Template:Infobox Buffyverse Character
Rupert Giles (born 1954 in London, England) is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the cult television program, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The character is portrayed by Anthony Stewart Head.
Biography
Character History
Rupert Giles was born in 1954 in London, England into a upper class family who had worked within the Council Of Watchers for a least three generations. Both his father and grandmother, Edna Giles, were watchers and it is strongly implied that Rupert was at odds with them throughout his early life. It was believed that being a watcher is a calling, much as being a slayer is. At 21 years of age, he started rebelling against his upbringing and dropped out of Oxford University where he was studying at the time. He began to delve into dark magics and experimented with the conjuring up of demons where he befriended a group of young warlocks and witches; Ethan Rayne, Philip Henry, Diedre Page, Thomas Sutcliff and a man named Randall. Together, they summoned a particularly grostesque demon called Eyghon, who murdered Randall. He gained the nickname "Ripper" during this time. The past would later come back to haunt him in the second season episode, The Dark Age.
Eventually, he learned to accept his destiny as a watcher (presumably due to the guilt of being responsible for his friend's death) and as an adult he traveled to Sunnydale, California. He took a position as a librarian at the local high school and met with the current slayer, Buffy Summers, who he began training almost immediately.
As the watcher, librarian, and general authority figure, Giles' character was often used to deliver the expository scene of an episode. Throughout the series, Giles served as a father figure to Buffy and her core group of friends; Xander and Willow. All of their fathers were often declared or implied to be absent or inadequate with Buffy and Xander's fathers rarely seen and Willow's father never seen. His character was often portrayed as somewhat of a "straight man" and his "stuffy" British sensibility served as counterpoint to the stereotypical Southern Californian characters and setting.
With the destruction of Sunnydale High and hence the end of his job as a librarian, Giles bought the local magic shop, The Magic Box. After Buffy sacrificed her life to save the world in the fifth season of the show, a grieving Giles planned to return to Britain permanently. But on the very day he left, Buffy was resurrected from the dead. When he learned of this, Giles returned albeit briefly. He soon decided that his presence was preventing Buffy from assuming responsibility for her own life. Giles left again for his native England, moving to a place near Bath; a decision he later regretted.
Months later, after spending time with a local and powerful coven, Giles returned to Sunnydale after learning about the death of Willow's girlfriend, Tara, who was accidentally murdered. Willow, already reeling from an addiction to dark magic, began a killing spree of revenge. Returning with great magical power borrowed from the coven and the knowledge that Willow was too strong for him, Giles tricked her into draning him of his magics, allowing Xander to reason with her as the good magic brought out her natural love and compassion, eating away at the evil energy.
After this, he returned to England with Willow for her rehabilitation. Giles returned a few months later, bringing with him the remaining potential slayers, to help in the final battle against The First Evil who had already begun its attack on the slayer line and who had destroyed the Watchers' Council. After the First's plans was foiled and Sunnydale was destroyed, he traveled to Europe with Buffy and presumably began recreating the Watcher's Council.
Shortly after Anthony Stewart Head's departure from the series, there was talk about a spinoff series from Buffy the Vampire Slayer for the BBC entitled Ripper. However, as of 2004, the project is dead.
Powers & Abilities
Giles has immense knowledge of demonology and slayer combat, mainly due to his training as a watcher. He has dabbled in dark magics as a youth and his interest in witchcraft and socerery has lead into his adult life. He is fluent in several languages (such as Latin and ancient Greek).
Rupert was briefly transformed into a Fyral demon. In that form he had superhuman strength, was resistance to injury and could shoot a powerful binding mucus from his nose. He could also only speak the language of Fyral demons and had a powerful rage he was forced to suppress.
Giles was briefly granted the combined powers of a coven, which he used to bind the powers of Willow when she had gone mad from grief and rage.
Romantic Relationships
- Jenny Calendar - A computer teacher at Sunnydale High School whom Giles initially loathed (due to his hate of technology overtaking the traditional written word) but whom he eventually began a relationship with. When Angel reverted to his evil alter-ego, Angelus, during the second season, Jenny was revealed to be a descendant of the gypsy clan that had originally cursed him with a soul him a hundred-or-so years previously. Angry at not being told the truth about her anscenstry, Giles's relationship with Jenny cooled-off dramatically. However, not long after they reconciled, Jenny was brutally murdered by Angelus, leaving Giles devastated.
- Drusilla - The vampiric seer and the watcher shared a kiss as the former mystically tricked him into believing she was Jenny in order to gain information from him.
- Joyce Summers - When the adults of Sunnydale were under the influence of mystical candy in the season three episode Band Candy, Giles reverted to his rebellious teenage persona, Ripper. During this brief phase, he slept with Buffy's mother, Joyce, on the hood of a police car (twice). However, considering the extreme embarrasment after the effects of the candy had worn off, the pair were never again romantically involved.
- Olivia - Whilst unemployed during the fourth season, it was revealed that Giles had an "old friend"; a black British woman named Olivia, who seemed to share a sex-based relationship with him, but apparently nothing more than that.
- Anya Jenkins - When the gang lost their memories due to a spell gone wrong, Anya and Giles believed that they were romantically involved, engaged and owned the magic shop together. The two shared a kiss before their memories were reverted.
Appearances
Giles has appeared in:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Giles was a series regular in the show's first five seasons. However, following the events in The Gift, he disappeared from the opening credits. He appeared in 131 episodes overall. He has made guest appearances in the episodes:
Series 6 (2001, 2002) - Bargaining Part 1, Flooded, Life Serial, All The Way, Once More, With Feeling, Tabula Rasa, Two To Go, Grave.
Series 7 (2002, 2003) - Lessons, Beneath You, Sleeper, Bring On The Night, Showtime, The Killer In Me, First Date, Lies My Parents Told Me, Dirty Girls, Empty Places, Touched, End Of Days, Chosen.