Faith Is The Substance of Things Hoped For, The Evidence Of Things Not Seen

A prominent character in the past few episodes we have watched is Faith. She is a very intriguing character and her presence on the show raises a lot of questions about what a slayer is and what her capabilities are, both for good and for evil. Faith has been through a lot during her presence on the show. The audience has seen her battle some very fierce demons (both internal and external). However, by the end of consequences, the audience is left without much faith in this character. She has coincided with the evil mayor. This begs the question "Is the slayer strong enough to handle the pressures that come with her job?" If Buffy had remained dead, Faith would be the last hope for the world. Since the rule says that when a slayer dies, only then is a new one called, does this mean the world would have just been out of luck? Her betrayal also requires that one reconsider the wisdom of The Council. Faith obviously has some mental instability and to think they would call someone who would crack so easily under these circumstances is questionable. A slayers strength, mind, and heart, is meant to be continually concerned with the protection of mankind.

What should also be considered is Faith's influence on Buffy. In Bad Girls the audience really sees a connection between Buffy and Faith. Faith can relate to Buffy in a way that none of Buffy's other friends can because she is a slayer. Buffy feels the same exhilaration when fighting demons and vampires that Faith can easily put into words and often expresses with grunting noises. However, Faith has confused the exhilaration and power the slayer feels when hunting demons with the thrill and desire to kill that can be compared to a vampire's thirst for blood. A slayer-turned-killer is a very dangerous force. Is Faith a Darth Vader in the making, or will her road to recovery soon be discovered?

"One Is The Loneliest Number"

Generally speaking, a popular belief is that there is strength in numbers. The Buffy series depicts how well this idea works. Throughout the show it is beneficial to Buffy and the salvation of the world that Buffy is accompanied by Giles, her friends, and other slayers. The last episode of season 2 and the first few episodes of season 3 do a wonderful job of contrasting the idea of an army verses an individual. In Buffy's case, in particular, she struggles a great deal with handling things on her own. In the beginning of the series she values the help of her friends both in her teenage life and her slaying life. When Kendra comes along she learns to accept the help of another slayer though she realizes this does not relieve her of her own slaying duties. Things change for Buffy in the season 2 finale as she kills Angel and leaves town without a word to anyone. This sets up the stage for the premier of season 3. In "Anne" Buffy is happy with her solitude. But by the end of the episode she realizes she can not function properly without her friends and family. This is a bit uncanny for a slayer. As Kendra pointed out, the slayer must maintain a secret identity and, thus, remove her self from the distractions of friends and family. Buffy truly is an exceptional case, though. Her friends and family seem to be her source of power and strength. They appear to give Buffy a purpose for her duties. When she was without them she was not fulfilling her calling. Unlike other slayers, Buffy does not kill vampires because she enjoys it or because she realizes it as her duty. It seems as though she has a more personal reason for slaying. Like a mother protecting her young or a shepherd protecting his flock, Buffy slays to protect those whom she loves. When Buffy allows her friends to stand behind her and empower her, she is a stronger individual.

"Because, I'm A Lady"

In the episodes "Surprise" and "Innocence" Buffy is turning 17 and these episodes are based around her surprise 17th birthday party. These two episodes show a lot of scenes where the viewer knows that Buffy is growing up and becoming a woman who is capable of overcoming trials as she chooses the path that will benefit humankind. In the beginning of the episode, Buffy asks her mom about getting her licence. She lists reasons as to why she is more mature and responsible. Throughout the season, the viewers have seen Buffy take on more responsibility for her actions and therefore, the viewers have a better realization of Buffy's becoming a woman than her own mother does.
During, "Innocence" we truly see Buffy taking responsibility for her actions. She has not only "become a woman" in the physical and sexual sense, but emotionally she is dealing with a traumatic experience the way any grown woman would. This is one of the better portrayals of her being a feminine hero. We see her reaction to the realization that she has turned Angel back into Angelous bring about a flurry of emotions that are difficult for her to control as a woman, but as a hero she must make a firm and sound decision that will change her life: the decision to kill Angelous. By the end of the season, we can see that Buffy's decision is solidified. She has taken the time to deal with her feelings and has made, what she knows to be, the best decision. Buffy is no longer a girl who is trying to deal with the fact that her fate is sealed. She is a woman, making decisions that determine her destiny, and she is understanding and dealing with the consequences.

Slayer Syndrome

For this blog, since we weren't given a particular topic to write about, I decided to focus on Giles and his relationship with Buffy as the Slayer and his relationship with Buffy as a person. We've already seen Giles growing attachment for Buffy as he tries to understand her thoughts and desires. He describes her as very complex and sees immediately that she is truly and extraordinary individual. He often seems to lose faith in her powers. This is exemplified in the numerous times that he makes the decision to go fight in Buffy's stead when she loses faith in herself and decides to "quit" the slaying "business". Of the episodes that we have watched, however, the Halloween is the only one in which Giles actually gets to show the audience what he is capable of. He is able to take charge only when Buffy, herself, is unable to complete her task (being stuck in the body of a colonial woman), and when the spell was broken Buffy lived up to her calling. So, it is evident that, though Giles often feels the need to protect Buffy from her daunting fate, he maintains a great deal of confidence in his slayer.

What's My Line? Part 1 and 2 also show Giles' care for Buffy as his slayer as well as Buffy's desire to achieve and maintain Giles' partiality. When Kendra comes along, Buffy is jealous because of the things that Kendra and Giles can share, such as stories about the codes, rules, and histories of previous slayers that they both have studied intently. Buffy's jealousy is voiced to Willow who responds by reassuring Buffy that "[she] will always be [Giles'] slayer", insinuating that Kendra would never take Buffy's place. Based upon the ever-growing connection between Giles and Buffy, I'd venture to say Willow is right on the mark.

Angel-o and Buffy-et: Contradictions and Plain, Old Addictions

For this blog Dr. Rose has asked us to describe the possibility of an "embodied metaphor" that was present in the first season. I was very interested in the character of Angel. His dark, mysterious presence is overshadowed by his caring concern for the slayer. The fact that he is, in reality, a vampire who has romantic feelings for the slayer is unimaginable. A vampire can not feel for anyone because vampires do not have souls and, thus do not feel. But Angel is an exception. Angel embodies contradiction and internal conflict in every sense of the term. He does not behave as he should--or, rather, as he is expected to. He also can easily be representative of retribution or repentance. He is hindering his own abilities by not feeding and destroying as is expected of vampires. By helping the slayer he contributes to the death of his own kind. All this he does in hopes of easing the burden and guilt he feels for the murders that he has committed.

Another interesting correlation which begins to evolve during the first season of Buffy is the allusion of Buffy and Angel's relationship to the forbidden, yet unchangeable love found in the tale of Romeo and Juliet. In both cases, rules and ideas which have been passed down for centuries lead to a separation of these lovers which can not be overcome. However, this is only the first season of seven and the feelings that Angel and Buffy have for each other are just being realized. Perhaps the episode "Angel" is "the party scene". Buffy has just realized the Angel is a vampire as Juliet realizes Romeo is a Montague. They are sworn enemies who feel an immediate connection which soon develops into a deep passion. It will be interesting to see how this love interest continues in comparison with the play.

Becoming the Slayer

The first three episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer focus a great deal on the idea the Buffy is a young girl who is slowly coming to grips with the fact that she is "the chosen one". The very first episode, "Welcome to the Hellmouth", begins with her first day at school and it contains many instances which show her expressing her desire to be "normal". She reassures her principal that she will not cause any trouble. Thus, suggesting that she believes that since she has moved she can leave behind her calling and lead a life that is not frequented with danger. This desire to be normal is further shown in her meetings with Giles in this first episode. Giles, as a watcher, tries to explain to Buffy that being the slayer is not something she can run from. However, Buffy struggles to reach that level of realization. It appears as though she fights the vampires because she is compelled to and not necessarily because it is her desire.

The most important scene that expresses Buffy's struggle between leading a normal life and discovering her calling as the slayer in "The Harvest" is shown when Buffy pulls out a chest and opens to display objects of a typical, normal childhood that a teenager might keep. When Buffy removes the upper part of the chest, though, the viewer sees the objects of a slayer. Not only is Buffy hiding her identity under a mask of normalcy, she is struggling to find closure between the two.

The third episode, "Witch", involves the viewer more directly with Buffy's crisis of a torn identity between slayer and teenager. Giles tries to warn Buffy that cheerleading should be the furthest thing from a slayer's mind. Somehow the typical teenage universe meshes with her call to be a slayer and Buffy is pushed one step closer into the reality that her life as a slayer will take control over her life as a typical teen.

Buffy must soon realize that she can not dismiss her powers or her calling as was her desire in the first episode. As the season progresses, she becomes more acceptable of her destiny and with the close of each episode she comes to the realization of the important role that she plays in the safety of humanity, therefore sacrificing her own "normal life" for the preservation of humankind.