Well, I’m not sure if they’re exactly “spoilers” or not, considering it’s just speculation. Nor am I the only person to think that the following is the case (board monitor Glenn Hauman shares my opinion.)
On last night’s episode, Giles–having survived his close encounter with a representative of the First Evil–showed up in Sunnydale with three would-be slayers in tow.
Except…I’m thinking not.
I’m thinking we’re seeing a “Sixth Sense” riff here (so much so, as Keith DeCandido pointed out, that they even mentioned that film’s writer/director in the episode). I’m thinking that, with the BBC “Ripper” series apparently terminally stalled, that Giles did not, in fact, survive a dámņëd thing, and that the First is impersonating a dead Giles.
Granted, the dialogue was off. Giles sounded defeatist and unheroic. On the other hand, the script *was* co-written by Marti Noxon, so that’s not exactly unusual.
But the utter lack of physical contact–an impossibility for the incorporeal First–was staggering.
1) Giles never knocked on the door.
2) Giles, the British gentleman, never helped with carrying any luggage or held the door open for any of the females throughout the episode. Nor did he seize a weapon when the others did.
3) When he arrived, none of the females hugged him, and Xander didn’t shake his hand. This is such a stunning lapse in the typical physical behavior of the characters that it seemed like one of those nail-on-chalkboard script requirements. You know, where something has to happen a certain way because the script demands it, but it makes so little sense that it just strikes you as wrong.
4) Giles never removes or hangs up his coat, even when we see others do so with theirs. Why? Speculation: It wouldn’t hang on a hangar.
5) When walking through the Christmas tree lot, the heavier Giles walks directly over the boarded hole that the much lighter Buffy promptly crashes through.
6) When Buffy is scrambling to get out of the hole, Giles doesn’t extend a hand.
7) When the vampire is emerging from the hole, we see Giles is standing directly in front of the sun, blocking it. He blocks it so thoroughly that Buffy is looking straight into it and doesn’t squint. Yet the vampire screams and falls back as if hit with the full force of the sun. Why? Because if Giles is really incorporeal, there’s nothing actually there blocking the UV rays.
Not looking real good for our hero, kids.
PAD
• 
Yeah, the dialogue seemed way off. He wasn’t supportive at all – seemed to be priming Buffy for a serious psychological defeat.
On the other hand, would they off Giles with so little ceremony?
This actually co-incides with my thoughts. Giles was definitely acting weird and I noticed that no one hugged or touched him.
My first thought was that he was another vision, a la Buffy’s mom. But then after the conversation in the living room and others saw him, it switched to him being The First.
The thing that clinched it for me was when Giles asked Buffy how she was going to kill the first. Buffy’s mom asked the same exact thing. So it seems to me that in addition to trying to screw with their minds and hears, The First is trying to determine how they will be attacking him.
My wife and I were left feeling “weird” after last night’s episode. I think you may have put your finger on the reason why. Thanks!
When I called a friend halfway through, my first question was “should I be worried that Giles hasn’t touched anything yet?” They were asking the same thing. Right now it could go either way. He could be The First or Joss, being Joss, could just be playing with our minds. Or he could expect us to be thinking that and….. well this way lies madness (or as I’ve seen mentioned on Usenet, The poison bit from Princess Bride)
David
Anyone have a VHS copy of last night’s episode,”Bring on the Night.”? I missed it due to working late and a power failure(VCR din’t record). Thanks! Glenn(hakansonmd@yahoo.com)
Several of my friends who are “Buffy” watchers also thought it wasn’t Giles, even before the episode aired. As much as I’d like to hope that Giles somehow escaped that ax blow aimed directly at his neck, I think we’ll probably find out he didn’t. What a shame.
Nice of them to remember that there is one living slayer who wasn’t in the episode, though.
That is DEFINITELY not Giles. Just listen to him in the episode. “Its all on you Buffy.” “Its pure evil. I don’t think it can be defeated.” Little things, to be sure. But the flashback was what cinched it for me. To show the whole incident, EXCEPT for how he survived was a dead giveaway. Pardon the pun.
However, I don’t think it’s the First. Didn’t he hand over the information that was stolen from the Council? That would constitute touching. So my pie-in-the-sky theory is that its none other than…Ethan. He’s evil, he has enough magical abilities to do some sort of cloak spell to fool everyone, and since they seem to be bringing back everyone under the sun this season anyway…
Oh, well. Its just a theory. Can’t wait until January.
I don’t think he did. One of the slayer wannabes had it on her and she was the one who put everything on the table.
Along with the weird Giles thing, is anybody else sceptical about the “Wachter Council blown up”-thing?
After all, the building that was shown as exploding in the episode before was noticably different exterior-wise from the one we saw bevor the Watchers had their discussion. That’s either eincredibly bad editing/production design or it has some as yet unrevealed meaning.. let’s hope it’s the second alternative.
My girlfriend missed the episode and when she called me the first thing I said was that Giles is dead.
Yes, Ms. Noxon has a tendency to write depressing and deflated characters, but even so Giles was uncharacteristically unhelpful. To the point of being a big part of the problem.
The only thing I can think of is that M.E. is never this predictable and that Giles is really a red herring. Or at least, that is my strongest wish. As a librarian, I’d hate to see my role model killed off-screen. Or…more accurately not see, because of the whole off-screen thing.
EM
While I didn’t notice everything that everyone else did, what did strike me strange was that Giles didn’t help Buffy out of the hole. It never occurred to me what that could mean. Man, the idea that Giles it dead depresses me to no end.
Was anyone else worried when the dark magic possessed Willow and even after Xander smashed the bowl, that she said she could still feel it in her?
Really insightful. I didn’t catch this at all. Six Sense fooled me too, though. I gotta watch the episode again. Thank heavens for Tivo
The episode was called “Bring on the Night?”
As in Night Shyamalan?
How much more obvious do they need to me?
PAD
This ep really bother me (plus bored me) for a lot of reasons. The 2 reasons that really got my goat last night were:
1) No one touching Giles. I’m sorry but the past would dictate that Buffy or Willow would have hugged him when he walked through the door.
Also, if he is the First, you would think one of the Scoobs would have notice the wierdness vibe coming off him. Things like, not sleeping, not eating, NOT TOUCHING ANYTHING.
I realize they are trying to build doubt but it doesn’t work based on previous character interaction.
2) “Torturing Spike” by drowning him. Vampires don’t breathe. I didn’t make that rule up. ME did.
Continuity people, please.
Sorry, I’m ranting. It’s just I use to so enjoyed this show.
Sidenote: The Ripper series has been described as dealing with ghosts….
One of the slayer gals was carrying all the documents in a bag and put them on the table, to my knowlege Giles didn’t touch them at all.
I’m not sure if he’s part of the First or not, remains to be seen. I do think that Giles is dead though. If he had survived he would’ve made some comment about it to Buffy. “I was attacked but…”
Also I belive the Council faked their deaths and went into hiding. Quintin may be a pompus(sp) @$$ but he knew his job.
I also noticed these things. My first thought was that Giles was indeed the First. And then there was the line about the First only being able to impersonate someone deceased.
Then again, Joss & co. have fooled us before.
Bobby
As it was ‘Giles’ who informed us about The First only appearing as dead people, perhaps, if this is The First, it’s simply lying.
Then again, there’s ‘dead’ and then there’s *dead*.
The First has appeared as Spike, Drusilla, and Buffy–all of whom have died but are still with us…
As it was ‘Giles’ who informed us about The First only appearing as dead people, perhaps, if this is The First, it’s simply lying.
Then again, there’s ‘dead’ and then there’s *dead*.<<
Well, I’m thinking in Giles’ case–as per “Princess Bride”–the only thing left to do is go through is pockets for loose change.
PAD
I’m now thinking Giles isn’t the First just because they’re laying on the hints that he is with a trowel. Something no one’s mentioned yet is that just before she opens the door to see Giles standing there, Buffy says something like “I’m going to find the First!”; opens door, there’s the possibly firsty Giles. It’s also been circulating in the spoiler areas that Head was under instruction not to touch anything/one in this episode. Usually Mutant Enemy’s a bit more subtle than this about such a major development.
On the nitpicking side, I’ve got a problem with how something could be pretty much continuously with the three Legion of Substitute Slayers for at least a few days (gathering all three and getting them to Sunnydale) and the Scoobies for at least a day and manage to never touch anything or anyone. I mean, between Buffy, Willow, and Anya, it’s way out of character than none of them have touched Giles at all by now.
Other thing that bothered me was the second and third to last scenes; Annabelle runs away. At sunset. When the ubervamp is bound to be out. Um, where exactly would she be running to that would be safer for her? (although the “let’s all keep hanging out here at Casa Summers even though our foes know Buffy lives here” ain’t exactly the height of tactical planning either). Then, Buffy somehow manages to track her a fair distance (unless there’s some interesting zoning in Sunnydale such that the industrial area is down the street from her hourse)…but doesn’t bother to bring a single weapon with her, even though she knows how tough the ubervamp is. And we know she’s still got the rocket launcher.
Btw, looks like the Buffy cartoon is back…and airing *next month*?!
From Sci-Fi Wire:
I suspect that ME wants us to doubt Giles, and that they’ll continue to throw conflicting hints until Spike rejoins the team. He should be able to expose the Giles as the First, if that’s who he is.
As to Giles sounding defeatist, wasn’t his parents Watchers? If so, they were probably killed along with the everyone else he knows and has worked with over the last twenty odd years of his life. Add that to the destruction of an organization that has survived since pre-history, I can understand Giles attitude.
If it is Giles.
The pre-slayer who ran was the one who kept saying to slavishly not think for yourself, and just listen to Giles. Since the first can be ghosty as more than one person at a time, the first may have also been appearing to Annabella with other “voices,” and in some ways her flaking out was somewhat reminicent of Brady movie parodies of Jan Brady.
Yes, I too thought it was a bit strange that the pre-slayers held all of the documents, but it hadn’t occured to me about the stuff with the cave mentioend above.
Let’s hope that Giles is really alive somewhere in England for a spin-off, only having been “technically dead” for the first to impersonate.
The next question is who if any of the so called pre-slayers are actually minons or evil teens being manipulated by the first, if indeed the Giles we see is ‘the first.’
In terms of a spin off series, it is probably enough that Giles was dead to have an affinity with Ghosts, but it might add an extra twist that the mysterious man going to all of these gothic homes to “deal with evil problems” is in fact a ghost too. It would make it extremely difficult to have a love-story subplot, but not impossible.
And Joss, if you read this board, let me get you a spec script from something else and please consider me for scripting an episode of said spin-off series. And (shameless plug continues), I also have short pitches for Buffy and Angel episodes.
Anyone else, I’ve got a spec feature script up at TriggerStreet.com
I’m thinking we’re seeing a “Sixth Sense” riff here >>
Oh, I agree, but not in the way you think. “The Sixth Sense” involved manipulating the audience to *not* notice something (Bruce Willis never survived the attack in the first scene and is a ghost). However, ME is manipulating us *to* notice something (going so far as to have Giles restate the nature of the First). This is done, like with “The Sixth Sense,” through careful edits. In other words, Giles does embrace Willow and Buffy, does help with luggage, and even cart back a battered Buffy — we just don’t see it, so his *not* touching anything stands out.
1) Giles never knocked on the door.
>>
Because Buffy opened it first.
3) When he arrived, none of the females hugged him, and Xander didn’t shake his hand. This is such a stunning lapse in the typical physical behavior of the characters that it seemed like one of those nail-on-chalkboard script requirements. You know, where something has to happen a certain way because the script demands it, but it makes so little sense that it just strikes you as wrong.>>
This happens off camera. I’ll have to watch the episode again, but I think there’s a break between his coming into the house originally and his discussing the first.
4) Giles never removes or hangs up his coat, even when we see others do so with theirs. Why? Speculation: It wouldn’t hang on a hangar. >>
Red herring.
5) When walking through the Christmas tree lot, the heavier Giles walks directly over the boarded hole that the much lighter Buffy promptly crashes through.>>
He weakens it so that it gives when Buffy walks over it.
7) When the vampire is emerging from the hole, we see Giles is standing directly in front of the sun, blocking it. He blocks it so thoroughly that Buffy is looking straight into it and doesn’t squint. Yet the vampire screams and falls back as if hit with the full force of the sun. Why? Because if Giles is really incorporeal, there’s nothing actually there blocking the UV rays.
Not looking real good for our hero, kids.
>>
It’s quite possible that this is the switch, though it seems too obvious. My hunch is that this is misdirection so that we don’t notice who *is* an agent of the First — maybe someone who is being very critical of Buffy (a Slayer in training perhaps?).
Also, I think Joyce is the real thing (she even touches Buffy in her dream). Yes, what she says can be taken the wrong way, but I think that’s the point — even what she said to Dawn. I think it will all reveal itself to be Joyce giving tough, hard advice but *not* being the First.
>>>The episode was called “Bring on the Night?”
As in Night Shyamalan?
How much more obvious do they need to be?
<<<
They could call it “Bring on the M. Night Shyamalan, Whom We Are About To Copy!!!”.
P.S. Does anyone else pronounce his name the way I do, “Sha-maim-a-lain?”
“Then, Buffy somehow manages to track her a fair distance (unless there’s some interesting zoning in Sunnydale such that the industrial area is down the street from her house)…”
This is of course the same Sunnydale that has large commercial docks and is close to a hydro electric dam.
Let’s be honest the zoning of Sunnydale is a wonder unto itself.
1) It’s a small town that only seemed to have 1 high school, but has a thriving university. Where the HS students went during season 4,5 and 6 has never been answered.
2) The construction of a multi-billion dollar military facility went unnoticed by the townsfolk.
3) It only has 1 night club (The Bronze)
4) The nearest Nordstrom (or was that Neiman Marcus) was an hours drive out of town (at least at the start of season 1)
And those are just the tip of the iceberg.
Let’s also not be too quick to jump from point A to point C without considering point B first. Even if Giles is non-corporeal that doesn’t automatically make him the First; he could be a friendly ghost (sort of the inverse of Phantom Dennis, who’s visible but doesn’t affect matter).
I’m still not convinced that the manifestation of Joyce that Dawn saw was the First, BTW, partially because Willow jumped to that conclusion immediately, and that seems to lead to a dramatic dead-end (Old Man Withers is really…Old Man Withers! Uh-huh).
“Torturing Spike” by drowning him. Vampires don’t breathe. I didn’t make that rule up. ME did.
Continuity people, please.
It occurs to me that The First doesn’t have a very impressive track record:
She (or he, if you prefer) tried to turn Angel evil, and failed.
She tried to convince Willow to kill herself, and failed.
She tried to get Andrew to resurrect the Ubervamp, and failed.
She tried to convince Spike to join her against Buffy, and failed. This showed particular stupidity on her part. Her technique for encouraging him to work with her? She had him tortured for hours on end. Not a great way to build his allegiance.
I can almost make sense of the drowning thing, if I assume her purpose was to torture Spike, not to threaten his life. (Maybe she just wanted to really mess up his hair. You know how particular he is about his hairdo.) But she couldn’t even manage to turn Angel or Spike evil–and Angel will go bad at the drop of a hat. That on top of the failure to measure the blood (would it be so hard to say, “Andrew, we need this much blood”?) makes her seem a lot less threatening than she might.
–Daniel (but not the Daniel who posted above, the other one)
Regarding the whole drowning issue, perhaps someone mentioned it upstream, but could it have been holy water that Spike was being dunked in?
OK, if by ME rules holy water works like acid on vampires, then maybe it was diluted in regular water so that it just stung like crazy.
Maybe the water was nearly freezing, so being pushed in and out of it would be extremely uncomfortable and disorienting.
But whatever the First was doing to torture Spike, it’s obvious that it wanted him left whole and functional. It didn’t want Spike truly injured, just weakened physically and mentally.
The “not knocking on the door” clue is given the lie in that, later in the episode, we hear Giles’s footsteps. Presumably, whatever mechanism allowed his heels to make audible impact would apply to his knuckles, too.
Giles may or may not be Giles, but I’m pretty sure he’s not the First — it’s too obvious.
Nope. You’re all wrong.
Legerdemain, people, legerdemain.
Heh heh heh…
Hmm. As mentioned, they’re layering it on with a trowel that Giles might be the First. But it occurs to me there’s another character or two we know the First can appear to be. Namely, Buffy and Spike. Now, so far the First has only appeared as Buffy to Spike, but what’s to stop it from seriously messing up the Scoobies and Subs by popping in as Buffy?
there are two clubs, second was mentioned in season 2
He is an ex-Giles.
It’s worth asking that if Giles…lost his head…how did the pre-slayers get the Watcher’s journals?
Only mention of Giles’ survival was a minor bit where he gave the scoobies the Watcher’s timetable of events. If I remember last night’s ep he said ‘scuffle’ or ‘fisticuffs’ or some such thing.
For some reason I’m more interested in our favorite mystery-loving principal. I missed the episode prior to BOTN but my guess is that our principal is actually some manifestion of good. Evil’s been around from the start, wouldn’t it need some balance? Who better to guard the Hellmouth than the representation of good? He wants Buffy at SH, and he can watch out for her or get her involved after enough interaction/honesty is shared and all the secrets are revealed.
He came to the basement to cover the seal/emblem himself but Buff and Dawn beat him to it.
“Giles” stated that the First can only appear as dead people.
If that’s the case how has it been appearing as Buffy to Spike.
Unless the reasoning is that it can mimic anyone who has ever died. It’s a lame excuse, but an excuse non the less.
OK, OK Giles.
If “Giles” was a manefestation of the first, it could be lie that only dead people can be mimiced by the first.
Jocye – if one is evil and one is good or if both are miscellenous ghosts, let’s see them confront each other in some way.
Robin Wood (the hooded man?) the principal — If he’s the manefesation of good, then how come he doesn’t know about Buffy already. “Oh she has to tell me…”
No. I think Robin Wood is the minion of good.
Evil, it’s so stupid… or not.
The First was able to set up a complex plot after thinking about it for a few years, but direct actions or short term actions seem to be all about being evil… not necessarily sticking to the “master plan” After all being thoughtful is an element of goodness… pure evil might be easily distracted for the “pleasure” of being evil.
Can’t wait to see if Buffy has decided if she can’t trust “Giles.”
Assorted thoughts:
“Giles” stated that the First can only appear as dead people.
If that’s the case how has it been appearing as Buffy to Spike.
Unless the reasoning is that it can mimic anyone who has ever died. It’s a lame excuse, but an excuse non the less.
I’m not sure I consider it lame. Yeah, Buffy did come back after she died, but then, Spike and Drusilla also died, and they’re still walking around. In Sunnydale, “anyone who has ever died” covers a large portion of the population. Besides, Buffy’s died twice (and apparently gone to Heaven). I think that gives her some serious points as a member of the Realm of the Dead. Even if she’s an alumnus member.
Speaking of death… I wonder if Buffy and company could artificially stop Faith’s heart, then resuscitate her. That way, another Slayer would be “called.” If Faith gets out of jail, then there would be three Slayers with their “powers” active, all available to fight The First. I doubt I’m the first person to suggest this.
Robin Wood (the hooded man?) the principal — If he’s the manefesation of good, then how come he doesn’t know about Buffy already.
I’m not sure the conclusion follows from the premise, but in any case, I think he does know. He just hasn’t told her he knows. He’s been hinting pretty strongly, though.
It’s worth asking that if Giles…lost his head…how did the pre-slayers get the Watcher’s journals?
Maybe Giles stole them before he died, and then his replacement asked one of the pre-slayers, “Hey, while you’re over near the bookshelf, could you grab one of those stolen books?”
–Daniel
Heck, the stop and restart Faith’s heart to get another slayer was the premise of an MIT-based LARP a few years ago. Sort of the reverse of the current plot; the Watcher’s Council decides to mount an all out campaign against vampires and keeps killing and resurrecting slayers until it has an army. If I’m recalling correctly, there was an apocalyptic battle with all vampires and all slayers wiped out..and nowhere for the line to continue. Then something evil arose, and the game began…
Wow.
I know I’m spoiling things like crazy here by reading this, as we won’t get this season in the UK until some time next year, but… wow.
This season sounds really good so far.
– – –
Note: Last I remember, in SFX magazine, Joss had said that “Ripper” the series WOULD be going ahead.
ok I want to touch on one point in particular. The new Pricipal. It has been suggested that he is the manifestation of good. I don’t think this is the case. I also don’t think he is evil. Lets look at the last few episodes.
1. He does seem to genuinly care about the students. Yes this could be an act but I don’t think so.
2. In the previous ep. when he buries the body he seemed to be in a trance like state. I think this is was because he is beeing manipulated. How I’m not sure but I’m thinking it’smuch like the Spike and the sleeper programing. I’m just not sure what the trigger is.
3. In this past episode he said something that in a small way convinced me he wasn’t truely evil. When he was talking to Buffy he made a comment about never being the same after you got a glimpse of true evil. I think he saw the First. and I mean saw. Not the First looking like someone else but the first in it’s true glory. That could really screw a guy up. Even unhinge him a little. Notice the smile when he walked away.
In the end I belive the principle is in truth a good guy. He’s just a little screwed up from his encounter with whatever evil he seemed to allud to(the First). What his true role in all of this is I’m not to sure but I will be watching to find out. That’s for sure.
Annabelle’s sudden departure may be another mark in the “dead Giles / First impostor” column. Remember, she was the “Watcher’s Pet” amongst all the Slayerettes, the one always waiting to see what Giles’ advice would be, and following it slavishly.
The only reason she’d run away is if he told her to.
In the “Maybe it’s really Giles” column? Giles standing in the middle of the field in broad daylight as the sun rose. The view times we’ve seen the First aboveground during the day, it’s been in rooms with the shades drawn, away from direct sunlight. Wouldn’t the First, like its creations, at least have some kind of aversion to sunlight?
As for Principal Wood, I think he might be a “balancing agent” like Angel’s old pal Whistler– bound to stay in the middle of the fight between good and evil without interfering too much. Note that burying Jonathan, while not exactly on the up-and-up, was ultimately a decent thing for Wood to do– better to give him a proper burial than leave him to rot atop the ubervamp’s resting place.
My concept is that it is Giles… but he’s a ghost of Giles.
Now on the principal thing…
I think…
He’s a watcher.
— Travis
It would make good sense to stay in Casa Summers during the night, at least in terms of dealing with the Uber-Vamp. After all, it’s been established that vampires can’t come in residences unless invited. So if this thing is bound by the some laws as vamps (which is shown a little in its aversion to sunlight, though the nonstaking thing confuses it all), then it can’t come in at all unless one of the home people invite it. That leaves the robed guys, and with weapons and actually prepared for them, the gang has enough experience to handle them.
The only thing that I’m still up in the air about is Giles. Orignially I was on the whole “he’s the First” side, but if EVERYBODY is saying it, then I’m not so sure I believe it anymore. Granted most everyone called the “Dark Willow” idea of last season, but I would hate to think that they are going to be so obvious twice. I’m thinking the truth about him and the Principal will be revealed the second that the to of them come together in the same place.
The only other thing I wanted to say, was that there are certain parts of sunnydale that make sense to me (at least in terms of the schools and universities) I went to school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and it’s a town that has only two high schools in the town and a major university, and let me tell you, they have been doing so much construction on in these past three years that there very well could be a military encampment under it and none of us would know the difference. Not coming down on anyone….I’m just saying.
Real world question: how does a fake Giles get in and out of airport security and customs wihout a tangible passport to stamp? Or did the group just sneak across the ocean like Kendra did?
The whole “is he/isn’t he” debate is like Wallace Shawn deciding what cup to drink from in “Princess Bride.” It’s entertianing but ultimately it’s all menat only to mess with our heads. Which is a tip of the hat to the fans from ME, as they know we love this. I, however, am content to wait and see.
As for the Frist’s track record, I think that’s really a clue. I cannot actually do anything, but can make others act. Much like our own darker side do. It is perhaps a re-creation of the notion of an “evil inclination” found in Jewish philosophy. That inclination can make us sin, but it’s also part of what makes us human. The Talmud states that without such inclination, no one would pursue a career or a marriage. And I think that’s what Buffy is fighting in the end: evil not as an indenpendent force but as part of the human condition. That might be what the dreams meant. Evil is just something we can choose, and until Buffy gets that, she faces a lot of torment.
Or I could be wrong.
>>>7) When the vampire is emerging from the hole, we see Giles is standing directly in front of the sun, blocking it. He blocks it so thoroughly that Buffy is looking straight into it and doesn’t squint. Yet the vampire screams and falls back as if hit with the full force of the sun. Why? <<<
Because Giles is actually a manifestation of the GOOD equivalent of the First?
Just a theory, but I think it could work. All of the same “no touching” rules apply. Plus it explains why the uber-vamp scrammed so quickly upon seeing Giles. (I don’t believe the not blocking the UV rays bit… He casts a mean shadow, but doesn’t block UV? Too convenient.) Likewise, it would explain why Giles was actually helping. (He brought the Slayerettes to Sunnydale instead of just killing them, brought the watchers’ info, etc.)
Though I’d still prefer that Giles survived the attack somehow…
In my heart of hearts, I’m hoping Giles managed to duck and roll at the last possible split-second. But I kind’a doubt it. As far as Giles being unable to touch / move anything, I noticed he did sit and lean ( on the table, and against a wall ) a couple of times.
Then again, maybe it’s the First (or whatever)’s version of a ‘physical illusion’ such as a mime being able to make an audience ‘feel’ a wall, or Buster Keaton appearing to drag a locomotive with one hand.
Re: Staying in Casa Summers. Um, yeah, the vamps can’t get in. But nothing stops the ubervamp from being around to run interference while the robed ones plant enough explosives around the house to make the Watchers’ Council HQ blast look like a firecracker. Buffy having a well known to the bad guys permanent residence is, frankly, something I’ve been having to file under suspension of disbelief for a while now; that and Darla being pretty much the only vamp to attack Buffy using guns (aka ranged weapons) long ago led me to the conclusion that vampires in general have the tactical sense of newts.
Re: UNC-CH. Hmm. Y’know, those new dorms on South Campus would’ve been a perfect cover to build the Initiative there…(yeah, I’m also an alum).
I understand with different networks and different plotlines, it’s not feasable to call Angel in, but the option still should’ve been mentioned. Spike’s already been compromised by the First. If they want muscle they should’ve suggested Angel and Faith.