Would Willow have done the same for Oz?

[SakiKurugi]

So I was watching the end of season 6 today and I had a thought.
Would Willow had done the same thing for Oz (gone all dark Willow) if he had been killed by someone like Tara was?
I don't think she would have. When she was with Oz, she seemed timid and shy, but with Tara...well, Willow seemed to be the "man" in that relationship, if you will. Willow was pretty much a different person when she was with Oz. I preferred her personality when she was with him, at least.
your thoughts?

[I do not mean to be offensive by saying Willow was the man in the relationship, I simply can think of no better term... ^^;]

 

[Username]

I think I heard or read somewhere that Joss said that Willow would of reacted the same way if it was Oz. But I don't see how that could of happened either.

 

[Tome]

I REALLY think Willow would have reacted very badly to Oz dying too. But this is kinda far fetched, because since their relationship ended in s4, we don't know if they would have got even closer - like Tara and her were -.

 

[GrrArghx]

As much as I 'ship Woz, I have to say I really don't think so. I'm not denying Willow and Oz's love for one another, because I really do believe they shared one of the best relationships in the 'verse, but I just honestly think Willow and Tara connected on a much, much deeper level.

Then again, by Season 6, that would've meant she and Oz had been together for five years, so maybe. It's just really hard to tell.

 

[Spikefan31]

If they'd been together all the way up to six, then yes.

 

[SlayerOfVampyrs]

I really don't think so. I'm not even a diehard Tara/Willow, as cute as they were...I just don't think so. Tara/Willow connected on a much, much deeper level than Willow/Oz ever did. While Oz was VERY important to Willow, I just don't think it would have been the same reaction. She would have reacted, yes, but I don't think that it would have brought forth Dark Willow. Tara/Willow were soulmates, and if people are keeping in mind timelines, were together for close to the SAME EXACT amount of time Willow/Oz were, so the length of their relationship really isn't a factor here. Sure, you could argue that Dark Willow was brought forth more by Willow having been addicted to the magics at that point, but I don't think that was the only factor. Tara was her tether, the person keeping her grounded to the world. It wasn't just any one who could have triggered that response from Willow, no matter how deep into the magics she'd gotten. Oz may not have been just anyone, but he wasn't her everything, and he didn't matter to her, at any point, as much as Tara did.

 

[msfantastico87]

Honestly, I think not, and I'm not just saying this because I am a die hard Tillow fan.

Would she have reacted in the same kind of hurt way? Yes. Would she have gone all dark Willow? No. I definitely don't think she would have. I don't even think Willow would have even tried asking to bring him back to life. He hurt her and came back. The same cannot be said about Tara. Tara never did anything wrong in the relationship. In fact, part of the reason she reacts this way and goes all dark is because Willow knows she effed up the relationship with Tara, and she had JUST gotten Tara back. I definitely don't think you could say the same for Oz.

Now, If Tara was not in the equation at all, and Willow and Oz had, in fact, been together the entire time, that's an entirely different story. I do believe she might have turned to black magicks, but I really don't think she would have sought out revenge on Warren on that level. Maybe turn him into a pig or something 😛

The thing you have to remember, is that Tara was light. She was innocent. She never hurt anyone. That alone, is reason enough for Willow to have reacted the way she did. Oz on the other hand, left her to go with Veruca. He didn't want to sort out his problem WITH Willow. Oz hurt Willow. Willow hurt Tara. That changes the story quite a bit.

Get my drift?

 

[xfivebyfive]

I don't think Willow would have gone dark for Oz. I think the storyline would have progressed differently then it did with Tara. Willow really opened up and changed when she was with Tara also they embraced magic together at first. With Oz he didn't want her doing magic and she probably wouldn't have gone down the same route Magic wise if she had been with Oz.

So by the time season 6 rolled around she may or may not have been as powerful a witch as she was. She would definitely not have been the same person.

---------- Post added at 01:49 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:35 AM ----------

SlayerOfVampyrs agrees: I don't think that's true, that Oz didn't want her doing magic. Yes, he worried about her, but he encouraged her to 'go do her thing.'

By Fear itself he had already started worrying about her magic use. I think that would have continued if he hadn't left.

 

[msfantastico87]

I don't think Willow would have gone dark for Oz. I think the storyline would have progressed differently then it did with Tara. Willow really opened up and changed when she was with Tara also they embraced magic together at first. With Oz he didn't want her doing magic and she probably wouldn't have gone down the same route Magic wise if she had been with Oz.

So by the time season 6 rolled around she may or may not have been as powerful a witch as she was. She would definitely not have been the same person.

I agree with everything you said in this post! Willow never really explored magic as much as she did when she was with Tara. Tara was a powerful with already when she met her. So that definitely had a huge role to play in the person Willow became. Willow definitely wouldn't have been such a powerful witch had she stayed with Oz up until s6. I don't even think she would have known which books to look for, or even know how to pay vengeance on Warren. If anything, she might have stopped magic all together in order to help Oz find a cure.

SlayerOfVampyrs agrees: Or she would have delved herself deeper into the magics to help find him a cure the magical way. We'll never know! 😛

That's a very good point...but you have to remember, when she and Anya did that black magic to get the necklace back, she got freaked out. I don't think she would have tried something like that so soon without properly learning how to handle magic. Tara was the one that showed her how to embrace the magic, and then the bitca abused it. SMH

 

[SakiKurugi]

In the long run, I think Tara was better for her, and not in a 'shipping way, more of a who hurt her less way.
This also poses another question:
Do you think she would have done the mega revenge thing for Xander? Or let Anya? Or even worked with Anya to get it?
I have mixed feelings about that one. I feel like Willow and Xander had really grown apart since high school and she wouldn't be as torn up as much.

 

[zobothehobo]

I don't think Willow would have gone dark. At the place the Woz relationship ended at, Willow didn't have half the knowledge of the black arts or her powers she did when Tara died. She and Oz also didn't have the connection and love she and Tara did. I'm not saying she didn't love him or have a connection with him... but she didn't have the same connection with him. When Oz left, she did have a magical mishap and it was big enough that D'Hoffryn took notice. With that in mind, if Oz had never left... maybe she would have gone dark... maybe. That is to say if she continued with the magic... and I'm not sure she would have.

I'm also not too sure if Oz hadn't left, they'd have stayed together all those years. If it wasn't the werewolf thing that broke them up, it'd be the magic thing. I can see a big fight where Oz saw how dangerous the magic could be... he'd see Willow get to a certain point and level and tell her to stop. It'd be long before season 6 when Tara told Willow to stop and I can see them breaking up because of it. I don't think if that were to happen, they'd have gotten back together.

 

[SlayerOfVampyrs]

In the long run, I think Tara was better for her, and not in a 'shipping way, more of a who hurt her less way.
This also poses another question:
Do you think she would have done the mega revenge thing for Xander? Or let Anya? Or even worked with Anya to get it?
I have mixed feelings about that one. I feel like Willow and Xander had really grown apart since high school and she wouldn't be as torn up as much.

First off, I love your banner! ^.^

Okay, now onto the raised question!

I really don't think she would have done the mega revenge thing for anyone but Tara. She may have been pissed, she may have wanted to, but I think the only person able to bring that level of rage out upon death was Tara.
At that point, Anya, with her power of the wish, was more powerful IN A DIFFERENT WAY than Willow was. Her power of the wish could have granted her ANYTHING. I think at that point, had Anya been around and had they known about her vengeance demon-y ways, that if Willow had gotten into contact with Anya, that Anya could have brought along a different world where Tara hadn't died. Um...I had a point...What was my point...Um...Oh! Yeah. I don't think she necessarily would have *let* Anya go do it, but I don't think there would have been any stopping her, unless killing her was an option. At the end of the day, because of her powers of the wish, Anya's power was virtually infinite.
She may have been hurt and upset about Xander, but I don't think she would have attempted revenge with the magics. I don't think she would have helped Anya in that scenario. She may have tried to get Warren put behind bars, but I don't think she would have tried revenge.

 

[msfantastico87]

Do you think she would have done the mega revenge thing for Xander? Or let Anya? Or even worked with Anya to get it?

I know what I want to say, but it is hard for me to put it into words, so I will try my best 🙂


I think that if Willow had known this amount of magic back in high school, back when she and Xander had been attached at the hip, then yes. She wouldn't have hesitated. Especially while she had that majorly huge crush on him. She would have most definitely lost it and probably would have tried to raise him from the dead without anyone's consent. That, however is not the case. Had it happened in s6, it would totally have been a different story. I don't really think She would have tried going for revenge, but she might have tried bringing him back. His death wouldn't have had as much impact on her as if it were to happen in HS. They both drifted apart from each other.

Now, If it had been Anya the one that was with Xander when he got shot....yes. 100% yes. Anya loves him. She was able to understand all kinds of emotions while in the relationship with Xander. She would have totally flipped out. She would have probably raised more chaos than Willow did.

I don't think neither Willow nor Anya would have wanted each others assistance whichever case it might have been. Both were super attached to him and they wouldn have wanted to bring justice on their own.

 

[SakiKurugi]

First off, I love your banner! ^.^

Thanks! 😀

Xander's speech toward the end of the episode really made me miss the old XanderxWillow best friend days. I always hate how much they drifted.

All in all, I think most of you guys are right, it's pretty much an only Tara thing. It's like what Willow said when they were in Rack's house/drug place thing, (can't remember exactly) but it was something along the lines of never being able to see Tara look at her and everything be okay again. [Anyone remember the line?]

 

[Litheran]

I'll refrain from comparing Willow's love for either of them. While Willow wasn't as powerful in earlier seasons. If Veruca had killed Oz; I completely believe flaying would have been a possibility; although probably with less finesse. Discussing matters involving Tillow and Woz can be tough; because people have very different stands on whether Willow is gay or bi. Some say that because she identified herself as gay after being with Tara; that it means Oz was a "mistake" or that she could never completely love him like she did Tara. I have my own opinions; but in short I think Willow would have gone veiny for either of them.

 

[dan k]

The storyline would have been completely different. Without Tara Willow's exploits into magic would probably not have been as intense.

One thing i'd like to talk about which is a little off topic is Oz and Veruca.

Jo in her post seems to criticize Oz which i think is really harsh. Oz pulled Veruca into the cage because he was thinking about others safety, that was what Oz was thinking. It wasn't like he gave in to his animal instincts, he did it purely to make sure people were safe.

The reason he left is very similar to why Angel left Buffy at the end of season 3. He knew him remaining in Sunnydale was unfair to Willow. He had to sort himself out, again it was a selfless decision.

Oz was very unfortunate that Willow bonded with Tara so quickly after he left. If you think about it Oz returned in the same season that he left. It wasn't a really long absence.

 

[Kean]

Would it have been the exact same reaction as we saw with Tara? No. But it would have been significant.

Willow is prone to reacting to emotionally trying situations rather rashly. In the same way she allowed magic to overtake her and be the filter of her pain with Tara's death, she behaved similarly when Oz cheated on her with Verucca. If her level of magic had been greater at the time, I have no doubt she would have went through with the vengeance spell against Oz and Veruca as she had planned.

Her reaction could not be an exact mirror of what happened with Oz but it would have been similarly chaotic, if not fatal.

 

[Deus Ex Machina]

I'm wondering in what context you mean. Some seem to be addressing this as if it had happened at the end of season four. While others seem to be addressing it from a "If Oz had been here till season 6". Either way, the consensus seems to be that she wouldn't have.

Also, either way, Oz had already expressed concern for Willow's magic use (season 4 in the cafeteria is the example I commonly use to illustrate this point), so is it safe to say that Willow wouldn't have been as into magic had Oz stuck around? To an extent. I wouldn't have been surprised if Willow continued anyways at the behest of her friends for some big evil event they needed to prepare for.

Plus, we also have to think in terms of sticking to just season four, Tara would have shown up on the scene anyways. Tara and Willow would still perform magic and gain experience but it wouldn't have the same sexual undertones. Willow would still over power Tara, and without the relationship aspect of their joining, Willow's process would have probably been sped up.

Had they stuck with the same storyline intended for Season 4, Veruca would probably have been killed by Willow by the end after her tryst with Oz and her trying to kill humans. This wouldn't be a human death and I could see Willow feeling bad for killing Veruca but it would have been justified and a step stone. Oz would still leave, come back Season 6 and re-started things with Willow (staying in contact with Willow all during Season 5 to let her know of his progress and his love for her).

Season 6, they come back together and begin working out everything only to be foiled by Willow's burgeoning dark side and they separate with Oz noticing that Willow is falling down the same dark path he did and realizing she needs help after she erases his mind. I could see Willow being more dismissive of Oz than she was of Tara because of Oz's actions in Season 4 which would make more sense than with Tara. Tara would still be around but she'd be on Oz's side. Eventually after Wrecked (which would hopefully be better written. This would also have Amy around to set up the good/bad witch), Oz and Willow would get back together only for Oz to be killed by Warren, after EVERYTHING Willow and Oz had been through, you bet your momma's mule she'd go off the deep end.

That would set up the epic battle between Tara and Willow at the end of Season 6. It'd also allow for Tara to guide a "constantly on the edge" Willow during Season 7.

Had Oz died during Season 4? She would probably still attempt her actions in Season 6, but she'd probably be less successful and taken down easier.

 

[Willow My Love]

I wonder, why she didn't try to use a vengeance demon to get Tara back? Anywho.

I don't think she would have done the same for Oz. Their relationship was a deep love, but it lacked the passion of her and Tara. She found who she really was with Tara, and all sorts of points that have already been made...

I really don't think she would have done anything like that for Xander. Buffy, I see that being more plausible... But she wasn't that upset that Buffy got shot, moreso that Tara died.

 

[VisionGirl]

I think that she was indeed upset about Buffy getting shot, it's just that Tara's death overshadowed everything else. I think she would've gone dark for Oz, it's just that she would've gotten to that place differently. And I do think that she would've gone dark for Xander. They have an incredibly long & connected history/friendship. He is the one who brought her down in Grave, after all. He's the only one who could have.