doesn’t really need this in any way. He just likes a sounding board. He always comes up with his own original idea. He’ll call me for what movies he should be looking at for certain ideas, and it’s very flattering for me that he cares to ask.”
Season four also introduces a romance between Willow and Tara. Fans were shocked when they realized where the relationship was heading, but for Joss it was a natural progression.
I like love stories, and that’s what [the] Willow and Tara story is.—Joss
“I like love stories,” says Joss, “and that’s what [the] Willow and Tara story is. We’ve seen Willow grow and mature in these other relationships and then when Tara came along, it just made sense. In college, well, that’s where most people begin to explore their sexuality. We put Willow and Tara into situations, as witches, that were somewhat physical but not sexual. And as their relationship began to mature we saw them together in a different way. At the time the network was more than a little wary about having a gay couple on the show. They didn’t want anything too intimate and there was to be no kissing involved. But as the story moved along, so did the network. The fans have embraced the story in a way even I couldn’t have imagined, and it’s meant a great deal to a lot of people out there.”
The lesbian story line was a surprise to Hannigan, but one she was more than willing to take on. “I know it upset some of the fans, but the truth is I’ve been so grateful to have been able to touch so many lives with this story. People walk up to me to this day and tell me thank you for bringing such a wonderful love story to life. I tell them it was the writers and Joss who are to thank. They did it and they did it in a respectful and loving way.”
The network was nervous about the onscreen romance, but Joss had a strategy for managing this. “We got away with it because we didn’t tell them what we were doing.”
There was some fan discontent in season four, over specific issues (like Willow and Tara), but mostly regarding the quality of the season. This discontent was misguided; while not all of the ambitions in season four were realized, the overall quality was strong. At the same time, it appeared that Joss was taking on too much.
“I really have no idea [how I will juggle two shows],” Joss admitted. “I am burned out already. [ Angel executive producer] David Greenwalt and I just stare at each other balefully and say, ‘What were we thinking?’ I think my life is over, and that’s just something I have to deal with. [Seriously], I don’t know how it’s done. Basically, it just means I work harder. We were working 16 hours a day on Buffy , and now we work 16 hours a day, but more concentrated. It’s more mentally exhausting. But it’s not like you can let it slide. I still don’t work on Sundays when I can avoid it. Now I’m actually firm about not working Sundays, since I’m so burned out after the week, more so than before.”
Joss wrote and directed the season four finale, Restless . Interestingly, Joss had resolved the main conflict (destroying the cyborg Adam) in the previous episode. The final episode is an extended dream sequence, featuring dreams by each of the four main characters as their sleep is invaded by the spirit of the first slayer.
This innovative episode creates a spooky and surreal David Lynch ambience and, like Hush , pushed Whedon as a writer and director. It covers a lot of territory, including a highly erotic scene of Willow body painting Tara, a battle with the first slayer and Armin Shimerman (the actor who played the Principal through season three) as Walter Kurtz from Apocalypse Now. Every scene is soaked with subtle meanings, references and foreshadowing. Except, Joss hastens to add, the cheese-man. “People never believe me when I say the cheese-man meant NOTHING,” Joss reveals. “Cheese makes me laugh.”
Season five
Like every season
Season four also introduces a romance between Willow and Tara. Fans were shocked when they realized where the relationship was heading, but for Joss it was a natural progression.
I like love stories, and that’s what [the] Willow and Tara story is.—Joss
“I like love stories,” says Joss, “and that’s what [the] Willow and Tara story is. We’ve seen Willow grow and mature in these other relationships and then when Tara came along, it just made sense. In college, well, that’s where most people begin to explore their sexuality. We put Willow and Tara into situations, as witches, that were somewhat physical but not sexual. And as their relationship began to mature we saw them together in a different way. At the time the network was more than a little wary about having a gay couple on the show. They didn’t want anything too intimate and there was to be no kissing involved. But as the story moved along, so did the network. The fans have embraced the story in a way even I couldn’t have imagined, and it’s meant a great deal to a lot of people out there.”
The lesbian story line was a surprise to Hannigan, but one she was more than willing to take on. “I know it upset some of the fans, but the truth is I’ve been so grateful to have been able to touch so many lives with this story. People walk up to me to this day and tell me thank you for bringing such a wonderful love story to life. I tell them it was the writers and Joss who are to thank. They did it and they did it in a respectful and loving way.”
The network was nervous about the onscreen romance, but Joss had a strategy for managing this. “We got away with it because we didn’t tell them what we were doing.”
There was some fan discontent in season four, over specific issues (like Willow and Tara), but mostly regarding the quality of the season. This discontent was misguided; while not all of the ambitions in season four were realized, the overall quality was strong. At the same time, it appeared that Joss was taking on too much.
“I really have no idea [how I will juggle two shows],” Joss admitted. “I am burned out already. [ Angel executive producer] David Greenwalt and I just stare at each other balefully and say, ‘What were we thinking?’ I think my life is over, and that’s just something I have to deal with. [Seriously], I don’t know how it’s done. Basically, it just means I work harder. We were working 16 hours a day on Buffy , and now we work 16 hours a day, but more concentrated. It’s more mentally exhausting. But it’s not like you can let it slide. I still don’t work on Sundays when I can avoid it. Now I’m actually firm about not working Sundays, since I’m so burned out after the week, more so than before.”
Joss wrote and directed the season four finale, Restless . Interestingly, Joss had resolved the main conflict (destroying the cyborg Adam) in the previous episode. The final episode is an extended dream sequence, featuring dreams by each of the four main characters as their sleep is invaded by the spirit of the first slayer.
This innovative episode creates a spooky and surreal David Lynch ambience and, like Hush , pushed Whedon as a writer and director. It covers a lot of territory, including a highly erotic scene of Willow body painting Tara, a battle with the first slayer and Armin Shimerman (the actor who played the Principal through season three) as Walter Kurtz from Apocalypse Now. Every scene is soaked with subtle meanings, references and foreshadowing. Except, Joss hastens to add, the cheese-man. “People never believe me when I say the cheese-man meant NOTHING,” Joss reveals. “Cheese makes me laugh.”
Season five
Like every season
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