#the episode even has Molly point this out and yet the writers couldn't resist the urge to do it anyway

[coraniaid]

I do think Andrew Wells's monologue about Faith ("the Dark Slayer") in Dirty Girls is kind of funny, but it always bothers me a bit when I see it quoted unironically in other contexts as being somehow actually descriptive of or insightful about Faith as a character. Surely the whole joke is that Andrew has never met Faith before, has never so much as mentioned her before today, doesn't in fact know the first thing about her and is generally a terrible choice of person to introduce her to the impressionable Potentials?

I mean, okay, maybe "her name alone invokes awe" sounds impressive in isolation, but this is also the man who was convinced Faith killed a Vulcan. He has no idea why Faith was "seduced to the dark side" or who the people she actually hurt were (what "family" is he talking about, for example?).

Actually, I guess my question would be: at this point in the show, why are people letting him do this?

I get that Buffy can't be shown telling the Potentials all about Faith because Buffy's whole deal in this half of the season is meant to be not realizing she needs to talk to them like people sometimes if she wants them to actually trust her (and because Faith is somebody she doesn't like to talk about anyway, except for whenever it was she decided to tell Spike all about Faith's doe eyes and leather pants). And Willow (who knew Faith at her worst but has also seen a little of her post-prison in LA) can't be the one to do it either, because she's in the hospital with Shannon all episode. But Xander and Giles and Dawn are all right there in Buffy's house too. And while, sure, all three of them will have somewhat distorted views about Faith, at least they've all actually met her (or have fake memories of meeting her which she shares, which amounts to the same thing in practice).

I just think we'd have learned a lot about all three characters -- and not just Faith -- from how they chose to talk about her. Xander was actually one of Faith's first victims: is this something he's ready to talk about, and how much does it still color his impression of her? Does Giles blame himself at all for what happened to the Slayer he agreed to look after and left to stew in a motel for months? What was Dawn's first impression of Faith, and what does she remember Faith doing?

But, uh. I guess the writers decided to go with the funny fake flashback of Faith killing Spock instead. Which, well. Also a choice.