The Case of Olivia: Giles' Special Friend

[Living Dead Boy]

So......I've recently rewatched some episodes from season four, and the one thing that made me stop and think was Olivia, and the complete....in my own words, unnecessary-ness of her. She literally stops by for two episodes.

She comes to town to see Giles. The first time we see her, she's literally wearing nothing but Giles' shirt.

Next time we see her, she comes back over, and they proceed to "shag".

She does appear again in "Restless", but that technically doesn't count.

I just would like to know......what was the point? What do you guys think? You think the writers just wanted to show us that he had a life, being the "gentleman of leisure" that he was? How do you think they met? I highly doubt she would fly all the way from England just for a booty call. 😛 Why was Olivia....really there?

 

[Spikefan31]

Yeah, I thought her presence was pretty random. But, oh well. The point? I don't know. 😀

 

[patriot1123]

I think she was designed to show that Giles had a life, but had been forced to leave it, and could only get back to it on the rare occasions when Olivia came to town.

And I still maintain that that can't possibly be Giles's shirt. I know it was probably supposed to be, but it's fitted, like a woman's shirt; and nowhere near big enough to fit a man Giles's size. 🙂 The wardrobe people (IMO) screwed up.

 

[Hale Caesar]

She was important to Giles arc in season 4.

Giles was feeling replaced by Maggie Walsh, he was dealing with being unemployed, he was dealing with Buffy and the others leaving high school and finding new lives. Basically he was feeling less and less wanted. He called Olivia because he had a need to feel wanted, she gave him some human contact. Olivia was never an important character, and we never knew much about her, so she was just "meh" to me

 

[BuffyElevated]

Olivia was ok, but I felt like she was just there to help us see that Giles did have a life past Buffy and being her Watcher. At that point, they were in talks to do "Ripper", so I was more afraid that her presence meant that Giles was leaving to do his own show, more than anything else. LOL
As far as the character herself, I was kinda indifferent to her. I didn't care that she was or wasn't there, but I never considered her a serious love interest for Giles.

 

[hazzard]

i didn't really care about olivia. we didn't learn anything about her, and i hate the reason she gives for leaving giles/not being his "booty call" anymore haha.
in my opinion, she was just a device to show that giles had a life other than being a watcher.

 

[Icarium]

What bugs me about Olivia is that it really seems that they retconned Giles's character. In early S2 he can't even manage to invite Jenny on a date without getting all stammer-y. Then Olivia arrives and suddenly it's revealed that she is an old "friend" of his who is ready to fly over the ocean just to "shag" him. The obvious implication is she has known him for a while and he has impressed her so much she comes to visit him from time to time. Yeah, okay Joss, maybe this season the comics will reveal that Xander used to date a supermodel back in S3 and just pretended to be depressed after the Cordelia break-up. 🙂

 

[WWGD]

I agree it was probably just to emphasize that Giles had a separate life besides the scoobies. She and him were more like acquaintances who had casual sex every now and then. She didn't even know anything about the demons and Giles' life as a watcher until she saw the Gentlemen in Hush. Then she pretty much told him she couldn't handle that and I don't think she ever came around again.

I guess I gotta agree that her presence was pretty unnecessary, even though it's not as if I disliked (or liked) her character.

 

[BuffyElevated]

What bugs me about Olivia is that it really seems that they retconned Giles's character. In early S2 he can't even manage to invite Jenny on a date without getting all stammer-y. Then Olivia arrives and suddenly it's revealed that she is an old "friend" of his who is ready to fly over the ocean just to "shag" him. The obvious implication is she has known him for a while and he has impressed her so much she comes to visit him from time to time. Yeah, okay Joss, maybe this season the comics will reveal that Xander used to date a supermodel back in S3 and just pretended to be depressed after the Cordelia break-up. 🙂

You know I never really thought about it like that... In that case, it really does seem VERY OOC for Giles to have some chick who would hop on a plane just to come over for a little mattress dancin' and then go home. Hmmm...

 

[Ripper666]

I liked Olivia because she made Giles more interesting. You know that he had a past. And this past was the absolutely contrary from his now-life. The Ripper time was ... let's say different. Olivia seemed to know about both sides. The fact that she is still with him shows that Olivia herself has a mysterious past. She isn't just a woman, she knows about the "watcher" things. Or at least she wasn't shocked when GIles and Buffy discussed about such things. A mysterious woman and a ripping past. What could make a character more intersting?

 

[caritas08]

I have the same problem with Olivia that I have with Kennedy in that I feel both characters were created solely for the purpose of showing that Willow and Giles could move on from the tragic deaths of their love interests and have a love life post Jenny/Tara regardless of if they had any chemistry with Olivia/Kennedy or if it did anything for the story or character development. I would have been fine if they had given Giles a proper post Jenny love interest with development and backstory and all, but it was almost like they were thinking "It's been a while since we showed Giles can have a social life outside of tweed and cross referencing, better create some random woman for him to date."

 

[InsaneMystic]

I have the same problem with Olivia that I have with Kennedy in that I feel both characters were created solely for the purpose of showing that Willow and Giles could move on from the tragic deaths of their love interests and have a love life post Jenny/Tara regardless of if they had any chemistry with Olivia/Kennedy or if it did anything for the story or character development. I would have been fine if they had given Giles a proper post Jenny love interest with development and backstory and all, but it was almost like they were thinking "It's been a while since we showed Giles can have a social life outside of tweed and cross referencing, better create some random woman for him to date."

Aw, but at least Kennedy had characterization (enough that I, while loathing the Killow ship, do like her as a character). Olivia instead was literally nothing but a walking (background side-)Plot Device. Without pants. 😛

 

[Rack]

I highly doubt she would fly all the way from England just for a booty call. 😛 Why was Olivia....really there?

Obviously you have never made a transcontinental booty call, or discovered the booty that was worth calling 'cross the Pond for. 😀

 

[Living Dead Boy]

Obviously you have never made a transcontinental booty call, or discovered the booty that was worth calling 'cross the Pond for. 😀

Oh really now? Guess I've missed out on some things, huh? 😛 😀

 

[Valjavertjinn]

I was never a fan of Olivia, personally. She is pretty much the only thing that ever really interfered with Calendiles, except for, well, Jenny's death. It bruised my Giles/Jenny pride to see her there. 🙁
But I guess she was important to Giles' Season Four Arc...

 

[RipperGilesFan]

I never really understood the purpose of Olivia, either. I was also somehow confused she referred to him as `Ripper´, I was under the impression she was too young to have known him back in his Ripper days.