Buffy The Vampire Slayer: 5 Times We Felt Bad For Tara (& 5 Times We Hated Her) – Screen Rant

Tara Maclay was one of the most morally sound and decent characters on Buffy The Vampire Slayer. She starred in the show for three seasons, and unlike many of the other characters, she didn't turn evil once. Originally starting out as Willow's secret girlfriend, Tara became a valued member of the Scooby Gang.

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However, despite Tara's amazing personality, she did have a lot of unfortunate things happen to her while she was in Buffy.This served to make the character even more likable, which was handy, as Tara did also hurt those who she loved the most on the rare occasion.

During Season 4, and the first part of Season 5, Tara wasn't really part of the Scooby Gang. Sure, she was dating Willow Rosenberg (in what became Buffy's most successful relationship) but that didn't automatically give her an in with the Slayer.

The Scoobies were almost always off having adventures and defeating the monster of the week, while Tara, and occasionally Dawn, were sidelined. This was extremely relatable, as everyone has felt that they don't quite belong at one point or another.

To be fair, this wasn't just Tara. And, to be even fairer, Tara actually made an effort to have fun with Dawn, taking her out for drinks to cheer her up. This still didn't hide the fact that Dawn was feeling incredibly alone and rejected by all of the Scoobies.

Buffy was still adjusting to real life, which brought on her depression, Xander and Anya were constantly thinking about their upcoming nuptials, and Tara and Willow were going through some difficult patches in their relationship, which meant that Dawn was neglected.

Hints of Tara's misogynistic and mentally and emotionally abusive family appeared as early as her first episode, in which Tara was portrayed as an intelligent woman who was afraid to voice her opinions or stand out from the crowd.

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However, in the Season 5 episode "Family", viewers finally understood a little bit more about Tara's backstory. The men in her family lied to the women, telling them that they were part demon in an effort to subdue them and keep them in line, which was obviously horribly barbaric.

This was in no way Tara's fault, and she was the victim here. However, it was annoying that after all the lengths Buffy had gone to protect Dawn's true identity as the Key from Glory, Glory found out from one of her brain scrambled minions, who happened to be Tara.

Really, this was Glory's fault, but Tara was the one. The Scooby Gang were hiding out and even enjoying themselves slightly when Glory crashed their party and Tara began to freak out when Dawn tried to comfort her, leading Glory to learn that she was the Key.

One of the main issues in Tara and Willow's popular relationship was Willow's reliance on magic. Initially, Willow sought to use magic to help her and the Scooby Gang defeat the threats of the Hellmouth, but in Season 6, she had been using it all the time.

Tara had noticed Willow's frequent use of magic and confronted her about it, stating that she was worried about Willow. Willow promised to quite magic for a day, which she was unable to do, and she also used magic to make Tara forget about the fight they'd had.

Tara's past history with her family was shocking and vile. The men lied to the women and convinced them that they were demons and that their demonic selves would manifest on their 20th birthday. Tara's latest girlfriend was part of a group who hunted and killed demons.

Not wanting Willow or her friends to see her as a threat, Tara cast a spell on the Scooby Gang, ensuring that they couldn't see any demons, including her. However, that posed a problem when a group of actual demons showed up, nearly killing all of the Scoobies.

This was one of the most chilling moments in Buffy The Vampire Slayer. In Season 5, Buffy and the gang had to face off against the latest Big Bad, a Hell Goddess called Glory. Glory fed off of human minds, leaving thevictim completely mad and insane.

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In many ways, it was a fate worse than death. After Tara and Willow had had their first major fight, Tara went off on her own, where she encountered Glory. The Goddess proceeded to crush Tara's hand right before turning Tara into yet another one of her crazy victims.

In all fairness, Willow had this coming. Tara had been concerned about Willow's increasing dependence on magic for a while, and when she finally confronted Willow about it, things did not go well. The two women had a nasty fight, leaving them in a heartbreaking position.

Wanting to erase the fight, Willow spelled Tara to forget about it. However, when Tara realized what Willow had done, she had no choice but to break things off. Although this was understandable, Tara and Willow were one of the best couples in the show.

Honestly, it was no wonder that Willow went off the deep end after this horrific scene. She and Tara had only just gotten back together after their recent separation and the two were finally extremely happy having been reunited with their one true love.

Unfortunately, Warren Mears came to the house and started firing. One of the stray bullets hit Tara, killing her instantly. It was a shocking moment and everyone was totally devastated. Tara had become a fan favorite and Xander wasn't the only one hoping Willow would kill Warren.

This out of character moment occurred in Season 5 during Willow and Tara's first big fight regarding Willow's powerful magic. During the argument, things became heated and Tara questioned Willow's sexuality, wondering if it was just a phase.

Willow was deeply hurt by this insinuation, and rightly so. As a gay woman herself, Tara should have known that one doesn't choose their sexuality, it's not something you can just turn on and off. Plus, Tara was basically saying that she felt insecure about their relationship.

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Ben Pettitt is a recent English graduate of the University of Nottingham. He loves to write, read and watch Netflix. This is one of the reasons why he decided to come and display his knowledge of pop culture as a writer for Screen Rant.

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Buffy The Vampire Slayer: 5 Times We Felt Bad For Tara (& 5 Times We Hated Her) - Screen Rant

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero