Daddy Issues continues! This time Angel deals with the fall out of his past when Faith attempts to repair her troubled emotions by going to see Drusilla and her Trauma Sucking Demon Buddy.
Violence (and spoilers!) will definitely follow the cut, so jump with caution!
Written by Christos Gage
Illustrated by Rebekah IsaacsStill reeling from her father’s unexpected appearance, Faith goes rogue, taking on Drusilla and her pet demon. It’s time to burn off some anger. Angel is hot on her tail, but he may be too late to save her from Dru, and ultimately herself.
- Follows the events of Buffy Season 8!
This month’s Angel & Faith, the close of the Daddy Issues, gave Faith exactly what Angel didn’t think she should have, and that’s peace. It’s a curious decision for our ensouled Vampire, whose mission is to help the helpless. This was Faith’s decision to no longer feel the traumatic things in her life. Sure, he made the argument that her experiences make her who she is, the good and bad alike. But at the same time, it’s her decision, not his.
But on the upside when it comes to Angel’s character, after Faith de-traumatized herself, a battle ensued between Angel and his progeny, the newly sane Drusilla. What we learn from the issue is that Faith and the rest of the clam may have wanted to have their feelings sucked out, but Drusilla didn’t, and her trauma is the essence of who she is. Like I mentioned before, she is the personification of Angel’s past misdeeds, and that connection is important for Angel’s identity. If she’s miraculously fixed, it would be akin to Batman’s parents suddenly being alive again, or an episode of Game of Thrones without a gruesome death (or at least some nudity). Sure you could TRY IT, but why?
There was some solid character work between Faith and Angel. This arc, which forced both of them to deal with their broken family lives, brought them closer together with regards to trusting each other. Dru, who had been there under the guise of helping any who desired it, was just using them (and Faith in the process) to get to Angel. Faith, who has been used to being used her entire life, rebelled against Dru even if it meant the loss of her newly won happiness.
Afterwards, when Faith recouped from her emotions being ripped out and then stuffed back in, she and Angel compared notes, so to speak. Part of the mission to resurrect Giles means that the parts of his soul need to be brought back together, which means they have to perform what could be compared to the 12 trials of Hercules. The portions of Giles’ soul, however, need a receptacle, and what better place than the inside of a vampire (albeit one that already has a soul.). The hard fought trust between Angel and Faith also meant that Faith was in with bringing Giles back, even if it goes against his wishes; which brings a strange parallel to Angel’s treatment of Faith’s choices in this issue as well.
However, considering the revelations about Giles’ soul inhabiting Angel, one of the most interesting aspects of that idea is how it will match up against Angelus inside his body. His cursed soul may keep him from going around and killing indiscriminately like the old days, but the soul is now locked in the dungeon with Hannibal Lecter, for lack of a better term. Since Giles is assumed to be coming back, how will he come back? Will he be as broken as Buffy was when she came back, or will he be “good as new?” My experience with the Buffyverse tends to lend credence to the idea of the former, as the latter just isn’t Joss-y enough.
Now that you’ve gotten a chance to read it, what did you think?
