11/30/2023 0 Comments Spike cowboy bebop sitting![]() ![]() When Faye retorts that it’s easy for Spike to say the past doesn’t matter, since he has one, Spike responds with an important truth: "and you have a future." Spike is so caught up in his past that he can’t see a future for himself, Jet wants to forget his past, Julia has so little past that we don’t even know her last name, and Faye can’t remember her past until the end of the story. If people get too caught up in trying to tear down Julia to make Faye look good and vice versa, they might miss the importance of both Faye and Julia in Spike’s story–and Cowboy Bebop is Spike’s story, first and foremost. I loved both of these characters, for how they were different and how they were alike, as well as how they fit into Spike’s life, past and present. When it comes to Faye and Julia, it’s best to look a little deeper than surface appearances. What’s interesting, though, is that while the depiction of Julia as sweet and matronly is only one aspect of a much darker woman, the depiction of Faye as a skanky, gambling, cheating, "trust no one" wench is only one aspect of a woman who once was a sweet, loving, and idealistic girl with a zest for living. Faye even shares the distinction of hanging out in the same bar, and sitting on the same barstool, as Julia did in Jupiter Jazz. What little we know of her past also tells us she slept with two men who were mob enforcers, and had a penchant for hanging out in bars and smoky pool halls.įaye can shoot, is good enough in the Red Tail to back up Spike, connives against her partners regularly, and also has a fondness for smoky bars. In the real world, Julia can shoot, drives evasively, doesn’t flinch when people shoot at her, and pulls a gun on her former lover. Sure, Julia is shown wearing modest clothes and even a matronly apron, but these are Spike’s memories, filtered through loss and longing. By making Faye and Julia so physically different, I think the writers were playing a little game with the viewers by encouraging them to focus only on the superficial.īut everybody in Cowboy Bebop hides their true selves, and an important element of the series–and what I like best about it–is how the writers slowly revealed who these people really are. ![]() Those little looks the women give each other as they exchange names reinforces that one big something they have in common: Spike.Īt first glance, it would seem Spike is the only thing these two have in common–but when I gave it more thought, I realized they were a lot alike after all. Then, adding to an already interesting situation, it’s soon apparent Julia knows about Faye and that she’s with Spike. "You saved me," Julia tells Faye, and Faye answers, "You saved me back." Faye’s usual self-protective brashness is absent, and there’s even a friendly moment as they share a companionable smoke. They clearly respect each other’s skills. Faye and Julia instinctively worked like partners, which I think says a lot about them. Faye sees another woman in trouble–understandably a sore spot for her–and instantly transforms from petulance to steely-eyed resolve, hops in Julia’s car, and obliterates a bunch of syndicate goons with an efficiency that would’ve made Spike and Jet proud. One of my favorite scenes in Cowboy Bebop is the meeting between Faye and Julia. Well, in all honesty, Spike really wasn’t such a great prize (as much as I loved the character) and my feelings about Julia and Faye are based on how they responded to each other–and since they liked and respected each other, I’ll go on liking and respecting them, too. To others, Faye’s a loud-mouthed, trashy, self-absorbed brat who could never be worthy of Spike’s love. To some, Julia’s an evil syndicate whore who wasn’t worthy of Spike’s love. ![]() Reactions to Julia and Faye often swing between extremes. I’m glad I met you." – Julia to Faye, Real Folk Blues, Part I ![]()
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