A couple Tara questions.

[The Ferg]

1. On "New Moon Rising", when Oz (to Tara) was like, "Is that Willow's shirt? [etc, etc] Her scent is all over you, do you realize that?": Did Willow and Tara just have sex right before that? I know, I'm a pervert, but seriously, that was the impression I got.

2. Was Tara gay before she met Willow?

[Tru Mackney]

I don't know about the first question, but I think she was gay before she met Willow...

[Rowan Hawthorn]

My impression has always been that Tara and Willow never "went all the way" until the end of New Moon Rising, but it's clear that Willow had been staying the night in Tara's room sometimes. And Willow had been crying on Tara's shoulder, they were holding each other, just prior to Tara meeting Oz (remember, both Willow and Tara say they have to get to class when Willow goes to Tara's room,) and Tara is wearing the same sweater Willow had been wearing earlier. So, not surprising that someone with a wolf's sense of smell could smell her scent on Tara.

And Tara knew she was gay before meeting Willow - Willow even comments in one episode about Tara being out longer than her. I don't believe we ever heard how long, though, not like Kennedy, who tells Willow she's known since she was five. We also never heard (that I can recall) if Tara's ever had a girlfriend prior to Willow. My guess is no, not really.

[Buffy obsessed fan]

They didn't have sex, they just were together, which is pretty much why he could smell Willow on her.

And it's never really mentioned if she was gay before she met Willow, but I figure she was, 'cause she seemed to love Willow before Willow realised she was gay. I don't think she'd really been with anyone before Willow, though.

[Rowan Hawthorn]

They didn't have sex, they just were together, which is pretty much why he could smell Willow on her.

And it's never really mentioned if she was gay before she met Willow

I just realized the original poster might not have seen this:

From"Tough Love", Season Five:
TARA: Is that no spelled Y-E-S?
WILLOW: S-O-R-T of. (Tara frowns) I mean, I just feel like the-the junior partner. You've been doing everything longer than me. You've been out longer

[littlewilly]

tara was gay before she met wilow. definetly.

and did they have sex that night, well. thats up 2 you. they did in my mind...:lmao:

[Spuffy is true love]

I think the because it was willows shirt he could smell her.

Even if it wasn't haven't you ever been around a guy or girl for only a little bit and their smell gets on you. It happens, and with Oz's super smell it is magnified.

And yes Tara was definatley Gay before willow (see SPoiler) good job RH

[palabravampiress]

Oz wolfed out (due to jealousy) immediately after picking up Willow's scent on Tara. Also, those spells that Willow and Tara had been getting up to were some pretty darn sexy spells. Like the rose petal spell... you don't have to look too far into the metaphor, there. I think a sexual connection is very strongly implied, even though there is no way of knowing for sure *exactly* how far they'd taken things. Suffice it to say that it made Oz realize what was up -- and he wasn't wrong. To me, it seemes pretty obvious that the wolf man was picking up some olfactory clues as to his former love's sapphic nature.

Let's look at other times similar senses have come up: 1. When she dumps him, Drusilla says Buffy is "all around" Spike. Her strange, future seeing senses picked up on the Buffy/Spike connection, and she wasn't wrong. 2. Angel smelled Spike on Buffy. He wasn't wrong, either. A lot of times, characters' extra or enhanced senses pick up on relationships that have not been clearly defined in the text. It's not necessarily sex that they're picking up on, but something even more threatening: a genuine connection. I think that when a character's enhanced or extra senses pick up something like that about his or her mate, a sexual connection is strongly implied, but that an emotional connection is the bigger stumbling block. I see it as kind of the real world equivalent of intuition. You know that feeling that you have when you just *know* there is someone else in your partner's life, even if you can't prove it? It's like that. The point isn't necessarily how far they've gone physically, the point is that it's out of the original partner's hands.