Re: Post Tara subtext

["ebailey140" <ebailey140@xxxxxxx>]

--- In buffywantswillow@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Howard Russell"
<howardrussell2000@y...> wrote:
> Hello Everybody!
>
>  From what I've heard, the difference between pre and post Tara
subtext is partly about ratings.  In the first few seasons, the core
Scoobies mimicked--though, probably unintentionally--the cast of Xena.
Buffy and Willow as a milder version of Xena and Gabrielle with
Xander a less objectionable Joxer.  The subtext between our girls was
quite mild and you had to be looking for it, but it was there.  The
B/F was played up heavily for ratings 'cause lesbians sell.

Well, it started because of how Sarah and Eliza played their scenes. 
But, for the writers, it worked nicely as symbolic of what was going
on between Buffy and her dark mirror, that Buffy found Faith's
approach to life appealing, and Faith was trying to seduce Buffy into
her "living large" mindset.  Of course, Faith's mindset turned out to
be masking a lot of pain and darkness, making her self destructive, a
point Buffy, herself, would reach in Seasons 5 and 6. 
> Then they went and had Willow come out.  Now they didn't need
subtext anymore, so they did away with all of it.  Playing with the
subtext when it involved an actual, open lesbian brought Buffy into
question.  A lesbian, or even bi main character would have been the
kiss of death on the WB.  So they killed all subtext involving
Buffy--hinting about the main character is one thing, but something
that could be viewed as proof would have been another.
> Not only did they do everything they could to say Willow never
thought about Buffy that way, they couldn't do anything to hint that
Buffy would have thought about Willow that way.  If they'd brought
back the Fuffy subtext, people would have wondered about Buffy's
thoughts about the actual lesbian on the show.  And lesbian subtext
about Buffy not involving Willow, would have been insulting to one of
the most popular characters on the show; if Buffy could think of girls
that way, why not Willow?
> Willow couldn't want Buffy without calling her feelings for Tara
into question (Besides, they'd already played with the idea of a
Scooby wanting the slayer through Xander) and Buffy couldn't want
Willow because Willow was attainable.  Fuffy subtext paled in the face
of lesbian maintext so they killed it too.  They had a lesbian to play
maintext games with so they brought in Kennedy.  Ah, Kennedy.  It's
been said that if you can't say anything nice about someone, you
shouldn't say anything at all.
> So post Tara subtext had to die for ratings and politics, and the
series was poorer for the lack.

But, I saw no need to kill the close friendship, or at least
minimalize it, so much.  Sure, don't make the Kittens feel threatened,
I get that.  But, was Willow having a tight bond with a woman who
wasn't Tara really that threatening to their relationship?  Buffy was
always able to maintain close ties with the group regardless of who
she was dating.  Whenever it became an issue, she'd always try to make
things up to Willow and Xander.  While her romantic involvements were
a part of her, they didn't define her.  But, for political reasons,
Willow ended up defined as The Lesbian.  

E





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