B416- Who Are You?

Written by: Joss Whedon
Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar (as Buffy/Faith), Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Anthony Stewart Head, James Marsters, Marc Blucas, Emma Caulfield, Kristine Sutherland, George Hertzberg, Leonard Roberts, Amber Benson & Eliza Dushku (as Faith/ Buffy).

Faith (in Buffy’s body) stands by Joyce while Buffy (in Faith’s body) is uncomfortable by this sudden affection. Afterwards, Faith goes upstairs to take a bath. She tries to get used to her new body, and practices phrases she thinks Buffy would say. Faith then crimps her hair, puts on sultry makeup, and gets dressed up in black leather. Soon after, she buys a plane ticket with Joyce’s credit card, and then goes out to meet the gang. Meanwhile, Willow and Tara confesses that she “belongs” to Willow.

An armored truck runs into the cop car carrying Buffy, and the leather-clad members of the Watchers Council jump out and capture Buffy. Giles soon informs the gang that the Watchers Council has sent a team to apprehend Faith and take her back to England. Faith is ecstatic at the news, and she celebrates by dancing with several men and women (concurrently) at the Bronze until she runs into Spike. Once she realizes who Spike is, Faith speaks to him seductively and teases him ruthlessly, telling him all the things she could do to his body; when it is obvious that Spike is confused, yet attracted to her, she concludes by telling him that she won’t do anything she could do to Spike “… because it’s wrong.” Frustrated and furious, Spike promises that as soon as he gets his chip out, they will have a confrontation. Faith, however, merely smirks at Spike’s threat, and walks away from him, and he storms out of the Bronze soon after.

Elsewhere, a vampire pack return to their nest to find Adam waiting for them. Adam talks to them, discussing things that vampires fear and concluding that vampires are a paradox; because they are immortal, they fear death at every corner even more than mortals do. Meanwhile, Buffy awakes to find herself chained in the back of a truck with the council members. She tries to convince them that her body has been switched with the other Slayer, but they are unfazed: she is merely a package for them to deliver. At the Bronze, Willow introduces Tara to Faith. When Willow goes to get drinks, Faith makes no effort to maintain Buffy’s persona and says several rude, harsh things to Tara. Willow returns and points out a vampire with a girl, which Faith reluctantly leaves to slay. When the girl thanks Faith for saving her, Faith is stunned by the girl’s gratitude.

One of the council members, Smith, enters the truck where Buffy is being held, and she attacks him. However, the other members, Collins and Weatherby, remain focused on the mission. At the Bronze, Tara explains to Willow that Buffy was not Buffy; Tara recognized the dark energy coming from the body, and knows that it is not Willow’s friend. As Willow and Tara prepare to perform a ritual to locate Buffy’s real energy, Faith visits Riley and seduces him in the guise of Buffy. At first, Faith is overly sexy and provocative; however, she is surprised to find that Riley is not interested in games, and that he wants to make love rather than just have sex. After they sleep together, Riley tells Faith that he loves her, which confuses and disturbs her own identity yet again. In the morning, she attempts to leave quickly from a sleeping Riley and catch her flight, but ends up having a confrontation with Forrest, who is concerned about her influence over his friend.

Adam speaks to the pack of vampires who have become his devout followers and tells them that he is aware of his purpose in life: to extinguish life wherever he finds it. He appoints them his harbingers and asks them what they fear more than anything else.

When the council members realize that they will not be able to get the dangerous Slayer to England, they decide to kill her instead. Buffy, however, is prepared; she uses Collins’s gun to break her chains and the lock on the door, and then moves to the driver’s seat and leaves with the armored truck.

Faith, meanwhile, now at the airport, prepares to leave town by obtaining a boarding pass for a plane. Buffy arrives at Giles’s place and struggles to convince him of the truth about the body swap. She reminds him about his stint as a demon, and about his sexual relationship with her mother, which sufficiently convinces him of her true identity. Willow and Tara arrive, having created a katra that will switch Buffy and Faith back the next time they make contact. After turning on the TV, they learn that the group of vampires are holding hostages at a church. At the airport, Faith sees this on TV and decides to visit the church as well. Riley arrives, wanting to help, but Faith reminds him of his injury and asks him to stay outside.

Faith challenges the vampires inside, and as the last one is hitting Faith, Buffy stakes him from behind. The two Slayers fight and Faith lets out her anger towards Buffy and herself. Buffy grabs Faith’s hand and the two switch back to their own bodies. The real Faith runs away and is gone without a trace. The next day, Buffy and Riley talk and Buffy realizes that Riley had sex with her while Faith was in her body, a revelation that deeply troubles them both. Faith leaves town in a cargo car of a train.

From: Wikipedia

BUFFY- (+5)

• +1/ Managing to escape the Watcher’s wetworks team, Buffy has to make her escape in a truck and since she’s a very bad driver, it turns out to be slightly funny.
• +3/ Coming to Giles for help, but since she’s in Faith’s body, she has to try to prove herself to him, it’s a brilliantly written scene and acted well-
  Buffy: Giles!
  Giles: God!
  Buffy: Don’t move. Ok, Giles, you have to listen to me very carefully. I’m not Faith.
  Giles: Really?
  Buffy: Really.
  Giles: Cause the resemblance is striking.
  Buffy: I know. Giles, you just have to…(Giles starts to move away) Stop inching. you were inching.
  Giles: Look, I-I know what you’re going to say, and-and uh…
  Buffy: I’m Buffy.
  Giles: All right, I didn’t know what you were going to say, but that doesn’t make you any less crazy.
  Buffy: Faith switched. I mean, she had some device. She switched our bodies. Giles, I swear it’s me.
  Giles: U-um, if-if you are Buffy, then, uh, then you’ll let me tie you up w-without killing me – until we find out whether you’re telling the truth.
  Buffy: Giles, Faith has taken my body, and for all I know, she’s taken it to Mexico by now. I-I don’t have time for bondage fun. Ask me a question. Ask me anything.
  Giles: Who’s president?
  Buffy: We’re checking for Buffy, not a concussion.
  Giles: Oh, yes, Alright. um…
  Buffy: Umph, Giles, you turned into a demon, and I knew it was you. I mean can’t you just look in my eyes and be all intuitive?
  Giles: How did I turn into a demon?
  Buffy: Oh, cause, uh, Ethan Rayne. And-and you have a girlfriend named Olivia, and you haven’t had a job since we blew up the school, which is valid lifestyle wise. I mean, it’s not like you’re a slacker type, but… Oh, oh! when I had psychic power, I heard my mom think that you were like a stevedore during sex. What? Do you want me to continue?
  Giles: Actually, I beg you to stop.
  Buffy: What’s a stevedore?
• +1/ Her big face off with Faith at the church, it’s strange because being in the different bodies they’re bodies have different fighting styles, Strangely, Faith in Buffy’s body get’s the upper hand until Buffy switches them back.

XANDER- (+1)

• +1/ A bit slow in taking offence to Faith’s insult of Xander’s sexual stamina (see Anya point 1).

WILLOW- (+3)

• +1/ Preferring to keep Tara to herself, which probably would have been a good idea.
• +1/ Recalling the pack after Tara picks that all isn’t right with Buffy.
• +1/ Performing the very sexual spell with Tara.

GILES- (+4)

• +3/ Having Buffy in Faith’s body come to him for help. he of course thinks he just has a killer in his house but she tries to prove that she is Buffy. Giles asks her some pretty silly questions but ends up being thoroughly embarassed by some of Buffy’s attempt’s at proving herself (see Buffy point 2).
• +1/ Causing a distraction at the church so that Buffy can enter, he’s hysterical ramblings are hilarious-
  “Damn it, man, we have to get inside. Our, um, uh uh families are in there. Our, um, mothers and-and tiny, tiny babies.”

SPIKE- (+2)

• +2/ Interacting with Faith who he thinks is Buffy, can’t help but think that this interaction ramped up Spike’s obsession quite a bit (see Faith point 3).

ANYA- (+1)

• +1/ Taking offence at Faith’s insult-
  Xander: We kind of have a romantic evening planned.
  Anya: We were gonna light a bunch of candles and have sex near them.
  Faith: Well, we certainly don’t want to cut into that seven minutes.
  Anya: Hey!
  Xander: I believe that’s my hey. Hey!

RILEY- (+2)

• +1/ Not taking to Faith’s overly sexual suggestions, Riley just wants Buffy to be Buffy which is nice.
• +1/ Saying ‘I love you’ to Faith who he thinks is Buffy, how very sad for him that he finally says something very important only to have Buffy not there.

TARA- (+3)

• +1/ Declaring herself Willow’s. Their relationship has hit a peak.
• +1/ Picking up that Buffy isn’t Buffy, and she hadn’t even met her yet. She is quite powerful.
• +1/ Performing a very sexual spell with Willow.

FAITH- (+8}

• +1/ Making a little joke about what will happen to Buffy in prison, a dead giveaway that it’s Faith-
  Joyce: I just don’t understand what could drive a person to that kind of behavior.
  Buffy: Well, how do you know she got drove? I mean, maybe she likes being that way.
  Joyce: I’ll never believe that. I think she’s horribly unhappy.
  Buffy: Well, could be things are looking up. I mean, a little stint in the pokey, show her the error of her ways. I’m sure there’s some big old Bertha just waiting to shower her ripe little self with affection.
• +2/ Trying out Buffy’s body in front of the mirror, a hilarious scene. The way she says “because it’s wrong” is brilliant.
• +2/ Her interaction with Spike, thoroughly entertaining and wonderfully powerful-
  Spike: What, are you keeping tabs on me? You’re gonna give me a hard time now?
  Faith: Um, do I usually give you a hard time?
  Spike: Very funny. Well, you don’t have to worry about me drinking. Unless you’re here to protect innocent beers. (He holds up a bottle.)
  Spike walks away a little and Faith follows.
  Faith: You’re a vampire.
  Spike: Was. And as soon as I get this chip out of my head, I’ll be a vampire again. But until then, I’m just as helpless as a kitten up a tree. So why don’t you sod off?
  Faith: Ok.
  Spike: (angry) Oh, fine! Throw it in my face! Spike’s not a threat anymore. I’ll turn my back. He can’t hurt me.
  Faith: Spike? (Gets it.) Spike. William the Bloody with a chip in his head. I kind of love this town.
  Spike: You know why I really hate you, Summers?
  Faith: ‘Cause I’m a stuck-up tight-ass with no sense of fun?
  Spike: Well, yeah, that covers a lot of it.
  Faith: Cause I could do anything I want, and instead, I choose to pout and whine and feel the burden of slayerness? I mean, I could be rich, I could be famous, I could have anything. Anyone. (Faith moves closer and puts her hands on Spike’s chest.) Even you, Spike. I could ride you at a gallop until your legs buckled and your eyes rolled up. I’ve got muscles you’ve never even dreamed of. I could squeeze you until you popped like warm champagne, and you’d beg me to hurt you just a little bit more. And you know why I don’t? (She moves closer and looks up at him pursing her lips.) Because it’s wrong.
  She moves off.
  Spike: I get this chip out, you and me are gonna have a confrontation.
  Faith: Count on it.
• -1/ Being mean to Tara.
• +1/ Saving a girl from a vamp, the start of Faith’s redemption. When the girl thanks her, you see Faith feel differently. She trully feels the the thanks of a person instead of being in Buffy’s shadow. That feeling is what will bring her back to the church later.
• +1/ Having sex with Riley. Not only does Faith take Buffy’s boyfriendbut she gets the moment when he says ‘ I love you’, a double whammy.
• +1/ Coming back to the church to stop Adam’s vamps.
• +1/ Fighting it out with Buffy, she actually gets the upper hand because she was beating up herself. A very powerful scene.

ADAM – (+1)

• +1/ Discussing vampire’s, I liked it-
  Adam: I’ve been thinking. About vampires.
  Vampire: This is my place.
  Adam: You’re place. Yes. The sewers. You hide from them, Crawl about in their filth. Scavenging like rats. What do you fear?
  Vampire: Kill this guy already. [One vampire charges Adam and Adam grabs it by the throat and holds it.]
  Adam: You fear the cross. The sun. Fire. And, oh, yes…
  Adam puts his other hand on the vampire’s shoulder and he lifts the vampire’s head from its shoulders. The body falls and he drops the head on it and they turn to dust.
  Adam: I believe decapitation is a problem as well.
  Vampire: You can have the place. I mean, we don’t have to stay here anymore.
  Adam: You fear death. Being immortal, you fear it more than those to whom it comes naturally. Vampires are a paradox.
  Vampire: Ok, we’re a paradox. That’s cool.
  Adam: Demon in a human body. You walk in both worlds and belong to neither. I can relate.

SEASON COUNT-

BUFFY- +108
WILLOW- +79
XANDER- +66
SPIKE- +50
GILES- +47
RILEY- +36
OZ- +26
ANYA- +26
FAITH- +14
HARMONY- +11
TARA- +7
FORREST- +4
ANGEL- +4
THE MAYOR- +3
JOYCE- +3
GRAHAM- +2
ETHAN RAYNE- +2
WILLY- +1
ADAM- -1
PARKER- –2
PROFESSOR WALSH- -4

OVERALL COUNT-

BUFFY- +415
WILLOW- +325
ANGEL- +297
XANDER- +268
GILES- +199
SPIKE- +120
OZ- +118
JOYCE- +44
FAITH- +43
THE MAYOR- +36
RILEY- +36
ANYA- +34
HARMONY- +8
TARA- +7
FORREST- +4
WILLY- +3
GRAHAM- +2
ETHAN RAYNE- +1
ADAM- -1
PARKER- -2
PROFESSOR WALSH- -4

EPISODE THOUGHTS-

What a fantastic episode. I love that what seems like a gimmick episode, switching Buffy and Faith’s body, turns out to be incredibly powerful and important for the character’s of Faith and Buffy. This episode is especially important for Faith because it begins her road to redemption. Sarah Michelle Gellar plays Faith for the majority of the episode and does a brilliant job of portraying her character, Eliza Dushku is also superb as Buffy. The acting is surprisingly subtle with certain things being mimiced or carried between characters. The concept of having Faith live in Buffy’s shoes for a day is the main idea of the episode and is an incredibly good idea. Having Faith get the friends, the family, the loving boyfriend and the thanks of a saved victim is more than she can handle. Faith realises how good Buffy’s life is and I think she desires what she has. Importantly, Faith also gets the chance to see herself from the outside and take her guilt out on the evil person she sees herself as. While much of the episode deals with Faith in Buffy’s world, many other things are shown. Willow and Tara’s relationship has gotten to the point that Will introduces Tara to Buffy (or in this case Faith), Spike gets a in-person meeting of the now very sexual Buffy and Giles and the real Buffy have a very nice interaction where Buffy tries to prove her identity. The episode is written flawlessly, as it would be considering it’s a Whedon penned script and the acting is all top shelf. On the whole, one of the best episodes of this season and a standout in Faith’s story arc.

96.5/100