RIP Anthony Stewart Head: A Look Back at Rupert Giles’ Most Iconic Buffy Episodes

The library is closed today. As we mourn our watcher. As a long time Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan, the news of Anthony Stewart Head’s passing hit me hard. I am still recovering from the losses of Michelle and Nicholas, so adding this one to the list was gut wrenching. 

Like many elder millennials, I was introduced to Anthony Stewart Head, through Buffy the Vampire Slayer where he taught us about life, grief and the power of knowledge. For seven years we were gifted with the many talents of Anthony Stewart Head as he acted (and later sang) his way into our hearts and minds. In honor of the incredible talent that was Anthony Stewart Head, here’s a list of some of my favorite Giles centered episodes and ones with great Giles scenes/lines, I think really reflect not only the heart of the character, but the talent and range of the actor. 

Let us know in the comments what Giles moments are your favorite and if you think I’m missing any. 

R.I.P Anthony Stewart Head

Season 1

S1 E1& 2: Welcome to the Hellmouth/The Harvest- The best way to get a good feel for the role Giles will play in this series, you have to start with the series premiere and its follow up. Giles’ final line, “The earth is doomed” is forever iconic to longtime fans. 

S1 E3: The Witch- This is the first time we see Buffy in real mortal danger and Giles' panic is real. We start to see for the first time that his protectiveness over Buffy may be more than just his job. This is also the first time we see Giles use magic in the series. 

S1 E8: I, Robot…You, Jane- Although largely a Willow episode, I like to watch this one as well for the Giles/Jenny banter. This is the first time we meet Miss Jenny Calendar and where you begin to see the sparks fly in their back and forth.

S1 E12: Prophecy Girl- The scene in the library when Buffy learns of her fate, you can see how distraught this man is over this. Then when he later argues that he will be going to fight the Master, you truly learn just how far Giles will go to protect his slayer. The father daughter relationship really begins to solidify for me here. This is also when Giles confesses not just Buffy’s, but his own secret to Jenny Calender. 

Season 2

S2 E2: Some Assembly Required- This Frankenstein-esque episode is all about love and it’s the first time we see an adult in the show, date. Looking back on it now, it was so important throughout the show, to see even the adult figures also struggle to date and grow and love and learn alongside the teens. Plus the gang ribbing Giles about his feeling for Jenny is always funny. 

S2 E7: Lie to Me- Although mostly a Buffy and her friends centered episode, the end scene where Buffy and Giles are in the cemetery and she asks him about life and tells him to lie to her, is a fan favorite for a reason. This is probably one of the most quoted scenes I noticed on many of the fan tribute posts since his passing. 

S2 E8: The Dark Age- This is our first Giles centered episode and it’s such a great one. Here we learn a little about Giles’ past. Learning that the adults in our lives have a past and were kids who messed up, is a life lesson many kids/teens can use. Growing up I remember looking at my parents and grandparents differently after this, wondering what kind of shenanigans and hijinks they may have cooked up in their youth. 

S2 E13&14: Surprise & Innocence- Although largely Buffy/Angel centered, this is where we see a male role model sit down and offer support to a young female character regarding sex. No shame. No ‘disappointment’. No patriarchal nonsense about a woman’s virginity. Just support. The way Giles handled the news of Buffy and Angel, is the way a lot of young women wished their fathers handled the subject matter. 

S2 E17: Passion- No Buffy fan will ever forget the first time they saw Giles walk up the stairs of his loft and his eyes land on Jenny in his bed. This moment still brings sadness to my heart. The way his face fell when he realized what he was seeing. His grief and anger. This episode also gives us the heartbreaking moment when both Buffy and Giles are kneeling on the ground outside the factory, crying. Buffy saying “I can’t lose you” to Giles, will always break my heart. 

Season 3

S3 E2: Dead Man’s Party- Who can forget Giles’ rant in his car, as he mocks Joyce for the evil mask she has in her bedroom? 

S3 E6: Band Candy- Joyce and Giles did it BIG in this one! Record playing, theft and handcuffs? Ripper was out in full force during this episode and I am always here for that! This is a fan favorite for a reason and that reason is Anthony Stewart Head.

S3 E7: Revelations- Here is where you see Giles get belittled by a snotty fem-Giles, and see him reprimand Buffy for keeping her secrets. There aren’t many scenes where Buffy and Giles have legit tension over something so important and personal. The way I felt rightly scolded on Buffy’s behalf was pure Anthony Head magic. 

S3 E9: The Wish- No matter the reality, Giles will protect the people of Sunnydale, especially his students, and you see that here. Even without a Slayer to protect them, Giles stands firm in his belief that the world can be a good place. 

S3 E12: Helpless- Buffy’s birthday gift was betrayal in the form of Giles and it broke all our hearts. This was the first time I remember Giles putting his duty over his devotion for Buffy and it killed me. The end gave me hope that we weren’t losing Giles but his betrayal cut deep. 

S3 E14&15: Bad Girls/Consequences- Giles will forever be our favorite watcher and Buffy’s as well. Wesley doesn’t stand a chance with Buffy or Faith. He could never be as cool as Giles and you get proof during that fight scene where you see Giles’ moves with that sword. The man can do it all! 

S3 E21&22: Graduation Day Parts 1&2- The gang is set to graduate high school and leave the library for the last time. We once again see Giles’ cool moves with a sword and just how ready he is to kill for Buffy. He stands toe to toe against both Angel and Richard Wilkins III in defense of his slayer and he will not back down. He will literally blow up his livelihood for her. 

Season 4

S4 E1: The Freshman- The Scooby Gang starts a new chapter in their lives. For the first time since Jenny (Joyce was just a bad trip), we see Giles with a romantic partner and it freaks us out a bit. We miss our tweed wearing, stuffy shirt librarian but this new robe wearing man of leisure is intriguing. However no matter the wardrobe, Giles will always support Buffy. 

S4 E12: A New Man- Ethan Rayne rains down chaos once again in Sunnydale. Watching ASH play a demon was the hilarity we all needed to get through season 4. No one will ever forget watching him chase Professor Walsh down the street. Instant classic! 

S4 E18: Where the Wild Things Are- The first time many of us heard ASH sing! I know many of us had a similar reaction to Willow, Tara and Anya, hearing our watcher croon and strum those cords. 

S4 E21- Primeval- Watching the Scooby Gang come together this way to defeat Adam was dope af. I really loved this. Also who can forget his drunken “Bloody hell” when Willow first said the words “Tara’s my girlfriend” at the loft? I know I never will.

Season 5

S5 E1: Buffy vs Dracula- Giles getting it on with the ‘Dracu-babe’ will be ingrained in my head till the day I die. Especially when he tried to jump back into the pit for his shoe. 

S5 E12: Checkpoint- Giles goes face to face with his old colleagues when the Watcher council comes to town and further proves why he’s our favorite Brit. 

S5 E16&17: The Body/Forever- Seeing Giles help Buffy and Dawn through this terrible time while he deals with his own grief for Joyce is the mark of a great man. The father they deserved. Watching him rush to Joyce in panic after arriving at the house and later seeing him listening to the same record he and Joyce listened to in Band Candy will always break my heart.

S5 E20: Spiral- Giles driving that RV through a horse chase, was a sight to behold.

S5 E22: The Gift- Giles final line to Ben “She’s a hero, you see. She’s not like us.”, will always be one of my favorite Giles lines. He is always willing to do what he has to, in order to protect Buffy, in all ways. 

Season 6

S6 E3: Afterlife- Giles returns! The reunion we were waiting for, Buffy and her watcher are together again. 

S6 E6: Once More, With Feeling- ASH sings his ass off in this one and the swooning is high. 

S6 E8: Tabula Rasa- When the Scooby Gang loses their memories, one of the funniest aspects was Giles and Anya thinking they were engaged and Giles thinking Spike (Randy) was his son! This one is always good for a laugh. 

S6 E21&22: Two to Go and Grave- Who can forget when Giles makes his ICONIC entrance at the end?  “I’d like to test that theory” will live rent free in my head till I die cause it was just so badass! Daddy Giles is back!His back and forth with Willow, his magical moves and his sacrifice reminded us all why Daddy Giles will always have our hearts. 

Season 7

S7 E10: Bring on the Night- Giles is back and he’s not alone. Giles has a crew of wanna be slayers ready to learn from the master, Buffy Summers. 

S7 E14- First Date- Giles’ artistry strikes again. The hilarious yet disturbing pictures he draws to communicate with Cho Ann remind us of the “wide hip Buffy” drawing from Hush. His frustration with the gang for their ‘frivalory’ is reminiscent of their days back in Sunnydale High. 

S7 E17- Lies My Parents Told Me- This is probably the worst fight Buffy and Giles have throughout the series. It breaks my heart. 

S7 E22- Chosen- The series finale is a great way to say goodbye to the cast. Giles reminds us how badass he is while he fights alongside Buffy and the others to save the world…again. His “the world is definitely doomed” before the fight starts, is a great throwback to his line at the beginning of the series, bringing it all full circle.Rupert Giles was not only a huge part of this show’s success, he was a huge part of my growing up. Although Giles is not a father, he is definitely a top tier TV Father

Figure to me. Other than Joyce, Giles was the only long standing adult character on the series. He helped shape a generation of folk who know that real power is in knowledge and how you use it.

He showed us how to love, support and protect one another and not to be afraid to get hands on. Empathy is strength and knowledge is sexy and Anthony Stewart Head taught us so much. 

What is your favorite moment? Let us know in the comments.