Willow Grief

[VisionGuy]

I was watching Doppelgangland yesterday and I found it kind of strange that Buffy, Xander, and Giles were so calm when they found out that Willow was "vamped." I know people deal with grief in different ways but maybe they should have at least had Xander crying and shaking his fist to the heavens screaming, "WHY HER?!" And don't give me any of that, "Maybe there wasn't enough time in the episode" boohockey.

 

[Blondie Bear]

I think they were in shock and hadn't quite moved to the "WHY HER?!" fist-shaking stage yet.

 

[Lyri]

That always bugged me too. I mean, we see Buffy crying, but Xander and Giles just sorta sit there, and Giles even cracks a joke about herr being much better than Xander. I get why 'stiff-uppper-lip' Giles didn't show any emotion, but Xander should have at least questioned why she was taken over him or something.

I know people say shock does a lot to a person's grief, but it just seemed wrong to me.

And Oz? He just asked for Buffy. This was his girlfriend and he's just found out she's dead and he just asks Angel to get the Slayer so that she can be killed?

 

[VisionGuy]

That always bugged me too. I mean, we see Buffy crying, but Xander and Giles just sorta sit there, and Giles even cracks a joke about herr being much better than Xander. I get why 'stiff-uppper-lip' Giles didn't show any emotion, but Xander should have at least questioned why she was taken over him or something.

If you add to that all the guilt of them arguing the last time they saw her, then you have yourself a nervous breakdown.

Seriously though, I just think they should have had the characters show some type of emotion towards Willow. Especially since that episode was about her being there as "old reliable." Having them realize how much they need her and love her would have been more realistic in my opinion. Even Angel showed more emotion. He was in tears when he arrived at the library.

 

[Lindsey McDonald]

They had very little time to process things. One minute they think she's alive, the next she's a vampire. The confusion and shock was more than enough to stave off the grief till Willow entered. Different people deal in different ways. Also, the situation was absurd. If it had been in a dangerous situation they would have been mentally prepared (not in a ready to deal with way, but in a being afraid of something like this happening way) for it, and the shock wouldn't have been so great.

About Oz, well, if Earshot!Buffy was around I'm sure he wouldn't have been so calm. His immediate thought was that Willow wouldn't have wanted to be used to kill. It's almost like Wesley's reaction to Lilah's death in Angel; he doesn't show any emotion and goes to do what has to be done but inside he's tearing himself to pieces. We were just able to get a glimpse of that through Wesley's alone time in that episode, but I think the same idea can be applied. Oz was never one for expressing emotion, and a lifestyle of that doesn't just wash away at the death of a loved one. That's a Hollywood conciet. I thought his reaction was perfect.

Moreover, since there is no trick being played on the viewer, a drawn out grieveing scene really would be restrictive and wasteful of time. We know she's not dead, so we don't need to be made to feel worse about it. That's why they went for the shock.

You see it more in The Body. In that case it's Buffy's mother, but she doesn't break down. Dawn does, but she wasn't there. Giles is Giles. Xander does get all fist-shakey, but this is after time has passed and he has processed it. I'm sure he would have gotten to that stage with Willow if given the chance to get over the obscene shock of it all.

 

[sk]

I am glad that they didn't do (perhaps) more realistic grief scenes.

The episode wasn't about the death of Willow, we all knew that she wasn't vamped for real.
Instead they played it like they were all in shock and also did it a bit humorous.
Which makes the episode one of best imho.

So I say, good call by the writers on this one 🙂

/SK

 

[Fake Shemp]

Giles: She was truly the finest of all of us.

Xander: Way better than me.

Giles: (nods decisively) Much, much better.

 

[Lyri]

I love this episode, it's one of my favorites. But I still think VG's right. Angel was crying for heaven's sake!! Is it too much to ask for a simple tear from Xander? Or Oz, for that matter? Yes, he's Mr. Joe-Stoic, but he cried when he left her in S4, he doesn't cry when he thinks she's dead?!

I thought Buffy's reaction was pretty much in character, considering what we see later on in 'The Body', that silent crying and blaming herself, but Xander, as much as I love him, was a little off.

 

[fly on the wall]

I think the reaction was appropriate.

It was a shocking situation, and presumably we're only seeing their reaction right after they found out and got back to Giles. The fact that Willow - smart, careful, abides-by-the-rules Willow - got vamped is a huge shock. Had it been a longer scene, I'm sure other emotions would have factored in. But for the few minutes in the library where they think Willow's a vampire, their reactions make sense.

Also, as someone else said, the episode isn't about grieving for Willow. It's a fairly humorous episode and I don't think it would have worked being weighted down with grief for an event we already know didn't actually happen.

Edit: Oh, and I think Oz was mostly too afraid to display much emotion. Not only is the shock of seeing VampWillow taking him aback, but he's also being held captive in the Bronze by her and a hoard of vampires. I think he went into survival mode and since he's a pretty together guy anyway, wasn't letting his emotions shine through.

 

[chiigusa]

I think their reaction was supposed to be humorous. We, the audience, know that Willow didn't really die, so we knew the characters would soon know that, too. And making everyone have an emotional breakdown would have completely changed the feel and mood of the episode.

 

[InsaneMystic]

I agree that the "muted" reaction was necessary for the mood and pace of the ep; also, I didn't find it unfitting at all. A lot of times learning of someone's death first sends you into shock and denial, and you don't cry until a couple of hours (even days) later. I actually found it more unusual when Willow immediately started to cry upon hearing of Jenny's death in "Passions" (I thought Buffy's paralyzed sliding down the wall into a cowering position was more of an "expectable" reaction).

If we're talking of lack of grief, we should look at Cordy in "The Wish" (and it has been done already: [URL="https://www.buffy-boards.com/showthread.php?t=39185"]How much she doesn't care[/URL]), not the tearless, but clearly shocked Scooby's reaction on Willow's presumed death in this ep.

 

[sosa lola]

Comparing Xander's reaction here with his reaction to Jesse's death, he showed more emotion toward Jesse. He kicked a box and declared his hate for vampires which shows how upset he was about losing Jesse.

I think what ruined the scene was that it was played for comedy more than for tragedy. If Willow was really dead, I'm sure the writers would have made the scene heartbreaking.

 

[Jonut]

Having recently just gone through the loss of a loved one, I can say that the minutes after they had passed I felt nothing. I was numb, couldn't comprehend it and just felt completely detached from the world. So I think that the protrayal was pretty much how I think I would have reacted. In the short term at least. I think the following scene, with Willow coming in and them all running to hug her, even Giles shows how happy they were for her to be alive, elated even. I think the scene was done well, but I do get where people are coming from.