When did Willow and Tara become more than friends?

[The Girl In Question]

It's been awhile since I've done a Season 4 rewatch, but I remember trying to find the first epsiode when Willow and Tara considered themselves more than just friends and I couldn't find it. Their relationship was so ambiguous (yet at the same time obvious) to the audience until "New Moon Rising," that I don't think they ever really showed the transition from friends to girlfriends. Did I miss something? Because I think I must have. Does anyone know?

[Beaumonde]

I haven't watched season 4 in a while either, but I'm about to start a rewatch. (yay) It's atleast by the time Who Are You? happens.

I always thought it was kind of obvious in The I In Team.

Willow: Oh. That's neat about the celebrating. I just thought this was supposed to be, you know, just us. Just the scooby corps., you know. I mean, I could have invited somebody else if I knew it was an open free-for-all.

Buffy: I'm sorry. I had no idea. My *total* bad. (grins) So, who did you want to invite?

Willow: What?

Buffy: You said you wanted to invite someone.

Willow: (nervously) No. Not-- no one. I meant a hypothetical someone which is to say no one. What are we celebrating?

I think they were becoming more than friends by that point already, since Willow is so keen to keep their relationship a secret.

[The Girl In Question]

I should do a season 4 rewatch, too. I actually love that season.

And you make good points. I wish we could have seen that transition in more detail, though. In almost every other romantic relationship, we saw how the couple got from point A to point B.

[Jaz ♀♀]

I think that in Hush, it was obvious Tara had a crush on Willow when she saw her at the wicca group. When they did the spell together to move the soda machine, I think they both felt this strong connection to each other that they had no idea what it was about.

From Doomed to A New Man I think they were just hanging out doing spells and really getting to know each other as friends, which I believe is the time when Tara told her that she was gay and at that time I think Willow was at her most confused as to what her feelings are with Tara. (which would have been so great to see that on camera, and I honestly think the writers missed a great opportunity there to show that)

By the I In Team, I think Willow knew she liked Tara and vice versa but Willow was still too insecure to say it out loud. I think at that point in time Tara was just letting Willow have her space and not pushing to a more romantic relationship (I think she valued her friendship with Willow more and didn't want to loose that) which is why I think she got hurt (friendship-wise) when Willow said she was gonna hang out with some other friends that night but because Tara's the forgiving type, she was understanding and let her come in her dorm later that night when Willow's 'scoobie hangout' was a bust. I also think that night, when Willow went to Tara's dorm, is when Willow finally told her that she liked Tara which is when they started dating (secretly). Also that's when I think Willow stayed over all night with Tara (the next day it was shown that both Willow and Buffy didn't sleep in their dorm) which I believe they stayed up all night talking with smoochies in between. ;D

So yeah, I believe the events we saw on-screen in The I In Team was the turning point of Willow and Tara's relationship.....that happened off-screen.

[PJ]

Jaz, i think you are actually spot on reading in between the lines!

[The Night Lord]

It was kinda hard to tell when they became more than friends, though it was pretty clear in New Moon Rising. Before that, no idea

[Darth Rosie]

Jaz makes an excellent point and I couldn't agree more. And just remember the Spell in "Who Are You", which is so, erm, sensual. It's actually pretty amazing that they passed the censors with that scene, it's what Joss Whedon also said in his commentary on Who Are You, if I remember that right.

And Beaumonde, I also like what you said - there was some lovely subtlety going on there. The signs of their fledgling love were written all over the place

[Beaumonde]

Yeah, it was all really subtle, which is kind of annoying. Like TGIQ said, we got to see the other relationships progress but with Willow/Tara we didn't see that much until New Moon Rising.

You just have to be really observant when you watch or have your gaydar turned up to the max.

[CourtneyDax]

Pretty much everything that Jaz said is dead on with what I think happened. Your explanation was friggin awesome! *karma'd!*

[swanstoon]

I'd go along with The I In Team when Willow stayed over at Tara's when she turned up late after Buffy was 'beeped away by her new buds'. They held hands at The Bronze in Who Are You & at the beginning of New Moon Rising.

But I think Tara fell for Willow during the Wicca Group meeting,it was so obvious towards the end of Hush when Tara told Willow she was 'special' & even when they were moving the soft drink machine they seemed reluctant to let each others hands go.

Great thread,by the way. I'm a huge Willow/Tara fan. Arguably one of the best portrayals of a relationship (of any orientation) on television.

[Tea - Total]

Tara and willow friendship grew when their enter the magics together,when their bondage grew and their emotions. Then OZ comes back from the blue then you realized what you have and had , but things change. So Willows feelings changed.

[Silver]

I can't remember when they changed from friends to lovers, was there actually a point in time? I thought it just sort of happened.

[zeppo]

Great topic! I have no answer but have wondered about it, too. I was sort of creeped out by Tara at first because she seemed so intense.

[tkts]

Jul 23, 2010 14:58:54 GMT -5 zeppo said:

Great topic! I have no answer but have wondered about it, too. I was sort of creeped out by Tara at first because she seemed so intense.

Yeah, she did seem oddly intense in "Hush."

And the "I am, you know. Yours." line was a bit intense as well.

It's interesting because that doesn't really fit with most of what we see of Tara's character.

[Scarygothgirl]

I don't think there was an actual moment when it happened, I think when they met Tara liked Willow and Willow felt something special but didn;t know what it was. I think they didn;t do the whole get to know eachother as friends and then get together, I think it was more like the more they got to know eachother as friends the more they fell in love with eachother.

[N.D.U.O]

I never really thought ythey were ever friends... I mean there was eye sex from the beginning with those two...

[Scarygothgirl]

^ That's kinda what I think, I think they were always lovers but they don't verbally acknowledge it as an actual relationship for a while.