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Demon? Goddess? These are two of the many
ideas floating around as to who Tara is. From the beginning, Tara has been a woman of mystery. There are very few facts known
about her. She makes her first appearance in the landmark episode Hush. In this episode she meets Willow Rosenberg
and they quickly make a connection that eventually leads to love. Here's what
we know of Tara, she is a young witch who attends the University of California at Sunnydale. Her age, last name, year in college
are all unknown, though we can assume she's not a senior as she is coming back for another year at UC Sunnydale. We are also
unaware of where she comes from or who her parents are. There are a few hints to her background. We know her mother was very
powerful. In Hush, Tara tells Willow that her mother was very "powerful, like you." While many assume her mother is
a witch, the sentence is deliberately vague. She also mentions a grandmother. In The I in Team, Tara tries to give
Willow a gift, a doll's eye crystal. When Willow asks her where she got it, Tara responds, "In my attic, it was my grandmother's,
I think." Another very vague response, but we do get a sense that grandmother might have practiced magic as well (why else
would she have a crystal?). We don't get any more background information until Where The Wild Things Are. In this episode,
Willow is describing a bad experience with a pony and her dislike for horses. Tara suggests that she ride with her, "I learned
to ride when I was little." Another vague statement, it does suggest a normal childhood where she learned things like horse
riding. However, she doesn't say when I was a little girl. So we are left wondering, when she was a little what? No more information
is given about Tara's background. Her powers are many. We know she's a witch
because she was at a wicca meeting when she met Willow. She also does not mind being called one by Willow and other people.
She seems to have a lot of spells memorized. She is not an unprepared wicca. In Superstar she defends herself with
a quick spell (in Latin no less) that produces smoke from her hands. She was also able to come up with a spell on how to visit
the nether realms (a spell that doesn't seem easy or safe). Despite of all of this, her statements also imply that she doesn't
think of herself as very powerful. When Willow introduces Tara, she says, "she's a really powerful wicca," which Tara denies
by shaking her head. It may be that she's hiding something, or she's modest or maybe insecure. Tara also has what some describe
as a "spidey" sense. She can sense things that no one else seems to. We first see this in Who Are You, where she is
able to sense that Buffy wasn't in her body. We see it again in Where The Wild Things Are, here she senses something
is wrong with the house (it's possessed by poltergeists). At one point, she is on the top of the stairs, where the scoobies
are frantically trying to get Buffy and Riley out, and gets distracted by something. She walks away and stares down into the
living room just before the whole house starts shaking. Some people think she caused the shaking, it's more likely that she
sensed an energy build up. All these things are suggestive of her having strong powers. People
have wild ideas about who or what Tara is and most of this stems from one episode, Goodbye Iowa. Willow comes over
to do a spell, but she makes it clear that she doesn't come over for just the spells. Tara says she doesn't mind. Willow explains
that this spell helps them find "demonic energy in the area." Then she says, "We contact the goddess Thespia." Tara interrupts,
"The goddess Thespia? Are you sure we're ready for that?" When they begin to do the spell, Tara is supposed to throw some
dust, instead she puts it under her bed, ruining the spell. She allows Willow to think that they couldn't make the spell work
after following all the right steps. Tara's fear has been attributed to two things, being afraid of Willow seeing where the
"demonic energy" is or Tara's afraid of the goddess Thespia. Either way, Tara has a secret. Tara
had two important stories in season 4. One was her secret, this story line was made more important in the season finale, Restless.
In this episode, Tara is seen as a presence in Buffy's dream. Here she speaks about the coming of Dawn and Buffy's future.
Only the other slayer, Faith, had been able to do speak to Buffy like this. She also is chosen as the voice of the first slayer.
It is unclear whether Tara is consciously in the dream or merely a manifestation in it, although, Buffy's mind picking Tara's
image seems unlikely. Restless acts like a setup for the future revelation of Tara's secret. The
other major arc was Tara's relationship with Willow. A witchy connection was made right away and it was clear from the beginning
that the relationship was more than just friendly. By the time Who Are You aired, it was becoming obviously clear where
this was headed. Everyone's speculation ended in New Moon Rising, when Willow declared her love for Tara. Tara's devotion
for Willow has never been in question. This has been the one constant for Tara. Their relationship continued strong through
the end of season 4. The season finale hinted at possible future problems for the happy couple. Tara's secret will play a
part in the dynamics between the two witches. Willow is aware of the mystery of Tara as evidenced by her dream. In the dream,
Tara says, "you don't know everything about me." Willow wants to know, "Do I know your real name?" Tara replies, "Oh, you
know that." The conversation is strange, interpretations vary. However, Willow is aware of Tara's secrets.
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