What character do you think was given the best and least break by the writers?

[Dora]

That was a logical conclusion on Spike's part, even if it was incorrect. He knows his chip allows him to hurt demons but prevents him from harming humans. When he first hit Buffy without pain, he thought it meant his chip had stopped working completely, however when he tried to kill that woman he was proven wrong. He went to get the chip checked and was told that it was indeed working correctly, ergo the only thing that was different was Buffy. If he could hurt demons but not humans and could hit Buffy, that must mean she was a demon and the she "came back wrong".

Buffy was never considered part demon until Season 7 when the demon essence was introduced to create the first slayer. Likewise, from Seasons 1-6, any girl could've been the slayer and Buffy was just the unlucky one chosen, however in Season 7 only some girls can be the slayer.

Buffy is sometimes thought to be "part demon" not because of Spike but because of Season 7.

I fully believe that if Buffy had taken a huge boost in power that was offered she would not have been the same , but she refused it mostly I believe because of her feelings in S6 and not wanting to lose control of them / herself again . how do you think of Willow with all that black majic in her ..is she human ? is there a difference ?

 

[DeadlyDuo]

I fully believe that if Buffy had taken a huge boost in power that was offered she would not have been the same , but she refused it mostly I believe because of her feelings in S6 and not wanting to lose control of them / herself again . how do you think of Willow with all that black majic in her ..is she human ? is there a difference ?

I think Buffy benefitted more from having the knowledge of what was in the hellmouth cavern (knowledge is power) than she would've from being made stronger.

Willow is human because magic is something she had to learn to access rather than it automatically being bestowed upon her like the slayer powers were with Buffy. Buffy has to learn to hone and use her slayer powers, but she has access to them at all times. She can't stop being strong whereas Willow can stop using magic.

 

[IdiotJed110]

Spike was the most loved. He went from a five episode story to having a bigger role than Buffy and a hero's death. When he went to Ats he got second billing. He had been in I believe 2 episodes prior to this, and he was given a place above the likes of Gunn, who had put 69 episodes into the series.

Andrew was loved specifically by Jane Espenson. Without her presence he probably would have died in season 6.

Wesley was well loved. He was supposed to die in Buffy season 3 but ended up with the best character arc in the franchise.

I think both Joss and Marti Noxon loved Willow. The problem is that Marti Noxon had terrible taste, and her idea of a good arc was just ridiculous amounts of character assassination.

Fred was actually loved. When Joss wrote her death, the idea was that next season she would be split into Illyria and Fred, basically giving Amy Acker a double sized role in the series.

Joss loved Xander but Marti Noxon hated him.

I don't think a single writer disliked Faith.

Gunn was added as the token black character and didn't really get any development beyond that until late season 4.

I think Marti Noxon liked Oz but see above with what she did to Willow.

I don't want to go into Cordelia, I think it's all been said already.

 

[NeonSlayer]

The only place that I have read about Buffy being part demon is on this board , not in the show , not on any other board , in fact the only person to call her a demon was a demon , Buffy had a essence of a demon in her that increased her abilities , but at no stage was Buffy ever even indicated, or considered she was nothing but human

Buffy's abilities weren't just increased (the strength, speed, reflexes, stamina, durability). She has visions. She can sometimes sense other paranormals & unusual situations. Her blood has restorative properties. She has an itch to hunt & instinctual violent tendencies.

Vampires started out as a souled human but then a demon essence takes up permanent residence in them. How is a souled vampire that different from a Slayer? A soulless vampire is only evil because the soul of the human body it is possessing isn't there anymore and it only had to kill the vessel to be in control. If the human soul had never left they would be a lot like Slayers except with a more pathetic demon that requires blood, can't go in the sunlight, can't touch holy items, and is easily killed by catching fire. But it does have immortality.

Most demons can go in the sun, aren't affected by holy items, have breath, etc.

I think of Slayers as their own species the way that vampires are their own species. Some demons dislike vampires for being human bodies with a demon essence in them. Some humans dislike Slayers for the same reason.

 

[Dora]

Buffy's abilities weren't just increased (the strength, speed, reflexes, stamina, durability). She has visions. She can sometimes sense other paranormals & unusual situations. Her blood has restorative properties. She has an itch to hunt & instinctual violent tendencies.

Vampires started out as a souled human but then a demon essence takes up permanent residence in them. How is a souled vampire that different from a Slayer? A soulless vampire is only evil because the soul of the human body it is possessing isn't there anymore and it only had to kill the vessel to be in control. If the human soul had never left they would be a lot like Slayers except with a more pathetic demon that requires blood, can't go in the sunlight, can't touch holy items, and is easily killed by catching fire. But it does have immortality.

Most demons can go in the sun, aren't affected by holy items, have breath, etc.

I think of Slayers as their own species the way that vampires are their own species. Some demons dislike vampires for being human bodies with a demon essence in them. Some humans dislike Slayers for the same reason.

Vampires do not have human bodies , when the vampire sires another vampire it kills the human and the soul leaves, then the body changes, hence why Buffy waits for them to rise , the only thing left of the Human is the memory, that's what makes them individual's As you point out most demons go out in the Sun etc I presume that they breed naturally where Vampire are parasites
The whole Spike getting his soul for Buffy is rubbish...... as a Vampire ( demon ) Spike has no Soul to get
When Willow brought Buffy back she brought Buffy's essence back , her soul , she came back still a slayer, human, , she fought her way out of her coffin , the slayer attributes never left her not even in heaven....... were Angel lost his soul and willow replaced it , if a souled vampire was dusted the soul would be say go to heaven but the body would be Ash

I think Buffy benefitted more from having the knowledge of what was in the hellmouth cavern (knowledge is power) than she would've from being made stronger.

Willow is human because magic is something she had to learn to access rather than it automatically being bestowed upon her like the slayer powers were with Buffy. Buffy has to learn to hone and use her slayer powers, but she has access to them at all times. She can't stop being strong whereas Willow can stop using magic.

Buffy could be gentle she showed that she could be just and ordinary girl , but used her power when she needed it , Buffy told willow that she was offered extra power and after seeing the Turkey ,Ha ms wondered if she should have taken it its just she did not like the consequences of how they tried to power got into her, and how it would change her. she had been changed when Willow brought her back , I fully believe she had still not over her depression hence her attitude in S7
As for Willow in grief she empty the dark magic books , it was always there inside and she was terrified that it would come out

 

[DeadlyDuo]

Vampires do not have human bodies , when the vampire sires another vampire it kills the human and the soul leaves, then the body changes, hence why Buffy waits for them to rise , the only thing left of the Human is the memory, that's what makes them individual's

I agree to an extent. I think the vampire is still the person they were before rather than a different entity, however their soul is gone and their body's genetic make up changes if you will. Vampires aren't just possessed meatsuits otherwise they'd get torn up really quickly, however the body becomes more durable and is able to heal quicker than a human's.

I also think the "vampire" essence is just a generic demon essence inserted into a human body and that a vampire is just the type of demon they become eg what they're classed as. They're looked down on by other demons because they are considered to be hybrids rather than pure demon.

As you point out most demons go out in the Sun etc I presume that they breed naturally where Vampire are parasites

I think vampires are basically giant cats. They're very felinesque in their mannerisms and methods, even the whole biting the neck can be seen in the wild where lions will bite their prey's neck and clamp on in order to subdue and suffocate their meal. Vampires purr, they roar like lions, they live in groups that are often dominated by a male (though not always eg Sunday). Cats hunt at night and can see in the dark, etc.

if a souled vampire was dusted the soul would be say go to heaven but the body would be Ash

I disagree. I think putting a soul into a vampire damns the soul for what the vampire has done (which adds a double whammy to the gypsies' vengeance, not only are they cursing Angelus with his soul, but they are punishing the soul as well). It's why I hate Spike getting a soul because it is essentially an act of self harm. Both Angel and Spike are certain that they'll go to hell eventually after everything they've done as soulless vampres.

Buffy could be gentle she showed that she could be just and ordinary girl , but used her power when she needed it

She kicked Riley across the room despite still holding back, she accidentally broke the yoghurt(?) machine whilst operating it normally. Even Spike's taunts in THLOD were based around Buffy's strength and that she may have been "too strong" and "bruise(d)" Parker during their night together. Since it is the writers that choose what Spike says, it suggests that, along with the other examples, Buffy's super strength isn't something that can just be turned on and off hence why she actively has to hold back to not be seen as strong. She was just operating the food machine normally when she accidentally broke it due to her strength, with Riley she was holding back during sparring yet still kicked him across the room because she didn't want to hold back too much when they'd agreed to not hold back at all.

As for Willow in grief she empty the dark magic books , it was always there inside and she was terrified that it would come out

Willow was terrified that if she accessed magic and opened that door again that the darkness would come flooding out. Willow isn't a witch in the way that Buffy is a slayer. Being a slayer changed Buffy's body's genetic make up eg she could heal faster and take a beating without a scratch. Whenever Buffy is injured it's normally used to emphasise how strong her enemy is such as with Adam, Glory, Caleb, etc. Likewise when Glory tortured Spike, and when Buffy beat him and he still had the bruises in the next episode, it was to show just how severe the torture/beating was.

In regards to Willow, the best way to describe it is that during season 6 she pumped her body with so much magic that she damaged herself, kind of like someone binge drinking to the point where their liver is affected. Using magic/ drinking alcohol could further aggravate the situation even though the condition wasn't a genetic one if that makes sense.

Buffy's problem is genetic whereas Willow's is self-induced.

 

[NeonSlayer]

Vampires do not have human bodies , when the vampire sires another vampire it kills the human and the soul leaves, then the body changes, hence why Buffy waits for them to rise , the only thing left of the Human is the memory, that's what makes them individual's As you point out most demons go out in the Sun etc I presume that they breed naturally where Vampire are parasites
The whole Spike getting his soul for Buffy is rubbish...... as a Vampire ( demon ) Spike has no Soul to get
When Willow brought Buffy back she brought Buffy's essence back , her soul , she came back still a slayer, human, , she fought her way out of her coffin , the slayer attributes never left her not even in heaven....... were Angel lost his soul and willow replaced it , if a souled vampire was dusted the soul would be say go to heaven but the body would be Ash




Buffy could be gentle she showed that she could be just and ordinary girl , but used her power when she needed it , Buffy told willow that she was offered extra power and after seeing the Turkey ,Ha ms wondered if she should have taken it its just she did not like the consequences of how they tried to power got into her, and how it would change her. she had been changed when Willow brought her back , I fully believe she had still not over her depression hence her attitude in S7
As for Willow in grief she empty the dark magic books , it was always there inside and she was terrified that it would come out

Girls who become Slayers have their bodies changed too. Both have accelerated healing, etc.

Just because the body changes doesn't mean it's a different body. Angel has Liam's body & Spike has William's body. Buffy's body is different once the demon essence is in her, but her soul never left so she kept control the whole time. It's still the body she grew up with.

Spike getting his soul just meant that he was returning the soul that was in the body before the demon possessed it. William returning to William's body.

I really doubt that the demon essence accompanied Buffy to Heaven. It's possible Buffy was still a Slayer when she returned because Willow demanded "the warrior of the people".

If Buffy had kids, there isn't a rule stating they'd be Slayers. Dawn isn't a Slayer. The demon essence had to be added just more selectively than the demon essence that makes a vampire. So neither a Slayer or vampire is a demon in the normal way.

Buffy accidentally cracked her mom's ribs giving CPR, more than one friend commented on her sometimes hugging too hard, she cracked a glass in Homecoming, etc. If anything, she had learn to power down, such as throwing a football on the beach. Riley said she threw like a girl not realizing she was trying to be just human level and so she used more strength and ended up deflating the ball and knocking Riley on his ass.

I agree that Buffy was still depressed and Spike didn't get a soul FOR her.

 

[Skanky Vamp]

Buffy accidentally cracked her mom's ribs giving CPR,

First responders can crack ribs giving CPR, it's more common than you would think.

 

[thetopher]

Worst breaks: Xander, Fred, Faith, Wesley. Often flat-out hosed by the writers not comensurate with their actions (compared to other characters) or under-written and not given enough credit. Xander is here because of the gratuitous eye gouge. (Also Buffy and Angel obviously but because their the title character the automatically get the worst breaks/most drama)

Best breaks: Spike and Willow. Often get away with stuff unchallenged or lacking negative consequences. Spike has plot armour on most of the time which means he can spew bile a lot of the other characters cannot (and would not) do.

 

[thetopher]

@NeonSlayer : Compared to Willow or Spike Faith is not treated like a hero at all, more like a nuisance. How many pep-talks or congratulations does she get? Not one. So no she isn't treated like she's awesome. The spin-off thing is totally irrelevant.

 

[NeonSlayer]

@NeonSlayer : Compared to Willow or Spike Faith is not treated like a hero at all, more like a nuisance. How many pep-talks or congratulations does she get? Not one. So no she isn't treated like she's awesome. The spin-off thing is totally irrelevant.

Angel would die for her & thinks of her as one of his greatest successes in saving souls. Giles told her she was doing "wonderful." Everyone chose her over Buffy in Empty Places. All of the Potentials liked her more than Buffy. Connor started to crush on her within two days. Kennedy was really worried about Faith's injuries for her as a person and not their frontline soldier. Fred & Lorne checked on her when she was unconscious from the drug's affects.

When did they treat her like a nuisance?

 

[thetopher]

Angel would die for her & thinks of her as one of his greatest successes in saving souls. Giles told her she was doing "wonderful."

When were these things stated? Angel just didn't want Faith to die (shocking right?) and Giles simply reassured Faith that she was doiung 'fine', not wonderful.
You're simply projecting.

Everyone chose her over Buffy in Empty Places.

That was much less to do with Faith and more to do with Buffy, hence why Willow, Giles and everyone did what they did. Not just the Potentials

Connor started to crush on her within two days.

Horny teen who doesn't know her lusts after hot chick with superpowers. Shocking.

Kennedy was really worried about Faith's injuries for her as a person and not their frontline soldier. Fred & Lorne checked on her when she was unconscious from the drug's affects.

This is called empathy for someone in pain and isn't that unusual for any character to have towards any other character.

When did they treat her like a nuisance?

'In comparison to' characters who do worst but yeah, over on Buffy S7 (and some of S3) she isn't treated particularly well. Certainly not considering how far she's come on her own.

 

[DeadlyDuo]

That was much less to do with Faith and more to do with Buffy, hence why Willow, Giles and everyone did what they did. Not just the Potentials

I consider it a powerplay on Kennedy's part. She's been sucking up to Faith then initiates a mutiny then shouts down Willow when it looks like Willow is going to stand up for Buffy. Kennedy even admits that she thought she would get a bigger say with Faith in charge. Also in the direct aftermath of Buffy's eviction when everyone is trying to talk at once, you hear Kennedy say "I think those of us who have been here the longest should get a bigger say" which of course means herself.

Kennedy is a highly manipulative cow, had the show actually acknowledged this and given her a comeuppance then I don't think she would be as hated as she is. Unfortunately the show ignored her awful behaviour that was just terrible and paired her with Willow.

Buffy's problem was bad timing but she was right. Wood stabbed her in the back and Kennedy was only power-grabbing.

This is called empathy for someone in pain and isn't that unusual for any character to have towards any other character.

This is Kennedy we're talking about, unless something benefits her then she doesn't give a damn. She showed no empathy towards Chloe at all and her bullying helped contribute to Chloe's suicide.

 

[NeonSlayer]

When were these things stated? Angel just didn't want Faith to die (shocking right?) and Giles simply reassured Faith that she was doiung 'fine', not wonderful.
You're simply projecting.



That was much less to do with Faith and more to do with Buffy, hence why Willow, Giles and everyone did what they did. Not just the Potentials



Horny teen who doesn't know her lusts after hot chick with superpowers. Shocking.



This is called empathy for someone in pain and isn't that unusual for any character to have towards any other character.



'In comparison to' characters who do worst but yeah, over on Buffy S7 (and some of S3) she isn't treated particularly well. Certainly not considering how far she's come on her own.

Angel encouraged her & defended her atonement in BtVS s3, AtS s1, 2, & 4.

He was ready to burn up in a sunlit jail cell instead of getting her arrested and he visited her when she was in jail. That's more than just not wanting her to die. I detest "redemption buddies" but there is a reason fans say it and it's not Angel just not wanting Faith to die.

Faith's plan was to take Potentials into an FE lair to get weapons that may or may not be there and he tells her she's doing "fine" but a day earlier when Buffy was going to do the same thing he thought she was being reckless and needed to step back as leader.

Yet they had Faith as their new leader instead of Giles or Willow.

Why are you downgrading Connor to just horny teen? And he didn't lust after her as soon as he laid eyes on her the way Kennedy did with Willow.

How would the characters know how far she's come? And other than the couple of days in AtS s4 what exactly is that? They spent that time fighting monster after monster & mourning loved ones while she sat in jail.

Other than Willow in the last 3 episodes of s6, what crimes were forgiven that were worse than the ones Faith committed? Spike hardly counts since he literally didn't have a soul, Faith did.

 

[spikenbuffy]

People complain that the writers did in S7 Buffy getting out of her house by the potentials especially to make Spike say a good speech to Buffy in Touched but I have to say that it was also for Faith to be seen as good and make Buffy seen as bad. Faith is on her redemption path in that season. So the writers want to make her good. She even took Buffy's place as the leader by her own friends lol. Faith even says "I'm the good slayer now?".
The writers also made people sad for Faith the minute after she got out of Buffy's body. I also think the fans give Faith a break, plenty of fans are against Buffy in Sanctuary after all the things that Faith did to her in Who Are You. People are all sorry for Faith and not Buffy. They can't understand why Buffy has anger to Faith. Lol.

 

[RachM]

Angel encouraged her & defended her atonement in BtVS s3, AtS s1, 2, & 4.

He was ready to burn up in a sunlit jail cell instead of getting her arrested and he visited her when she was in jail. That's more than just not wanting her to die. I detest "redemption buddies" but there is a reason fans say it and it's not Angel just not wanting Faith to die.

Why do you have so much beef with Angel recognising that Faith wants to change her ways and helping her with it? Would you rather she remained evil? Angel cares for Faith because he sees her suicidal guilt and believes her when she says she wants to repent. Of course it's beyond him not wanting her to die but I don't see what the issue is here. Faith willingly went to jail for her crimes and spends every moment trying to do the right thing and atone for her past wrongs.

Faith's plan was to take Potentials into an FE lair to get weapons that may or may not be there and he tells her she's doing "fine" but a day earlier when Buffy was going to do the same thing he thought she was being reckless and needed to step back as leader.

The reason everyone thought Buffy was being reckless was because she wanted to take everyone back into the place where three of them had died the night before, several more had been injured and Xander had lost an eye, all because she refused to listen to them and walked into what was so clearly a trap. They turned against her because she was becoming like a dictator and was putting their lives at risk. Faith's plans was thought-out and included everyone and she didn't demand that they just follow her blindly to get injured or killed.

Why are you downgrading Connor to just horny teen?

Because he is one?

Other than Willow in the last 3 episodes of s6, what crimes were forgiven that were worse than the ones Faith committed? Spike hardly counts since he literally didn't have a soul, Faith did.

Spike doesn't get a free pass just because he didn't have a soul - the trauma he inflicted upon Buffy doesn't change just because he didn't have a soul. If Angel is held accountable for his actions as Angelus then so too should Spike be held accountable for his actions without a soul.

 

[WillowFromBuffy]

This is my favourite youtube-video ever 🙂

 

[DeadlyDuo]

This is my favourite youtube-video ever 🙂

That kind of actually makes me feel sorry for Spike, particularly the number of times Buffy hits him in his own home without any real reason.

 

[Dora]

Girls who become Slayers have their bodies changed too. Both have accelerated healing, etc.

Just because the body changes doesn't mean it's a different body. Angel has Liam's body & Spike has William's body. Buffy's body is different once the demon essence is in her, but her soul never left so she kept control the whole time. It's still the body she grew up with.

Spike getting his soul just meant that he was returning the soul that was in the body before the demon possessed it. William returning to William's body.

I really doubt that the demon essence accompanied Buffy to Heaven. It's possible Buffy was still a Slayer when she returned because Willow demanded "the warrior of the people".

If Buffy had kids, there isn't a rule stating they'd be Slayers. Dawn isn't a Slayer. The demon essence had to be added just more selectively than the demon essence that makes a vampire. So neither a Slayer or vampire is a demon in the normal way.

Buffy accidentally cracked her mom's ribs giving CPR, more than one friend commented on her sometimes hugging too hard, she cracked a glass in Homecoming, etc. If anything, she had learn to power down, such as throwing a football on the beach. Riley said she threw like a girl not realizing she was trying to be just human level and so she used more strength and ended up deflating the ball and knocking Riley on his ass.

I agree that Buffy was still depressed and Spike didn't get a soul FOR her.

Yes Buffy body changes,. but is not different only her original senses , healing , strength etc are increased but it is still human it physically does not change her, ageing, one heart ,etc , where a vampires body changes completely ,No ageing, no reflection , dead , no Sunlight , super strength, living on blood, etc , as Buffy say's in S1 you are not looking at Jess you are looking at the thing that killed him

What part of Buffy is a demon , we agree the essence of the demon increases her senses etc but what part of Buffy is a actual demon, body ,arms , legs , how she thinks , all human to me

Again its a Buffy board anomaly , Spike has no soul to get he is a Vampire he can not go and get it because he never has one , so the soul he is supposed to get is the soul of the guy that was murdered so spike could infest his body . So Williams soul is in heaven , has been there for 100 years plus , it is now dragged out and force into a demons body , the demon that killed him ? is that right , if you believe that Spike went and got Williams soul ,not Spikes, Williams how can you not not condemn him.... Willow get stick for what she done to Buffy. Also what changes with Spike? , we see two different people with Angel / Angelus not so with Spike no sign of the poet William there

Warrior of the people ...Faith ? Buffy was no longer the slayer

Buffy having kids? , Dawn was a clone of Buffy made from Buffy her DNA her blood,but she was taller, brown hair , a completely different character , looking nothing like Buffy, so probably not. Buffy body was unable to produce anything that appears to be related to her? so no with the slayers

 

[thetopher]

Buffy's problem was bad timing but she was right. Wood stabbed her in the back and Kennedy was only power-grabbing.

Also Anya saying 'we shouldn't let a slayer lead us just 'cause', and then letting a slayer take over without a word.
So yeah, it was a Buffy-problem, not a Faith-solution.

Also when Buffy's heart, mind and spirit rebel then you know that she's lost the plot.

Angel encouraged her & defended her atonement in BtVS s3, AtS s1, 2, & 4.

I'll give you Angel S1 but over on Buffy S3 it was mostly Buffy who stuck up for Faith for for...two episodes? And then they all gave up (that's fine, I get why).
Angel S2 was just mutual conversation/support. Angel wanted to talk just as much as Faith wanted a visit (that's clear from the conversation).

And Angel S4? Angel and Faith don't have much time to act, and in this case its mutual savage in dream and in reality. So wrong again.

Faith's plan was to take Potentials into an FE lair to get weapons that may or may not be there and he tells her she's doing "fine" but a day earlier when Buffy was going to do the same thing

Nope, nope nope. Buffy had a HUNCH. She told everyone her theory which was based on NOTHING. On the other hand Faith and co outlined a mutually agreed onplan, got everyone involved (Kennedy as bait, Dawn translating a spell, etc) and gained intel about the enemy then acted on that intel. Sure, it was a trap but it was a much better one than the 'I've got something of yours' that Caleb set- everyone pretty much TOLD Bufyf that that was a trap.

And besides Buffy (the now sane-Buffy) in EoD tells everyone that it wasn't Faith's fault that they fell for the trap. Who are we to argue with not-pod person Buffy?

He was ready to burn up in a sunlit jail cell instead of getting her arrested and he visited her when she was in jail.

Haha! This is what Angel does! I'll die for Buffy, I'll die to keep the ring of Amara safe, I'll die to redeem Darla in S2, I'll die for Connor. He's a self-sacrificing hero-type. Yeesh.

That's Angel, he does it for everyone, not just Faith. Plus Angel is Faith's like, only pal. Everyone should get one pal.

Why are you downgrading Connor to just horny teen?

Because that is the sole reason he liked Faith. A super-powered chick who could put him in his place verbally and slap him around if needed. I'm 'downgrading' it because it was a shallow, if understandable, attraction.
Plus Connor IS a horny teen, see his thing with Cordelia and 'Spin The Bottle' for evidence.

How would the characters know how far she's come? And other than the couple of days in AtS s4 what exactly is that?

That's the point, they didn't care about Faith, but she cared about them- or at least cared enough to go and fight with them. Punch-happy Buffy and co. didn't even warn Faith about Bringers killing potential slayers and watchers around the world when she's a few hours drive or a phone call away. That's crappy.

Other than Willow in the last 3 episodes of s6, what crimes were forgiven that were worse than the ones Faith committed?

Spike and the trigger (killed actual people and really didn't care that he still could) was a threat throughout most of S7. Andrew was a former big bad who had tried to kill Buffy, ruin her life, drive her insane, plus he had a habit of betraying those close to himself, with a soul and everything, Anya was a vengeance-killer incarnate for a trhousand years with a soul and everything.
That's like, half the cast right there. All worst than 'screwed-up damaged, super-powered teen Faith'.

I actually find Willow more sympathetic than those listed above but that's just down to the acting, not the reality of her situation (which is also about lack of control).



I would also say that the bad/good breaks continue well into the comics. Faith is still the permanent underdog type and Fred/Illyria ends up getting condemned to hell. Willow gets to keep casting spells in a greatly reduced magical world and Spike does amazing well considering his continued stalker-act is ultimately rewarded.