The vicissitudes of punctuationdiebirchenJune 3 2010, 03:58:46 UTC
Well, what the show intended vs what would be literally and most accurately correct according to the rules of punctuation are possibly two separate issues. As to the first, "Watchers'" is most logical, because it is the council of plural watchers. That watchers consider their council one entity is covered by the singular collective noun "council," not by the possessive, therefore adjectival-ish form, of the noun that describes it. In the second case, I believe no possessive was intended in the episode title. It's simply a statement of what happens: noun and verb. Some of the lovers do "walk" as in "leave" their belovéd. As to the much defamed and allegédly foul-tasting pigs' blood, I figure that at any butcher's shop [probably the shop of one butcher, in most cases], the blood is collected from all slaughterings. The chances of having the blood of just one deceased piggy is pretty danged small. It's the blood of plural pigs. However, if one thinks of the word "pig" as referring to the animal generically as a group [The pig is an animal, not one particular one, but the genus collectively.], then the singular possessive works. A logical case can be made either way. What the writers intended is another matter, and while they do a great job, precise punctuation may not have been their forté. Having no talent for plot construction, I am reduced to this. Is that sad or what? Sigh!
signed,
the Fairy Godmother of Verbal Usage
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