On Buffy the Vampire Slayer, it takes a village to raise a good Slayer and keep her alive. Buffy’s besties comprise her “Scooby Gang,” and they’re led by wise Watcher, Giles. It’s the sometimes stodgy, stuffed shirt who trains Buffy and helps her navigate some difficult moral quandaries.
With Buffy’s biological dad MIA, Giles fills in as the father figure in Buffy’s life. Even though their relationship is supposed to be all business, time and again, this twosome proves their relationship is very personal. Despite their closeness, Buffy and Giles’ relationship is far from perfect, and both have done each other wrong more than once. Here are the five worst things Giles did to Buffy, and five times she did Giles wrong.
Buffy: Lies About Attending A Fraternity Party
Feeling the constant pressure of being the Slayer and getting the brush-off from boyfriend-non-boyfriend Angel pushes Buffy a little over the edge on season 2’s “Reptile Boy.” Charmed by a handsome fraternity member with a pulse, Buffy lies to Giles – something she’s never done before – so she can attend a frat party with… Cordelia.
But being the Slayer means never getting a night off, especially when girls keep going missing, and the suspects include Buffy’s party hosts. Buffy and Cordy are set to become ritual sacrifices which seems like an excessive punishment for telling a white lie. Buffy’s life or death run-in with a demon snake doesn’t diminish Giles’ disappointment in his charge.
Giles: Sleeps With Buffy’s Mom
When it’s time for the Mayor to pay tribute to the demon Lurconis, he enlists the help of Ethan Rayne, Mr. Trick, Principal Snyder and the kids of Sunnydale High on season 3’s “Band Candy.” Forced to sell chocolate bars that cause all adults to revert back to teenagers, Buffy is forced to babysit her defiant mother who finds bad boy Giles irresistible.
Trying to rein in “Ripper Giles” is tough enough, but keeping his from making out with Joyce and preventing the death of cute babies is a lot for one Slayer to handle. Buffy is relieved to come to the rescue before things between her mom and Giles go beyond heavy petting but later finds out the two went all the way, twice. Giles would have taken this secret to the grave, but he couldn’t foresee Buffy getting short-term psychic powers. Sure, the candy is somewhat to blame, but when it comes to the Slayer’s mom, hands-off.
Buffy: Hides Faith’s Murder
Buffy goes through a very brief bad girl phase, partying, slaying and committing robbery with Faith. But the fun comes to a screeching halt when Faith accidentally kills Deputy Mayor Finch. Buffy’s all about Slayer bonding and not throwing Faith to the wolves, but she’s also eager to do the right thing.
Buffy’s hesitancy to tell Giles is just bad judgment, especially when Faith shows no remorse for her actions and attempts to make Buffy do the time for her crime. Buffy’s in over her head on this one, and all the lying just makes a bad situation worse.
Giles: Takes Away Buffy’s Powers
For her 18th birthday, Buffy gets a special present: she loses her powers and must face off against a serial-killer-turned vampire on season 3’s “Helpless.” It’s a Slayer rite of passage, and it’s up to Giles to inject Buffy with a concoction to weaken her. Buffy freaks at the thought of being a run-of-the-mill damsel in distress, but Giles has to keep this sadistic exercise designed by the Watchers Council a secret.
When Giles finally comes clean, Buffy feels betrayed that the father figure in her life isn’t much better than the real thing. He sees her suffering, questioning her destiny and says nothing. Not only does she have to fight a monster, but she also has to survive plain old Sunnydale.
Buffy: Runs Away From Home
After being forced to kill Angel just as he gets his soul back on the season 2 finale “Becoming,” Buffy runs away from Sunnydale and her mother, friends, and Watcher have no idea where she’s gone. While Buffy’s waiting tables in L.A. and dealing with demons and alternate dimensions, Giles is exhausting every conceivable lead trying to track her down.
Buffy flees because her entire world collapses, and her mother finally learns about her daughter’s secret superhero identify, but Buffy could at least drop Giles a postcard.
Giles: Leaves Town After Buffy Returns From The Dead
During season 6, Buffy has troubles reacclimating to the harsh reality of being alive after finally being at peace. Her mother is gone, and she’s got a little sister depending on her. A miserable Buffy keeps dropping the ball, expecting Giles to pick up the slack. He chooses a terrible time to decide to go back to England on “Tabula Rasa.”
Giles fears Buffy will never live up to her full potential and become independent as long as he’s around but leaving Buffy high and dry right after learning her friends ripped her from some heavenly dimension shows the worst kind of timing.
Buffy: Keeps Angel’s Return A Secret
When Angel loses his soul during season 2, it’s arguable that Giles suffers most of all. Angel kills Giles’ girlfriend, Jenny Calendar, and leaves her dead body in Giles’ bed. Angel also kidnaps and tortures Giles to get information on how to wake the demon Acathla and unleash hell on earth – typical Angelus hijinks.
So when Angel returns from a hell dimension, Buffy isn’t forthcoming with her friends or her Watcher. Buffy’s secret shows a huge lack of respect for Giles, and it doesn’t inspire confidence that she is 100 percent sure Angel won’t go all homicidal again. Buffy-Angel shippers aside, Buffy’s loyalty to her boyfriend over Giles just isn’t cool.
Giles: Fails To Share His “Ripper” Past
Giles’ past comes back to haunt him and everyone he cares about on season 2’s “The Dark Age.” It turns out back in the day, Giles aka “Ripper,” liked to dabble in black magic with his bet pals summoned a demon named Eyghon who killed one of them and returns to Sunnydale to finish the job.
Giles goes on a bender and when Buffy tries to intervene, he tells her in no uncertain terms to butt out. Ripper’s lucky this is one time Buffy refuses to obey his orders. Truthfully, it’s Miss Calendar who suffers the worst from Giles’ behavior, but Buffy’s life is on the line as well. Giles definitely misrepresents himself as something he’s not by keeping his youthful indiscretions to himself. Not to mention, it’s just a tad hypocritical.
Buffy: Doesn’t Tell Giles Everything About The Initiative
Buffy and Giles’ relationship goes through some growing pain once Buffy starts attending college during season 4. There’s the added complication of the Initiative (government-funded demon hunters) and mad scientist Maggie Walsh.
On “A New Man,” Giles is already feeling left out of Buffy’s life when he learns from Xander and Willow that Buffy’s new boyfriend Riley is a member of this top-secret agency and Maggie Walsh, who Buffy believes to be the smartest person she’s ever met, is in charge. Buffy’s wrapped up in all the high-tech flashiness of the Initiative, her new beau and Walsh. Giles has always been Buffy’s trusted adviser and father figure, and she discards him for the first new and shiny thing to come along.
Giles: Plots With Principal Wood
Everybody is confused by Buffy’s relationship with Spike, including Buffy and Spike, but Giles views Spike as nothing but a liability as Buffy and the Scoobies fight The First. Buffy is confident Spike has her back, but Principal Wood and Giles see a killer. The two men team up to take out Spike behind Buffy’s back during season 7’s “Lies My Parents Told Me.”
Giles’ role is to distract the Slayer, but Buffy figures out what’s up, and she isn’t a happy camper. Buffy’s all grown up and resents Giles’ intrusion and deception and his shadiness which is uncharacteristic Giles’ behavior. All it gets him is one brassed off Slayer who dismisses him as her Watcher once and for all.
