A couple of weeks ago, one of our regular posters on the Rewatch (it's a rare week when someone beats Marebabe to the first comment!) asked about Slayer succession in response to Buffy's death at the end of "The Gift." I answered her extensively in the comments section, and then made a mental note to answer it more fully in the following week's post, and then completely forgot to. This week another commenter asked the same question, so I thought I'd break it out for y'all in a separate post before I forget again.
There is only supposed to be one Slayer at a time. That's the way it's been for centuries, since the very first Slayer. One girl in all the world is the Slayer, and when she dies, the mystical forces call forth the next girl in line, who is then activated with mighty powers and she becomes the Slayer.
Back in "Prophecy Girl," Buffy died. In that very moment, Kendra was called. But Buffy did the unthinkable -- she came back to life. One of the tropes in the show is that a Slayer is expected to work alone, but because Buffy had Xander near her to perform CPR, she came back to life. She still had Slayer strength, and still had a need to slay vampires, but technically, she was no longer the active Slayer. She could die a thousand times and no other Slayer would be called. Kendra was officially the active Slayer.
Kendra died in "Becoming, Part 1," and the moment that happened, Faith was called forth. She was then and is still the active Slayer, and it will require her death for a new Slayer to be called. So when Buffy died at the end of "The Gift," I know many people were likely waiting for a new Slayer to show up on the scene, but no Slayer can be called until the active Slayer -- in this case, Faith -- dies. And when the Angel gang (minor spoiler if you're not watching Angel!) put her in prison, it's made it even more difficult, because the active Slayer is off-duty, putting more pressure on Buffy, the non-active Slayer, to do the work. With Buffy dead at the end of "The Gift," there is technically no active Slayer on duty, which is why the Scoobs were attempting to do the patrol on their own.
As I said in the comments a couple of weeks ago, I've often thought that, knowing what they know about Buffy's death, you'd think they'd try to medically create Slayers by stopping their hearts for a moment, bringing forth a new Slayer, and then starting the heart again. Then do it to the next, and the next, until you have a massive army of Slayers. This is something fans had been talking about for ages at this point in the series, and in an upcoming episode you'll see the issue addressed. ;)
I hope this helps clear up the confusion!
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11 comments:
It's like Flatliners meets Buffy. I'd watch that episode.
Cool, thanks for the clarification!
@Em: Here's how I know that I'm (maybe) spending too much time on Facebook. (No, surely not!) I wanted to click on "Like" after I read your comment. ;)
I am glad you clarified this for some of the new viewers since I think knowing that there will not be a new slayer activated and that Faith is unable to perform in her slayer role because she is in jail at this point in the timeline is crucial to getting the full effect of Bargaining Parts 1 and 2. With this knowledge is is much easier to understand why Willow and the rest of the Scoobies felt so alone and in a way desperate to have Buffy back. Of course, I think their feelings of love for her weighed into their decision making, but I also think the dark future they faced without her might have had an impact.
I hope you are feeling o.k. today, Nikki!
@Marebabe: I do that all the time!! ;)
Nikki: And when the Angel gang ... put her in prison
Didn't Faith actually turn herself in? It's a minor point at best in terms of this topic, but in terms of the characters' development it was significant.
Suzanne: With this knowledge is is much easier to understand why Willow and the rest of the Scoobies felt so alone and in a way desperate to have Buffy back.
Given that they're even more purposeless with Buffy dead and no Slayer on active duty than they were with Buffy alive, you'd think that the members of the Watchers' Council would've sent in one of their black-ops teams to off Faith and bring forth a new Slayer. It would certainly have jibed with what we've seen of them to date. And they'd probably have been happy to take their chances with another Slayer after the rogue Faith and willful, unique Buffy.
That in turn brings up the surprising lack of presence of the Council so far since Buffy's death and return: no condolence cards (perhaps not a big surprise), no forces sent to bolster Sunnydale's general defenselessness in the face of an unprotected Hellmouth, no debriefing upon resurrection...
Excellent points, Blam! I hadn't thought of the Council, probably because I so heartily dislike them. But, yes! It seems that they've been really shirking their duties lately, especially with the unprotected Hellmouth. What, too busy? What else do they have to do?
I always assumed since Giles stayed in Sunnydale most of the time Buffy was dead, and no demons knew about the Buffybot until a few hours before the real Buffy came back, the Council also fell for the bot as the real thing.
Giles has some contact with them, but after Checkpoint I doubt they'd go to Sunnydale in person only as a last resort, so just hearing from Giles would make them think Buffy was doing her job.
Also, the chances of the Council actually doing Faith in, unless they blew up the whole place are pretty much none.
Dusk: I agree; I believed that they were keeping the truth from the Council, knowing how ineffective the Council usually is.
Blam: You're right; she did put herself there. My bad.
Dusk: I always assumed since Giles stayed in Sunnydale most of the time Buffy was dead, and no demons knew about the Buffybot until a few hours before the real Buffy came back, the Council also fell for the bot as the real thing.
Hmm... You're probably "right". (That is: It's a fine explanation, whatever the writers were [or weren't] thinking about it.)
Dusk: Also, the chances of the Council actually doing Faith in, unless they blew up the whole place are pretty much none.
I didn't say that it would work, based on past experience, but likewise based on past experience — what we've seen of their stubbornness and, yes, ruthlessness — that wouldn't stop them from trying.
VW: frisaint — The sensation of lacking the thrill that those around you are feeling.
I think it's possible the Council had some other concerns...
I'll say no more.
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