Wesley In Sunnydale

[Cordy_Chase]

Let's not forget he was both the slayers' watcher as they had fired Giles as Buffy's and I forget the episode but Wesley straight up reminds her of this when she attempts to take a slayer concern to Giles. Possibly the very reason he was chosen, he takes the job very seriously and values the rules of the slayer. Remember Giles was fired for having an affection for Buffy that caused he to get away with things like having friends in on the territory or really at all. Perhaps he had shown promise though and this job was where his authority had proven weak and even reckless.

His character growth in 'Angel' is brilliant, he gained a lot of confidence, courage and fighting skill as a rouge demon hunter as opposed to a watcher. As a result his authority had become a lot stronger when he took over Angel Investigations. Where I left off in the beginning of the third season, he had been able to step up and take control when Gunn had acted extremely out of line the way he needed to be able to with Faith when he had her in custody. I think failing with Faith had had a profound effect on him. He had become a lot more focused and even compassionate while actually directly dealing with the situations in 'Angel'.

I must say that this subject reminds me of how much I love Giles telling Wesley that he has the emotional maturity of a blueberry scone in 'Prom'. One of the most hilarious lines in the series. XD

 

[Yosso]

Wesley was Head Boy at the Watchers' Academy, so on paper he probably seemed like the perfect candidate for Watcher. In practice, no. I assume that Wesley was able to prove to the Council he was capable, but their assessment methods aren't at all relevant to the real world of dealing with vampires. It shows the Council's incompetence, really.

 

[Buffyverse Fan]

As many said, Wesley looked good on paper. Also, nepotism is just as bad in real life as it could be among the Watchers.

I always thought Giles would be the greater question. It seems implied in BS9 (much of which Joss wrote midway into the show, planning to spinoff Giles into his own show) that Edna Giles, his grandmother, covered up his Ripper days; and she's implied to be one of the greatest Watchers in history.

That said, after her passing, it's made very clear that Giles is considered an outcast among the Council--particularly his lamenting being excluded from their annual retreat. It's also obvious that even aside from his Ripper days, he's always been something of a rebel to their authority and methods. In the Wishverse, his town is literally overrun by a vampire, yet they leave him stationed there with no backup except untrained children. That's pretty bad considering we see that the Council employs combat operatives.

Wes on the other hand aced his exams, and cowers to the authority of the Council. He seems a perfect fit. It also wouldn't be surprising if he did well in his practicals. It was pretty clear that he was always a talented fighter & mage, but let his nerves get the better of him early on. In a "controlled setting" he very well may have performed amazingly at both. In the Birthdayverse, Wes/Gunn pretty much filled Doyle, Cordelia, and Angel's shoes--and in that timeline, we're only talking months after he left Sunnydale.

 

[EffieT1]

Another question, why send Wes to watch both girls couldn't the council spare a watcher per. Honestly one would think theyd be killing themselves to be proper watchers seeing as how the post is probably only open once every few years for the chosen one

 

[Cordy_Chase]

Another question, why send Wes to watch both girls couldn't the council spare a watcher per. Honestly one would think theyd be killing themselves to be proper watchers seeing as how the post is probably only open once every few years for the chosen one

They did try that, they assigned Gwendolyn Post to Faith before Giles was fired as Buffy's watcher but we all know how badly that went. 😛

 

[Lyri]

They did try that, they assigned Gwendolyn Post to Faith before Giles was fired as Buffy's watcher but we all know how badly that went. 😛

No, they didn't. Post wasn't sent by the Council, she went to Sunnydale herself to find the glove-thingie and used Faith to get it. The Council sent out a 'memo' to inform everyone that Post had gone off the rails and was heading towards the dark side, a memo that Giles never got.

 

[Cordy_Chase]

No, they didn't. Post wasn't sent by the Council, she went to Sunnydale herself to find the glove-thingie and used Faith to get it. The Council sent out a 'memo' to inform everyone that Post had gone off the rails and was heading towards the dark side, a memo that Giles never got.

Ugh, my bad. Idiotically didn't catch that. XP