| “ | This is not about hate. It's about power. Willow always had all the power, long before she even knew what to do with it. Just came so easy for her. The rest of us—we had to work twice as hard to be half as good. But no one cares about how hard you work. They just care about cute, sweet Willow. | „ |
| ~ Amy |
Amy Madison is a supporting character in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Though she started off as a protagonist, she later becomes an antagonist.
She is portrayed by Elizabeth Anne Allen.
Biography[]
Amy was born to parents Catherine Madison and an unnamed man. Amy’s parents were high school sweethearts, with her mother Catherine being captain of the cheerleading squad at Sunnydale High. Under Catherine’s leadership, the squad at that time became tri-county champions, earning her mother a trophy which would be housed in the Sunnydale High trophy cabinet. These athletic achievements were difficult for Amy to live up to. Amy was overweight and this upset her athletic mother who was obsessed with her weight.
After Amy was born, her parents began to have heated arguments. Amy’s mother had started practicing witchcraft and when her father found out, he was infuriated. Young Amy often heard her parents arguing, her mother would argue about Amy’s father’s job and how he didn’t make much money, while Amy’s father would reply calling her a “witch” ,which Amy had no idea was accurate. When Amy entered middle school, she became close friends with Willow Rosenberg. Amy’s parents divorced when Amy was 12, with her father leaving her mother with bad mental health issues. Amy’s parents fought for custody of their daughter, which Catherine untimely won. Amy’s father started dating a younger woman known as “Miss Trailer Trash” by her mother. Her father also gave up contact with Amy. Amy’s mother entered cosmetology school to support herself and her daughter. Catherine proved to be a brilliant cosmetology, being able to afford an elegant home and buy Amy anything she wanted. However, Catherine also forced Amy and herself to only eat Broth if either of them gained “an ounce” because Catherine was determined to relive her glory days as a popular cheerleader through Amy, so she tried to make Amy skinny. Catherine went “crazy” after the divorce, frequently locking herself in the attic of their new house, where she would spend days in there alone. Amy often went to her Willow’s house, where the pair would eat brownies. After middle school, Catherine enrolled Amy in Sunnydale High School (Catherine’s alma mater). Hoping to relive her days as a cheerleader, Catherine forced Amy to train 6 hours a day, 3 in the morning and 3 in the evening. However, soon Catherine realised that Amy would never have the dexterity to be a cheerleader.
During Amy’s sophomore year, Catherine cast a Body Switching Spell to switch Catherine’s body with Amy’s. After this, Catherine (in Amy’s body) arranged for her daughter to be off school until the body lost weight. Catherine trained rigorously for months, but it was worth it when Amy’s body had become very thin. Catherine thought that with the body now thin, she would be a successful cheerleader again. However, at tryouts where she met Buffy Summers and her old friends Willow and Xander, something terrible happened. Amber Grove, a star gymnast who was trying out to be a cheerleader and had allegedly “turned down” the Laker Girls, spontaneously combusted during her audition. Amber’s hands were in big flames, but she was saved by Buffy. However, Amber’s hands were left severely injured. The next day, the cheerleaders had to tryout in groups. Catherine found herself restricted in her new body, realising that being thin wasn’t going to help her become a cheerleader again.
Catherine found that she didn’t make the squad, being the third alternate. Unwilling to accept this, Catherine performed dangerous hexes on cheerleaders (It was Catherine who caused Amber Grove to spontaneously combust). A girl who did make the cheerleading squad, Lishanne Davis, had her mouth erased in the middle of biology class, and mean girl Cordelia Chase (another cheerleader) went blind. Surprisingly, the snobby cheerleader captain, Joy, was not hexed. However, it is possible that this was because Catherine chose to spell Buffy (the first alternate) instead with a Blood Stone Vengeance Spell, which made the victim consume dark magic equivalent to alcohol, making Buffy hyper, then sad and bored, then sick, with only a few hours left to live before Buffy died. As Catherine (disguised as Amy) had become friends with Buffy, it is possible she only hexed Buffy instead of Joy because she wanted to stop the Scooby Gang from undoing her spells. As such, there was a spare place in the team for Amy (Catherine).
During a basketball game, Amy and the other cheerleaders were doing their routine. Giles and Buffy (who was terminally sick) went to visit Catherine Madison (really Amy in her mothers body). Though at first Giles started shouting, Buffy realised Amy was in her mother’s body after seeing a plate of nibbled brownies (which Catherine would never eat). After this, Giles promised to help Amy get her body back. Amy reluctantly showed Giles the attic, where they found Catherine’s cauldron and spell books (which were guarded by Catherine’s pet cat). The three then went to school, practicing magic in the science lab. It was a difficult spell to cast, but Giles ultimately managed to undo all of Catherine’s spells ever cast. Meaning Cordelia’s vision returned, Lishanne’s mouth returned, Buffy felt better, and possibly Amber’s injuries healed. However, Catherine got visions of her spells being undone and then tried to stop them, but failed. After returning to their own bodies, Catherine turned against her daughter, and then she and Buffy had a brawl. Catherine cast one of the most difficult and powerful spells known, a Curse of Corsheth. This spell would trap the victim in an object, with them fully aware of their presence but nobody being able to hear them. However, Buffy reflected the spell with a mirror and Catherine disappeared. Under the effects of her own spell, Catherine became trapped in her old cheerleading trophy she won decades before. The only signs of her presence were her moving eyes and a muffled voice, pleading for help. Nobody except Catherine herself were aware of her state. Amy began living with her father after this and remained friends with the Scoobies.
A year later, Amy was in some of the Scoobies classes. After Xander noticed her handing in “invisible homework” he realised Amy had inherited her mother’s magic and no longer bothered doing work on assignments, so he blackmailed her into casting a Love Spell so he and Cordelia Chase (his ex-girlfriend) would fall in love with him and then he would break up with her, humiliating her like she did to him. However, Amy’s spell went wrong, with every girl in Sunnydale except for Cordelia falling in love with Xander (including Amy herself). Amy and Buffy fought over Xander, and after a punch from Buffy, Amy turned Buffy into a rat. However, after the spell broke, Amy returned Buffy to her human form.
Another year later, Amy had begun spending time with closeted football quarterback Larry. Amy hoped he would ask her to prom (unaware he was gay). However, a demon came disguised as two young children found dead in a playground. Amy, Willow and their friend Michael (all practicing witchcraft) cast a spell that would stop any mishaps on Buffy’s upcoming birthday. However, the supposed death of the two children caused all the parents of Sunnydale to form a mob and kidnap Amy and Willow (because they were witches) and Buffy (who was not a witch but the Slayer) and tied the three up, intending to burn them at the stake. Amy, unwilling to accept this, cast a spell on herself to turn herself into a rat to avoid execution. After Buffy slayed the demon, Willow tried to bring Amy back from her rat form. However, Buffy declared they’d have to buy Amy “one of those wheely-things” and they accepted it was unlikely Amy would be appearing at Buffy’s birthday party.
Willow and Buffy went to college at UC Sunnydale, bringing Amy the Rat with them. They kept her in a cage. When Willow was struggling with her powers as a witch, she mentioned Amy. With anything Willow said coming true, she said that Amy was “one minute, she’s just a normal human girl, the next she’s a rat.” During the first half of this sentence, Amy the Rat, who was out of the cage, briefly returned to human form. However, before she could speak to Willow and Buffy, Willow said the second half of the sentence and Amy became a rat again.
3 years after becoming a rat, Willow (who had broken up with her girlfriend, Tara) had become obsessed with witchcraft and began casting spells as an everyday way of life. This led to Tara ending her relationship with Willow. Willow finally found a way to end Amy’s spell by ending all the spells Amy ever cast. Amy then retried to her human form. Amy was scared by noises due to not being used to being human. However, after reacquainting herself with Willow (learning Willow was now a lesbian, for example), Amy learned she was a rat for 3 years. She learned that Larry (her crush) was gay and dead, and that high school was over. Amy reacquainted briefly with Buffy, and then Willow agreed to join Amy by going to the Bronze nightclub, in order to sooth Amy’s frantic mind and help her think about what to say to her father. While at the Bronze, Amy met two cute boys and danced with them. However, after Amy came back to Willow, one of the boys asked her out and tried to get her to join them again in another dance (despite her repeatedly saying “no”). After one of the boys is homophobic to Willow, Amy casts a spell, making the boys clothes disappear and locking them in cages on the roof, with them hanging like chandeliers. Amy and Willow then caused havoc at the Bronze with their magic.
The next morning, Amy and Willow returned home, to find Dawn and Tara earring breakfast. Seeing Amy, Tara thinks Willow is dating Amy and gets jealous. Amy tries to be friendly once Willow explains that Amy was “the rat” and let’s slip that Willow performed lots of heavy magic at the Bronze. Amy leaves to go see her father and Willow tries to redeem herself with Tara. Later in the evening, Amy takes Willow to see Rack (a sort of Warlock drug dealer who Amy had been visiting prior to becoming a rat) whom is pleased to see Amy healthy and meets Willow. After Willow gets Dawn involved, Dawn nearly gets killed. Buffy is mad at Willow and Amy. It’s discovered Amy stole magical ingredients to erase her father’s memory of the past 3 years, so he’d forget that Amy was ever missing.
Amy visits Willow, taking the cage with her. Willow is angry at Amy for introducing Rack to her. Willow is trying to earn everyone’s respect back by never practising witchcraft again. However, Amy puts a spell forcing Willow to do Magic. After this nearly causes Buffy to get killed, Willow is infuriated. Amy visits the next day, telling Willow she’s got a new apartment down the street. She asks for household supplies, but Willow orders her to leave and never return. Amy angrily leaves.
A year later, Willow, having recently flayed Warren Mears alive, gets cursed so she appears as Warren. It turns out Warren was saved by Amy and he is skinless, relying on her witchcraft to survive. They are now a couple, though Warren doesn’t actually appear. Willow and her new girlfriend Kennedy (a potential Slayer) visit a coven called the Daughters of Gaea, hoping they can undo the curse. It is later revealed by Amy to Kennedy that Amy cursed Willow because she has it so “easy” though it’s actually because of what she did to her boyfriend. Willow is saved and returns to her original appearance.