Robin Moon
Recovery
The final season starts with picking up the pieces. Willow is in rehab of sorts under Giles’ guidance in England. He’s mentoring her in using magic little by little again as part of her recovery and redemption, turning it into something positive for her again. At one point, Giles says to Willow, “This isn’t a hobby or an addiction. It’s inside you now, this magic. You’re responsible for it.” Here, he’s essentially summarised Willow’s journey with magic throughout the show, albeit very briefly. What began as a hobby flourished into something celebratory and fulfilling, then spiralled into a devastating addiction. Now, Willow is the magic. Not only this, but she’s responsible for nurturing it and growing with it, returning to the purity it once was.
Giles encourages Willow to return to Sunnydale, which she does in the third episode, ‘Same Time, Same Place’. She’s so fearful of her friends rejecting her, fearing her, and only seeing her as an evil murderer that she inadvertently casts a spell that makes Buffy, Dawn, and Xander unable to see her. Once she realises they’re there to support and love her, she turns visible again. At the end of the episode, Willow is seen meditating and using magic to regrow skin that she lost in a demon attack. Buffy comes in and joins her in meditating after an honest conversation about their fears and feelings. It’s a wonderfully heart-warming scene, representing Willow’s calm relationship with magic now as a healing force. Giles’ advice is helping her to stay grounded, as is Buffy’s supportive presence.
A few times throughout Season 7, we see flashes of Dark Willow when she uses magic. For example, in S7E5 ‘Selfless’, Willow uses a quick barrier spell to protect herself and the girl in the frat house from the spider monster, but she snaps “For God’s sake, shut your whimpering mouth!” while black-eyed. She apologises instantly, and these relapses of sorts are all part of the recovery process.
In S7E10 ‘Bring On The Night’, Willow attempts a locator spell for the First Evil. The Big Bad manifests as a horned demon through her, lashing out at Buffy with magic. No matter how quickly the spell fades, Willow is shaky and sobs, “I don’t want to hurt anybody. Please, Buffy, don’t let it make me.” Buffy agrees to her not using magic to fight yet, since she clearly isn’t ready. Willow also has to conduct a powerful spell to open a portal to bring Buffy back from the shadow world in S7E15 ‘Get It Done’. Anya worries that trying to open the portal will send Willow “off the deep end”, and her concerns are valid. Soon after she begins the spell, Willow’s eyes turn black and she screams. To open the portal, she lashes out with her magic again, suspending and drawing energy out of Anya and her new girlfriend Kennedy. Her hair even turns black again as she does this, at which point Xander intervenes.
Magic always has a cost, and Willow knows this more than anyone. Even though she’s casting spells as part of fighting the big fight, Willow’s guilt and fear about her darkness rising to the surface again never truly disappears. This is dealt with most explicitly in S7E13 ‘The Killer In Me’, when Amy casts a hex on Willow that turns her into Warren—first physically, then mentally as well. She blames herself for Tara’s death as well as feeling guilty over killing Warren through her power. Kennedy is the one that grounds her this time, breaking the hex by kissing her. Where Tara helped Willow to grow and develop with her magic, Kennedy is her kite string that keeps her tied to reality. Her faith in Willow is constant, even after a slight wobble from the portal spell in ‘Get It Done’. This helps Willow to see beyond her own guilt and start to embrace magic again.
Despite an understanding not to push Willow too hard, Buffy expresses some frustration at times in Season 7 concerning Willow’s limitations. Everyone is aware that Willow is the most powerful force in the room. Buffy knows this more than anyone, and hopes that she can be at full magic capacity when the big showdown with the First Evil finally happens, because god knows they need it. Giles also has faith in Willow’s ability to keep the magic under control now; when she uses a charm spell on a cop for information in ‘Empty Places’, Giles is working alongside her. All of Willow’s closest allies believe in her use of magic, even when she doesn’t.
In the penultimate episode, ‘End Of Days’, Willow and Giles discuss how she could use her magic to tap into the Slayer Scythe’s power. Again, Giles has complete faith in her, saying, “Willow, you could do it without endangering yourself.” However, she’s still apprehensive: “If I tried something big, I’d change. And then it’s all black hair and veins and lightning bolts. I can hardly do a locator spell without getting dark roots.” The crippling fear of losing control and hurting people again is never far from the surface for Willow in Season 7, and she perceives all big spells like this as extremely risky. Giles then asks, “And if it was necessary?” Willow is still unsure, and he doesn’t push it. Even when the ones with the power show hesitation, Giles is always willing to do what’s necessary.
At the end of the day, Willow goes through with the spell to activate all of the potential Slayers in ‘Chosen’. She doesn’t need Giles’ guidance when she performs it, showing how far she’s come in honing her abilities and regaining her confidence. However, Kennedy is present for emotional stability, as has been her role throughout Season 7. When the spell is cast, Willow begins to glow with a bright light and her hair turns white as she breathes, “Oh… my… Goddess!” In direct contrast to her evil black hair, this symbolises how Willow has fully healed and embraced the magic in the most empowering way.
Magic is seductive in the Buffyverse, and both Willow and Giles show how it can corrupt and lead someone down the wrong path should they take the wrong approach to it. But they also both show how magic can restore and heal a person to their fullest self. Willow is an excellent character for this journey to be channeled through, but it really wouldn’t be the same without Giles’ multi-layered experience and guidance.
