15 Most Shocking Buffy The Vampire Slayer Moments
11. Giles Kills Ben
Rupert Giles,
former hell-raiser, Watcher, librarian and father figure, has always been a
complex and secretive character. Acting as the patriarch of the Scooby Gang and
a mentor to Buffy, Willow, Xander and Dawn throughout the show’s run, he proved
to be incredibly smart, tough and skilled during the series.
With Season Five’s finale, he also proved to be the guy willing to do what the Slayer could not.
After Buffy defeats Big Bad god Glory and heads off to save Dawn, Ben (with whom Glory has been forced to share his body) shows himself and promises to go far away from Sunnydale and never bother the Slayer again.
But Giles knows that although Ben may mean what he’s saying, Glory will never stop coming for Buffy or Dawn, so he suffocates Ben there and then – killing both the good doctor and the god in one cold but necessary act.
It’s a great character moment for Giles, and allows fans to see just how far he’s willing to go to do the right thing, and keep his friends away from such big decisions.