Did Faith and the Principal work?

silvermoon

silvermoon

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Was Principal Wood a good match for Faith? Did they work?

I actually liked them together.

I see her as a bisexual woman, a bit of a hedonist, and more vulnerable than she lets on most of the time. I felt like there was a lot more to explore with her, and a show focusing on her would have been interesting. I never saw The Dollhouse, which I understand was a Whedon creation. Faith was always tough and aggressive and a straight shooter, but it felt like she had layers at the same time due to her sad past. Her vulnerability when Buffy came to collect her for a Christmas dinner has always stuck with me. She did a lot of evil, but she was allowed a redemption arc. She and Angel also had an interesting relationship.
 
Joan the Vampire Slayer
Joan the Vampire Slayer
Your description of Faith is spot on.
I liked them together because Robin was willing to put some effort into getting Faith to trust him and he was observant towards her such as when he noticed that Faith was actually worried about Buffy even though Buffy had just hit her. I like Robin in general anyway and I love Faith.
 
I liked them together, and just as Bop said above, Robin was willing to show Faith that not all men are awful, and might want a meaningful relationship with her.

That said, he also had good chemistry with Buffy. What hurts the potential union a bit was the writers first pinning Robin as a potential love interest for Buffy, and then to Faith. Pick a lane.

I wish we'd had more time with her in s7 (or she'd become a permanent cast member over on AtS). She had a really good redemption arc.
 
I ship Faith with Angel, so no.

That said, I agree with others who've said that Robin was good for her because he showed her that men could want more from her than just sex. Perhaps he helped restore her faith in men a little bit.
 
silvermoon said:
Was Principal Wood a good match for Faith? Did they work?

I actually liked them together.

I see her as a bisexual woman, a bit of a hedonist, and more vulnerable than she lets on most of the time. I felt like there was a lot more to explore with her, and a show focusing on her would have been interesting. I never saw The Dollhouse, which I understand was a Whedon creation. Faith was always tough and aggressive and a straight shooter, but it felt like she had layers at the same time due to her sad past. Her vulnerability when Buffy came to collect her for a Christmas dinner has always stuck with me. She did a lot of evil, but she was allowed a redemption arc. She and Angel also had an interesting relationship.
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ty : )
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Joan the Vampire Slayer said:
I ship Faith with Angel, so no.

That said, I agree with others who've said that Robin was good for her because he showed her that men could want more from her than just sex. Perhaps he helped restore her faith in men a little bit.
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I always thought Faith and Angel had more of a sibling chemistry than anything else, but I know some people do ship them. They would certainly be a good looking couple.
 
Joan the Vampire Slayer said:
I ship Faith with Angel, so no.

That said, I agree with others who've said that Robin was good for her because he showed her that men could want more from her than just sex. Perhaps he helped restore her faith in men a little bit.
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I see Angel as the big brother that saved her from herself. I think the power dynamic just screams big brother/rescuer.
 
I don't think it did, but I think it could have. As it was, I think it was something done with too little time and too rushed, especially after pairing up Robin and Buffy first initially, leading to an abrupt change of direction.
 
We didn't really get to see enough of them to know if they "work" or not. I was definitely interested in their dynamic to see where it might go, but overall I don't think Robin could have broken down Faith's walls to really get to her heart.
 
I honestly thought he could have broken down her trust walls, he was pretty savvy, they both fit I thought. He seemed to read her really well. But the show doesn't excel at happily ever after, that's for sure.
 
I am not sure I'm adding anything new to the insights above, but I just wanted to add my vote. I actually love Robin and Faith together. I see Robin having a lot of insight and the patience to break down Faith's walls and 'surprise' her.

Faith thinks she's seen everything (but she's wrong). She thinks all men are dogs. She doesn't think any man is worth the trouble of getting seriously involved. She's afraid of involvement or anything that might require trust.

Robin is someone who is confident enough and a man of the world enough to not bore her -- and to prove to her that she has lots more to see and learn. I always think he's more 'worldly' than she is... educated and experienced by virtue of being exposed to a lot of life -- as well as knowing first hand about the slayer. He's not afraid of her or her strength. He is also gentle and I think Faith has not had many men be gentle.

I also loved their chemistry.

I am not really bothered that he dated Buffy first. It actually is telling that he has a type... he likes strong women. But Buffy isn't for him for a variety of reasons, including simply not being interested in him beyond finding him initially attractive. The suspicion that grows up very early in their romantic interaction also pushes them back into their own corners. I don't think their chemistry is anything as good as the chemistry between Robin and Faith... Robin and Faith make me laugh, touch me and intrigue me. I find them sexy together. I got the feeling Buffy was going through the motions even though I think there was some attraction, it wasn't all that. Their personalities (Buffy and Robin) kind of clash.

By contrast, Faith and Robin just wanted a bit of warm comfort, so they connected without too many expectations -- but I think from the beginning, Robin was intrigued. And Faith was surprised to connect... and it's clear she has.. because she's running away, exactly the reaction of someone who doesn't trust easily when they find themselves getting attached, However, as soon as Robin is injured, you see her real show concern for him.

Just because they are an interesting match doesn't mean I don't foresee problems.

She has little formal education. (canon is that she dropped out of high school). Robin has to have a master's or maybe even a PhD in order to be a principal. In addition, he's been raised (and probably educated by a watcher. I suspect he learned a lot of about being a watcher and about slayers) I think this knowledge deficit would bother Faith more than it bothers Robin. I think he can see she's smart and that she has potential for miles, though I suspect he might think about it, I suspect his answer would be to encourage her to develop herself. I think she might meet some of his university friends and feel intimidated and wonder if he'll stay with her when he has his pick of smart, attractive, educated, high earning women, and also maybe even black women, though there's no sign he has any issues with dating a white woman, the sample size in Sunnydale wasn't exactly big.

I've shipped them as a secondary ship in at least a couple of my stories and even started a side story from the main story that looks more deeply at their relationship. I love exploring them.

I definitely think they're my 'one true pairing'(for Faith) in the Buffyverse... In crossoverville, there's a lot out there. (I like writing crossover stories)
 
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Superficially? Sure, they work because they are both super-hot and have chemistry. I expect more from a worthwhile ship; characters who compliment each other? Bring out the best in each other? Not much of that going around anywhere in S7.


But other than surface level Faith/Wood have nothing to offer each other; Wood isn't really a coherent character that makes sense if you analyze his actions in S7, he hangs around mysteriously like an (admittedly charming) red herring only to side with all the wrong people and learn seemingly no lesson from his failed 'working for the ultimate evil for revenge'.
He doesn't have any arc, he doesn't really know Faith and reads her wrong at every turn anyway, and yet we're supposed to assume 'yeah, this is an okay dude, he's just what Faith needs'.

Yeah, nah, this guy is a needlessly secretive and manipulative creep who has issues about his mommy and projects them onto the first slayer he meets (Buffy) before then projecting them onto Faith.

Personally I don't think Faith needed a love interest for her 5 episodes at the end of a crowded season of television but if she could use one then it would be Gunn; Charles Gunn is tough and gorgeous and straight-forward who has actually managed to get over his own anger issues; he's also sweet and romantic in an understated way, doesn't project his needs onto the women around him and just straight-up admires Faith as a sexy badass. Who wouldn't like Funn? Crazy people is who.


Oh, and Angel & Faith, ew no, I saw enough of Angel getting it on with found family with Cordelia thanks.
 
NotASlayer
NotASlayer
Gunn is one of the two most attractive male characters on the show. The other being Giles. I would say they have similarities.
Yes Gunn is an excellent choice, especially as a romance. Never wrote them but now i am thinking about it. He and Fred were perfect. Two working class kids surviving the bit city and the monsters. But he and Faith could work, because he IS a good man. Not sure he has enough sharp edges for when her sharp edges come out but still rhey can work.

I think that i like Wood in part because, like Faith, he has issues and angers. I think they could be good for each other.
 
NotASlayer
NotASlayer
Remember, he did kill a guy to protect Fred. Gunn has sharp edges; they just don't rule him.
thetopher said:
Superficially? Sure, they work because they are both super-hot and have chemistry. I expect more from a worthwhile ship; characters who compliment each other? Bring out the best in each other? Not much of that going around anywhere in S7.


But other than surface level Faith/Wood have nothing to offer each other; Wood isn't really a coherent character that makes sense if you analyze his actions in S7, he hangs around mysteriously like an (admittedly charming) red herring only to side with all the wrong people and learn seemingly no lesson from his failed 'working for the ultimate evil for revenge'.
He doesn't have any arc, he doesn't really know Faith and reads her wrong at every turn anyway, and yet we're supposed to assume 'yeah, this is an okay dude, he's just what Faith needs'.

Yeah, nah, this guy is a needlessly secretive and manipulative creep who has issues about his mommy and projects them onto the first slayer he meets (Buffy) before then projecting them onto Faith.

Personally I don't think Faith needed a love interest for her 5 episodes at the end of a crowded season of television but if she could use one then it would be Gunn; Charles Gunn is tough and gorgeous and straight-forward who has actually managed to get over his own anger issues; he's also sweet and romantic in an understated way, doesn't project his needs onto the women around him and just straight-up admires Faith as a sexy badass. Who wouldn't like Funn? Crazy people is who.


Oh, and Angel & Faith, ew no, I saw enough of Angel getting it on with found family with Cordelia thanks.
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"I hold my own"
"That's a shame"

I'm also on board with Faith and Gunn being potential love interests. But I have to agree that in that short span of time that Faith was over on BTVS in the final season, they didn't need to give her a relationship (or budding one, anyway) storyline. It only adds to an already crammed and problematic season.

What a shame we didn't get Faith and Gunn in s5 on AtS. Would've loved to have seen that!

I still think she would've had something nice with Robin. Are they 'end game', or walking down the aisle? Probably not, but Robin helping her set foundations for healthy relationships is good for Faith.

EDIT: I also agree with the comments that Angel and Faith are more like siblings - no romantic chemistry.
 
RE: regarding Wood's anger issues; he never resolved them. He held a grudge for over thirty years and when he confronted the object of his life's pain he had his butt kicked, was told his Mom never loved him anyway and then promptly turned on the slayer that told him to get over it because 'the mission is what matters'.
So...where's the resolution?
We saw it with Gunn- in fact his antagonism towards vampires is handled better than Xander's- and how he softened, first through his friendship with Wesley and then with his romance with Fred, we just never saw that next step. Finding a fighting partnership with Faith could've/should've been it in a mythic Angel S5/6 we never saw.

Conversely Wood presented himself as incredibly well-adjusted for the most part- but that was part of his cover, until he was told who Spike was, then went about with a coldly murderous plan and...it wasn't resolved. So, as far as I'm concerned, he still has massive unresolved rage issues and issues surrounding his Mom/slayers in general.

So Faith should stay well away.

And, for what its worth, they broke off off-screen sometime pre-Season 8 and Faith underwent a period of romantic abstinence unmatched by any other Buffyverse character in the comics (even Angel gets some in the comics, body count notwithstanding). So we can assume that Wood had something to do with that. Good job Wood.
 
thetopher said:
RE: regarding Wood's anger issues; he never resolved them. He held a grudge for over thirty years and when he confronted the object of his life's pain he had his butt kicked, was told his Mom never loved him anyway and then promptly turned on the slayer that told him to get over it because 'the mission is what matters'.
So...where's the resolution?
We saw it with Gunn- in fact his antagonism towards vampires is handled better than Xander's- and how he softened, first through his friendship with Wesley and then with his romance with Fred, we just never saw that next step. Finding a fighting partnership with Faith could've/should've been it in a mythic Angel S5/6 we never saw.

Conversely Wood presented himself as incredibly well-adjusted for the most part- but that was part of his cover, until he was told who Spike was, then went about with a coldly murderous plan and...it wasn't resolved. So, as far as I'm concerned, he still has massive unresolved rage issues and issues surrounding his Mom/slayers in general.

So Faith should stay well away.
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I cut Robin some slack for holding a 'grudge'. His mother was viciously murdered, robbed of his childhood and robbed of her forever. Then having to watch the guy who did it parade around in the jacket he took from her corpse. He was also raised by a Watcher, and I'm sure heard/read countless stories of Slayers being killed by vampires.

On the part of his storyline not having a resolution, I agree. Buffy essentially shuts him down from pursuing Spike - thus leaving Robin with no justice for his mother, no closure. That has to cut pretty deeply (alongside with all the taunting crap William threw at him).

We've talked about this in another thread, you threw about a couple of ideas the writers should've added to give his character some closure. It's another fault of s7, unfortunately.


thetopher said:
And, for what its worth, they broke off off-screen sometime pre-Season 8 and Faith underwent a period of romantic abstinence unmatched by any other Buffyverse character in the comics (even Angel gets some in the comics, body count notwithstanding). So we can assume that Wood had something to do with that. Good job Wood.
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I personally don't follow the comics.
 
thetopher
thetopher
I don't blame you for following the comics, but they are 'canon' so they - unfortunately- kinda inform my view/opinion on certain characters.
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