Willow Rosenberg, Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan)

Willow appeared in all 144 episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as guest appearances in three episodes of the spinoff Angel, for a total of 147 on screen appearances over the course of both series.

In Season 2, Willow started a relationship with Oz, and he was Willow’s primary romantic interest until Season 4. Series creator Joss Whedon did not originally intend to write Oz out of the series, but actor Seth Green came to Whedon early in the fourth season to announce that he wished to work on his film career. Whedon admitted he was upset by Green’s announcement and that if he had wanted to continue, Oz would have been a part of the story. However, to resolve the relationship between Oz and Willow Whedon says, “we had to scramble. And out of the heavens came Amber Benson.”

Tara

Willow met budding witch Tara Maclay (Benson) mid-Season 4, eventually falling in love with and choosing to be with her. Contrasting with some of the more overtly sexual relationships between the other characters, the show was restricted portraying the relationship between Willow and Tara. They did not kiss until Season 5’s “The Body”, in an episode that diverted the focus away from their display of affection as it dealt mainly with the death of Buffy’s mother. Before this episode, much of their sexuality was represented by allusions to witchcraft, while in “The Body” Willow finally mouthed the words ‘I love you’ to Tara, though Tara didn’t say it back. In one of the most-cited examples of the “Bury Your Gays” trope, immediately following Willow’s reconciliation with Tara after a break-up, a stray bullet kills Tara right in front of Willow (Season 6, episode 18, “Seeing Red”).

Season 7

In Season 7, Willow continued to face her grief over Tara’s death and, reluctantly, became involved with new female character Kennedy. In Season 7, episode 20, “Touched”, Willow and Kennedy took part in the first lesbian sex scene on primetime television. At the end of the TV show, both Willow and Kennedy were still alive and presumably continued their relationship. In the canonical comic book continuation of the series (written by Whedon and many other writers from the television series), Willow was still involved with Kennedy but became intimate with Aluwyn while they were still together. Eventually, Willow ended the relationship with Kennedy, saying that there is someone else she was in love with, but who she would never see again.

Willow is never described, by herself or anyone else, as bisexual, despite her history of dating and loving men. At one point, when Xander’s ex-demon girlfriend Anya expressed concern about the possibility that Willow would steal Xander away from her, Willow’s response was an indignant “Hello?! Gay now!” She also described her relationship with Tara as “best friends. Girlfriends. Lovers. Lesbian, gay-type lovers.” Source: Our Willow, Ourselves, Autostraddle.

Appearances:

• 144 episodes. Series regular on all 7 seasons.

Female love interests:

• Tara Maclay 💀 (Amber Benson, recurring S4, 5, 6. Regular character in the episode in which she dies: Seeing Red, 47 episodes)
• Kennedy (Iyari Limon, recurring S7, 13 episodes)

Relationship story arc with a woman: Yes

Male love interests:

• Oz Osbourne (Seth Green, recurring S2, main cast S3, S4, 40 episodes)

Relationship story arc with a man: Yes

Filter Relationship Arc:

• Female (Recurring), Male (Regular)

Storyline during sweeps? No

[1] A relationship story arc is defined as explicit, developed on screen, and lasting more than 3 episodes. It is listed as questionable or subtext if romance is only implied, mentioned instead of shown on screen, part of a dream sequence, or otherwise not explicit for the viewer.
[2] Sweeps episodes air in February, May, July and November, the periods when advertising rates are set. A character is marked as "sweeps" when there is a very limited number of episodes that address their sexuality, all air during sweeps period, and the storyline is otherwise ignore/dropped.