The 511 -- More Story Arcs

Following is one of the story arcs that has to do with the characters' relationships (romantic & otherwise) on the show. While it is important and does help drive the main story arcs, it's a bit less central to the overarching mythology of the show.

a werewolf in love  willow on caffeine? 

Willow and Oz

Oz first spies Willow at the Bronze when she's standing alone in her eskimo outfit in Inca Mummy Girl. He's onstage playing guitar and is immediately smitten with her. He's got no idea that she's got a big, unrequited thing for Xander, see Willow & Xander story arc. Anyhoo, when he goes to talk to her to find out who she is, she's yanked away by Buffy. Oz is left to wonder, "Who is that girl?"

In Halloween, Oz runs into Willow again, only this time she's wearing a ghost costume, so he has no idea that it's her. Suffice it to say that Willow, covered entirely in a big sheet, can't see Oz either. Which probably explains the bumping-into-each-other thing. Later that night, though, Willow's cast her sheet aside and is strutting across the street when Oz notices her again! He's pulled his van to a stop at the intersection just as she walks by. Again, Oz wonders, "Who is that girl?!".

Oz gets his big break in What's My Line...Willow's the only other student chosen for her computer skills by a company who's recruiting for Career Day. It's in part two of this episode that Oz saves Willow's life by taking a bullet in the arm for her. Later when she thanks him, he gets embarrassed, compliments her smile, and makes her laugh with his speculations about animal crackers. It's all about the monkey, the only cookie animal that gets to wear clothes.

Willow tells Buffy that she kind of does like Oz -- he has nice hands! -- and she's encouraged to talk to Oz about it. So Willow approaches Oz in Surprise and he asks her out. She declines, then invites him to be her date to Buffy's surprise party. Oz agrees, and it's in this episode that Oz becomes privy to the knowledge that "vampires are real, a lot of 'em live in Sunnydale" -- Willow fills him in.

In Innocence, Willow's upset because she's just learned that Xander and Cordy are sort of an item, so she asks Oz if he wants to make out with her. She's unhappy when Oz says no, he won't. But her mood picks up considerably when he tells her why he won't...Oz remarks that it looks like she's just trying to even the score with Xander, and "that's on the empty side." He basically lets her know that he wants her to be kissing him, not thinking of Xander. Oz tells her that he can wait for her.

So in Phases, Oz finds out he's a werewolf, but he also learns that Willow still likes him. This episode establishes Oz and Willow as a couple, finally!

The coupledom remains intact for the rest of Season 2. In Becoming part II, Willow's in the hospital, unconscious. When Xander tells her that he loves her in an effort to get her to wake up, she does. The first word out of her mouth? "Oz.."! And, wouldn't you know it, Oz has just come in to see her. Woo!

Looks like Oz 'n' Will are still quite the couple; in Anne, we learn that they've been together all summer. And since Oz had too many incompletes and blew off summer school, he's back again as a senior. Okay, Willow's not too jazzed about that, but hey...it works for me!

Okay, hit a slight rift here..in Lovers Walk, Oz gets clued in to the fact that Willow's sorta been cheating on him with Xander! Oz sees Willow and Xander in a clinch, and goes kind of non-verbal...well, I mean, later they show him strumming his guitar. This totally bites. Who knows, maybe a lot of the grovel thing will work for Willow??

Well, in The Wish, Willow's trying to hunt down Oz to get him to chat with her about what's happened and all. And she gets a rude awakening...this time Oz isn't letting it be all about her. He basically lets her know that he's angry and hurt and that no matter how much she wants to feel better about it, it's not his responsibility. He keeps his cool and doesn't burn any pictures of her..at least, not any we've seen! So right now the 'ship isn't back on track. Yikes.

Okay, so Willow and Oz have sort of gotten back on track in Amends. At least, they're trying. Oz wants to forgive Willow and try again because he misses her, they hug, and they hang out at her house for a night of romance. Sorta. Willow tries too hard to let Oz know that he's the one she wants, and Oz can't exactly deal with it. He's flabbergasted and tells her that he's not ready to be her first. Will's confused because she correctly thinks that Oz has been there, done that before, but Oz tells her that this is different. Woo hoo! The guy must love her or something. Dangit...Oz rocks. Where's an Oz when you need one? Heh.

The couple that saves each other, craves each other? Well..if it's not Oz coming to Willow's rescue (as in Gingerbread), then it's Willow "saving" Oz (as in Phases or The Zeppo). You have to like the dedication. Sure, any slayerette will save any other slayerette, but it's nifty for the couple to keep it up. I just felt like saying that.

Oz and Willow are still in couple mode in Choices. They do the sitting next to each other thing at lunch, and later Oz tells Xander that there's nobody like his Will. (Prompted in part by the nifty diagram she drew for them to help them make up the spell ritual goop to destroy the Box of Gavrok). Anyhoo, Oz gets into protector mode yet again. When he learns that Willow's been captured by Faith and the Mayor, and that Wesley's pushing for destroying the box and sacrificing Willow, he kind of loses it. He knocks over the spell pot thing that has the goop in it. Later, after Willow's been traded for the box, he moves in front of her in a protective gesture. See? The guy still cares. I'm sure Willow probably cares, too, I guess.

Well, nothing huge here...when Willow feels weird about being at The Prom because of the hell hound problem at hand, Oz reassures her that everything's okay and that Buffy will take care of it. He reassures her that Buffy wouldn't let anything happen to them. Gosh.

Okay, new thing in the relationship. In Graduation part I, Willow and Oz are looking for a spell that might thwart the Ascension. Willow is extremely freaked -- and hey, who wouldn't be -- well, okay, except for Oz. Willow freaks out and asks Oz to care about it too, instead of just being ironic detachment guy. She basically asks him to panic. Oz's idea of panic? Smooch the heck out of her and ...well, consummate the relationship (off-screen, of course). So..there you have it. Willow liked the experience, Oz liked the experience, they were moved by it. Then they had to go help Buffy discover what poison Angel has in him, and how to counteract it, if possible. I tell you, this couple never quits. Okay, where does one find a guy who panics like Oz? She joked! Really!

Update! Well...college was looking good for the relationship, nights spent in dorm rooms and such..until the She-wolf (er, werewolf) Veruca came along. She's the egg that upset the applecart, or however you want to mix your metaphors and cliches and such. Basically Ozwolf and Verucawolf did the mating thingy, Willow found out, Oz killed Verucawolf when Vwolf tried to kill Willow, and Oz decided now'd be a good time to pull a Buffy and bail. So bail he has. Don't know when we'll see him again, and so there you go. Sure, Willow and Oz declared their mutual love before he hit the pavement, but hey...this is a tv show. Stuff happens. So this relationship is in Weird Place now.

More 511/Relationships

Buffy and Angel are in The 411/Mythology section.


The 411/Mythology

The 511/Relationships

The 611/Slayerships

The ABCs of Sunnydale

The Episodes

Dingo Action

Sunnydale

Main Entrance

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Pic of Willow courtesy of Cynthia, visit her at Star-Crossed Lovers!

This page last updated on November 9, 1999.

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