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"Live Through This, Part One" is the first issue of the Angel & Faith comic book series.

Synopsis

In his journals, Giles had recorded magic fight with a demon who was possessing a little girl. During the battle, Giles pondered the question that people seemed to frequently ask him, concerning as to why he didn't have children. Determining that "other people's children are quite enough," Giles selflessly sacrificed an important part of his life in order to anchor a spell to bind the demon until he could completely vanquish it. After promising the girl's mother, Anne, that he would return, Giles then discussed the unspoken purposes of the Watcher's files, saying that "So, that when the end comes for me, others might have the information they need to take up the burden. May God have mercy on their souls."

Years later, Faith and Angel are now fighting the same demon. While Faith is telling herself that Angel could do this, Angel is doubting himself. However, once the demon says something about Angel's "master," meaning Giles, Angel vamps out and bites the little girl in order to convince the demon that he's killing its host so that it leaves the girl. Faith and Angel then hack away at the demon until Angel destroys its brain—consequently causing the sacrifice that Giles made to spill out and bathe Angel in the memory of the day that Giles fell in love with Jenny Calendar.

Angel becomes overwhelmed and has flashbacks to when he killed Jenny as well as when he killed Giles himself. But the demon is dead and the mother and child come back into the room. Angel and Faith tell Anne that the job is done. Angel apologizes for biting her daughter and explains why he had to do it. Anne assumes that Giles sent them, stating that she knew that he wouldn't just forget about her and her situation. While Angel hesitates, Faith confirmes this. On the way from the house, Angel reveals he felt bad telling Anne that they were sent by Giles, but Faith tells Angel that it was the right thing to say, for the mother's sake. Faith then questions as to why Angel was catatonic one minute, being read the Watcher's Diaries by her, and in the next minute, he was in his "helping the helpless" clothes. She then asks Angel if he's going to go 'spacey' again now that the job that roused him from his catatonic state is over. He says no and that he can get home on his own, while she has places to be.

A young British woman named Nadira is attacked while walking in the street. She's a Slayer, however, and defends herself, nearly staking her attacker, who turns out to be Faith testing her reflexes. Nadira is angry. They head to a club together, and Faith coaxes her to talk about the death of her squad. Nadira tells her they were thirty Slayers training in the Azores, all of whom she considered her family, adding that she would've died for them, and should have. Nadira had pulled guard duty but never saw their attackers coming. The attackers were Pearl and Nash, who were not only having fun, but grew more excited, and shinier as they killed more of them. And their boss, Twilight, was with them, watching. Nadira adds that she almost died and that Willow found her and healed her. She didn't tell Faith about it before now because she'd heard things about her relationship with Buffy, and Buffy's relationship with Angel. Nadira has mixed feelings about Buffy, acknowledging that she has probably already been punished enough, as she's gone from 'Slayer in chief' to waitress. Then, she adds that she wanted to give up and die, but Faith showed her life wasn't over and she's in Faith's debt. Thus Faith should know she wants to find the bastards who killed her sisters as well as Angel, and kill them all. Faith keeps her emotions to herself, takes a drink and notes they all gotta dream.

Elsewhere, Whistler is doing his 'big moments' speech at a bar. He exclaims that he was about maintaining balance, and that because Earth had been cut off from the mystical dimensions, he can't contact The Powers That Be, his precognitive abilities are gone, and that it's Angel's fault for blowing off what Whistler told him. He asks his audience to help him because the world still needs to evolve; it's dead but doesn't know it yet, and someone needs to do a lot of ugly damage to save them all. Whistler said that it wouldn't be easy, and they would probably have to go up against Angel. He hands a beer to someone whose hand is drenched in blood. It is Nash, alongside Pearl, who have massacred all of the patrons in the bar. The duo accepts Whistler's proposition for the sake of bringing in the next stage of evolution and getting payback on their old boss.

Back at Giles' flat, Angel and Faith are arguing about what Nadira told Faith. Angel says that he did enlist Pearl and Nash as a part of his plan to bring the bad guys together and focus them so that Buffy could stay strong. He was doing it, he says, to keep the world from going to Hell like L.A. did - which apparently no one remembers but him. Angel explains that Pearl and Nash are the spawn of a demon and human woman, and that the two worshipped Twilight as a god, having been told by their mother that they were the "Adam and Eve" of the next step of evolution. Angel says that he tried to keep Nash and Pearl contained, but couldn't because they feed off pain. Angel then reveals that there were times that he was more under Twilight's influence than others, which affects his memories. However, when Faith offers up an excuse that it wasn't him, he claims the fault is still with him because he didn't ask the questions he should have or take whatever chances he had to think about what he was doing. He tells Faith that he was weak, and claims that he has more death on his conscience than Angelus ever did.

Faith tells Angel that it's nice of him pick up the ball for Giles, but that he has to stop obsessing over every detail of Giles' life if he wants to take his place. Angel replies that he could never take his place... But he is going to bring Giles back to life.

Continuity

  • It is revealed who murdered the Slayers Willow found in 'Twilight'.
  • While at the bar drinking and complaining that he's cut off from the Powers That Be, Whistler repeats his monologue about decisions that he said in "Becoming, Part One". He also said Angel didn't go along with his plan, which was shown in Commitment Through Distance, Virtue Through Sin.
  • Angel mentions to Faith that she didn't see what he did and how Los Angeles went to Hell in Angel: After the Fall.
  • Flashbacks are shown of Angel's very similar murders: Jenny Calendar's in "Passion" and Giles in 'Last Gleaming, Part Four'.
  • Angel's guilt-stricken monologue over his mistakes during Twilight about asking more questions and really thinking about what he was doing, ironically, parallel Buffy's regretful admission to her mistakes as well in 'The Core, Part One'.

Appearances

Individuals

Organizations and Titles

Species

Events

Locations

  • London, England, U.K.

Weapons and Objects

Death Count


Behind the Scenes

  • In Issue 1, Angel tells Faith that he is the only one who remembers the events of the fall of Los Angeles even though it was made clear in the last issue of Angel: After the Fall that all the citizens of Los Angeles remember their time in Hell. However, it may be that the citizens of L.A. gradually forgot what happened as a result of returning from Hell since Angel does say "And no one remembers now... but I do".

Collections

Pop Culture References

  • Just as No Future for You was named after a Sex Pistols song, Live Through This is named after an album by '90s grunge band Hole.
  • Faith snarkily said to the Plaguierous demon "Gene Simmons's tongue just called me fat." This was a reference to the lead singer of rock band Kiss, and his unusually long tongue.
  • When Angel explained his plan and motivations to take up Twilight, Faith compared the logic of it to "a David Lynch movie", well-known for their directionless plots and confusing twists.

Quotes

Giles: "From time to time I am asked--by people with an alarming lack of tact--why a man like myself, who has demonstrated an affinity for working with children has none of his own. I answer truthfully. Other people's children are quite enough, thank you."
- Live Through This, Part One
Angel: "I killed the woman he loved. He forgave me. And he paid the price."
- Live Through This, Part One
Nadira: "Come on! I'll kill you all! I'll--Faith?"
Faith: "Easy, Nadira. I'm jealous of your rack too but you don't see me trying to poke holes in it."
- Live Through This, Part One
Nadira: "I hear things. About you. That you're friends with her. Buffy. Or that you tried to kill her. I don't know what's true."
Faith: "It's ... complicated."
Nadira: "Yeah, lots of mixed feelings after what she did. Cutting Earth off from the magical realm ... making it so there are no more slayers. I say leave her be. I heard she went from slayer in chief to waitress. That's punishment enough. But Twilight turned out to be her bloke. Angel. All the nights I wanted to give up ... just die ... one thing got me out of bed. You brought us together. Showed me my life isn't over. I owe you more than I can say. So you should know ... I'm going to find the bastards who killed my sisters. I'm going to find Angel. And I'm going to kill them all."
Faith: "Hey. We all gotta dream."
- Live Through This, Part One
Angel: "I told them if they followed me, they'd ... achieve their destiny. That's what I was doing. Bringing the bad guys together. Focusing them. Manipulating them. So Buffy could survive, stay strong, and do what she had to."
Faith: "Y'Know what? Your whole Twilight phase makes as much sense as a David Lynch movie."
- Live Through This, Part One
Faith: "Like when you killed Giles. B said when it was over, you didn't know what happened. So it wasn't you."
Angel: "I wish I could say that. I really do. But there were too many times I was in my right mind. Times I could have turned back ... asked more questions ... really thought about what I was doing. But I didn't. And now I have more death on my conscience then Angelus ever did. More good people taken from the world when I was weak."
- Live Through This, Part One

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