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Willow Rosenberg is a fictional character
in the popular television show Buffy the Vampire
Slayer played by Alyson Hannigan.
Warning: Plot details
follow.
Willow was introduced in the first episode of the show as a naïve and fairly
stereotyped brilliant high school nerd capable of performing any scientific or hacking
trick needed to advance the plot. In addition many jokes are played off of her character's apparent innocence and sweetness,
which allows even her mostly lightly risqué statements to be humorous. She had a hopeless crush on her lifelong friend Xander Harris, who ignored her to pursue his own equally hopeless crush on
Buffy and later a relationship with Cordelia Chase (despite the fact that he and Willow were charter members of the "We Hate Cordelia" club and
he was the treasurer).
Subsequently Willow had a more satisfying relationship with Oz, a guitarist in the local band Dingoes Ate My Baby. The relationship survived her discovery that Oz was a werewolf, and a more trying crisis when Oz and Cordelia caught Willow and Xander
kissing.
By the time Willow and the rest of the "Scooby Gang" had graduated from
Sunnydale High School, Willow, who had begun performing simple spells after she
met Jenny Calendar, was a quite powerful witch.
Buffy and Willow moved across town to UC
Sunnydale, where, after Oz's departure, Willow attended some meetings of the campus Wicca
group, a disappointing experience except for the presence of one student, Tara
Maclay. After discovering their magic was more powerful if they performed in unison,
they became friends, and later, lovers. Willow's interest in women had been hinted at as early as the season 3 episode "Doppelgängland" when her vampire Doppelgänger from an alternative reality showed a distinct liking for the "real"
Willow. Willow and Tara formed one of the very few lesbian couples portrayed in
American television.
Willow's magical skills first peaked in "Bargaining", the opening episode of season 6, where she joined with other members of
the Scooby Gang to raise Buffy from the dead. Afterwards, she became obsessed with using magic constantly, which was portrayed as
being analogous to a drug addiction. Her magic addiction eventually led
to Tara leaving her, and Buffy's sister Dawn being injured, the emotional
consequences of which finally forced Willow to attempt to give up magic for good. Late in the sixth season, Willow's fury at
Tara's tragic death unleashed the dark energies once again, and her vengeance
reached a climax with the show's recurring theme of near-apocalypse.
Willow would not make another attempt to abandon the use of all magic, but rather she was forced to deal with her magical
nature, and come to grips with her place in the universe. During season 7, she slowly regained control of her powers and entered
an new relationship with the potential Slayer Kennedy. In the concluding episode of the final season "Chosen", it is
through Willow's magic that the potential Slayers are turned into full Slayers and are able to destroy The First Evil, saving the world. Kennedy claims that Willow has turned into a
goddess through her powers after this has happened, but it is left open to
interpretation if this is to be taken literally.
Willow appears to have survived an unenviable family life. Her supercilious and unaffectionate mother Sheila has appeared in
only one episode, season three's "Gingerbread". Her father, who has never been seen, is hinted to be not much of an
improvement. No siblings have ever been mentioned. Willow is the only Jewish member of the
core characters.
Willow's hair color is used in season 6 and 7 to mark her state: Red for "normal" Willow, black for "evil" Willow, white for
"goddess" Willow. At various times in the show, different characters use "Red" or other references to her hair as a nickname.
Willow mostly uses Apple computers, and the show faithfully follows the
evolution of the iBook line.
The character of Willow is one of only four, along with Buffy, Xander, and Giles, who remained a part of the series throughout its run. From its initial stereotype, her character became
more complex as the series progressed.
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