Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel Character Review: Willow Rosenberg

*Warning: This post contains spoilers about the characters from the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. Read at your own risk if you have not watched one or both television series. In this series of character reviews, I will strictly be writing about the characters from the television series, not the 1992 film.

There is something to be said about a well written, human character. They leap off the page and speak to us as if they were right in front us, as flesh and blood human beings, instead of fictional creations.

In this series of weekly blog posts, I will examine character using the characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel to explore how writers can create fully dimensional, human characters that audiences and readers can relate to.

Confidence is not always something that some of us have naturally, especially when we are teenagers. Confidence sometimes has to be grown into. On Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Buffy’s BFF, Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan) was not the most confident when the series started. Book smart, tech smart and a little awkward, Willow was not exactly at the top of high school social hierarchy. But she was not alone in her social awkwardness. Her other BFF, Xander (Nicholas Brendon), was equally looked down upon.

But then things changed for her. Willow discovered that not only was she a witch, but also found solid romantic relationships. In high school, she dated rocker/werewolf Daniel “Oz” Osbourne (Seth Green). In college, she not only came out of the closet and dated Tara Maclay, but also became confident with her magical abilities.

But even with her new-found confidence, Willow is far from perfect. Her addiction to magic nearly kills her and everyone around her. It nearly ruins her relationship with Tara and compounds her grief when Tara is murdered. But she is able to heal from the loss of Tara, move on from her addiction and find the will to move on with her life.

To sum it up: Watching a character gain confidence in who they are and their abilities can be a very compelling narrative. Over the course of the series, Willow grew from a teenage girl who doubted herself to a woman who faced personal trials and survived. That story is as old as the human race and continues to be compelling because we all go through a similar narrative in our lives.

P.S. As a Jewish redhead, seeing myself reflected on-screen was the cherry on the top of the ice cream that is Willow Rosenberg.

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Throwback Thursday- American Pie (1999)

Being a teenager is not easy. Looking back, my teenage years were the most confusing, yet defining era of my life.  No matter how old we get or what else we experience, the former teenager that we were will always be a part of our lives.

American Pie, the funny, sometimes gross, but poignant film is about four young men who are looking to loose their virginity before their senior prom.

Jim (Jason Biggs), Oz (Chris Klein), Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas) and Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) make a pact to all loose their virginity by the time prom night rolls around. Kevin tries to persuade his girlfriend Vicky (Tara Reid) to go all the way with him, Oz joins the school choir and is matched with Heather (Mena Suvari), Finch spreads rumors about his sexual prowess and Jim fails miserably with Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth) before going to the prom with Michelle (Alyson Hannigan).

American Pie, for my generation is part of our DNA. It’s not just a movie about boys looking for sex, the female characters are just as real and unsure as any teenager is about life and sex. It’s one of those movies that had stayed with me and it still quotable and watchable after 15 years.

To borrow a line from the movie, its like “warm apple pie”.