The metaphor that has been discussed time and time again that Buffy and Faith are both two sides of one coin...always joined but forever separated due to circumstance and fate....that these two are never meant to get along...but could they?
Most common vragen are: nature vs nurture?
Buffy and Faith came from two entirely different home pagina environments that shaped who they are presently and how they react to the world and people around them with the life lessons learnt.
Buffy: She was surrounded door family, vrienden and support network, including the Watcher's Council even though that they were a foil in Buffy's fight for normalacy due to her Slayer duties....
Faith: Clearly didnt have the support network of family and friends, and her only mentor, her first Watcher Diana Dormer was murdered and her future mentor figures/Father figures tend to let nature runs its course and pull Faith meer towards being unstable emotionally.
Also a lack of Faith and trust in people in general tend to push Faith further into isolation but clearly she desires a life similar to Buffy where there is love...she clearly hasnt had alot of love... and i mean familial love, unity and security, where everyday is survival, not just physcially but mentally and emotionally, fighting against her own psyche, where there was nobody parental figure pulling her back saying "Hey hold up, Faith, this is what's going on" where Buffy had those guidelines...
These two share a unique insight into each other's personality and the burdens that they shared, but they disagreed about what it meant to be a Slayer, about Slayer's power and the responsibilites....is it ok: for them to be the law? How far do they go? Where's that line being drawn?
Buffy clearly see's herself as responsible and Slayerage is a job, a duty predestined, where human life is to be treasured and mourned and was alienated door Faith's enthusiasm for violence and lack of responsibility, but netherless drawn in door Faith due to both being unpredictable and rebellious, and Buffy's determination to be a voice of reason and to coax Faith back down to reality, seriousness and responsibility.
Important factor is also the friendships and relationships that these two have forged both positive and negative: Buffy/Giles & Faith/Mayor Wilkins (Father/Daughter), Buffy/Faith (Slayers/Sisters), Faith/Diana Dormer , Faith/Angel.
There are so many parallels between Faith/Mayor Wilkins & Buffy/Giles: both men had a strong bond fatherly bond and nurtured their strengths and genuinely cared and loved Buffy & Faith respectively, and were firecely protective due to both Buffy's & Faith's own biological absentees Fathers causing them to look elsewhere for the love, guidance...where Faith's first watcher opened the door to make Faith feel like she "belonged" was part of something "Being a slayer, one of many" related to "power" which melded her relationship with Buffy as they shared that.
Buffy/Faith may be the two sides of one coin but Faith/Angel are two lost souls who are good examples of redemption, forgiveness, new beginnings...is it ever over?
No...both Faith/Angel have both inflicted insufferable hurt and pain to others but looking for a redemming quality, not for self gain, but to prevent others in following the same footpath that Faith chose...as Angel once zei "I once told you, u didnt have to walk into the darkness, u thought u could just touch it, that u be alright? But it swallowed u whole"
As women, as slayers, both Buffy and Faith are still evolving, growing as people, and I firmly believe that the people that surround your home, friends, family and life lessons shape the person u are....and that never stops....its ongoing...
The truth is that: from Angel Season 4 when u clearly saw the change in Faith's morale, attitude is: her determination and willingness to scarfrice herself to save Angel from Angelus as a thankyou for believing in her, to "have faith" in herself to BE herself, as shes always trying to be like Buffy, which she isnt, and when Faith finally realised that, she became alot meer confident, less of a foil towards Buffy, much meer positive role model, though she isnt perfect she has flaws, she stills fights her own personal demons which come to fruition when she faces her father, Patrick Lehane and again she approaches with meer calm, level headed, still conflicted but not as reckless and violently as before..
Both Slayers rock, for different reasons,sorry ended up talking meer about Faith in the end, but I think that Buffy and Faith balance each other out, they are the ultimate YIN/YANG - where they ultimately in the end the vraag is: when it comes down to will these two come together and unite and make peace? of wont they??
Thanks for your time for reading, please let me know what u guys think! Happy reading!
