RIP Anthony Head: Our 10 favorite moments of Buffy's Giles

On Friday, news broke of the passing of actor Anthony Head at 72, best known for his portrayal of Watcher/father figure Rupert Giles on the supernatural drama Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Fans and former costars alike flooded social media with outpourings of appreciation for his talent and grief at his death. Head certainly had a thriving career after Buffy: he played Uther Pendragon ins the series Merlin; the Prime Minister in Little Britain; a sinister headmaster in the Doctor Who episode “School Reunion”; and of course, the wealthy, entitled Rupert Mannion in Ted Lasso. But Giles remains his definitive role; there was even talk of a spinoff series, Ripper, although it was never made. There are actually very few Giles-centric episodes, which belies the central importance of the character in the series. He definitely had some of the best, most cleverly cutting lines. But Head’s true genius—and that of his character—lay in quietly filling in the gaps in every scene, working with his fellow castmates to weave a complete tapestry. Remove him, and it diminishes everything. (Spoilers for Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series below.) What better time to spend a few hours watching Buffy in Head’s honor? Should you want some suggestions, here are 10 of our favorite Giles moments, in chronological order. Feel free to weigh in with your own favorites in the comments. Credit: 20th Television/the WB Credit: 20th Television/the WB When Buffy confronts Ford at the club, she learns he has a terminal brain tumor; his desperation to live is what drove him to betray her. This doesn’t excuse his choices, but it does make it harder for her to view him as a pure villain. After staking the newly sired Ford in the cemetery, Buffy asks Giles, “Does it get any easier?” Giles responds, “What do you want me to say?” Buffy asks him to lie to her. “Yes, it’s terribly simple,” Giles says. “The good guys are always stalwart and true. The bad guys are easily distinguished by their pointy horns or black hats. And we always defeat them and save the day. No one ever dies and everybody lives happily ever after.” Credit: 20th Television/The WB Credit: 20th Television/The WB Credit: 20th Television/The WB Credit: 20th Television/The WB Credit: 20th Television/The WB Credit: 20th Television/The WB A hardened and callous Buffy does eventually show up and take on the Master and his minions. Meanwhile, Giles summons Anyanka with a spell, having learned he must destroy her power center for reality to revert to its original form. He doesn’t remember that alternate reality, but reasons that it has to be better than this. As each of our favorites dies by each other’s hands—since they are not friends in this world—and the Master snaps Buffy’s neck, Giles smashes Anyanka’s necklace, correctly guessing it is the source of her power. Anyanka is rendered human and the original reality is restored. Credit: 20th Television/The WB Credit: 20th Television/The WB Credit: 20th Television/The WB Credit: 20th Television/The WB The premise means that almost the entire episode is free of dialogue, with the characters communicating by writing on chalkboards and gesturing. Giles gives his usual exposition of the threat they face using transparencies and an overhead projector, as Saint-Saens’ “Danse Macabre” plays in the background. In the original fairy tale, the Gentlemen can only be killed when the “princess’ (i.e., Buffy) screams—so to vanquish them, Buffy must get her voice back. And so she does, but the incident pretty much kills Giles’ budding relationship Olivia. Credit: 20th Television/The WB Credit: 20th Television/The WB Credit: 20th Television/The WB Credit: 20th Television/The WB