Buffy and Giles training

[Taake]

So talking about the music Buffy uses to do her aerobics in the library in Btvs s2 made me realize how immensely happy I was when during season 5 that aspect of the Slayer/Watcher relationship was brought back.

Firstly I always loved their training sessions, I can certainly both understand and see why it was more downplayed s3-4 but I don't think I realized until it came back just how much I had missed it.

To begin with I guess that eventhough Buffy was obviously a more advanced Slayer come s3 I never really felt as though she was 'done' training or without need of Watcher guidance. Had Giles left season 5 I think I would have been crushed.

I also like the fact that the training lets us see that Watchers, though stuffy looking 😉 are actually far from and have once and do now serve a real functional role in the Slayer's life, part of instructions and guidance.

This all said I now wonder what you all think about this bond/practice. Like it? Hate it? Indifferent?
And to end - do you think a Slayer can ever really be without her Watcher , cause I'm starting to doubt it.

 

[SinisterPledge]

I like it. The Buffy/Giles relationship is great and I just love how Giles almost always has answers for her, and acts like a father. Their training sessions are funny to watch and I think the interaction between the two is great.

Slayers are still people and I think some slayers would do better without a Watcher than others. Some would use their abilities for the good, some would be corrupted and others wouldn't use them at all/waste them.

In theory, it should be possible for a slayer to acquire large amounts of occult books and stuff and find their own answers, without a Watcher, but having a Watcher would surely help. The Watcher offers more than just knowledge though, he/she is a pillar, a safety, someone who understands the fight (mostly) and can help you cope with the responsibility.

I'd say a Watcher is very helpful, but not necessarily a requirement for a successful Slayer (although the chances are slim a Slayer would survive on her own).

 

[kittenpoker]

I love their training sessions!!!! I love the way in the earlier seasons Buffy's always surpassing giles' expectations....like with the blindfold and the ball in band candy.... And I love how in the beginning of season 5 she takes it to a whole new level, like with the one arm handstand in "the real me".

And I think a slayer does always need her watcher - even if it's not in any official stance 🙂

 

[WileyDairyGnome]

I also love their training sessions! 😀 I wish there were more of them just because they're awesome.

 

[Jodast]

Watcher/Slayer relationships in general don't seem to have the dynamic that Giles and Buffy had. The are far more instructor/student rather than 'father'/daughter . Quentin Travers says as much in 'Helpless'. Buffy's situation is very different to that of the usual Slayer, though. Kendra alludes to the fact that she was taken from her family and trained with the blessing of her parents who thought of it as an honour rather than a burden.

Buffy still has her friends and family around her so the situations she faces on a daily basis are going to be more those of a normal teenaged girl rather than all death all the time. As such she would benefit more from her Watcher being more fatherly to help guide her through her adolescence. With the usual highs and lows of teenager-hood removed for most Slayers that isn't an issue.

I was a big fan of the training sessions in the early seasons as they served to develop Buffy and Giles' characters, their relationship and more importantly get some of that pesky exposition out of the way in an entertaining fashion. It was a nice call back later on to see the training again. It gave the impression that it had not been forgotten and was something that was ongoing but off-camera. Buffy was obviously a much more pwerful Slayer later on and this helped contextualise where at least some part of the improvement came from. Not just vision-quests and Voltron power ups 🙂

 

[Taake]

Watcher/Slayer relationships in general don't seem to have the dynamic that Giles and Buffy had. The are far more instructor/student rather than 'father'/daughter . Quentin Travers says as much in 'Helpless'. Buffy's situation is very different to that of the usual Slayer, though. Kendra alludes to the fact that she was taken from her family and trained with the blessing of her parents who thought of it as an honour rather than a burden.

That's true but I don't think that's a rule though, I mean when you read the "Tales of the Slayers" there are a lot of Slayers who seem to have a very close, if not even more intimate, relationship than Buffy and Giles id. I think it all depends on who gets called and who gets assigned to whom in the end, personal chemistry and what not.

For me, thinking about it, I do think that a Slayer always needs a Watcher, even if not an official one, just for support and council. I mean, the Watcher's council make it more 'efficient' in the sense that they send more or less trained professionals - well versed in Slayer and demon lore, with some combat skills - but if those weren't around I still feel that a Slayer would need someone to fill that role in her life to increase her chances of survival.

 

[Amethyst]

I've always loved seeing their training sessions aswell! 😀
I love the relationship between Giles and Buffy, it's just so many different things, they can be like father and daughter, best friends, teacher and pupil, love it! 😀
I think a Slayer shouldn't be without a watcher, no matter how progressed they've become, they still need someone to keep them focused and 'grounded' 🙂