I find it hilarious that Willow is all offended that he hit Tara and then is like "oh he's in pain!" but i think Willow would have loved Tara even if she was a demon tbh xx
@@JakkFrost1 I think it's both. He can hit someone for sport and get away with it (chip aside) and also help the gang whilst covering it under violence.
@@TheWPhilosopher his chip worked like a reverse Spider-Sense; depending on the damage he intends, it will react accordingly. So, when he tossed a jab at Tara's nose, he wasn't necessarily trying to harm her but he could do it freely. When she felt pain, so did he.
The second one. Willow was first when she heard Spike scream. Spike felt that was the fastest way to determine if Tara was human or demon. It would take a little longer for him to work things through because of the headache. Buffy optimg to have his malfunctioning chip removed, shows she has come to accept Spike.
I think Spike was getting annoyed with all the talking and decided to deal with the problem in the most expedient way he could think of, with a little dose of violence.
When Tara looks at Buffy and says "I'm very sorry", you can tell that Buffy immediately forgives her. I also love the look on Willow's face while Buffy is sticking up for Tara, how proud of her best friend she looks.
Beth realised she has been lied to all the time, but still turned her anger to Tara and left with her opressors. Tells a lot about how long term bullying affect people.
I don't think bullying is a strong enough word it's abuse! Emotional and psychological abuse by her dad and definitely physical by her brother! She feels confident enough to say that she doesn't want to leave but the minute her dad addresses her she goes meek and drops her gaze. It says a lot if you know what to look for...
@@benkenobisgirl 90's show, which was meant to be relatively kid-friendly in order to survive on air? That would be impossible. Today however, it could.
I feel like Amber Benson doesn’t get enough credit for her acting. She has like 3 lines in this whole scene but every single second you see her there is SO much being portrayed through her face and her reactions to things. I think she’s the best actor in the whole series!
Most definitely. How she portrayed Tara's development across her three seasons is incredible. Subtle and understated without being in your face about it
Rhys Frechette it's that the truth? I have friends I consider family and a stepbrother I think of like a brother, and he feels the same, even though having a crush on him freaked him out for awhile and I accepted that he wasn't interested in me that way, but like a brother and friend only. I do have some other ' friends' that are ' family ' as well, so believe me, I know what you mean.
Notice that Riley is nowhere to be seen here, yet there's Spike, doing what he does best: being snarky and helping at the same time. He and Willow have always had a sort-of friendly relationship, so of course he helped her and Tara.
I'm put in mind of the last line of "Two To Go", when Giles comes through the Magic Box door, knocks the snot out of Willow with a blast of magic and then quietly but firmly offers, "I'd like to test that theory".
I mean, yeah, but, "Useful members of society"? Anya, you granted wishes to people in emotional pain in order to cause pain and misery in ways that they almost certainly wouldn't have wanted with a sane mind! Like, I'm glad you got character development, you rock, but Demon!Anya wasn't a useful member of society!
@@Wraithfighter No but human Anya is now a useful member of society. And she knows some demons that work in normal jobs, like the one she visits in season 7.
Spike doesn't care ...and he shows this lack of care by giving himself a terrible headache just to reassure Tara that she's human... :D And might I add that it's not even to rescue Tara from being taken by her family bc the Scoobies were standing by her even before Spike proved she wasn't a demon. No, Spike gave himself a headache just to assuage Tara's (and by proxy, Scoobies') fears that she's a demon. Care? Obviously not! :D
Rozamunduszek you gotta love spike it would have been better if he pinched Tara or something instead of punching her in the nose lol and a little weird that her nose didn't bleed a little since spike as a vampire has superhuman strength I might just be nitpicking here tho
BuffyTheVampireSlayer Videos he was obviously pulling the punch. Just because he punched her doesn't mean it was full strength. And can you imagine The Big Bad PINCHING someone? C'mon, he had a "reputation" (lol!) to "maintain" haha
He could have simply tried to bite her, the chip would have stopped him with no damage done, so maybe he secretly cares a bit, but also maybe he was just taking the free shot, figuring they'd let him get away with it because of the results.
Jakk Frost not to mention, he could had punched her in the back of the head or arm or anywhere. Instead he politely taps her arm and faces her so she can see him do it. I think that speaks volumes about his character. Not to mention, I think as Tara's maturity she catches on to this once the immediate shock goes away
Spike and Anya seem to care the least because they're so logical but... a minute later, they help solve the entire dilemma using their logic... in favor of the scoobies and Buffy.🤍
@@WardNightstone He forgot most of it by early season 4. He even admits as much to Giles. He's still fought more vampires/demons than any bog standard human alive on Earth though, so he's still dangerous.
"You just have to come through ME." My favorite line in this episode. The rest of the group never spill the beans as they back Buffy, never revealing that SHE'S the biggest threat in the room. It's hilarious that Tara's father never clues in what would happen to him if he tried anything against that 'little girl'.
I liked how Buffy turned around confidently to face Tara's dad followed by Dawn, they were the first two to defend Tara, followed instantly by Giles. I wasn't sure initially how this scene would end, but I'm glad everyonei, including Spike( in his own way) stood up for Tara. Her biological family was a joke, the gang took her side almost instantly despite her spell on them.
@@tonyb0904 EVEN Spike. Even Spike who was oh so barely a Scooby, STOOD UP FOR this quiet, wonderful girl. So freaking beautiful!! Makes you wish you were there so you could ALSO join in and stand up for her.
@@JhadeSagrav Tara's father was smart to walk away. He wasn't going ro win a fist fight. Buffy can take out the father, Giles the brother and Willow and Dawn work on the female cousin. Xander, Dawn, and Anya would be in reserve.
2:30 The fear on Tara’s face when Donny threatens her, what the actual hell? Must have been scary for her at home before college if you’re that scared of your own brother.
Honestly, that was the first thing I noticed and I was sincerely glad that Xander went into “fuck around and find out mode”. That flinch made it clear that her family had no qualms with putting hands on Tara when she was younger.
but it didn't make any sense.. the chip in his head should only hurt him when spike 'thinks' he is hurting a human. The chip itself doesn't scan the humans or demons around him..
egyptcleo2011 from what i understand from the series if he hits a human or points a gun at a human the chip will go off the chip itself doesnt make sense at all how does the chip even know if Spike is hurting a human or not?
GrimReaper316 its his intentions if intends to hurt someone the chip goes off. He says something similar in S5 'Fool for Love' during the fight in the alley with Buffy
Say what you will about Dawn, but I LOVE her in this scene, with how quickly she jumps up alongside Buffy in defense of Tara. Especially since this episode comes right after the episode where we learn the truth of who/what Dawn is, that is such a great moment from her. Also, you gotta love Buffy's "She's a hair-puller" line. Never underestimate the threat of the Summers women.
i don't understand why there is all this hate for dawn?? i think it shows that buffy is notta vampirekilling machine and that she loves her little sister very much
I hated Dawn with a bright fiery passion. Joss obviously intended for her to be unlikable in her first several episodes. But like every Joss Whedon character, she had some great shine moments.
And then people abuse that word, one minute call themselves family and all for love, but as soon as a fight starts, they’re going separate ways like crazy.
I just love the tiny things in a scene that show how much the characters were developed. Did u notice that when anya raises her hand only Buffy turns around? I think they did that on purpose bc Buffy's instincts and training would have made her notice the movement. Noone else notices until she speaks. Such a genious show.
@@I_like_waffles Well..that doesn't really help the cause since she KILLS demons on a daily basis.Tara's father could actually use this and turning it _against_ Tara by saying something like:"Exactly. So I'll take Tara away so you won't have to kill her." But Dawn could say:"And I was a ball of green light used to open the gates of Hell.😁"
@@Nicamon slayers were made by sages inserting demon energy into the first slayer. The first sages that did it put in her made a magical restriction where the energy gets passed down to the next chosen one after the previous one dies. Slayers are essentially walking around with their own willpower + demon energy/magic
Lol another reason why spike is my favorite character on the show.He always acts like he doesn't give a damn about anything but actually does.Always tries playing cool about it.
This is the best scene of the show, fight me. It perfectly shows everyones personality and their dynamic. Buffy caring about tara even though she barely knows her, but she knows willow loves her. Willow, the shy girl, always standing up for whats right. God Iove this scene
I really enjoyed how reserved, but threatening Giles is in this scene. My man didn't have to go full Ripper on them. Just used a little Ripper energy to get his point across.
This scene and when being tortured by Glory are my favorite Spike moments of Season 5 because it shows his humanity. He hurts himself just to prove to Tara that she's not a demon and then he almost gets himself killed to protect Dawn.
I love the pain in Willow’s voice when she says “I know that!” It’s just so powerful and lovely. If it was up to her she’s definitely make Tara stay but she chose to respect her wishes even tho it hurts
Willow Knows she can't Tell Tara to stay. That would make her as bad as the Maclays. She knows that it can Only be Tara's Choice. It was all the Voluntary Family that was there FOR Tara.
This was one of the saddest episodes in the sense that it made you feel so bad for Tara and the hell she must have gone through in her family’s care=( How they treated her must have contributed to her shyness and feelings of being the odd one out. I really loved the ending because everyone showed her how much they cared about her and how much a part of them she was.
That's cause Tara's family feared what they didn't understand and obviously were religious I think or maybe not and usually the things that people fear and don't understand end hating what they fear because they don't open hearts and minds to wanting to learn and understand it. They have their own point of view and beliefs on what is normal and what isn't. And being blood and kin doesn't always means they are family. I've learned that from this show and the Walking Dead series.
It does. But, then there is the retrospect of what would happen to her down the line. If she went with her family and with them now knowing what she could do and do so without the mental restraints, would she still be alive?
Nothing in the world will make me “open-minded” about witchcraft, the summoning of unclean spirits which violate natural law. Who are you to be speaking on what YOU do not understand? New age fools like you think that you know it all. Stop using “religious people” as scapegoats. You just want to bend the rules to your whims without consequences.
@@MLIrons might have died sooner, on a stake, with some fire under it, that family seems to be the type that takes the "thou shalt not suffer a witch to live" part seriously.
One of my fave Xander lines, he didn't bluster, he acknowledged that Donny might beat him and get to Tara. What Xander did was tell Donny that it was not going to be easy, that it was going to hurt to get to beat his sister and that he would have to be willing to pay that price. No surprise that Donny's "full and manly beard" did not take another step forward.
Loved this moment in Buffy. Worth noting Joss did the whole 'accepted as part of the family' thing again with River in Firefly. "Yeah, but she's our witch. So cut her the hell down."
i love this scene and the final acceptance of tara as one of them....she was one of gripes of the show....she was underrated, underused and then unceremoniously killed....this was one of her best moments tho and i love how buffy sticks up for her and dawn is always on taras side which is great
It would've been cool if they brought her back in the finale season by using the doppelgänger universe her doppelgänger is a freelance demon hunting sorceress mentor by Jenny Calendar as they crossover to the main universe to help and defeat the first evil only for them to get trapped there with the Scooby's
+Howyaduing a great fanfiction plot.....they were supposed to being her back at the end of season 6 ot 7 i think.....as a reward for all her work buffy was meant to get a wish and she wished for tara back for willow but it didnt happen cus amber benson felt it wud invalidate everything that happened with willow and that tara dying was important
Paige Welburn um I think they wanted the first evil to take the form of Tara and Amber Benson though it would ruin her character so they had Cassie (the girl who died in help) to return in conversations with dead people and try to get Willow to commit suicide
BuffyTheVampireSlayer Videos yeh they did but yeh amber benson was firmly against coming back in any way and tarninishing the impact that her characters death left
Some say she was underrated and underused but, despite being a fairly powerful witch, she was supposed to be one of the more normal, grounding characters of the show, just like Joyce. Which is also why she too died in a normal, albeit sudden manner, one grounded in reality that couldn't be undone by magick.
Let's do a head count here. The Scooby Gang at this point consists of a former Vengeance Demon, a man with military training, a Vampire with one of the highest kill counts in history, the greatest witch and warlock of their respective generations, and a woman with super strength and kung fu training who's job it is to beat the god living piss out of the forces of hell. Even if Tara's dad had tried something, there's no way he was coming out of there with all his limbs and organs working.
Not including Dawn, there isn't a single person in there that couldn't of kicked all 3 of their asses. Even Tara could of if she had the confidence to try. I'm surprised they managed not to double over laughing. Like being threatened by a litter of kittens at a poker game
even thought tara's brother doesnt know buffy is a slayer or willow is a witch or xander has military training i never get why he thinks it a good idea to try and threaten his sister. I mean even not knowing who these people are there is seven people there if you dont count spike
Just 1 small thing, Xander had forgotten all his military experience by the start of season 4... right as the initiative came into it... he tells Giles in I think episode 7 of season 4.....
They opened my world to who I really am. If it weren't for Tara and her relationship with Willow, I wouldn't be who I am today. This cast will always feel like family to me and this scene is everything.
I loved Tara. I love this scene. I had people stand up for me once, and that was almost 40 years ago. They are not blood relatives, but they ARE my family.
Hm, former vengeance demon, actual vampire (currently domesticated), powerful witch, knowledgeable warlock, prophesied chosen one, guy with military training imbued in him by leftover magical spell. Also friends with a werewolf and another vampire, though both of these are currently out of town. Sure, I think we can fit in another demon. After all, what's one more when we're already stocking up on all kinds of weirdos.
Don't forget they have connections with Black ops anti-Demon military forces, namely Riley. I'm sure it'd only take 1 phone call to get his back up, and they don't know it yet, but Dracula has a thing for Xander, so it'd only take 1 letter to him to bring The Count in for the fun. When you get everyone who owes buffy a favour in the same room, you'd probably have a literal army of badass (not even including the graduates of Sunnydale high, who acknowledged all the hard work she'd done for them at the Prom and fought side by side with her on graduation day)
Trojianmaru I thin Xander has a thing for Dracula not the other way around since he was under a spell tho Dracula has a thing for Buffy ( she attracts a lot of vampires lol)
Xylarxcode Not to mention the "decent" watchers who could at least push a couple papers to legally remove her from the family, Faith, Angel's crew and I'm pretty sure there are more. Who ya gonna call? #Tara'sFamily
You forgot mystical key that unlocks the gateway to all dimensions, currently in the form of a pubescent girl. Not sure which is more dangerous, honestly.
Yup, don't mess with Dawn. Pulls hair, opens doors and later weilds a sword. Clan Kalderdash (I'm sure if Ripper talked to that elder woman could send some of Jenny's family) to curse them. Heck, CORDELIA could take out at least one guy by herself- running them over with her car (I'm not too familiar with Angel... No spoilers)
To paraphrase "The Avengers": Let's do a headcount here, shall we? Your daughter, an awesomely powerful witch The Greatest Slayer of all time A Vampire who has killed three Slayers An ordinary human who can stare down the worst vampires in history A thousand year old ex-vengeance demon A humanified Key and a pair of the most powerful mystics in history... And you big fella, you just managed to piss off every single one of them.
Good, but Spike only killed 2 slayers. Kendra (who I am assuming is number three) was killed by Dru, Spike's ex. Otherwise, excellent analogy and speech.
Mr. Maclay, the question isn't whether you and your family would survive a fight with Buffy and her friends--the question is what would be left of you if you did...
Damn I love this! Buffy always does a great job at using supernatural themes and elements as metaphors for real issues people deal with every day. It's the entire basis for the show. But this one in particular has always been one of my favorites. An emotionally and intellectually suppressed child finally escapes her backwards ass family and is rescued by people who treat her more like family then her blood relatives ever had. I have a friend just like Tara. Wasn't nearly as dramatic, but she went through a lot of the same basic struggles and is now an infinitely happier person than she ever was.
Joss was really good at hinting/referencing homophobia and homosexuality in the series. The whole coming out scene in the season where Buffy tells her mum she is the slayer and in this scene where Tara's demon blood is referencing her being a lesbian. Very clever
I love how once again, Anya's the one to poke a hole through the entire thing, like: "Uhhhhmm... we kinda deal with demons all the time... so what is she?" And Spike catching on to what she was pointing out. ^_^
I am not sure that Anya totally figured out that the demon thing was a Gaslight. I think she honestly wanted to know because, in her world, not all demons 8are* bad and that there might well have been a workaround that was in their wheelhouse. Anya was looking for a solution. The family's reaction gave Spike the info he needed.
@@jimhenry5552 Anya is VERY Literal, so I doubt she got it. She just reacted to "She's a Demon", like Anya's (was) a Vengence Demon. However, her Questioning it made a Bigger point than if she Denied it. It made it, "You don't know what you're talking about."
2:38 Anya with the hand raise 😂 “ ‘Scuse me. What kind?” “What?” “What kind of demon is she? There’s a lot of different kinds. Some are VERY very evil. Some have been considered to be useful members of society! 😊” *Xander/Anya smile* 😊😊😂 “What does it matter?” “Evil is evil.” “Let’s, just, narrow it down...” 🤣😂😂😂😂😊
One of Amy Adam's early roles. I love the look on her face as her uncle (Her character, Beth, is Tara's cousin) passes her. Just total anger. She realizes that this proves that she's been lied to all her life, as well.
@@mikahael1 but that is only because Tara just smiles at her, instead of saying "don't leave with those liars, stay with us". This is where Tara kills herself - if Beth stayed then she would have been there congratulating Tara & Willow for getting back together and she would have taken the bullet that killed Tara instead.
@@biketowork01 Since the magic was from Tara's mom, and the demon lie didn't start until she died, it's likely that Beth/Amy Adams hasn't been included in the demon treatment. It's from Tara's family, not the Maclay family.
I had not thought of it that way, but now I see your point. I had always thought of it as a form or metaphor for domestic abuse; that this was some backwards hillbilly family that believed in keeping their women subservient and obedient by intimidating and beating them into submission.
Not just homophobia. It's about abusive, narcissistic families who freak when progeny don't turn out to be carbon copies. Tara's orientation is definitely part of that, but it's basically about subsuming her whole personality.
i don't think so. as spike said, it was a family legend to keep ALL women in the family under their control. i doubt all females were lesbian. and we can see by how pissed Tara's cousin? is that she still has to deal with their control over her, not to say all other women in the family, which again, is doubtful for all of them to be lesbians.
In 2x22 buffy revealing she’s the slayer and the whole back and forth with joyce. About Buffy not having any choice and then throwing her out of her home was also an allegory of coming out! 🏳️🌈💖
This is actually one of my fsvourite scene in the whole series its Tara's birthday and nobody apart from Willow knows what to give her but in the end collectively they all manage to give her the perfect gift the gift of acceptance they make her one of their family.
This is one of my favorite episodes, and the final scene - which has Willow and Tara literally dancing on air - is hands down my favorite scene of the entire show.
No, sorry but Anya wasn't the pivot. It raised a few eyebrows but it was Spikes punch that proved cxonclusively Tara wasn't a demon. Anya's question caused a few cracks in the story for me.
@@drmayeda1930 yes but it was Anya's incessant questioning of it and the family's inability to know (surely if she WAS a demon they'd have worked out what kind in an effort to control her better) that enabled Spike to figure it out and demonstrate it with the punch. Hence the Oh as Anya says let's just narrow it down. He's figuring it out. Without Anya asking Spike doesn't punch.
Anya only asked because she knows demons are like poeple some are good and some are really fecking evil she just wants to make sure she wasnt in danger lmfao typical anya
SkyyTalks for a few hours he was a soldier due to a magic spell. I wouldn't exactly call that training. The initiative that is a military group that had training. Too bad there was a personalities conflict and the two groups couldn't merge. Giles and his demonology information and the Initiative's man power and technical resources
I always come back to my fave clips, makes me feel like a kid again. Gosh i miss this show. No matter how many times I watch it, it never gets old. Wish we could have one more episode... I miss my scoobies
this episode made her loss so much worse. Tara is such a beautiful person, I don't blame willow for going mental. I would if I had lost someone as so pure as Tara. I couldn't imagine having this sort of beautiful, innocent and pure person who loved me totally just to lose her...…
You can see that Willow is remembering Oz leaving in this moment. I'm glad that she got a chance to say to Tara everything she wanted to say to Oz and I'm really glad that she got to experience that situation and they actually stayed
This is easily one of my all time favourite scenes on the show and it's only NOW that I've noticed that FUCKING HELL COUSIN BETH IS ONLY AMY FUCKING ADAMS!
