Question Olivia - more than meets the eye?

[buffyfirstlove]

Apologies if this has already been discussed, I searched for her name and couldn't find anything

So during Series 4 we were introduced to Giles new love interest, an English woman called Olivia.

She becomes quiet a pivotal character, especially in the episode 'Hush' in which she provides, for me, one of the most recognizable art works from the series when she draws the picture of The Gentlemen.

Unfortunately we don't get told a lot about her, other than she is an 'old friend' of Giles and she is played down as quiet a bland and boring character. At the end of Hush, she leaves seemingly because of the supernatural goings on and we never see or hear from her ever again (apart from briefly in Restless)

Now call me crazy, but it seems a bit strange that Joss, or the writers would write in such a poorly used character and then just get rid of her in such a definitive way so quickly. Just for the sake of 'a bit of love interest' for Giles?

I have a fan theory/fan fiction material about what happened, but like I say this is a fan theory and I have no proof or evidence to back this up, but it makes sense to me;

When we see her in Restless, if memory serves she is pregnant and walking with a pram/stoller. The episode implies that the pram/stroller is meant to signify Buffy and Giles father/daughter relationship and her pregnant as the family Giles COULD of had...but if that is the case, why include her in the episode at all? just have Giles with the pram/stroller and Buffy. We see her later in the episode crying, seemingly cradling her stomach.

My theory is that she was either pregnant previously with Giles baby ('old friend') and lost the baby/terminated the pregnancy or in fact was pregnant when she left Sunnydale. Seeing her in his dream state, crying, in Restless, for me was Giles guilt that he could not leave Buffy and Sunnydale with Olivia and have a 'normal' life.

Like I say, I have absolutely no evidence for this and I understand it may of just been a bit of an oversight in regards to the poor introduction and exit of the character. I guess I just wished there was more to it?

I would love to hear some other theories on Olivia, shes a really mysterious character to me and I wish I could know more about her.

Any opinions or other theories are welcomed! PM or comment. Please be gentle with my theory. I've never discussed it with anyone before!

 

[BuffyElevated]

I was never crazy about Olivia. She seemed very out of place, and it felt like they were trying too hard to get Giles' "midlife crisis" storyline out there. I always felt like if Giles should have had another love interest, they should have pursued Giles and Joyce, especially after "Band Candy".

 

[thetopher]

You make some interesting points about Olivia, especially about her in 'Restless'.
I think, in Giles mind, she was symbolic of a life away from being a Watcher, and of being a father to Buffy.
In his dream, Buffy is clearly his child, and I think Olivia losing the 'baby' is symbolic of Giles giving up that part of himself- he'll never have a child of his own, and he can't really have a relationship either. Unless, of course, he gives up being a Watcher and finds a new purpose away from Buffy.

In other ways Olivia represented Giles trying to find himself, connecting with old friends from a prevoius life (I'm fairly certain that he met Olivia prior to becoming a Watcher- judging by the stuff she says to him in 'Hush') and trying to find a new role, but unsure as to how to go about it and leave his old life behind.

I think, because Olivia is a symptom of Giles development in S4 then the writers didn't know what to do with her after the Season finished.

I'm guessing 'in character' wise Olivia was just scared off by Giles' world, its not for everybody, some people are gonna freak out, run off and never come back. 🙁

 

[Still a Scoobie]

I like to think they reconnected when Giles came back to England. That could offer a partial explanation of why he was so willing to leave Buffy alone after her resurrection. I think most would agree it was the right thing to do but he did it at the wrong time, and this might explain why (although it's not a very good excuse for the timing of his actions).

 

[buffyfirstlove]

Like I say it's no way anything I have heard been said before I just think as a storlyine it could of tied up some loose ends if in fact she had fell pregnant and the reason he left in series 6 was to comfort her or see the baby. Much more understandable than "you have to be on your own" which was a bit of a weird way to write him out for me.

Just interested to see other peoples opinions on her really. She was such a useless character in regards to storytelling so I just would like to think there was more intended for her

 

[Blaze]

I always saw Restless as the life Giles wanted. He wants a family but can't have one. It also makes me think that we never saw of Olivia again because she also wanted that family but Giles couldn't let go of Buffy, and couldn't build a new family without letting her go first. I always took the dream as symbolism for the future, not the past. But that theory is also very interesting. I hadn't heard it before.

 

[buffyfirstlove]

Thanks everyone. Like I say I just wish they had of made something more of her. She's the only character that has absolutely no backstory other than "knew Giles once?" And for her to be in so many episods I just find it really strange?

 

[Ethan Reigns]

Could she be from his Ripper days? I can't think of any former girlfriends who would spend 13 hours on a plane (or two plus ground transport) just to come around and see me. In fact, I can't think of one who would drive across town to see me, even if I wasn't married, so he must have been something special to her. It seems like they brought her in for shock value and couldn't figure out any reason for her to stay. Pity - it could have been interesting.

 

[Mr Trick]

I just saw Olivia as a new side to Giles character post-watcher. Chances are she is from his post "ripper" days. They could have done more with her true, but sometimes characters are just meant to make brief appearances to serve a certain function, and then move on. And that is what happened with their realtionship I think. They were reliving something from their youth, it was fun, but didn't work out as a long term thing, and so they both moved on. Happens all the time in the real world.

 

[AndrewCrossett]

Olivia is apparently going to appear in the very next issue of the Buffy comic (out January 21) where she will confront the fact that Giles is now 12 years old. Awkward.

 

[Mr Trick]

Olivia is apparently going to appear in the very next issue of the Buffy comic (out January 21) where she will confront the fact that Giles is now 12 years old. Awkward.

Interesting I not read any of the comics as of yet. It always makes me wonder how far into the future the writers think? It is possible that they always intended to return to Oliva, but it was just a case of timing.

 

[white avenger]

I'm fairly certain that he met Olivia prior to becoming a Watcher- judging by the stuff she says to him in 'Hush

For some reason, I always thought that they met on a flight between Sunnydale and England (Didn't she mention something about having a layover between flights at some point during her first visit?)sometime after Giles was assigned to the hellmouth, most likely after Jenny Calendar's death. As hard as Jenny had to work to break Giles out of his shell, I seriously doubt that he had seen any women for quite some time, and Olivia didn't look old enough to have been someone from that far back in Giles' past.

I like to think they reconnected when Giles came back to England. That could offer a partial explanation of why he was so willing to leave Buffy alone after her resurrection. I think most would agree it was the right thing to do but he did it at the wrong time, and this might explain why (although it's not a very good excuse for the timing of his actions).

There's a possibility that Giles actually did have some pressing, and very personal, business to attend to back home, or at least away from Sunnydale during that part of Season 6, and something concerning Olivia might have been it. That at least wouldn't have made his abandoning Buffy at that point a bit more understandable, though, I agree, would have still been a very poor excuse.

Like I say it's no way anything I have heard been said before I just think as a storyline it could of tied up some loose ends if in fact she had fell pregnant and the reason he left in series 6 was to comfort her or see the baby. Much more understandable than "you have to be on your own" which was a bit of a weird way to write him out for me.

Something concerning Olivia as being Giles' real reason for leaving Sunnydale in Season 6, then staying away so long that he almost missed the yearly apocalypse would certainly have been better than just having him pop up at just the right moment. Whatever the case might have been, Olivia or something else, like maybe the first signs of the events that would lead to the return of the First Evil, just a few words of explanation would have seemed appropriate once the dust settled and before he and Willow went back to England.

Olivia is apparently going to appear in the very next issue of the Buffy comic (out January 21) where she will confront the fact that Giles is now 12 years old. Awkward.

Now, THAT has the potential of being like the Chinese curse about "living in interesting times," especially if there actually is a child thrown into the mix.

 

[AndrewCrossett]

Now, THAT has the potential of being like the Chinese curse about "living in interesting times," especially if there actually is a child thrown into the mix.

If the writers have had enough fun with 12-year-old Giles and are looking for a reason to restore him to his rightful age, discovering he is a father would certainly be a good motivator for him to look into his options.

Olivia has also been assigned a last name... she's Olivia Williams. (Same as the Dollhouse actress.)

 

[Joan the Vampire Slayer]

Apologies if this has already been discussed, I searched for her name and couldn't find anything

So during Series 4 we were introduced to Giles new love interest, an English woman called Olivia.

She becomes quiet a pivotal character, especially in the episode 'Hush' in which she provides, for me, one of the most recognizable art works from the series when she draws the picture of The Gentlemen.

Unfortunately we don't get told a lot about her, other than she is an 'old friend' of Giles and she is played down as quiet a bland and boring character. At the end of Hush, she leaves seemingly because of the supernatural goings on and we never see or hear from her ever again (apart from briefly in Restless)

Now call me crazy, but it seems a bit strange that Joss, or the writers would write in such a poorly used character and then just get rid of her in such a definitive way so quickly. Just for the sake of 'a bit of love interest' for Giles?

I have a fan theory/fan fiction material about what happened, but like I say this is a fan theory and I have no proof or evidence to back this up, but it makes sense to me;

When we see her in Restless, if memory serves she is pregnant and walking with a pram/stoller. The episode implies that the pram/stroller is meant to signify Buffy and Giles father/daughter relationship and her pregnant as the family Giles COULD of had...but if that is the case, why include her in the episode at all? just have Giles with the pram/stroller and Buffy. We see her later in the episode crying, seemingly cradling her stomach.

My theory is that she was either pregnant previously with Giles baby ('old friend') and lost the baby/terminated the pregnancy or in fact was pregnant when she left Sunnydale. Seeing her in his dream state, crying, in Restless, for me was Giles guilt that he could not leave Buffy and Sunnydale with Olivia and have a 'normal' life.

Like I say, I have absolutely no evidence for this and I understand it may of just been a bit of an oversight in regards to the poor introduction and exit of the character. I guess I just wished there was more to it?

I would love to hear some other theories on Olivia, shes a really mysterious character to me and I wish I could know more about her.

Any opinions or other theories are welcomed! PM or comment. Please be gentle with my theory. I've never discussed it with anyone before!

I love your theory and see it as completely plausible.

I never gave much thought to Olivia, honestly but now I am starting to!