Smarter with Demon Knowledge and about Magick: Giles vs. Wesley
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thetopher
Member of the Church Of Faith
I always thought that Giles had a wider knowledge of things from his life experience. He had an intuitive Watcher understanding of magic, rituals and different types of demons. We saw many times him recognise something, whether it was a demon, the side effects of a particular spell or a lost artefact all off the top of his head without a book in sight.
But Wesley was the better researcher by far. He was knowledgeable, meticulous, detailed and better with deciphering ancient lannguages/texts. When he researched he did it from every angle and rarely made mistakes (apart from that one, big, exception)
He was also very good at picking things up on the fly when required- but that was a skill he aquired a bit later on.
Giles was more flexable in his way of thinking (which made his the perfect choice to be Buffy's Watcher as it turned out) but Wesley was probably the smarter of the two.
I'm not sure who was better at magic and magical rituals though. In the comics it turns out that Giles had an apptitude from a young age and now freely casts spells with the new magic, he's able to keep up with Willow on occassion. On the other hand Wesley was able to go up against a very powerful mage by the end of S5. He lost, but it was still impressive.
I always considered Cyrus Vale to be the most powerful non-Willow magic user we saw on either show.
But Wesley was the better researcher by far. He was knowledgeable, meticulous, detailed and better with deciphering ancient lannguages/texts. When he researched he did it from every angle and rarely made mistakes (apart from that one, big, exception)
He was also very good at picking things up on the fly when required- but that was a skill he aquired a bit later on.
Giles was more flexable in his way of thinking (which made his the perfect choice to be Buffy's Watcher as it turned out) but Wesley was probably the smarter of the two.
I'm not sure who was better at magic and magical rituals though. In the comics it turns out that Giles had an apptitude from a young age and now freely casts spells with the new magic, he's able to keep up with Willow on occassion. On the other hand Wesley was able to go up against a very powerful mage by the end of S5. He lost, but it was still impressive.
I always considered Cyrus Vale to be the most powerful non-Willow magic user we saw on either show.
Magick and demon knowledge off the top of their head. Definitely Giles. I think Wes could have caught up, but as it was Giles was just older and had more experience. Especially because of his Ripper years, Giles seemed to have a lot of connections with demons and wiccas.
But I agree with thetopher, Wesley was phenomenal at what he did, and he was probably a much better researcher. I think by s5, he was also a much quicker learner than Giles.
But I agree with thetopher, Wesley was phenomenal at what he did, and he was probably a much better researcher. I think by s5, he was also a much quicker learner than Giles.
white avenger
white avenger
It has to be remembered that Giles had a wider base in magical knowledge and expertise because of his experiments in that field with Ethan Raines and the others before he ever studied to become a Watcher, so he, obviously, had a head start on Wesley due to that. I can't see a great deal of Giles' advancing beyond that original level, however, whereas Wes gained in skill, both in the use of magic and as a fighter almost as soon as he joined Angel's team. By the end of Season 5 of "Angel," I wouldn't be all that surprised if he were Giles' equal, if not superior, especially in the fighting area, considering the combined facts that he is younger and almost certainly stronger than Giles, and those two .45 automatics that Wes carries regularly have to count in his favor as well.
bespangeled
Scooby
Giles had a grasp of magic but we almost never saw him use it. Wesley used magic multiple times. Giles had a terrific research team (a plus for him in that he was able to delegate and find more) while Wesley worked alone. Personally I think Wesley was spot on from the start but his crippling insecurities and completely priggish behavior his it well. Once he realized that he would never be a fighter (rogue demon hunter) but his other less valued knowledge was useful I thin he would have beat Giles.
Sorry - comic free.
Sorry - comic free.
FlowerPower
Potential
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2011
- Messages
- 106
I agree that Wesley is a better researcher and his relative youth to Giles meant that he had more potential. Generally, I'd rate Wes as more naturally intelligent. Even more than Wesley's youth, I always felt that Wes ended up being more open-minded than the "traditional Watcher working with just his slayer with dusty books and magic". Wesley embraced science and computers to point that he could intelligently debate physics with Fred, revolutionize demon studies by writing an article on an alternative genetic code for demons, and ably use the computers in Fred's super-high-tech lab in S5 to productive ends (i.e. diagnosing Illyria's radioactivity and building a blaster to zap her energy). Giles was more open-minded than your standard Watcher back in England. However, he still stubbornly clung to mysticism and refused to learn scientific subjects or use a computer competently till the end. For that reason, I do think Wesley has a stronger "right-brain"- more analytical, more gifted in math and science, a more organized and logical brain. Giles frequently appears disorganized.
Both guys have an excellent command over language, they're very articulate, and they're both thoughtful to an equal extent, but Giles's wisdom honed by age allows him to stand-out.
I actually think Giles may be more gifted than Wesley in social skills and knowing how to handle people. However, Giles mostly only focused on his social gifts on Buffy and had very distant, non-meaningful relationships with the others. Meanwhile, Wesley worked harder at being social and earned close relationships with characters as different as Fred, Lilah, Gunn, Angel and Cordelia.
It's hard to judge in terms of magic. Giles demonstrated more magical strength and know-how through the series. However, Giles had a whole misspent youth where he worked out his magical abilities without the control of the Council. IMO, Wesley rigorously followed Council orders until the end of BtVS S3 so he never had the independence and free-form to really learn how to do magic as supposed to suspecting magic. It took him until AtS S5 to really start diving into magic, bolstered by his developed confidence and the confidence of having an entire W&H mystical team and tools to do advanced spells.
Both guys have an excellent command over language, they're very articulate, and they're both thoughtful to an equal extent, but Giles's wisdom honed by age allows him to stand-out.
I actually think Giles may be more gifted than Wesley in social skills and knowing how to handle people. However, Giles mostly only focused on his social gifts on Buffy and had very distant, non-meaningful relationships with the others. Meanwhile, Wesley worked harder at being social and earned close relationships with characters as different as Fred, Lilah, Gunn, Angel and Cordelia.
It's hard to judge in terms of magic. Giles demonstrated more magical strength and know-how through the series. However, Giles had a whole misspent youth where he worked out his magical abilities without the control of the Council. IMO, Wesley rigorously followed Council orders until the end of BtVS S3 so he never had the independence and free-form to really learn how to do magic as supposed to suspecting magic. It took him until AtS S5 to really start diving into magic, bolstered by his developed confidence and the confidence of having an entire W&H mystical team and tools to do advanced spells.
bespangeled
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