When did magic turn into a drug?

[kittyfantastico]

In Season 6, I think its annoying how Willow's abuse of magic turns from a "power corrupts" scenario to a drug-addict scenario. At first, Willow is just using magic for everything because its easy. Its easier to decorate for a party with magic, or do her hair quickly, and things like that. There's no real indication that magic gives her any sort of rush, its just taking the easiest shortcut. Then she starts going further-- using magic to make Tara forget, rather than taking the longer and harder way of talking it out and actually working at the relationship. But again, there's no rush, there's no high, its just a choice. She's taking the easy choice at the expense of the right choice, but there's nothing that makes it seem like a drug.

And she starts doing magic with Amy and it still doesn't seem like a drug at first. When they're messing with people in the Bronze they're like teenagers playing tricks on people. Its definitely wrong to mess around with people like that, especially for entertainment, but she doesn't seem high.

Then all of a sudden it turns into a drug. The paralells couldn't be clearer; they go to find some shady guy and get stuff that lasts for days, the people in his living room seem like junkies, they act high and forget how time is passing... And then it gets worse and worse with Willow's pupils dilating, ignoring Dawn to get high instead, etc.

I was disappointed they went that route. I thought it was really interesting to explore her abuse of power-- absolute power corrupts, even someone as nice as Willow. No one can really stop her, especially since she can always make them forget whatever she did. It could have been a really interesting angle to explore more, and the season finales could have worked out pretty much the same. Instead she turns into a junkie.

[Incidentally, is there any way to make all those smilies stop moving around above the text box while I'm typing? Its distracting.]

[Skytteflickan88]

Well, I think they, the writers, choose to make Willow more like drug-junkie than a power-junkie, because that addiction is much more moving and heart-ripping for the audience.

And also because it seemed natural. If you have let a strange force into your body, let it become a part of you, removing it will feel like a loss. Kinda like drugs. Not every drug will make you seem stoned. They just "help you" through the day. And then there's heavier drugs, like the one's Rack offers. The ones that make you crave more.

I also think that black magic, selfish magic, like forget-spells, are heavier than "nicer" spells. But that's just a theory. Perhaps selfish spells are just as addictive as selfless spells.

Anyhow, back what I said. Magic isn't always a natural substance to have in the human body. It seems as if some spells are done with the mind and the strength within (Willow lifting pencils) and some are drawing from other sources (the resurections spells). So a strange force enters your body. When it leaves, you will fell different. Empty I suppose.

But Willow needing to control things, to go the easy way, can be power-addiction as well. Or maybe the control-spells give you a better high.

We don't see Willow sitting in a meadow, drinking in the powers of the universe for fun, we see her doing selfish spells. Perhaps because they are "heavier" drugs. So she's really not that into controlling the world around her, it's just taht those sorts of spells make her feel better.

Of course, we did see her take the easy way before she was "that" into magic, so she's probably power-addicted by nature and had the unfortunate luck to grow up on a Hellmouth.

[henzINNIT]

It's annoying that it shifts I agree. It's far more interesting and scary that a person can seemingly rationally turn evil, that the access to the power alone will corrupt her; having Willow become a junkie removes some of her responsibility as she's clearly out of control. It's a cop-out, a decision made probably to make the character easier to redeem, as she's more of a victim.

[dane5by5]

Dec 24, 2008 9:36:33 GMT -5 henzINNIT said:

It's annoying that it shifts I agree. It's far more interesting and scary that a person can seemingly rationally turn evil, that the access to the power alone will corrupt her; having Willow become a junkie removes some of her responsibility as she's clearly out of control. It's a cop-out, a decision made probably to make the character easier to redeem, as she's more of a victim.

I do have to agree with you that in Willow's case, being a "drug addict" makes the character more sympathetic in the viewers eyes, and therefore easier to redeem. But Willow had clearly displayed signs of a need for power, to control things that are out of most peoples control. It doesn't bother me that the allegory changed, because it still works within the story. If you want to know when I think the addiction changed from power to drugs, it was when Amy came back and became Willow's enabler and introduced her to Rack, her dealer. That's when the allegory changed significantly. Although one could argue that Willow was never addicted to power, but was addicted to a feeling. The feeling being the rush that came with using magic, even when it appeared to be controlling situations that should be out of her control. Like mind raping Tara, that wasn't something she WANTED to do, but she did it so she could keep using magic, and have that feeling.

I think the "power corrupts" metaphor will be used more in season eight, but in a different fashion than in season five of Angel. With Buffy drifting further from what she would have done, had she not been in the position of leader of a huge army and possessing all this power.

[Enisy]

Willow would no longer be a viable character if she skinned a man alive and attempted to kill her friends without some indication that her lapse had at least something to do with external forces. If it was only addiction to power, well, that's only Willow, only her personality, and you can't drain her magic or exorcise her or shove a soul into her to make it better. And since I like having Willow around for Seasons 7, 8 and beyond, I can excuse that creative decision.

[henzINNIT]

... which is probably exactly why she became a junkie. I'm not sure it would have neccessarily been better if Willow became a calculated monster, but it's an interesting thought at least.
I don't have a problem with Dark Junkie Willow as an idea (although I do have seperate issues with the execution), but I do find it jarring when Willow goes from being intruigingly manipulative with her memory spells and such to a full-on drug addict within a couple of episodes. It may have been more powerful if Willow's addictive side only presented itself after she really lost it at the end of the season. *ponders*