Okay, aside from the fact that Wish I Could Stay is a beautiful song, was anyone else just angry at Giles for leaving?
I tend to fume over this, so I apologize if this turns into a rant. But I cannot believe he thought it was better for him to abandon Buffy when she was so depressed and lost. I get the reasons behind it, and in different circumstances I may have been more understanding. But her mother had just died, she'd been ripped out of heaven and she was clearly in a very dark place. And he really thinks, "Gee, Buffy's not taking enough responsibility onto her shoulders. I should just give her more to worry about and add some more emotional upheaval into her already chaotic life." Of course, an Englishman would never say "Gee." But still!
And besides, she's spent so much of her life fighting off demons and saving the world, and mostly she does it thanklessly. She can't have a steady job because of it, she can't even go to college, so how does he expect her to support herself? And what's more, doesn't she earn the right to be taken care of? By taking care of all of her friends and risking her life every single day, don't you think she's earned the right for someone to help her out? Responsibility is often measured on whether or not one can support him- or herself, but in Buffy's case it shouldn't be. Buffy was prepared to die for the world at 16 years old. She shouldn't have to prove herself anymore than that.
And on top of that, it's not just herself she has to worry about. She's never been anything close to a mother, and now she's the primary caregiver for Dawn. She can't make enough money to support herself, let alone Dawn, and none of her friends seem to think they should help. Giles is the worst of them in my opinion, because he has always been the paternal figure for Buffy. And now he abandons her to "grow up," when all she really needs is love and support from him.
I don't know if the actor had reasons for leaving, but Giles' reasons were pretty terrible, in my opinion. Thoughts?
I tend to fume over this, so I apologize if this turns into a rant. But I cannot believe he thought it was better for him to abandon Buffy when she was so depressed and lost. I get the reasons behind it, and in different circumstances I may have been more understanding. But her mother had just died, she'd been ripped out of heaven and she was clearly in a very dark place. And he really thinks, "Gee, Buffy's not taking enough responsibility onto her shoulders. I should just give her more to worry about and add some more emotional upheaval into her already chaotic life." Of course, an Englishman would never say "Gee." But still!
And besides, she's spent so much of her life fighting off demons and saving the world, and mostly she does it thanklessly. She can't have a steady job because of it, she can't even go to college, so how does he expect her to support herself? And what's more, doesn't she earn the right to be taken care of? By taking care of all of her friends and risking her life every single day, don't you think she's earned the right for someone to help her out? Responsibility is often measured on whether or not one can support him- or herself, but in Buffy's case it shouldn't be. Buffy was prepared to die for the world at 16 years old. She shouldn't have to prove herself anymore than that.
And on top of that, it's not just herself she has to worry about. She's never been anything close to a mother, and now she's the primary caregiver for Dawn. She can't make enough money to support herself, let alone Dawn, and none of her friends seem to think they should help. Giles is the worst of them in my opinion, because he has always been the paternal figure for Buffy. And now he abandons her to "grow up," when all she really needs is love and support from him.
I don't know if the actor had reasons for leaving, but Giles' reasons were pretty terrible, in my opinion. Thoughts?