‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ Showrunner Regrets Tara’s Death in Retrospect
The most tragic moment in Buffy the Vampire Slayer remains controversial among fans and the show’s creators alike. Buffy went pitch black in its sixth season, killing off a major character. And, even with resurrection baked into the show’s concept, this particular case of death was permanent.
Was this a necessary bit of pain to get to a better story? Or was it an unnecessarily dark, edgy plotline that did more harm than good to the reputation of the show? Showrunner Marti Noxon has, in the years since, cleared up her feelings on the thorny topic.
‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ got darker as it went on
Buffy was a revolutionary genre show. It helped set the stage for two major movements. It set off a wave of young adult-oriented CW urban fantasy shows like Supernatural and The Vampire Diaries. And it set the stage for the self-aware, wry humor exemplified by the Marvel Cinematic Universe series of films.
But when Buffy was airing, it had no other shows to look to as examples for its unique tone. When it was saved from cancellation and revived after a short hiatus, it returned with a noticeably dark and contemplative tone. This bleak vibe was solidified when Tara Maclay (Amber Benson), longtime girlfriend of witch Willow Rosenberg, was shot, immediately dying.
Noxon was the showrunner during this period, but creator Joss Whedon had already shifted the show into a bleak position by the end of the fifth season. And he remained heavily involved even as he moved over to spinoff series Angel. Still, BuzzFeed reports that the relationship between Tara and Willow was perpetually a bright spot on the show, making the loss of that dynamic something of a point of no return for the series.
‘Buffy’ showrunner Marti Noxon regrets killing off Tara Maclay
The fan response to Tara’s abrupt death — and Benson’s sudden exit from the series — went down like a lead balloon with Buffy fans. The relationship was a fan-favorite aspect of the show. And it had cultural significance for the LGBTQ community. By that point, it was already a codified recurring plot point that gay characters would regularly find themselves killed or otherwise written off as a way to score cheap drama on TV.
Today, Noxon agrees with the critiques. According to Screen Rant, the veteran writer thinks they should’ve been more careful about indulging in shocking moments during the late run of the show.
“There were parts of season six where I feel we went too far. We pushed into some categories that almost felt sadistic,” Noxon shared. “That may have to do with my own history. The personal, right? It’s personal. And I think that killing Tara was — in retrospect, of all the people, did she have to die?”
‘Buffy’ creator Joss Whedon fretted over fan backlash to Tara’s death
Noxon took most of the heat over the years for the decision to kill off Tara. After all, she was the showrunner. The rest of the season heavily focused on Willow’s shocking turn toward a vengeful, borderline evil sorceress. Clearly, this was what she wanted to do, given how much it clashed with the bulk of Whedon’s run on the show — right?
Apparently, wrong. Whedon insists that he proposed many of the key ideas for season six, and takes full responsibility for structuring the year’s story around Tara’s murder.
According to Bleeding Cool, Benson’s own conversations about her character’s exit were with Whedon himself. Then, it was Whedon who came calling as the season went on, asking if she’d support resurrecting Tara. He explained that he regretted the decision, and hadn’t considered how it would be received by LGBTQ fans in particular. But Benson had already mentally moved on from the show, and decided it was best not to return.
