She asked about the books she wasn't supposed to go near, and then when Giles went away, she went straight to them.

I'm with DavidS re: Willow. She liked the power, sure, but once Buffy was gone, she had no choice but to use it. She became the "Buffy" of the group. Think about end-of-season-5 Willow, when Buffy tells her she's the big gun. Willow didn't want that position. Once Buffy was gone, she had to take on that role and it changed her. WRT season 6 Willow, circumstances were as much to blame as her own power trip, if you ask me.

well, because that's what Willow does. But Willow didn't buy it and would have tried it herself (did later), and I think she never thought Dawn would get it done, but I don't think popping the book out was in any way anything other than encouragement.

Also, Willow was shocked when Tara mentioned that the book that Dawn had (which Willow prompted her to take) had information that led to the actual powerful magicks. I agree what others said in that Willow was just trying to use the information about magic as a was to help Dawn deal with her grief, not to actually bring Joyce back.

On another note, everyone was pointing out a bit back that Faith had never saved the world, but she was actually an integral part of the attack on the Hellmouth beast and the Sisterhood of Jhe during "The Zeppo", so she gets some credit for that. Since the episode focused on Xander, this aspect of the episode is easily forgotten.

Think about end-of-season-5 Willow, when Buffy tells her she's the big gun. Willow didn't want that position. Once Buffy was gone, she had to take on that role and it changed her.

Oh, I think she wanted it. She said a similiar thing in season 2.

Faith had never saved the world, but she was actually an integral part of the attack on the Hellmouth beast and the Sisterhood of Jhe during "The Zeppo", so she gets some credit for that.

Yeah, she gets one-sixth of a world saver credit, but not as a leader. Certainly none of the Scoobs trusted her enough to consider her reliable, or as an apt replacement for Buffy. Hell, she sold them all out to throw in with The Mayor.

I may be remembering wrong, but I think that all Dawn had to steal from the magic shop was ingredients and then of course the eggs from the demon. The book Willow gave her had the spell. I thought anyway.

She stole a book and stuffed it in her bookbag right away, then snuck down the ladder and was worried about getting caught by Giles. Of course, part of this scene is cut in the FX repeat version of this, so it my be that tina hasn't seen the full scene.

And besides, those ingredients and books didn't work anyway. It wasn't until she went to see Doc and was told about the eggs and given "instructions" that the spell could work.

OK. Brain is overloading.

Here is what I remember seeing: it is the book that Willow pulled out for Dawn that Dawn had by Joyce's grave. I remember her pushing some books aside to get to some ingredients at the magic shop.

I thought I remembered Willow faking surprise when Tara says the book is missing because she knows Tara would be upset with her for encouraging her to seek magic to help her bring her mom back.

These could all be false memories implanted in me by monks though.

Yeah, she gets one-sixth of a world saver credit, but not as a leader. Certainly none of the Scoobs trusted her enough to consider her reliable, or as an apt replacement for Buffy. Hell, she sold them all out to throw in with The Mayor.

I wasn't trying to make the point that Faith was a trusted leader or anything. But her contributions when she was on the white hat side is often totally ignored. Since the point being made is that it may be that she could have "stepped up" and filled the void left by Buffy's death, at least in the world-saving business, I think this should not be ignored.

I'm with DavidS re: Willow. She liked the power, sure, but once Buffy was gone, she had no choice but to use it. She became the "Buffy" of the group.

This is interesting, Willow's been shown to have power equal to Buffy's but consistantly no mentor like Giles. I think after season 5, Buffy would have totally ready for coping without Giles, apart from the being raised from the dead thing. But he was there through her formative high schooly period, helping her not to do a Faith. Every time we see Willow doing magic it's alone, or with teenagers(and not fantastically sensible teenagers at that.) Giles continuously offers "slow down" as his only piece of advice, he's got so many issues with magic he doesn't really take up the mentor role. It's interesting to wonder whether Jenny could have done that if she'd lived.

Where I'm going with this, is sort of a defense for Willow. I think virtually any character on the show at her age, gifted with huge power and no one older to give support, would have done dark things in their own way. Willow's way is pretty creepy, but I don't think Buffy would be doing any better without Giles.

Willow was the same with her brain power. Anyone remember "DELiver" - to Cordy and Harm, from season 1? Not saying they weren't bitches to her, because they were, but...

I don't think Willow's responsibility should be shuffled off on Giles. Buffy was given a power she didn't ask for, and told she had to forsake a normal life, to save the world, repeatedly. Willow pursued a power because she was interested in it.