 

[thetopher]

Nope, not at all. Willow needed support, not nessessarily another romance. I think a supportive Buffy or Xander could've done the same thing for her character-wise, given her love and support and confidence.
The only real reason Kennedy was there was to reassure fans that the Buffy writers weren't homophopic when they killed Tara off.
I didn't really buy the relationship for a second, AH and IL had very little chemistry- it was kind of sad. 🙁

If Willow was to have a romance in S7 it should've been better written/made more sense.