Faith

[cyclica]

Maybe she just meant she didn't have friends like willow and xander.

Didn't she say in another episode she and some other kids would jump off high rocks into the sea or something, and only faith was brave enough to jump off the highest rock?

[partcynic]

I like Faith quite a bit, but I'm not sure if I would have wanted anything extra on her beyond what we were given. My feelings: Faith was originally a character intended to be used and discarded after 3 eps, so she was construed as a fairly easy to understand shadow side of Buffy. Pretty cool, but I enjoyed Faith the same way I enjoy Snyder, Anya and Tara - very much, but only in small doses. That said, what we were shown of Faith was very good (especially her relationship with the Mayor), and Eliza Dushku's performances were excellent.

I think that Faith as a child, only had a mother. Her father probably left when she was very young or before she was born. In Enemies, Faith mentions how her mother was too busy with the drinking and passing out parts of life to really pay any attention to her. The drinking could have been an effect of Faith's father leaving. If I were to guess how Faith's mother died, I'm thinking not a supernatural death but something to do with her alcoholism when Faith was very young.

I think this is a pretty strong take on Faith's past. I imagine she grew up with just her mother (she quite possibly never knew her father), and the family alcohol problems probably led to her growing up way too fast, as well as cementing her issues with always feeling alone. Ditto for her having major problems with trust (especially in romantic relationships). I don't know if I'd say she might have been abused post her mother's death - the dialogue in "Consequences" sounds more to me like describing slimy men who try and get into her bed under the pretence of friendship than anything darker.

Her relationship with her first Watcher seems fairly interesting - in "Faith, Hope and Trick" she seemed genuinely upset about her death, implying that there was some kind of bond between them. It might have been that Faith's Watcher was one of the few people she felt she could trust, but then this was destroyed when Kakistos murdered her, re-emphasising to Faith that she was just as alone in slaying as in the rest of her life. Obviously, Faith is rebellious and very misgiving of authority, but she has the potential to form trust bonds if the other person can break through her emotional walls.

I also agree that Faith's issues with Buffy are about her own massive jealously and feelings of loss. "Who Are You" did an amazing job of showing how it isn't just Buffy's birth circumstance and upbringing that earn her respect and heroism, but the good, caring person she is (well... was). It must have been very painful for Faith to realise that.

Analysing these characters is actually quite fun - maybe once we've gone over Faith we could do another character?

[Twisted Slayer]

Only thing I got to say is that Faith and Buffy kick ass. The best characters EVER. I don't know why I love Faith Lehane, but I do!