Isn't Faith the Slayer rather than a slayer?

[HellmouthJunkie]

Okay, especially in Season 7 this for some reason annoyed me. Technically Faith's the 'Chosen One' who holds the Slayer Line whilst Buffy is actually just a slayer rather then the Slayer. I sometimes think that the Potentials should have looked up to more Faith then rather Buffy. I think the reason Buffy is labelled the Slayer is because she's survived the longest, been through the most yada, yada, yada. I just sometimes think Faith should get a little more recognition at times. Besides she does hold the Slayer line now, anyone else agree? 🙂

 

[brinkster130]

Faith had been in jail for murder up to that point while Buffy had been the one fighting against evil. Why should the potentials or the Scoobies even trust her at this point?

 

[Chosen Enemy]

Yes, Buffy is not the Slayer, but I really don't think they should look up to Faith more than Buffy because of it. And not because Faith is a killer or because Buffy had survived longer. It's because she has the most experience, and that's a very important thing here. She usually knows what she's doing, because she's been doing it for the longest, while Faith was "busy" at prison, not experiencing.

 

[HellmouthJunkie]

Yeah I see what you mean. I always wondered how powerful Faith could be if she followed the 'right' path like Buffy. If she was surrounded with friends and family like Buffy was, perhaps people would look up to her like the potentials did to Buffy (when they weren't too preoccupied with worrying about the battle against the First haha)

 

[mayfever]

I think that would defy the point of the whole series. Buffy wasn't born to be a hero; she and Faith were born with the same basic equipment to get the job done, but it was Buffy who surpassed herself again and again, and that's what made her The Slayer, not the Slayer line. Quite a popular trope in (fantastic) fiction, we find it in Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings as well.

I love Faith's journey, but yeah, basically what CE said. Her experience didn't match Buffy's.

 

[HellmouthJunkie]

I love the quote from End Of Days (S7)
Faith: There's only supposed to be one. Maybe that's why you and I can never get along. We're not supposed to exist together.

 

[thunderhawk86]

We don't know if Buffy was a or the slayer at any point after her death in S1. Some people like myself believe that she could still pass on her powers after her second death. Others believe that Willow reinserted her back into the slayer line on her resurrection which either meant 2 fully activated slayer, Buffy being the activated one, three activated slayers or any multitude of combinations.

What we do know is when Buffy came back a second time via Willow something happened to the slayer line that was never revealed. So we don't know who THE slayer is anymore or if there is more than one.

 

[Eleftheria]

It's not the experience or the fact that she survived the longest...Buffy used her power for good, she didn't use it to kill people or join dark side. I love Faith, her personality and the fact that she struggled to become a better person but she was not capable of being a leader and making other people trust her all of a sudden. Buffy has died twice for the sake of the world, she kept making sacrifices in her life. I know she is not the chosen one of this generation, Faith is...but still leadership and recognition are things that can be gained after you prove yourself to be capable of it. I hope i make sense.

 

[The Unspoken]

Faith had been in jail for murder up to that point while Buffy had been the one fighting against evil. Why should the potentials or the Scoobies even trust her at this point?

Well, it's not as if Buffy has never temporarily abandoned the cause ('Anne') or not done something morally questionable (for example, attempting to kill Faith and feed her to Angel). At any rate, Faith's actions in season 4 of Angel and season 7 demonstrate she's very much committed to the cause. So it is somewhat problematic when Buffy brings up Faith's past in 'Empty Places'. The show exists to showcase Buffy's heroic journey, but the actions of other 'heroes' don't take place in a vacuum.

 

[brinkster130]

Well, it's not as if Buffy has never temporarily abandoned the cause ('Anne') or not done something morally questionable (for example, attempting to kill Faith and feed her to Angel). At any rate, Faith's actions in season 4 of Angel and season 7 demonstrate she's very much committed to the cause. So it is somewhat problematic when Buffy brings up Faith's past in 'Empty Places'. The show exists to showcase Buffy's heroic journey, but the actions of other 'heroes' don't take place in a vacuum.

Well yes, Buffy being the main character and all, it makes sense that the show would showcase her heroic journey.

True, Buffy has temporarily abandoned the cause; but I wouldn't compare Buffy taking off and disappearing for three(?) months to Faiths months of fighting for evil, trying to destroy Sunnydale and killing several innocent people. Let's not forget that Buffy wasn't exactly welcomed back with open arms when she returned. Her friends and family were upset.

We as the viewers know what Faith has done in terms of redemption in Angel S4 but I highly doubt the potentials know about it. I wouldn't be surprised if Buffy and the Scoobies don't even know the full story. At this point in S7 all the Scoobies know other than her violent past, which they were in the middle of, is that she has been in jail for some time. I don't know that them trusting Faith immediately would have been realistic.

I do think that Faith deserves more recognition at times in the series, but I just don't think this is one of those times.

 

[BuffyElevated]

I love Faith, but I don't think she would have made a good leader. Not even going towards the whole been-in-jail-for-murder thing, Faith wasn't a good leader. She did things because she wanted to, not thinking how it would affect anyone else, so she wouldn't have been the right one for the Potentials to look up to. Buffy was the leader, which is why everyone looked to her to find out what they needed to do.

 

[Willow My Love]

Buffy was seasoned in her role as the Slayer. She knew more of what she was doing than Faith. The point that Faith was evil, then good doesn't really matter. She didn't have the experience fighting that Buffy did. She didn't have the training that Buffy did. Faith was in jail, Faith was in a coma, wherever Faith was, she was out of the picture. Buffy, meanwhile, was training, fighting, and honing her skills as the Slayer. When someone's done something for seven years, do you really want to promote someone who hasn't?

 

[prophecygrrl]

I love Faith too, but to add on to what most people are saying, I actually don't even think Faith herself would want to be the leader. I think at that point in Season 7, she's still working towards redemption. She knows she's not ready to take on that responsibility. Buffy isn't the perfect leader either, but she's the best they have. And seeing as the First was launching a direct assault on the legacy of the Slayer, I think she had more of a right to lead than any of the other Scoobies.

 

[Fusions2]

Faith didn't have the right to be someone to look up to regarding the Potentials. Unlike Buffy she had been in jail serving her time for all the crimes she had done and mending herself. Faith even said it herself she was not ready to lead and she'd rather follow. Buffy had been on the front line of this battle for years and had more experience and of course was more trust worthy.

 

[PrincessBuffy16]

Maybe Faith holds the Slayer line, but she was no Slayer in the past few years. Going to jail, that was right thing to do after what she has done, but that also means that she was absent for a while, and Buffy did all the work. Buffy IS the Slayer.

 

[Marisa]

I understand why Buffy acts the way she does she has been struggling to save the world while Faith was in prison. The only thing that bothers me is how high and mighty Buffy can be toward Faith other than that they should have listened to Buffy because she was fighting the fight longer it is just they could have asked for Faith's input from time to time and listen to some of her suggestions. Then again Faith didn't show any interest to be a leader type so it is probably five by five with her.

 

[LadyLavinia]

What we do know is when Buffy came back a second time via Willow something happened to the slayer line that was never revealed.

Buffy has lasted longer than the others, because she has been resurrected from the dead twice - Xander resuscitated her in "Prophecy Girl" and Willow used magic to bring her back from the dead.

Personally, I believe that Buffy, Faith and Kendra were first-rate Slayers in their own way. Buffy has simply been the luckiest (or not) thanks to her friends. So far.

The only thing that bothers me is how high and mighty Buffy can be toward Faith other than that they should have listened to Buffy because she was fighting the fight longer it is just they could have asked for Faith's input from time to time and listen to some of her suggestions. Then again Faith didn't show any interest to be a leader type so it is probably five by five with her.

I love Buffy, but she has an inferiority complex that she hides with an air of superiority. I've encountered other people like this - in real life and in fiction.

 

[Doppelgang]

I love Buffy, but she has an inferiority complex that she hides with an air of superiority. I've encountered other people like this - in real life and in fiction.

Anyone who acts superior in real-life has an inferiority complex, because the reality is that no one is superior, so this reality has to be hidden behind a facade. But Buffy's a fictional superhero, she certainly thinks she's superior to demons and vampires, and to other vampire slayers, cos obviously she likes to think of herself as the best at what she does, but she doesn't think shes superior to other human beings, and she illustrates this a number of times during the show.

 

[LoveLoveLovix]

I love the quote from End Of Days (S7)
Faith: There's only supposed to be one. Maybe that's why you and I can never get along. We're not supposed to exist together.

Wouldn't that mean that all the Potentials-who-are-now-Slayers wouldn't get along? That would be tough, having to work with people who hated you and hating all of them right back...

 

[Fusions2]

Wouldn't that mean that all the Potentials-who-are-now-Slayers wouldn't get along? That would be tough, having to work with people who hated you and hating all of them right back...

Not necessarily. Faith was just using this as an example of herself and Buffy's relationship and how turbulent it has been over the years. It doesn't mean that all the new Slayers would hate each other. We see that quite a lot of them get on well in season 9 and even after the big battle in the hellmouth at the end of season 7. They help one another out.

What I find more interesting about all this, is not that Faith can be a leader but Buffy can't always be a follower. She's been in charge for so long and had everyone look to her for the answers or to make the decisions that I think she finds it hard to step down, especially towards the end of season 7.