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Did Giles regret leaving in season 6?.
- Thread starter Benz
- Start date
white avenger
white avenger
Assuming that the title was a typo, no, I don't think that Giles actually regretted leaving Sunnydale early in Season 6. He firmly believed that he was doing Buffy and the others a favor by denying them his advice and support, allowing, or rather making, them to make their own decisions and live with the circumstances. Granted, they didn't always heed his advice, but, still, it was there for them, whenever they wanted or needed it.
Personally, I think his method of forcing maturity on Buffy was quite similar to the practice of throwing a non-swimmer into the deep end of the pool in order to "teach" them to swim. The difference would be that the person doing the throwing stayed around to be sure that the would be swimmer actually did learn to swim, rather than leaving and just assuming that they would, indeed, learn.
I can't help but wonder how he would have felt if, in his absence, given Buffy's state of mind, Buffy had died, or, even worse, somehow been turned into a vampire (No, I don't think that Spike would ever have even considered such a thing, but he wasn't the only vampire in Sunnydale, and I could just imagine some other vamp having his "one good day" sometime when no one was around to rescue her)
Personally, I think his method of forcing maturity on Buffy was quite similar to the practice of throwing a non-swimmer into the deep end of the pool in order to "teach" them to swim. The difference would be that the person doing the throwing stayed around to be sure that the would be swimmer actually did learn to swim, rather than leaving and just assuming that they would, indeed, learn.
I can't help but wonder how he would have felt if, in his absence, given Buffy's state of mind, Buffy had died, or, even worse, somehow been turned into a vampire (No, I don't think that Spike would ever have even considered such a thing, but he wasn't the only vampire in Sunnydale, and I could just imagine some other vamp having his "one good day" sometime when no one was around to rescue her)
crazysoulless
Scooby
He sounded like he regretted it in Grave but then he left again and didn't come back until 7 months later in Bring on the Night.
They never return to their pre-resurrection relationship. In the s10 comics when Buffy told him that he became like her dad when her actual dad abandoned her all I could think was 'Then after years of loving you, Giles abandoned you and treated you like crap, just like your real dad does."
They never return to their pre-resurrection relationship. In the s10 comics when Buffy told him that he became like her dad when her actual dad abandoned her all I could think was 'Then after years of loving you, Giles abandoned you and treated you like crap, just like your real dad does."
Grace
Destructo-Girl
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2017
- Messages
- 1,784
Yeah, Giles didn't seem to regret it for long if he really regretted it at all. I think if he truly thought it was wrong to leave when he did, he would have come back with Willow in Season 7. She didn't even finish her recovery course thing, but Giles was fine with sending her back to Buffy, who knew next to nothing about dark magic. And then Giles dumped the Potentials on her, too.
thetopher
Member of the Church Of Faith
We do know that Giles regretting it- he says so in 'Graves'- but then Buffy told him that he did the right thing.
His behavior in S7 is more suspect; okay he left Sunnydale with Willow to specifically take care of her; I get that, and then the Watcher's Council is destroyed and he only really comes back to Sunnydale to tell Buffy the stakes and lay it all on her.
But...1) I don't really think he had much choice about 'laying it on her'; better not to soft-soap the looming apocalypse.
2) I'm sure that Giles had just had a whole bunch of collegues and friends that were horribly murdered and blown up, that must've had an effect on the way he acted with Buffy; he was stoic, business-like, even cold, but he'd just seen his old way of life utterly destroyed.
I'm not sure many people consider what that would do to a man. Like a soldier seeing his entire regiment die and him being the only survivor- that's gonna cause some strain.
His behavior in S7 is more suspect; okay he left Sunnydale with Willow to specifically take care of her; I get that, and then the Watcher's Council is destroyed and he only really comes back to Sunnydale to tell Buffy the stakes and lay it all on her.
But...1) I don't really think he had much choice about 'laying it on her'; better not to soft-soap the looming apocalypse.
2) I'm sure that Giles had just had a whole bunch of collegues and friends that were horribly murdered and blown up, that must've had an effect on the way he acted with Buffy; he was stoic, business-like, even cold, but he'd just seen his old way of life utterly destroyed.
I'm not sure many people consider what that would do to a man. Like a soldier seeing his entire regiment die and him being the only survivor- that's gonna cause some strain.
Grace
Destructo-Girl
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2017
- Messages
- 1,784
Yes, and it was the destruction of the "family business" too, since his father and grandmother had both been Watchers. It had to be a terrible blow, and I wish we had even one episode (or subplot in an episode) devoted to the effect on Giles and his mindset. I think it makes sense that he would show more of his Season 1/Season 2 attitude and be more "Watcher" than "Dad" again. But we didn't get inside anyone's head much in Season 7.
thrasherpix
Scooby
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- Mar 13, 2016
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- 36
It's challenging to make sense of the writing and dialog of seasons 6 and 7 unless you want to look at it purely from the writer's/audience POV rather than the characters themselves.
DeadlyDuo
Scooby
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I think they could've given Giles a better reason to leave, aka he HAD to leave for whatever reason rather than him choosing to leave. Have him tell Buffy she can call him anytime but when she does try she can't get through. The writers didn't need Giles to abandon Buffy in her hour of need just because ASH wanted time off, there were ways of writing Giles out with destroying the Father/Daughter relationship.
Do you think Joss was punishing ASH for wanting time off, just like the way he punished CC for getting pregnant?
Do you think Joss was punishing ASH for wanting time off, just like the way he punished CC for getting pregnant?
dstaraster
Townie
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I don't know much about what goes on behind the scenes. Is that why Cordelia was written out?
DeadlyDuo
Scooby
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That's why we got the terrible character assassination of Cordelia in Season 4 AtS. Joss was pissed that she got pregnant and why Cordelia was then put in a coma never to awaken again. CC only agreed to do "You're welcome" on the proviso that Cordelia wasn't killed off and look how that turned out.
DeepBlueJoy
Lion Faced Kitteh
Giles left bc ASH wanted to go home & the idiot writers didn't think of a better reason, like a dying parent or something that wouldn't have been abandonment of Buffy. Then there wouldn't have been any regerts... Or regrets, even.
[automerge]1524185213[/automerge]
Very possible that Joss was playing gotcha!
[automerge]1524185213[/automerge]
Very possible that Joss was playing gotcha!
AlphaFoxtrot
Scooby
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- 37
It works better if you pretend Buffy is in her early-twenties in season 6, as opposed to a College Junior, and Giles is abandoning a semi-compendent woman with a social network as opposed to a 20 year old with no visible means of support. Nobody really questioned it back in the day, as it was known ASH wanted to go home. What nobody really understood is how poorly used he was in season 7.
DeepBlueJoy
Lion Faced Kitteh
They should have wound it down after an abbreviated season 6 w ASH
white avenger
white avenger
They could have used this absence as a great lead in to Season 7 by simply saying that Giles had to return home because of strange and ominous occurrences concerning concerning Watchers' Council business in Europe. Even if they had no idea what Season 7 was going to be about at that point, it would still work better than what they actually did.