25 of TV’s messiest meltdowns

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Tara Dies, Dark Willow is Born — Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Sometimes, a girl just has to succumb to the dark arts. Especially when the love of her life dies, and she’s finally realizing the kind of power she’s always dreamed of. When Willow Rosenberg lost her long-time girlfriend, Tara, it was too much for her to bear.

As a direct consequence to all this intense emotional pain, Willow gave into the darkside, becoming what fans know as Dark Willow. This version of our favorite red-headed witch became the main antagonist for the gang in season 6.

On the surface, Dark Willow was menacing and dangerous, but her character turned out to be an interesting meditation of grief and loss. Because Willow embraced black magic after losing a loved one, her turn as a malevolent witch can be viewed as a direct allegory to grief.

As with a lot of situational depression and mourning, it took the support of her close friends and loved ones to pull her out of her bad place, and she eventually learned to cope with her feelings in a healthy and productive way.

In the meantime however, Dark Willow was an immoveable force that you did not want to mess with. She channeled the fury of her sadness into an incredible power that anyone could envy. If only I could manage to channel my negative emotions into earth-moving powers, I’d be all set. Of course, I’d like to think I wouldn’t try to murder, maim or torture my best friends.