10 Smartest Moments In Buffy The Vampire Slayer
7. Tricking Willow Into Finding Her Humanity – Giles (Season 6, Episode 22)
Willow plummets into a dark place at the end of Season 6. In the wake of Tara’s murder, she absorbs the black arts and goes hunting for revenge. She then murders Warren by flaying him alive before turning her attention to Jonathan and Andrew.
The other members of the Scooby Gang do their best to stop her killing anyone else, but they’re totally overpowered by Willow’s spells…at least until Giles shows up. In the final episode of the season, the two of them have a magical standoff. At the end of the battle, Willow extracts Giles’ remaining power, and this is the root of her undoing:
“It did what I hoped it would do…The magic she took from me tapped into the spark of humanity she had left. It helped her to feel again.”
Whilst Xander deserves credit for blowing this spark into something more substantial, Giles’ intervention was essential. If it wasn’t for his foresight, Willow’s destructive plan would have succeeded.