This insight is from a Remarkist Memento.
Title: Faith’s Jacket
Creator: @brandon
Event (Watch Party): S3 E14 | Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Event Date: 2023-08-15
Drop Date: 2023-08-30
Remarkist World: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Density: 26.67
Number of Editions: 15
“Faith, you don’t get it.”
“You KILLED a man.”
“No,” “..YOU don't get it.” “I don’t care,”
This recap been highlighted and misused by reviews, script-readers, podcasts and even the network itself. This ‘you don’t get it, I don’t care’ clip has been played out of context on the ‘previously on’ segment, shamelessly distilling a complex trauma into a simplistic soundbite.
Buffy’s confrontation with Faith in her hotel room is a moment charged with tension and revelation.
Faith's usual appearance has vanished, and she coldly tells Buffy that she weighted and disposed of the body.
Faith, unable to trust Buffy with her inner turmoil, puts up a toxic tough-girl facade. But in the following episode, “Consequences,” Buffy challenges her, saying,
‘That's not your real face, and I know it. I know what you're feeling because I feel it too.’
Indeed upon rewatching the episode, we saw a moment where Faith’s true emotions shine through. She reacts to the slain body with grief and remorse, displaying genuine despair without an audience to witness it-a stark contrast to her lack of remorse when caught stealing.
Buffy’s quest for autonomy, possibly fueled by unprocessed resentment, blinds her to Faith's complex emotions.
Faith is rejected by Buffy in her trauma and uses a harsh indifference as dark as her jacket to disarm Buffy’s misguided judgment.
We also tend to blow past the fact that Giles takes Faith’s side! He didn’t want to involve the watchers, Buffy turned on her for no reason.
Tragically, as Buffy being out of step with Giles and Faith here is what pushes Faith down a path of revenge exploited by the Mayor. Imagine if Giles had been with Faith to see her initial moment of processing, “I didn't know.. I.. I ”
Its hard for a recap to tell the whole story.
Remarkist: brandon
Pronouns: he/they
Love exploring shared experiences via the small-town charm of Stars Hollow or the supernatural mysteries of Sunnydale. Also a big fan of David Lynch’s surrealist masterpieces and the meta humor of Community. Movies and TV shows which transcendently reflect society and culture.
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