Buffy the Vampire Slayer 6x08 "Tabula Rasa" Full Reaction
Added 2021-01-07 01:29:30 +0000 UTC
Comments
I subscribed specially for Buffy (As I'm not interested in Angel) 1 month ago and only 1 episode was posted. Is it normal?
Levia
2021-01-22 14:54:17 +0000 UTCI'm a Willow fan but I can see the point of view of people who don't like her as much. I think a lot of it comes down to differences in interpretation. I tend to think that some people underestimate how much the dark magic has corrupted Willow by season 6. I mean, there's a reason that Giles and others have been warning her about it as far back as season 2, and it's not just because individual spells can go awry and be dangerous. Giles once said something like, "You may be opening a door that you can't close." I feel like Willow was already teetering on the precipice and that the resurrection spell pushed her over the edge. I don't think that even the Willow of 5x22 would have cast the memory erasing spell on Tara. Of course, I'm not trying to deny Willow's character flaws. I just believe that her flaws interact with, and are exacerbated by the corruption of dark magic.
Reaper74
2021-01-12 22:19:12 +0000 UTCI'm glad they made her go through this storyline. IMO, its something that both Willow fans and those who don't like her too much can appreciate. For the fans, it really knocked her off the pedestal she's been placed on for years (being the go-to Scooby for all things tech and magic and smarts) and allowed them to see her as a more complex character. For detractors, it validates some criticism they likely had for her character which may have previously fallen on deaf ears and gives Willow the chance to confront and change some of flaws to her character.
Judson
2021-01-08 09:28:14 +0000 UTCThey're lucky that they were all in the Magic Box when the spell activated/finished/etc. Not only did they all pass out, but they were passed out for hours. It was daytime when the spell knocked them out, and they didn't wake up until it was night time. Moral issues with what Willow did aside (which it was obviously very Not Good what she did here in any way), they could've easily been killed if they were somewhere else when they passed out. What if they were driving or crossing the street when they passed out? And if a demon had come into the shop while they were all passed out, well that could've been the end of Buffy. Hell, if Spike had still been outside when he passed out he would've burned to death. I assume that they passed out because the spell messed up and burned too much of that plant, though we have no idea. It seems to be a different spell than what Willow used on Tara previously cause I don't remember a crystal or anything like that, but Willow also used that spell right before they went to bed, so its possible that it also "knocked out" Tara but of course she was asleep so didn't know any different. Willow is way too addicted to magic by now and needs to either stop using it entirely or actually stop to seriously consider consequences of her actions, because right now it seems like she just assumes that whatever spells she casts will go off perfectly without a hitch and is basically in "What could possibly go wrong?!" mode. That is when she's not doing things like threatening Giles because he (rightly) called her out on that resurrection spell, or being abusive towards her girlfriend with magic.
Nicole Iannone
2021-01-08 07:46:17 +0000 UTCGreat insights! Thanks for sharing. My favorite line from all of OMWF is the line of Tara's that you mentioned: "Wish I could trust that it was just this once, but I must do what I must. I can't adjust to this disgust. We're done. ...and I just wish I could stay." It's sad, but also beautiful because this is a young woman who's been abused her entire life and now she finally understands her own value enough to chose herself over an abusive relationship. Powerful stuff, man.
Janel Davis
2021-01-08 03:07:11 +0000 UTCAgreed!
Superplin
2021-01-07 21:13:21 +0000 UTCOMwF/Tabula Rasa are a great one two punch, on par with Something Blue and Hush IMO.
Val
2021-01-07 20:44:26 +0000 UTCI am in the minority here, but Willow has never been in my top of the show's favorite characters. This episode made me start to *really* dislike her. The best thing about Willow, in my opinion, was Oz and now Tara. She screwed over both of them (cheating on Oz, casting spells on Tara). But doing this to Tara, especially after what Glory did, pissed me off. I'm with Giles on this, "you rank, arrogant amateur!"
Ashley
2021-01-07 18:27:41 +0000 UTCIt's easy to gloss over in OMWF because the singing is too captivating and the composition and lyrical arrangement kinda steps over the significance, but Tara made this decision last week - she sang, "we're done" when she reprised "under your spell". She's so tender-hearted and still, in some ways, demurring or timid that it took time for her to get around to it and she still tried to give Willow another chance, but she made the call *immediately* when she learned what Willow had done. Also think the choice to have her call out the Glory parallel was brilliant. Liam, like a lot of viewers, like many of us when we watched it were taken aback. Our sympathies are so "with" Willow in the ordinary course, we didn't see it any more clearly than she did, so when Tara slaps Willow in the face with it she is slapping us as well. This is, IMO, one of Amber Benson's best episodes in terms of range of performance. Especially that hard but wounded look she holds on Willow in the sewer. Wanting to comfort Dawn but having to steel herself to keep going when Dawn rejects it. I wish this version of "Goodbye to You" had been the radio cut, but what a song. This was I think the "biggest" any recording artist was at the time they appeared on the show, by a good bit, and most other shows in the WB/UPN/CW oeuvre would have made a bigger deal of it. I think *maybe* it was advertised, but if it was it wasn't hammered because I have no memory of it. EDIT: Underrated most painful thing in the episode is that, as Joan, Buffy actually savors her calling, she's in awe of what she's capable of, she feels real joy that - nevermind the avalanche that pours in on her when the spell is broken - but goes all the way back to what's been slowly getting scoured out of her since she overheard Giles and Angel discussing the prophecy in the Pergemon Codex. It's heartbreaking.
Dan H
2021-01-07 13:55:47 +0000 UTCI can't listen to this song without thinking of this episode now. It's so sad :(
KiwiJello
2021-01-07 13:36:17 +0000 UTCI've always been extremely impressed by this episode. It follows the unbeatable "Once More With Feeling" and almost equals it in ingenuity.
DelGuy03
2021-01-07 12:46:32 +0000 UTCHey, Flora. Is there something strange about the name Riley Lynn? Oh. Holy crap. Riley Finn. Riley Lynn. I really hope nobody tells her before 4x1. lol.
UTU49
2021-01-07 07:43:04 +0000 UTCYes, I like Lexi also. You can find all of them at my YouTube channel, in my Featured Channels, which I renamed "Buffy Reactors" since it's mostly Buffy reactors.
UTU49
2021-01-07 06:19:03 +0000 UTCRiley Lynn (no really 🤣) I also highly recommend The Lexi Crowd
Flora Smith
2021-01-07 04:31:15 +0000 UTCI haven’t watched your reaction yet but as soon as I saw this title I just started singing Goodbye to you by Michelle Branch to myself. It’s my first thought.
Ray D
2021-01-07 04:24:13 +0000 UTCThis is an awesome episode, it's been a while since I've seen this and that song at the end by Michelle Branch really brought back the memories and feelings from this episode when I first watched it. It's crazy how a song can make you feel a certain way because it was used in a TV show. If I ever hear that song it reminds me of Willow/Tara's break up! This episode was like a comedy sandwich. Comedy as the filling, heartbreak as the bread (the beginning and the end). Another show I love does similar things (Supernatural - which you should watch if you haven't already! It was my Buffy replacement when it ended)
Sharon Owen
2021-01-07 03:09:06 +0000 UTCWhat is Riley's full channel name? I need a new reactor to follow.
Roger Lackman
2021-01-07 03:02:57 +0000 UTCRiley just uploaded School Hard!! How am I supposed to decide which of these to watch first?! HOW??!! :P
UTU49
2021-01-07 02:25:18 +0000 UTCOMWF is a tough act to follow, but this episode does a good job of it.
Superplin
2021-01-07 01:42:56 +0000 UTC
