Willow and her black eyes are confusing me this season. I really don't get how her magic works at all, and there doesn't seem to be a lot of consistency there, at least that I could see.
First of all, are we to assume that any time she creates a powerful spell that she'll become morally questionable? In "Get It Done", what was with her screaming and her eyes turning black when starting the spell to get Buffy back from Africa? This seemed like a nod to the end of season 6, when Buffy had broken Andrew and Johnathon out of prison, and Willow got...a little upset. I only have a few ideas opinions about it. I know Willow's magic has been discussed before, but basically I'm referring to developments in the last few episodes.
1. One idea is that the magic she uses in the powerful spells (like in "GID") is somehow corrupt to begin with. I mean, the candle levitation in "Showtime" doesn't make her all scary, eh? The idea behind this is starting a powerful spell naturally makes Willow want to take it to its most extreme conclusion.
2. The First is somehow involved (a longshot).
3. Maybe Willow is constantly struggling to have conscious control over her instincts, which want to control everything. Basically, this is the flip-side to the first idea, but instead of the spell being the problem, it's because Willow is power-hungry. This is somewhat strange, though, because in "GID", she was so normal when telling Dawn to get coffee, and then in one second she turned so dark. Later she apologized to Kennedy, apparently accepting the idea that it was all her responsibility.
I guess one thing that confuses me is the significance of black eyes. Can they ever be good? They seemed to be a lot of help in "Showtime", when blocking the Turok Han.
I think one problem is that her addiction has no real world analogies. I find the eating disorder metaphor very weak, but heroin addiction doesn't quite cover it either, since moderation would never be stressed in that, but is with magic.
Any thoughts?
First of all, are we to assume that any time she creates a powerful spell that she'll become morally questionable? In "Get It Done", what was with her screaming and her eyes turning black when starting the spell to get Buffy back from Africa? This seemed like a nod to the end of season 6, when Buffy had broken Andrew and Johnathon out of prison, and Willow got...a little upset. I only have a few ideas opinions about it. I know Willow's magic has been discussed before, but basically I'm referring to developments in the last few episodes.
1. One idea is that the magic she uses in the powerful spells (like in "GID") is somehow corrupt to begin with. I mean, the candle levitation in "Showtime" doesn't make her all scary, eh? The idea behind this is starting a powerful spell naturally makes Willow want to take it to its most extreme conclusion.
2. The First is somehow involved (a longshot).
3. Maybe Willow is constantly struggling to have conscious control over her instincts, which want to control everything. Basically, this is the flip-side to the first idea, but instead of the spell being the problem, it's because Willow is power-hungry. This is somewhat strange, though, because in "GID", she was so normal when telling Dawn to get coffee, and then in one second she turned so dark. Later she apologized to Kennedy, apparently accepting the idea that it was all her responsibility.
I guess one thing that confuses me is the significance of black eyes. Can they ever be good? They seemed to be a lot of help in "Showtime", when blocking the Turok Han.
I think one problem is that her addiction has no real world analogies. I find the eating disorder metaphor very weak, but heroin addiction doesn't quite cover it either, since moderation would never be stressed in that, but is with magic.
Any thoughts?