Day Twenty: Female Character Meme

[ishtar79]

Day Twenty: Favorite female antagonist: Faith Lehane




Come on, did you seriously think she wouldn’t be in this list? Even before her turn to the dark side, Faith was clearly cast in the antagonist role. She was everything Buffy disapproved of (but secretly craved). Where Buffy was starting to be weighed down by her responsibilities and the Chosen One role, Faith threw herself into it. In addition, she was sexual, blunt (at times downright crass) and not particularly interested in being tied to anybody else, whether friends, authority figures or lovers (Faith’s “Get some and get gone” approach was far removed from Buffy perpetual Angel angst). Of course, things were much more complicated than the seemed, and Faith was as envious of Buffy for belonging as Buffy was of Faith for being so free.

Part of what makes a good antagonist is their dynamic with the “hero”, and to say Faith got under Buffy’s skin would be an understatement-to the point where the show took the metaphor to its literal conclusion in S4. Faith’s naked hunger for all things Buffy, be it her downfall, her life, her approval or just her was the driving force behind her stint into villainy (and seriously, the femslash was *off the charts*).

While I’ll always be about the B/F, I loved every single step of Faith’s journey. Whether she was torturing Wes (and pushing buttons I didn’t even know *had*), dancing like the world depended on it, hitting rock bottom or giving Connor a deserved ass whooping, from the moment she swaggered into my screen, I was basically Faith’s bitch for life. And yes, I’m aware that some of that may have been due to Eliza’s overwhelming hotness, but who cares? I enjoyed every second of it.


Day One: Favorite lead female character
Day Two: Favorite supporting female character
Day Three: A female character you hated but grew to love
Day Four: A female character you relate to
Day Five: Favorite female character on a male-driven show
Day Six: Favorite female-driven show
Day Seven: A female character that needs more screen time
Day Eight: Favorite female character in a comedy show
Day Nine: Favorite female character in a drama show
Day Ten: Favorite female character in a scifi/supernatural show
Day Eleven: Favorite female character in a children’s show
Day Twelve: Favorite female character in a movie
Day Thirteen: Favorite female character in a book
Day Fourteen: Favorite older female character
Day Fifteen: Favorite female character growth arc
Day Sixteen: Favorite mother character
Day Seventeen: Favorite warrior female character
Day Eighteen: Favorite non-warrior female character
Day Nineteen: Favorite non-human female character
Day Twenty: Favorite female antagonist
Day Twenty-One: Favorite female character screwed over by canon
Day Twenty-Two: Favorite female character you love but everyone else hates
Day Twenty-Thre: Favorite female platonic relationship
Day Twenty-Four: Favorite female romantic relationship
Day Twenty-Five: Favorite mother/daughter and/or sister relationship
Day Twenty-Six: Favorite classical female character (from pre-20th century literature or mythology or the like)
Day Twenty-Seven: A female character you have extensive personal canon for
Day Twenty-Eight: Favorite female writer (television, books, movies, etc.)
Day Twenty-Nine: A female-centric fic rec
Day Thirty: Whatever you'd like!

Comments

[mimine]

Oh man, Faith torturing Wes! I have seen maybe a handful of Angel episodes but that scene sent me to a very happy place. True brilliance.

[ishtar79]

That whole episode sent me to my happy place. Do you remember that scene at the club where she was dancing and simultaneously kicking the ass of everybody around her. Oh, Eliza!

[galaxygirl76.livejournal.com]

(http://s791.photobucket.com/albums/yy199/jo6_2/?action=view&current=763237_o.gif)

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

Haha, most appropriate gif ever!

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

I totally love Faith too, and did right from the beginning... I felt that Eliza brought a lot of vulnerability to even her most aggressive scenes. I love the photo you picked, because (to me anyway) it illustrates what I mean: she is smiling but I see something tentative in her eyes, like she isn't sure she is accepted, and she is afraid of being hurt.

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

I spent about as much time browsing through Faith pics as I took writing the actual post. And yes, Eliza played the subtle vulnerability really well.

[faithsummers80.livejournal.com]

Amen sista!

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

:)