Character discussions: Giles

[cyclica]

Discussing and analyzing characters is always fun, so why not have a whole thread devoted to discussing each character? I've decided to start off with giles. Feel free to talk about him, ask questions, or whatever you want.

Heres one question to get the ball rolling: How did this rebellious teenager named 'ripper' grow up to become such a repressed, socially awkward academic, but later on revert to being a cool, in-touch-with-the-kids demon hunter?

[partcynic]

^ That one's fairly easy, I think. I believe that Giles' initial guilt over his friend's death (I want to say Thomas...) at the hands of Eyghon might have been enough to force him back onto his original path, and he may have overcompensated in his learning etc in an effort to try and prove something to himself. Later on, Buffy's influence and his realisation that he needed to relate to her as a human being rather than as a Slayer helped tap him back in to his less uptight side, hence the growth and development.

Another question: if S2 had originally gone as planned and Oz had been killed instead of Jenny, what do you think would have happened with Giles and his relationship with her?

[buffysummers]

They're making a 90 minute TV movie called Ripper on BBC America w/ Anthony Stewart Head!Yay !!

[obsessedbuffyfan]

thats awesome!

[cyclica]

I dunno how this giles movie is gonna work, seeing as how the season 8 comics are cannon and they involve giles too. It will definately have Ash as giles though, so at lest its not gonna be teenage ripper.

If oz was killed instead of jenny, they probably would have brought seth green back to do amends. As for Genny, I think she would have been forgiven and become a permanent part of the gang. Perhaps with her knowledge of magic, willow wouldn't have needed to become a witch since jenny was already able to do any spell needed. Giles may have become the casual relaxed giles even sooner because of jenny's influence on him... or perhaps the writers would have kept giles is s1 mode because of all the great awkward giles/confident jenny scenes. Hard to say.

If joyce had survived, would she and giles have become a couple? Would he have stayed in sunnydale after buffy died, to be with joyce?

[partcynic]

I'm not sure about what would have happened with Giles and Joyce if the latter had lived - I don't think they'd have been a couple, although they might have been able to provide each other with support after Buffy's death. That could lead to them bonding, and perhaps something would arise as a result.

When it comes to Giles staying after Buffy's death, I really think he would (should) have remained regardless of what happened. I always thought that his departure in S6 was way out of character, both in Bargaining and later in Tabula Rasa, so sticking around would have been his best bet.

[smallz]

Giles departing and leaving Buffy to fend for herself was a theme brought out before season 6. After she 'quit the counsel' Giles kept proclaiming that she didn't need a watcher and blah blah blah. Season 4 for Giles was where was his life going and his inevitable departure was just a logical path for the character, but it might have conflicted with what was transpiring at the time.

[partcynic]

Yes, and it conflicted massively with what would have made sense for the character to do in S6 - hence it being OC. Although the writers were admittedly in a bind due to ASH's decision to reduce his time on the show, there were plenty of things they could have had him do instead of leave his traumatised 'daughter' to fend for herself both financially and emotionally (while her friends mooched off her and expected her to support them) - when she was clearly not capable of doing either at that point.

[cyclica]

I wonder why giles went to england at all, its not like he had anything important to do there. Perhaps he just missed the taste of marmite?

But still he wasn't bringing a whole lot to the episodes he was in, and having him leave did help in that it forced the kids to grow up. Just compare any member of the scooby gang to cordy, she's made so much progress its like she's 10 years older than the people she was in the same class with in school. So I can kinda undersand giles' reasoning that its for the best that he left.

[partcynic]

But still he wasn't bringing a whole lot to the episodes he was in, and having him leave did help in that it forced the kids to grow up.

Blasphemer! All Giles is good Giles. ;D

I don't know about the idea of his absence forcing the kids to grow up - besides the fact that the original, non-horrible S1-S5 Giles would have stuck around to support his recently resurrected charge, regardless of whether he was planning to leave before. It's odd that he mentions how the gang have no idea what the toll on Buffy might be mentally, but then abandons her just when she needs him most - and when he knows that she was in Heaven!

Besides, how did Giles not being present facilitate the Scoobs' downfalls? Willow was already mind-raping Tara, and Xander already getting cold feet before his departure. Perhaps Buffy and Dawn wouldn't have gotten so whiney and mopey, but I can't see that as being anything but a good thing.

[buffysummers]

obsessedbuffyfan said:

thats awesome!

I know! I can't wait !

[cyclica]

Why do you think giles and other watchers are paid so much (he could afford all those trips around the world in s6 & 7) and yet slayers, who risk their lives, aren't paid by the council at all?

[partcynic]

That's actually a very tricky one, because logic would say that the Council should provide for a Slayer who's not going to be able to hold down a regular job too well (I always wondered how Buffy functioned at school when she would be there all day, then studying in the evening and slaying at night. Does she never sleep, or does the ability to get by with little come as part of the Slayer package?) You'd have thought they'd have at least stepped in after Joyce died to help Buffy with her finances, instead of expecting her to cover it herself while they sat twiddling their thumbs all day.

[cyclica]

Maybe buffy's lack of sleep is the reason why she does so badly in school?

partcynic said:

You'd have thought they'd have at least stepped in after Joyce died to help Buffy with her finances, instead of expecting her to cover it herself while they sat twiddling their thumbs all day.

Buffy told the council to get lost in 'checkpoint', before joyce died, so they wouldn't have been too willing to pay her after that. Not that they would have anyway, I mean look at the crappy conditions faith was living in when she first appeared, she was clearly not receiving any financial help.

And just what do the watchers do all day anyway? Surely they are not doing nothing but recruiting and training new watchers, it seems a bit of a waste of time considering only one of them is actually working with a slayer at any one time. But I can't see what else they would be doing, other than sitting by the fireplace, reading their books.

[cyclica]

What are your favourite giles moments?

One of my favs is in consequences, when faith tells giles buffy was a murderer, and giles plays along with it while faith was there. Or flooded, when giles yells at willow for bringing buffy back, coz if she got it wrong she could have destroyed the world.