In Buffy the Vampire Slayer, there is an interesting relationship between the "evil" slayer, Faith, and her "boss," Mayor Wilkins. Initially, Faith becomes a slayer when Buffy dies briefly and another slayer, Kendra was born. Kendra died and, the universe, assuming that Buffy had stayed dead, called on Faith to be the next slayer. She had teamed with Buffy to fight off evil but after accidentally killing a human, she sided with the bad guys and had developed a relationship with the mayor. However, Faith and the mayor seemed to have more than just the typical "boss-accomplice" relationship, there were little hints in the episode "Graduation Day" that may have suggested that they actually have a "father-daughter" relationship. They have a tight, trusting bond and share vital information to bring down their number one enemy: Buffy. "The various nemeses that Buffy face often attempt to subvert or use [family loyalty] for their evil ends" (Connor 120). In other words, the people trying to take Buffy down team up in order to make a stronger anti-Buffy alliance so that when Buffy realizes what's going on, their relationship taps into her psyche so that they already have the upper hand in the mental battle and all they have left to do is win the physical one. The relationships surrounding Buffy are sometimes beneficial, but most of the time they are nothing but a hindrance.
Work cited:
Connor, James. The Sociology of Loyalty. Springer.
Work cited:
Connor, James. The Sociology of Loyalty. Springer.
That is a very good observation about the father-daughter relationship. I doubt many people would have caught that at first. As for the rest, it is hard to being the best because it puts a target on your back for all the competition. Buffy's enemies obviously know that they cannot defeat her alone, so they have to team up to try and kill her for good.
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