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Tara
Tara is a character portrayed by actress Amber Benson on the popular television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Introduced during the series' fourth season in 1999, Tara Maclay was a shy, stammering new student at the University of California at Sunnydale when she met series regular Willow, played by Alyson Hannigan. The two young witches quickly became first friends, then lovers. Theirs was the first lesbian relationship to be presented on a television series primarily aimed at teen and young adult audiences. Far from sensationalist and sordid, the relationship between Willow and Tara has to date been presented in a very mature and matter-of-fact manner, with the two witches supporting, comforting, protecting and confiding in each other, just as persons, gay and straight, do in relationships in the real world. Willow's own protective nature towards Tara was demonstrated in the fifth season, when she took on a Hell God to retrieve Tara's mind and sanity. Their lesbianism is presented as just one aspect of their characters, rather than the where all and be all of their existence. One is left wondering why a series such as Buffy is able to present gay characters and relationships in this manner, while more "serious" and "realistic" television series apparently cannot. In the 2001 - 2002 season, after a brief separation caused by Willow's abuse of her powers, Tara and Willow were reconciled, until Tara was killed by a stray bullet intended for Buffy, which sent Willow on a magickal murderous rampage. The season ended with Willow relenting in her quest for vengeance, but with her heart, her power, and perhaps also her mind broken. While the final season featured guest appearances and cameos by several past characters, both living and dead, Tara was not among them, partly due to Amber Benson being busy with other projects. Note: Amber Benson, as it turns out,
had an interest in witchcraft and Wicca
while
she was in high school, having read Starhawk's
The
Spiral Dance.
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