From bad to worse

2.22: Becoming, Pt. 2

3.1: Anne

3.3: Faith, Hope, and Trick

It certainly seems that no matter where Buffy goes, trouble does seem to follow her. Whenever she tries to escape, she ends up running toward rather than away from the things she fears. This is a very well-established classical motif: a prophesy is made that people bring to pass by the very steps they have taken to avoid it (ye olde "abandon-the-helpless-babe-upon-a-hill-outside-of-the-city" routine, as in Oedipus Rex). Of course, there is not a precise prophesy made about Buffy's future at this exact point in her life, but she does have an undeniable destiny cut out for her as the Slayer. She should already have figured out that she can't fully escape who and what she is, although one can't blame her for making the attempt at the end of Season 2 in "Becoming, Pt. 2" and 3.1: "Anne". So much for William Ernest Henley's "I am the master of my fate" (though she is still, as yet, "the captain of [her] soul").

The way that Buffy and her mother relate to one another is very interesting, especially as regards Buffy's "calling." At the beginning of the episode "Faith, Hope, and Trick," Buffy and her mom have one last meeting with Sunnydale High's Principal Snyder. When it becomes apparent that Buffy will be able to re-enroll at the school, it is—amusingly—Buffy who takes the more level-headed and mature response rather than her mother, whose rejoicing is extremely juvenile. One has to wonder how much of this is Joyce's way of trying to "relate" to a teenaged daughter on some level—even further, a teenaged daughter who was, until very recently, estranged from her in almost every way imaginable. While Buffy's biological parents have long since broken up, there is a very similar relationship between her mother and Giles, her Watcher.
Joyce has not yet taken back her statement that she blamed Buffy's disappearance and estrangement on Giles, thus she must still believe it implicitly.

An issue that was raised in the second season when Kendra appeared was the importance of being with family. Kendra herself was not allowed to be with her family; Buffy was shocked and saddened at the thought of being raised apart from one's family—even moreso than she seemed to be at the idea of being forbidden to have friends. This is rather surprising for someone who has seen all the episodes in which Buffy and her mother fight: of all the Slayer's occupational hazards, the need for secrecy is not the least painful. In "Becoming, Pt. 2," Buffy must finally reveal her calling to her mother, and her mother's reception of the news is not pretty. The event's unforeseeably awful timing leads to a complete and wrenching misunderstanding betweent the two of them.

The recurring theme of the "aloneness" of the Slayer really comes full circle at the end of Season 2 leading into Season 3. When Kendra first appeared in Sunnydale, Buffy was initially appalled by her testimony of the "correct"—monastic, really—way of life for a Slayer. However, as the second season drew to a close it became apparent that Buffy herself was being—unwillingly and dangerously—dragged into a semblance of that lifestyle. First, she lost Angel; then, Whistler pointed out to her that she would always be by herself; this is abruptly followed by Angelus speaking the same words, adding that not only is she alone, but also that she has no friends. Upon Kendra's death at the hands—or rather, fingernails—of Drusilla in "Becoming, Pt. 1," the mantle of her secluded way of life—of being separate from relationships, from distractions, from her family, of being a vampire slayer—is transferred from her shoulders onto Buffy's in a bizarre and violent way. Of course, Buffy feels responsible for Kendra's death for many reasons, though there was not truly enough information for her to have gathered what was actually going on from the facts with which she was represented. She may feel at first in part that she must go away to be alone, to separate herself from her friends and family in order to better fulfill her calling in the fashion of Kendra herself. Of course, we see Buffy, as "Anne," mainly trying to escape the recent tragic past and figure out her life rather than pay homage to a deceased associate. Interestingly, though, by the end of the episode, the name "Anne" itself becomes a sort of identity to "pass along," as she passes it along to Lily.

Remembering Kendra's sudden appearance and recent death, when Faith appears in "Faith, Hope, and Trick," it must be a stunning sort of deja-vu not only for Buffy but for the rest of her group of family and friends. Buffy is still the most directly affected by her showing up not only because of her "sharing the slayage," but also by witnessing the contrast of the reactions between how everyone reacts to Faith and how they reacted to Kendra. All of this must cut fairly deep, but Buffy handles the unexpected arrival of yet another fellow slayer with a grace she certainly did not possess when Kendra entered the scene. Certainly no one could fault the few, understated complaints, which originate from personality and relationships rather than feelings of inferiority or "professional jealousy." This time, Buffy has both experiential and moral superiority over Faith—but still, she does not abuse either. Instead, she makes the attempt to include and help Faith (albeit with a natural reluctance), and thus learns that there is something more important at work behind Faith's debonaire, tough-girl appearance. She even gains a certain level of respect for the newest Slayer. Drawing from these experiences, she also gains a new level of respect for and understanding of herself and her own actions—which leads to her finally revealing all the facts about the night of Angel's descent into Hell to Giles and her best friend Willow. Again, it takes a few episodes of the new season for Buffy to reach a sense of closure from the final events of the last.