Willow has become dark and she is learning to embrace her powers. But is the reality she thinks she sees true or will it destroy her friends forever?
Note: This recap may contain spoilers!
When Willow killed Hungrus, all her powers opened up and she became Dark Willow. We spend the issue seeing the world from her eyes, tracking the journey Willow has made thus far and the path she must continue to walk to complete her destiny.
Hungrus exploded, all her atoms scattered, screaming. Willow followed them, discovering more about the path she was about to take. She learned how to see inside her friends, to know them better. Or so she says. The psychoanalysis of all the Scooby Gang seems spot-on, but what Willow takes away from it seems a bit twisted.
Xander is afraid of being left behind, he needs his friendships, but he is also becoming stronger in the person he is meant to be. Spike is a hall of mirrors, who has melded all his existences into one. And he cares about Xander, there’s no doubt about that. Their crab creature also loves Xander, and his love is without bounds.
Giles is weighed down by the guilt and suffering of the people he’s responsible for. He can’t carry this burden alone and Willow thinks he needs her, even if Giles doesn’t know it yet. Faith acts like she doesn’t need the Scooby Gang, but she cares for them. Also, she’s the only one who realizes Willow is in their heads, so that’s another wrinkle Willow must contend with. Worse of all is Buffy, who is aimless and alone without her Slayer destiny. Yet she’s still dreaming of the life she’s meant to lead.
The Scooby Gang is bound by pain and Willow understands that. She often communes with Xander’s crab creature, and they see the world from two different sides. He sees the world as infinite possibilities and good, while Willow just sees pain. And that’s what fuels her, what shapes the destiny she thinks she has.
Willow knows she needs to unite with the power inside her, become one, so that she can help her friends and take away their pain. To do that, she needs to undo reality and return them all to being particles in the cosmos. Seems quite a drastic action, and not one that holds much logical grounding, but Willow is fueled by what she believes is right. We must hope that the Scooby Gang can reach her and bring her back from the edge before she destroys everything.
Rating: 4 / 5 Stars
