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Date Posted: 16:00:08 10/26/05 Wed
Author: Sophist
Subject: No need to get all researchy
In reply to: Sunshine 's message, "Re: Two points make a line, but do they make a paradigm?" on 14:33:00 10/26/05 Wed

As far as magic having a price, why can I not use early season 6 (see above)

This is the key point. The reason is that the "magic has a price" theme didn't exist prior to S6. It just wasn't there. There are dozens of spells prior to S6 where magic had no consequence whatsoever.

The reason I bring this up is that it's related to the magic/drugs theme. There was no reason to start saying that "magic has consequences" when the show previously showed, by example, that it did not -- abuse of power DOES have consequences and I'm agreeing with you that this should have been the theme.

Now for the corollary points.

I think she had self image problems and used magic for validation.

Agreed.

I think the spell to bring back Buffy could be seen as an abuse. The inadvisability of resurrection spells were certainly made clear in Forever, at least by Tara.

Very possibly. However, that spell was cast in S6 and was perfectly consistent with an abuse of power theme. Whether it was an abuse is hard to say -- certainly Xander and Tara went along with it. They all had mixed motives, some of them noble and some not, so it's tough to categorize.

Willows assistance to Dawn in that episode was an early sign of a rather lackadaisical appreciation of the possible dangers of magic and perhaps a willingness to act irresponsibly.

Agreed.

I would cite "Something Blue" in season 4, in addition to the previous examples.

This is the best bet, but it only partially fits your previous statement that Willow abused magic for her own benefit. From SB:

Giles: A spell? I don't think it's wise for you to
be doing that alone right now. Your energy's too unfocused.

Willow: Well, that's not true. I said I was off, not incompetent.

Giles: I only meant that you're grieving, and it might be wise if you took a break from doing spells without supervision.

Willow: So I get punished ‘cause I'm in pain?

Giles: It's not punishment. I'm only saying this because I—

Willow: Oh, you care. Yeah. Everybody cares. Nobody wants to be inconvenienced. You all want me to take the time and go through the pain, as long as you don't have to hear about it anymore.

Giles: No, that's not fair.

Willow: Isn't it? ‘Cause I'm doing the best I can and it doesn't seem to be enough for you guys.

IOW, Willow did the spell, at least in part, so she would cease being a burden on her friends. Hardly the most noble of motives, and certainly mixed in with some desire to benefit herself, but hardly what we saw in Wrecked. Note also that Giles doesn't think she's abusing power; he's just concerned (rightly) that the spell would misfire due to her emotional condition.

This is all a long way of saying that I agree with your conclusion that abuse of power should have been the theme, but not necessarily with all the reasons you gave. Willow did NOT particularly abuse power before S6, but I'd have no problem with her doing so as a consequence of her increasing power in S6. Unfortunately, the writers obscured that message with the drug metaphor, probably for the reasons you mentioned above.

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