Template:SPOILERS
- “Faith. Her name alone invokes awe. "Faith." A set of principles or beliefs upon which you're willing to devote your life. The Dark Slayer. A lethal combination of beauty, power, and death.”
- ―Andrew Wells[src]
Faith Lehane is a Slayer who was activated in late 1998 when Kendra Young died at the hands of Drusilla,[2] and the last Slayer to be called by the original succession line before it was abolished in spring 2003.
Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Faith had a difficult upbringing and life, which left her with various trust and emotional issues. Though she found some stability with her Watcher Diana Dormer, Faith retreated to Sunnydale when Dormer was brutally murdered by the vampire Kakistos, where she became a friend and ally of Buffy Summers and the Scooby Gang. However, numerous events and circumstances took a toll on Faith's sanity and she defected to the side of the evil Mayor Wilkins, helping him to carry out his Ascension and finally finding the stable father figure she always wanted. On the day before the climactic Graduation Day Battle, Faith was critically injured by Buffy and put in a coma, from which she awakened eight months later.
Though she proceeded to wreak even more havoc in Buffy's life and then attempt to assassinate Angel in Los Angeles as part of a deal with Wolfram & Hart, Faith had actually become remorseful of her past deeds and, with help from Angel, willingly surrendered herself to the L.A.P.D. to face the consequences of her actions. Three years later, Faith busted out of prison to assist Angel Investigations in containing the recently released Angelus, subsequently returning to Sunnydale with Willow Rosenberg after Angel was re-ensouled to assist the Scoobies in their battle against the First Evil and its army; Faith was even appointed the leader of the Scoobies after they lost confidence in Buffy's leadership, only for Buffy to be accepted back as the leader when Faith's first plan led herself and several Potentials into a near-fatal trap.
After the First was defeated and all Potential Slayers were activated worldwide, Faith initially stationed herself with the new Slayer Organization's Cleveland squad, and then joining forces with Rupert Giles to prevent more Slayers from going rogue. After the ensuing Twilight crisis and the end of magic, which also resulted in Giles' death, Faith was bequeathed with all of Giles' property and possessions in accordance with his will. She now stations herself in London, where she continues to run a London-based Slayer squad while working alongside Angel, who was used as a pawn of Twilight and forced to kill Giles, to tend to Giles' unfinished business.
Biography
Early Life
- “When I was a kid, I used to beg my mom for a dog. Didn't matter what kind, I just wanted, you know, something to love. A dog's all I wanted. Well, that and toys. But Mom was so busy, you know, enjoying the drinking and passing out parts of life, that I never really got what I wanted.”
- ―Faith Lehane[src]
Faith was born December 14, 1980 in South Boston, Massachusetts, to an alcoholic mother. At the age of four, her abusive father was imprisoned for murder, and Faith was raised believing he had died. As a child, Faith played with her imaginary friend Alex.[3]
Throughout her teen years, Faith had recurring dreams of her and Alex fleeing from a group of women, later discovered to be maenads. In the dreams, Faith was captured and tortured, both by the maenads and their master, The Father. These dreams were, in actuality, visions of the final days of Artemia, a Slayer from ancient Greece, and her daughter, Alexandra, who was killed by the Father.[3]
After being suspended from school for fighting, Faith lived alone for a time, eventually finding out that her mother had been arrested. At that point, her guidance counselor, V, assigned her to a foster home. It was there that Faith discovered and slew her first vampire. Mr. Duncan Jones and his wife were secretly keeping their long-undead son, Robert imprisoned in their attic, feeding unruly foster-children to him. The child nearly escaped, but Faith, whether by luck or by destiny, pulled down the curtains from the attic window, bathing the room in sunlight and slaying the undead child. From there, Faith fled, only to find her mother was missing, along with her sleazy boyfriend Gable. Eventually, Faith discovered that her mother, under Gable's orders, was working as a hooker. In an act of blind rage, Faith attacked her mother's former client, smashing his head against the sidewalk. She was restrained by police, and taken to Belmont Center for observation, where she met Kenny, a young man with the rare ability to create tulpas, living representations of powerful memories, thoughts, or obsessions.[3]
Slayer
Faith in one of her first battles against a vampire.
Faith was released from Belmont into the custody of Professor Diana Dormer, who was, unbeknownst to Faith, a Watcher. Under Dormer, Faith began her Slayer-training, learning martial arts and weapon handling. During this time, she found out that her mother had been found dead.[3]
On May 12th, 1998, upon the death of Kendra Young, Faith obtained full power, becoming the Slayer. During her time as the Slayer in Boston, Faith's dreams became worse and worse, and she even had a confrontation with her "imaginary" friend, Alex. Eventually, she began having long blackouts, unaware of her surroundings or actions. As it turned out, Faith was, at least in part, possessed by the spirit of Artemia, who sought revenge on the Father for the murder of her child. With Professor Dormer and Kenny's aid, Faith was able to remove Aretmia's presence from her body.[3]
Faith's first major battle as the Slayer is with Kakistos, whose face she leaves horribly scarred.
On June 20th, Kakistos, the Father, kidnapped Dormer, baiting Faith into a confrontation. At her arrival, Kakistos killed the Professor by ripping her in two, and successfully captured Faith. However, using her rage and with the aid of Artemia's spirit, Faith was able to overcome both the Father and his minions, killing many and dealing Kakistos both a sword slash to the groin and an axe wound that cleaved his face in two, a wound from which he would never completely heal. Faith then lit the hideout’s support beams on fire, causing the entire lair to collapse.[3]
With no Watcher to guide her and Kakistos likely on her tail, Faith fled Boston, but not before exacting her revenge on Gable for her mother's death. On the bus out of Boston, Faith was confronted once again by "Alex," who cleared up the final questions regarding Faith's visions and Kakistos. It turned out that Alexandra, Artemia's daughter was driven insane by the maenads, and made a deal with a demon named D'Hoffryn. Alexandra was born anew as a Vengeance demon, and in exchange the maenads were destroyed with a thought. Alexandra ceased to exist, and Malice was born. Malice was going to grant Artemia's wish for revenge on the Father, but got caught up in a battle in Arashmahaar and had her powers stripped from her before the wish could be fulfilled. Faith believed it was Kenny's unique abilities that brought Malice's power back, although this remains unclear. Malice then vanished, and Faith continued onward, eventually arriving in Sunnydale.[3]
Sunnydale
Faith first arrives in Sunnydale.
When she first arrived in Sunnydale,[4] Faith began dealing with the trauma of her Watcher's death after staking Kakistos. Faith felt like an outsider in Buffy's world even though she initially endeared herself to Buffy's mother and friends. Buffy resented Faith for "trying to take her life from her" in Faith's first days in Sunnydale, though the two reconciled after the dusting of Kakistos. Buffy, who was still recovering from the trauma of killing Angel, maintained emotional distance from Faith, and the Scoobies not inviting Faith to Buffy's intervention after their discovery of Angel's resurrection[5] further contributed to a feeling of alienation from the group. Although she disapproved of Faith's carefree attitude toward violence, Buffy still trusted Faith enough to leave her to protect her mother at Christmas[6] and was even shown being attracted by Faith's wilder way of Slaying[7] as the two, through slaying, began to grow closer.
Faith gets in position when she naively suspects a vampire during daytime
Faith's trust issues and isolation heightened when her new Watcher, Gwendolyn Post, gained and abused her trust to obtain the Glove of Myhnegon; this almost killed Angel and led to an all-out fight with Buffy. Later, Faith took Buffy on a whirlwind tour of her way of slaying, ditching school to attack vampire nests during the day, dancing at the Bronze while attracting the attention of several men and escaping arrest after being caught stealing weapons at a sports store.. This eventually climaxed when Faith accidentally killed a human being, Deputy Mayor Allan Finch, an act that caused her to withdraw into denial. When it became clear that Buffy intended to reveal what had happened, Faith told Watcher Rupert Giles that Buffy had killed Finch. Giles immediately discerned Faith's lie, but played along to avoid pushing Faith too far. The Scooby Gang decided to confront Faith. They sent Xander (who Faith had recently and almost as an afterthought deflowered) to Faith's motel room to reason with her, but she did not respond well: she nearly sexually assaulted him while strangling him. Angel arrived in time and took Faith to his home to try to reason with her, but just when it seemed that he was getting through to her, Faith's new Watcher, Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, broke into the mansion and arrested Faith with the help of a special ops team sent by the Watcher's Council. She was briefly captured, but attacked them inside their armored car and escaped.[8] Isolated and bitter, she secretly turned to current Big Bad, Mayor Richard Wilkins III, filling the void of Mayor Wilkins' "right hand man" that was left by the death of the vampire Mr. Trick, whom Faith had recently killed when he was sent to kill her. Though she initially functioned as a double agent, rejoining the Scoobies and undergoing tests issued by the Watcher's Council while feeding the Mayor information, her betrayal was revealed through an elaborate plan concocted by Buffy, Giles, and Angel, whom had grown suspicious of her. After her true loyalties were revealed, Faith descended still further in her slide to isolation, betrayal, and mental illness, as she realized that she had completely lost Buffy and the Scoobies as friends. This brought her closer to the Mayor, who acted as both father figure and friend to the lost Faith.
Faith realizes what she is becoming
Faith and Mayor Wilkins developed an affectionate, emotional closeness. The Mayor genuinely felt a father's love for the fatherless Faith. While serving Mayor Wilkins undercover, she killed a smuggler and a bookseller demon. She was also ordered by the Mayor to murder a geology professor who had valuable information related to the Mayor's ascension. Later, Faith kidnapped Buffy's best friend Willow Rosenberg and wanted to kill her;[9] Willow boldly stood up to her, telling her that, despite her rough life, she had a lot working with the Scoobies, and now that she was working for the Mayor, she was alone, friendless, and a "big, selfish, worthless waste." Having been expecting a speech on how it was not too late for her to turn back, Faith was briefly taken aback before assaulting Willow.
Faith gets gutted by Buffy
In order to distract Buffy, Faith shot Angel with an arrow coated with the Killer of the Dead, a poison specifically designed to kill vampires. The only antidote was the blood of a Slayer, and Buffy visited Faith's apartment to kill her, intending to give Faith to Angel so he could drain Faith's blood, but Buffy only managed to stab Faith in the abdomen with her own knife, a gift from Mayor Wilkins. Faith jumped from the apartment building roof onto a moving truck and escaped.[10] However, their fight left Faith in a coma, with doctors claiming that she would never come out of it. During that time, Buffy and Faith shared a series of psychic dreams.[11][12] Faith was also the first to give Buffy a cryptic message about the arrival of Dawn Summers.
After the Coma
- “You took my life B, payback's a bitch!”
- ―Faith[src]
Faith, shortly before waking up
Eventually, Faith regained consciousness.[12] After learning what had happened while she was comatose, she surprised Buffy and Willow on the UC Sunnydale campus. Faith was angry at Buffy's attempt to sacrifice her to Angel, and even more so when she found out that Buffy wasn't even with him anymore. ("I wake up to find the blonde chick isn't even dating the guy she was so nuts about before...Not only has she forgotten about the love of her life, but she's forgotten about the chick she nearly killed for him."), she was also devastated further upon hearing about the death of Mayor Wilkins. After a brief fight, Faith escaped from the approaching police and later attacked Buffy's mother, at her house and holding her hostage. As Buffy was about to win the ensuing battle, Faith used a magical device, a gift from Mayor Wilkins, to swap bodies with Buffy. Buffy, in Faith's body, was kidnapped by the Watchers Council Special Ops team to be taken to England, while Faith (as Buffy) planed to flee the country. Tara Maclay realized something was wrong and told Willow.[13] In the meantime, Faith flirted with the vampire Spike, and slept with Riley Finn, Buffy's boyfriend, and discovered just what it was like to be surrounded by loving friends and family. She was torn between her desire to flee and her sense of duty to rescue a group of churchgoers taken hostage by vampires. When she chose to save the hostages, Faith also encountered Buffy (who arrived on the scene with the same goal). Faith had nearly been killed by the last remaining vampire, but Buffy staked it from behind, saving Faith and allowing the two to battle. During their confrontation, she savagely beat her own body, physically and verbally expressing extensive self-hatred. With Tara and Willow's help, Buffy managed to undo the body switch, and Faith fled Sunnydale by hopping a freight train. Her meddling also left a problem in Buffy and Riley's relationship which was later resolved by an altered universe. [14]
Faith attempts to assassinate Angel
In Los Angeles, she rampaged through the underworld, stealing and squatting in her victims' apartments. Faith was approached by the evil law firm Wolfram & Hart, who had learned that a "rogue Slayer" was in town, and hired her to kill Angel in exchange for having all of the criminal charges against her in Sunnydale dropped. She demonstrated her "evil" side to Angel by kidnapping Wesley and brutally torturing him, wanting to go through various forms of torture such as blunt, sharp, cold, and hot. In a subsequent fight with Angel, (in which Faith had the upper hand the majority of the time, due to Angel acting purely on the defensive and refusing to properly fight back) Faith insisted that he kill her because she's "bad." Angel repeatedly refused, and Faith eventually broke down crying, begging Angel to kill her.
Faith desperately begs Angel to kill her
- “I gotta be the first Slayer in history to be sponsored by a vampire”
- ―Faith[src]
Angel began the task of saving Faith's soul, forgiving her and working to break down her emotional walls. He let her stay at his apartment where she was then attacked by an assassin sent by Wolfram and Hart. Just as Faith began to feel remorse for her crimes, Buffy arrived, looking for revenge. In the meantime, the Watchers Council also showed up, intending to kill Faith, and Kate Lockley also came to Angel's apartment after learning from Lindsey McDonald that she was in Angel's custody. After Buffy and Angel saved her, Faith decided to surrender to the police and face the consequences for her actions, and was convicted for two counts of murder and received a life sentence of which she'd serve at least twenty-five years. Faith, ironically, found some level of stability in her prison life, noting that at least she had three meals a day and an occasional movie. Although capable of escaping at any time, the penitent Faith chose to cooperate with the terms of her confinement, and was periodically visited by Angel. This isn't to say that she did not encounter problems while in prison, such as in Judgment when she explains that she was attacked by a prison girl with a shiv attempting to build her rep, but Faith showed that she was indeed on the path to redemption by refraining from killing the girl, instead only breaking her wrist.
Escape from Prison
- Faith: “I'm not gonna kill him, Wesley. Angelus. I don't care what you thought you sprung me for. Angel's the only one in my life who's never given up on me. There's no way I'm giving up on...”
- Wesley: “I know. That's why it had to be you.”
- — Faith and Wesley[src]
Faith taking on Angelus
Faith was attacked by a fellow prisoner named Debbie, an agent of the First Evil in prison; although Buffy and the Scooby Gang in Sunnydale were aware of the threat of the First's Harbingers attempting to wipe out the Slayer line, they had neglected to warn Faith of the danger, believing that she would be safe in prison. Soon after, she was visited by Wesley who informed her that Angel had once again lost his soul and become the ruthless Angelus while Los Angelus was rendered into an eternal night due to the Beast, a powerful demon. Without hesitation, Faith broke out of prison, easily taking out the its guards and breaking threw one of its windows, determined to save Angel, the one person who never gave up on her. Arriving in L.A., she easily slayed a couple of vampires the first time since years. Word got out about her presence in L.A. while she quickly took initiative by setting up a hunting party consisting of herself as leader, Wesley, Charles Gunn and Angel's son Connor who was shortly taken out for his rebellious desire to kill Angelus. She confronted the Beast and fought him while Angelus watched from the sidelines, commentating. Despite her slayer strength, Faith's efforts were no match for the rock-solid Beast who beat her heavily, however, before he could harm her anymore, the Beast was killed when Angelus stabbed him with his own bone, bringing back the sun to his displeasure. Then, in order to be able to be safe from Angelus, she broke a window to let the sunlight in so he wouldn't be able to get near her and attemp to kill her. She was taken back to the Hyperion Hotel to recover, everyone thinking she killed the beast.
Having completely recovered, Faith and Wesley set out to find Angelus, hitting several demon business to do so. When finding him, she battled Angelus and just before he defeated and bit her, she injected herself with a powerful mystical drug known as "Orpheus" that incapacitated both of them. While Willow worked on a spell to restore Angel's soul, Faith and Angel went on a psychic mind walk. The drug almost killed Faith who accepted her fate, but during the mental link with Angel and Angelus, she was persuaded by Angel not to give up, because for them, the act of atonement never ends.
After Angel's re-ensoulment, Faith left with Willow to return to Sunnydale to help Buffy and her allies battle the First Evil. Like Angel, Faith switches from a more "passive" redemption to an "active" redemption. Rather than remaining in jail, out of society, she chooses to help fight "the good fight" and make the world better.
Faith reluctantly leading the Potential Slayers
She initially followed Buffy's command even though she had some doubts about Buffy's decision-making skills. Buffy was less than enthusiastic about Faith's return, but recognized that reinforcements are desperately needed, and Faith showed dedication to being "one of the good guys." After a botched attempt to fight the First's minion Caleb, the Scoobies and Potential Slayers lost confidence in Buffy's leadership and appointed a reluctant Faith as their leader over her, as they preferred to be under her freer wing as she took them to the Bronze, despite encountering a group of corrupt police officers.
This decision, however, literally blew up in their faces when Faith's first plan ends up leading them right into a trap, leaving many girls, including Faith herself, critically injured. However, Buffy arrived and saved them from a Turok-Han attack, once again becoming the undisputed leader. When the Potentials complained about Faith's decision, stating that they believed that God had punished them for shunning Buffy and following Faith, Buffy defended her, and she and Buffy finally made peace, noting that the friction in their relationship was perhaps due to the fact that under normal circumstances, two fully-activated Slayers were never supposed to co-exist. During her stay in Sunnydale before the final Battle at the Hellmouth, Faith had a brief sexual tryst with ally Robin Wood, the son of Slayer Nikki Wood. After (jokingly) shunning Faith's sexual experience, Robin dares Faith to let him surprise her, an act he accomplishes by surviving the battle.
"Slayer Social Worker"
Faith, molded into a British noble named Hope Lyonne by Giles
A year and a half after the destruction of Sunnydale, Faith remained in touch with Robin who led a squad of new Slayers in Cleveland, calling on Faith to perform slayings that would be considered disturbing. In the time that had passed after Sunnydale's destruction, Faith apparently began to grow tired of the life of a Slayer, attempting to purchase a forged passport on two separate occasions. Rupert Giles, also a member of Slayer Organization, approached Faith and struck up a deal: if Faith would assassinate Lady Genevieve Savidge, a rogue Slayer who planned to kill Buffy and who could potentially bring about the apocalypse if left unchecked, Giles would arrange for her to relocate permanently to any country of her choosing, with the promise of never having to resume Slayer duties. To get close to Savidge, Giles educated Faith in British formal etiquette and taught her how to speak with a British accent. Under the disguise of British aristocrat Hope Lyonne, Faith befriended Savidge, whom she nicknamed "Gigi." However, the plan began to go awry when Buffy was summoned from her Scotland headquarters by Roden, an Irish warlock and Gigi's informal Watcher, for Gigi to kill. However, when Buffy gained the upper hand on the less-experienced Gigi and was about to kill her, Faith jumped into the fray and tackled Buffy out the window, blowing her cover in the process.
Faith vs. Buffy yet again
Immediately assuming that Faith had switched sides again despite Faith's attempts to convince her otherwise, Buffy attacked her, and in the ensuing fight, Faith nearly drowned Buffy in a swimming pool in a fit of rage before managing to stop herself. After Buffy was teleported back to Scotland by Willow, Gigi, enraged and grief-stricken, attacked Faith. In the ensuing battle, Faith accidentally impaled Gigi on her own axe. As Roden appeared, Faith begged for him to heal Gigi. He refused, saying that Faith should be his new Slayer, and that she would be better than Savidge. He said that together they could make Buffy disappear forever. Faith refused, and the two began to battle. As Roden was about to deliver the killing blow, Giles appeared from behind and stabbed Roden in the back with a pair of garden clippers and subsequently killed him with one of the warlock's own spells. The following morning, Faith and Giles had returned to the apartment. Giles handed Faith her passport out of the country, which Faith accepted, but renounced her plans for retirement. She states that there are more slayers out there like Gigi and herself, and that she believed she could help them walk over from the path they're on, likening herself to a "Slayer Social worker." Giles agreed with the idea and decided to be Faith's partner in this, given that he and Buffy weren't on speaking terms anymore after the whole ordeal.
Faith leading the people of Hanselstadt
Giles and Faith heard of a "Slayer Sanctuary" in a town called Hanselstadt from a young Slayer named Courtney. There, Giles encounters Duncan Fillworthe, a former Watcher, who claims vampires do not dare to enter the town because they know the town contains an army of Slayers. Later, as Giles argues a stalemate is not a solution to the vampire problem, Duncan reveals that in fact the town is feeding the Slayers who come seeking sanctuary to an ancient demon. The fear of the demon is what really keeps the vampires from entering. Giles goes to warn Faith as Duncan states this is the fate that Slayers deserve for rejecting the Watchers Council. Giles finds Faith already in combat with the demon, which feeds on beings who feel regret and fear. While trying to free Courtney from the demon, Duncan intercepts Giles. During their skirmish, the demon devours Duncan and Giles saves Courtney while Faith kills the demon. The stalemate ended, Giles and Faith rally the reluctant townspeople against the coming vampires, telling them if they want to live, they'll have to fight.
When Faith, Giles, and the rest of the Slayer Organization gathered in Tibet, she and Buffy reconciled once again and her powers were temporarily stripped along with the other Slayers and mystics of the organization. Faith, along with Giles and Andrew Wells, were the first ones to discover that the current "big bad," Twilight, was actually Angel. Faith's own personal views on Angel's actions as Twilight were not immediately discerned though she does call him a "man-bitch."
In the ensuing battle at the ruins of Sunnydale, Giles was murdered by a possessed Angel, while Buffy destroyed the Seed of Wonder, effectively removing magic from Earth. In his will, Giles left Faith all of his belongings, savings, and property, allowing her to retire and be free from the constant violence that plagued her life. Faith immediately took to this, and was revealed to have a catatonic Angel residing with her, reasoning that her understanding of redemption meant that she was the only person who can fully tolerate him at that point.
- “I'm sure of dick. Except that I'm the only one willing to handle. You can't look at him. Everyone else wants his head on a pike. Me ... I'm all about forgiveness.”
- ―Faith asserting herself as being Angel's caretaker[src]
Life in London
- “He thinks he can fix the worst thing he ever did. I convince him he's wrong, I take away his reason to exist. But what's my Plan B? Walk away? Or ride shotgun on his crazy train? I just got my life back together. What happens when he goes off the rails? Except he was there for my crash and burns. Pulling me from the rails when everyone else was toasting marshmallows. What kind of friend would I be if I wasn't there for his?”
- ―Faith deciding to support Angel[src]
Following the end of magic, Angel and Faith take it upon themselves to tend to Giles' unfinished business.
After Giles' death, Faith got her life together in London, where she took a group of Slayers under her wing, and cared for Angel as he succomed to guilt. In an attempt to help him recover, she began reading him Giles' Watcher's Diaries, which followed the events of his life in great detail. After Angel heard about a little girl who was being used as a host by a demon, he suddenly recuperated, donning his redemptive mindset once again. After dealing with the demon and saving the child with Angel, Faith went to the Brixton district of London, where she met with Nadira and her other Slayers. At a downtown club, they discussed the recent death of Nadira's squad of Slayers at the hands of a pair of demons named "Pearl" and "Nash", who were working for Twilight. Nadira expressed an intense desire to kill Twilight, and although Faith didn't reveal that she was living with him, she did seem to understand Nadira's vengeful sentiments. When she returned to Giles' old residence, she questioned Angel about his time as Twilight; she particularly wanted to know if he had murdered Giles in his right mind, or if he had been completely overtaken by Twilight's influece. He admitted that although Twilight had been controlling him the moment he'd broken Giles' neck, there had been times when he'd been completely himself, and he couldn't deny his involvement as a result of details. He subsequently divulged his desire to bring Giles back from the dead, to which Faith reacted with shock.[15] She later asked him how he expected to resurrect someone who had died a natural death, and he told her that he would work with Giles' soul rather than his body. Though she still didn't think it was entirely possible to resurrect Giles, she understood that his new goal was the only thing keeping him going, and wanting to be there for him, she agreed to help. Although Angel's research into using Mohra blood for the resurrection of Giles is cut short when they discover that without magic in the world, using the Mohra blood had disastrous consequences, Angel has resolved to continue his search to find a way to bring back Giles, assuring Faith that he is grateful for her presence as she provided him with the one thing he lacked as Twilight; a friend that he trusted to tell him when he was going too far.[16]
Angel and Faith fighting together.
While investigating rumored vampire attacks that could also be attributed to a Lorophage demon that Giles encountered during his Watcher training, Faith discovered information about a rumored vampire cult leader known as 'Mother Superior.' While Angel and Faith investigate the Mother Superior's cult, discovering that the Mother is actually a now-sane Drusilla, Faith's Slayers were contacted by Faith's father, Patrick Lehane.[17]
When her father made his presence known to her, Faith, at first, rebuffed him despite his claims that he's changed and was now sober. Angel attempted to dissuade her pessism and she confronted him about his relationship or lack-thereof with his son Connor. Angel told Faith that although he can't change who he is, her father can. Having a change of heart, Faith ran after her father and invited him inside her home. There, they shared small talk about the many possessions in the flat and Pat revealed that he knew that Faith was a slayer and confessed his desire to have a new start with her. However, George later revealed that he had only come to Faith to ask for her help in getting him out of financial trouble after he made various deals with crime bosses. Although he asked Faith to kill them, Faith and Angel attempted to simply pay off the debt, only for the boss's refusal to abandon such a potentially lucrative source of income to force Angel and Faith to use more violent methods, Faith accidentally cutting off the man's arm. Although Angel threatened the crime boss to ensure that they were left alone, Faith was left increasingly troubled by her difficult relationships with her father-figures as George suggested that she would never be anything more than a killer simply because she had the Lehane temper, prompting her to return to Drusilla to get rid of her pain.[18]
Although she initially accepts Drusilla's 'gift', Angel convinced her to reject it as the loss of her pain has now deprived her of the strength that she had gained since she tried to force him to kill her. To restore the emotions of Drusilla's cult, Angel forced the Lorophage demon to feed on itself, expelling the trauma that it had absorbed and returning it to its victims. Although Drusilla fled, her insanity restored and foretelling a dark future, Angel and Faith made an uncertain peace with each other, Faith appreciating Angel's continued belief in her even with her restored pain, also guessing at his plan to restore Giles to life by using a Tooth of Ammuk to absorb pieces of Giles's soul[19].
Faith and Angel deal with the arrivals of Lavinia and Sophie(Giles' aunts) as well as the most unexpected one of Buffy's best friend Willow.[20]Seeking a way to restore magic to the the world, Faith embarked on a journey to Quor'toth with Angel, Connor, and Willow.[21] Over time, Faith noted how being in this dimension could be affecting everyone's personalities into violence so took it upon herself to make sure no one went off the deep end.[22]Despite this, she briefly felt the negative pull as she comtemplated killing Angel for dragging her into everything but quickly gained control of herself. She had also gave Angel a pep talk, telling him that she wished her own father loved her half as much as he loved Connor. Discovering that the hell dimension was named after the Old One Quor'toth, they were forced to fight him. Eventually succeding enough to survive, Faith and the others are startled to see Willow's eyes turn black, due to absorbing too much dark magic.[23]
Faith was surprised and anxious to see Willow's sudden turn to Dark Willow. After the witch fought against Quor'toth and soon after attacked Connor, her and Angel devised a solution to return Willow back to normal. He consequently bit her, which caused the dark magic to leave her. However, Angel soon became affected struggling to not drain too much of her blood. He begged Faith to kill her and she immediately almost proceded to do just that (likely due to the influence of the dimension), only to be stopped by both Connor and Willow. Soon after, Faith said her goodbyes to Willow (who attempted to give her some kind of warning before being cut off by the Quor'toth Old One waking up) and returned back to Los Angeles. Faith briefly discussed their adventure and how they were almost completed with restoring Gile's soul. Meanwhile, Faith's squad is attacked by Drusilla and Nadira now seemed to realize that Faith had been aiding Angel all along. [24]
She traveled with Angel to Peru to get the magic item called the Crown of Coils because of it's regenerating abilities before flying back to London. Upon returning, Faith and Angel went to dig up Giles' burial place for his body. However, they are stunned to find out that his corpse was no longer there. Puzzled and worried about this development, they talk it over with Lavinia and Sophronia. They soon come to the conclusion that Giles' body had to have been missing before they buried it as the grave was undisturbed. The discussion was interrupted when Nadira and her slayers showed up. After being called a liar who had been harboring Angel, she pointed out that he had been possessed by Twilight so it wasn't really his fault. Faith, however, was visibly shocked and sad that Marianne had been killed by Drusilla, noting that she had been the kindest girl and was always there for her fellow slayers. Faith accepted Angel's explanation of it not being possible to bring her back and the slayers left, completely cutting off all ties to Faith and her desire to help them. [25]
Seeing her Slayers turn their backs on her, Faith finally lost it. In a fit of frustration, she turned on Angel. Faith bluntly and harshly blamed him for all of this, reminding him forcefully that she had done everything she could to help him when no one else would. She then went on to tell him that after his plan with Giles, she was done. He owed her, end of story; Angel agreed to her terms. After having trouble entering the funeral home with the security, they sought out Lavinia and Sophie for answers, finding out that Ethan Rayne was listed in the guest book for the funeral. Faith and Angel are initially confused and puzzled by this since he had been killed during the Twilight Crisis by General Voll but due to their insistance, Angel quickly figured out that it was Eyghon the Sleepwalker who had possessed Ethan and now possessed Giles.[26]
Faith, along with Angel, came across Nadira and her Slayers struggling to fight off zombified Slayers and Eyghon. They leapt into battle but "Giles" approached Faith, distracting her and leaving an opening. With the help of Nadira, she regained her senses and escaped with the other slayers while Angel stayed to fight off "Giles". An injuried Eyghon escaped, prompting them all to regroup at Alasdair's. Faith revealed she knew Eygon's plan because of her brief moment of near possession. She explained that he wanted to re-create the zombie world kingdom without the magic but to do that he had to make a deal with Whistler, Pearl, and Nash. With this information, the slayers were given double-edged weapons and Spike arrived under Angel's request to help fight Eyghon. [27]
While planing for the confrontation at Alasdair's home, the party was plunged into battle when Eyghon and his zombified Slayers suddenly stormed the building. Eyhgon managed to overcome Spike's demon and possess him, but when he attempted to do the same to Angel, the three spirits within Angel's body made it impossible. Consequently, Giles briefly took control and decapitated Eyghon, killing the demon and instantly ending the battle. Angel collapsed in the wake of the fight, the three spirits within his body fighting for control. Faith denied Nadira's desire to kill Angel, and along with Spike, was forced to postpone their plan to resurrect Giles.[28]
In order to restore Angel to sanity, she and Spike went to retrieve the Essuary—a magical item within which they could store Giles' soul. At Alasdair Coames' instruction, they went to a cemetery, where they dispatched several soul-consuming demons called Enders. As they battled the demons, Spike came dangerously close to having his soul devoured—Faith, empathetic to his fears of becoming soulless again, expressed that he could sit out the battle if he wanted, but Spike chose to help her instead. As they delved into the cavern in search of the Essuary, Spike casually flirted with Faith, who rejected him, stating that she was "nobody's rebound." She then took the opportunity to compare Spike to Angel, much to the former's protests. Faith enforced her observation by mentioning how both of them had fallen in love with Buffy, and subsequently chosen to leave her despite their continued love for her. Spike revealed that he was still in love with Buffy, and Faith, not even the least bit surprised, gave him advice before finally collecting the Essuary. Back at the apartment, Faith and the others performed the ritual to contain Giles' soul in the Essuary. Faith then did a heartfelt speech about her relationship with Giles, admitting that she now wanted him back for herself as well.
- “I went from thinking Angel was nuts to busting my ass just as hard as him to bring you back. Been wondering if I'm doing it for you or me. But it's pretty obvious, isn't it? I need you, G. Wicked bad. I don't have to tell you about my daddy issues, but I've always wished I told you this ... you're the best I ever got. And by the time I got that through my stubborn-ass skull, it was ... it was too late to ... just come back to us, okay? Come back to me. Please.”
- ―Faith[src]
The following morning, Faith was comically disturbed to see Spike exiting her bathroom shower with Harmony, due to her intense dislike of her. She light-heartedly joked over Spike's choice of rebound before going to breakfast with Angel. [29]
Just as they were preparing for the ritual, Faith was surprised to recieve a call from Buffy on her cell.[30] She answered and the two discussed their current problems. Buffy explained to her that she needed some help with Dawn. Much to Buffy's annoyance, Faith did not remember her sister. The conversation ended, she explained to an overtly eager Angel what Buffy had called about only for Spike to become impatient and shocked at her casual mention of Dawn. Having already lost any memory of her due to her essence fading away, she did not buy any of his attempts to remind her who Dawn was. Eventually becoming even more annoyed when Angel too expressed a confusion over who Dawn was, Spike took off to go back to San Francisco to go save Dawn.
Easily shrugging the strange occurance off, Faith and Angel confronted Alasdair for the magical artifacts that would ensure the ressurrection a success. After some false accusations and distrust amongst each other, they managed to have him agree to their terms. She then had a emotional heart-to-heart with Angel, Faith sadly admitting to him that bringing just Giles back wouldn't fix everything during Twilight. He agreed, but Giles would be back and it was a improvement. As the ressurrection incantation was finally reached, Faith and Angel were forced to fight against Whistler, Pearl, and Nash. Managing to buy time as they retreated (having gotten some of Alasdair's artifacts), Giles' body was bathed in magical energy, the ressurrection now complete thanks to the chanting of Alasdair, Lavinia, and Sophie. While they stare at the sight in front of them, Faith appeared worried. Looking to Angel, she muttered, "What did we do?" [31]
Faith was instantly panicky and anxious over what they had done by ressurrecting Giles, worrying that the interruption Whistler had caused somehow damaged it. As Alasdair requested them to focus their thoughts on Giles only for the ritual spell to work, Faith focused on her travels with him and the placement of a father figure he had taken for her. Eventually, this caused the ressurrection to work. However, not without some glitches. Giles was brought back as a young boy, with the memory and demeanor of adult Giles. Extremely mystified and shocked at this development, Faith decided with Angel that they would find a way to fix it. She rekindled her close bond with Giles immediately, only for him to be depressed, confused over what he was meant to do now. Faith tried to comfort him and attempted to remind him that she needed him; however he brushed it off and insisted that Faith nor anyone else really needed him anymore before walking away from her on the rooftop.
After finding the exact whereabouts of Whistler thanks to Giles, Faith and the others prepared to fight for their lives to save the world. [32]
Personality
- “She's like this cleavage-y slut-bomb walking around 'Ooh, check me out, I'm wicked-cool, I'm five-by-five.'”
- ―Willow Rosenberg describes Faith to Tara Maclay[src]
Unlike her predecessor Kendra, who was Buffy's polar opposite, Faith was, in essence, a mirror image of Buffy, a representation of what Buffy would have been like had her life circumstances been different; whereas Buffy grew up in a loving home surrounded by caring friends and family, Faith was raised by abusive and neglectful parents and suffered from various issues. Faith often suggested that killing gave her a drug-like euphoria, and even suffered from addictive withdrawal symptoms when she was not able to inflict pain. Quitting violence was equated with quitting alcohol.[33] She smoked and displayed signs of promiscuity and an inability to share trust and intimacy with men, being baffled when they attempted to share it with her, and describing herself as "a loser magnet" who attracted kleptomaniacs and slackers. She was later responsible for Xander losing his virginity, and slept with Buffy's boyfriend Riley, after switching bodies with Buffy herself. However, Angel was eventually able to help her move past this partially, and she was able to share a friend-level of intimacy and trust with him without introducing a sexual element.
Faith often had a prominent wild streak to her and enjoyed partying, drinking, and having sex. She could also be careless and irresponsible, which was shown when Faith gave the Potential Slayers alcohol despite most of them being underaged (which Buffy was furious about later).[34] Overall though, she was carefree and relatively laid-back, not being much of a worrier. Faith revealed she didn't really like being leader, but can be one given the chance. Faith often called some people by the first letter of their first name, like "B" for Buffy. She did this to certain people because she felt their names were too stupid to say fully.[3] At times Faith showed to be somewhat unlettered, not knowing the definitions of 'ingest'[35] 'remuneration',[36] and 'Achilles Heel' .[37]
Faith largely popularized the term "five by five" to mean everything is well. Tara once asked what "five by five" even meant, and Willow replied, "See?! That's the thing! No one really knows." [12] In voice procedure - the technique used to facilitate spoken communication over two-way radios - the term refers to strength and clarity of a signal on a scale of 1 to 5. "Five by five" is synonymous with "loud and clear" in both outward bound signals and inward bound signals. She had her own personal, unique slang and it was revealed that she had inherited her catchphrase of the word "wicked" from George Lehane. [18]
Faith frequently proved herself to be impulsive. For example, when she and Xander found Giles unconscious, Faith immediately assumed that Angel was responsible despite Xander's reservations.[5] She was also known for her quick, easily irritated nature, something her father described as the "Lehane temper". Faith had deep issues with parental figures, due to being raised by neglectful, alcoholic parents while she was young. Nonetheless, she had a deep yearning for a family. This yearning had caused her to be used by so many people so readily because of her desperation for someone to be there for her, something Faith had bitterly mocked over in a fit of distress and pain. [18] Consequently, she continued to have many trust issues throughout her life and it took her a while for her to truly open up and embrace someone, fearing that she would be betrayed or hurt if she did. Giles had taken note of this during his time with Faith, describing her as showing hostility to those she didn't trust or didn't know but on the one hand, she would display extreme loyalty to those who were close to her and those who cared for her. [25]
In her current role as Angel's partner, Faith has shown a more cautious and responsible side to herself, recognising the danger of her old impulsive nature, serving as Angel's sounding board to ensure that he didn't repeat his mistakes as Twilight by taking it upon himself to cross lines that he should have left alone. She developed a more mature aspect than when she was younger, using her knowledge of atonement and the thrill of killing to rehabilitate slayers who needed a purpose in life or in the case of Nadira, stop before going down the path of evil and murder that had almost destroyed her. [38]
Through her maturity, Faith's natural promiscious tendencies with men began to dull slightly. After drinking together with some guys, Faith realized she didn't sleep with any of them and light-heartedly said she couldn't tell if she maturing or just getting used to being rich.[39] She also displayed higher standards for herself in flings and one-night stands, denying Spike's unserious hit on her since she didn't want to be reduced to a rebound. Soon after, when he mentioned she wasn't as fun as she was before, Faith somewhat sarcastically responded with " Turns out I matured." [40]
However, it was revealed that she still carried a surprising degree of self-loathing over herself and that some part of her believed that she deserved every bad thing that had happened to her still despite her time in prison and efforts to atone. Faith had usually hidden and repressed it with a casual, almost carefree demeanor. After the return of her father and when she had impulsively cut off a man's arm without thinking, Faith suffered a severe lapse in judgement. Overcome with unworthiness, guilt, and a belief that she would never be anything but a murderer, she in a moment of weakness went to Drusilla to remove her pain. Angel had eventually made her come to her senses and restore her determination to live through the pain. [19]
Appearance
- Faith: “How do I look?”
- Joyce: “Psychotic”
- Faith: “I was shooting for 'sultry', but hey”
- — Faith and Joyce[src]
Faith tended to wear dark clothing, usually seen with skinny leather jeans, tank tops with studded belts and belted bracelets. She often wore dark red lipstick, black eyeliner and mascara.
During her reformation, Faith took on a more natural look with more colorful clothing such as blue jeans and denim jackets. During her first stay in Sunnydale her hair was usually straight, dark and shoulder length while after her coma her hair was slightly longer and had a lighter brown color. Faith also was tattooed with the Mark of Kakistos on her right arm after being possessed by the spirit of Artemia and never removed it after the event.
Powers and Abilities
Faith in action.
Faith was a Slayer, and thus had the usual powers of such, including a healing factor and superhuman strength, speed, durability and reflexes. In fights, Faith employed a more brawler-type fighting style than Buffy. Faith tended to be more aggressive and reckless, rely on brute force rather than speed or agility as Buffy did.Due to their similar powers, Buffy and Faith were evenly matched in their various brawls until Buffy bested her.[10]Faith showed to have at least equal or superior fighting ability to Spike[41] and Angelus and was able to easily take out Connor.[42]
Other Powers
Though we have not seen or heard of Faith having any of The Slayer's prophetic dreams and flashbacks of past slayers, Faith does have some kind of supernatural nature to her sleep. At the beginning of Faith's coma, she and Buffy seemed to have a shared dream, during which she passed information to Buffy. Both this and one of Faith's dreams near the end of the coma foreshadowed the arrival of Dawn Summers. She later seemed to be linked to Angel,[42] where she witnessed Angel struggling with his Angelus persona and numerous aspects of Angel's past life.
Relationships
- “You can't trust people. I shoulda learned that by now.”
- ―Faith[src]
Romantic and Sexual
- “Eventually I had to face up to my destiny as a loser magnet. Now it's strictly get some and get gone. You can't trust guys.”
- ―Faith[src]
Before initially coming to Sunnydale, Faith experienced a number of failed relationships with "losers" who destroyed her confidence in men: "Ronnie: deadbeat. Steve: klepto. Kenny: drummer." Although she was sexually aggressive, Faith avoided emotional intimacy (as evident with all seven sexual encounters listed below).
- Tommy — Both fans of the band Freak Wharf, Faith had a hopeless crush on her only friend Tommy, comparing him physically to Johnny Depp. Faith's attempts to protect him from homophobic bullies led to her being expelled from school when she seriously assaulted his attackers. Tommy was horrified by Faith's violent outburst, and subsequently left town with his boyfriend Ed, abandoning her.[3]
- Ronnie — It is revealed that Ronnie was the man for whom Faith would dress up as a school girl and beat with a bull whip.[3] She later described him as a deadbeat.[5][41]
- Steve — Faith broke up with Steve when she discovered that the gifts and meals he treated her to were all stolen.[5][3]
- Kenny — The drummer of Faith's favorite band, Freak Wharf, Kenny (also known as "Killian" and "K") had the psychic ability to create "tulpas"; solid astral projections of his own and others subconscious minds. Faith dated him for several weeks, but dumped him after finding him in bed with a tulpa of his ex-girlfriend, Andra.[5][3]
- Xander Harris — After his relationship with Cordelia ended, Xander found himself helping Faith fight a demon one night.[43] After the battle, Faith took Xander back to her motel room and had sex with him; taking Xander's virginity. After Faith had gone rogue and killed a man, Xander felt like he could talk to her because they had a connection, which Buffy disputed by saying that the evening probably meant more to Xander than to Faith. He did confront her but Faith was extremely annoyed that people were trying to reach out to her. She started to rape Xander and then to strangle him before being hit in the head with a baseball bat by Angel. Faith mentioned that she never wanted a relationship like Xander thought that she did, and was merely with him for the sex.[44] When in Buffy's body, Faith had bluntly commented on his performance, saying to Anya that she wouldn't "wouldn't want to cut into those seven minutes."[45] When some Potential slayers complained about Anya discussing her sex-life with Xander, Faith told them she reminded Anya that she was Xander's first, which, as she claimed, "makes her shut the hell right up."[46] About three years later, Faith absently mentioned her one-night stand with Xander while in Quor'toth with Angel, Connor, and Willow. She described it as one of the things she only did when she was crazy, along with picking fights with bikers. [47]
- Riley Finn — During her brief time in Buffy's body, Faith seduced Riley, who was unaware that she was not Buffy. While her behavior was initially overly provocative, she was somewhat moved that Riley wanted to make love to her/Buffy rather than just have sex. However, the morning after their encounter, Faith (still in Buffy's body) was unsure how to react to the intimacy shown to her, and quickly left.
- Robin Wood — After Faith's return to help Buffy and the Potential Slayers fight the First Evil, Buffy also enlisted the help of the principal of Sunnydale High School, Robin Wood, the only known child of a Slayer. Robin became interested in Faith and the two become physically intimate.[48] Prior to the final battle,[49] Robin expressed his annoyance that Faith viewed men as mere sex objects and her claims that all men would eventually leave. Faith apologized if it seemed like she was blowing him off (which she apparently intended to do). When Robin jokingly claimed their experience didn't 'rock his world' Faith got rather upset, then Robin promised to surprise her if they survived and she agreed to let him try. After the battle at the Hellmouth, Robin lay in the bus with Faith by his side and briefly passed out. Faith reached out to close his eyes and he surprised her by surviving. While appearing to still keep in a touch, they are no longer together, Faith having referred to him as her ex-boyfriend a year and a half later.[50]
Parental Figures
Romantic and sexual liaisons aside, Faith's most profound relationships were formed with paternal or maternal figures who she quickly latched onto. The most obvious example of this was Mayor Richard Wilkins III, although prior to her alliance with him, Faith also briefly found herself in a similar situation with her Watchers.
- George Lehane - Faith's alcoholic father. Although he claimed that he had done what he could to help her, such as making deals with Irish crime families to get the money he needed to raise her, Faith had nothing but contempt for his failure to ever be there for her when she needed him, to the point where she noted that the Mayor was a better father than him as the Mayor genuinely seemed to care about her.
- Diana Dormer — Faith had fondness for her original Watcher, the first person who gave her a stable home and purpose in life. When she was murdered by the ancient vampire known as Kakistos, Faith returned to her cold kill-or-be-killed worldview.
- Joyce Summers — Faith appreciated Joyce's kindness more than Buffy did, stating she was "really cool" and noting her as one of things Buffy was lucky to have which Faith didn't. During Christmas, Faith presented Joyce with a gift, despite her bashfully claiming it was 'crappy'. Faith also protected her when Buffy went out to deal with the First Evil. When she held her hostage, Faith liked Joyce's attitude against her and showed sympathy to the fact Buffy left Joyce when she went to college. After switching bodies with Buffy, Faith seemed to have little concern over Joyce and felt uncomfortable when she hugged her.
- Gwendolyn Post — Faith was quick to latch onto the sinister Gwendolyn Post, who briefly posed as her new Watcher. A misled Faith gave her loyalty to Post, who nurtured Faith's feelings of isolation from the others. When she witnessed Post's confrontation with Buffy and Angel, Faith sided with her new mentor, and was shaken to learn the truth about Post's evil plan. This betrayal of her hesitant trust reinforced her belief that she can never rely upon anyone else.
- Mayor Richard Wilkins III — Through their alliance, Faith found the stable, paternal figure she craved, which swiftly changed her flirtation with evil to a desire to do anything to make Mayor Wilkins proud of her. She was loyal to him before her coma, helping him prepare for his Ascension. When she woke from her coma and discovered that Buffy had destroyed him, Faith went on a rampage. Before his death, Mayor Wilkins recorded a heartfelt speech to leave for Faith, and he made provisions for her to come into possession of a magical device upon his death if she should ever wake up. Faith later used the device to switch bodies with Buffy, but the process was subsequently reversed when Willow and Tara Maclay realized what had happened. A few years later, The First Evil manifested itself to Faith in Mayor Wilkins' form, and she revealed that she still feels fondness for him, saying that he used to be "like a dad" to her, regardless of the fact that he was evil. Faith stated that he "was the last guy who ever put her in a dress" and that "the dude may have been a bit of a snake but he wasn't a dog."[50] Faith thought that it was possible that he may have been exploiting her, but it did not feel like that. She revealed that it was hard to look back on her time with him and feel anything but loved, but most people saw only an "evil scumbag", to the point where she considered him a better father than even her own biological father.
- Rupert Giles - After Giles' falling out with Buffy, he began working with Faith after they took down Lady Genevieve Savidge.[51] The two grew very close due to the training and their shared troubled pasts and strained relationship with Buffy, traveling around the world helping rogue slayers. Faith even let down some of her natural walls around people and admitted her regret for killing Professor Worth, triggering Giles to do a hearfelt speech about redemption and forgiveness.[52]The two became so close that his in his will, Giles left all of his belongings, property, and savings to Faith upon his death, allowing her to live the life she wanted, though Faith told Buffy that he still considered the latter as the "number one son".[53] She soon started to help Angel bring back Giles, continually feeling back and forth over it. The other part of her wanted to help him and Faith herself heavily missed him but the other was worried that it would only end in disaster as Giles had told her the consequences of bringing someone back from the dead. [54] [55] Eventually, she started to regain more hope in this plan and supported it a lot more, admitting to herself while they were planning to extract his soul from Angel and putting it in the Essuary, "I need you, G. I don't have to tell you about my daddy issues, but I've always wished I told you this ... You're the best I ever got." [56]When everyone was required to focus on Giles to properly ressurrect him, Faith recalled their travels together and once again reiterated that she truly needed him back. Although confused and disbelieving of Giles' reversion towards a 12-year old, that did not stop her from feeling happy that he was brought back to them and she quickly reignited their bond. Giles was unhappy and lamented over his lack of purpose and seemingly directionless life. Faith attempted to make him feel better and convince him that she still needed him. However, Giles was firm. He had seen everything she had done with Angel to bring him back while he was inhabiting his body and was truly under the impression that Faith did not really need him like she insisted nor did anyone else for that matter. [57]
Friendships
- Angel — Allied with Mayor Wilkins, Faith initially tried to remove Angel's soul so that he would revert back to Angelus; however, Angel and Buffy united against her. After awakening from her coma and fleeing Sunnydale, Faith arrived in Los Angeles where, despite her initial attempts to kill Angel, she ultimately sought protection and help from him, seeing him as somewhat of a kindred spirit. Angel helped her, protecting her when Buffy sought revenge for Faith's actions. Faith and Angel's bond, strengthened by their mutual struggle for redemption, continued throughout her incarceration as Angel visited her in prison. When Faith learned that Angelus had been released, she broke out of prison without hesitation to help capture and re-ensoul her friend, stating that Angel was the only person in her life who never gave up on her. During a brief session in Angelus' mind, Faith witnessed a direct confrontation between Angel and Angelus, and later battled Angel's son Connor to stop him from staking Angelus before he can be re-ensouled. Their relationship also appears unique in all of Faith's relationships with men, in that, while she believes that all men in her life will eventually leave her, she views Angel as the one man who will never do this, this contributing to her decision to care for Angel after the Twilight crisis though he killed Giles while under Twilight's influence. The two lived and trained together in Giles' flat in London. Faith kept Angel's status secret from other London-based Slayers while providing Angel with someone he could count on in order to ensure that he did not repeat his mistakes as Twilight by going too far while trying to achieve his goals.
- Spike — While temporarily inhabiting Buffy's body, Faith mercilessly flirted with and rejected Spike. [58]When she later returned to Sunnydale to help the Scoobies fight against the First Evil, they revisited that conversation, with Spike remembering every word ("It's not the kind of thing a man forgets") and conversed easily, relating to each other on a personal level. They discussed how they have both been "dangerous" in the past, and acknowledged each other's efforts toward redemption. This connection did not go unnoticed by Buffy, who was more than a little jealous of the pair's chemistry and fledgling friendship.[41]Faith's complicity in the mutiny against Buffy led her and Spike to fight before he left the Summers' home,[59] although they ultimately became allies once more in the final battle against the First.[60] Three years later, Faith and Spike are reunited when Angel called in some help against Eyghon. When he became temporarily insane, they both work together and form a brief partnership to retrieve the Essuary from soul-sucking Enders demons. Eventually, they discuss their love lives. Spike eventually started to flirt with her and while Faith was attracted to him herself, she declined his pass under the terms of not wanting to be a rebound. Instead, she compared him to Angel like she had done in the past when they first offically met, much to Spike's indignant protests. Faith straightforwardly claimed that they're alike in still being in love with Buffy even though they left her, a point he reluctantly agreed with. When she finally got Spike to open up somewhat, she gave him supportive advice of moving on from Buffy before returning to the apartment to extract Giles' soul from Angel. However, when realizing he had chosen to sleep with Harmony, Faith lightly mocked his choice of a rebound to get over Buffy which Spike didn't take offense to.[61] Spike and Faith seem to have a odd sort of friendship in their similiar situations and characters with some physical attraction added to it.
- Willow Rosenberg -
Other
- Wesley Wyndam-Pryce — Wesley was called in to replace Giles as Buffy and Faith's Watcher after he was fired. Given her avoidance of authority and experience with her first two watchers, Faith immediately took a disliking to Wesley who was quite pompous at the time. When Faith accidentally killed Deputy Mayor Allen Finch, Wes brought in the Special Ops team to arrest her, interrupting Angel's nearly successful intervention, further driving her down the path to evil. After awaking from her coma and traveling to L.A., Faith, wanting to not only push Angel's buttons but also get revenge on Wesley, kidnapped him, and brutally tortured him for hours in various ways even though he initially wanted to help rehabilitate her because she was simply a "sick girl". However, after his torture at the hands of his former Slayer, Wesley changed his tune and thought of her as only a monster and was repulsed when Angel chose to give her sanctuary, although he still chose to help her escape from a Council black ops team as he trusted Angel's judgement. About three years later, Wesley turned to the incarcerated Faith when Angel lost his soul, believing that only she could handle the situation properly. Ironically, though not a Watcher anymore, Wesley took more of a Watcher-Slayer role during this time, exponentially more than he did when he was on the payroll, going to extreme measures to tone Faith's abilities and make sure that she had her head in the game.
- Dawn Summers Faith and Dawn's relationship before season 7 is uncertain, whether Dawn was jealous of Faith's close relationship with Buffy or whether Dawn was enthusiastic about Faith who envied Buffy's love with her in the same way as she did with Joyce. When Faith returns to Sunnydale in 'Dirty Girls' Dawn is antagonistic towards her for trying to murder Buffy and Faith refers to her as a 'brat'. However after Faith takes her and the Potentials dancing at The Bronze the emnity between them seems to fade with Dawn helping to save Faith from a group of possessed cops and taking her side when Faith takes over the leadership of the Scoobies.
Buffy Summers
Buffy Summers and Faith Lehane: Two sides of the same coin.
The bond that Faith shared with her fellow Slayer is complex and unique. They had unique insight into each other's personality and the burdens that they shared, but they disagreed about what it meant to be a Slayer. Buffy was alienated by Faith's enthusiasm for violence and lack of responsibility, and Faith did not understand why Buffy compartmentalized her destiny as if it were a job. The First Evil later commented that Faith always wanted Buffy to love her. Additionally, Faith was jealous of the life Buffy led, surrounded by friends and family. Buffy, never one for rules herself, was somewhat drawn to Faith's rebellious nature,[7] but was horrified when Faith descended into reckless abandon and accidentally killed a man. After they became enemies, Faith and Buffy still shared a fundamental bond, sharing a series of dreams while Faith was in a coma.
Eight months in a coma after her finally waking, Buffy initially hoped that Faith would have learned her lesson and changed for the better, appearing to care about her well-being. She still appeared to feel guilt over her actions towards her after her attempted murder of Faith. However, Faith's jealousy of Buffy's life culminated when she stole Buffy's body. After the events of the "body swap," Buffy in her anger believed Faith incapable of redemption and believed she would be better off in jail, and Faith later turned herself in. When Faith returned to Sunnydale to help fight the First Evil, Buffy again accepted her as an ally. Faith tried to follow Buffy's lead, and was hesitant to become the leader after the mutiny against Buffy. However, Buffy surprised Faith by encouraging her to embrace the leadership role. After Buffy and the gang were reconciled, Buffy and Faith discussed their contentious history, and Faith concluded that the reason they had never gotten along was because two Slayers were never meant to exist at the same time. With this, Buffy and Faith finally made peace. However, when Buffy was transported to London where Faith had gone undercover in order to defeat a homicidal Slayer, she jumped to the conclusion that Faith had turned evil again and proceeded to attack her with Faith getting the upper hand and nearly killing her in an act of desperation[50]Buffy, infuriated and hurt, subsequently fell out of speaking terms with Giles because of his partnership with Faith. Later, Buffy and Faith made peace again when they were forced to get rid of their powers, appearing to finally develop a somewhat strained friendship.[62]
After the destruction of the Seed, Faith told one of the Slayers she guided that her relationship with Buffy was "complicated."[63]Buffy later called Faith from San Francisco to help her with Dawn's condition, only to have Faith express confusion over who Dawn was. Frustrated, Buffy promptly hung up on her.[64][65]
Behind the Scenes
- She was portrayed by Eliza Dushku.
- When Faith swapped bodies with Buffy, she was portrayed by Sarah Michelle Gellar.
- Joss Whedon announced in January 2005 that Faith's surname was Lehane, and this would be used in all future products, starting with Eden Studios's Buffy the Vampire Slayer role-playing game. The name appears in Eden's books and is considered to be canonical, having been used in additional material including Season 8. Whedon explained at the time:
- There was this role playing game or something. They said she hadda have a last name for her so I chose Lehane 'cause I wanted something southie, just as you thought.[66]
- The first time they met, Faith conveniently borrowed a stake from Buffy to kill a vampire. This became a running gag throughout the show.
- Faith's signature knife, given to her by the Mayor, is a Gil Hibben 1999 Jackal - the same knife used by Praetor Shinzon in Star Trek: Nemesis. Gil Hibben Jackal
- In "Restless", the intention was to include numerous former cast members within the four core character's dreams. These would have included old faces like Amy, Cordelia, Jenny and Angel returning, as well as Faith. Faith would have featured in Buffy's dream (during the "be back before dawn" bedroom scene) which eventually ended up being filled by the character of Tara, who coincidentally also substituted for many scenes intended for Angel (most notably the desert scenes where she acts as translator for The First Slayer).
- Buffy and Faith are a very popular femslash pairing.[67] Writer Douglas Petrie was well aware of the "lesbian subtext" when writing.[68]
- Eliza Dushku has no tattoo on her right arm. The one sported by Faith (a tribal design) is just painted. In-universe, however, while possessed by Artemia, Faith gets the mark of the Father tattooed on her arm as a means of assuring a confrontation.[3] The tattoo was spoofed in the movie Bring It On, in which Dushku's character is told she cannot join the cheerleading team due to the tattoo on her arm. Dushku then wets her fingers and rubs out the tattoo, showing it to be fake.
- Faith was designed to fulfill the archetype of a nemesis in the classical sense, serving as the dark mirror to Buffy: similar but opposite to the hero. Writer/producer Marti Noxon described Faith in terms of "the road not taken," a vision of what Buffy might have become if her life's circumstances were different.
- Faith's astrological zodiac sign is Saggitarius.
- Faith appeared as a playable character in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds.
- Willow once compared her to another bad girl on the show - the werewolf Veruca.
Appearances
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
| Season Three: | ||||||||||
| Anne | Dead Man's Party | Faith, Hope & Trick
Appears |
Beauty and the Beasts
Appears |
Homecoming
Appears |
Band Candy | Revelations
Appears |
Lovers Walk | The Wish
(mentioned) |
Amends
Appears |
Gingerbread |
|
Helpless (mentioned) |
The Zeppo
Appears |
Bad Girls
Appears |
Consequences
Appears |
Doppelgängland
Appears |
Enemies
Appears |
Earshot
(mentioned) |
Choices
Appears |
The Prom
(mentioned) |
Graduation Day, Part One
Appears |
Graduation Day, Part Two
Appears |
| Season Four: | ||||||||||
| The Freshman | Living Conditions | The Harsh Light of Day
(mentioned) |
Fear, Itself |
Beer Bad (mentioned) |
Wild at Heart | The Initiative | Pangs | Something Blue | Hush | Doomed
(mentioned) |
| A New Man | The I in Team | Goodbye Iowa | This Year's Girl
Appears |
Who Are You
Appears |
Superstar
(mentioned) |
Where the Wild Things Are | New Moon Rising | The Yoko Factor | Primeval |
Restless (mentioned) |
| Season Seven: | ||||||||||
| Lessons | Beneath You | Same Time, Same Place | Help | Selfless | Him | Conversations with Dead People | Sleeper | Never Leave Me | Bring on the Night
(mentioned) |
Showtime
(mentioned) |
| Potential | The Killer in Me | First Date | Get It Done | Storyteller | Lies My Parents Told Me | Dirty Girls
Appears |
Empty Places
Appears |
Touched
Appears |
End of Days
Appears |
Chosen
Appears |
Angel
| Season One: | ||||||||||
| City Of | Lonely Hearts | In the Dark | I Fall to Pieces | Rm w/a Vu | Sense & Sensitivity | Bachelor Party | I Will Remember You | Hero | Parting Gifts
(mentioned) |
Somnambulist |
| Expecting | She | I've Got You Under My Skin | The Prodigal | The Ring | Eternity | Five by Five
Appears |
Sanctuary
Appears |
War Zone | Blind Date
(mentioned) |
To Shanshu in L.A. |
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight
- "No Future for You"
- "Safe"
- "Retreat, Part One"
- "Retreat, Part Four"
- "Retreat, Part Five"
- " Twilight"
- "Last Gleaming"
Angel & Faith
- "Live Through This"
- "In Perfect Harmony"
- "Daddy Issues"
- "Women of a Certain Age"
- "Family Reunion"
- "Death and Consequences"
- "Spike and Faith"
- "What You Want, Not What You Need, Part One"
- "What You Want, Not What You Need, Part Two"
Gallery
External Links
- Template:IMDb character
- Faith Lehane at Wikipedia
- FaithSolace.com - Faith fan site