Still, the theme of the season was "Back to the beginning," wasn't it?

That was the theme for season 7. I don't remember what the stated theme was in season 6. I do remember the writers saying something about the mistakes you make in your 20's as an example of what they were going for.

And in OAFA, she's the one who played Mama Bear to protect Buffy from Spike, and Willow from Anya.

That may have been my favorite Tara moment. Put some ice on it.

I think having Willow be crazy/evil for substantially longer than she was would've irrevocably removed the character from people's sympathies. They needed to have it take place over a short enough period of time and with enough understandable triggers that Willow could come back from the brink.

I just wish that all had been different—that they'd stuck to metaphor (or analogy) than having an actual addiction to magic story. I could have licked Giles when he pooh-poohed it away with a line, in the beginning of S7 (of course, I'd lick him, anyhow).

I think Willow was irrevocably removed from some people's sympathies. I'm not a Willow hater, but the flaying, and the extreme cruelty to Dawn and Buffy turned off Willow-loving bits of me, that never turned back on. I wish her S6 arc had been better paced. Early spoiler rumors had her getting involved with Warren, Jonathan and Andrew (not romantically, cuz ewww). I wonder if they'd had a slower build to a different kind of Dark Willow, if it would have worked better for me.

I'm not sure they even needed to kill Tara. Willow's break up with Oz set a good precedent with the character, for her having a problem with rejection. I think it might have been interesting to have her go dark for a less dramatic reason (jealousy rather than murder), and then have to deal (in S7) with knowing she'd broken whatever could have been salvageable between her and Tara. I also would have liked to see Tara hang around, and not be Willow's girl, while Willow was trying to rebuild her life, and mend fences. And I would have liked to see them both date other women. They could have ended up together at the finale.

I don't remember what the stated theme was in season 6. I do remember the writers saying something about the mistakes you make in your 20's as an example of what they were going for.

It was "Oh, grow up!"

I don't remember what the stated theme was in season 6.

I believe it was stated by Joss as "Oh, grow up!" [x-post with Cindy]

They could have ended up together at the finale.

After Kennedy got snacked on by an uber-vamp, right?

After Kennedy got snacked on by an uber-vamp, right?

Amen.

It was "Oh, grow up!"

(smacks self in forehead) Of course! The mind is a terrible thing to waste.

After Kennedy got snacked on by an uber-vamp, right?

Amen.

Second that amen.

Someone touched on it earlier, but it's been a thing for me for a while.

Just once, I would like a relationship to end without death or town-leaving. I would love for it to be Willow/Kennedy, but, whatever. A nice, kinda normal, "this really isn't working."

ITA that if Dark!Willow had been around for much longer, the conception of her would have to have been quite a bit different. You really can't keep up "Witch Smash!" for much more than that.

I liked S6, loved the Dark Willow arc, got way too much enjoyment about her beating on Buffy, and thought the end run of episodes totally redeemed the fallen souffle of the middle.

I don't remember what the stated theme was in season 6.

I thought it was, "Being a grown-up is hell." Or some other version, hell doesn't end when you graduate high school.

I wonder if they'd had a slower build to a different kind of Dark Willow, if it would have worked better for me.

It could have been done. As you mentioned, Cindy, there's her difficulty in dealing with rejection ("Something Blue" is especially relevant to what we're discussing). She resented being the brainy sidekick (there's a speech in "Grave" where that comes out loud and clear). There's her status in high school ("softer side of Sears").

And where things were going in late S5/early S6, ME seemed to be setting up a "power trip" story line. The 1-on-1 fight with Glory may have been the first moment where we realized how powerful Willow really could be. By the time she smacked down Giles ("Flooded"?), the "trip" was there. And certainly by the engagement party ("All the Way"), she was treating her power much too casually.

Looking back, I don't think it was the Actual Car Crash that did the story line in. It was de-ratting Amy. Partly because of making everyone disappear at the Bronze (though that fits in with the power trip), but mostly because Amy introduced Willow to Rak.

I don't remember what the stated theme was in season 6.

I think it was "Kinky Sex: It's Not Just For HBO Any More!"