Dark!Willow is in control and I suspect she will exert her wrath even more after the events of this issue. Loss and grief can do a lot of things to a person, especially if they have the power of magic behind them.
Note: This recap may contain spoilers!
We begin in the aftermath of Dark!Willow’s appearance. Buffy wakes up disheveled and concerned over what has happened to her friend. Both she and Giles keep trying to reach her, appeal to the softer Willow that they know, but it’s of little use. Dark!Willow is too powerful and the regular Willow’s trapped inside, unable to emerge.
But there is someone that can connect with Willow, and it’s what’s been urging her onward for most of her life. Willow sees Xander in a red light vision, speaking the words of connection between them. If Willow’s sick, he wants to be sick, too. They are two halves to a whole, a shared soul, and that will carry them through. And it’s also what breaks Dark!Willow’s hold over her. It’s telling that Willow’s first thought upon emergence is to seek out Xander.
Unfortunately, the best friend turned vampire is not doing very well outside. Faith is ready to stake his unconscious form, but he wakes up and takes control again. He even managed to get a bite to Faith’s neck before Kendra throws him off. Had they remained in that face-off, of two Slayers versus one vampire, I feel the outcome of the fight would have been much different. But, alas, it did not.
Willow comes outside with the rest of the gang, ordering Xander to stop. This distraction proved deadly for Xander, since it allowed Faith to come up behind him and stake him in the back. Willow watches in horror as her best friend turns to dust in front of her eyes. And that kind of trauma is not going to turn out well for anyone involved; not Willow, nor those around her.
Death cannot be the end of their bond. Willow is enraged and sure that she can use the soul tie to find Xander once again because he cannot be gone. This leads to the next chapter in our saga, as Willow opens a portal that has the whole gang, minus Faith and Robin, traveling to parts unknown. We aren’t yet privy to where they ended up, or whether they all emerged in the same reality. But wherever they are, it’s sure to be interesting! Onward to more mysteries ahead.
Rating: 4 / 5 Stars
