Quotes and Reference on the Lesbian Subtext Question

[nerd4hire]

This question keeps coming up so I thought I'd post the reference material, then link to it in Oft-Asked Questions. In this way you can find the information easily the next time you're looking for it.

The question concerns the idea a writer made comments concerning Faith/Buffy lesbian subtext in Season 3.

It was Doug Petrie. It was in the Season 3 DVD commentary. Our BB member Superstar reproduced the quotes on this thread...

Bad Girls Writer Commentary exerpts:
"And here we have the growing lesbian subtext between these two - which was always fun to play with. Eliza was always pushing the sexuality and no one remembered to stop her from that - which we are very happy about."

Petrie - On Method writing about "Bad Girls":
"There was a girl in my high school who I remember was an actual "bad girl" who I will protect by not naming her - and I remember her coming to the window of a class and breathing on the glass and drawing a little image on it and calling another girl out - so that's based on life."

"I love this - and there's the heart again - lesbian subtext - but the heart with the stake through it - that's got stakes and vampires - and yet it's this kind of romantic image at the same time because it's almost a seduction - Faith is very sexy and she's saying come play with me."

The other quote often mentioned concerning this issue is from the canon Buffy Season 8 Faith arc No Future for You. The writer was Brian Lynch.

If you would like to discuss the issue of whether or not you think Faith is bi-sexual there is a thread for that. It is Here.

This one is for reference. If you have any of that please add it. I'm pretty sure either one or both the actresses commented on the subject, but I can't remember where.

 

[DoctorWhovian]

See now I don't think that is Faith saying 'Woah I'm not gay/bi', that is the response I would have had.

 

[nerd4hire]

It's possible you missed the joke there. As we know Faith doesn't always get educated references. Here's an example.

PRINCIPAL WOOD
But that's what The First does. Find
your achilles heel.

FAITH
Naw. It just talked to me. It does
a heel thing too?

OK now go back, read the quote from the comic again, and consider the word "cunning".

Even without that though, the quote is pretty clear, as to what it refers to, I think. Some say however, Faith is not referring to her hesitancy to make it with a woman, but speaking to a more general unwillingness to use sex to obtain an objective. Wishful thinking on the part of the interpreter in my opinion.

However, this is not the thread for debate. There's a link to a debate thread on the subject above. This thread is for reference.

Here are some quotes from other episodes which may have relevance to this question, pro and con.

Xander: Buffy and Faith are in the library getting all *sweaty*.
Cordelia: They're training.
Xander: I stand by my phrase.

Faith: Ronnie, deadbeat. Steve, klepto. Kenny... drummer. Eventually, I just had to face up to my destiny as a loser magnet. Now it's strictly get some, get gone. You can't trust guys.

FAITH: So you guys been hanging out a lot lately, huh?

TARA: (smiling) Yeah. She's, um, she's really cool.

FAITH: So Willow's not driving stick anymore.

(Tara stops smiling)

FAITH: Who would have thought? I guess you never really know someone until you've been inside their skin. And Oz is out of the picture? Oh. Never seen two people so much in love. (whispering) She just couldn't get enough of old Oz.

TARA: She, um, said he, uh, uh, w-w-w-w-w-w--

FAITH: (cruelly) W-w-w-w-what? You gonna get that sentence out sometime tonight?

As I said before there is a quote from Eliza Dushku concerning her introducing a sexual undercurrent to the Buffy/Faith relationship. Wish I could find it. I think SMG commented on it too. They've heard it at AfterEllen. They comment here...

Eliza Dushku (Faith on Buffy) has admitted that she deliberately encouraged the sexual undercurrent between her character and Sarah Michelle Gellar's during her stint on Buffy

AfterEllen.com - Television and the Threat of the Lesbian Action Hero