What If Wesley Had Come Before Gwen Post?

[itsnotmymind]

I encountered this conversation, about what would have happened if Wesley had been Buffy's watcher from the beginning, instead of Giles. I think he would have had to earn her respect - and it would have taken awhile.

But another what-if question occurred to me: What if Wesley had shown up to be Faith's watcher before/instead of Gwen Post. If the events of Revelations hadn't happened, if Faith hadn't been so badly burned, could she have embraced Wesley as her watcher? Would she at least have given him a chance?

Comments

[ragnarok-08.livejournal.com]

That's interesting.

[itsnotmymind.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you think so.

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

I think she definitely would have. Mrs Post had the same kind of attitude that Wesley had when to came to being very snobbish and rude when she first turns up, but Faith ends up really responding to that kind of authority figure, proving so easy to manipulate that Mrs Post ends up cruelly jeering at her for it, so I think that she would have been the same with Wesley if Mrs Post hadn’t already damaged her trust so badly.

I think also the problem with Giles and Wesley was that they were always primarily focused on Buffy as the Slayer, and Faith felt like an afterthought. She smarts off with Mrs Post at first when Buffy and Giles are there, but then she is immediately receptive when Mrs Post comes to her apartment and has a one on one meeting with her.

[itsnotmymind.livejournal.com]

I think she definitely would have. Mrs Post had the same kind of attitude that Wesley had when to came to being very snobbish and rude when she first turns up, but Faith ends up really responding to that kind of authority figure, proving so easy to manipulate that Mrs Post ends up cruelly jeering at her for it, so I think that she would have been the same with Wesley if Mrs Post hadn’t already damaged her trust so badly.

Yeah - Wesley wasn't quite as good as asserting authority as Gwen was, but Faith was eager for love and attention, and i think she would have been more open to him if things hadn't gone down the way they did with Gwen.

I think also the problem with Giles and Wesley was that they were always primarily focused on Buffy as the Slayer, and Faith felt like an afterthought. She smarts off with Mrs Post at first when Buffy and Giles are there, but then she is immediately receptive when Mrs Post comes to her apartment and has a one on one meeting with her.

I find it telling that Faith defends Giles to Gwen Post - he's an adult male authority who treats her well, and that's a big deal to her. But he never seemed interested in bonding with her or taking any emotional responsibility for her. Buffy is his daughter - Faith is just one of the kids.