Hot Topic: Was Wesley wrong to get Faith to leave prison?

I don't think he had any other viable option. Connor wanted to kill Angelus, the Beast was on the loose, something 'bigger' was also out there somewhere.
The only other option was to call in Buffy, who was busy with her own apocalypse and, quite frankly, was pretty overwhelmed with that much.

I guess Wesley could've called in Willow to re-ensoul Angel from a distance. But then 'Jasdelia' would've just sicced the Beast on them to stop them all OR sicced Angelus on them and keep Willow (the big gun) occupied with some magical/mental duel thing.

Bottom line; Wesley needed a warrior, somebody who would stop at nothing to bring Angelus back unharmed. Faith was not only the only option, she was pretty much the perfect option for that.

So yes, absolutely the right thing to do, instrumental in so many things; since Angel not only stopped Jasmine, but also helped Buffy and co. seal the Hellmouth for good.
 
I don't think so. It wasn't ideal of course, but I do think they were running out of options to battle the threat of Angelus and the Beast too. With Buffy having her own battles in Sunnydale then Faith seemed the perfect person to call. The only question then would be whether Faith should have returned to the slammer to see out the rest of her sentence.
 
Well with hindsight his decision has proven to be spot on. Not really much arguing with that since Faith completed the mission, helped in Sunnydale and has been on the right side of the fight in the comics. At the time it was hardly ideal but what else was he going to do? They had big bads piling up and no idea what to do with them. Faith had been content to stay in prison for a few years so he must have played the odds and assumed her psychosis and sadism were in check. All in all a good gamble that paid off nicely.
 
The Bronze said:
Well with hindsight his decision has proven to be spot on. Not really much arguing with that since Faith completed the mission, helped in Sunnydale and has been on the right side of the fight in the comics. At the time it was hardly ideal but what else was he going to do? They had big bads piling up and no idea what to do with them. Faith had been content to stay in prison for a few years so he must have played the odds and assumed her psychosis and sadism were in check. All in all a good gamble that paid off nicely.
Click to expand...

This. I do think that maybe she should have gone back to prison at some point maybe after she had helped out in Sunnydale. Two years in prison isn't really that much. She seems to have learnt her lession to be fair.
 
Mr Trick said:
This. I do think that maybe she should have gone back to prison at some point maybe after she had helped out in Sunnydale. Two years in prison isn't really that much. She seems to have learnt her lession to be fair.
Click to expand...
The scale of her crimes could reasonably carry a whole life sentence. However does that really do anyone any good? On the assumption that she has reformed which seems reasonable now, she's a lot more useful to society on the outside. You get reduced sentences for guilty pleas and that sort of thing so I would suggest a reduced sentence for someone willing to put their life on the line fighting demons is acceptable.
 
Mr Trick said:
Two years in prison isn't really that much. She seems to have learnt her lession to be fair.
Click to expand...

Plus, it's not like everyone who kills a person goes to jail in the Buffyverse: Wesley, Willow, Angel, Spike, etc. Faith was one of the good guys the moment she went to jail, imo. In 'Judgement' she was a very different girl from the one who left Sunnydale. And the world needed Faith - she had the power to do real good and she wanted to. Prison wasn't the best way to help her anyway.
 
thetopher
thetopher
Agreed.
The Bronze said:
The scale of her crimes could reasonably carry a whole life sentence. However does that really do anyone any good? On the assumption that she has reformed which seems reasonable now, she's a lot more useful to society on the outside. You get reduced sentences for guilty pleas and that sort of thing so I would suggest a reduced sentence for someone willing to put their life on the line fighting demons is acceptable.
Click to expand...

There was a policy during the Viet Nam war that judges could offer a convicted criminal the choice of prison or military service in combat. Some got into the army, liked it and went on to officer training and became career officers. Faith took a similar option of the equivalent of military service. Professor Worth and the courier who brought the Box of Gavrok may disagree but the world needed Faith to be out of prison at this point.
 
There are only two good components in Faith being in jail anyway.

Pro prison:

1.) she turned herself in and voluntarily stayed in. A very important signal from Faith that she got it and wanted to change.
2.) prison gave her a "relative" quiet and isolated environment to come to terms with herself and her crimes since she was in no shape to just go back to slaying and protecting humanity. Similar to Willow who needed the time away in England to learn about her powers, to grief, and deal with her guilt (even though it was drastically shorten because Giles rather used her in the fight against the First, something what he never considered with Faith in S05, or after Buffy's death).

Point 2 is the most important thing, imo, and not the punishment from society (of course, for Faith, it was punishment but that's not the point).

Contra prison:

1.) the whole trial couldn't be anything else than a farce. Faith's admission of guilt still would've required circumstantial evidences, a motive, testimonies etc. which couldn't be 100 % truthful alone because of the supernatural components (not speaking of Buffy's complicity in Finch's death or the involvement of the Watcher's Council). Human law is not suitable of dealing with a case like Faith (or Willow, or Spike, or Xander, or Giles, or Angel, or Wesley, or Buffy if we're at it). She just can't have gotten a fair process. At least in my country. Please correct me if an admission of guilt suffices for a conviction in the U.S. Another problem is jurisdiction. Technically, the fight against evil is a war. Wilkins was the enemy and Faith (albeit gleefully) followed orders (assassinating Prof. Worth) from her commanding officer (as stupid as it sounds). War has its own jurisdiction so Faith should have rather brought to a court-martial, which isn't possible either because... the war is secret... a-and the Watcher's Council...it's all messed up!

2.) She's a slayer with a destiny. Her muscles, instincts and skills are way more useful for humanity (also a better way for atonement) instead of sitting behind bars and as for punishment? I think being forced by a destiny to submit herself to horrible danger and early death is punishment enough. If the Council weren't such a bunch of assholes; taking her away to a safe but confined environment, providing psychological help and sympathy and gradually building up her confidence and mind, including training, and then letting her loose again, had been the best way, especially because they already had Buffy. Yeah it's unfair to Buffy but a humane Council who helps Faith would also help Buffy with support, a salary, everything else she needs for the fight and makes her as comfortable as possible in living through her destiny.

Now to the thread subject:

Yes, Wesley was totally right (albeit the move of removing Angel's soul in the first place was incredible stupid and careless) and Giles should've considered the same instead of just deserting the cause and abandon everyone on the Hellmouth with the promise to not hang up on Dawn if she called because his precious Buffy wasn't anymore and the others, his calling, the fight, his mantra of Slayer+Hellmouth = indispensable didn't matter anymore. Faith had proven with turning herself in, voluntarily staying in, and good behavior that she's better, wants to be better and is capable to return.

Faith was needed to save Angel which, at first sight, has a slight selfish component from A.I. and Wesley's POV, but is negligible considering the voluntary and immense asset Angel represents for the cause (not speaking of the current threat of the Beast).
 
Last edited by a moderator:
T
thrasherpix
thanks, saved me a long essay which I'm not feeling up to making anyway :-)
The Bronze said:
The scale of her crimes could reasonably carry a whole life sentence. However does that really do anyone any good? On the assumption that she has reformed which seems reasonable now, she's a lot more useful to society on the outside. You get reduced sentences for guilty pleas and that sort of thing so I would suggest a reduced sentence for someone willing to put their life on the line fighting demons is acceptable.
Click to expand...

Of course and it does look like she is reformed. But then the Law might see it a different way. Also, not sure if Faith might have had thoughts about going back to prison herself.
 
Given that Faith was more valuable to the world outside of prison, I think Wesley made the right decision.

We know that the world isn't black and white, and things in the Buffyverse aren't always fair and just, so I don't have a problem accepting that Faith and the others feel that she's served her sentence and made amends for what she did.
 
I agree that Wes almost certainly felt that he had no other option than to ask for Faith's help. Angelus was obviously too powerful for he and the rest of the team to subdue alone, and far too dangerous to allow to run free.

It would probably have been better if he had been shown actually calling Sunnydale, finding out the situation there, and THEN opting to ask Faith for help. Without that scene, however, I think, personally, that, since Buffy had already sent Angel to hell once in order to save the world, Wes thought that Faith would be the one most likely to not repeat that action.
 
Breaking Faith out was definitely the best decision for Angel, which was his priority.
Breaking Faith out was also good for Faith, but he didn't know it would be. Asking her to leave and start slaying again could have had negative consequences for her, but I don't think he cared much. Good thing it didn't 🙂.
 
I think Wes was right, 100%. He is pragmatic in these situations, and is well up for bending the rules when it's needed. Just because he broke the law doesn't mean he broke his morals.
 
according to the law, i would say yes. But in practicality/my opinion, no he was perfectly justified in breaking Faith out. Faith, THE Slayer, defender of mankind in this universe. I Always hated Faith jailing herself. Going away to heal in an environment which could help, sure (like Oz and Tibet). But to be incarcerated doesn't make sense to me.
 
I think that Wesley could ask to Gwen (with her contacts) to help Faith to escape and Wesley should know that a Slayer might be not enough and a guarantee of success about a great danger as Angelus+ The beast..... I think Wesley was very desperate and he acted as a Watcher than a strategist..... Also Lorne could, in my opinion, with his contacts, help more to save time for a good strategy..... Thanks god Angeuls killed the Beast!!! 😀
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom