With all the discourse surrounding the much anticipated Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot, not
to mention Sarah Michelle Gellar’s and Alyson Hannigan’s joint interview on the Today show
discussing the show’s legacy! Many fans have revised their opinions on some of the
original show’s titular characters. One such character is Hannigan’s own, Willow Rosenberg. Once seen as the shy, lovable, nerdy sidekick, now her image is less than rosy. Manipulative? Petty? And maybe worst of all: a bad friend.

10. Easing us in with a somewhat annoying one. In Season 6, Episode 11, ‘Gone’, it is
morning in the Summers household. After throwing out most of Willow’s magical stash as
the fallen wiccan tries to go cold turkey with her magic addiction (more on that later). Buffy
is post-traumatic-resurrection trying to keep it all together after a night of hot,
passionate…fighting with a vampire. Willow appears to be living in the Summers’ home rent-free and is cooking Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) an apology omelette. She is making a
mess while cooking, as one does, but leaves her traumatised friend to clean up after her! Poor
Buffy (you’ll hear that a lot) was just lambasting herself for not noticing Willow’s self-
inflicted downfall. Buffy is literally chopping off her own hair in distress, and no one notices!
The audacity!

9. In Season 3, Episode 2, ‘Dead Man’s Party’, Buffy has returned to Sunnydale after her
secondment in LA. After a traumatic year, Buffy clearly just wants to hang out with her
friends like a regular teenager. Willow agrees to meet Buffy in town to re-bond over
shopping. Yes, Willow did say earlier in the episode that she had school work that she would
have to rearrange, which is fair enough, but at least cancel instead of leaving poor Buffy
(see?) sitting alone waiting for you!

8. Anya (Emma Caulfield), the ex-vengeance demon, was treated pretty coolly by the
Scoobies. Willow was clearly jealous of Anya’s relationship with Xander (Nicholas
Brendon), taking Xander’s attention from her. Throughout the final seasons, Willow treated
Anya like an annoyance at best and undermined her with cruel remarks at worst. In no
episode was this more obvious than Season 5, Episode 11, ‘Triangle’. Willow is brazenly
stealing spell ingredients from Anya’s and Giles’s (her friends) small business. Willow even
says herself she is not “stealing”, she is “…just taking things without paying for them. In what
twisted dictionary is that stealing?”.
Willow comes off as a bully throughout this episode, cruelly mimicking Anya and trying to
make Xander choose between his childhood best friend and his girlfriend. I want to mention
that not only is Willow gay, but has her own girlfriend at this point. So her possessiveness of
Xander comes off as particularly childish.

7. Willow’s irresponsibility with magic becomes a large feature of the series. Even her most
ardent fans can’t explain what she was thinking in Season 5, Episode 17, ‘Forever’ when she
draws Dawn’s attention to a dark spell book. This book encourages 15-year-old Dawn to raise
her mother from the dead. Culminating in what is, in my opinion, one of the creepiest scenes
in Buffy: the shadow of zombie Joyce walking past Summer’s curtained window, returning
home. Presumably, Willow knew the dangers but was fine with a child dabbling in dark
magic.

6. Back to Season 3, Episode 2 ‘Dead Man’s Party’. After not being satisfied standing Buffy
up, she also wants to rant at a clearly distressed Buffy that Willow’s now got a boyfriend and is
practicing witchcraft, AND had no one to talk to about it when Buffy ran away. Bear in mind
that Buffy had to stab her boyfriend through the heart and send him to Hell after months of
his evil alter ego psychologically torturing her. But Willow needs her gal pal.
Very similar to Season 7, Episode 19 ‘Empty Places’ when Willow joined the group pile on,
blaming poor Buffy (and again) for everything that’s gone wrong. And then throwing Buffy
out of her own house (you know the one she pays for?)! In the words of one Buffy fan ‘Y’all
hate her so much, why did you resurrect her?’

5. Going to my personal favourite season, Season 6 (I’m not arguing about it), Episode 10
‘Wrecked’. Willow is caught in the throes of magic addiction. Within the Buffy universe,
magic was a metaphor for lesbian sex, but the metaphor changes in Season 6 to substance
abuse. Willow takes Dawn to what is essentially a magical drug den and leaves her waiting
there for over an hour. Then, high on magic, he proceeds to not take Dawn home, instead
offering to teleport her back home. Willow then gets behind the wheel of a car with Dawn
while high and crashes the car.
Buffy was known to tackle social issues, and its handling of substance abuse was surprisingly
Realistic, mainly due to Alyson Hannigan’s amazing acting!

4. In Season 4, Episode 6, ‘Wild at Heart,’ we get to see the true darkness that appears to live
inside Willow. After being cheated on by her long-time boyfriend Oz (Seth Green), Willow
takes it upon herself to hex both Oz and his cheating partner, Veruca. She casts ‘in the name
of Hell’ wanting to break both their hearts and find no peace or solace…harsh. To be fair to
her, she does stop herself, but Willow, I appreciate you got cheated on, but we can’t just go
about hexing people.

3. And now to one of the best episodes ever! Season 6, Episode 8 ‘Tabula Rasa’ delivers
some serious comic gold, but the premise of the episode is rather disturbing. Despite
promising Tara (Amber Benson), her long-term partner, that she would give up magic for a
week, Willow casts a spell. Tara is understandably upset that the woman she loves cast a
memory spell on her to make her forget their arguments. Willow’s answer to this is to cast yet

another memory spell to make Tara forget the first memory spell (stay with me). Willow also tries to cast a spell on Buffy (you know her friend suffering from depression) to make her forget being in Heaven. As is a staple in the Buffy universe, the spell goes awry, making the whole gang forget who they are, leading to hilarious hijinks.
Yes, it’s one of the funniest Buffy episodes, but if the spell hadn’t accidentally been broken, then they all could have been stuck like that.

2. For such a trailblazing relationship, Willow and Tara have a lot of problems when
scrutinised. Almost everything stems from Willow’s overuse of magic. The relationship
gets darker the more you examine it. As Tara said in ‘Tabula Rasa’, Willow violated her
mind. Some fans have pointed out; not only was the flower Willow used to cast the forgetting
spell (Season 6, Episode 6) is in an oddly convenient place in their bedroom. This begs the
question: how many times has Willow cast these spells? Fans have also pointed out that if
Tara had sex with Willow after any spell was cast on her, she wouldn’t be consenting.

1. As a surprise to literally no one, the number one time Willow was a bad friend on top of
being completely irresponsible, resurrecting one Miss Buffy Summers. Now, many may
argue that after the finale of Season 5, ‘The Gift’, it would be understandable that Willow
would think Buffy was trapped in some Hell dimension.

Ok, let’s stay with that logic. Willow is aware that resurrection spells are extremely volatile,
presumably why the Scoobies have been planning it for weeks. Xander voices it perfectly, in
Season 6, Episode 1 ‘Bargaining Pt 1’, Buffy may try to “eat our brains”. Willow even
comments (Season 6, Episode 3) on how messed up Angel was when he came back from Hell.
Willow could have caused an emotional and physical catastrophe for them all by bringing
back a ‘wrong’ Buffy who still possesses super-strength and super-speed. Spike (James
Marsters) declares in the same episode that he shut down any idea Willow had about bringing
Buffy, back in case it went so badly, they would have to “get rid of what came back”. It’s bad
when the soulless vampire is more mature than you, isn’t it?

Willow Rosenberg is indeed a very complex character played expertly by Alyson Hannigan. Willow has her flaws, but it is those flaws that make her such a compelling character. I, for one, am very interested to see what they do with the character in the reboot.

With her ice-blue doe eyes, enviable long, shiny brown hair, and button nose; Michelle Christine Trachtenberg looked every bit the prolific child star she was. Often described as radiating the type of vulnerability that Hollywood just loves in its young stars. 

Trachtenberg acted in commercials from the age of 3. At the age of 10 she starred in Harriet the Spy (1996) as the titular spy. However, most of her fans will forever know her as Dawn Summers the (sometimes bratty) kid sister of Buffy Summers star of the cult TV show; Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003). Trachtenberg joined the main cast for the shows fifth season in 2000.

Dawn’s introduction heralded the dawning of a newer, more adult era of what was still seen as a teen supernatural drama. Trachtenberg’s character and introduction is still somewhat controversial in the Buffy fandom. Though loathed by some, no one could deny Trachtenberg’s obvious talent and how well she fit in with the main cast. Trachtenberg had worked with the show’s star, Sarah Michelle Gellar, in the long-running show All My Children (1970-2013), Gellar even recommended Trachtenberg for the part of Dawn. Buffy’s producers loved Trachtenberg despite the fact that Dawn’s character was initially written as a younger one. This is why a lot of Dawn’s dialogue and actions initially seem like that of a much younger child. This served to annoy certain fans even more.

Despite the ire, Buffy and Dawn’s sibling, and, oftentimes, paternal relationship became a touchstone of the 7-year-long series. Viewers watched Dawn develop from an immature girl to a capable young woman who calls others (particularly men) out on their bullshit. Many women identified with Dawn’s journey of attaining her autonomy. Even the biggest Dawn critics can’t argue that Dawn was a pivotal character in many of Buffy’s groundbreaking episodes, such as (spoilers!); The Body where the sister’s mother dies to Buffy’s resurrection in Bargaining. Dawn processed loss and dysfunction at a very young age. An inside joke in the Buffy fandom is that you know you have matured when you become a Dawn sympathiser. 

After Buffy Trachtenberg took on maturer roles such as Jenny in the 2004 teen sex comedy EuroTrip. The trailer of which included a deleted scene with Trachtenberg’s character flashing her bra at passing cars whilst hitchhiking. Scenes such as these pivot greatly from the innocent Dawn Summers. 

Trachtenberg would continue to work regularly, guest starring in TV shows such as Six Feet Under (2004) and House (2006). In 2008 Trachtenberg took on the role of manipulative socialite Georgina Sparks in Gossip Girl (2007-2012). Her Gossip Girl co-star; Blake Lively, described Trachtenberg on an Instagram post as; “…electricity. You knew when she entered a room because the vibration changed”. Trachtenberg was certainly energetic in interviews and threw herself into every acting challenge with aplomb.

Growing up in front of the camera meant that Trachtenberg fell victim to the objectification of her changing body. At the time it was unfortunately common for certain sites to be devoted to counting down the days until a certain starlet turned 18. In response to her own ‘Trachtenberg to 18’ counters: “You’re never gonna get a chance! So what’s your counter for?” 

Cut to 2021, fellow Buffy castmate Charisma Carpenter opens up about the cruel treatment she received working under Buffy and its spinoff Angel (1999-2004) creator Joss Whedon. Carpenter bravely spoke of the misogyny, sexual harassment, and bullying she endured from Whedon that still affects her to this day. Carpenter’s claims became the pin that finally deflated Whedon’s godlike presence in the entertainment industry.

Trachtenberg stood with Carpenter; posting on her own social media that as a now 35 year old being “brave enough” to share her story about Whedon. She agreed with Carpenter saying: “This must. Be Known. As a teenager. With his not appropriate behaviour…very. Not. Appropriate.” She would later add to this statement by saying there was a rule on-set that Whedon was not allowed alone in a room with her again. Trachtenberg would have been around 15 working on Buffy.

Michelle Trachtenberg feeling strong enough to stand up to an alleged abuser such as Whedon and others like him mirrors not only Dawn’s growth but the overarching arc of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The dark irony of Whedon’s alleged true nature as he created some of the greatest feminist icons is not lost. However, with Trachtenberg, Carpenter, Gellar, and many other actresses standing up for themselves and each other is really what the fictional show was about. 

Trachtenberg was a great actress but she was also instrumental in helping to dismantle the sexist power dynamics within the industry for future generations of performers.

Much like her character Dawn, Trachtenberg found her voice and her strength in the face of insidious forces. As tragic as her untimely death is, she will always be remembered not just for her talent but for her bravery in facing years of oppression and objectification. Rest In Power Michelle Trachtenberg, you are truly a feminist icon both on and off of screen.

CBS’s new show Watson breathes new life into the beloved Sherlock Holmes universe, offering a modern adaptation that both honors its roots and explores fresh, contemporary themes. As a long-time fan of Sherlock Holmes, I was eager to see how this reimagining would unfold, and I am thrilled to say that Watson delivers a compelling and dynamic take on the classic characters.

Morris Chestnut’s remarkable portrayal of Dr. John Watson is at the heart of the series. Traditionally seen as the steadfast companion to Sherlock Holmes, Watson takes center stage in this adaptation, and Chestnut’s performance is nothing short of outstanding. Transforming Watson into a leading figure whose personal journey is as captivating as the mysteries he helps solve. Chestnut’s Watson is a character in his own right, not merely a sidekick, and his modern sensibilities breathe fresh air into the role.

The show’s setting in contemporary times is executed with finesse. By weaving modern-day elements into the narrative, Watson manages to stay true to the essence of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s original stories while making them accessible and relevant to today’s audience. The dynamic between Watson and the world around him is engaging and entertaining, offering new perspectives on themes such as justice, loyalty, and intellect. Fans of the original tales will appreciate the clever nods to classic storylines, while newcomers will find plenty to enjoy in the updated context.

Spoiler alert:

One of the most striking elements of the show is Randall Park’s portrayal of James Moriarty. Traditionally envisioned as a calculating and sinister adversary, this version of Moriarty offers a fascinating twist. Park’s performance combines darkness with a sharp, comedic edge, creating a character who is as unpredictable as he is engaging. This fresh take on Moriarty elevates him beyond a mere antagonist, making him a multidimensional figure who should keep viewers guessing at every turn.

Overall, “Watson” is a bold and refreshing addition to the Sherlock Holmes universe. Featuring compelling performances, clever integration of modern elements, and innovative character dynamics, the show provides something new and exciting for both longtime fans and newcomers to the world of Holmes and Watson. It’s a must-watch for anyone seeking a smart, entertaining, and thoroughly engaging adaptation of these timeless characters.