O is for Oz

This month I'm participating in A to Z Challenge, where 100's of bloggers around the world challenge themselves to write every day for the month of April, working their way through the alphabet.  I'm stitching the Buffy The Vampire Slayer alphabet cross stitch pattern (available from my Etsy store).  Each day I will share that letter's stitching, as well as a bit about the relevant character.

O is for Daniel "Oz" Osbourne

Oz was the lead guitarist of the band Dingoes Ate My Baby, who regularly played at the Bronze nightclub, and Willow’s boyfriend. He became a member of the Scooby Gang after learning the truth about vampires during Buffy’s 17^th birthday party (which was also his first date with Willow).  Oz was bitten by his baby cousin and became a werewolf, turning on the night of the full moon and the two nights surrounding it.  He was originally a year ahead of Buffy and friends, however wound up repeating his senior year with them after failing his exams. 

Oz enrolled at UC Sunnydale with Buffy and Willow, however after meeting (and sleeping with) a female werewolf, Oz decided he needed to leave Sunnydale (and Willow) in order to better understand, and control, his werewolf side.  

Oz was the mono-syllabic, sarcastic, quiet character.  He didn't say much, but what he did say was usually relevant, on point, and funny.  He brought another male perspective to a female-heavy show, and gave Willow a romantic interest.  I enjoyed what Oz brought to the team, and was sad when he left, although the way Willow grew and changed without him was great.  

I'm still not sure how I feel/felt about the band name though.  For those who don't know, "Dingoes Ate My Baby" is based on the Chamberlain murder story from Australia - a family camping in Central Australia in 1980 woke one morning to discover their infant daughter, Azaria, missing.  Lindy, the baby's mother always claimed that a dingo must have taken Azaria during the night.  Lindy was convicted of Azaria's murder, and her husband Michael was convicted of being an accessory.  Both were later exonerated and received official pardons.  A coronial inquest in 2012 found that Azaria died "as a result of being attacked and taken by a dingo".  The Chamberlain story remains one of the most publicised and controversial stories in Australia's recent history and many people remain divided in their opinions to this day.  So to have a band named after the story as a joke (particularly since the show came out long before the most recent inquest) was a little 'on the nose' from an Australian's perspective.  Or maybe that's just me.

Happy Stitching