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Rupert Giles is a
fictional character
In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life perso ...
created by
Joss Whedon for the
television series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...
''
Buffy the Vampire Slayer''. The character is portrayed by
Anthony Stewart Head. He serves as
Buffy Summers
Buffy Anne Summers is the title character of the ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' franchise. She first appeared in the 1992 film ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' before going on to appear in The WB/UPN 1997–2003 television series and subsequent 1998� ...
' mentor and surrogate
father figure
A father figure is usually an older man, normally one with power, authority, or strength, with whom one can identify on a deeply psychology, psychological level and who generates emotions generally felt towards one's father. Despite the literal te ...
. The character proved popular with viewers, and Head's performance in the role was well received. Following ''Buffy''s run, Whedon intended to launch a television spin-off focused on the character, but
rights
Rights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical theory ...
issues prevented the project from developing. Outside of the television series, the character has appeared substantially in
Expanded Universe material such as novels, comic books, and short stories.
Giles' primary role in the series is
Watcher to Buffy (
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Sarah Michelle Prinze ( ; born April 14, 1977) is an American actress. After being spotted at the age of four in New York City, she made her screen acting debut in the television film ''An Invasion of Privacy'' (1983). A leading role on the te ...
) in her capacity as
vampire Slayer; he is in the employ of the Watchers' Council, a British organization that attempts to oversee the actions of the Slayer. From youth, Giles was expected to follow the family tradition and become a Watcher, though as a teenager and young adult he rebelled, dropping out of
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...
to experiment in
dark magic
Black magic, also known as dark magic, has traditionally referred to the use of supernatural powers or magic for evil and selfish purposes, specifically the seven magical arts prohibited by canon law, as expounded by Johannes Hartlieb in 145 ...
and the
rock music
Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States an ...
scene, until a bereavement brought him to his senses. In adulthood, his loyalty to Buffy and
her group of friends costs him his job for a time. As the series progresses, Giles increasingly becomes a father figure to Buffy and her friends
Willow
Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist so ...
(
Alyson Hannigan
Alyson Lee Hannigan (born March 24, 1974) is an American actress. After starting her career at age four with appearances in commercials, she moved to Hollywood at age 11 and soon got an agent.
Hannigan began her film career with supporting ro ...
) and
Xander (
Nicholas Brendon
Nicholas Brendon Schultz (born April 12, 1971), known professionally as Nicholas Brendon, is an American actor and writer. He is best known for playing Xander Harris in the television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1997–2003) and Kevin L ...
). His encyclopedic knowledge, affinity for magic, moderate fighting skills and willingness to kill when necessary make him an asset to Buffy in her fight against the supernatural evils that plague
Sunnydale, California.
Following ''Buffy''s conclusion in 2003, Whedon intended to continue Giles' story as a spin-off series, ''
Ripper
Ripper or The Ripper may refer to:
People
* Ripper (surname)
* Paul Burchill, ring name "The Ripper", a professional wrestler based on Jack the Ripper
* Kirk Hammett, nicknamed "The Ripper", the lead guitarist in the heavy metal band Metallica ...
'', which he intended to produce with the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
. The series was to depict Giles in
ghost stories set in present-day England, coping with loneliness as well as figurative ghosts from his own chequered past. Over several years Whedon restated his commitment to the project, though announced it would take the form of a one-off TV movie. Despite Head's availability and the BBC's willingness to fund the project, rights issues concerning the character ultimately led to it not developing further.
Canonically, the character's story is continued in the comic book ''
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight
''Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight'' is a comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics from 2007 to 2011. The series serves as a canonical continuation of the television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', and follows the events of that ...
'' (2007–2011) and subsequent stories. The ''Season Eight'' sequel ''
Angel & Faith'' (2011–) heavily features Giles and utilizes ideas and characters from the proposed ''Ripper'' spin-off.
Biography
Character history
Rupert Edmund Giles (most frequently called ''Giles'') was born circa 1955 in England. His family has worked within the
Council of Watchers for at least three generations; both his father and grandmother, Edna Giles (''née'' Fairweather), were also
Watchers. As a child, Giles dreamed of being either "a fighter pilot or possibly a grocer", but he soon learned that being a Watcher is a
calling, much as being a
Slayer is, and Rupert's father explained his destiny to him when he was ten years old (revealed in "
Never Kill a Boy on the First Date").
Although the Scooby Gang later joked that he wore tweed diapers as a child, Giles was in fact a rebellious youth, rejecting his responsibility as a Watcher and dropping out of
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...
, where he was studying history, when he was twenty-one. During this time, Giles claimed to be a founding member of
Pink Floyd in order to impress girls (although since Pink Floyd was founded in 1965, when Giles would have been around ten years old, it was not a particularly credible claim), and may have delved into criminal activity (he
remarks that hot-wiring a car is "like riding a bloody bicycle", and
a psychologically younger Giles has no qualms about breaking into a clothing store and attacking a police officer). He is a talented singer and guitar player (as Head is in real life) which the gang discovered, to their astonishment, when they saw him singing "
Behind Blue Eyes
"Behind Blue Eyes" is a song by English rock band the Who. It is the second single from the band's fifth album, ''Who's Next'' (1971), and was originally written by Pete Townshend for his '' Lifehouse'' project. The song is one of the Who's best ...
" by The Who in "
Where the Wild Things Are". Spike also saw him singing "
Free Bird
"Free Bird", also spelled "Freebird", is a song written by Allen Collins and Ronnie Van Zant and performed by American rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. The song featured on the band's debut album in 1973.
Released as a single in November 1974, "Fr ...
" by Lynyrd Skynyrd in "
The Yoko Factor".
He began to explore dark magic and befriended a group of young people who delved into the dark arts for fun or money:
Ethan Rayne, Philip Henry, Dierdre Page, Thomas Sutcliff, and Randall. Giles gained the nickname "Ripper" during this time. Together, the group summoned a demon called Eyghon, who would possess and eventually destroy Randall.
Following Randall's death, Ethan and the others failed to exorcise Eyghon, and Giles accepted his destiny of becoming a Watcher. Before becoming a fully-fledged Watcher, he also worked as "the curator of a British museum, maybe ''the''
British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
" as Willow says ("
Welcome to the Hellmouth"), although, given the context, she may well have been repeating a rumor that was going around the school.
Sunnydale
At the behest of the
Watchers' Council
In the fictional universe written by the television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and ''Angel'', a Watcher is a member of a secret organization of parapsychologists, the Watchers' Council, which seeks to prepare the Slayer to fight demonic ...
, Giles travels to
Sunnydale
Sunnydale is the fictional setting for the U.S. television drama ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1997–2003). Series creator Joss Whedon conceived the town as a representation of a generic California city, as well as a narrative parody of the al ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, and works as the
librarian at the local high school. There he meets the current
Slayer,
Buffy Summers
Buffy Anne Summers is the title character of the ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' franchise. She first appeared in the 1992 film ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' before going on to appear in The WB/UPN 1997–2003 television series and subsequent 1998� ...
, whom he begins training. The library, a sort of command center for Buffy's demon-hunting gang, sits right above the Hellmouth.
As the
Watcher, librarian, and general authority figure, Giles often delivers exposition. He is a father figure to Buffy and her friends
Xander Harris and
Willow Rosenberg, together forming the "core four" of the Scooby Gang. Giles is often portrayed as something of a "straight man" and his "stuffy"
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
sensibility serves as counterpoint to the stereotypical Southern Californian characters and setting. He makes a "weird cluck-cluck sound with his tongue" when he is angry but is "too English to say anything" ("
Faith, Hope & Trick
"Faith, Hope & Trick" is the third episode of season three of the television show ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer''. This episode introduces the character Faith, another vampire slayer, who will become a key player in Sunnydale. While the rest of the ...
"). He admits to being
technophobic, a fact which often brings him into conflict with technopagan and computer science teacher,
Jenny Calendar
Jenny Calendar is a fictional character in the fantasy television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1997–2003). Played by Robia LaMorte, Jenny is the computer teacher at Sunnydale High School. Unbeknownst to Buffy or anyone else, Jenny Calen ...
. However, after Jenny aids him in casting the demon Moloch out of the Internet, the pair reach an understanding and begin a romantic relationship. Despite his obvious fear with modern technology, Giles is quite adept with computers, which is required in his occupation as a librarian (Season Three episode "
Gingerbread").
In Season Two, Giles' dark side is revealed and his relationship with Jenny deepens. In "
The Dark Age", Ethan Rayne comes to Sunnydale to flee the demon Eyghon. Giles ashamedly admits to Buffy that he was responsible for summoning the demon in his youth, and is horrified when Jenny becomes possessed by Eyghon. Although Eyghon is defeated, Jenny takes time to cope with her ordeal, remaining distant from Giles in the meantime. When new Slayer
Kendra Young
This article lists the major and recurring fictional characters created by Joss Whedon for the television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer''. For detailed descriptions, see individual character pages.
Cast Main cast
The following characters we ...
arrives in Sunnydale, Giles shares with her an appreciation for obscure texts, resulting in Buffy nicknaming her the "She-Giles." Giles feels betrayed when Jenny reveals she is actually a member of the Kalderash gypsy clan, sent to keep an eye on Buffy's relationship with the vampire
Angel
In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God.
Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles inclu ...
. When Angel loses his soul he reverts to his evil, sadistic alter ego Angelus. Angelus murders Jenny, leaving her corpse for Giles to find in a romantic setting in his apartment ("
Passion"), Giles seeks revenge by burning down Angelus' base. Angelus later kidnaps and tortures him, and
Drusilla hypnotizes him into thinking she is Jenny so he will reveal how to awake
Acathla. Buffy is forced to kill Angel to save the world, despite Willow's restoring his soul, and subsequently leaves Sunnydale.
In Season Three, Giles's paternal feelings for Buffy strengthen significantly. He spends the summer desperately following up every clue as to Buffy's whereabouts, and is overjoyed when she finally returns months later. Giles briefly serves as Watcher for Kendra's replacement Slayer,
Faith Lehane
Faith Lehane is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV series), Buffy the Vampire Slayer''. Played by actress Eliza Dushku, Faith was introduced in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (se ...
. The Scoobies are given another disturbing glimpse in Giles' past when, along with every other adult in Sunnydale, he reverts to being a teenager by enchanted band candy supplied by Ethan Rayne. He indulges in theft and vandalism, and makes out with and has sex with Buffy's mother,
Joyce Summers
Joyce Summers is a fictional character in the action-horror television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1997–2003). Played by Kristine Sutherland, Joyce is the mother of the main character, Buffy Summers, and appears in 58 of the 144 episod ...
. When Buffy keeps Angel's return from hell a secret from the other Scoobies, Giles feels betrayed by her love for the man who tortured him and murdered Jenny, but later agrees to help Angel in "
Amends".
As Buffy's Cruciamentum approaches (a brutal tradition of the
Watchers' Council
In the fictional universe written by the television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and ''Angel'', a Watcher is a member of a secret organization of parapsychologists, the Watchers' Council, which seeks to prepare the Slayer to fight demonic ...
in which a depowered Slayer is forced to battle a particularly dangerous vampire using only her wits), Giles struggles to cope with the guilt of betraying Buffy's trust. Despite describing the test as "an archaic exercise in cruelty", he secretly injects Buffy with muscle relaxants and adrenaline suppressors, which weaken her significantly, before finally coming clean when the vampire she is meant to fight escapes. Buffy is disgusted, but is later moved when Giles interferes to save her life and is subsequently dismissed for having a father's love for her. Giles is fired, and replaced with
Wesley Wyndam-Pryce
Wesley Wyndam-Pryce (also spelled Wyndam-Price and Wyndham-Price) is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and ''Angel''. Played by Alexis Denisof, Wesley first appeared in the fourtee ...
, but continues to act as Buffy's unofficial Watcher, proving especially helpful when Wesley turns out to be an incompetent coward. When Buffy briefly finds herself endowed with telepathic powers, she 'hears' her mother remembering that Giles was "like a
stevedore
A stevedore (), also called a longshoreman, a docker or a dockworker, is a waterfront manual laborer who is involved in loading and unloading ships, trucks, trains or airplanes.
After the shipping container revolution of the 1960s, the number ...
" during sex. In a battle with the demonic
Mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
of Sunnydale, Giles presses the trigger which destroys the Mayor and
Sunnydale High, putting himself out of a job.
In Season Four, Giles must cope with unemployment and a growing awareness that Buffy no longer needs him. He continues a sexual relationship with his old friend Olivia. Lacking a sense of purpose, he spends most of his time lounging around his apartment, watching ''
Passions
''Passions'' is an American television soap opera that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1999, to September 7, 2007, and on DirecTV's The 101 Network from September 17, 2007, to August 7, 2008. Created by screenwriter James E. Reilly and ...
'' with
Spike
Spike, spikes, or spiking may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Books
* ''The Spike'' (novel), a novel by Arnaud de Borchgrave
* ''The Spike'' (book), a nonfiction book by Damien Broderick
* ''The Spike'', a starship in Peter F. Hamilto ...
. He gets depressed, especially when the Scoobies fail to keep him in the loop regarding Buffy's new boyfriend
Riley Finn and his membership in the Initiative. In the episode "
Something Blue", Giles becomes blind as a result of a faulty spell cast by
Willow Rosenberg. When Ethan Rayne casts a spell on Giles which turns him into a Fyarl demon ("
A New Man"), he must enlist
Spike's help to escape the Initiative and Buffy, which believes him to be a demon who murdered Giles. Buffy, about to kill him, at the last moment recognizes his eyes and "annoyed" expression, and Ethan is taken into custody by the Initiative. In order to defeat the cyber-demonoid
Adam, Buffy, Willow, Xander and Giles cast a spell to combine their strength. Giles provides the "mind," and Buffy is able to defeat Adam.
At the beginning of Season Five, Giles no longer sees his place in Sunnydale and decides to go back to England, telling no one except Willow, whom he needs to organize the research documents for the Scoobies. He quickly abandons this decision when Buffy asks him to be her Watcher again, confessing that she needs him, both emotionally and in order to discover more about what being a Slayer means.
When the owner of The Magic Box is killed by vampires, Giles is convinced by the shop's high profit margins to buy it, hiring Anya as his overly enthusiastic assistant. Buffy learns that her sister,
Dawn Summers, is actually the Key: mystical energy disguised in human form to conceal it from the hell-god
Glory. Buffy initially confides only in Giles about Dawn's true nature, and he decides to contact the
Watchers' Council
In the fictional universe written by the television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and ''Angel'', a Watcher is a member of a secret organization of parapsychologists, the Watchers' Council, which seeks to prepare the Slayer to fight demonic ...
for more information about Glory. In "
Checkpoint", Quentin Travers tries to coerce Buffy to obey the Council's demands, by threatening to have Giles deported. Buffy stands up to the Council, pointing out that without her there's no need for a Council, and tells them to give her all information concerning Glory and to reinstate Giles as her official Watcher. Travers reluctantly agrees, and leaves.
As the Scoobies labor to find a way to defeat Glory, Giles brings up the difficult idea of killing Dawn to end Glory's plans to take over the world. Buffy vows to protect Dawn at all costs. Glory shares her body with an innocent human named
Ben, and can be killed if Ben dies. In the final battle against Glory, Buffy abandons the fight when Glory turns back into a wounded Ben, so that she can save Dawn. Giles is less merciful. Explaining that Buffy is a hero and therefore different from the rest of humanity, he suffocates Ben with his bare hands ("
The Gift").
Season Six sees Giles reluctantly stepping back to allow Buffy to gain independence. One hundred and forty-seven days after her death, Giles decides to return to England. On the very day he leaves, Willow, Xander, Anya and
Tara resurrect Buffy, and he comes back as soon as he hears of this. Despite being overjoyed to have Buffy back, he is furious at Willow for invoking such dark magic, and angrily dismisses her as "a rank, arrogant amateur." While the other Scoobies believe Buffy was in Hell, Giles is not convinced, and his suspicions prove true when
a demon's musical spell causes Buffy to reveal to them all that she was indeed in Heaven. As Buffy begins to rely excessively on Giles for financial and emotional support, he decides his presence is preventing her assuming responsibility for her life. He leaves again for his native England, moving to a place near
Bath, where he works with a powerful local
coven.
A few months later, Tara is killed by a stray bullet as
Warren Mears
Warren Mears is a fictional character that is portrayed by Adam Busch in the American television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer''. The character also appears in canonical comic book series continuation of that series. He is the main antagonist ...
attacks Buffy. Willow, still recovering from an addiction to magic, suffers a relapse, kills Warren and attempts to kill his former partners in crime, before resolving to end humanity's pain (and her own) by destroying the world. Hearing of a dark power rising in Sunnydale, Giles teleports back there, wielding great magical power borrowed from the Devon Coven. As Dark Willow boasts of her indestructibility, Giles knocks her to the floor with a blast of magic energy, saying "I'd like to test that theory" ("
Two to Go"). After being filled in on everything that has happened to the Scoobies in his absence, Giles apologizes to Buffy, insisting that he never should have left them, but Buffy assures him that he did the right thing. Knowing that Willow is too strong to defeat, he tricks her into draining him of his white magics, which brings him near death. It also allows Xander to reason with Willow as the good magic brings out her natural love and compassion, eating away at the evil within her.
Giles returns to England with Willow for her rehabilitation. A few months later, he brings
Potential Slayers to
Sunnydale
Sunnydale is the fictional setting for the U.S. television drama ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1997–2003). Series creator Joss Whedon conceived the town as a representation of a generic California city, as well as a narrative parody of the al ...
to protect them from the
First Evil
The First Evil (usually called The First) is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the TV series '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer''. The First Evil first appeared in the third season episode " Amends", and became the main antagonist of the ...
and its
Bringers. Giles had removed a few volumes from the headquarters of the
Watchers' Council
In the fictional universe written by the television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and ''Angel'', a Watcher is a member of a secret organization of parapsychologists, the Watchers' Council, which seeks to prepare the Slayer to fight demonic ...
, which is soon afterward destroyed by
Caleb, an agent of the First. An injured Watcher named Robson witnessed Giles about to be decapitated by a Bringer before blacking out. When the Scoobies hear about this, they worry that Giles may have been killed and the First is merely impersonating him. They are relieved when Anya, Dawn, Xander and Andrew tackle him to the ground, proving he is corporeal and therefore not the First. Giles later loses Buffy's trust somewhat when he takes part in a scheme with
Robin Wood to kill
Spike
Spike, spikes, or spiking may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Books
* ''The Spike'' (novel), a novel by Arnaud de Borchgrave
* ''The Spike'' (book), a nonfiction book by Damien Broderick
* ''The Spike'', a starship in Peter F. Hamilto ...
("
Lies My Parents Told Me"). Buffy tells him, "I think you've taught me everything I need to know." Giles believes that Buffy kept Spike around for personal reasons rather than tactical ones; this is confirmed when she talks to Spike the night before the final battle under the Hellmouth. In the series finale, Giles participates in the battle of the Hellmouth, and survives.
Shortly after ''Buffy'' ended its seven-year televised run, there was talk of a Giles-based spin-off series for the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
entitled ''