In the Buffy episode "Once More With Feeling" the series has taken a journey down the road of "the musical" giving viewers a somewhat jovial yet disorienting perspective into the supernatural world that has, for the most part, been shown in a more serious tone. However the musical version of Buffy is a clever way for Whedon to advance the growth of his characters and for the characters to convey their "deepest feelings" for one another, which they normally wouldn't be able to do in the "normal" world of Buffy. In this episode especially, Giles' character undergoes the realization that perhaps now he should give Buffy her space to develop into, not just a better slayer but a better person, since she has been a bit apathetic after her revival.
With the "Musical" aspect of the episode Giles is able to be more fatherly to Buffy, admitting that he feels she is ,"not ready for the world outside...and I'm the reason you're standing still". This particular scene with Giles shows that he has, up until this point, been sheltering Buffy and now is resolved to let her be more independent, particularly when he tells Buffy that he will not go with her to save Dawn, even though he follows afterwards anyways.
The musical gave Whedon the harmony he needed to continue the growth of his characters not just physically but musically, allowing the characters to be more open with each other without sacrificing real emotional hurt.
P.s. for those who are interested in the fatherly aspect of Giles in Buffy, he is just as protective in Repo the Genetic Opera where he is overbearing of his "daughter" in the film, restricting her from seeing the world outside/
4 comments:
I'm really interested in the part where you say Giles is supposed to make Buffy a better person, do you think that is his job as a watcher, or has he self-imposed that job on himself because he loves her (like a father)?
Thanks for the inspiration, Phil! I totally went with the father angle in my post about "Repo."
And Cait...
I think as a watcher Giles is supposed to help Buffy in a more physical way to defeat evil. After all, the council is depicted as being unconcerned with the emotional stability or growth of the Slayer. Giles feels compelled to act as a father-like figure because he loves her, so he goes above and beyond his duty as her Watcher.
And there's this episode in Season 3 ("Helpless") where he gets fired from the council because he has "a father's love" for Buffy--not what a watcher should have. Very good episode, by the way.
On a funnier note, in the season 4 episode "Something Blue," a love spell leads to Buffy and Spike being temporarily engaged. It's all kinds of hilarious. Anyway, Giles is touched (momentarily) when Buffy asks if she will give him away when she marries Spike, because he's like a father to her.
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