Rupert Giles had various relationships over the years.
Romantic[]
- “I'm not supposed to have a private life?”
- ―Rupert Giles[src]
Jennifer Calendar[]
Giles and Jenny.
A computer science teacher at Sunnydale High School, Jenny was a technopagan. Giles saw her at first as a symbol of the encroachment of sterile technology into the organic world of books, but they grew closer after cooperating to defeat the demon Moloch the Corruptor.[1] Giles and Jenny began to date each other, Jenny even taking him to a monster truck race, much to Giles's horror.[2] They went through a falling out after she was possessed by Eyghon the Sleepwalker, a demon from Giles's past,[3] only to eventually resume their relationship.[4] When Angel lost his soul, Jenny was found to be part of the Romani clan who had cursed him with a human soul in 1898. She revealed that she had been sent to Sunnydale to keep an eye on the vampire, not knowing about the loophole in the curse that cost Angel his soul. Feeling betrayed, Giles initially joined Buffy in ostracizing Jenny.[5] Buffy would later tell her that Giles missed her, so Jenny confessed to Giles that she fell in love with him; he soon found her dead, killed by a soulless Angel.[6]
Devastated by this event, he had attempted to kill Angel, only to be stopped by Buffy. He admitted that in all his years as Watcher he had buried many, but Jenny was the first that he loved.[6] Driven by grief, he had insisted soon after her death that she was haunting the school, despite the clear evidence that she wasn't.[7] When Drusilla had manipulated his mind by seeing "with his heart," the vampire appeared to him as Jenny, enabling Angel to find out how Acathla would be unleashed.[8] Her death caused Giles to maintain distrustful of Angel even after he was re-ensouled.[9] Many years later, Giles had to sacrifice a beloved memory in his life in order to anchor a spell that would bind a Plagiarus demon possessing a little girl, the memory being the day he fell in love with Jenny.[10]
Joyce Summers[]
Giles and Joyce.
Joyce and Giles became acquainted after Buffy moved to Sunnydale and he became her new Watcher, though his identity was initially a secret from her. It called Joyce's attention that a high school librarian was around Buffy so often,[11][12] until she discovered the truth about her daughter. Joyce told Giles she blamed him when Buffy ran away from home, because he had this relationship with her daughter behind her back.[13] They eventually shared parental roles in Buffy's life, often monitoring her school life and Slayer responsibilities.[12][14]
When Sunnydale's adult population came under the influence of magical chocolate, Giles reverted to his rebellious teenage persona, Ripper.[14] He romanced Joyce and got intimate with her twice, including once on the hood of a police car.[15] They became too embarrassed whenever they were around each other again.[14][16] After manifesting telepathy, Buffy realized to her great horror that her mother had slept with Giles and even told him about her discovery afterward.[15] In a moment she needed to prove her identity to Giles, she would later mention to him that her mother thought that he was like a "stevedore" during sex.[17]
Olivia Williams[]
During his period of unemployment, Giles began seeing this "old friend," an English woman with whom he seemed to share a casual, albeit sexual, relationship. He had once claimed to Olivia that he had been a founding member of Pink Floyd, as well as being into the occult. Olivia visited him from England around the time the Gentlemen came to Sunnydale, only then believing his tales about the supernatural.[18] Olivia was seen one last time in a dream state,[19] in which she was pregnant and had bonded him over Buffy when they took her in a "demon carnival."[19] Many years later, Olivia was present in Giles's funeral, when she was, according to Lavinia, very upset and distraught.[20] Olivia reunited with Giles following his resurrection, when he attempted to reignite their relationship; however, she rejected him due to his prepubescent body.[21] When Giles was able to return for a limited time to his adult body, he immediately contacted Olivia, so the two were able to finally spend the night together.[22]
Others[]
- Charlotte — An early crush of Giles's during his time as a Watcher-in-training, describing her as "whip-smart" and "beautiful." However, he had never found the courage to act on his interest in her or ask her out for tea. He was eventually be forced to witness her death at the hands of a Lorophage demon during a test from the Watchers Council that got out of control.[23]
- Hazel — Giles had mentioned kissing her at one point; she eventually became the wife of his old friend Lloyd Addison.[24]
- Roux — The vampire was a fellow student at Living Legend Academy Charter High School, where Giles was in an undercover investigation. Both with an older experienced mind trapped within a 16-years-old body, Giles maintained attracted to Roux even after he discovered her demonic identity.[24]
Mentorship[]
- “From time to time, I am asked — by people with an alarming lack of tact — why a man like myself, who has demonstrated an affinity for working with children, has none of his own. Other people's children are quite enough, thank you.”
- ―Rupert Giles[src]
Buffy Summers[]
Buffy and Giles.
Giles initially held an overall bad impression of Buffy, due to her original reluctance to accept her calling and acting like a seemingly vapid teenager girl. He initially remarked her as "willful and insolent" in his early Watcher notes.[25] However, Giles became immensely fond of her and took on the role of the father figure in her life, as her own father Hank Summers was never around and frequently, Buffy would face life and death situations with him. Their close bond became such that he was even willing to confront the Master, knowing that he would likely die, just to ensure that Buffy didn't have to;[26] On her birthday, when her father cancelled going to an ice show, Buffy attempted to convince him to go with her, recognizing him, on some level, as a father figure.[27]
Their relationship hit a strain when Giles had dosed her for her Tento di Cruciamentum on order of the Watchers Council on her 18th birthday. While Buffy was put in great danger against a powerful vampire, Giles confronted the Council over such cruel treatment. Buffy was initially furious that he had taken advantage of her trust, but was touched that he had stood up against them. However, Giles was promptly fired from the Watchers Council as he had developed a "father's love" for Buffy, which only caused him to be a liability.[27] Following Wesley's migration into the Scooby Gang and position as the new Watcher, Buffy still valued Giles's opinions much more and went to him directly instead of her actual Watcher, mostly because of her contempt for Wesley and respect for Giles.[25]
Following Buffy's entry into college, she became less dependent on Giles which often caused him to feel unappreciated and left out. Buffy had forgotten to tell Giles that her boyfriend Riley was one of the commandos in the Initiative and was deeply annoyed and hurt when everyone (even Spike and Anya) were aware of it. When Maggie Walsh had criticized Giles for being an "absent father figure", he was very offended by this claim and developed a dislike of the woman because of it.[28] Spike would later take note of Giles's feeling of uselessness as he attempted to turn the Scoobies against Buffy under orders of Adam. After Spike mentioned how Buffy did not need him anymore and treated him with no respect by constantly disobeying him, Giles had taken this to heart and began excessively drinking. He had shown abrupt rudeness towards Buffy and claimed Adam would easily destroy her since she no longer trained with him, clearly intoxicated with alcohol. Buffy showed great annoyance with this and described Giles as "funny drunk drooling on my shoes" when arguing that none of them would be able to help her,[29] but reconciled soon after.[30]
In a dream created by Sineya, Buffy was portrayed as acting as a young girl instead of her true age, and pulling Giles around like he was her father. Giles had shown protectiveness and his Watcher-like habits over Buffy but also started displaying a vague undertone of "tough love," foreshadowing his later departure of Sunnydale when Buffy refused to grow up after her resurrection. It also demonstrated how he was truly beginning to feel that she did not need him anymore as an adult.[19] Nevertheless, Giles's sense of Buffy not needing to learn anything from him anymore returned and though immensely proud of the girl he saw as a daughter, he had resolved to return to England. Before he could actually leave, Buffy confronted him and requested Giles begin her Slayer training again as she felt the desire to understand her true nature; Giles, pleased, agreed immediately.[31]
After the Watchers Council threatened to deport Giles back to England if Buffy didn't allow them to test her Slayer abilities, Giles expressed disgust at how low they would go, and the two shared a moment together.[32] When Spike's feelings for Buffy were exposed to the Scooby Gang, Giles was extremely protective of her and ordered Spike to leave them and move on with his life out of concern for Buffy.[33] When she was forced to be the legal guardian of Dawn, Buffy doubted she was mature enough to be suitable and begged Giles to take care of Dawn instead as an authority figure. He firmly declined, reminding Buffy that it was her job since she was Dawn's only family.[34] After getting severely wounded by a Knight of Byzantium, Giles confessed to Buffy his overwhelming pride in her and that he had always admired her ability to follow her heart above all else.[35] Buffy and Giles briefly argued with each other while on the run from Glory as he had suggested killing Dawn to save the world which Buffy refused. Upon seeing Buffy's lifeless body after she sacrificed herself, Giles was stunned and numb.[35]
Following Buffy's death, Giles was grief-stricken, feeling a great sense of failure for not keeping her from dying. Because of this, he remained in Sunnydale as well as the Magic Box despite Anya's frequent protests. Eventually, he departed to England[36] only to return immediately following Buffy's resurrection. Giles hugged Buffy upon seeing her and lovingly told her he had always seen her as a miracle. The two caught up, Giles expressing his worry over where she had been and how she was dealing with being back. Despite this, he argued with Willow over her reckless resurrection and that while he was glad she was alive again, he would've stopped it if he had been there, pointing out the consequences were far too risky.[37] As Buffy began to shirk off her adult duties to Giles such as paying bills,[38] Giles realized that he was standing in the way of her embracing adulthood, resolving to leave to England as he would always take the burden for her due to his hatred of watching her suffer. Buffy reacted with anger, believing him to be abandoning her in her time of need, and his departure became one of the many factors that caused her to embark on a highly destructive sexual relationship with Spike.[39]
His departure ended due to the Devon Coven's predictions of a dark force (a grief-stricken Willow) laying waste to the world and was instrumental in her defeat. Buffy and Giles returned to good terms, the former acknowledging that the latter was right in forcing her to stand on her own feet.[40] Giles aided Buffy against the First Evil, as well as the Potential Slayers but their relationship once again became strained. He had conspired with Robin Wood to take out Spike against Buffy's wishes, feeling him as being too much of a threat to be allowed to live and that her feelings for him were clouding her judgment. Furious at this, Buffy had roughly slammed the door in his face afterward.[41] Giles and Buffy also had another heated argument about her decision to face Caleb at where she thought he was and wanting everyone to accept it, being one of the many that forced her out of her own house.[42] They reconciled their bond soon before the battle at the Hellmouth.[43]
They went through another falling-out due to Giles's secrecy in his partnership with Faith,[44] falling out of speaking terms until forced into Tibet to hide from Twilight.[45] They finally seemed to make peace, only for Giles to have his neck broken by a Twilight-possessed Angel. Furious, stunned, and grief-stricken, Buffy smashed the Seed of Wonder, ending magic on Earth as a result. In his will, Giles had left Buffy the Slayer Handbook he had given to her long ago, Faith interpreting it as Buffy being the "true Slayer" and that she was still "number one son."[46] When he was brought back to life by Faith and Angel, Buffy was decided to remain in the dark of the development. While Angel was excited over telling her, Giles had felt differently. He reasoned that Buffy would not be there quick enough to help them defeat Whistler since he was an immediate threat, but also it was far too early to say such that when had just been resurrected in a matter of hours.[47] After the battle with Whistler, Giles decided to go to San Francisco, stating to Faith that the time he was at his best was when he was with Buffy.[48]
Willow Rosenberg[]
Willow and Giles.
Since she first asked Giles, "What can I do?" and he responded, "You can help me,"[citation needed] Willow proved to be an invaluable assistant in the fight against evil for both Giles and Buffy. Both highly intellectual and well read, Giles and Willow developed a very close and tight bond, having mutual respect for each other's talents, as Willow aided in demonic research and other aspects of helping the Slayer.[citation needed] Giles once claimed Willow was "truly the finest of all of us."[49]
Over time, Willow began to grow an affinity towards magical prowess, something Giles attempted to steer Willow clear from. He often warned her against using high-level magics, but eventually respected her talents as instrumental in the group.[citation needed] Their relationship became strained after Buffy's resurrection, with him calling her "a rank, arrogant amateur" and saying that, by resurrecting Buffy, she could've unleashed hell on Earth. Willow initially answered disregarding him, warning him to not "piss her off."[37] When Willow's grief turned apocalyptic, Giles fought against her and allowed her absorb his borrowed magic, in hopes it would connect with her humanity and aid in her defeat, nearly dying in the process.[40] Despite his near-death at the hands of Dark Willow, Giles forgave her immediately and took to his estate in England, aiding her in learning to recover from her addiction to magic and face her friends for her misdeeds, showing a new depth to their relationship.[50]
After Buffy and Giles's falling-out because of his secrecy with Faith,[44] while discussing Dracula-type vampires, Willow had noted to Buffy, "If Giles were here, he'd say 'Precisely!' and then rub his glasses on his shirt."[51] Following Giles's death, Willow grieved like the rest of the Scooby Gang. Despite her great respect and familial love for Giles, she initially disapproved of Angel's efforts to resurrect him, seeing it as ending in nothing but disaster.[52]
Alexander "Xander" Harris[]
Xander and Giles.
Giles and Xander, unlike Willow and Buffy, had a more conflicted relationship; Giles' serious warnings about Buffy's missions were often punctuated with a one-liner remark from Xander, which he found increasingly irritating, despite having the time to always counter it.[citation needed] He was often annoyed with Xander's behavior as Xander often joked about his doddering, such as winning a bet that Giles would mention consulting his books in less than 10 minutes,[53] and remarking that Giles is "shallow" like them for having a TV.[54] Giles tended to overlook Xander's approach to things,[citation needed] and noted that Xander always managed "to boil a complex thought down to its simplest possible form."[6]
Though at rare times Giles did react grimly to Xander's triviality, such as when Xander fell asleep while watching werewolf Oz,[55] opening the possibility that he escaped just when someone happened to have been brutally mauled to death, though the culprit eventually proved to be Pete. When Xander got split into his best and worst qualities, Giles had bluntly deduced that Xander was being a bad influence on himself, as they began to act childish in the same way.[56] Another example was when Giles expressed extreme annoyance at Xander's quips of "turning gay" after an unsuccessful date with Lissa, a demonic woman who had tried to kill him.[57] Nevertheless, they seemed to have some odd type of father/son bond for the most part. Xander and Giles were a lot alike. Xander may not had Giles's intelligence, but he had heart and his detective skills. Giles was proud of his decision to become a Watcher.[citation needed]
Cordelia Chase[]
Giles and Cordelia's relationship early on mirrored that of his bonds with Anya and Xander. Like most of the Scooby Gang, Giles was thoroughly annoyed by her lack of tact,[58] shallowness, and self-absorbed personality.[citation needed] He originally had a mild distaste of her and on one occasion had feigned her hair being messed up somehow, noting with satisfaction that Xander was right in it would cause her to leave.[59] While he eventually tried to ignore Cordelia's quirks, there were many occasions when he had failed. Such examples include when he questioned if she had ever heard of tact when she had mentioned Buffy's dead cousin,[58] when he snapped at her for asking incessant questions about demons while he was trying to focus,[58] and when he asked how one could "wake up in coma."[60]
Cordelia looked down on his stuffy, uptight attitude but did respect his knowledge of the supernatural and looked to him as the parental figure of the Scooby Gang like the rest of them. Cordelia vocally and frequently brought up her disgust over their research and work, yet nevertheless, cooperated in the group with helping Buffy.[citation needed] She had once distrusted Giles during Buffy's welcome back party, worried that he was a zombie, but she immediately recognized it was him when Giles had insulted her as being tiresome.[60] She had also told him she hated him when he had caused her to carry droppings of a toad for a spell without telling her what it was first, but was clearly exaggerating her words.[16]
Anya Jenkins[]
Initially, Giles was struck by Anya's abrupt rudeness, the first time when she told him to go away in his own home, because she wanted to talk to Xander alone and the second time when she referred to his girlfriend Olivia as his "orgasm friend."[18] Giles was also immensely annoyed and uncomfortable when Anya asked to have a threesome with Xander after he was split in two, requesting the group to ignore "the disturbing sex talk."[56]
Given how overwhelming running the Magic Box had proven for him, Giles recognized Anya's efficiency behind the counter and offered her a job.[61] Through this, Anya looked up to him as a keen businessman and as her boss, and he treated her like a daughter, albeit a strange one. They did have their argument when Giles unknowing sold Glory key ingredients to a dangerous ritual, Anya noticed the potency of the ingredients and asked if Giles was stupid whereon he replied: "Allow me to answer that question with a firing."[62] After Buffy's death, Anya became impatient with Giles as she wanted ownership over the Magic Box, which Giles eventually gave to her.[36] When Giles returned after Buffy's resurrection, Anya hugged him, though immediately informed him also that he could not have the shop again and that he signed papers.[37]
When Willow had performed a spell that backfired and caused everyone to lose their memories, Anya and Giles believed they were engaged due to the ring she was wearing and that they owned a magic shop together. However, they erupted into arguments easily when Anya kept creating bunnies from the wrong spell book and she had angrily claimed that she never understood all the British words he used around her. Giles had come to the conclusion that he was leaving her (due to the passport to England) and had understood why after Anya had hit him over the head with a book, as she felt a desire to seek vengeance on him. They had forgiven each other and shared a kiss, only for their memories to be restored right after. Neither of them ever brought it up again afterward, too embarrassed to do so and their relationship returned to its professional nature.[39] When Giles returned a second time during Willow's reign of evil, he briefly dispatched Willow and Anya informed him that she dyed her hair blond, just when he noticed that Buffy had cut hers. When Giles's magically energy was drained, Anya stayed with him, thinking the world would end and they would die.[40]
Dawn Summers[]
As he did with Buffy, Giles represented a strong father figure role in Dawn's life. However, on one occasion, he was asked to babysit Dawn while Buffy was at a party and had been forced to endure teenage pop music, eat cookie dough, and gossip about boys, much to Giles's horror. After the experience, Giles suggested a fourteen-year-old was too old to be babysat.[33] He also rejected taking up the role of Dawn's paternal guardian, believing that Buffy was the suitable option since she was her family.[34]
On the eve of the final battle with Glory, Giles had suggested that Dawn would have to be killed if they could not stop her in time, angering Buffy. He admitted he loved Dawn, but sometimes they would have to do things that others couldn't.[63] Despite this, Giles held fatherly affection for Dawn and was genuinely regretful after he decided to leave to England, reassuring an upset Dawn that he was only a phone call away.[36] When he returned, they had apparently been about to experiment with different cereals and mix them together, only to be attacked by a demon.[37] Giles gradually became the sole guardian of Dawn,[64] forced to scold her for her immature actions which were absently avoided by Buffy in Season Six. Later, Giles had comforted a guilty, upset Dawn after forcing Buffy out of her own house.[42] Because of their close bond, it's likely Dawn grieved for his passing.
Faith Lehane[]
Faith and Giles.
Faith met Giles when she revealed herself to the Scooby Gang as Kendra's successor. Faith first stated to Giles she would have "applied for a transfer" if she knew Watcher looked like Giles.[65] Giles recognized Faith's impulsive roguish nature and often had Buffy work with her to keep each other in check.[citation needed] After Faith accidentally killed Allan Finch, she attempted to blame Buffy entirely, but Giles recognized she wasn't good at lying. While Giles disapproved of having the Council deal with Faith, he saw that there was no help for her until she admitted what happened, and she had "a lot to face" before she could put this behind her.[66]
After the destruction of Sunnydale, Giles and Faith traveled together, defeating or counseling rogue Slayers.[67] During their brief partnership, Giles and Faith seemed to develop a close bond due to both of them having a strained relationship with Buffy at the time.[68] Faith later admitted to Angel that he was important to her and she missed him. It was shown that at one point she had shared with him her guilt over murdering Lester Worth and Giles had displayed great understanding, gently saying that he could make excuses about her being mentally unstable at the time but she still killed someone, and the best option was to outweigh the bad with a lifetime of good.[10]
It would appear that they had a combination of a partnership and a parental/child relationship, though, upon his death, Faith stated to Buffy that she [Buffy] was "number one son" and that Giles only gave her his estate in London as well as other things because he thought she needed it more than Buffy did.[46] Since then, Faith joined Angel in attempting to complete Giles's finished work and find a way to bring him back to life, although she was only going along with the plan so as to be there for him and stop him from going too far. Eventually, however, Faith began to be more emotionally immersed in resurrecting Giles. She realized that she desperately needed him back, Giles having become like a father to her during their travels together.[69]
When Giles was resurrected, Faith reacted with shock and disbelief at the form he had taken. Overcoming this and Giles's "raging preteen hormones," Faith and Giles quickly rekindled their bond. Giles had expressed to Faith his disconnection from the world and how felt he no longer had a place in it, struggling to find his purpose. Faith had tried to comfort him by comparing it to herself, but Giles denied her words. He dejectedly explained that he was sorry he did not come back as the authority figure she wanted but then claimed she did not need the old him anymore. In fact, as far he was concerned, no one truly needed him.[47] After Whistler's death, Giles and Faith argued over who would own his house in London. Giles insisted she should keep it so she'd have a place to rest while Faith believed he deserved it back since he wasn't dead anymore. However, the argument was briefly forgotten about when he asked if he could travel with Faith to San Francisco. While she initially believed he wanted to spend time with her, it turned out Giles's intention was to return to Buffy, much to Faith's visible disappointment.[48]
Friendship[]
Familial[]
The Giles family in 1964.
- Mr. Giles — Giles's father was a Watcher and held firm notions of responsibility and destiny. When Giles was still a child, his father had not allowed him to be a fighter pilot when he grew up and forced the duty as a future watcher on him, believing it to be his destiny and nothing else.[70] From the beginning, Giles had a tense relationship with his father but after a failed test against a supposed vampire (who turned out to be Lorophage demon) and the resulted deaths of Philip and Charlotte, it worsened. Giles angrily blamed him for testing them when none of them were ready, calling it murder. While his father pushed his notions of loyalty to the Watchers Council, Giles rebelled. Tired of being "chosen" to take part in a life he never wanted, he called his father and this way of life an obscenity, deciding to make his own choices that had nothing to do with being a watcher.[23]
- Edna Giles — As a young boy, Giles was revealed to be very close to his grandmother. According to Lavinia, this was partly because he had inherited her sense of honor and accordance with duty. Sophie claimed it was also because he thought she was so "bloody superior" because she had aged gracefully. When he had accidentally killed a light demon, Edna had agreed with her son to have him train to become a future Watcher because of his latent talents towards magics.[71] When Giles abandoned his studies at Oxford, Edna heard bad things about his ongoing life and sought him in one of his band presentations.[20] Together, they battled vampires at a disco club and talked while drinking whiskey. Edna advised about Rupert's guilty on summoning Eyghon the Sleepwalker, and appropriate ability to relate to Slayers,[72] successfully convincing him to return to his Watcher training.
- Lavinia Fairweather — Giles's great aunt that had been using magics for years to keep her appearance youthful. His relationship with her was apparently strained and estranged, due to his beliefs and contempt of his family using magic for such frivolous means. He had later in life rarely mentioned them, but seemed to care for her as he kept a family portrait of them up in his estate.[71] Following Giles's resurrection, his strained relationship with his aunts was immediately seen. Lavinia and Sophie were in accidentally responsible for his reversion to a 12-year old boy, due to their thoughts having been solely focused on the young child whose life they had ruined. Once aware of this, Giles proceeded to call them idiots and that had ruined his life once again in a fit of anger. Lavinia and her sister remained flippant of his attitude and instead teased him as being cute as a little boy, much to Giles's immense irritation.[47] Once the world was safe from the magical plague, Giles wanted to leave London, at least partially because of his distaste of being around his shallow aunts.[48]
- Sophronia Fairweather — Also his great aunt, Giles's relationship with Sophie mirrored his bond with Lavinia. Giles believed using magic for beauty care techniques were shallow and unethical. Rarely mentioning Sophie, he had kept one of their family portraits. [71] Being equally as responsible for Giles's resurrection as a twelve-year-old boy as her a sister, he had angrily pinned the blame on them and that claimed they had ruined his life once again. This earned him some lighthearted teasing of his "cute" form, not amusing Giles in the least.[47] He would eventually leave London, partially because he did not want to be around her or Lavinia.[48]
Antagonistic[]
- Ethan Rayne — During Giles's youth and rebellious years, he met Ethan and together they delved deeper together in the dark magics with a group. They consequently became best friends for some time until they went too far with their magics and summoned up a demon in the process. It had possessed their friend Randall and they had attempted to exorcise it, only to cause his death. Giles was guilt-stricken by this and distanced himself from dark magic, deciding to embrace his career as a Watcher. After this, Giles and Ethan became mortal enemies due to Ethan's continued fascination with dark magic and chaos.[3] Ethan later appeared in Sunnydale to wreak havoc on Halloween, which infuriated Giles with how little he changed.[73] When Giles reverted to his teenage, rebellious persona due to the magical candy, he had immediately been hostilely aggressive toward Ethan. He had attempted to beat him up several times, requesting Buffy to "knock his teeth down his throat." However, Buffy had prevented him from killing him as she needed information. Giles did, however, show great elation when she finally punched Ethan in the face.[14] The following year, Giles once again reunited with him but upon seeing him, he told Ethan bluntly that beating him up would improve his mood by quite a bit. However, he was persuaded by him to not fight him and, instead, decided to drink together and reminisce about the old days. Unfortunately, this backfired for Giles as Ethan ended up transforming him into a Fyarl demon. Giles desperately tried to find him and once he did, proceeded to furiously beat him up the point he would've killed him. However, Buffy and Riley prevented it and Ethan was able to reverse the spell.[28]
- Snyder — During his job as a librarian in Sunnydale High, Giles was forced to work under Principal Snyder. He was tolerant of him most of the time but only because he had to be. Giles harbored a distaste of the principal throughout all his years he worked under him and Snyder had looked down upon him as well, finding him incompetent. He had mostly disliked Giles, due to his failure to understand why he was so close to Buffy and so much potential in her; all he ever saw was an irresponsible delinquent. However, Giles had at one point threatened Snyder with violence when he didn't allow Buffy to be accepted back into his school.[60] When Snyder was eaten by the Mayor, along with the rest of the Scooby Gang, they did not miss him.[74]
- Gwendolyn Post — Post had appeared to the Scooby Gang under the guise of being Faith's new Watcher by orders of the council. Giles had been shown to be slightly offended and disappointed by this perceived development, likely because he had enjoyed training them both. Post had continually expressed a superior and pompous attitude to him, criticizing him for his lack of organization in his books and unorthodox methods of allowing Buffy and Faith so much freedom and lack of restrictions. She had even pushed it further by claiming the council believed he was becoming "too American," much to Giles's dismay and Buffy's shock. Giles had attempted to prove her wrong but was frustrated to realize it had taken him very long to find the proper book she had mentioned. Greatly annoyed with this and Post herself, Buffy had suggested somewhat jokingly if they could kill her and his response was " I think the council might frown upon that. " Despite his antagonism, they did have tea together only for Gwen to hit him severely over the head and knock him out.[9]
- Quentin Travers — After Buffy's Cruciamentum, Giles had spoken out harshly against Quentin, developing a great amount of disgust at his uncaring exterior and harsh ways. Quentin remained indifferent to this and instead took it upon himself to fire Giles from the Watchers Council, his reasoning being that he had betrayed the teachings of the council by aiding the Slayer, telling her the truth, and had developed an attachment to Buffy akin to that of a father's love. Therefore, he had declared him entirely useless to the council.[27] Giles would later reunite with him over a year later when he came to possibly give a job back to the Watchers Council if he had trained Buffy well enough through the traditional methods. Giles was shown to still be bitter over his last firing and was revolted when the Council threatened to deport him to England indefinitely if he did not comply to their orders. After Buffy turned the tables on the Council and Quentin, the two then ironically shared a drink together.[32] In the beginning, Quentin and Giles were depicted at being very different people. However, later in the following years, he ironically adopted some of Quentin's ruthlessness and "ends justify the means" beliefs.[63][41]
- Wesley Wyndam-Pryce — From the beginning, Wesley and Giles had a bad relationship. This was because of Wesley's original high superiority complex to mostly everyone, especially Giles who was his senior. Giles, on the other hand, had very little respect for his fellow Watcher]] and rarely ever took him seriously. Wesley was so incompetent during his time in Sunnydale that Buffy had continued going to Giles for advice instead of her new watcher, much to Wesley's great annoyance. He had also declared arrogantly that Giles had an emotional problem and that was his unusual attachment to the Slayer which exasperated the older man. They did, however, ironically clean their glasses once at exactly the same time without looking at each other.[25] Oddly enough, they seemed to have a slight bond of camaraderie as they often worked together as watchers for Faith and Buffy (Giles unofficially), even able to relate to each other somewhat due to their preferred resource of books. Giles and Wesley had even once participated in a fencing match, sparring each other. During the prom at Sunnydale High, Wesley had asked for advice from Giles and if he could dance with Cordelia despite being much older than her. Extremely annoyed by his, he had rudely told him she was eighteen years and bluntly insulted him by claiming that he had the "emotional maturity of a blueberry scone." Nevertheless, he told him to stop hesitating and do so already, fed up with Wesley and leaving him soon afterward. Despite this, Wesley had expressed gratitude even though he was still extremely offended by his remark.[75] After Sunnydale High was blown up upon defeating the Mayor, he had decided to check up on a whimpering Wesley, nevertheless seeming greatly amused by his incompetence once again.[74] They never saw each other again after Wesley left Sunnydale though Giles did mention him much, much later to Andrew. He had apparently had a very negative opinion of him still and found him pathetic, completely unaware of the drastic changes Wesley had undergone during his time in Angel Investigations.[76]
- Spike — Spike and Giles have always shared an intense dislike for each other. Because Spike was at first an evil, soulless vampire, Giles, like the rest of the Scooby Gang viewed him solely as a mortal enemy. When he was implanted with his chip by the Initiative and was left completely unable to harm humans, Giles tolerated Buffy's decision to let him live in his state of defenselessness, despite Spike's still-cruel ambitions. He even allowed Spike to live in his apartment for a while, though he did not try to hide his intense annoyance towards Spike during his time there. When Spike and Buffy were influenced to be engaged under magic, Giles was utterly disgusted by it. The idea of having Spike as a son-in-law horrified him, and he began drinking excessive amounts of Scotch (something he only did when in a bad mood).[77] He was quite happy to see Spike move to Xander's basement when the time came.[18] Later, when Giles was transformed into a Fyarl demon, he was forced to go to Spike to help as he spoke the Fyarl's language. Spike helped Giles, but still made him pay several hundred dollars for his services.[28] Afterward, Giles reluctantly thanked Spike for helping him when he needed it, only for him to be rude and annoyed with his presence. Giles did not forget this, and when Spike subsequently came to him for help, he refused until Spike paid back some of the money. Despite his immense dislike of him, Giles suggested Spike to leave Sunnydale for his own safety from the Initiative, only for Spike to refuse.[78] Giles had agreed to Spike's terms of never having him slain if he gave them information on the Initiative. However, Spike had manipulated him under the order of Adam and subtly taunted him over how Buffy rarely ever followed his orders and did not need him in her life anymore. Successfully hitting a weak point, Giles was depressed and began drinking large amounts of scotch.[29] Ironically, during a dream of Xander's, Giles had a close bond with Spike and decided to train him to be a watcher, claiming that "Spike was like a son to him." In Giles's own dream, however, Spike was displayed as attention-obsessed, willingly selling himself for others to take never-ending pictures of him. When he had snarkily made insinuations of Giles being unnecessary, he was irritated by the insensitivity, remarking that he still believed Buffy should've killed him.[19] Apparently, however, Giles had watched several episodes of Passions with Spike during his period of unemployment. Looking back on it, Giles was deeply ashamed and horrified at how low he had sunk in his directionless life, preferring to never speak of it.[79] When Spike's infatuation with Buffy was revealed to the Scoobies, Giles reacted most angrily out of all of them because of his fatherly love for Buffy. He shoved Spike in the chest and insisted to him that they (Giles and the Scoobies) weren't his way to Buffy, ordering Spike to move on with his life.[33] When Buffy decided to use Spike to help her protect Dawn, Giles was against it and wanted him to leave, clearly distrusting. However, his protests were silenced and he reluctantly let it go.[35] The following year, Giles seemed to have allowed Spike to help take care of Dawn after Buffy's death. When Dawn was kidnapped by Sweet, Giles insisted that Buffy rescue her alone. Spike vehemently disagreed with him and yelled at him for putting both Buffy and Dawn in danger, but Giles refused to listen and stated that he never wanted to hear his input. Later, when Willow botched a spell and caused the Scoobies to lose their memories, Giles and Spike thought they were father and son because of their British accents. Ironically, Giles stated that Spike gave off an air of familiarity and disappointment to him. The two shared an awkward hug and continued to believe they were related until the spell was broken. Giles returned to England shortly before Buffy began her sexual relationship with Spike, and returned after it had already ended, when there was a more problematic situation at hand. He expressed his worry to Buffy after Spike returned the following year, believing him dangerous despite the fact that he had regained his soul. He thought Spike was a distraction to Buffy, and that her feelings for him were clouding her judgment. After Spike's chip was removed, Giles reacted with anger and conspired with Robin Wood to kill Spike. When Buffy found out, she quickly went to stop the plan. Giles's decision caused Buffy to distance herself from him for quite some time. Before the battle against Twilight, Giles mentioned Spike, signifying that although he didn't particularly like him, he did acknowledge him as one of Buffy's "truest loves." Spike and Giles fought side-by-side again during the battle with Twilight. The fact that Spike helped Angel and Faith to eliminate Eyghon and allow his resurrection also changed his opinion. The two developed a good friendship relation and, like the others Scoobies, Giles also accepted his relationship with Buffy.
- Maggie Walsh — Giles had met Professor Walsh when he had decided to talk with her over Buffy. Their methods when it came to children greatly differed. Giles believed that it would be best to let them forge their own path in life while Walsh saw it as young people needing to be guided and controlled. She claimed Buffy's extreme independence and defiance was a product of an absent father figure. Being long established as a father figure to her, Giles was deeply offended by her remark. Naturally, he developed a dislike of the woman, insulting her as a "fishwife" later. In his Fyarl demon form, Giles had paid Spike another hundred dollars to purposely scare and torment her as revenge. He would later tell Buffy "he hated her quite a bit."[28]
Other[]
Angel[]
Giles was initially suspicious of Angel when he learned from Buffy that he was, in fact, a vampire. He had trouble believing that a vampire could want to help a Slayer, considering their generally soulless natures. Upon learning about Angel's curse, he regarded him with an even temper, and even commented that his love for Buffy was "rather poetic, in a maudlin sort of way." He treated Angel as a peer, sharing research material and prophecies with him, as well as allowing him to help the Scoobies.[26]
Halfway through Buffy's junior year, Angel's curse was broken and the soulless vampire was left to terrorize Sunnydale.[5] During his torment of Buffy and her friends, he murdered Jenny, a teacher with whom Giles had fallen in love. Giles was devastated to the point of irrationality, and set Angel's factory lair on fire and attacked him with a flaming baseball bat before being disarmed by Angel and rescued by Buffy.[6] When Angel needed information, he was quick to capture Giles, at which time he was tortured for hours by both Angel and Drusilla. After aligning herself with Spike, Buffy rescued him again and sent Angel to Acathla's dimension to save the world.[8]
When he returned unexpectedly, Giles was upset and wary.[9] He kept a loaded crossbow on hand when talking to Angel, but still attempted to help him with his hallucinations. Once Giles accepted that Angel was no longer a danger, the two were able to reconcile to a certain extent.[80] When Angel visited Sunnydale to help Buffy during Thanksgiving, he seemed to have lost much of his animosity toward him, suggesting that it would be less cruel to Buffy if he allowed her to see him. While Giles did criticize his belief that it was his job to protect Buffy, he seemed to understand why as Angel had rightly pointed out both of them knew she was not helpless, but were protective of her all the same.[81]
When Angel had called Giles for information on Faith, Giles had obliged and told him she had she left Sunnydale a week ago. However, Giles had withheld any specifics over what Faith had done to Buffy during her time there, and simply told Angel it was "rough."[82] Giles helped Angel twice during his time working at Wolfram & Hart; the first time, when the psychotic Slayer Dana was on the loose, Giles sent Andrew Wells to assist him,[76] while the second time, when Angel needed magical help to cure Fred that transformed her into Illyria, Giles insisted to them that Willow was unavailable.[83] On both occasions, it was suggested that Giles, like the other Scoobies, no longer trusted Angel due to his affiliation with Wolfram & Hart.
During the battle against Twilight, Giles delved into the crater of Sunnydale to search for the Seed of Wonder, where they were met in combat by a Twilight-possessed Angel. While Buffy and Angel fought, Xander expressed to Giles that he shouldn't get between them. Giles responded, "That's exactly where she needs me." He then took the scythe but was stopped from approaching the seed by Twilight, who violently snapped his neck.[84] Afterward, Angel expressed an intense desire to bring Giles back to life. Though the use of Mohra demon was out the question, it was later revealed that Angel could use a Tooth of Ammut to absorb fragments of Giles's soul into his body from various locations that were meaningful to the Watcher during his lifetime. As a result, Angel began taking on the characteristics and mannerisms of Giles.[20][85]
After a grueling effort of gathering pieces of Giles's soul, Angel and Faith successfully resurrected him. Although, due to his aunts' envisioning of him as a child, Giles had taken the form of his 12-year-old persona with all of his memories and experience of his true age intact. Shocked and extremely stressed by this development, he proceeded to criticize Angel for bringing him back like this. However, as he started to adjust, Giles agreed to help form a plan against Whistler and his followers. Eventually, he expressed sincere gratitude towards Angel for saving his soul from torment by Eyghon despite his disconnection from a world he felt no longer needed him. Giles made it clear to him and everyone that if he did die in this battle, he would accept it peacefully.[47] After stopping Whistler and his global plague, Giles and Angel are on friendly terms and have mutual respect for each other. Before leaving, the two had a discussion about "helping the helpless" and Giles promised Angel he would let him know when or if there was ever a right time for him to see Buffy again.[48]
Riley Finn[]
On Buffy's 19th birthday party, Giles was acquainted with her new boyfriend Riley. Giles was slightly surprised and wary of this given his protectiveness over Buffy but was polite and cordial nonetheless. However, Riley had inadvertently depressed Giles when he asked him if he had a job, reminding him again of his lack of direction and unemployment. Upon realizing that he was a part of the Initiative, Giles was cautious over his relationship with Buffy and warned her to be careful since the military facility was something neither of them truly understood.[28]
When Riley's allegiances lay with Buffy and he separated himself from the Initiative due to the threat of Adam and the work they did, Giles's suspicions died down. He remained to have a polite and respectful relationship with each other, but Giles and Riley for the most part never shared an extremely close relationship. Riley had, however, "saved" him from Dracula's three brides and proceeded to tease him over how much control they had over him.[31] Following Riley's break-up with Buffy, Giles was sympathetic towards Buffy, but Giles really missed him. Riley and Giles left in good terms.
Andrew Wells[]
Giles and Andrew have the same relationship with Xander and Andrew. Giles at first didn't trust Andrew since working as a member of the Trio, but they grew to trust each other. Just like Xander and Riley, Giles was like the father they always wanted and their good friend.[citation needed] He also trained Andrew to be a Watcher like him after the war on the First.[76]