I'd say "Untouched" for Lilah.

To be honest, I've been reading some old threads, and I am more than a little bemused that anyone considers Lilah to be such a "badass," "never scared," or a "femme fatale" that is very effective at manipulation, office politics, and seduction.

That is completely the opposite impression I have of her. She is likely the most easily intimated person I have ever seen in the Buffyverse - all Faith has to do is slam her hand against a fence, all Lindsey has to do is make a sudden move, and she looks terrified. She is startled and physically intimidated all the time.

I get the impression so often from her that she is trying to figure out the situation, trying to find the right words or attitude that will give her more control, because she doesn't feel in control at all. So much of what she says is pure bravado, and everyone picks up on that and treats her with contempt and physical intimidation. Even her attempts at being badass (say, while talking to Angel in "That Vision Thing") are almost immediately undercut by the very next moment when he grabs her by the throat.

She really does seem to have a "game face," and it comes from being in an extremely vulnerable position, way out of her depth and comfort zone, struggling to survive and get by in a world she doesn't totally understand - a cutthroat, violent world that scares her to death and for which she seems almost inexplicably unprepared. But she's courageous, at least. She's chosen for whatever reason to be in these positions; she really feels she has to be there, so she'll be freaked out but she'll keep trying to make deals and gain the upper hand against whoever is holding her by the throat this week.

But, anyway, about "Untouched." This is one of the few episodes where she actually seems relatively relaxed and in control most of the time. She starts to take a more active role, and doesn't seem completely to be on some sort of panicked defensive-struggling-for-offense. And although she gets a "shiner" from Bethany, it's not the result of hanging out with people who want to brutalize her.

It's interesting. It's different. She comes off as a stronger character, somehow, in this episode. And at this point I have no idea exactly what I'm trying to say, but I've typed this all out on my phone so I'll comment it anyway just to save it :)

I know she has badass moments later - intimidating Gavin in "Habeas Corpses," going "just under" Linwood's head - but it still seems to me somehow that at her core she's constantly frightened and confused. Not sure. Hard to have a solid moral compass when everything you do is out of fear.

For a while there in the 4th season it seemed as though she could have been sort of like Anya in the third season of Buffy ("why's evil girl here in the mix?"). I get the impression that she's a lot like Anya, actually. Did unspeakable evil, but in the service of something she believed in - because she was hurt and had nothing left.