'Well, I go online sometimes, but everyone's spelling is really bad'

[dolorosa_12]

Day Ten: Favorite female character in a scifi/supernatural show

Tara Maclay (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

I know, I know, another Buffy answer. I have tried to write about a broad range of shows, but it's hard to avoid doubling up for some of these. It took me a long time to warm to Tara, and I think the first time I watched Buffy I didn't think much about her one way or the other, but over the years (and after many rewatches) she became my favourite. In a show where most of the other female characters are loud, dynamic and assertive, it takes a while to notice Tara's quiet strength, but in many ways she's the strongest and most stable character in the whole show.

Three Tara moments really stand out to me. The first is when she confronts her abusive family, who have shown up in Sunnydale to try and take her away, claiming she's going to turn into a demon and needs to be in their care for her own protection. Surrounded by her friends, secure in the knowledge they will protect her, Tara finds the courage to turn her back on her family. The second is in Season 6, which took many narrative missteps, but which came through in this particular instance. Tara has drawn certain lines in the sand with regard to her relationship with Willow, and once Willow crosses one such line, Tara emphatically walks away. I've always loved that her central moments of strength involve asserting herself towards loved ones, rather than enemies, as I think this requires a very specific type of courage.

The final thing that really solidified Tara as my favourite was that Buffy — who is not particularly close to Tara at all — comes to her to open up about her depression, her relationship with Spike, and her self-destructive feelings. Buffy is a character who always thinks her emotions are a burden to other people and finds it increasingly difficult as the series progresses to share her fears with others, so it's always spoken very highly of Tara to me that Tara is the one Buffy trusts to share this information. And Tara's response is full of understanding and compassion, giving Buffy what she so desperately needs at that moment: a non-judgemental listener.

I'll be forever bitter about how Tara's story ultimately went down. I sometimes feel like the writers never really had a complete handle on her, and always thought of her as Willow's girlfriend alone, rather than a character in her own right (as opposed to Anya, who never seemed defined solely through her relationship with Xander), and so only sought to use her story as a tool to make Willow feel various emotions. The three moments I've outlined above offer frustratingly brief flashes of the hidden depths of Tara's character that could have been explored further.


Day Eleven: Favorite female character in a children’s show
Day Twelve: Favorite female character in a movie
Day Thirteen: Favorite female character in a book
Day Fourteen: Favorite older female character
Day Fifteen: Favorite female character growth arc
Day Sixteen: Favorite mother character
Day Seventeen: Favorite warrior female character
Day Eighteen: Favorite non-warrior female character
Day Nineteen: Favorite non-human female character
Day Twenty: Favorite female antagonist
Day Twenty-One: Favorite female character screwed over by canon
Day Twenty-Two: Favorite female character you love but everyone else hates
Day Twenty-Three: Favorite female platonic relationship
Day Twenty-Four: Favorite female romantic relationship
Day Twenty-Five: Favorite mother/daughter and/or sister relationship
Day Twenty-Six: Favorite classical female character (from pre-20th century literature or mythology or the like)
Day Twenty-Seven: A female character you have extensive personal canon for
Day Twenty-Eight: Favorite female writer (television, books, movies, etc.)
Day Twenty-Nine: A female-centric fic rec
Day Thirty: Whatever you’d like!

Comments

[author-by-night.livejournal.com]

I also wonder sometimes if, as Willow's character changed, Tara was meant to serve as sort of who Willow used to be - which might also be why Willow was attracted to her in the first place. After all, Anya had a similar function as Cordelia, and of course Dawn had a bit of season one Buffy in her. Which makes the fact that Buffy turned to Tara, and not Willow, when she finally needed to let loose even more poignant. Buffy sees her best friend (who has since grown a bit jaded and distant) in Tara. At the same time, I think Tara was still very different from season one Willow in a lot of ways, so the parallel only goes so far.

You're right that Tara showed a lot of strength in turning away from her family, too, and I think the fact that she stepped away from Willow - but still took care of Dawn and Buffy. I think you're right that the writers never knew quite what to do with her.

[dolorosa-12.livejournal.com]

You might be right. I do know that they always needed to have a sort of naive, innocent, sweet character who frequently got caught by the monsters of the week and then had to be rescued. Certainly Willow played that role in the early seasons, but as her magical powers increased, it made less sense for her to be so vulnerable. I like your interpretation of Buffy's reasons for opening up to Tara, although I also think her issues with being resurrected meant she couldn't talk to Willow, as Willow was so proud of having had the power to do such a thing.