Tara Maclay

Warning: Wikipedia contains spoilers.

Tara was introduced in the popular episode Hush, in the fourth season of the show. A member of Sunnydale University's Wicca group, she encountered Willow Rosenberg, herself a practising witch.

As the season progressed, it became increasingly clear that the pair were destined for a romantic liason. Willow realised that Tara was the person she loved, choosing Tara over her ex-boyfriend Oz. The two thus became one of the few lesbian couples on television.

Not so much is known about Tara. Her family life was clearly traumatic - in fact she was told at a young age that she was partially of demon descent. This transpired to be a lie told by her father to keep control over her. After this discovery, Tara's ties with her family seemed entirely severed, with Willow and the Scooby Gang her only remaining loved ones.

Tara was never officially considered one of the main characters on the show, with Amber Benson's name not appearing in the main credits. However, through her relationship with Willow, she did play an important role in the story on several occasions, such as at the end of the fifth season, when the evil goddess Glory sucked her mind out, leaving her in a childlike state until Willow cured her, or in season six, when Willow's magic addiction caused Tara to leave her.

Most important of all, Tara was killed, randomly, by a stray bullet aimed at Buffy, near the end of season six, in the episode Seeing Red. As a result, Willow was propelled into a destructive fury, and soon attempted to destroy the world.

Thus the character of Tara ended, after approximately two and a half years on the show. After Tara's death, it was fiercely debated whether it constituted an example of a cliche in television that lesbian relationships usually turn out badly, often with one partner dying or turning out to be evil.