Why was there no other slayer?

[nerd4hire]

I don't know how it went were you were, but here the "only through Faithers" get their asses kicked every time. 🙂

 

[Black Eye Guy]

Yeah Buffy already died so the slayer line passed from her to Kendra and from Kendra to Faith. So pre-Chosen only Faith's death could activate a slayer, because Faith is THE slayer while Buffy is really a slayer. Buffy is the anomoly because she's suppose to be dead, but she's not. And as far as Season Seven her saying her death would activate the next slayer, one I think that was just talk, because they didn't know about Faith or anything like that, and Buffy was trying to train them and stuff so she simply said "If I die one of you is going to be the next slayer." Instead of "When the other slayer Faith who is currently in jail dies one of you will be the next slayer."

Like the others Said it's not just Buffy that said it, allot of other people too. Also the fact that The First was saveing her for last!

because Buffy died in Season Five she was brought back and then she died again at the end of Season Six when she flatlined and Willow brought her back. So Buffy died 3 times but still only activated one slayer so that should tell you that she no longer carries the slayer line and is the slayer anomoly as she should be dead.

That doesn't really tell anything, cuz if you go with the explanation that The line went through Faith in season 5, Buffy's death shouldn't activate another Slayer,
And Sk8j04 is right, actually flatlineing on a heart monitor isn't actually clinically dead, it's only when both Heart and Brain death occure, that it is concidered actually dead.

Well if you want to use that argument then she could have had some brain activity when she drowned cause she was somewhat dead then too but she was still considered dead cause she had no pulse and such.

But you can't really say that, because we don't know how dead Buffy was when she drowned in PG, but in season 6 she was hooked up to machines, which told us!

 

[Xin Rong]

Personally i lean towards the idea that there were two slayer lines created as a result of willows spell to resurrect buffy, which in my opinion is why the slayer line became unstable.

 

[Cohen]

Personally i lean towards the idea that there were two slayer lines created as a result of willows spell to resurrect buffy, which in my opinion is why the slayer line became unstable.

That makes sense to me. I always wondered why the slayer line was unstable in Season 7, because Buffy had already died. Willow creating this alternate slayer line, by accident, makes me understand season 7 better.

 

[Black Eye Guy]

What if the Slayer line, isn't actually the slayer power, but just like an on switch?

Like, I kinda agree with the Duel slayer line theory, but there are a few kinks, I think it's not a case of having 2 lines, but each slayer must actually have their own Slayer power.
Just say when a slayer gets activated the power comes from the reservoir of Slayer power and inhabits the Girl, and so it's actually not the exact same power the previous one had. That could make sense as to why Buffy had slayer powers after activating Kendra, because that power is hers and can't leave her.

That also works with the enjoining spell in season 4, where the gang call on each of the Slayers powers back to the Firs Slayer's, giving Buffy all the power of each of the slayers before her - Meaning that each would have had their own power to be added to each others and buffys, to make her the uber-slayer.

There is still a slayer line, where each girl is activated after another, and Buffy died so the line moved on so Buffy existed outside of the line, until she was resurrected in season 6, where she was put back into it, causing the Destiny part of the line to be shifted around, causing instability!

 

[Panda]

i'm soo glad i joined this board this question was killing me! i love all the theories. it makes so much more sense now.

 

[Fallen Angelus]

Honestly, I find that I'm more of a proponent of the "Only through Faith" theory, because that's kind of the one that makes the most sense to me based on the majority of the series and Joss' comments.

I always saw it like this - when you're the Slayer, you sort of have this...I dunno, a "credit" or something that's given to you. When you die, that "credit" is passed on to the next girl, which in turn is passed on to the next and the next. When Buffy died in Prophecy Girl her "credit" passed to Kendra, which then passed to Faith where it currently resides (although not anymore I suppose, now that the rules have changed).

I suppose the accidental creation of a seperate Slayer line might explain some things about Season 7, but I think it could just as easily be explaned that, honestly, this whole "Two Slayer" thing was an anomoly and nobody knew how it really worked. Buffy could only assume that when she died she would activate another Slayer, and Giles probably didn't know enough to know if she was actually right or not.

However, that doesn't really explain why the Scoobies didn't look for another Slayer once Buffy died in The Gift, or even considered the option (or why Buffy never went looking for one once she came back, presumably to stop Slayer the Third from pulling a Faith).

I think the inherent problem lies with the fact that Season 7 was riddled with problems that in turn affect and confuse the mythology and things that came before it. If Buffy had never made an offhanded comment about a new Slayer being activated when she died in...oh, say Potential, this never would've been an issue.

The Watchers' Council, fooled the same as the rest of the world, believed that there was a living Slayer on the hellmouth, never bothered to perform a search for the newly activated Slayer, therefore the girl would not be informed of her Calling.

I always assumed that there was some sort of mystical...er...whatever occured whenever a Slayer died, allowing them to be on the look-out for the new one. I mean, take Prophecy Girl for example. Buffy was only dead for a few minutes, and even if she saw fit to tell Giles that, I doubt he would have reported that to the Council.

I always assumed that the Council had some kind of mystics attuned to whatever mystical/demonic energy that "called" the Slayer, so they could be notified the moment the current one died and know where the next one would be.

That makes sense to me. I always wondered why the slayer line was unstable in Season 7, because Buffy had already died. Willow creating this alternate slayer line, by accident, makes me understand season 7 better.

I think we should cling to anything that makes Season 7 make more sense to us - because Lord knows it doesn't on it's own. 🙂

 

[The Chosen]

I'm sticking with that after Buffy died, she was no longer THE Slayer, but A Slayer. Kendra was then THE Slayer, when she died, she was A Slayer, and then Faith was called and now is THE Slayer.

And now a whole of girls all over the world are THE Slayer.
-TC

 

[nerd4hire]

I think we should cling to anything that makes Season 7 make more sense to us - because Lord knows it doesn't on it's own.

Season 7 only makes sense for me when I believe what it tells me.

It tells me the line now passes through Buffy. And one more time...it isn't just Buffy who says it. It's Dawn. The lack of reaction from Willow, Anya, and Xander implies they agree. The First Evil also says the line passes through Buffy now.

OK, so that's what Season 7 tells me. I decide to believe it. Now I look at all the stuff I couldn't figure out before.

Beljoxa's Eye tells us there's a disruption in the slayer line, and the First wants to exploit it. What's the disruption? The line now passes through Buffy. The line has now been corrupted to allow for something other than one slayer passing on the line to another single slayer.

Why does the First want the scythe? Surely it's not afraid of it's power as a weapon. The first blew up a whole building in London. The scythe creates a situation where the passing of Demon power (Get it Done) can be passed through from one dimension to another. The First wants to become corporeal by passing it's power into human hosts. It says so.

Why does the First want Buffy alive, but Faith dead? Because the line now passes through Buffy. It needs "the slayer" to do what it has planned, and the plan has something to do with the way the slayer line is passed.

Why does the First prefer Spike alive? To corrupt Buffy, perhaps to turn her to make her agree to go along with whatever it has planned. In Chosen Willow must be situated directly above the Hellmouth where Buffy is to make the magic work, and pass the slayer line on. Buffy is an ingredient of the slayer passing formula.

You can go on and on like that making sense of the puzzles of Season 7 if you simply accept what it tells you when it says the line now passes through Buffy.

If however, sometime in the future Joss tells us I was wrong, and they were just goofing when they told us on multiple occasions the Slayer line passes through Buffy once more (and I'm going to say as a result of the Bargaining spell) I'd have to agree. Season 7 wouldn't make a lot of sense.

 

[Fallen Angelus]

Season 7 only makes sense for me when I believe what it tells me.

It tells me the line now passes through Buffy. And one more time...it isn't just Buffy who says it. It's Dawn. The lack of reaction from Willow, Anya, and Xander implies they agree. The First Evil also says the line passes through Buffy now.

OK, so that's what Season 7 tells me. I decide to believe it. Now I look at all the stuff I couldn't figure out before.

Beljoxa's Eye tells us there's a disruption in the slayer line, and the First wants to exploit it. What's the disruption? The line now passes through Buffy. The line has now been corrupted to allow for something other than one slayer passing on the line to another single slayer.

Why does the First want the scythe? Surely it's not afraid of it's power as a weapon. The first blew up a whole building in London. The scythe creates a situation where the passing of Demon power (Get it Done) can be passed through from one dimension to another. The First wants to become corporeal by passing it's power into human hosts. It says so.

Why does the First want Buffy alive, but Faith dead? Because the line now passes through Buffy. It needs "the slayer" to do what it has planned, and the plan has something to do with the way the slayer line is passed.

Why does the First prefer Spike alive? To corrupt Buffy, perhaps to turn her to make her agree to go along with whatever it has planned. In Chosen Willow must be situated directly above the Hellmouth where Buffy is to make the magic work, and pass the slayer line on. Buffy is an ingredient of the slayer passing formula.

You can go on and on like that making sense of the puzzles of Season 7 if you simply accept what it tells you when it says the line now passes through Buffy.

If however, sometime in the future Joss tells us I was wrong, and they were just goofing when they told us on multiple occasions the Slayer line passes through Buffy once more (and I'm going to say as a result of the Bargaining spell) I'd have to agree. Season 7 wouldn't make a lot of sense.

First, let me say that this is a fine theory. I like it, and it works.

The only problem is when you get right down to it, it's fanwank. Very good and very well researched fanwank, but fanwank nonetheless.

All of the puzzle pieces to the mystery that is Season 7 you mention are, indeed, there. The only problem is, from my recollection, we don't really get information as detailed as you've laid it out.

We know that the First's plan has something to do with the Slayer line, and we know that somehow the First is able to impliment this plan because of Buffy's ressurrection (also something to do with the size of its army outweighing the human population or whatever the heck THAT was about). My only problem is...well, that's kind of all we get, isn't it? If someone had found a way to work the exposition you just laid out for me into one of the episodes, or have gone more in-depth with the concept, that would have helped a whole bunch. As it stands, one can easily lose Beljoxa's Eye in the hustle and bustle or write it off as a plot thread that was never followed up on, because in my mind it's something that wasn't explained satisfactorily to the audience. Beljoxa's Eye tells us that it's because of Buffy's revival that the First is able to do it's thing, but...we're never told why.

If something along these lines had been offered up as explanation within the context of the 22 episodes of Season 7, the whole season would be a hell of a lot harder to swallow. As it stands, if you just watch the episodes themselves, Buffy talking about a new Slayer being called when she dies looks more like a continuity gaffe than a plot point, know what I mean?

 

[nerd4hire]

Sorry, no. I don't know exactly what you mean. I'm not sure why the season would be "harder to swallow" if they'd offered up explanations for all the little plot threads that go nowhere, then tied them all to a logical premise. In fact I've always had a suspicion if Joss had maintained control of Season 7 rather than passing it off to Noxon to go off, and work on other projects (which is what I believe happened), the season would have been more cohesive, coherent, and satisfying.

But back to fanwankery. Yes I'm saying making Season 7 make sense requires it. I'm also saying I personally don't mind it. In fact I rather enjoy it.

The alternative is we ignore the three mentions of the line now passing through Buffy, as well as stuff like the Shadowmen, and the guardian thinking of her as "The Slayer", or Beljoxa's eye saying everything has to do with Buffy being brought back in the Bargaining. Instead we say the line continues to pass through Faith in spite of the fact we're told that isn't what's happening, and nothing can make sense through fanwankery, or any other method if we stubbornly hang on to that belief. Which alternative is more false?

If we go Faith only, we're starting with a false premise based on the text. If we choose to believe what the writers tell us when they repeatedly infer, or outright tell us the line has changed, it's possible to create a satisfactory explanation for things utilizing textual references as clues.

If we ignore the text, and go Faith only, we're doomed to be dissatisfied with Season 7. If we choose to believe the text, we can have a good time making sense of the incomprehensible. They're both lies. Which is the more satisfactory.

BTW, I've heard fanwanks based on the Faith only premise. They read like really bad fanfic. They have no link to textual fact. Again they remind me of that old Monty Python line, "And I base all this on absolutely nothing".

 

[Fallen Angelus]

Sorry, no. I don't know exactly what you mean. I'm not sure why the season would be "harder to swallow" if they'd offered up explanations for all the little plot threads that go nowhere, then tied them all to a logical premise. In fact I've always had a suspicion if Joss had maintained control of Season 7 rather than passing it off to Noxon to go off, and work on other projects (which is what I believe happened), the season would have been more cohesive, coherent, and satisfying.

Gurk! My mistake. I meant the opposite. If something had been offered up as explanation, the season would've been easier to swallow. I apologize - my only defense is that it was 2 or 3 am when I was writing that. Sorry.

As for the rest of it, you make good arguments and as I said before, it's a cohesive and logical way to make sense of the convoluted plotline of Season 7. I suppose it's just another frustration I have with Marti Noxon's time as showrunner in comparison to Joss' - it's not nearly as tight and contained. I don't mind fanwanks as a general rule, but when we've no other option but to do so in order to make sense of a major plotline, I've got to cry foul on the writers.

Not that any of that's news, I imagine.