Tara is introduced in Season Four as a member of a campus Wicca group to which Willow Rosenberg also belongs. In many ways, the painfully shy and quiet Tara is reminiscent of Willow of seasons past. As Willow's romantic relationship with Oz caused her to bloom, it is through Tara that Willow becomes a powerful young woman, and through Willow that Tara's confidence grows. As the season progresses, it becomes increasingly clear the pair are destined for a romantic liaison. Willow realizes Tara is the person she loves, choosing Tara over her ex-boyfriend Oz. The two thus became one of the few lesbian couples on television and the first-ever prime-time lesbian couple which included a starring character. Magic came to serve as a metaphor for lesbianism and love.

 

Not much is known about Tara's past. She was born on October 16, 1980 (as seen in the Season Seven episode "Help"). Her family life was clearly traumatic, and she had not had many friends before meeting Willow. In the episode "The Body," Tara tells Buffy she lost her mother when she was 17, at which point she went through a brief rebellious period. The episode "Family" reveals that her father had told her at a young age that her mother – who also had magic talent – was of partial demon descent, and thus predisposed to evil. After she finds out this was merely a lie designed to keep control over her – confirmed when Spike punches Tara, his chip causing him pain and thus confirming her human status – Tara's ties with her family seem entirely severed, leaving Willow and the Scooby Gang her only remaining loved ones, her new family. In the episode "Tough Love", Willow points out Tara has been out longer than Willow has, perhaps implying Willow is not Tara's first girlfriend. It is also implied through a comment her brother made her family may have been abusive.