3.03 Faith, Hope & Trick | A Buffy the Vampire Slayer Podcast
September 30, 2026
AI Summary
5 min readThe claddagh ring hits the floor of the mansion. It begins to vibrate. The earth rumbles. A portal opens, and a naked, soaking-wet Angel falls through it, panting and confused. That is the final image of "Faith, Hope & Trick"—a season three episode that does not just introduce a major new character but establishes the emotional fault lines that will define the rest of the year.
The Arrival of Faith and the Disruption of the Scoobies
The episode opens with the Scooby Gang back in a comfortable rhythm after the turmoil of the previous season. Buffy is returning to school, her friends are careful not to be too "coupley" around her, and there is a tentative sense of normalcy. This equilibrium is shattered the moment Faith Lehane walks into the Bronze. The new Slayer is everything Buffy is not in this moment: unburdened, pleasure-seeking, and openly hungry for the fight. She dispatches a vampire with a back-headbutt, introduces herself with a casual "thanks, B," and immediately begins taking up space in the group.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:04) **Episode Intro & Ad Reads** - The hosts introduce the episode "Faith, Hope & Trick" and read advertisements for Quince, American Horror Story, and Home Chef.
- 2 (03:16) **Welcome & Spoiler Warning** - Jenny Owen Youngs and Kristen Russo welcome listeners, deliver the spoiler warning, and set up the discussion for the episode.
- 3 (04:11) **Episode Credits & 2017 Nostalgia** - The hosts give the writing and directing credits for the episode and share a story about meeting a couple at the post office who originally met at a queer camp in 2017.
- 4 (08:12) **Faith's Arrival & The Scooby Dynamic** - The hosts discuss the logistical inconsistencies in Faith’s backstory and note that the group dynamic is fully restored, setting the stage for Faith to disrupt it.
- 5 (11:17) **The Picnic & Scott Hope** - Buffy has a picnic on the school lawn with the Scoobies, who try not to be coupley around her. They discuss Scott Hope, a new love interest who feels "not her type," and Xander’s controversial use of the word "slut."
- 6 (16:43) **Introducing Mr. Trick** - The hosts welcome the character Mr. Trick (K. Todd Freeman), praising his performance and speculating that he is a canonically Black gay vampire. They contrast his strategic, forward-thinking nature with his partner Kakistos.
- 7 (23:38) **Buffy's Dream & The Claddagh Ring** - Buffy has a dream where her friends silently watch her with Angel. The hosts analyze the dream's significance and the symbolic weight of the claddagh ring.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
Welcome to Once More, With Spoilers, where Kristin Russo & Jenny Owen Youngs revisit every episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, one at a time — for the SECOND time! — this time discussing each episode with spoilers! Mr. Trick is HERE. Faith Lehane is HERE. (Scott Hope is also here). We are gonna wrastle alligators and our feelings!! We are gonna get hungry *and* horny!! We are gonna don our boob windows in celebration, because we have arrived at Season 3, Episode 3, "Faith, Hope & Trick"!! PS: Here also beginneth our campaign for giving Faith a dang place to live. Our original coverage of "Faith, Hope & Trick" — with no spoilers! — aired on September 20, 2017 and you can find it here: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/3-03-faith-hope-trick-a-buffy-the-vampire-slayer-podcast/id1150241800?i=1000392479863
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Produced by: Kristin Russo, Jenny Owen Youngs, and LaToya Ferguson
Edited by: Mak Kellerman
Logo: Devan Power
We acknowledge that we and our team are occupying unceded and stolen lands and territories. Kristin occupies the Lenape territories of the Esopus Lenape Peoples. Jenny occupies the Wabanahkik territory of the Abenaki and Pennacook Peoples.
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