Buffy Season 8 Recap - No Future For You - Part 3

Faith sits looking at the images and video footage lady Genevieve has of Buffy, this surveillance spans many years of Buffy’s life as Genevieve is studying Buffy’s fighting techniques and most importantly her flaws. Faith’s inner monologue shows her envy at the power Buffy holds, the power that should have been Faith’s sole power as the Slayer, Buffy has always overshadowed Faith “it’s always about her”. Faith wonders if this was the real reason Giles sent her in, it wasn’t because of an impending apocalypse but because Giles’ “golden girl” was being threatened. Genevieve asks Faith if her father will allow her to have another sleep over because later on the big showdown between Genevieve and Buffy will happen and she would like Faith to be there, Faith reminds her (and the reader) that Faith doesn’t have an active father figure, her real father wouldn’t care if she was alive or dead.

We cut to Giles screaming into a walkie talkie still trying to get in contact with Faith (after she destroyed the ear piece in the previous issue) which works as a great reminder that she does indeed have someone who cares for her safety and even a possible father figure. Giles has been waiting at the rendezvous point all night and cannot get through a mystical barrier that shields Genevieve and her mansion, Giles has a warlock working on the barrier but he tells Giles that it will be impossible to break through, he suggests that Giles’ spy has been killed. Giles refuses to believe that Faith is dead, his helper suggests that if he is so certain she is not dead then maybe she has joined with Genevieve and is no longer working with Giles.

Faith and Genevieve are sharing a bath, perhaps Faith has bonded to this rogue Slayer. Genevieve explains that she met Roden through her mother, she didn’t trust him at first but then he knew things that nobody should, such as the nightmares she had about past Slayers and knowledge on her newfound strength. Ever since Roden has only ever been out for her best interests, Faith compares her situation to hers and The Mayor’s from Season Three. Faith wonders if perhaps Genevieve isn’t all bad and she is being manipulated by Roden in the same way that Faith was manipulated to be ‘evil’. Faith asks Genevieve not to go after Buffy as she doesn’t think it will end well, Genevieve seems touched that Faith cares for her well-being but Genevieve never said she was going to go after Buffy, Buffy is going to come to her.

Buffy and Willow are working on the new defence systems like mentioned in the previous issue, Buffy is excited to try new things out but Willow asks where the money is coming from, Buffy hastily explains that they have mystery benefactors, most of which want to stay anonymous. Willow accepts the explanation but asks Buffy what the plan is if the army manage to break through these security systems, is Buffy willing to kill these guys, is she willing to slay these humans the same way she is used to slaying vampires? Willow tells her that not killing humans is what separates them from the ‘bad guys’, Buffy’s response is simply that “not being bad is what separates them from the bad guys”. Before Buffy can continue discussing her plans in the event of an attack she disappears in a cloud of magic, Willow quickly panics, she wonders if she caused that accidently.

We see Roden casting a spell which has transported Buffy to Genevieve’s mansion, Buffy is surprised at the change of surroundings but then vomits, a side effect caused by the spell. Faith looks down from a balcony above, she didn’t realise that they would be using a spell to transport her here, Genevieve picks up a sword and tells Faith to stay in the shadows and enjoy the show. Buffy is stood yelling at Roden, demanding to know the reason she has been dragged here when she is taken by surprise by Genevieve who tells her that Buffy must kneel before royalty and then kicks her in the face. Buffy looks up with blood pouring from her nose, she acknowledges that this woman has the strength of a Slayer and Buffy fights back. She makes a note that the Slayer is British and tells her that while 'her people' created girl power, she has a crap sense of soriority and sisterhood then headbutts her in the face. Genevieve stumbles back with a grin on her face, finally a Slayer that poses a challenge she tells Buffy, Buffy manages to get the sword off of Genevieve enraged that she has just admitted to killing other innocent girls, other innocent Slayers. Suddenly Faith emerges from the shadows and tackles Buffy, she doesn’t want Buffy to kill Genevieve, perhaps Genevieve could be saved. Buffy and Faith hurtle towards a giant window and smash through it.











They fall from high up towards a swimming pool, Faith’s inner monologue hopes that they are falling towards the deep end to break her fall but of course Buffy falls in the deep end and Faith ends up in the shallow end, Buffy once again gets the better outcome. They both stand up in the pool and Buffy hits Faith in the gut and yells at her, thinking that Faith has become evil again. Faith tries to explain that Giles sent her but Buffy hits her again “You’re lying! Giles never trusted you any more than I do!”
suddenly something snaps in Faith, she jumps at Buffy and wraps her hands around Buffy’s neck, submerges her under the water and begins to drown her. Faith’s resentment is revealed in her inner monologue, Faith is always the ‘villain’ when Buffy is around, even if she is doing the right thing "just kill her and its all over" she tells herself. She reminds herself never to forget how deep Buffy hurt Faith, while Buffy hurt her physically Faith is still hurt that Buffy actually attempted to kill her. She tells herself never to forget the hurt that Buffy inflicted on her then suddenly pulls Buffy up to breath and shouts “Shut up!”. Buffy rubs her neck and asks Faith who she is talking to, she looks away from Buffy and mutters more silently “please shut up” Faith looks down in sadness and says “I just wish you would go away..” a couple of open statements that could both refer to Buffy or the voices in Faith's head, her resentment, her own personal demons. Buffy then disappears in a cloud of magic leaving Faith alone.

Buffy is suddenly back at the control room with Willow, Willow explains that the magic used was pretty dark and asks who took her. Buffy disappears from the frame as she throws up again, she looks up wiping her mouth “get me Giles” she says angrily. We see Faith stood alone in the swimming pool as dusk falls “alone again”, she gets out of the pool and sits on the side, she tells us that she is too tired to fight anymore, she has apparently given up. We see a voice from behind her, “you let her escape didn’t you??” we see that behind Faith stands Genevieve with mascara dripping over her face where she has apparently been crying over Faith’s betrayal. “I thought you were my friend!” she says as she raises an axe to bring down on Faith’s head.













Questions left open by this issue:
Who are Buffy's mystery benefactors?

Buffy Season 8 - No future for you - Part 1 and 2