As a character,Buffy the Vampire Slayerhad few adversaries more complicated than fellow vampire slayer, Faith. When she joined the show’s third season,Faith changed Buffy’s story forever. Positioned as Buffy’s evil-natured antithesis, Faith opposed Buffy during Seasons 3 and 4 and then, after a guest spot onAngel, was ready to turn over a new leaf, atoning for her sins.
In the comic book seriesBuffy and Faith Season 10, Faith attempts to atone for sins she committed inBuffy the Vampire Slayer’sfourth seasonepisode, “Who Are You?” In this episode, Buffy and Faith swap bodies, and in an oft-forgotten moment, Faith sleeps with Buffy’s boyfriend, Riley Finn, with the special ops specialist completely unaware of Faith’s deception.
The television show never quite delves into that moment, but in theAngel and Faith Season 10comics,the Vampire Slayer is finally redeemed in ways that the show couldn’t do for her.
Faith Tries to Redeem Herself After an Overlooked Buffy Moment
After righting Angel’s regretful wrong inkilling Giles by helping resurrect him,Faith receives a dossier from fellow Slayer, Kennedy, concerning a missing Riley Finn. Faith is instantly interested, and Kennedy’s Deepscan (the legion of Slayer bodyguards she founded) embark deep into the jungles of South America within a covert U.S. military base to find him. Walt Zane of Zane Pharmaceuticals was leading an expedition into the South American jungles looking for new plants for medicinal research. The base lost contact with that team, leading a follow-up team led by Samantha Finn to go after him.
Once that team, too, failed to report back to base, her husband, Riley, went looking for her. With everyone going missing, the Deepscan are hired as a last resort, and Faith especially has a vested interest in the mission.She still feels bad about taking advantage of Riley,and so she thinks that rescuing him is how she can make up for it. The team eventually finds Samantha, who mentions that Riley told her about what Faith did to him before they got married. Faith apologizes, but Samantha states that whatever forgiveness and absolution Faith is looking for isn’t hers to give: it’s Riley’s.
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After Riley is finally saved and a conspiracy revolving around a vampiric Zane is uncovered, Riley and Faith have time to reunite for a conversation.Faith offers her apology, and Riley has no problem accepting it. He says that he felt"like a chump"when he thought he got Buffy back, only to be a pawn in Faith’s ruse, but he’s moved on from the feeling. He goes deeper, postulating that while Faith thinks she needs to atone by receiving absolution, atonement begins from within. Riley tells Faith that he hopes she figures that out before they part ways.
Does Faith Successfully Redeem Herself inBuffyLore?
The Answer Is More Complicated Than One Might Think
In a sense, Faith does a good deed that makes up for the bad one she did to Riley onBuffy the Vampire Slayer.Riley even says that after she saves his skin, the least he can do is accept her apology. However,he also complicates Faith’s redemption arc and attempted reconciliationhere by expressing that atonement is about more than apologizing and receiving acceptance from those she has wronged. Riley’s psychoanalysis puts a twist on Faith’s ongoing redemption arc that began in the television series.
Faith needs to forgive herself and become the person who wouldn’t make that decision again.
Faith has been seeking redemption, but she also needs that redemption attempt validated to understand if she’s truly atoned for her sins.Riley suggests that forgiveness can only go so far,at least compared to producing actual change in one’s character. It doesn’t matter if she’s apologizing to Buffy or to Riley;Faith needs to forgive herself and become the person who wouldn’t make that decision again. Riley gets to the root of what seeking redemption is truly about, and Faith thoroughly receives the message.
Why Does It Matter That the Buffy Comics Revisit “Who Are You?”
They Expand on an Overlooked TV Moment
The biggest benefit of theBuffy the Vampire SlayerandAngelpost-show, in-continuity comic continuations is howthey expand and follow up on past moments in the lore that even the biggest fans may overlook. The “Who Are You?” moment is easy to overlook compared to the bigger, more unforgivable things the show focuses on thatFaith’s attempting to atone for(like killing people), but as small as it may seem, it’s still an cruel deed that needs atonement. The comics give time to moments that, otherwise, would not have gotten the same amount of screen time.
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Meanwhile, the comics allow characters to expand on seldom tapped-into redemption arcs, as well as actually give overlooked characters redemption arcs, among other story elements that the show couldn’t pull off. Something like this seemingly small moment for Faith may have been considered too small of a misdeed to delve into on the show, but it’s big enough to deserve its own multi-issue arc for Faith in the comics. An episode ofBuffy the Vampire Slayerthat viewers may have overlooked evolves into a major turning point for the Faith character.
All issues ofAngel and Faith Season 10are available now from Dark Horse Comics.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Cast
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a television series created by Joss Whedon, focusing on Buffy Summers, portrayed by Sarah Michelle Gellar, a young woman chosen to battle against vampires, demons, and other supernatural forces while navigating the complexities of teenage life.
