Watchers' Council (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
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In the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the Watchers' Council is a fictional governing organization for Watchers of vampire Slayers such as Buffy.
It is headquartered in England and trains Watchers and keeps historical records of the deeds of previous slayers, as well as doing research on vampires and demons. However, it is seen as an ineffective bureaucratic organization that sometimes does more harm than good, attempting reprisals against slayers who defy its authority and showing little concern for any individual slayer's well-being.
In the episode "Helpless" the Watchers' Council is shown to be willing to sacrifice the life of a slayer for the purpose of conducting a test of fitness. At other times, the Council withholds vital assistance as a way of asserting its authority and trying to force rebellious slayers to comply with its directives.
By the end of season seven it appears that the Council may have been a rather hollow, self-serving organization all along. This impression is created in part by Buffy's exceptional growth and independence--she does not see herself as an "instrument" of the Council, but (in the fifth season episode "Checkpoint") faces down their leadership in dramatic fashion ("You’re Watchers. Without a Slayer, you’re pretty much just watchin’ Masterpiece Theater") and negotiates a new relationship in which they are to support her. Serious backsliding on their part is evident by season seven, however, since they know who is killing the Potentials around the world, but they do not let Buffy in on the secret.
The head of the Watchers' Council during Buffy's time as a Slayer is Quentin Travers, a somewhat pompous individual, who was blown up with the rest of the Council leadership by Caleb working under the First Evil. The Watcher's Council is shown to be rebuilding itself in the final season of the Buffy spin-off Angel, though the nature and structure of this new council is not explored.
In the comic Fray, set hundreds of years in the future, it is revealed that an unnamed Slayer successfully was able to drive most, if not all, of the demons from the world, sacrificing herself in the process. When the demons and vampires return to Earth, a new Slayer (Melaka Fray) is called.
The Watcher's Council in this time apparently retains the resources to find Slayers. Melaka Fray is approached by a Watcher, but rather than assist or train her, he sets himself on fire in front of her. Instead, Melaka is trained by a demon with an unspecified agenda against vampires, who advises her that the remaining Council is made up of fanatics and fools.