View source for Watcher (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

{{Distinguish|Watcher (Highlander){{!}}Watcher (''Highlander'')}}
{{In-universe|date=February 2022}}
{{Notability|date=August 2023}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Watcher (''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'')}}
{{Infobox character
| name = Watcher
| series = [[Buffyverse|Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]
| image = Watcher (Buffyverse).jpg
| caption = Screenshot of two Watchers: [[Wesley Wyndam-Pryce|Wesley]] (left) and [[Rupert Giles|Giles]] (right) in "[[Bad Girls (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Bad Girls]]" (1999).
| first = "[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film)|Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]" (1992) <small>(non-canon)</small><br />"[[Welcome to the Hellmouth]]" (1997)
| creator = [[Joss Whedon]]
| portrayer = [[Donald Sutherland]] <small>(non-canon)</small>, [[Anthony Head]], [[Richard Riehle]], [[Alexis Denisof]], [[Harris Yulin]], [[Serena Scott Thomas]], [[Cynthia Lamontagne]], Kris Iyer, [[Oliver Muirhead]], [[Rob Nagle]], Michael Halsey, [[Tom Lenk]]
| affiliation = [[Watchers' Council]]
| lbl21 = Classification
| data21 = Human
| lbl22 = Notable powers
| data22 = Moderate fighting techniques and superior knowledge of demonology, sorcery, the black arts, and magical artifacts.
}}

In the fictional [[Buffyverse|universe]] of the television series' ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' and ''[[Angel (1999 TV series)|Angel]], a'' '''Watcher''' is a member of a secret organization of [[Parapsychology|parapsychologists]]: "The Watchers' Council", which seeks to prepare the [[Slayer (Buffyverse)|Slayer]] to fight demonic forces. A notable example of a Watcher is ''Buffy'' main character [[Rupert Giles]]. They are typically modelled after the fictional character [[Abraham Van Helsing]] from [[Bram Stoker]]'s novel ''[[Dracula]]''.

==Description==
{{No footnotes|date=February 2022|section}}
Watchers are devoted to tracking and fighting malevolent supernatural entities, particularly [[Vampire (Buffyverse)|vampires]], primarily by locating individuals with the talents required to combat such beings and emerge victorious. More specifically, Watchers are assigned to Slayers, girls who are part of a succession of mystically powered individuals destined to confront these foes. Upon a Slayer's demise, the next Slayer is called into duty and assigned a Watcher.

The Watchers' Council trains new Watchers in a private school of sorts. In "[[Never Kill a Boy on the First Date]]," Giles implies that Watchers are, to a certain extent, "called" or assigned to become Watchers before attending university. This concept is supported by Watcher families like the Giles and Wyndam-Pryces.

[[Rupert Giles]] was Buffy's Watcher at the beginning of the series. It was revealed that he had never been invited to the Watchers' retreat. After being fired by the Council for having "a father's love" for the Slayer in season 3, he remained her unofficial Watcher for the rest of the series. [[Wesley Wyndam-Pryce]] became Buffy and [[Faith (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Faith]]'s Watcher for a short period. Wyndam-Pryce was fired after Faith turned rogue and Buffy "quit". Rupert Giles was reinstated as Buffy's official Watcher in the season 5 episode "[[Checkpoint (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Checkpoint]]," and he remains so until the events at [[The Gift (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|the end of season 5]], though Giles maintains his contacts with Buffy.

==Powers and abilities==
{{No footnotes|date=February 2022|section}}
A standard Watcher has at least some proficiency in the use of magic, with certain individuals being more powerful than others. One episode in ''Angel'' (''[[Sanctuary (Angel)|Sanctuary]]'') reveals that numerous members of the board of directors are alchemists. They are students of demonology and as such have a wide knowledge of various incarnations of evil, but their expertise is usually the [[vampire (Buffyverse)|vampire]]. They are also highly educated and can speak a wide variety of languages, both human and demonic in nature.

Watchers are typically well versed in hand-to-hand combat techniques, though they generally confine themselves to training Slayers or supporting them in battles, as their lower strength relatively limits their effectiveness in directly engaging vampires.

==Shadow Men==
[[Image:Shadow men.JPG|thumb|left|The Shadow Men]]
In ancient times, a group known as the '''Shadow Men''' used magic to infuse a captive girl with the essence of a demon, thereby creating the [[First Slayer]], whom they use to fight demonic forces. The descendants of the Shadow Men go on to form the Watchers' Council.<ref name="End of Days">{{cite episode | title = End of Days | episode-link = End of Days (Buffy episode) | series = Buffy the Vampire Slayer | series-link = Buffy the Vampire Slayer| airdate = 2003-05-13 | season = 7 | number = 21}}</ref>

In 2003, Slayer [[Buffy Summers|Buffy Anne Summers]] uses a strange mystical device to meet with the Shadow Men about the threat she faces from the [[First Evil]], where she learns how the [[Slayer (Buffyverse)|Slayers]] were created.<ref name="Get It Done">{{cite episode
 | title = Get It Done | episode-link = Get It Done | series = Buffy the Vampire Slayer | series-link = Buffy the Vampire Slayer| airdate = 2003-02-18 | season = 7 | number = 15}}</ref> They attempt to repeat history by infusing an unwilling Buffy with the same demonic essence that they used on the First Slayer to increase her power; however, Buffy refused, as she had come to seek only knowledge, not power, especially if that power meant that she would lose her [[Human nature|humanity]]. After Buffy defeats them, one of the Shadow Men gives Buffy what she wants: knowledge of what is coming. He shows her a vision of the First's army of Turok-Han in the Hellmouth, causing her to start to reconsider her decision, but she is brought back by her friends before she can do anything else.

The Shadow Men first appeared in ''[[Fray (comic)|Fray]]'' issue #3 and were later shown onscreen in the episode "[[Get It Done (Buffy episode)|Get It Done]]".

== Watchers' Council ==
{{Infobox character
| name = Watchers' Council
| image = Watchers' Council.jpg
| caption = The Watchers' Council, assembled at their headquarters
| first = [[Welcome to the Hellmouth]]
| last = [[Never Leave Me]]
| creator = Joss Whedon
| full_name = 
| lbl21 = Purpose
| data21 = Find, train, and support [[Slayer (Buffyverse)|The Vampire Slayer]]
| lbl22 = Membership
| data22 = '''Key members:''' {{plainlist|
* [[Rupert Giles]]
* [[Quentin Travers]]
* [[Wesley Wyndam-Pryce]]
* [[Merrick (Buffyverse)#Merrick|Merrick]]
* [[Andrew Wells]]
}}
}}
The '''Watchers' Council of Britain''' is an organization dedicated to finding, training, and supervising [[Slayer (Buffyverse)|Slayers]]. Over the years, however, the Council has become increasingly arrogant and egocentric, believing themselves to be the supreme authority while the Slayers are just their tools.

The Council eventually bases its headquarters in [[London]], [[England]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Buffy: The Making of a Slayer: The Official Guide|last=Holder|first=Nancy|publisher=Titan Books|year=2012|isbn=9781781162460|location=London|pages=41}}</ref> It tries to locate potential Slayers and then send [[Watcher (Buffyverse)|Watchers]] to inform and train them. It is not always successful in doing so, and therefore some Slayers are fully trained when they are called, while others know nothing of the heritage or purpose of their power. Each potential Slayer is assigned her own Watcher – a Council employee who is responsible for training the Slayer in combat techniques as well as researching demons, vampires, and magics. Watchers also maintain diaries chronicling the lives of the Slayers under their charge.

In late 2002, the Council learns that [[First Evil|The First]] is systematically eliminating potential Slayers around the world in an effort to end the Slayer line. Unfortunately, before this information can be acted on, the Council headquarters is destroyed by agents of The First, specifically [[Caleb (Buffyverse)|Caleb]] – "At long last. All this time. All the work I've done for you... Blowing up the Council". The Council leadership is killed, and the Council is not able to offer assistance in the struggle against The First.<ref name="Never Leave Me">{{cite episode
| title = Never Leave Me | episode-link = Never Leave Me | series = Buffy the Vampire Slayer | series-link = Buffy the Vampire Slayer| airdate = 2002-11-26 | season = 7 | number = 9}}</ref>

In the aftermath of the battle with the army of The First and the destruction of the Sunnydale Hellmouth, the Watchers' Council begins the process of rebuilding. The work to be done is considerable, especially in light of the creation of hundreds of active Slayers around the world.<ref name="Chosen">{{cite episode
| title = Chosen | episode-link = Chosen (Buffy episode) | series = Buffy the Vampire Slayer | series-link = Buffy the Vampire Slayer| airdate = 2003-05-20 | season = 7 | number = 22}}</ref> The structure of this new Council is unknown, but it appears that Rupert Giles is its new head and is training [[Andrew Wells]] as a Watcher.<ref name="Damage">{{cite episode
| title = Damage | episode-link = Damage (Angel episode) | series = Angel | series-link =Angel (1999 TV series) | airdate = 2004-01-28 | season = 57 | number = 11}}</ref> Only three members of the Watchers' Council have been shown to have survived the First's attacks: Rupert Giles; an acquaintance to him named Robson who survived a [[Bringers of the First Evil|Bringer]] attack; and Roger Wyndham-Pryce. His son, Wesley, and Rutherford Sirk were ex-members of the Council and thus not targeted by the First Evil.

In the canonical comic ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight]]'', Giles informs Faith that he is, for all intents and purposes, the Watcher's Council. Andrew, [[Xander Harris]], and [[Robin Wood (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Robin Wood]] are functioning as Watchers (though Xander dislikes that term and insists that others do not call him such), assisting in the training and supervision of the new Slayers in separate squads around the world (Rome, Scotland, and Cleveland respectively). Their duties have expanded to monitoring Slayers as well; Giles offers [[Faith (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Faith Lehane]] a new identity in exchange for her undertaking the mission to kill Genevieve Savidge, a sociopathic Slayer. Later, the two form a "Slayer social worker" program to try to prevent more Slayers from going rogue.

According to the comic ''[[Fray (comic)|Fray]]'', a Slayer in the 21st century banishes all demons and magics from the world. When evil returns, a new Slayer – Melaka Fray – is called. The Watchers' Council in this era apparently retains the resources to locate Slayers. Melaka Fray is approached by her assigned Watcher, but rather than assist or train her, he immolates himself in front of her.<ref name="Fray#1">{{Cite comic | writer=[[Joss Whedon|Whedon, Joss]] | penciller=[[Karl Moline|Moline, Karl]] | inker=[[Andy Owens|Owens, Andy]] | story=Big City Girl | title=[[Fray (comic)|Fray]] | volume=1 | issue=1 | date=2001 | publisher=[[Dark Horse Comics]]}}</ref> Melaka is instead trained by a demon who says that the remaining Council consists of fanatics and fools.<ref name="Fray#3">{{Cite comic | writer=Whedon, Joss | penciller=Moline, Karl | inker=Owens, Andy | story=Ready, Steady... | title=[[Fray (comic)|Fray]] | volume=1 | issue=3 | date=2001 | publisher=[[Dark Horse Comics]]}}</ref>

=== Methods ===
The Watchers' Council has been known to use ethically questionable methods to accomplish its goals. The Council employs a trio of operatives known as the Special Operations Team.<ref name="Who Are You">{{cite episode
| title = Who Are You | episode-link = Who Are You (Buffy episode) | series = Buffy the Vampire Slayer | series-link = Buffy the Vampire Slayer| airdate = 2000-02-29 | season = 4 | number = 16}}</ref> This team is responsible for some of the more unsavory aspects of the Council's work, such as interrogations, smuggling, and, if necessary, assassinations. When [[Faith (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Faith Lehane]] stakes and kills a human, the Special Ops Team was dispatched to retrieve the rogue Slayer, circumventing local and international authorities.<ref name="Sanctuary">{{cite episode | title = Sanctuary | episode-link = Sanctuary (Angel episode) | series = Angel | series-link =Angel (1999 TV series) | airdate = 2000-05-02 | season = 1 | number = 19}}</ref>

The Council is also known for placing its principles and perceived goals ahead of the well-being of the Slayer. A test known as the Cruciamentum involves suppressing the Slayer's natural abilities with a drug and pitting her against a particularly dangerous vampire on the Slayer's eighteenth birthday in order to test the Slayer's intelligence and practical capabilities. When one particular Watcher, [[Rupert Giles]], defies the rules of the test and interferes in the Cruciamentum of his Slayer – [[Buffy Summers]] – he is dismissed from his position immediately.<ref name="Helpless">{{cite episode
| title = Helpless | episode-link = Helpless (Buffy episode) | series = Buffy the Vampire Slayer | series-link = Buffy the Vampire Slayer| airdate = 1999-01-19 | season = 3 | number = 12}}</ref>

In 2001, representatives of the Council visit [[Sunnydale|Sunnydale, California]] to deliver vital information on the seemingly unstoppable [[Glorificus|Glory]] to the Slayer, Buffy Summers. However, the Council refuses to turn over the information until an extensive review of Buffy's abilities is completed. This assessment includes a review of Buffy's combat skills, as well as interviews with many of her closest friends. Eventually, the Slayer turns the tables on the Watchers, declaring that they need her to validate their existence more than she needs their help. She defends the frequent assistance of her friends (Slayers typically operate alone) and demands that Rupert Giles be reinstated as her Watcher, with retroactive pay to the time of his dismissal. The Council agrees to this, changing the nature of the Council/Slayer relationship until the Council's destruction two years later.<ref name="Checkpoint">{{cite episode
| title = Checkpoint | episode-link = Checkpoint (Buffy episode) | series = Buffy the Vampire Slayer | series-link = Buffy the Vampire Slayer| airdate = 2001-01-21 | season = 5 | number = 12}}</ref>

When the Scoobies rebuilt the Council after the war with the First, they did so under better circumstances. Thus, the new Council is far more moral and ethical, in contrast to the [[moral ambiguity]] of the original.

== Guardians ==
The '''Guardians''' is an organization of long-lived women who developed parallel to the Shadow Men and Watchers. They forge a weapon, the [[Slayer (Buffyverse)#Scythe|Scythe]], for the Slayer to use. They are apparently mistrustful of the Shadow Men and Watchers who followed, as they keep this weapon, along with their very existence, a secret. They allow the Watchers to observe and manage the Slayer for centuries, but all the while the Guardians are watching the Watchers. They remain in hiding until Buffy Summers discovers the Scythe and tracks its origin to an Egyptian-style tomb, where the last Guardian waits. Immediately after explaining herself to Buffy, the Guardian is killed by [[Caleb (Buffyverse)|Caleb]], putting an end to the organization.<ref name="End of Days"/>

==List of Watchers==
{{No footnotes|date=February 2022|section}}
''Note: Some Slayers have had more than one Watcher in the course of their careers.''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Watcher
! Slayer(s)
! First appearance (as a Watcher)
|-
|[[Merrick (Buffyverse)|Merrick]]
|[[Buffy Summers]]
|''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film)|Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' (non-canon), "[[Becoming, Part One]]"
|-
|[[Rupert Giles|Giles, Rupert]]
|Buffy Summers<br />and Faith Lehane
|"[[Welcome to the Hellmouth]]"
|-
|Zabuto, Roger "Sam"
|[[Kendra (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Kendra Young]]
|Mentioned in "[[What's My Line, Part One]]"
|-
|Post, Gwendolyn*
|[[Faith (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Faith Lehane]]
|"[[Revelations (Buffy episode)|Revelations]]"
|-
|[[Wesley Wyndam-Pryce|Wyndam-Pryce, Wesley]]
|Buffy Summers<br />and Faith Lehane
|"[[Bad Girls (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Bad Girls]]"
|-
|[[Quentin Travers|Travers, Quentin]]
|none (chairman of the Council)
|[[Helpless (Buffy episode)|"Helpless"]]
|-
|Crowley, Bernard
|[[Nikki Wood]]
|Mentioned in "[[First Date (Buffy episode)|First Date]]"
|-
|[[List of minor Angel characters#Rutherford Sirk|Sirk, Rutherford]]
| rowspan="2"|Unknown
|"[[Home (Angel episode)|Home]]"
|-
|Wyndam-Pryce, Roger
|Appears as a robot in "[[Lineage (Angel episode)|Lineage]]"
|-
|[[Andrew Wells|Wells, Andrew]]
|Many
|"[[Damage (Angel episode)|Damage]]"
|}
'''<nowiki>*</nowiki>''' Watcher fraudulently "assigned" herself to Faith after being expelled from the Council.

''The following have been featured with no significant details known about them''. Not all of these are true Watchers, some of them are merely operatives on payroll.
* Blair
* Hobson
* [[Lydia (Buffyverse)|Lydia]]—Wrote a thesis on [[Spike (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|William the Bloody]]
* Nigel
* Phillip
* Robson
* Faith's first Watcher
* Giles' father
* Giles' paternal grandmother (named Edna in a [[Tales of the Vampires]] comic by Joss Whedon)
* Collins, Weatherby and Smith—The Council Special Ops Team
* Faith's nurse
* Wesley's thugs

The ([[Buffyverse canon|non-canon]]) novels and comics, especially those focusing on previous Slayers, show or mention other Watchers including: Michaela Tomassi ([[The Gatekeeper (Buffy novel)|''The Gatekeeper'' trilogy]]), Archibald Lassiter (''[[Giles (Buffy comic)|Giles]]''), Harold and John Travers (''[[Spike and Dru: Pretty Maids All in a Row|Pretty Maids All in a Row]]''), Yanna Narvik (watched over the Slayer, [[Buffyverse Slayer timeline#Sophie Carstensen|Sophie Carstensen]] in ''Pretty Maids All in a Row''), Marie-Christine Fontaine (watched Slayer, [[Buffyverse Slayer timeline#Eleanor Boudreau|Eleanor Boudreau]] in ''Pretty Maids All in a Row''), Diana Dormer (the name given to Faith's first Watcher in ''[[Go Ask Malice]]'').

== Interpretation ==
=== The Watcher's Council as a religious organization ===
J'annine Jobling believes that there is a parallel between the Watcher's Council and religious organizations, because they are "bound by tradition and hierarchy", while Buffy and her friends act more democratically and are motivated by love.<ref>J'annine Jobling (2007): Fantastic Spiritualities: Monsters, Heroes and the Contemporary Religious Imagination. A&C Black. P. 112, 117, 195 {{ISBN|9781472535290}}</ref> James Rocha and Mona Rocha add that members of the Council do not even question the institution, which for them is always right. They are valuing their old customs and do not want to change it. They portray themselves in a very positive way and believe in their own portrayal. This makes them unable to do any moral thinking and leads them to betraying the values, they pretend to have.<ref name=ROCH>James Rocha, Mona Rocha (2019): Joss Whedon, Anarchist?: A Unified Theory of the Films and Television Series. McFarland. P.134-151 {{ISBN|9781476637457}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==See also==
* [[Slayer (Buffyverse)|Slayer]]
* [[Rupert Giles]]
* [[Wesley Wyndam-Pryce]]
* [[Watcher (Highlander)|Watcher (''Highlander'')]]

{{Buffy the Vampire Slayer}}

[[Category:Buffyverse]]
[[Category:Fictional titles and ranks]]
[[Category:Fictional vampire hunters]]
[[Category:Fictional secret societies]]
[[Category:Fictional occupations]]
[[Category:Fictional parapsychologists]]