I didn't like dorky Season 1-3 Willow. When she hooked up with a girl, she got a lot more interesting to me :) By the end of the series, I loved her.

Love early Willow and would be obliged to tie Allyson's hair into a bulgy knot and hang her from a coat rack if she tried to stuff Willow into a locker.

I loved early Willow so much. I started watching the show because I loved her arc in Halloween - the geeky girl forced to be sexy and realizing she *could* be sexy but would rather be smart and funny. It's why I watched a second episode (and Spike).

I grew cold toward her in S5-6. It had nothing to do with the going gay. I just missed old Willow and couldn't get used to the new one. And they pretty much finished up her up with Dark!Willow (which, as a villain, I thought was awesome). And she just felt like unuseful furniture in S7.

Here is a weird thing. I never liked Tara all that much until I read a lot of great Tara-centric fic. Then I re-watched S4-6 and Tara became one of my favorite characters.

I adore Season 1 -4 Willow, I'm just annoyed they set her up to be so evil, then skipped the consequences.

I'm just annoyed they set her up to be so evil, then skipped the consequences.

I don't get this perspective. She spent all of S7 dealing with the consequences. Considering she's not the title character they still spent a fair amount of time on it, and made it the arc for that character from the first episode to the finale.

Willow reminds me of myself...just a little, not in a scary Willow Sue way.

How anyone can spend three months planning to bring someone back from the dead, and not once consider the possibility that they might not be in a hell dimension...

I always thought this was the beginning of her fast track into evil. This was pure selfishness on her part. I think she grieved for two seconds, and moved right into pure selfishness.

I guess I see what you mean, Hec, about her dealing with it all thorough season 7, but... When I watch her bring Buffy back from the dead, go two-face on Giles and cast that spell on Tara, it has a pretty strong effect on me. I want to see that Willow dealt with. But I guess it's a bit unfair to blame season 7 for that, as that Willow had vanished by the end of season 6.

I thought it showed a lot of hubris on Willow's part to bring Buffy back, but I didn't think it was fundamentally selfish. Also, regarding the hubris - she did it. She really was that powerful.

We talked about it before, but it's expecting a lot for 19 y.o.'s to have the kind of spiritual acceptance to just let Buffy lie in the ground. Especially when they feared she might be in a hell dimension (which was manifesting when she died, and where Angel had been, and where Buffy had been in "Anne.") There was, up to that point, no glimpse of Heaven of any kind really in the Jossiverse. Also, I think they felt like the world needed Buffy - it existed because she'd saved it several times over.

Also, Willow did not act alone in resurrecting Buffy. Of all Wilow's mistakes and sins, resurrecting Buffy seems a lot more forgiveable than some of them.

Also, regarding the hubris - she did it. She really was that powerful.

I don't think the hubris was about whether or not she could, but that she should, and that she knew what impact it would have on the world.

She had no idea.