Buffy's Watchers Council Just Got Its Biggest Change Ever

Buffy's Watchers Council Just Got Its Biggest Change Ever

Besides Giles, the Watchers Council never had Buffy the Vampire Slayer's best interests in mind, but the shoe's on the other foot now. Warning: contains spoilers for Buffy: The Last Vampire Slayer Special #1!Throughout the Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise, the Watchers' Council had an unfortunate reputation for not keeping its Slayers' best interests at heart. The Watchers' Council always served as the governing body meant to oversee not only the supernatural forces of evil but more specifically, the Slayer line. However, the biggest reoccurring problem with the Watchers' Council was that they never considered the Slayer as anything or...

Besides Giles, the Watchers Council never had Buffy the Vampire Slayer's best interests in mind, but the shoe's on the other foot now. Warning: contains spoilers for Buffy: The Last Vampire Slayer Special #1!Throughout the Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise, the Watchers' Council had an unfortunate reputation for not keeping its Slayers' best interests at heart. The Watchers' Council always served as the governing body meant to oversee not only the supernatural forces of evil but more specifically, the Slayer line. However, the biggest reoccurring problem with the Watchers' Council was that they never considered the Slayer as anything or anyone beyond their destined profession. Buffy's watcher, Rupert Giles, was an exception to the rule who focused on the Slayer as a person and considered her needs and feelings. Now, Buffy is recreating the Council in his image. In the timeline of The Last Vampire Slayer, Buffy is rebuilding the Watchers' Council after its total collapse, this time recruiting only those who are fully committed to the survival and wellbeing of their charges. It's a new era for the Council, as it fundamentally changes its purpose. Buffy Paves a Better Future for New Slayers In the world of The Last Vampire Slayer, vampires rose up and revealed themselves after the sun was blocked out, allowing them to operate during the day. Slaying vampires became illegal, and Buffy was forced to operate in secret while vampire forces quietly and effectively killed off every other Slayer and most of their allies. In the previous miniseries, Buffy brought back the sun and began training Willow and Tara's daughter Thessaly as the new Slayer, having sacrificed her own powers. Buffy: The Last Vampire Slayer Special #1 (from Casey Gilly, Joe Jaro, and Joana Lafuente) takes place years later, as Buffy rebuilds the Slayer support system and recruits a new Council. The issue reveals that Buffy has recruited several of the witches who helped restore the sun, selecting people who will erase the Council's legacy of allowing Slayers to die because "the people sworn to protect them suck at their jobs." Buffy states that the prior Slayer system was one filled with "young girls who have been used by men for centuries," and the issue sees her considering new ways to approach the concept of the Watchers' Council, from paying Slayers a wage to making sure they have an actual choice in embracing their 'destiny.' Buffy's Watchers' Council Is Finally a True Force for Good It was never a secret during Buffy's time as a Slayer that the Watchers' Council had questionable methods and an even more questionable viewpoint on the Slayers. Even Giles had to grow into developing proper care for Buffy, often emphasizing her duty early on rather than her needs and the toll the job took on her. At its core, the Watchers' Council of the past considered Slayers disposable, since there would always be another. Having been the victim of that perspective, Buffy is eradicating it for future Slayers. Now that she's on the other side of things, Buffy uses her new position to lead with a more moral approach, focusing on what Slayers need. She's going out of her way to enforce things that could actually benefit Slayers in the long run, all while surrounding herself with like-minded individuals who want the same level of care for heroic young women like Thessaly. For the first time in Buffy the Vampire Slayer lore, it's the norm for the Watchers' Council to actually value their Slayers as people, all thanks to a former Slayer stepping up. Next: How Giles Dies in Buffy's Official Continuity