This question spans all the seasons including 8 & 9: is Willow someone you would want for a friend?
Would you want to be friends with Willow?
- Thread starter Buffy Summers
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Mischlings
Potential
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Early on, quite possibly. As the seasons go on and she gets more self-centered and difficult, no.
Anya2012
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R
Robb Stark
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Evil Angelus 95
Total Dork
It would all depened on when I would meet her, and how long we would remain friends. I have a tendency to remain friends with people for a long time, so I would say that it would probably be throughout all the seasons.
So, in short, my answer would be yes
So, in short, my answer would be yes
I would most definitely be friends with her. In the Buffy verse she's not one of my fav, and in fact as the season progress I hate how self-centered she is (haven't read s9 so I can't tell about that but I heard it's not getting any better).
The reason I said yes is because in her high school seasons, she is exactly like the type of person I would have hung out with, and I'm still friends with all my high school friends, which mean even in the later season I'd be stuck dealing with her 😛
Now another issue is that if I would have been friends with her I would have probably followed her in her path of addiction to magick just because magick looks so dam fun😀 Oh god we would have been awful for each other, but I know we would have been friends!
The reason I said yes is because in her high school seasons, she is exactly like the type of person I would have hung out with, and I'm still friends with all my high school friends, which mean even in the later season I'd be stuck dealing with her 😛
Now another issue is that if I would have been friends with her I would have probably followed her in her path of addiction to magick just because magick looks so dam fun😀 Oh god we would have been awful for each other, but I know we would have been friends!
It depends.
If I'd met Willow in S1, like Buffy did, I can probably be fairly certain I would have been friends with her, and I probably would have remained friends with her throughout the next decade. But I think I would have tried harder than Buffy or Xander did to show her just how much she's changed, how damaging her behavior is. She's floating around, proclaiming herself the best witch that ever witched and putting her own needs above everyone else's. Before the world even.
Willow doesn't seem to think of Buffy and Xander and Dawn as friends anymore, which is why I originally started that thread about whether or not Willow still needs to Scoobies. I think she sees them more as co-workers, people that she finds useful, but ultimately doesn't really deem a necessary part of her life.
I think, if I'd known Willow as long as Buffy and Xander have, I would have tried a little harder to show Willow that they were friends first and foremost and to remind her of the friendship.
Would I be friends with Willow if I met her now? No way. She's way to self-involved and filled with too much self-importance to be considered worthy of anyone's friendship.
If I'd met Willow in S1, like Buffy did, I can probably be fairly certain I would have been friends with her, and I probably would have remained friends with her throughout the next decade. But I think I would have tried harder than Buffy or Xander did to show her just how much she's changed, how damaging her behavior is. She's floating around, proclaiming herself the best witch that ever witched and putting her own needs above everyone else's. Before the world even.
Willow doesn't seem to think of Buffy and Xander and Dawn as friends anymore, which is why I originally started that thread about whether or not Willow still needs to Scoobies. I think she sees them more as co-workers, people that she finds useful, but ultimately doesn't really deem a necessary part of her life.
I think, if I'd known Willow as long as Buffy and Xander have, I would have tried a little harder to show Willow that they were friends first and foremost and to remind her of the friendship.
Would I be friends with Willow if I met her now? No way. She's way to self-involved and filled with too much self-importance to be considered worthy of anyone's friendship.
Blaze
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kittenpoker
Raising penguins in Guam
Seasons 1-3 Willow? Absolutely. However, from S4 on she becomes a person that I could never feel comfortable with. She becomes intolerably arrogant and by S6 she is dangerously manipulative and obsessed with her own power. I'll pass.
Lyri
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Blaze
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M
Mischlings
You pretty much summed it up perfectly...
R
Robb Stark
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EVIL UU
Scooby
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Yes. Despite everything. Willow is like, Klaus Kinski, a truly despicable human being but dude, it's Kinski, hell yes I want to be his friend. I think that Willow is without a doubt a monster but you know what, at least she's interesting. The way her mind works is positively fascinating, what really tips the scales though as far as I'm concerned is her relationship with Buffy. Willow still loves Buffy in spite of the giant pile of insufferable shit she's been through because of her. Guys, this is incredible. If somebody can love so much, in such an unconditional way, they can't be that bad, right?
Completely disagree with this.
Yes, Willow was dragged into this world because of Buffy, but she didn't have to stay. She could have just thanked Buffy for the dramatic rescue and returned to her very normal life.
But she didn't.
She chose to help fight with Buffy. She chose to start studying magic. She chose to look into the darker aspects of magic. She chose to go with Amy to see Rack. She chose to absorb all that dark magic from the books. She chose to kill Warren. She chose to kill Rack. She chose to try to kill Buffy and Dawn and Andrew and Jonathan and Anya and Giles. She chose to try to end the world. She chose to cheat on Kennedy. She chose to try to try to save magic at the cost of the entire world. She chose to put everything else aside so that she could get her powers back.
Those are all choices that Willow made. All Buffy did was show her that vampires are real, and a lot of them live in Sunnydale.
Willow might have found herself in some fairly dangerous situations over the years, but, again, it wouldn't have happened if Willow didn't the make the choice to put herself in Buffy's corner.
EVIL UU
Yeah, obviously. To be honest I don't understand what is it that you disagree with.
thetopher
Agree with everything you said, choice equals control equals responsibility!
crazysoulless
[No message]
cemeterybabe
Cookie Dough
I would be her friend if she was like herself in season 1-3! I like the fact that Willow has power though, but I didn't like how she abused it.
This is what I disagree with:
The way you've phrased this, it seems - to me - that you're blaming Buffy for every single thing that went wrong in Willow's life. Like, Willow still loves Buffy despite everything Willow has been through because of Buffy. Which just isn't the case. Willow made her own choices.
Black Eye Guy
Taking over the World!
Yeah I would.
I think she is entitled to her arrogance, she can be annoying about it, but she is the most powerful person on the plant essentially.
In season 9 when she goes to find magic, that all makes sense to be. We know from the show that magic is part of her, something she couldn't stop doing, even if she wanted to, we have no way of knowing what not having magic is like for her.
I think she is entitled to her arrogance, she can be annoying about it, but she is the most powerful person on the plant essentially.
In season 9 when she goes to find magic, that all makes sense to be. We know from the show that magic is part of her, something she couldn't stop doing, even if she wanted to, we have no way of knowing what not having magic is like for her.
Robb Stark
King in the North
Looking at the scope of the entire series, would I be friends with Willow?
Not a chance in hell.
I know she's popular, but by the end of S7 and into S8 (which is where I'm at right now in the BTVS comics) Willow drives me absolutely insane. I don't "dislike" her as a character because I liked her so much in S1-3, but by S4 she's not even remotely the same person and it all goes downhill from there. I think behind the increasingly thin layer of "gee-wilikers innocence", which is gone entirely by S5 anyways, Willow is one of the most arrogant and power-hungry characters in the Buffyverse. She doesn't start out that way, but she sure becomes it.
She's told, almost every step of the way, that she's advancing too fast with magic, that's she screwing with things she can't control, that there are repercussions to her actions, and she pays all of those warnings, most of them from people far more experienced than her, no mind whatsoever.
And from the back nine of S5 on she's just so...arrogant. I get the real sense from Willow that she really, truly believes she's better then other people, and she's not. Not by a longshot. She commits some of the most horrendous acts of the series, and there is zero accountability. Everything she's done has resulted from personal choice, nothing more. The fact that she's using magic again in S7, after everything that's happened, and every atrocity she's committed, says pretty much everything you need to know about Willow. The fact that she even WANTS to use magic again says it all. What kind of a person would do or want that? And the fact that her friends even tolerate it is pretty bad too. If I was Buffy in that situation in S7, where Willow is using magic again after proving conclusively that she can not handle it every step of the way, she'd be gone. Out.
I'd be friends with Buffy. With Angel. With Spike, Xander, Andrew, everyone from Angel's crew in L.A., Wood and even Faith and Giles. But Willow? Pass.
---------- Post added at 07:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:24 PM ----------
Ah, forgot to add Dawn, Oz and Riley. I'd be friends with all of them too 🙂
Not a chance in hell.
I know she's popular, but by the end of S7 and into S8 (which is where I'm at right now in the BTVS comics) Willow drives me absolutely insane. I don't "dislike" her as a character because I liked her so much in S1-3, but by S4 she's not even remotely the same person and it all goes downhill from there. I think behind the increasingly thin layer of "gee-wilikers innocence", which is gone entirely by S5 anyways, Willow is one of the most arrogant and power-hungry characters in the Buffyverse. She doesn't start out that way, but she sure becomes it.
She's told, almost every step of the way, that she's advancing too fast with magic, that's she screwing with things she can't control, that there are repercussions to her actions, and she pays all of those warnings, most of them from people far more experienced than her, no mind whatsoever.
And from the back nine of S5 on she's just so...arrogant. I get the real sense from Willow that she really, truly believes she's better then other people, and she's not. Not by a longshot. She commits some of the most horrendous acts of the series, and there is zero accountability. Everything she's done has resulted from personal choice, nothing more. The fact that she's using magic again in S7, after everything that's happened, and every atrocity she's committed, says pretty much everything you need to know about Willow. The fact that she even WANTS to use magic again says it all. What kind of a person would do or want that? And the fact that her friends even tolerate it is pretty bad too. If I was Buffy in that situation in S7, where Willow is using magic again after proving conclusively that she can not handle it every step of the way, she'd be gone. Out.
I'd be friends with Buffy. With Angel. With Spike, Xander, Andrew, everyone from Angel's crew in L.A., Wood and even Faith and Giles. But Willow? Pass.
---------- Post added at 07:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:24 PM ----------
Ah, forgot to add Dawn, Oz and Riley. I'd be friends with all of them too 🙂
Lyri
[No message]
thetopher
Willow gets away with so much without being held at all accountable.
crazysoulless
You'd be friends with Faith after she ****ed using Buffy's vagina? That's like rape squared.
Black Eye Guy
Taking over the World!
I actually just made a thread kind of addressing some of that, but Willow did want to give up the magic, Willow asked Giles to take it out of her, Giles said she couldn't, she was to embedded with magic for it not to be a part of her.
brinkster130
Riley's BFF
Nope. I think it would be incredibly hard to be friends with her; her arrogance would create a lot of resentment that would make any sort of meaningful relationship virtually impossible. That being said, I certainly wouldn't want to be on her bad side. Acquaintances will do just fine. 🙂
Robb Stark
King in the North
Agreed. I think if we were in like an Avengers type setting, where she's a member of the team, I could work with Willow, but I wouldn't want to be her friend beyond that.
brinkster130
exactly!
BladeRunner2007
Party in my eye socket
Yes, I would want to be friends with her. Especially with Willow from season 1-3. But also after that. I just love her so much.
itssmiletime
Potential
seasons 1-5, definately, she was my favourite 'original' scooby member. I don't actually have much of a problem at all of her in season 5, as do some people: she's willing to cover patrolling so Buffy can help with her mother, I thought she took the situation really well in Weight Of The World. Although, an instance I did incredibly dislike her was in Forever, how she pretty much linked Dawn to that magic history book, so she'd continue to attempt to raise her mother. If it wasn't for Spike (btw, not excusing his behaviour at all) Dawn would've probably died trying to collect the ingredients. Sorry for rambling on, it really angers me.
She is a really good friend. In say, The Prom, she comforts Buffy. Even in What's My Line, part 2, where Buffy is kinda bitchy over Kendra, she tries to convince Buffy that 'no one could replace her'. So I think she does deserve more credit in that department than people give her, considering when say, she was incredibly upset in Something Blue, Xander, for instance, was pretty much mocking Willow, calling it 'poor me' , etc.
However, in season 6, absolutely no chance at all would I want to be friends with her. If one of my friends were struggling with addiction, self abuse, etc I would help them out as much as I could. Yet here is the problem: Willow treats her friends like garbage so much. It's like she wants everyone to be like the Buffybot: compliant, obedient, happy, with a chipper 'thank you' at the end of every sentence. She can't deal with Giles being angry with her in Flooded, she is absolutely clueless with Buffy's depression, and don't get me started on Tara. She puts Dawn's life in grave danger in Wrecked.
In season 7, well, most of the time she is too compliant and is actually, personality wise, rather bland, (then again, so is everyone) however, she showed to be a remarkable friend twice: in Selfless and Empty Places. She went out of her way to save Anya, she faced the dark side of her persona, and actually dealt with what she did last year, and in Empty Places, everyone was too busy, yet she comforted Xander, and stood by his side. Sounds like an ideal friend to me.
She is a really good friend. In say, The Prom, she comforts Buffy. Even in What's My Line, part 2, where Buffy is kinda bitchy over Kendra, she tries to convince Buffy that 'no one could replace her'. So I think she does deserve more credit in that department than people give her, considering when say, she was incredibly upset in Something Blue, Xander, for instance, was pretty much mocking Willow, calling it 'poor me' , etc.
However, in season 6, absolutely no chance at all would I want to be friends with her. If one of my friends were struggling with addiction, self abuse, etc I would help them out as much as I could. Yet here is the problem: Willow treats her friends like garbage so much. It's like she wants everyone to be like the Buffybot: compliant, obedient, happy, with a chipper 'thank you' at the end of every sentence. She can't deal with Giles being angry with her in Flooded, she is absolutely clueless with Buffy's depression, and don't get me started on Tara. She puts Dawn's life in grave danger in Wrecked.
In season 7, well, most of the time she is too compliant and is actually, personality wise, rather bland, (then again, so is everyone) however, she showed to be a remarkable friend twice: in Selfless and Empty Places. She went out of her way to save Anya, she faced the dark side of her persona, and actually dealt with what she did last year, and in Empty Places, everyone was too busy, yet she comforted Xander, and stood by his side. Sounds like an ideal friend to me.
E
EffyStonem
Well said!
Gum Gnome33
[No message]
I think, all in all, that while I would totally disapprove of her conduct in the later seasons (and some of her conduct in the earlier seasons), I still would want her as a friend- if for no other reason to turn her around and against her misdeeds... but I see it as you have a little sister who's misbehaving; you'd go through everything to get them to their senses, and you will never condone their deeds, but no matter what, they are still your sibling. NO Matter What!
So, yes, I would want her as a friend!
So, yes, I would want her as a friend!
EVIL UU
Scooby
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[MENTION=12614]thetopher[/MENTION]
How did you even come to that conclusion from reading my post? Like...explain?
[MENTION=6332]Lyri[/MENTION]
I don't blame Buffy for every single thing.
I blame her for being a pathetic slayer. I blame her for refusing to follow her nature, for not being dedicated enough - all of which result in Willow suffering only because she chose to help Buffy. Willow doesn't have to live in Sunnydale, she doesn't have to defeat Big Bads, she doesn't have to help Buffy nor save her sorry ass nor give Buffy her life back. She does it because she loves her and because it's the right thing to do and by doing it she puts herself and her loved ones in danger. It's Buffy's bounden duty to protect her in exchange and I blame her for not keeping her end of the bargain.
I blame Buffy for lying and manipulating. Lying about the resurrection hit Willow harder than Oz's and Tara's departures, Jenny's and Buffy's deaths combined. I blame her for encouraging Willow to use magic regardless of consequences, treating her as a big gun and abandoning her when she had to face the aftereffects.
I'm not being unfair, am I? That's enough to hate a person in my opinion. Willow doesn't and I think that's incredible.
How did you even come to that conclusion from reading my post? Like...explain?
[MENTION=6332]Lyri[/MENTION]
I don't blame Buffy for every single thing.
I blame her for being a pathetic slayer. I blame her for refusing to follow her nature, for not being dedicated enough - all of which result in Willow suffering only because she chose to help Buffy. Willow doesn't have to live in Sunnydale, she doesn't have to defeat Big Bads, she doesn't have to help Buffy nor save her sorry ass nor give Buffy her life back. She does it because she loves her and because it's the right thing to do and by doing it she puts herself and her loved ones in danger. It's Buffy's bounden duty to protect her in exchange and I blame her for not keeping her end of the bargain.
I blame Buffy for lying and manipulating. Lying about the resurrection hit Willow harder than Oz's and Tara's departures, Jenny's and Buffy's deaths combined. I blame her for encouraging Willow to use magic regardless of consequences, treating her as a big gun and abandoning her when she had to face the aftereffects.
I'm not being unfair, am I? That's enough to hate a person in my opinion. Willow doesn't and I think that's incredible.
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