Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Recap/S4/E16 Who Are You

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

Faith: I am not a killer! I am the Slayer! And you don't know the first thing about me.
Forrest: You really care what I think?
Faith: No. I don't care. God, I don't care...

Faith takes Buffy's body for a joyride and then plans to skip town with it. Buffy-in-Faith's body is kidnapped by a Watchers Council wet work team

Tropes used in Who You Are include:

Faith: I'm Buffy. I have to do this.

  • Blessed with Suck: Adam points out that vampires, being immortal, fear dying even more than those to whom death is inevitable.
  • Book'em, Danno: Averted when the spec ops team are hauling off an injured Buffy.

Weatherby: By order of the Watcher's Council, you are being taken into custody until such time--
Collins: Skip the speech.

  • Call Back: Tara says that Buffy was cruel to her and may be possessed; Willow asks if hyenas are involved, referring to Season 1's "The Pack" where hyena spirits possessed Xander, making him act cruel towards Willow.
  • Car Fu: The spec ops team kidnaps 'Faith' by using a reinforced armoured security truck to ram the police car.
  • Catch Phrase: Faith thinks Buffy's is "Because it's wrong."
  • Character Tics: SMG and ED do a good job of portraying each others' body language.
  • Concealment Equals Cover: For once the 'bulletproof car' cliche is justified as Buffy makes her escape by stealing the armoured truck.
  • Continuity Nod: Buffy's anxiety when trying to start the truck fits in with the poor driving skills she showed in "Band Candy".
  • Dark Messiah: Adam inspires a gang of vampires to confront their fears by seeking victims in a church in daylight. Their leader is even willing to take on a Slayer.
  • Description Cut: Faith says she'll be "out there doing my job" (patrolling). Cut to Faith dancing wildly at the Bronze.
    • At the end of the episode Riley says that Faith won't be back because she's "had her fun". Cut to Faith hiding in the back of a boxcar, an empty look on her face.
  • Does This Remind You of Anything?: Remember, that sweaty panting hand-holding eye-fucking falling-backwards-in-ecstasy scene between Willow and Tara is a spell.
  • Double Standard Rape (Sci Fi): Averted; Buffy is furious that Riley slept with Faith, and it certainly fuels her desire for revenge when pursuing Faith in Los Angeles. Might also double as a Continuity Nod if Angel ever mentioned Faith's earlier rape attempt.
  • Dramatic Shattering / Percussive Therapy: Furious over being sexually taunted by 'Buffy', Spike throws his bottle against the wall and shoves aside an Innocent Bystander, causing the chip in his head to jolt him with pain.
  • Even Evil Has Standards: At this point Faith is truly evil. However she finds that she cannot turn her back on those in need, first a vampire victim which profoundly affects her, then when she heard about hostages in a church rather than run off with Buffy's body she chooses to save them.
  • Evil Laugh: A disturbing one echoes over the end of the Faith-practising-being-Buffy-montage. Faith also laughs when she's told that 'Faith' is being taken to England by the Council and it'll be a long time before she'll be coming back -- she has to stop when the Scoobies give her a puzzled look.
  • Expository Hairstyle Change: Faith gives herself the same kind of hairstyle that Buffy did in "Something Blue" where she was also Not Herself.
  • Fade to White: Willow reaching orgasm...I mean the nether-realm.
  • Fetish Fuel: Faith taunting Spike at the Bronze. It's not surprising he still remembers it in Season 7's "Dirty Girls".

I could have anything. Anyone. 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 pop like warm champagne and you'd beg me to hurt you just a little bit more.

WILLOW: I'm sorry you're feeling all blechy. But we'll get together with Buffy another time. Sometime soon. I think you'll really like her.
TARA: She's not your friend.
WILLOW: ...I may have overestimated the 'you liking her' factor.
TARA: No, no. I mean, I don't -- I don't think she's... her.

  • Funny Background Event: Buffy tries to hold Smith hostage, but the two other spec ops guys just say they're all expendable and walk off. As they discuss what they're going to do with their prisoner if she continues to be troublesome, Smith goes flying out the back of the truck behind them.
  • Getting Crap Past the Radar: Imagine how many Slash Fics were inspired by this line...

Giles: All right. If you really are Buffy, you'll let me tie you up, without killing me, until we can work this out.
Buffy: Giles, Faith has stolen my body and for all I know she has taken it to Mexico by now. We don't have time for bondage fun.

Anya: We were going to light a bunch of candles and have sex near them.
Faith-in-Buffy's-body: Well, we certainly don't want to cut into that seven minutes.
Anya: Hey!
Xander: (to Anya) I believe that's my "hey". (to Faith) Hey!

Riley: You're shaking. What happened?
Faith: Nothing... Nothing.

I have strength you couldn't dream of. (punches Faith hard in the face) Adam has shown me the way, (punches her again) and there is nothing-- (Buffy stakes him from behind)

  • Limited Social Circle: Willow is reluctant to invite Tara into the Scoobies because she wants a friend that's hers alone.
  • Longing Look: Faith realises instantly from the look Tara gives Willow that the two are gay lovers.
  • Male Gaze: Used deliberately with a close-up of Faith-in-Buffy's-body bending over on Riley's bed. In her tight leather pants.
  • Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: Faith's little freak out with Riley and subsequent Heel Face Turn appears to be due to Willow and Tara. Or she could just as easily begin to realize what a monster she had become, leading to her trip to LA.
  • Meaningful Echo: Faith starts the episode mocking Buffy in the mirror, including several deliveries of "Because it's wrong!" She eventually says the line seriously when asked why she wants to stop the vampires at the church.
  • Most Definitely Not a Villain: In an effort to avert this, Faith is shown in a Montage practising Buffy's speech patterns in front of the mirror, though a lot of it is how she views Buffy (a stuck-up tightass with no sense of fun) rather than how Buffy actually is. However some fans think Faith nailed it, in particular in the last two seasons some did see Buffy as...well, that, and it might have even been brought up in canon, such as a conversation Faith and Spike later have.
  • Never Heard That One Before: Giles is alarmed when 'Faith' walks in the door.

Giles: Look, I-I know what you're going to say, and-and, uh--
Buffy: I'm Buffy.
Giles: (Beat) All right, I didn't know what you were going to say.

  • Not Herself: Faith keeps all her mannerisms, and has to wildly improvise when meeting Buffy's newer friends (like Anya) for the first time.
  • Not Right in the Bed
  • Not-So-Harmless Villain: The Watchers' Council goes from bumbling and inept to badass killers. This is justified by their agents being a special operations team of a kind they didn't send before.
    • Particularly apparent when Buffy tries much the same hostage trick Faith used to escape the Watchers before. They don't care.
  • Off with His Head: Adam is showing Boone's vampire gang who's top dog.

Adam: You fear the cross. The sun. Fire. And, oh, yes... (Adam pulls a vampire's head off through sheer strength) I believe decapitation is a problem as well.

Buffy-in-Faith's-body: You can't win this.
Faith-in-Buffy's-body: Shut up! Do you think I'm afraid of you? (starts punching Buffy, beating her own face) You're nothing! Disgusting! Murderous bitch! You're nothing! You're disgusting!

Boone: It's hard to believe. I've been avoiding this place for so many years, and it's nothing. It's nice, got the pretty windows, the pillars, lots of folks to eat. Where's the thing I was so afraid of? You know, the Lord? He's supposed to be here! He gave us this address. Well, we'll just have to start killing off his people, and see if he shows up.

The Watcher's Council used to mean something. You perverted it. You trash. We should have killed you while you were asleep.

Faith: How'd you get here so fast?
Riley: I didn't, I'm just late for church.

  • Take That: When Giles asks Faith who's President to see if it's really Buffy; she replies they're not checking for a concussion. Subtle.
  • That Came Out Wrong: Riley has just found out the woman he slept with was Faith.

Riley: Man, would I like to get my hands on her. (quickly) Not in a sex way.

Faith: So, Willow's not driving stick anymore.

Willow: What's wetworks?
Xander: Scuba-type stuff.

Anya: I thought it was murder?

Xander: Well, yeah. (lamely) But there could be underwater murder, with snorkels.

Damn it, man! We have to get inside! Our, uh, uh, families are-are in there! Our, uh, m-mothers and-and tiny, tiny babies!

Willow: I just want something that's mine.
Tara: I am, you know. Yours.

"I've been fighting demons since before you could shave."

  • Who Are You?: The Title Drop -- Faith asks it of Riley (after being freaked out by his gentleness) and later Riley asks the question of Buffy (being puzzled as to why a strange girl is addressing him in a familiar manner).
  • With My Hands Tied: Collins goes to execute Buffy-in-Faith's body; Buffy grabs his pistol between her feet and pulls his head into the bars, then uses the gun to shoot out the various locks.
  • You Have to Believe Me / Spot the Imposter: Buffy is quite able to convince Giles that it's her by rattling off a string of rather embarrassing facts about their relationship that Faith couldn't know.

Buffy-in-Faith: 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: (suddenly interested) How did I turn into a demon?

Buffy-in-Faith: 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... (beat) ... which is valid, lifestyle-wise. (Giles is abashed) I mean, it's not like you're a slacker type or - Oh, oh! When I had psychic power, I heard my mom think that you were like a stevedore during sex. Wh- Do you want me to continue?

Giles: Actually, I beg you to stop.

Buffy-in-Faith: What's a stevedore?[1]

  • You Just Told Me: Subverted; Buffy is apprehended by the police and Faith-in-Buffy's-body remains alone with Joyce. The first thing Joyce says is "Faith", and the changeling indeed reacts involuntarily, so it does looks like Joyce deducted her true identity. However, it turns out she didn't and is just wanting to ask "Buffy" about Faith.
  • You Must Be Cold: Joyce wraps her coat around Faith, which she doesn't really notice as she's too busy smirking over Buffy being hauled away by the police. She does notice when Riley wraps a blanket around her later because she's shivering.
  1. ↑ A type of dock worker who unloads boat merchandise. Needless to say he has to be very fit regarding ummm...repetitive tasks.
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