Faith has always been one of my favorite characters in the Buffyverse. One reason is the most obvious: I love the bad girls, and Eliza Dushku’s portrayal of the character had me wrapped around her little finger. But it was also Faith’s journey through the darkness to a sense of redemption. Buffy and Faith never quite came to forgiveness, as this story demonstrates rather well, but they are on the same side.
Leave it to Giles to recognize Faith’s value among the Slayers. Buffy and Faith are the only two experienced Slayers with a history of taking down wayward Chosen, and Buffy has far too many other concerns at this point. Faith is the perfect choice for Slayer Black Ops, and that concept drives the story.
It also puts Faith in a position to step back onto the dark side. She gets to live a life of rare luxury, and she has the opportunity for a measure of revenge against someone who all but killed her. But in the end, Faith turns away, and begins a new chapter in her life. From her point of view, she gains something positive out of the experience. She could certainly do worse than Giles in a partnership of equals.
I’m not so sure that I accept Buffy’s reaction, even though I understand the depth of her distrust when it comes to Faith. She doesn’t give Giles much of a chance to explain, and his methods are logical and even necessary. I think it’s meant to set up the conflict for the future, even if just to isolate Buffy from her favorite father figure. But I actually would expect Faith and Giles, based on this turn of events, to return at just the right time to have a major impact.
Twilight’s tactic of pitting Slayer against Slayer is hardly new, and it raises the possibility that Twilight is more than just using the military as an ally. What if Twilight is directly connected to the military, perhaps as part of the legacy of the Initiative? If so, it would be interesting if Twilight was a possessed Riley Finn, but it could just as easily be one of his former compatriots.
If I have one complaint about this particular story arc, it must be the artwork. I like Jeanty in general, but he has an odd tendency to use a more cartoon-esque style on this series. In the final part of the arc, one frame of Faith has her head as massively huge in proportion to her body. That style also makes it a little unnerving when the character wear revealing clothes, something Faith does often. A different artist might have been able to communicate Faith’s worldly nature more convincingly.
That said, it’s a minor quibble, and I think this particular story arc continues to make a strong case for the Buffy: Season 8 concept. According to many sources, this was based on an idea meant for a Faith TV-movie shortly after the end of the original franchise run. I think it would have been worth the effort!
Rating: 8/10
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