Just a quick thought.Someone mentioned on the boards recently about Tara being some sort of "spirit guide" seen in "Restless." She is the spokesperson especially in Buffy's dream. She also has become the one confidante as of late that Buffy has shared her feelings with, regarding Spike. Tara also seems to be that one person who can clearly articulate what Buffy feels when the Slayer herself can't even do that. On a side note-interesting how Tara sometimes stutters when it comes to speaking her own mind, but when it comes to comforting/reassuring others, her message is crystal clear.
Anyways, back to my original point. Do any of you think, if not from a writer's standpoint (at least at first), that Tara was one of those characters originally slated to sorta "come into" the character's lives, and...hmmm, how do I put this...ok, lemme try this. I believe that yes, Tara and Willow were definitely meant to find each other, and fall in love. That is a given. But I think that over time, Tara's ultimate purpose in the Buffy universe became something much bigger...which I don't think even the writers realized. If they did, then kudos.
Tara has become sort of this neutralizer...she is a connecting branch to almost all of the current relationships. What I mean is, through her connection with Dawn vs. her connection with Buffy, it's almost as if the noncommunication going on between Buffy and her sister doesn't bear that much of an impact, because Tara is there to shoulder the emotional blow. She also is the connection to the Buffy/Spike relationship, etc. I hope that makes at least minimal sense.
And then of course, there's her relationship with Willow. While I regard Tara's decision to leave Willow for a period of time was definitely right on the mark, I think she overestimates Willow's ability to recover from her 'addiction' by herself. Don't get me wrong, Willow definitely shows amazing resolve, but let's look at what her motivations are: she wants to prove to Tara that she can make it without magic. It's essential to note that Willow doesn't really want this abstaining from magic for herself. You could argue that it's selfless, giving up magic for Tara, her lover...that without Tara magic would be useless. But I think that ultimately both Willow and Tara make minor mistakes; Willow for not truly recognizing the dangers of addiction, and Tara for underestimating that she is both the neutralizer and the conduit that can either keep Willow at bay, or send her over the edge. Again, hope this makes sense.
Another thing someone had said regarding Tara is that ME and co. wouldn't devote the season finale to just Tara. While I think this is true in the light of a narrative standpoint, (i.e. all the other plots), Tara's role in the lives of the Scoobies is more important than I think anyone realized. She is the emotional key (vs. Dawn's mystical key) that holds the group together. Look at it this way. Tara's death, sends Willow into despair and into Dark Magick, resulting in the deaths of possibly many of the Scoobies.
Sorry if I got too in-depth or confusing for you all But I just think from the overall arc/myth of the show, Tara's place in the Scoobies lives has yet to come full frontal.
And on a sort of OT, I do think that Anya may very well be the key to all this talk of a reset, and whatnot. We have heard little about what the other characters are doing...which also leads me to think that MN and ME are sorta watching us stew in our anger/hurt/resignation, etc over the spoilers of Tara's death. They're spoilers, after all. And if there is something coming up, we are definitely looking the other way. That's not to devalue the impact of "killing" Tara...that would definitely shoulder a blow. I just tend to think there's other stuff at stake here. And I think the rest of you do as well. Or at least we hope, right?
Thoughts, questions for the raving madman? lol
Justin