Mayor Wilkins and Faith

[white avenger]

Did Mayor Wilkins really love Faith (in a fatherly way, of course), or was he just putting her on? There are some definite parallels between the Buffy/Giles relationship and the Faith/Wilkins, and, psycho that he obviously was, he really seemed to care about her, even after she went into the coma.

 

[Skanky Vamp]

Oh I think he certainly did. I do not think he was prentending. Afterall, he got very cranky when she was in the hospital.

 

[Crazy Flakes]

I was thinking about that earlier after I watched Graduation Day. I think that, even though it started out as a purely professional relationship, it developed into a father/daughter connection that only truly revealed itself after he saw the aftermath of Buffy and Faith's fight and started to panic and say, "She'll be alright. She'll be alright. She'll be alright." And he was definitely acting like her father in the hospital, when he was talking to the doctors, trying to suffocate Buffy, and yelling at Angel (speaking of which, Harry Groener's scenes in the hospital never cease to give me chills. Brilliant.)

Now that I think about it, their relationship really does mirror the Buffy/Giles dynamic. I wonder if Joss did that on purpose.

 

[Atren]

I think he did, he was quite passionate about her. The revenge on Buffy and the emotion in his voice in hospital for example.

 

[BuffyElevated]

It's obvious the mayor really did care for her like a father would his daughter. It's sad to watch sometimes 'cause you see what Faith craved most: real love. The way she reacted to how he treated her and how he reacted with her was touching...if you can forget that they were really evil together. 😉

 

[JenniferAlice]

Definately Father/Daughter bond. Like the scene when he gets Faith to try on the pink dress, usually a scene like that would creep me out, but it seemed genuine, he obviously cared for her. I like Faith at the end of Season 3, even though she was on the bad side, the relationship with the Mayor really softened her character.

 

[white avenger]

Definately Father/Daughter bond. Like the scene when he gets Faith to try on the pink dress, usually a scene like that would creep me out, but it seemed genuine, he obviously cared for her. I like Faith at the end of Season 3, even though she was on the bad side, the relationship with the Mayor really softened her character.

Also the first time that he shows her the new apartment, Faith says, "Thank you, Sugar Daddy," which could mean that she considered herself his "kept woman" (do they still use that phrase nowadays?), but more likely was her tentative first attempt to acknowledge that she thought of him in a fatherly role and to do something that she quite obviously had had very little experience at: expressing her gratitude and affection.

 

[caitaintdead]

It does make you wonder how Faith would have turned out with the scoobies and a good role model. Mayor Wilkins seemed genuine in his love for Faith. I actually really liked the way Faith and Wilkins interacted together.

 

[Mozzymandias]

Maybe at first he saw it as an oppurtunity to have a slayer on his side by giving her the attention she wanted like Buffy had but during that period he actually came to love her like a father is how I've alwasy seen it.

 

[Joyce Summers]

I think it was definitely genuine Fatherly affection here but I think it was a new experience for both the Mayor and Faith. Faith had never had affection shown to her at all before, and beyond the way he actually speaks of his wife, Edna Mae, quite lovingly, it seems the Mayor has never cared about anyone but himself. In the same way that becoming parents makes you, or should make, you selfless in that regard, Faith brought on that change in the Mayor. For after the Buffy-Faith fight, one The Mayor's lackeys reminds him that they have to get ready for the Acenscion, but The Mayor dismisses this as unimportant and orders that the search for Faith be top of the list.

And doesn't he even mention when Faith has the pink dress on that while he and his wife never had children, he couldn't be more proud of Faith than if she were his own- I think that conversation pretty much sealed the deal on the genuine Father/Daughter affection here.

But I think it was more a comparison to Giles/Buffy than a contrast, because while The Mayor and Faith were by definition evil and Giles and Buffy were good, the two relationships were both, well, good. There was no twsted-this-is-the-evil-version edge to Faith/Mayor.

I think it was Jane Espenson that said it was that relationship that allowed us to love Faith and the Mayor- we loved Spike and Drusilla because they loved each other and showed affection and the same can be said for the Mayor and Faith.

 

[white avenger]

Something else that just occurred to me: Wilkins stated at some point in referring to Angel's soul that it wasn't that important, and that he had gotten rid of his at the first opportunity, probably at the same time that he became immortal. Now, that might parallel another relationship in the show. If soul-less Wilkins can love Faith, and we all pretty much agree that he did, then soul-less Spike could certainly have loved Buffy (nothing to do with this thread, I just thought it was sort of interesting)

 

[Anya2012]

Another question: I have no doubt the Mayor's love for Faith. If he ever did eat the whole town, would he have left Faith alone?

 

[hannahfngrl26]

I know that thier relationship was messed up but at the same time I do think he did genuinely care for Faith. It was evident through out the season arc because of how he treated her. It was like she was the daughter/assasin he never had but always wanted.

 

[Perny]

I think he loved her... Which I like about him

 

[Bluebird]

The relationship between the Mayor and Faith was great. Like Spike and Drusilla, the Mayor was a bad guy who could love. And I thought the video from the Mayor that Faith watched when she woke up was very touching. I loved that scene.

Now, Faith, as I record this message you're sleeping. And the doctors tell me you might never wake up. I don't believe that. Sooner or later you will wake up, and when you do, you'll find the world has gone and changed on you. I wish I could make the world a better place for you to wake up in. But, tough as it is to accept, we both have to understand that even my power to protect and watch over you has it's limits. See, the hard pill to swallow is that once I'm gone, your days are just plain numbered. Now, I know, you're a smart and capable young woman in charge of her own life, but the problem, Faith, is that there won't be a place in the world for you anymore. By now I bet you're feeling very much alone. But you're never alone. You'll always have me.

 

[fly on the wall]

I don't think anyone can say the affection the Mayor had for Faith was a front. His reaction to when she went missing, her coma, and his reaction to the knife Buffy showed him when he was the giant snake all show that it was very real. I kind of loved their relationship actually. As sick and twisted as they were, it was really sweet.

 

[Girl with Sword]

His love for Faith is the essence of why I love the Mayor. He's so creepy, but he's so nice and geniune. It kind of makes him a little creepier but that's what makes him awesome.

 

[Shadow Angel]

I really think that he cared about Faith, it was nice to see how they both gained affection for eachother.

 

[BuffyElevated]

Did Mayor Wilkins really love Faith (in a fatherly way, of course), or was he just putting her on? There are some definite parallels between the Buffy/Giles relationship and the Faith/Wilkins, and, psycho that he obviously was, he really seemed to care about her, even after she went into the coma.

He definitely without a doubt loved her. It might have started out as a professional relationship but it certainly went a lot deeper than boss/employee. It was touching in a weird, psychotic way. 🙂

 

[atticus]

The mayor loved faith, and she loved him in return. I think that's why Faith is such an interesting character. It's a case of the road not taken. Angel tried to talk to her, and i believe would have helped her find redemption, instead she ended up with the mayor, who did love her, but that love made her do terrible things, she became a killer. I think its because he loved her that she finds it hard to know who she really is, a hero or a villain. Her search for love, is what defines her. With the mayor, she relates love to being a murderer, and later with angel, she see's love as trying to help people.