Enemies

Faith and Buffy take center stage again. The title of the episode seems self-explanatory: Faith's choices make her Buffy's enemy. Sex abounds in this episode, which opens with Buffy and Angel leaving a movie that was apparently far more "adult" than they suspected. They are lovey-dovey until Faith shows up, gently mocks them, and takes Buffy to patrol. In a sense, that's the template for the whole episode: Faith makes them look at their relationship as she inserts herself into the equation.

There's a point, of course. The Mayor and she are trying to call forth Angelus. She tries to seduce Angel, believing that he'd lose his soul that way (if you've watched Angel, you know that's a vain hope; sex alone doesn't give him the moment of happiness to break the curse or Darla would have had to deal with Angelus.) When Angel won't even kiss her, she resorts to a spell. Double-cross ensues, and Angel plays Angelus as he pumps her for info.

Buffy is jealous. She can paint it as righteous anger, because Faith is bad, Faith is everything Buffy can't be--doesn't want to be--and maybe wishes she could be. Angel was bad, very bad--he liked living on the edge; Buffy takes risks, but refuses to admit she gets a charge out of it. That would be bad, enjoying the kill, enjoying the chase. And that's without even adding the layer of wondering if Angel really likes Faith, really would enjoy it if Buffy would cut loose a bit more.

This tangled relationship doesn't end with this season, either--it's just about the only carryover plot into Angel. Angel saves Faith; Faith saves Angel. In fact, even late in the Angel show, Buffy and Angel are at odds over his relationship with Faith.

Talking about her name is obvious, and I don't currently have anything beyond the obvious to say. Commenting on neatly the names "Faith" and "Angel" fit together is equally obvious, so i won't go there, either--yet.

So are Faith and Buffy the enemies? So it seems--but the animosity is tangled, and Buffy insists that in different circumstances, she could have been Faith. Willow disagrees, claiming that some people are just born good, and experience won't change that. Interesting to contemplate that in light of season 6 and the developement of Dark Willow...

I think there well be more to say here, but I don't know what yet....I may be editing this one.