I Think I've Got It.

[Leshy]

Originally posted by nerd4hire
Every character in the series refers to Buffy as the slayer, with one notable exception--the watcher's council.

Was Buffy the Chosen One and thus the Slayer? Yes.
Does Buffy have the powers of a Slayer? Yes.
Does Buffy act as the Slayer and fulfill the tasks of the Slayer? Yes.
Is Buffy the Slayer in the line of succession? No.

For all purposes which matter - saving the world and fighting the undead, Buffy is the Slayer. Which makes it perfectly acceptable that she sees herself, and others her, as the Slayer. Especially as Faith isn't doing her Slayer tasks.

Is Faith seen as a Slayer? She doesn't go around saving the world and she doesn't protect the innocent from the undead. Upon what is her recognition as a Slayer based? On the fact that she is the current Chosen One in the line of the Slayers.

They are not going to the prison where Faith is.

1. Dawn is Buffy's sister, not Faith's
2. Buffy has had experience in dealing with Glory, Faith hasn't
3. Faith is in prison. Fighting gods from behind bars is generally not a good idea.
4. Faith is highly unreliable and possibly dangerous, Buffy isn't

I'm not disagreeing with you that for all purposes which matter, Buffy is the Slayer. However, in the line of Slayers, she is not the current Slayer. And that line is exactly what matters this season.

Again, the theory goes like this. The presence of two slayers in the same time at the same place has caused a gradual corruption in the natural law governing slayers.

How does Buffy's presence interfere with the line of slayers? If Buffy's existence messed it up, then we should have seen it in the earlier seasons, but the line of Slayers continued exactly as we would expect. Buffy -> Kendra -> Faith.

The claim that it is a gradual process makes very little sense, and is only an additional explanation to circumvent the proof that so far, Buffy's existence has had no influence on the line of Slayers.

We know this would have happened since season 3, because in Amends the First wants to kill Buffy. According to the theory Buffy must remain alive at least until the SITs are killed.

If according to your theory, Buffy must remain alive until the SIT's are dead, or Buffy's continued existence will open a window of opportunity for the First Evil to finally take over the world and do endless reruns of the Teletubbies on TV stations everywhere, why would it want to kill Buffy?

This tells us the corruption had not kicked in during Kendra's time as slayer, or Faith's early days as slayer.

Alternatively, it tells us that there is no corruption at all.

To discredit the theory you must first show how it is not possible that the presence of 2 slayers could cause a gradual corruption in the natural law governing slayers.

If Buffy's existence causes a corruption in the line of slayers, causing no new slayers to be selected, there is no reason to kill the SIT's.

If the corruption would somehow cause Buffy's death to activate another Slayer (unlike the last time she died), then it isn't a gradual process, it's one that laid dormant for years and didn't kick in until after Buffy's second death. Her death at the end of Season 5 didn't cause a new Slayer to be chosen.

The fact that the First Evil is trying to kill all the SIT's points out that there is in fact nothing wrong with the line of the Slayer as such -> It is trying to prevent new Slayers from being chosen.

 

[nerd4hire]

How does Buffy's presence interfere with the line of slayers?

It's a moot point. It doesn't matter if Buffy's presence interferes with the line of slayers? The problem according to my theory exists in the possibility the potential slayers may no longer be getting chosen. As such the line of succesion could follow through Faith till the end of the current line of SITs and there will be no more potential slayers.

Killing Faith alone at this point is not an option. There may be 2 slayers present in this reality. If so, killing Faith might reset the line of progression through Buffy.

PS

Hey Leshy, you seem like a knowledgeable Buffy fan. Have you tried my quiz in the Slayground section.

Test your pop-culture IQ through Season 7

Some of the answers may be incorrect. Try it. We can debate them.

 

[Stake'em & Smile]

😱

Now that was quite a read. I honestly don't understand what is the First Evil's true agenda. So far we've been led to believe somehow it thinks it can end the slayer line. On that, I'm not completely sold. In amends we were led to believe the Bringers had to bring forth the manifestation of the First. Is that the case now? I'm not completely certain. If it is I say Buffy should hunt down every last Bringer, then it can't be manifested. That although seems a tad overly simplified.

As far as the slayer goes I've never quite understood why exactly Buffy retained her powers as the Slayer after she died. If her powers were passed on to Kendra, why does she have them? That's why I've always believed there was more to Buffy than we've been told.

As far as your theory of gradual corruption, I'm not going to dimiss anything. Because it does have some merit, but I think to where I over simplified it, you may be complicating it.

 

[Leshy]

Originally posted by nerd4hire
It's a moot point. It doesn't matter if Buffy's presence interferes with the line of slayers? The problem according to my theory exists in the possibility the potential slayers may no longer be getting chosen.

I don't particularly see why Buffy's existence would interfere with the line of the potential slayers if it doesn't interfere with the line of the slayers themselves.

Besides, the question remains that if Buffy's presence aids the First Evil somehow, why did it try to kill Buffy in Season 3? The only logical conclusion is that something happened after Season 3, which allows the First Evil to interfere this personal. An assumption that is furthered by the comment of the Eye that the opportunity for the First Evil presented itself only recently.

While "recently" may be a longer period for an immortal, I highly doubt the First Evil would need much time to react to an opportunity - and if Buffy's presence had formed that opportunity, that opportunity would have been there in "Amends" for the First Evil to take, without it having to wait until Season Seven.

Killing Faith alone at this point is not an option. There may be 2 slayers present in this reality. If so, killing Faith might reset the line of progression through Buffy.

While I'd say that it's unlikely that Buffy would become the Chosen One again (if Faith and all the SIT's died), the situation has probably never presented itself, so that could happen.

But in that case, there wouldn't be a reason for the First Evil to keep Buffy alive now - her death won't spawn a new Slayer, and it'd prevent her from becoming the Chosen One again.

Hey Leshy, you seem like a knowledgeable Buffy fan. Have you tried my quiz in the Slayground section.

Haven't tried it yet, will do so. Thanks 🙂

 

[nerd4hire]

There's one thing I have to state emphatically.

This theory only applies if Giles is the real Giles, and if his explaination of what is causing the current emergence of the First evil is correct.

 

[Razekiel]

Have you guys ever thought that Buffys second death, which didnt call a new slayer caused a disturbance in the force?(Yes it sounds so Star Wars)

I mean her first death was natural, and it called a new slayer, she was also revived naturally. Her second death did not call a new slayer as far as we know, she didnt die naturally and she wasnt revived naturally.