Faith and abandonment

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AvatarofTruth

Champion of the Semicolon
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Can anyone think of a good reason, aside from pure plot contrivance, that Faith stayed in a cheap motel until the Mayor bought her an apartment? In season four Spike gets to stay with Xander, and Giles. Giles, who thoroughly despises him. Yet Faith can rot in a dirty motel for all the scoobs care, and then they're surprised when she doesn't feel connected to them and turns to the Mayor when he offers respect, affection, and (dare I say it) love. Her lie about killing Abrams- was it motivated purely by self-preservation, or was she also afraid that they would turn on her? That no amount of 'it was an accident' would save her from their self-righteousness?

When analyzing character development in a tv series, it is difficult to separate the writer's motivation from the character's subsequent actions. Obviously Faith needed to turn on Buffy, to be the 'dark slayer'. It worked for the plot, especially when she finally decided in her comatose state to do the right thing and help Buffy defeat the Mayor. Could this plot development have been less contrived, and still have reached its necessary conclusion? I don't know for certain, but I believe so.
 
I think that Faith stayed in the motel for several reasons:

1) It was probably all that she could afford, though just why Giles, as her official Watcher couldn't have peovided her with a better place to live is beyond me.

2) As part of the contrast between her and Buffy, who lived with a loving mother in a clean comfortable home.

(Next contains SPOILERS FOR SEASON 8)

3) It was also probably used to show her separation from the rest of the gang. From her introduction in Season 3, through the final scene in "Chosen," and even into Season 8, Faith has always been alone, yet desperate to make contact with someone. As a result, she always seems drawn to anyone who might show her any sort of friendship or affection, even if they are the worst choices: Wilkins, Wood, Lady Genevieve, and I really have my doubts about the Faith/Giles team up.( I can see darker side of Giles beginning to emerge in season 7, his brief contact with Angel when Fred was dying, and on into Season 8, but that's not really the topic here)
 
S
Spirit_Of_Fred
points for spoiler warning! yay! :) but are you familiar with the spoiler tags? [spoiler][/spoiler]
As I said, I'm looking for any reasons not involving plot. Wesley or Giles could have easily afforded Faith a nicer place to live, and make her genuinely feel like a part of the scoobs. Instead they do nothing, and pretend she doesn't live there, and yes I agree it was for a starker contrast between Faith and Buffy. Within the context of the show, however, it continues to make no sense, and instead makes every character, especially Buffy and Giles, seem appallingly shallow.
 
Do you think that Faith would have wanted or accepted their help?
Thats the feeling I get. That they might even have asked but she probably wanted to be independent.
At least she wouldn't admit to Giles and the gang that she wanted or needed their help.

I know that she accepted a new place from the Mayor, but that was a whole other kind of relationship.

/SK
 
Faith remains in the hotel because no alternative is given by anyone... until one is; wrong as it may be in the end.
It is a literal day-to-day existence metaphor made manifest. Hanging on by the proverbial fraying thread.
The hotel is impersonal and has no reminders of her previous life. It holds no judgment against her.
It is a testament to her life thus far. Buffy and co. do little to nothing to change this outlook.
She celebrates the holiday best as she can regardless, given the circumstances; a glimmer of hope remaining.
Buffy's reluctant Joyce-guilted offer is recognized as half-hearted and even that crumb is taken; gifts in hand.
She lives for the now to make the most of what she does have - a job that magnifies her plight of being alone.
She has been on the outside for so long that when Buffy does eventually come 'round it is too late to change.
Her arrival in Sunnydale is also unappreciated and resented, especially so by Buffy who is now no longer 'special'.
Xander is only interested in the sexual aspect. Willow is resentful of the perceived replacement, Giles is indifferent.
Without the slaying she would be a figurative ghost to the world; with no future.
 
S
Spirit_Of_Fred
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superstar: It seems to me that you're basically admitting that the Scoobs are a bunch of no account, insensitive jerks. At least where Faith is concerned.
 
I think Faith has her pride, and would never have accepted anything from the scoobs if she felt they pittied her. As CharmingSlayer said, I think she would have accepted it from Angel or Wes, cos they looked different on her
 
That may be correct, but as a watcher I adore once said 'I'd like to test that theory'. It would have been nice to have seen one of the scoobs (or all of them) trying to get her out of that rat trap motel by the freeway (we slept in sundays!).
 
AvatarofTruth said:
superstar: It seems to me that you're basically admitting that the Scoobs are a bunch of no account, insensitive jerks. At least where Faith is concerned.
Click to expand...


That seems to be a pretty fair assessment to me. Other than the two times Buffy invited Faith home, one of which was her mother's suggestion/almost insistence (and that was CHRISTMAS for crying out loud. A young girl, with no family, alone, and Joyce is the only one who sees something wrong there?) What was it Willow said to her later, after Faith had gone to work for Wilkins? Something about how hard Buffy and the others had tried to make her feel welcome and part of the gang? Faith was NEVER included in anything but the blood and guts business, except for a couple of times when she was at the Bronze with Buffy, and even then, as quickly as one of Buffy's "real" friends showed up, Faith was left standing alone.

Even in Season 7, Faith was excluded from the inner circle. She comes to Sunnydale to help with the apocalypse when she should have been heading for Mexico to avoid the police, and the warmest greeting she gets from the gang is from Giles: "Oh, hello, Faith. Let's see if we can work you in someplace." She had just increased their front line fighting force by 50%, and all she gets is "Oh, hello, Faith..."?

I think that it's rather ironic that, of the four people who were even halfway friendly, two were vampires and therefore outcasts themselves, a friendly, charming, outgoing man who planned to subjugate the world, and a Slayer's son who is obviously fixated on Slayers. The last we see of Faith in the last scene of the show is her standing behind the regulars, making comments that were being totally ignored.

So "no account, insensitive jerks" pretty well sums up the Story of Faith and the Scooby gang quite accurately.
 
F
Faiths Angel
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