Tara Maclay is performed by AmberBenson.
Tara comes on the scene in "hush" when Willow notices her at a Wicca group meeting. both Tara and Willow are disappointed in the lack of spell casting (the groups leader wants to have a bake sale) so they go off on their own. when the Gentlemen arrive in their dorm, Tara and Willow join forces to move a vending machine to block the door. and so begins their friendship.
Tara has been practicing magic her entire life, taught by her mother. Willow looks to Tara for guidance and their freindship grows. Willow is with Tara any moment she is free from Scoob duty, but keeps the gang out of the loop. she enjoys the fact that their relationship is just hers. Willow finally introduces Tara to her freind just after Faith has taken over Buffy's body. Faith/Buffy is druel to tara and it is Tara, through her powerful intuition, that alerts Willow to the fact that her friend, isn't her friend. from this they become even closer and when Willow is forced to chose, she picks Tara over a recently returned Oz. the couple is finally outed to everyone in "the yoko factor" and it is Tara that is the dream guide in "restless". she is slowly working her way into the fold.
The next year sees Tara and will much more comfortable in their relationship. a true couple. though Tara still feels like an outsider when it comes to the Scoobs. that is until her backwoods family comes to visit. they have convinced her that she is a demon, who's presence will be shown on her 20th birthday, that needs their protection and they intend to take her away. Tara casts a spell that keeps the gang from seeing her true face, but which also keeps them from seeing any demons. this causes a small problem when the boil covered monsters Glory has sent to find the key pay a visit. despite this deceit the gang, headed up by Buffy, stand up for their newest member and send Tara's biological family packing. and, thanks to a punch in the face from Spike, they discover Tara is very much human. she officially belongs.When Joyce Dies,Tara tells Buffy that her mother was also was dead,when Tara was seventeen
Willow and Tara's relationship is put to the ultimate test when Tara is brain sucked by Glory, leaving her helpless and crazy.
Willow takes care of her like a spouse would, feeding her, giving her her medicine and protecting her. until the final battle with Glory, when Willow is able to reverse the spell and brings her girl back.moments after she is restored Buffy jumps to her death to save Dawn.
Tara spends the summer helping Willow take care of the Summer's home and Dawn. they have also been working on a plan to resurrect their friend. the spell is a success and Willow begins to realize her power. she abuses it and tara gives her an ultimatum. she needs to give up magic or Tara will leave. even though she makes the promise, willow uses magic to change tara's memory of an argument. the spell goes wrong and Tara discovers Will's secret.
She does what she promised and leaves her girlfriend. In the wake of their break-up will turns to her recently de-ratted witch friend Amy to ease her pain. the two go on a magic-spree which eventually takes willow to Rack's, a magic dealer. she hits bottom when she brings dawn there, leaving her in the lobby while she has a magic o.d. when she drives while under the influence she has an accident that breaks Sawn's arm and causes her to beg for Buffy's help. she begins her recovery and when she is strong enough, she slowly reconciles with Tara. they have a coffee date and afterwards Tara expresses that she knows they need to work on their relationship but she'd rather just be kissing Will.
The two make love and the next few days are spent in bed, researching ways to defeat the Troika. when they finally prepare to come back to the real world, a stray bullet, meant for Buffy and Xander, flies through window and hits Tara.Her lifeless body falls into Willow's arms.
Tara makes one more final apperance but it is her gravestone,Tara 's grave is soon collapsed along with all of Sunnydale