Throughout the classic 1997 anime series Cowboy Bebop, Faye Valentine serves as the chaotic foil to the rest of the series' main characters. Her selfish, devil may care attitude frequently gets herself and fellow crew members of the Bebop in trouble, but, as revealed in Episode 15, "My Funny Valentine," this all stems from a tragic history. While at first, she seems like a textbook femme fatale, but in reality, she is a damaged woman, unable to connect to others and desperately trying to survive a hostile world.
Faye is not actually the 20-something-year-old woman she appears to be. In fact, she was born in 1994, and after a devastating accident in 2014 was frozen in suspended animation until 2068. Upon being revived, the resident doctor is surprised to learn that she has no memories of her past life. Meanwhile, Faye is saddled with an enormous hospital bill.
Related:From Akira to Cowboy Bebop, Anime’s Most Iconic Soundtracks
At this point, Faye meets Whitney Haggis, a lawyer who agrees to help her with her debts. He calls her his sleeping beauty and Faye falls in love with him. Unfortunately, when they are pursued by collection agents, he is killed. Faye is heartbroken and is even more devastated when he leaves her all of his assets -- which turn out to just be more debts. He was a confidence man, and in this moment of betrayal, Faye's new personality is sealed.
When Faye is first revived from suspended animation, she is an innocent, and the first pieces of life experience she gets are a sudden andinexplicable debt and a betrayal by someone she loves. As a result, Faye becomes a selfish and volatile character. She gambles and cheats, just to further her own ends.
Faye also has difficulty forging any strong connections with other people. For most of the series, she seems to stick around with the crew of the Bebop out of convenience as she can make money that way. While it's hinted that she might feel the need for company, she doesn't want the rest of the crew to know that. She's too hurt by her past trauma. While "My Funny Valentine" shows us Faye's origin and helps us understand who she is, it is inEpisode 18, "Speak Like a Child" where she grows as a character and her tragedy deepens. Here, Faye is given a glimpse of her past life, and we realize how much she's lost.
"Speak Like a Child" focuses on a mysterious Betamax tape that is sent to Faye. Faye has no interest in viewing it and immediately tries to run away in case it involves her debts. Spike and Jet, however, go on a quest to view the tape's contents. Ultimately, it turns out to be a recorded message from a teenage Faye to her future self, one that shows her as an innocent and cheerful child. Faye is broken down to tears by this revelation.
Related:New Zealand Grants Cowboy Bebop and Lord of the Rings Border Exemptions
An important scene in the episode features Jet telling Ed and Spike a fairy tale about a man who is taken to a magic land where he has everything he wants and lives as though he is in a dream. This fairy story might seem random at first, but upon closer inspection, we realize that it's a sad parallel to Faye's life. After her crash, from her perspective, she instantly wakes up in the far future -- something of a magical world to her. Since she has no memories, she wanders about in a dreamlike state, unable to connect with the people around her, and focusing only on personal gratification and clearing her debts.
The fairy story Jet tells involves a treasure chest. When the main character of the fairy tale opens the treasure chest, he is turned into an old man. In the same way, when Faye sees the videotape of her younger self, she is turned into an "old" woman. Faye is jaded and cynical, and seeing her past self makes her realize how impossibly far away she has gotten from the innocence and happiness of her youth.
After this episode, Faye becomes a somewhat warmer character, one who is able to connect with people a bit more. Of course, the character who she seems to have the strongest feelings for is Spike, which makes his own decision in the final episode all the more tragic for Faye. Ultimately, Faye ends the series as she begins, on her own, without people to care for or to care for her. It's a deeply sad ending for Faye Valentine and just another thing that makes Cowboy Bebop so compelling.
KEEP READING:Cowboy Bebop Is Now Mainstream Enough To Be Referenced by the NBA
- Anime
- CBR Exclusives
- feature
Your changes have been saved
Email Is sent
Please verify your email address.
You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.
Manage Your List
Follow
Followed
Follow with Notifications
Follow
Unfollow
