Well I know nothing about Wiccan stuff, put I'm assuming that Thou Shalt Not Slit The Throats Of Cute Baby Deers is well up on their Wiccan Commandments.

They had no evidence that she'd have gone to hell. They have a sample set of precisely zero of people who died and came back and said they were in hell. ZERO.

She could have been in Maui, for all they know.

I was puzzled that neither Tara nor Anya knew about the sacrificial requirement. I mean, the previous season my impression was that Tara knew a lot more about magical history than Willow (though of course she lacked the talent for application the latter possesses), and Anya's been around for a thousand years.

Giles's horror at the spell led me to think it's not something Tara would know anything about -- way darker than her. Anya? If she'd shown more general spell knowledge, maybe I'd have been surprised.

And, don't forget, they all had proof that Hell dimensions existed. Heaven? Not so much.

Again, all that proof came from people who entered the hell dimensions in a bodily fashion. The Scoobies buried Buffy's corpse. They knew this was not the case with her. And Anya had told them there are all sorts of dimensions (world without shrimp, world with all shrimp, etc.) so they knew there wasn't only Hell dimensions.

Well, it was a deer. A cute baby deer, I'll admit, but we've never been given any indication that any of them are vegetarians. If you're willing to kill an animal to eat it, I can't get morally up in arms about killing an animal in order to bring your friend back from the dead. (Whether it was right to bring said friend back is a whole 'nother issue.)

I agree with UTTAD; it was clearly a big deal to Willow, or she wouldn't have done it in secret and then lied about it, and that's the point. And I wasn't referencing this just because an innocent animal was killed - but because of what kind of magicks it must have involved, if/since it required the blood of an innocent. This wasn't like waving a pretty flower around and saying, "Forget," to Willow. She didn't act as though it were; she obfuscated as though - to her - it was a very big deal.

Tara knew a lot more about magical history than Willow (though of course she lacked the talent for application the latter possesses), and Anya's been around for a thousand years.

Anya has little-to-no moral compass. (The puppy gets her sad noise.) She probably didn't think it through because in her mind, it had little to do with her, Xander, their engagement or money. Tara probably (fanwank ahoy ---) never read the sorts of texts (or at least the entries in some texts) surrounding such dark magicks, to keep herself from temptation.

Anya? If she'd shown more general spell knowledge, maybe I'd have been surprised.

Anya's spell knowledge was kind of like the Enterprise, or Buffy's strength. She had as much as a particular episode called for. She knew about the famous wizard in whatever S5 episode it was, where Buffy did the spell to reveal that Dawn wasn't always real. Her vengeance-fueled magicks acts were good enough to impress D'Hoffryn. Other times, she knew little-to-nothing. It's more acceptable to me though, because I really see Anya as a person who isn't truly present in any given moment, unless she's personally invested in it.

Before Crush, Anya was a sore spot with me, where M.E., Spike, Buffy and souls were concerned. She led men to bloody misery for a thousand years, didn't show a shred of remorse, and yet was good enough for Xander. Yet Spike wasn't fit for Buffy. Granted, Anya had a soul, but at that point in time, she'd seldom put it to good use. I almost felt a wee bit of sexism colored the creation/acceptance of whole X/A relationship. It was okay for the boy hero to be involved with an unrepentant creature, but not for the girl hero.

Yes, Spike tried to rape Buffy. Anya tried to get Xander's friends to wish him dead/dying/in great pain. Pfffft. Feminism minor my ass.

Oy. The Willow debate comes up again.

I see it as basically canon that her act was hubristic, she went too far, didn't think it through, etc. Played an integral role in leading her to the dark side.

Does that change my abiding affection for Willow? Nope. That's just me.

But it was clearly a big deal to Willow and Tara otherwise she would've told them that she got the blood from a handy deer.

true. And while I see your arguement about eating meat, there's just something that bothers me about sacrificing an animal. Hmm, maybe if they'd had venison for dinner, I'd feel better.

And, as I understand it, the Wiccan religion believes that whatever you do, comes back to you seven fold. So, they are anti-sacrifice.

Oy. The Willow debate comes up again.

eh. it's summer, we're bored. Time to rehash. :)

Vortex just made me hungry.

Vortex just made me hungry.

I know. I'm craving a burger like you wouldn't believe