Go Ask Malice, Week 6: May 13th - June 13th

[Taake]

Book Club: Go Ask Malice
Sixth week (week 44): October 23rd - October 30th
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The book is in diary format and this week we will be reading the book dates
May 13th - June 13th (pages 149-179)

Discuss these dates here.

🙂

 

[Taake]

So this is kind of what I've been waiting for... Faith is the Slayer, things are picking up... or are they? Honestly, I'm kind of bored. I don't feel like I'm getting any connection or understanding to Faith's character, either it's bad writing or Faith just doesn't work without Eliza Dushku.

The books theme (If you're Faith Lehane everything in your life was crap, is crap and will continue to be crap) continues. I mean she's the Slayer, she feels all special and chosen (and we all know how that's kind of go so it's not even fun to read), she gets oddly petty about K talking to the professor, which in a way kind of fits her character, but without Eliza she just comes across as a spoiled brat who needs to be told to take a gorram seat and be quiet for five seconds.

Anyone else still reading, would love to hear your thoughts.

 

[Buffy Summers]

I like that Faith dreamed Buffy and Kendra's death - that was a nice touch. I like how much Faith embraces being a Slayer - I agree with whoever said before that it’s a nice contrast to Buffy.

I’m interested in Kenny’s power, and the voices in Faith’s head and what’s going to happen with that. I wish we were seeing more of a relationship between Faith and her watcher though.

 

[watcherless]

Taake: she gets oddly petty about K talking to the professor, which in a way kind of fits her character

Yes I agree this is in character for her. She gets annoyed that her Watcher is interested in someone else, and that she's sort of "shut out" of their conversation (since she doesn't have the visions). The Kenny - visions - self-medicating storyline works for me, a way to weave this in with the supernatural aspects of BTVS. Pretty intense that Kenny is - possibly - manifesting Alice / Alex from Faith's mind too.

I like that Faith is worried she is becoming her mother when she sees Kenny cheating on her with Andra, that she just becomes a sucker for guy's and their lies.

Buffy Summers: I like that Faith dreamed Buffy and Kendra's death - that was a nice touch.

Yes I really like this part too!

It's bittersweet to me what Faith is telling herself-

May 13 entry "Later" p. 151: "It's like my whole life has been leading up to this point, and now I'm changed, and everything that came before - none of it matters... No... I'm wrong about that.... it all makes sense now, my crap life... Alex, my fantasy life. Now it all makes sense: I was being tested to see if I was strong enough to handle all this, the power, the responsibility of the Slayer."

Like she tells herself this and feels better about it, this is how it makes sense to her. Because otherwise it's just sad and sort of pointless. This makes some of her anger towards Buffy more understandable, since Buffy wasn't tested like Faith was, and Buffy still gets to become the Slayer.

Taake: but without Eliza she just comes across as a spoiled brat

And kudos to Eliza for making this character that could have been one dimensional really feel nuanced in the TV episodes!

 

[Bop]

And kudos to Eliza for making this character that could have been one dimensional really feel nuanced in the TV episodes!

Amen. I think Faith would be completely different and much more of a stereotype without Eliza. Even reading the shooting script for the first episode it describes Faith as 'trailer park' meets something and I just didn't see that in Faith when she's actually on screen- well she could be from a trailer park but it's not what jumps out to me as defining her. And we all know Faith was supposed to be a very short-lived character- like 3 episodes long originally.