Giles Is Missing During The 'Buffy' Reunion

There's something innocent about the early seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the Scoobies congregating in the Sunnydale High library. Now, 20 years later, Entertainment Weekly reunited the Buffy the Vampire Slayer cast, and those crazy kids (and not-quite-ageless) vamps still look good. But there's an essential presence in the library that's missing... wait, why isn't Giles at the Buffy reunion? I mean, honestly, what is Anthony Stewart Head up to that he couldn't make time to inject this photoshoot with some seriously-needed tweed?

It feels like a deep cut. For all that stuffiness, Giles was part of the original core four, the watcher, the mentor, the necessary father figure due to an extreme lack of Hank Summers. It hurts thinking that he can just abandon us all over again, because it was hard enough with him going in and out of Season 6. So seriously, what gives?

According to a tweet via the slayer herself, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Head was at "a play in London" (punctuated by an appropriate sadface). That's super beat, but to be expected. Incidentally, Head has been keeping very, very busy as late as 2016, which isn't a great excuse to break our hearts, but at least it's something.

Last year, Head starred in two movies. Small-ish movies with small-ish roles, but still two more movies than you and I were last year. He was the voice of Bob the cat in A Street Cat Named Bob (seriously) and also held a featured role in the independent Cold War espionage film Despite the Falling Snow.

But most important to note is that Head will soon be coming to our TV screens (and dealing with a new bunch of pesky teenagers) in the upcoming period drama Still Star-Crossed. In case you can't read the context clues, Still Star-Crossed is a sort of Romeo and Juliet that'll focus on Benvolio and Romeo's former infatuation Rosaline trying to escape an unwanted marriage. The original star-crossed lovers will be part of the recurring cast, and Head will be playing the role of Juliet's father, Lord Silvestro Capulet. Oh, and it's produced by ShondaLand, so that should make for some seriously good entertainment.

So, while you can definitely catch the actor elsewhere, he's been just way too busy for his Sunnydale fam, however much he may have wanted to be with them for the reunion. It hurts us still, but I guess we all have to grow up without our faithful watcher by our side.