Why Did Watchers Get Paid, But Slayers Did Not? by Angeldove

BUFFYVERSE

Why Did Watchers Get Paid, But Slayers Did Not?

POSTED BY: ANGELDOVE
UPDATED: Monday, January 10, 2005 11:16
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Wednesday, June 9, 2004 12:07 PM

This may have already been discussed at one time, but I never saw it, so if so, deal with it

Watching season six again, and the Doublemeat Palace arc, got me to thinking about this. We are told early on by Giles, that slaying is the Slayers first priority, and in turn he doesn't believe she should have any type of social life. So here we are, Watchers are gettin paid, sure their job is important, but the Slayer is the one out there risking her life on a daily basis. When we find out that Wood's mother was the second slayer Spike killed, and her famous line was "The mission is what matters" do you think she had time for a day job, how did she support her kid? I know all this is for the most part inconsequential, but its just been buggin me.

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the road less traveled by and they CANCELLED MY FRIKKIN' SHOW. I totally shoulda took the road that had all those people on it. Damn." --Joss

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Wednesday, June 9, 2004 12:54 PM

ATHERTONWING

The way I see it is being a watcher is like being a teacher, and its not as though your born into it like slayers. They have no choice they are what they are called its who they are, destiny. Watchers are part of a council, they are paid to train the slayer, teach her the virtues of slayer ness and so forth. it’s a job, slaying isn’t it’s a calling something you cant give up.

In the acceptation of Nicky wood, I think her watcher was like most watchers we have seen…he or she loved their slayer very much and I get the impression that Nicky wasn’t just supported in an emotional way but her watcher probably supported robin and her financially as well or maybe took care of robin while she worked…just a few opinions.

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Wednesday, June 9, 2004 1:34 PM

SHINYSEVEN

Slayers are young--not all of them even live long enough to have a Cruciamentum--so I think that either their parents support them (more or less subsidizing the Council) or, e.g., part of Sam Zabuto's pay was supposed to be devoted to raising Kendra.

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Wednesday, June 9, 2004 2:03 PM

GRACEOM

Was it established that watchers got paid? Giles had to work as a librarian, and then as a shopkeeper. I mean those things could have been merely "cover", but they also could have supported him. Wesley, when he first appeared and was still an official watcher, gave the impression of being independently wealthy, and so not needing to be paid.

I mean maybe they did receive a paycheck, but I don't recall it being mentioned. Could have missed it though...

And you're right, it isnt' fair!

Grace

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Wednesday, June 9, 2004 3:36 PM

SPIKEANDJEZEBEL

It was mentioned in the season 5 episode "Checkpoint". Buffy tells Travers that Giles is to be reinstated as her Watcher at full salary, and Giles does a fake cough saying "Backpay!" Buffy then forces them to pay him retroactively from the time the council fired him in season 3.

"I like smackin' 'em!" - Jayne Cobb

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Wednesday, June 9, 2004 3:55 PM

GRACEOM

Quote:
Originally posted by spikeandjezebel:
It was mentioned in the season 5 episode "Checkpoint". Buffy tells Travers that Giles is to be reinstated as her Watcher at full salary, and Giles does a fake cough saying "Backpay!" Buffy then forces them to pay him retroactively from the time the council fired him in season 3.

You are so right--I remember that now! ::smacks self in forehead::

Grace

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Thursday, June 10, 2004 1:34 AM

HEB

Quote:
Originally posted by Angeldove:
This may have already been discussed at one time, but I never saw it, so if so, deal with it Watching season six again, and the Doublemeat Palace arc, got me to thinking about this. We are told early on by Giles, that slaying is the Slayers first priority, and in turn he doesn't believe she should have any type of social life. So here we are, Watchers are gettin paid, sure their job is important, but the Slayer is the one out there risking her life on a daily basis. When we find out that Wood's mother was the second slayer Spike killed, and her famous line was "The mission is what matters" do you think she had time for a day job, how did she support her kid? I know all this is for the most part inconsequential, but its just been buggin me.

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the road less traveled by and they CANCELLED MY FRIKKIN' SHOW. I totally shoulda took the road that had all those people on it. Damn." --Joss

I was thinking the exact same thing the other day. But I came to the conclusion that it would have been a really bad idea for the watchers council to start paying slayers. Firstly they want the slayer to think of slaying as her duty not a job. Secondly they wouldn't want to get the idea that it's about money into her head. The situation could occur where the Slayer says 'You know this apocalypse we've got coming. Well I'm not gonna bother to stop it unless you give me a pay rise.'

If a watcher did this they could just fire him and get a new watcher but it's a little bit more difficult to get rid of a slayer who's after more money.

Well, my sister's a ship... we had a
complicated childhood

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Thursday, June 10, 2004 2:15 AM

ARAWAEN

The Watchers Council took many steps to control slayers. While the theme of the show was the empowerment of women, this was definitely not the role of the council.

Giles' relationship with Buffy was a little unique in that he let her stay with her mother. It doesn't seem that that is the standard case with slayers. The council probably justified not paying with the 'its your destiny' argument, but it probably had more to do with making the slayer dependent upon the council, through her watcher.

Arawaen

Um, I'm lost. Uh, I'm Angry. And I'm Armed.

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Tuesday, June 15, 2004 6:34 AM

IDEFIX

and that makes Giles a double

for leaving Buffy in S6. right?
he should not only have been there for her emotionally after being resurrected he should also have been there to share his paycheck with her. he gets payed for being a watcher sitting in england on his behind and Buffy has to work a crappy job in order to feed herself and her little sister (who was only there because Buffy was the slayer).

does that seem right to you?

makes the cheque he gave her before leaving look totally different.

I do love Giles but they should have come up with a better reason for him to leave. the way they did it he looks like a total jerk and that's just not consistent with his personality.

Idefix

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Saturday, October 16, 2004 7:00 PM

MER

No, he left because Buffy couldn't support herself on her own. There's a difference between having your Watcher support you and having responsibilities.
Example: Buffy never gives Dawn "the talk" if she ever gets in trouble. She just leaves it up to someone else.

Buffy is so caught up in her own well provided world that she forgot that sometimes you can't have someone do things for you or have everything you want.

I'm now realizing this one insanely old topic I_I;;

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Saturday, October 16, 2004 7:38 PM

BANDANAGIRL

You know I never did like the council. Basically they built this whole establishment to take advantage of the Slayers power. She does all the work and they take all the credit. I think not paying her was trying to reinforce the fact that they are ones with the power, while she is born into their service. I always thought of the Council as a very corrupt establishment, they are there to assist the slayer not be her boss (in my mind). Not to mention they have that whole destiny excuse, it ain't the destiny of the council to exist. I'm sure many people outside of the council could figure out that the council was to some extent an establishment which took advantage of young girls. I'm sure they didn't like it if a slayer got too old. I was so happy those snobs got blown up. OK rant over.

Notorious Farscape Enabler

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Sunday, November 14, 2004 10:49 AM

DBLADE

This is very much in line with the original creators of the slayers. A bunch of old fogies who thought they could make a young girl into a weapon to be used at their behest and who would die off before she was mature enough to stand up for herself. Buffy was smart enough to break the cycle with the help of Willow. The scene in the Season 5 episode of Angel where Andrew comes to claim the crazed slayer with the help of a squad of slayers illustrates beautifully what these control freaks wanted to avoid-the slayers standing up for themselves and calling all the shots.

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Sunday, November 14, 2004 5:18 PM

SPDRPARKER

Did anyone consider that the council might have financially taken care of Slayers to an extent if need be?

They may not want to pay them for luxury and what not. But if a Slayer had nothing at all, I would think the council would step in so as not to have to have the Slayer sleeping under cardboard.

Also, remember that Kendra was taken away from her parents, as were most Slayers. But they didn't always know who would be called next.

To note why Buffy wasn't taken care of by the council, she did quit it prior to her financial woes.

This is my take.

Corbitt
Just that gorram shiny

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Saturday, November 20, 2004 1:14 PM

HAWK

Don't knock the watching. It's harder than it looks you liddle pecker!

All that standing, and watching to be done, and indispensible advice... to be dispensed.

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Saturday, January 8, 2005 5:54 PM

DIRTYBROWNCOAT

I don't think there's really any rhyme or reason as to when or how Watchers take children from their parents to be trained.

Buffy, before being chosen, was obviously a Potential. I got the idea that a couple of the Potentials we saw in season 7 were raised by a Watcher that they knew of, or at least had a Watcher, but still others were allowed to stay with their parents. Why?

Buffy stayed with her mom, even after being chosen.

Kendra told us in What's My Line? that her Watcher raised her.

We don't really know anything about Faith - except that she did know her mom and she had a decent relationship with her Watcher. It's possible that her situation was like Buffy's, but it also could've been like Wood's - her mom dies when she was a bit younger, and then the Watcher sweeps in and takes the role of raising/protecting her.

I dunno. Just seems like the Watcher's Council is damn inconsistent for British folks.

Simon: You...you came for us.
Mal: You're on my crew.
Simon: Right. I guess I just didn't...you don't even like me.
Mal: You're on my crew. Why we still talking about this?
-Safe

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Sunday, January 9, 2005 3:00 AM

WEASY

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Sunday, January 9, 2005 3:01 AM

WEASY

Buffy was a 'hidden' potential, they didn't know she was a Slayer until she was called and then they had to find her and convince her vampires existed. That's why she was so unconventional - she was never indoctrinated with council lore the way Kendra was.

It's difficult to say with Faith but I suppose there must have been something similar because she wasn't taken away either.

But actually - when Kendra says she was raised by her watcher she says something along the lines of 'her people took the calling so seriously her parents gave her up to her watcher to raise' so maybe it's actually more to do with their society that Kendra was raised in and not so much what the council demands -

If you read 'pretty maids' or the slayer chronicles then I don't think ever in the past the council always took slayers in, and if they did not until after they were actually called.

Thinking about it where did Faith get her money from? she must've had some to stay in that motel before the mayor started looking after her. But then, the council can't have been giving it to her because they didn't know she was in sunnydale for ages. As much as it would've been funny if she robbed the guys she banged I'm not convinced that's how she got her money either.

It's an odd question.

I don't know.

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Sunday, January 9, 2005 9:00 AM

DIRTYBROWNCOAT

Well, I don't know if they exactly take little girls from their parents, but I do know that a lot of the potentials in season 7 had Watchers, because I remember a couple of the "original" potentials talking about them in Bring on the Night...and unless I'm mistaken, other potentials, like Rona, had no idea that anything like Slayers, Watchers, vampires, etc. even existed.

Simon: You...you came for us.
Mal: You're on my crew.
Simon: Right. I guess I just didn't...you don't even like me.
Mal: You're on my crew. Why we still talking about this?
-Safe

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Monday, January 10, 2005 11:16 AM

ZEEK

Well they pretty much had to have a lot of watchers for potentials. Otherwise it wouldn't make much sense to have multiple watchers. They would just need one watcher because there's one slayer. I take it the watchers were there to watch after the potentials and see if they became a chosen one. At best they would need like 5 watchers as backups and apprentices if they weren't just watching over the one slayer.

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