GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

The return of Tara?

POSTED BY: HJERMSTED
UPDATED: Thursday, June 13, 2002 15:25
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Monday, June 10, 2002 6:14 AM

HJERMSTED


The rumormill is suggesting that Amber Benson will be back on Buffy for close to her usual number of episodes next season.

I doubt Whedon & Co. will bring her character Tara literally back from the dead. They've done that with too many characters in the show already. Of limits are the following methods of bringing Tara back (due to the been there, done that factor):

* resurrection by magic (Buffy season 6).
* crawling back out of Hell/wherever (Angel on BTVS season 3).
* Zombie (Joyce briefly season 5)
* CPR (Buffy, season 1)

However, there are several other sci-fi/fantasy/soap opera methods for bringing back Amber Benson next season:

* Tara as ghostly visitation or poltergeist.
* Tara/Willow communicating in dreams/meditation/phantom zone style.
* Tara shows up in Flashbacks/memories.
* Tara's past lives are explored in pre-Buffy historical sequences (ala Angel, Spike, Dru and Darla)
* Tara from another dimension comes to SunnyD.
* Tara -and all of the Scoobs- were cloned (by the Initiative before it was mothballed?).
* Tara has an evil twin.
* Prior to her death, Tara recorded a series of Wiccan info-mercials that are finally set to air posthumously on SunnyD public access.
* Could Tara have somehow been vamped after she was shot? (a stretch, I know)
* Tara never actually died, but merely went into a catatonic state that fooled everybody.
* Amber Benson could be playing an entirely new character in season 7 (in demon make up for example).

Whichever method lends itself best to the long-term presence of Tara in season 7 AND can be "logically" accepted by the audience is the one I'm betting the writers will be running with.

This is assuming the rumors of Amber's return are true.

mattro

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Monday, June 10, 2002 8:01 AM

ABBYNORMAL


I'm really hoping for some claymation. A nice mooshy glob of tara-cotta would go over nicely... oooh! kinda like that episode of Red Dwarf with the very trippy claymation segment. It might just be a new arena for Joss & co. to explore...

Personally i think you're right on with the infomercials - nothing that SunnyD needs more than some great late-night QVC-isms from BTVS' answer to Billy Mays...

"why struggle with those messy creams and sticky painful sugarings, when with this simple exfoliation spell you can have the supple, smooth hairless skin of a human infant! the wanna-blessed-be system is perfect for the girl with occasional were-ish tendencies, or the she-demon looking for a fun night out without the worry of a menacing hair lip..."

that amber benson can sell me ANYTHING!

Abby

**Trained gorillas. Workable prototype jetpacks, and chicks, chicks, chicks. I know that's the action I signed on for. **

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Monday, June 10, 2002 8:17 AM

NOVAGRASS


Quote:

Originally posted by Hjermsted:
The rumormill is suggesting that Amber Benson will be back on Buffy for close to her usual number of episodes next season.

I doubt Whedon & Co. will bring her character Tara literally back from the dead. They've done that with too many characters in the show already. Of limits are the following methods of bringing Tara back (due to the been there, done that factor):

* resurrection by magic (Buffy season 6).
* crawling back out of Hell/wherever (Angel on BTVS season 3).
* Zombie (Joyce briefly season 5)
* CPR (Buffy, season 1)

However, there are several other sci-fi/fantasy/soap opera methods for bringing back Amber Benson next season:

* Tara as ghostly visitation or poltergeist.
* Tara/Willow communicating in dreams/meditation/phantom zone style.
* Tara shows up in Flashbacks/memories.
* Tara's past lives are explored in pre-Buffy historical sequences (ala Angel, Spike, Dru and Darla)
* Tara from another dimension comes to SunnyD.
* Tara -and all of the Scoobs- were cloned (by the Initiative before it was mothballed?).
* Tara has an evil twin.
* Prior to her death, Tara recorded a series of Wiccan info-mercials that are finally set to air posthumously on SunnyD public access.
* Could Tara have somehow been vamped after she was shot? (a stretch, I know)
* Tara never actually died, but merely went into a catatonic state that fooled everybody.
* Amber Benson could be playing an entirely new character in season 7 (in demon make up for example).

Whichever method lends itself best to the long-term presence of Tara in season 7 AND can be "logically" accepted by the audience is the one I'm betting the writers will be running with.

This is assuming the rumors of Amber's return are true.

mattro



Or... she could come back as Tara's identical cousin... wait a second... that sounds familiar

I'm placing money on the flashback idea. And just because she's signed for that number of episodes doesn't mean she has to be in that many... it's only so ME have the option to use her whenever they want.


--Dylan Palmer, aka NoVaGrAsS--

... I guess it's a Joss thing...

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Monday, June 10, 2002 9:02 AM

ROGUE


An evil demon comes and impersonates tara to infiltrate the scoobies, or better yet, a vamp drains her dead body and somehow she turns :)

Who do you serve and who do you trust?

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Monday, June 10, 2002 9:17 AM

BOBKNAPTOR


Quote:

* Tara never actually died, but merely went into a catatonic state that fooled everybody.



This was kind of done already too... with Ted in Season two.

I have to say I'm right there with Ms. Abby on the infomercials. I'd buy anything she's sellin. hehe.

As a psyche major I'm qualified to go "Hmmm"

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Monday, June 10, 2002 9:58 AM

ZICSOFT


She's not dead! She was just lying there, pining for the fjords!




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Monday, June 10, 2002 10:15 AM

BOBKNAPTOR


Unfortunately, I think she is an ex-Tara.

That'll put marzipan in your pie plate, bingo

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Monday, June 10, 2002 10:19 AM

NIGHTFLY


Like other fans one can never really be sure of Joss Whedon's vision or direction regarding the characters.

I think he is very clever in how over six seasons he always leaves some critical question(s) unanswered or unresolved surrounding the Scoobies or other players, including the ones he kills off.

In a show where imagination reigns and all things are possible I believe the death of Tara is not the end but rather the beginning development of another very powerful "ally" to the Scooby gang. Tara's powers and more importantly her character was never fully explained or explored in depth.

Since her introduction in season four there have been curious tidbits -who knows if they were intentional or not - dropped about her history.

In past episodes Tara has been referred to as a powerful witch and that she is the progeny of possibly two very powerful witches (her mother and grandmother). Yet, the development of Tara's character was very restrained, relegated as Willow's lover/partner/sidekick.

There have been hints dropped about about Tara's past that she may have more knowledge of majick than she was letting on and that there is some "secret" about Tara that has not been been revealed to the Scoobies. It remains to be seen if even Willow knows as much aboout Tara as she thinks.

I think the issue of Willow's struggle or addiction to magick has been thought provoking. Some fans and critics of the show think that Tara'a and Willow's exploration of magick together was also an a way for Joss Whedon to safely allude to their sexual intimacy - at times intense and all involving.

But as a writer myself I think the story line also served another purpose. While fans were busy watching Willow center stage; the true story of power was on our periphery (Tara).

Joss Whedon has said in interviews that season six was about the gang growing up. True to his words for better or worst the gang was their own worst enemy. He has said that season seven will refocus on the core group, more like season 1; albeit hopefully better people personally than they were in season 6.

There have been other characters who have had a major play/impact on the show (Oz, Angel, faith etc.) But they had to go, because there was no way to develop those characters more fully and intergrate them with Buffy and the Scoobies. But Tara's character is a perfect fit for an ensemble cast such AS BTVS.

I think because Tara's character has such powerful potential for development and contribution to the show it is almost impossible for him not to be tempted to bring her back.


"When you see a worthy man emulate him. When you see an unworthy man examine thy self" Confucius

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Monday, June 10, 2002 11:55 AM

ZICSOFT


Quote:

Originally posted by bobknaptor:
Unfortunately, I think she is an ex-Tara.

That'll put marzipan in your pie plate, bingo

That's it! Was it conincidence that the Buffybot was obsessesed with almond paste? I think not!


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Monday, June 10, 2002 12:36 PM

PANDORA


Despite how much I liked Tara as a character (and oh, but I did), I think it would be downright, for lack of a better word, cheesy.

You can't just bring people back from the dead every time you kill them off. I think it far more likely that flashbacks be used, or ghostly apparitions- I think a living, breathing, back-to-the-Scoobies Tara would cheapen her death.

Pandora

"Logic is a wonderful thing, but it doesn't beat actual thought." -Terry Pratchett, the Last Continent

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Tuesday, June 11, 2002 9:36 AM

NOFETSUR


I believe that Amber is now alongside the higher beings... in the writers' block.

She seems to be very interested in screenwriting, and it was rumoured a year or so ago that she would become a writer for the show (though this was disspelled as she was too busy with the acting back then), so "reincarnating" the actress in this way would make sense. Plus, if they ever need Tara for a dream sequence, she'd be easily within reach...

Of course I'd love to see Tara come back as a frequent character once again... but I doubt it's going to happen somehow


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Wednesday, June 12, 2002 8:14 AM

NIGHTFLY


Well, I have given it some fleeting thought...maybe Yara can't be killed because she's not really fully human. Maybe that's her big secret. Maybe Tara's grandmother was a powerful high priestess who promised the soul of her children to the ways of the coven. Tara's mother (who grew up in the ways of the coven and was also very powerful) temporarily escaped from the coven to marry for a normal life, but who did she conceive Tara with?. Tara was hidden by her mother from the coven who died to save her from their evil cloven paws. Her mother placed her as infant with the crazy family next door who tried to keep Tara under their control by telling her she would turn into an evil demon just like mother if she did not return home by her 20th(?) birthday. Their efforts were thwarted by the Scoobies, in particular Spike who proved Tara was not a demon by punching her, but maybe she's only half human...maybe that's her secret? Possibly she has nine lives like that of a cat and she hass the potential to be more powerful with each reincarniation? But because she's not even really sure of her history she doesn't know how really powerful she is or could be. She is attracted to majick, but shys away from dark majick because she senses she has some connection to dark majick it has something to do with her family history. Can Joss Whedon do better than that?

"I don't think we're in Kansa anymore Toto" Dorothy from the Wizard of OZ.

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Wednesday, June 12, 2002 9:00 AM

ZICSOFT


No "Tara isn't human" theories please. That's already been dealt with in the "family" episode.

I read somewhere (I think it was an interview with AH) that they originally meant for the Tara-is-part-demon thing to be real, not just a family myth. If you've seen the shooting script for Hush, you'll notice that the descriptions of Tara and her environment are slightly less sympathetic than what she actually became.

But then they sort of tripped over their whole "gay subtext" thing. Calling it a subtext is just a pretentious way of describing an ongoing joke -- that being a supernatural or superpowered person is rather like being gay. Except that when they started filming the Willow/Tara scenes they couldn't leave it as "subtext" -- there was too strong a bond between the two characters.

But if Tara is gay, it's just too much to give her a "gay subtext". So they made the demon thing they'd previously hinted at a family myth.

Here's my current theory about Tara's return. She's dead, period. But she's left behind a lover with a lot of unresolved issues. Grief, sexual identity, loss of her magical vocation. And worst of all, she's now a murderer. (Yes, she had provocation. True, she'll never face prosecution. To someone like Willow, that's all beside the point.) Presumably Tara has to help Willow deal with all of this before she can Move On.


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Wednesday, June 12, 2002 1:09 PM

NOVAGRASS


I was watching The Gift last night, and something just screamed out at me.

"I was so lost"
"I found you... I will always find you, no matter what."
(something along those lines)

Normally, I wouldn't read things like this into the series, and I usually don't... but since the episode was written by Joss, and Joss is the only one who really ever does anything "prophetic," i feel it's a possibility that Willow will "find" Tara in the afterlife or something... or maybe Tara will find Willow and help her or something crazy like that.

There's also the parts in Restless where she acts as a guide to the rest of the gang... and a part where she guides Willow when she's lost in the curtains.

I usually hate it when people say stuff like this... but since most of the stuff in Restless has come true, it wouldn't surprise me if that is part of the gang's prophcey dreams. Not saying that it will happen... just saying it's a possibiblity. I still fee, however, that the most logical way we'll ever see Amber Benson as Tara is if she's in flashback form.

(reading back over this, I sound *just* like the people I hate... reading too much into the little stuff.)

--Dylan Palmer, aka NoVaGrAsS--

... I guess it's a Joss thing...

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Wednesday, June 12, 2002 1:15 PM

ZICSOFT


NG, that's actually pretty good speculation. It would make perfect sense if Tara started visiting folks in their dreams. As long as she doesn't start dating the Cheese Man!


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Wednesday, June 12, 2002 1:42 PM

NIGHTFLY





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Wednesday, June 12, 2002 1:44 PM

NIGHTFLY


No, I think you are right. I remember that line standing out and was going to comment on it. So, I don't think Tara will be lost to Willow or the gang. Although, I can't see her coming back in some ghost form or flashbacks...too cliche for someone with an imagination like Joss's. None of the Scoobies, including Buffy has every found any real happiness...I think I read somewhere he doesn't beleive in happy endings. Afterall, look at what's happened to the gang so far in love...Buffy lost Angel her true love and then her mother, Willow lost Oz her first true love and then Tara, Giles lost Jenny Calendar when Angel killed her, Xander lost Cordelia when she left for LA and then he wound up not marrying Anya only to make her turn into a demon again. With this kind of angst these guys should be on some pretty heavy anti-depressants. Maybe in season 7, there will be just a little ray of sunshine starting with Tara's return to Willow.


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Wednesday, June 12, 2002 1:49 PM

NIGHTFLY


Ummh...supernatural or superpower is like being gay? Now that's something to munch on.....


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Wednesday, June 12, 2002 2:10 PM

ZICSOFT


Quote:

Originally posted by Nightfly:
Ummh...supernatural or superpower is like being gay? Now that's something to munch on.....


Come on, you must have noticed all the jokes. Especially with Joyce. "Have you tried not being a slayer?" The basic idea is that being involved with the supernatural is very much like being gay: there's a part of your life that's very hard to explain to people who are outside it.


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Wednesday, June 12, 2002 3:22 PM

NIGHTFLY


Observation noted. I guess I took it a little too personal.


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Thursday, June 13, 2002 8:44 AM

HJERMSTED


This just in!

Over at Sci Fi Wire there is an article entitled Tara's Death Riles Buffy Fans.

http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/art-main.html?2002-06/13/09.30.fandom

(You should read the full article for it contains fodder for a new discussion thread)

However the last sentence of the piece does relate directly to this thread:

As for whether Whedon will bring back the
character next season, he told SCI FI Wire
cryptically, "Tara will not be back. But Amber will."

I guess that narrows things down to Amber as a behind the scenes type (writer/director/producer?) or Amber playing an entirely new character on the show.

mattro

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Thursday, June 13, 2002 2:38 PM

NJP


Willow kept the Buffy-bot going for almost a year. She's lonely. Why not build a better Tara?

"Hi, I'm the Tara bot! I hate Oz! His hair sticks straight up! Emphasis on the 'straight!'"

NJP

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Thursday, June 13, 2002 3:25 PM

J


Quote:

Originally posted by Novagrass:
I was watching The Gift last night, and something just screamed out at me.

"I was so lost"
"I found you... I will always find you, no matter what."
(something along those lines)

Normally, I wouldn't read things like this into the series, and I usually don't... but since the episode was written by Joss, and Joss is the only one who really ever does anything "prophetic," i feel it's a possibility that Willow will "find" Tara in the afterlife or something... or maybe Tara will find Willow and help her or something crazy like that.

There's also the parts in Restless where she acts as a guide to the rest of the gang... and a part where she guides Willow when she's lost in the curtains.

I usually hate it when people say stuff like this... but since most of the stuff in Restless has come true, it wouldn't surprise me if that is part of the gang's prophcey dreams. Not saying that it will happen... just saying it's a possibiblity. I still fee, however, that the most logical way we'll ever see Amber Benson as Tara is if she's in flashback form.

(reading back over this, I sound *just* like the people I hate... reading too much into the little stuff.)

--Dylan Palmer, aka NoVaGrAsS--

... I guess it's a Joss thing...



That's an excellent bit of speculation. We may well see her back on the show - not corporeally, but visibly there in real time because she has some sort of spirit-guide function. I don't think I really approve of that - I thought Tara was great but they did kill her and dead really should be dead more often than it is on BTVS. But you make a good case for a foundation already having been laid. If it was going to be done, of the various means, I'd probably prefer something like what you suggest. Ideally speaking, I mean. It could be really screwed up in the details, even if it's a pretty good concept generally.


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