Willow in Season 7

["Jay" <Swanrvr80@xxxxxxx>]

Kinda late to post this and more than a few of you have probably 
figured this out already, but I wanted to bring up Willow's magic use 
in Season 7 and kick it around some more. The Willow we saw in the 
Angel ep Orpheus is not the same Willow we saw in Sunnydale.

In Los Angeles Willow is confident and relaxed with her magic use and 
seems to be in a good mood almost to the point of being happy. Why? 
What's different when she's here away from Sunnydale? Well, the 
First isn't around so it's possible that this Evil is influencing 
her, making her afraid and full of doubt. But what else isn't here 
in Los Angeles?

[drum roll]Willow's friends aren't here.[/drum roll]

No one talks to Willow about what she did last year, getting in over 
her head with the magicks, trying to kill her friends, killing 
Warren, trying to end the world, losing her soulmate - you get the 
idea. And no mention is made of the extremely critical things Willow 
said to them. It's easier to avoid talking about things, of course, 
but Willow hasn't heard that she's been forgiven, that she's been 
accepted back. They haven't shown Willow what she needs to know and 
hear. So she has doubts. And these doubts fester and grow (hence 
the festering) when she is around her friends. In Los Angeles no one 
there could judge her (from Willow's point of view). 

At least twice in S7 Willow asked Buffy if she was okay but not once 
does Buffy ask this of Willow. Buffy needs Willow's magic (there's a 
double meaning if ever there was) and practically uses her as a tool.

This recurring theme of the Scoobies not talking to one another over 
the years finally has a serious consequence; Willow not only doubts 
but fears her magical abilities, playing right into the First's need 
of making her weak, of making a nonfactor of Willow. Willow doesn't 
know it but she is cured, she is a very powerful witch and the First 
can only hope that she doesn't discover this.

Of course Willow does figure this out with her final spell cast in 
Chosen. Funny how Oz being around Willow brought out the Wolf in him 
and Willow being around her friends brought out our old nerdy, 
doubting Willow. If they had only talked to her!

So...any comments?