Some thoughts on Giles
Except for his departure at the end of Tabula Rasa, does Giles ever truly leave Buffy unaided in her battles?
Throughout the series, he trains her for routine patrols and does research for more serious threats. When the chips are down though, he either fights alongside her: "Bad Girls", "The Zeppo," "The Gift," "Graduation Day," comes to her rescue: "Gingerbread," breaks his resolve to let her fight alone: "Helpless," "Once More with Feeling," "Two to Go/Grave." And when he knows she's really going to die, he resolves to go out and die in her place: "Prophecy Girl."
I think this is why the Council sent him in the first place. They knew it was exceedingly likely he would die for his Slayer, or put himself in harm's way fighting alongside her, and it seems from the way the Council operates that they were hoping for this outcome, and that his end would take this unexpected and uncontrolled Slayer with him, clearing the way for someone they could more easily control.
My question for the f-list: I'm sure there are objections one could make to this characterization, that Giles never truly lets Buffy go off without him. But, can an even stronger case be made for my premise above? And if so, what must it do to him, when he's suddenly the head of the Council, and he can no longer personally fight for all the girls he feels a duty to protect? When his decisions lead some of them to their deaths?
I have an addition to the "My Giles" list I wrote in November:
My Giles
no longer knows every Slayer by name. But he never forgets the names of the Dead, nor the circumstances of their deaths. Nor the faces of each parent, each sibling, when he breaks the news of their Slayer's sacrifice. He carries them all in his heart. It's his duty, you see.
***
I got about 822 words written tonight, not couting the above, on my "Watcher's Love*" story (*new working title), rewound now to the point where it started to Jump the Shark. As a happy coincidence, I read some of Wil Wheaton's DVD commentaries on ST:TNG recced by liz_marcs last night, and some of his comments about people needing a Reason to enter or leave a scene really struck home. That was part of what was wrong with where I was trying to go-- I had lost sight of the Reasons why I was writing this story (and why a Documentary is So not what I want here....)
I'd be interested to hear others' thoughts on all this.
Throughout the series, he trains her for routine patrols and does research for more serious threats. When the chips are down though, he either fights alongside her: "Bad Girls", "The Zeppo," "The Gift," "Graduation Day," comes to her rescue: "Gingerbread," breaks his resolve to let her fight alone: "Helpless," "Once More with Feeling," "Two to Go/Grave." And when he knows she's really going to die, he resolves to go out and die in her place: "Prophecy Girl."
I think this is why the Council sent him in the first place. They knew it was exceedingly likely he would die for his Slayer, or put himself in harm's way fighting alongside her, and it seems from the way the Council operates that they were hoping for this outcome, and that his end would take this unexpected and uncontrolled Slayer with him, clearing the way for someone they could more easily control.
My question for the f-list: I'm sure there are objections one could make to this characterization, that Giles never truly lets Buffy go off without him. But, can an even stronger case be made for my premise above? And if so, what must it do to him, when he's suddenly the head of the Council, and he can no longer personally fight for all the girls he feels a duty to protect? When his decisions lead some of them to their deaths?
I have an addition to the "My Giles" list I wrote in November:
My Giles
no longer knows every Slayer by name. But he never forgets the names of the Dead, nor the circumstances of their deaths. Nor the faces of each parent, each sibling, when he breaks the news of their Slayer's sacrifice. He carries them all in his heart. It's his duty, you see.
***
I got about 822 words written tonight, not couting the above, on my "Watcher's Love*" story (*new working title), rewound now to the point where it started to Jump the Shark. As a happy coincidence, I read some of Wil Wheaton's DVD commentaries on ST:TNG recced by liz_marcs last night, and some of his comments about people needing a Reason to enter or leave a scene really struck home. That was part of what was wrong with where I was trying to go-- I had lost sight of the Reasons why I was writing this story (and why a Documentary is So not what I want here....)
I'd be interested to hear others' thoughts on all this.