"Sanctuary", in the continuity of
"Five By Five", continues the development of the character of Faith. There is a very symbolic opposition between these two episodes because if the previous one showed a Faith more extreme than usual, she is here extremely calm, or at least she has a less violent, more moderate and more attentive attitude. The arrival of a slayer already brings a lot of problem but then when the second arrives, it does not help anything ! Joss is bold to get Buffy to be the main antagonist. It confronts the two main characters of both series, the two universes (Sunnydale and Los Angeles) and we realize that the distinction between the two of them is more and more pronounced. Although Buffy does not appear in her best day, I find the idea brilliant !
Faith : She clearly gains my sympathy, I am very touched by her. She is so lost, she is torn, I feel she is unstable, on the breach in fact, as if she has reached a point where everything can still change and where the slightest step towards her can be decisive and pushed her definitively on one side or the other. Between vulnerability and strength, hope and despair, struggle and abandonment, thoughts and actions, good and evil, redemption or damnation, she does not know what to choose ?, what to do ?where is her place ? There are several representative moments of this state of mind :
-When the flash shows her thoughts and we see her once again showing physical violence to Angel while in reality she does nothing. She represses this terrible desire,
-Once Angel is absent, she goes to grab a knife with the intention of using it but in the end she gives it back to Angel,
- Convinced that there is no hope for her, she wants to give up, but Angel persuades her to stop running away and she is sensible to his words.
I think one of the highlights of the episode is that it shows perfectly that Faith is between two totally different minds states.
The title
"Sanctuary" also refers to the end of this duality because the prison is a bit like the sanctuary of Faith. It is a place where she chose to stay by making her confession, her mind can peacefully reflect and her soul can atone for her sins and rest in peace ! She has always felt above the laws, there she submits to it. She has found her place, her way and she does not remain by obligation but by will !
Angel/Faith : Two characters that are similar on many points because they have a bit the same route. I love this relationship very much, how they understand each other, help each other. Angel believes in her, at her good background, he held out his hand at the moment where she was most likely to take it. She fell on the ideal person because Angel, redemption he knows it. He gives her a lot of moralizing speech that she needed to hear. He acts as a mentor beside her, the shoulder on which she can rely on. He protects her, reassures her and that touches Faith very much because she is not accustomed to having someone take care of her. The most important thing he does is to not lie to her. He doesn't hide to her that the route she takes is hardly practicable and will require to make a lot of effort towards others, as well as towards herself, who may not be receptive. The hardest thing is to find the strength to forgive oneself, to apologize and to ask for forgiveness while being aware that it is not certain that it will be granted ! Guilt can also make suffer, and it is a difficult feeling to surpass.
Buffy/Faith : Calling Buffy it is forcing Faith to assume her actions in the most difficult way and that's why I understand why she is here. Buffy has every reason to be angry against Faith, I find it hard to not understand her. After, I confess that I am affected by Faith, which makes that subjectively, I am not on the side of Buffy but that does not prevent that I understand her in a way. In fact, from a spectator point of view, if you like Faith, inevitably you are influenced because you have seen the evoution of Faith, and so you may not understand Buffy. But from a more human point of view, after everything Faith did to Buffy, we can understand her if we put ourselves one second in her place.
I would say Buffy is someone who, when she can help, she helps, and she's also a person who likes to have some control over what's going on in her life (and at the same time everyone is a bit like that, no ? ). Faith has always been a free-person in the life of Buffy, uncontrollable element, she always did what she wanted. The jealousy she feels about Buffy is one of the elements that brought her there on the path of evil and the more it consumed her, the more she tried to take Buffy's life (she tried to seduce Angel, she took possession of her body...). The exchange of bodies was a click for her, she realized that to have a better life she must already become better herself. Buffy, I do not think this experience had any effect on her, I think being in the shoes of Faith and being treated like she was by the council made her realizes certain things but I also think that she is tired of trying to come to the aid of a person who constantly refuses, and abuse of her life. She tried to help Faith in the past, maybe not in the right way, maybe she didn't say the good words or she didn't act as needed but at least she tried ! Now, she must think that she was too nice with her. Even if Buffy does not show her best side, I understand the reasons that motivate her behavior and for me her presence and the reproaches she did to Faith are like an electroshock for Faith and it is surely that makes her go directly at the next step, without it, it would probably have been much longer.
Angel/Buffy : This is probably the episode where both realize that each one is evolving separately of the other. Buffy isn't lucky, she arrives in the most ambiguous situations (Angel and Faith enlaced after the attack of the demon) and it's a little normal that upsed her. The tone rises very quickly and everyone defends their interest. Buffy is dishonest, she claims to come because she was worried about Angel while I think it is mostly her revenge on Faith that motivates her. In the arguments, I'm on Angel's side because I feel that Buffy is not in her right, she does not have to come and make her law in the lives of others. I don't forget that Angel did the same thing when he was at Sunnydale on
"Pangs" but I don't know I have the impression Buffy comes to get her revenge while Angel had a more noble reason : saving Buffy ! But they both need to stop acting like this ! However, in the acts, I do not take sides because Angel and Buffy have both gone too far by striking (although I noticed that Buffy gave the first shot and she was going to put a second one). The violence between them here shocks me a bit because I think it has a weight and special meaning. Never in their past relationships there has been such a lack of respect between them, apart from the Angelus phase of course. This gesture is the symbol of the confrontation between our two main characters who are no longer too much on the same wavelength because they evolve separately. Now, at the end, when Buffy throws her happiness with Riley to the figure of Angel, there I find her childish and that's why in this story, I support Angel ! Especially that Buffy is not credible for a second. She is not at all convincing or convinced ! I think it's the first and also the only time she says she loves Riley and she tells to Angel : Please, who is she hoping to convince seriously ? She loves Riley, certainly, I do not deny that, but she likes even more Angel otherwise she would not bother to hurt him free. In absolute, she even disrespects Riley by extolling her relationship and her love for him superior to what she has experienced or felt with Angel when she thinks not a word. Finally, it's too bad that it was Angel who went to apologize to her later, certainly it was a bit hard but mostly fair !
Looks like Buffy doesn't like when someone touches Angel
Angel/Wesley : In the previous episode Wesley had faith in Faith's humanity but the torture prompted him to review his judgment. I understand that he is no longer too inclined to help Faith, he even treats her as an animal. This is a fairly logical change thinking what he went through. I honestly thought he was going to deliver her to the council because Wesley is a bit of a guy doing what needs to be done, no matter what the consequences. I was glad that he supports Angel, that he proves his loyalty, he does not do it for Faith, but because he believes in Angel, he knows he can handle the situation and I think it is a good proof of confidence. It also marks the evolution between the Wesley on Buffy, very respectful of the rules and Wesley on Angel, who is a bit more human and open-minded.
Buffy/Kate and Angel/Faith : Kate do a small appearance and I find she's still so edgy lol. That said, it's a little normal, she learned the existence of the paranormal, her father died, all this is difficult to accept and she unfortunately redirects all her hatred against Angel that she judges, wrongly, responsible, like the other vampires. What I liked about this episode is that the most human characters (so Kate and Buffy) are the ones with the least noble motives (revenge for Buffy and anger for Kate), while Faith and Angel are the ones who have the most heroic actions (Angel who defends Faith who ends up going to the police) and who are the bearers of hope !
