A few basic questions from a Buffy noob.
POSTED BY: AURaptor
UPDATED: Thursday, November 30, 2006 22:23
VIEWED: 4799
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I'm not a complete noob, but these questions might reveal otherwise. I'm watching the Buffy series ( S3 ) on DVD, and with the introduction of Faith, it finally hit me.
How is it that there are so many Watchers when there can only be 1 Slayer?
Also, why was Kendra sent alone to Sunnydale,after Buffy 'died'? Shouldn't she have had her own Watcher, or was she to be entrusted to Giles ?
When Faith saw her Watcher murdered, why wasn't she quickly reassigned w/ a new one ?
And if Giles is in charge of a Slayer, how is it that he's so far on the 'outs' with the Watcher's Council ? Seems he's the last to hear anything concerning the Council or to get a memo concerning their wishes. Can't they just pick up the damn phone and call sometimes?
People love a happy ending. So every episode, I will explain once again that I don't like people. And then Mal will shoot someone. Someone we like. And their puppy. - Joss
" They don't like it when you shoot at 'em. I worked that out myself. "
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I'll try to answer some of those, at least:
1) As you'll find out later, there are many--MANY--potential slayers around the world, and for those that the Council can identify ahead of time (before they're 'Called', in other words), a watcher is assigned to train them. Watchers also seem to be responsible for keeping an eye on mystical/magickal happenings in their area, reporting on them to the Council, and doing what they can to keep them under control, even if they don't currently have a slayer under their charge.
2) This gets back to the answer to the first question. Kendra was given by her parents to her watcher to train when she was very young--so young she doesn't even remember what her last name was. She came to Sunnydale on a temporary assignment, and then returned home to her watcher. (And of course, she then came back a second time, but that's another story.)
3) If you're really interested in Faith, I heartily recommend the new Buffy book "Go Ask Malice". It covers Faith's life, pre-Sunnydale. Short answer: her watcher was killed, and Faith split town immediately (running from Kakistos), before the Council could even think about assigning her a new one...
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Uber-short answer: they made up the mythology as they went along ;)
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Quote:
Originally posted by Grounded:
Uber-short answer: they made up the mythology as they went along ;)
Wha....? Ya mean...they made it up ???
Dissillusioned AU
People love a happy ending. So every episode, I will explain once again that I don't like people. And then Mal will shoot someone. Someone we like. And their puppy. - Joss
" They don't like it when you shoot at 'em. I worked that out myself. "
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Quote:
Originally posted by AURaptor:
How is it that there are so many Watchers when there can only be 1 Slayer?
Every potential slayer gets a watcher and is in training for if they get called.
Quote:
Originally posted by AURaptor:
Also, why was Kendra sent alone to Sunnydale,after Buffy 'died'? Shouldn't she have had her own Watcher, or was she to be entrusted to Giles ?
Kendra had her own area to protect and she started to protect it as the slayer after Buffy's death.
Her watcher found out about a great evil in Sunnydale and sent her to stop it. One mission, then go home. I imagine the her watcher knew about Giles and thought that he could help her during the mission.
Quote:
Originally posted by AURaptor:
When Faith saw her Watcher murdered, why wasn't she quickly reassigned w/ a new one ?
I imagine that it took some time for the council to find out. It wasn't long after that that she got a new one. Plus there's the whole red tape issues of bureaucracy.
Quote:
Originally posted by AURaptor:
And if Giles is in charge of a Slayer, how is it that he's so far on the 'outs' with the Watcher's Council ?
This wasn't always the case and was really only true while he wasn't in there employ.
Quote:
Originally posted by AURaptor:
Seems he's the last to hear anything concerning the Council or to get a memo concerning their wishes. Can't they just pick up the damn phone and call sometimes?
They did when they knew something. But they aren't in the field, so they rely on intelligence from there operatives which is mostly the slayer.
----
I am on The List. We are The Forsaken and we aim to burn!
"We don't fear the reaper"
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Quote:
SigmaNunki wrote:
Wednesday, November 01, 2006 13:47Quote:
Originally posted by AURaptor:
How is it that there are so many Watchers when there can only be 1 Slayer?
Every potential slayer gets a watcher and is in training for if they get called.
Then why is it that Buffy didn't meet Giles until after she was slaying on her own, while Kendra was taken from her parents at a young age to train with HER Watcher ?
I know, I know.... they made it up as they went along. (sigh)
People love a happy ending. So every episode, I will explain once again that I don't like people. And then Mal will shoot someone. Someone we like. And their puppy. - Joss
" They don't like it when you shoot at 'em. I worked that out myself. "
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Quote:
Originally posted by AURaptor:
Then why is it that Buffy didn't meet Giles until after she was slaying on her own, while Kendra was taken from her parents at a young age to train with HER Watcher ?
I know, I know.... they made it up as they went along. (sigh)
Um, what are you talking about? Sure, the first ep of Buffy does have Buffy meeting Giles for the first time, BUT she does make reference to happenings in the movie. If memory serves, that watcher died. So, Giles would have been her replacement watcher.
----
I am on The List. We are The Forsaken and we aim to burn!
"We don't fear the reaper"
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Quote:
Originally posted by AURaptor:
Then why is it that Buffy didn't meet Giles until after she was slaying on her own, while Kendra was taken from her parents at a young age to train with HER Watcher ?
I know, I know.... they made it up as they went along. (sigh)
Buffy was informed that she was the Slayer by her first watcher, Merrick, who started her training. He was killed, Buffy's parents split up, Joyce and Buffy moved to Sunnydale and there was Giles, ready to take over.
I'm not a big fan of the "they made it up as they went along" answer. While parts of it may be true, the writers/Joss put in a lot of thought to continuity. I guess coming from X-Files fandom, where they truly did make it up as the went along (or "borrowed" from other sources) with little to no thought about continuity, I get tetchy when someone says that of Buffy.
***************
"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it." - George Bernard Shaw
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Quote:
Originally posted by AURaptor:
Then why is it that Buffy didn't meet Giles until after she was slaying on her own, while Kendra was taken from her parents at a young age to train with HER Watcher ?
Am I talking to myself?
Every potential that the Council could identify ahead of time was assigned a watcher to train her. Many still slipped thru the cracks, and Buffy was one of these--the Council didn't find out about her until after she had been Called...
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Quote:
Originally posted by Groosalugg:Quote:
Originally posted by AURaptor:
Then why is it that Buffy didn't meet Giles until after she was slaying on her own, while Kendra was taken from her parents at a young age to train with HER Watcher ?
Am I talking to myself?
Every potential that the Council could identify ahead of time was assigned a watcher to train her. Many still slipped thru the cracks, and Buffy was one of these--the Council didn't find out about her until after she had been Called...
After she had been called is not equal to slaying on her own.
EDIT: We also don't know what mythology was in Joss' head when writing the movie. It is certain that the series contains a very much more worked out mythology then the movie. I imagine that a lot of it was created after the movie for the series.
----
I am on The List. We are The Forsaken and we aim to burn!
"We don't fear the reaper"
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