Just finished season 4 of Buffy
And I am seriously conflicted in regards to Giles's dream in Restless. The first bit with the hypnotizing was so ridiculously sexual and flirty and then it phases into the father figure thing, and I listened to the commentary and apparently Joss Wheden DID intend for that first bit to have some sexual context, so I'm not crazy. Giles is ridiculously conflicted in what his feelings for Buffy are and what he's supposed to do with his life. But man, seeing her as the kid right after the flirty bit was kind of, "What the... oh my." The man is definitely confused.
Anyway, I can't get over how Buffy/Giles centric the season actually was. Every single thing that Giles angsted over was all connected to Buffy. He didn't know his place in her life anymore, he desperately tried to find a place and when he realized they couldn't be what they once were, he started to separate himself and was very insistent on getting an identity outside of Buffy, and yet when Spike pointed out to him that he was useless to Buffy, he drank himself into a stupor of self-loathing and failure and loneliness (and was ridiculously hilarious and adorable while doing so), and then in the end he is so confused as to what his purpose in life is supposed to be now that Buffy doesn't really need him, and then he finds the watch and goes back to what he knows. He's Buffy's watcher. Without a watcher, Buffy would be like the primeval slayer, therefore Buffy needs her watcher back, and now he's found a definite purpose again, and an excuse to stay with Buffy rather than go off and be a rock star or move back to England and raise a family with Olivia. GAH, I just cannot get over how much Giles' life depends on Buffy's love and respect. Everything he does is for her, even when he's doing it for himself, it's still in essence all for her. And I love how season 4 really emphasized that Buffy/Giles is so much more complicated than simple father/daughter feelings. Yes, those feelings are certainly involved, but they hold back on their emotions with each other for a reason. There are too many lines that they could too easily cross and they are both aware of it. There are definitely sexual undertones to their relationship (and these moments are usually when they repress their emotions the hardest), as well as just plain old friendship, familial love, old married couple vibes, working partners, and mentor/student. Oh, I love them. So much. Their relationship is anything but simple, but at the same time, their interactions with each other are almost the simplest things in their lives because they understand each other so deeply. They have this way of always knowing what the other needs. I love them.
ETA: Also, I totally approve of Giles singing in the last three or four episodes. He should have just sang every single one of his lines in every single episode. I'm pretty sure I would have been okay with that.
Anyway, I can't get over how Buffy/Giles centric the season actually was. Every single thing that Giles angsted over was all connected to Buffy. He didn't know his place in her life anymore, he desperately tried to find a place and when he realized they couldn't be what they once were, he started to separate himself and was very insistent on getting an identity outside of Buffy, and yet when Spike pointed out to him that he was useless to Buffy, he drank himself into a stupor of self-loathing and failure and loneliness (and was ridiculously hilarious and adorable while doing so), and then in the end he is so confused as to what his purpose in life is supposed to be now that Buffy doesn't really need him, and then he finds the watch and goes back to what he knows. He's Buffy's watcher. Without a watcher, Buffy would be like the primeval slayer, therefore Buffy needs her watcher back, and now he's found a definite purpose again, and an excuse to stay with Buffy rather than go off and be a rock star or move back to England and raise a family with Olivia. GAH, I just cannot get over how much Giles' life depends on Buffy's love and respect. Everything he does is for her, even when he's doing it for himself, it's still in essence all for her. And I love how season 4 really emphasized that Buffy/Giles is so much more complicated than simple father/daughter feelings. Yes, those feelings are certainly involved, but they hold back on their emotions with each other for a reason. There are too many lines that they could too easily cross and they are both aware of it. There are definitely sexual undertones to their relationship (and these moments are usually when they repress their emotions the hardest), as well as just plain old friendship, familial love, old married couple vibes, working partners, and mentor/student. Oh, I love them. So much. Their relationship is anything but simple, but at the same time, their interactions with each other are almost the simplest things in their lives because they understand each other so deeply. They have this way of always knowing what the other needs. I love them.
ETA: Also, I totally approve of Giles singing in the last three or four episodes. He should have just sang every single one of his lines in every single episode. I'm pretty sure I would have been okay with that.