Faith is back. But she isn't Faith. Not exactly.
When people talk about the episode Buffy the Vampire Slayer Who Are You, they usually start with the mirror scene. You know the one. Eliza Dushku, playing Faith-as-Buffy, stands in front of a glass pane and practiced being "good." She adjusts her face, softens her eyes, and whispers the name "Buffy" until it sounds like a prayer or a curse. It’s haunting. It’s also one of the most sophisticated hours of television Joss Whedon’s mutant enemy factory ever produced.
This isn't just a "body swap" trope like Freaky Friday. It’s a brutal dissection of identity, trauma, and the way we view ourselves through the eyes of people who hate us.
Honestly, it shouldn't have worked. Body swap episodes are usually filler. They’re the "bottleneck" episodes where actors get to ham it up and play their coworkers. But in the context of Season 4, this was the moment the show finally grew up. It forced us to look at the Slayer not as a superhero, but as a girl whose life was being stolen by someone who thought she had it easy.
The Body Swap That Changed Everything
If you’ve forgotten the lead-up, let’s refresh. Faith Lehane had been in a coma for months after Buffy stabbed her in the Season 3 finale. When she wakes up, she’s alone. She’s a fugitive. She has nothing. Then she gets a gift from the late Mayor Wilkins: a magical device that lets her trade places with the Chosen One.
The beauty of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Who Are You lies in the performances. Sarah Michelle Gellar had to play Faith trapped in Buffy’s body, and Eliza Dushku had to play Buffy trapped in Faith’s. Most fans agree that Dushku won this round. Seeing her try to mimic Buffy’s "perky" walk or her specific way of holding a stake is uncanny. But the real meat is in the psychological damage.
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Faith-as-Buffy goes to the Bronze. She flirts with Spike in a way that’s overtly sexual and predatory—something Buffy would never do at that point in her life. She mocks Willow and Tara. She tries to destroy Buffy's reputation from the inside out. But then something weird happens. She starts to feel what it’s like to be loved.
Why the Mirror Scene Matters
The title itself—Who Are You—is a direct confrontation. When Faith is looking in that mirror, she’s trying to scrub the "dirty" Faith out of her new, shiny skin.
"You’re a person. You’re Buffy," she tells herself.
It’s heartbreaking because we realize Faith doesn't just want Buffy's power or her boyfriend. She wants her goodness. She wants to be someone who isn't a "loser." Throughout the episode, Faith realizes that being Buffy isn't just about having friends; it's about the crushing weight of responsibility. It’s about being the person who runs toward the church full of vampires when everyone else is running away.
When the vampires attack the church, Faith (as Buffy) has a choice. She could leave. She could take Buffy’s passport and fly to Mexico. Instead, she stays. She fights. She saves people. And she hates herself for it.
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The Performance Nuance
- Gellar’s Faith: Brutal, scared, and defensive. She plays the "Faith-in-Buffy" role with a jagged edge.
- Dushku’s Buffy: Soft, confused, and eventually, righteously angry.
- The Dialogue: Deeply cynical. Faith’s lines are filled with self-loathing masked as arrogance.
Faith’s Redemption Begins Here
A lot of fans argue about where Faith’s redemption arc actually starts. Some say it's later in Angel Season 1 when she’s crying in the rain. I disagree. It starts right here.
In the final brawl at the church, Faith-as-Buffy starts punching Buffy-as-Faith in the face. But she isn't just hitting her enemy. She’s hitting her own face. She’s screaming, "You're nothing! You’re disgusting!" It’s a literal manifestation of self-harm. She is trying to beat the "Faith" out of the world.
It is a messy, violent, and deeply uncomfortable sequence. It moves the show away from the "Monster of the Week" format and into the deep, dark woods of character study. By the time the swap is reversed, Faith is broken. She flees to Los Angeles because she can't stand to look at herself—in any body.
What Most People Get Wrong About This Episode
The biggest misconception is that this was just a way to write Faith off the show so she could move to the spin-off, Angel. While that’s technically true from a production standpoint, narratively, it’s the anchor for the entire series' theme of "The Gift."
Buffy’s "gift" isn't just her strength. It’s her ability to remain human despite the darkness. Faith tries to steal the strength but ends up catching the humanity like a virus. It ruins her ability to be a simple villain.
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Also, can we talk about the Riley of it all? Riley Finn, Buffy’s boyfriend at the time, sleeps with Faith-as-Buffy. This creates a massive rift in his relationship with the real Buffy later on. It’s one of the first times the show dealt with "consent under false pretenses," even if the 2000s-era writing didn't have the modern vocabulary to describe it. Buffy feels violated, and she’s right to feel that way.
Impact on the Buffyverse
Without this episode, the final season of Buffy doesn't work. The reconciliation between the two Slayers in Season 7 relies entirely on the groundwork laid here. They shared a soul, essentially. They know what it feels like to be the other person.
Critics at the time, including those from The A.V. Club and Salon, noted that this was the point where the show’s metaphors for adolescence became metaphors for the soul. It wasn't just about "feeling like a stranger in your own skin"—it was about the terrifying reality that we are responsible for the person we choose to be every single day.
How to Revisit the Episode Today
If you’re planning a rewatch, don't just skip to the end. Watch "This Year's Girl" (the first part of the two-parter) immediately followed by Buffy the Vampire Slayer Who Are You.
Pay attention to these specific details:
- The way the camera lingers on the "Buffy" poster in the bedroom when Faith is there.
- The specific contrast between the lighting in the church and the lighting in the Bronze.
- The lack of music during the final fight scene. It’s just the sound of breathing and impact.
Your Next Steps for a Deep Dive:
- Watch the Angel crossover: Immediately after this episode, watch the Angel episodes "Five by Five" and "Sanctuary" to see the immediate fallout of Faith’s breakdown.
- Compare the scripts: Read the shooting script for "Who Are You" to see how the "body swap" directions were written for the actors; it highlights the intentionality behind Gellar and Dushku’s physical choices.
- Analyze the "Faith Lehane" Theme: Listen to the musical motifs composer Christophe Beck uses for Faith—they shift from aggressive rock to melancholic strings during her realization in the church.