The concept of watchers

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Chasing Cordy

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I get the whole theory of the lone slayer, but what about the watcher and the watcher's council?

If there is only one slayer, what about the sole watcher?

I always complained about the existance of Faith being on the show as a slayer (before I understood the Buffy revival from death) but that still does not explain Giles and Wesly as the two watchers.

Was Wesley supposed to be Faith's watcher? Surely the watcher's council would not assign two slayers to just one watcher...mostly because we never had two slayers at one time before.

Are watchers called the same way as the slayer is called?
 
Well, Wesley was called to Sunnydale to watch the two slayers. If you remember, Giles had been fired for his acts during the Cruciementum. Wesley was there for both Buffy and Faith.

Now, I think Watchers are in the know their whole life. They know if they are destined to be a Watcher, and are just notified when they are chosen for the current activated slayer.
 
Pretty much what SpikedBuffy said. Giles was fired by Quentin Travers at the end of Helpless because he went against Council policy and helped Buffy during her Cruciamentum. Wesley was sent to Sunnydale as Watcher to both Buffy and Faith. Giles obviously remained in his "real" position as school librarian.

As you say, there was no set procedure for assigning two slayers to one Watcher, as prior to Buffy and Kendra (later Faith) there had never been two at the same time. When Faith arrived in Sunnydale after the death of her first Watcher the Council deemed it appropriate for Giles to train both her and Buffy. Later Wesley obviously assumed that responsibility ... well, attempted to, at least.

As for a Watcher being called, as far as i'm aware there is no set procedure for becoming a Watcher. In the case of both Giles and Wesley it was a family tradition but i doubt either of them were forced to become Watchers. More likely it was expected of them and they both chose to respect their family's wishes. However, as they are the only two examples we actually know of in any great detail it is hard to say if that is true for all Watchers. I would imagine that there are many who have followed their parents into the role (or at least there were before Caleb blew them all up) but just as many who have joined the Council via other avenues. Some perhaps were recommended to the Council as potential Watchers and asked to join whilst other stumbled into the world of slayers and Watchers by accident, similar to the way Andrew did. Until there is a more detailed look into the history of the Council it would be hard to say with any certainty.
 
For some reason i thought it was a inheritance thing, cos wesleys dad was a watcher and i think giles' was and we know from what wesley said in angel series 4 that the watchers do go to some school and do some form of training
 
Hey, how do they figure which Watcher watches which Potential?
Do they just pick names out of a hat or do the closest one?
'Cause, wasn't Giles in England before Sunnydale so how would that be closest?
 
Well, I think some may be in England, but the Council might choose to have a few around the globe to keep them posted on what's going on out there. Also, I don't think you HAVE to be a watcher if your parents are, but it's just common to have this tradition, but I think it's in no way a rule.
 
Well, Giles tells Buffy in Never Kill A Boy On The First Date that being a watcher is like being the slayer ... a destiny.

Giles: I was ten years old when my father told me I was destined to be a Watcher. He was one, and his, uh, mother before him, and I was to be next. I had very definite plans about my future. I was going to be a fighter pilot. Or possibly a grocer. Well, uh... My father gave me a very tiresome speech about, uh, responsibility and sacrifice.

I always interpreted that in the way that he had no real choice in terms of being chosen, just like Buffy had none. From Wesley we know that he went to the Watchers Academy in Southern Hampshire. So watchers, once they were chosen were trained and prepared in special institutions before they were assigened to a slayer.
 
galathea said:
Well, Giles tells Buffy in Never Kill A Boy On The First Date that being a watcher is like being the slayer ... a destiny.

Giles: I was ten years old when my father told me I was destined to be a Watcher. He was one, and his, uh, mother before him, and I was to be next. I had very definite plans about my future. I was going to be a fighter pilot. Or possibly a grocer. Well, uh... My father gave me a very tiresome speech about, uh, responsibility and sacrifice.

I always interpreted that in the way that he had no real choice in terms of being chosen, just like Buffy had none. From Wesley we know that he went to the Watchers Academy in Southern Hampshire. So watchers, once they were chosen were trained and prepared in special institutions before they were assigened to a slayer.
Click to expand...

Like i said in my post further up, i think that in the case of a Watcher it is more about doing what is expected of you, rather than following your destiny. In real life your father may be a policeman or a farmer, following in their own father's footsteps, and it may be expected of you to continue the family tradition, but that does not mean it is your destiny to do so.

Giles could very easily have chosen to ignore his father's wishes and do whatever he wanted with his life. He very nearly did so actually, as we found out in episodes like The Dark Age where it is discovered that as a teenager Giles rebelled against being a Watcher entirely. He may never have become one if not for what happened with Eyghon and the death of his friend.

Giles chose to become a Watcher eventually but it wasn't his destiny, just his decision.
 
I think it's in the first episode when Buffy has a banter with Giles and he says
"A slayer slays and a watcher..."
Buffy responds quickly by saying, "Watches?"

Giles quickly says no and the role of a watcher to to teach his/her slayer and help out.

So what's the deal with calling them "watchers" if the more correct term would be "teacher", "instructor", "guide"...and so on.
 
Just on the Giles moving to Sunnydale thing...
Buffy already had a watcher Merrick, and he died and then Buffy moved to Sunnydale and there was no watcher set up in Sunnydale, so they just chose a watcher to move too. And because Giles had been a third generation Watcher (At least) he probably would have been more respected then Watchers new to the fold. So they chose him!

On the term Watcher...
I can see where this name could have come about, I mean to Watch over someone is too guide and take care of them, a watcher has a similar duty to the slayer

And on the watchers Camp 🙂
There is one!
Giles: There's a Watchers' retreat every year in the Cotswolds. (walks
to the other end of the table) It's a lovely spot. It's very s-serene.
(everyone listens) There's horse riding and hiking and punting (smiles)
and lectures and discussions. It-I-it's... it's a great honor to be
invited. (a tad bitter) Or so I'm told.
Click to expand...

Faith, Hope and Trick
 
M
MentPatient
I remember that. That's horrible! They never invited Giles!
They probably chose the Watcher who trained best. Smartest, top of the class, whatever. Giles would definately be that! Hence he'd be chosen to go to Sunnydale and help buffy.
 
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