Willow - universally loved?

Taake

Taake

There's a hole in the world...
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Black Thorn
I've been thinking about this for a while... every now and then some character "dislike" threads appear - Angel, Spike, Xander, Dawn... Buffy gets some heat in episode/season discussion threads, as does most other minor or major characters... but very rarely Willow.

Is Willow universally loved?
Seems impossible - no?

There'll be complaints about the magic=drugs storyline, sometimes there'll be complaints about some of her actions... but there's never really out-right dislike.

Now personally I do love Willow but this observation has made me curious as to whether or not others don't? Does anybody dislike Willow? And is it okay to not like Willow? (or will there be outrage?)

What do you say guys?
How would you feel if someone you watched the show with thoroughly disliked our red-headed witch? Or are you one of those people who don't?


(and please, don't hate on people if they do dislike Willow, that's not what this is for.)
 
Seasons 1-3? LOVE HER.

Seasons 4-7? On a par with how I feel about Spike.

So, I dunno, we'll call that a draw? 😛
 
Washburne
Washburne
Draw? What's happened to you? I remember your Willow rants. :D
I love Willow but I know I've come across people who don't like her. Or they prefer early- seasons Willow. I watched the show with my mom and Willow is her favorite (after Giles) and I know she prefers Willow in the early seasons versus how she became in the later seasons.

But I personally love Willow throughout the entire series.
 
I adore Willow. It started off with her being the character I could relate too most, but then she changed and whatnot, but I still loved her. I can see why she does the bad things, so I find it hard to hate on her. She's great and I love how she grew throughout the series.
If others hate Willow, then that's fine. But I don't think I've ever come across a Willow hater. I wouldn't be mad or anything if I did. I may not understand it, but they can love/hate who they want to love/hate. I wouldn't be outraged. I'm sure someone out there hates her with a passion!
 
How would you feel if someone you watched the show with thoroughly disliked our red-headed witch? Or are you one of those people who don't?
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I would say everyone has a right to have a (bad) taste. 🙂 I have seen quite a few people who dislike Willow on certain other forums and I myself don't like S6-7 Willow at all.
 
S
Summerlilly
Hmmmm....interesting. :)
I don't think she's universally loved, I know at least a couple of people who immensely dislike her, especially in the later seasons, but I think she isn't as polarising as other characters (i.e. Spike, who, I think, is a love/hate character). Most people liked her a lot in the earlier seasons and then started to dislike her later. I have issues with her in later seasons, too, but my love for her overall is greater than the later dislike.
 
I don't really have any strong feelings towards Willow. I like her better in the earlier seasons, and that's about it. I much prefer other characters to her.
 
I always got the feeling that Willow was very popular, but I know some people who hate her too. IMO, I think they actually make some very good arguments for it. I personally like her (not love, but I'm okay with her 😛), and I like early season Willow better than Season 6-7 Willow. My first time watching, I really loved whenever Willow was on screen because she was adorable, funny, and very relatable. On re-watches though, I think maybe I've grown a little detached from her. Maybe it's just that I know the ultimate direction of her story arc, but I started to pick up things I didn't get before, like her arrogance and her quick judgment of others. I think there are times where Willow is very arrogant, and I know this is a bit unpopular, but I think she deserved it in Season 6 when Giles told her she was an arrogant amateur. It was a bit harsh, but also a bit true. I still like her, I just wish she had someone to bring her back down to earth sometimes. Like what Tara did for her in Seasons 4 and 5. 🙂
 
L
luckystar
agreed!
It's a really interesting question.
As someone mentioned, she certainly isn't as polarizing as other characters, though I think there are other non-polarizing characters who don't get as much consistent love as Willow does.
For me personally, I honestly think it's because I adore her so much from seasons 1-5 that the annoying, dangerous, and horrific things she does in the later seasons aren't enough to change how I feel. It's also partially because of her reformation in season 7 and how she tries to make up for what she's done in the middle of a deep grieving period. I respect her so much for that; I mean it would be so easy for her to just curl up in a ball and cry all day given what happened to her in season 6.

But, yeah, I would have to say that it's her strongly established, lovable personality that keeps many people feeling like they consistently at least "like" Willow.
 
I love season 5, and early season 6 Willow the most, tbh. I don't like her much in s7. But I still love her more than any other character.
 
S
Summerlilly
Well your name holds you to high standards! lol :)
Personally, I'm indifferent to her all the way through. Especially now but I don't ever remember having huge love for her. I don't think it stretches as far as dislike, until post Dark Willow where I have no time at all for her, but I've never been invested in her or anything.

I know that some others have mentioned coming across people who do dislike her, but I've never seen it myself. I agree with Mumrik that she isn't one of those who is constantly discussed and debated with the same vigor as others. I do think its an interesting question as I don't understand why this would be the case lol
 
Personally I can't say I've talked to a BtVS fan who disliked her. At worst they were indifferent.

As for me, I like her! She's a great character. She never was my fav, but she's such a great friend for Xander and Buffy. 🙂
 
Flannen said:
Personally, I'm indifferent to her all the way through. Especially now but I don't ever remember having huge love for her. I don't think it stretches as far as dislike, until post Dark Willow where I have no time at all for her, but I've never been invested in her or anything.

I know that some others have mentioned coming across people who do dislike her, but I've never seen it myself. I agree with Mumrik that she isn't one of those who is constantly discussed and debated with the same vigor as others. I do think its an interesting question as I don't understand why this would be the case lol
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I think you answered that question for yourself, actually. At least it did for me, lol. You can be quite indifferent to her as she is one of the few characters who don't demand your constant attention when they're on screen. The only other (main) characters that come to mind where this is also true would be Tara, Oz and maybe Giles. I like Willow because I used to identify with her, especially in the earlier seasons and that affection doesn't go away but I think she can be just scenery a lot of the time, simply because of the kind of - for lack of a better word - person she is. The only time that isn't true, IMO, is in S6, which, I think we can all agree, is also the exact time frame that is most discussed about her.
 
Mumrik said:
I think you answered that question for yourself, actually. At least it did for me, lol. You can be quite indifferent to her as she is one of the few characters who don't demand your constant attention when they're on screen. The only other (main) characters that come to mind where this is also true would be Tara, Oz and maybe Giles. I like Willow because I used to identify with her, especially in the earlier seasons and that affection doesn't go away but I think she can be just scenery a lot of the time, simply because of the kind of - for lack of a better word - person she is. The only time that isn't true, IMO, is in S6, which, I think we can all agree, is also the exact time frame that is most discussed about her.
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Get out of my brain 😛 lol

You're right though. I'm indifferent because I'm not invested in her. Is that what we're going with? It makes sense. To be honest, I don't think I ever really identified with any of the characters per se but at some point or another I've been invested in most of them. Or they just made me laugh, like Xander! 😛
 
Mumrik
Mumrik
But it's so comfy in here! :p
I don't think Willow is universally loved. I found her character quite likeable but I never loved her.

I adored Willow in seasons 1-3 and as the series continued I found myself likeing her less and less. I think the main reason for this is becuase I felt like she began to loose some of the quaities I admired most about her. By season 6 I was completely indifferent to Willow and in season 7 I found myself pretty dissapointed in her.
 
I remember someone wrote this horrific, scandalous, and deceitful post about Willow.

Things like: She's such a spoiled brat!!! She lived in the master bedroom of Buffy's home with Tara, didn't work, and went to school while Buffy worked her butt off at the Double Meat palace!

Since I am madly in love with Willow, I ignored the post. lol There were some other good points, but I have forgotten them.

Yes... I love Willow.
 
W
Willow My Love
I always figured, she took the master bedroom because she was with Tara, two people, and she didn't want to disturb Buffy's things after she had died. Too painful. Plus, student loans? People live on those.
Interesting ... Willow seems to have been invented to be a lovable character. But she becomes more complex as time goes on. Even in S2, we see the power hunger that almost led her into hell in S6. She's definitely a flawed character.

But do I love or hate her? Generally, I don't feel that way about characters. I'd rather understand than judge.
 
Things like: She's such a spoiled brat!!! She lived in the master bedroom of Buffy's home with Tara, didn't work, and went to school while Buffy worked her butt off at the Double Meat palace!
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This must have been quite a feat for Willow considering Tara moved out before Buffy started working in the Doublemeat. She secretly built a Tarabot maybe? 😀

I think one the explanations for the relative lack of "I hate Willow" opinions is that many people who dislike S6-7 Willow are willing to explain that away with the entire show going down the drain at that time, so this "Willow" isn't really the "real" one. I know I do. On the other hand, many fans seem to be indifferent to early Willow but like S6-7 Willow. So basically there is one likeable Willow for everyone. 🙂
 
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