Early on in Willows magic endeavours she was exposed to the reformed Ripper, A techno pagan from a Gypsy family and a trophy wife. She saw that there were different stems to magic and how to use it however the show turned magic into a one note thing. Every witch did the same thing and if they couldn’t then it was because they weren’t powerful enough. It was one door Tara couldn’t open, get over it!
High School Willow showed great skill with computers often to Giles’ bane. The show itself wasn’t tech heavy but her skills came in handy often which was later reduced to telling Anya what button to press on a computer to cause a Sunnydale blackout. The show tried to differentiate Willows magical abilities through power, which while a major theme of the show, didn’t make her unique to other witches such as Amy and Tara.
Which brings us to this week’s poll:
Should Willow have gone down a more technological witch route?
Yes – Enhancing character traits from the early series while also potentially stopping any chance of a jealous ex robot demon boyfriend coming after Tara.
No – Nothing wrong with floating roses and throwing up snakes better than the rest of ‘em.
Other – perhaps there’s another type of magic you think she could have gone down.
I go with a reluctant yes. I definitely see the perks of having magic one note in terms of telling these character stories which make the show shine but as this is a poll about Willow and not the show then I say yes.
Character wise I think it would help keep some of her earlier identity which I find more tolerable but also I think the combo of Magic and Technology could show her losing herself more in series 6. I say this because from series one we would have seen a steady progression of her computer skills and how magic boosted that instead of in the space of one and a half series, struggling to float a pencil to resurrecting someone. It makes me think of the Calculon resurrection scene in Futurama. It is science but the least scientific thing Hermes has seen. Yeah its magic but there's a relatable base to it.
I think for Willow it would be good for her, having her own identity carved out instead of just being told she is better than everyone else in an endless comparison. Showing growth through change rather than power.
Every witch having their own niche would make for more interesting viewing and would help make the moralities of things murkier in shading while defining the strict lines you don’t go over with clarity. But that’s likely more thinking show than Willow.
I'm alright with how magic is shown and it works for the stories being told, but for character and to display personality and not have constant competition as a means of finding validation, it's a reluctant yes.