Supernatural's Watchers Replacement Made 1 Fatal Error Buffy The Vampire Slayer Avoided

Summary Buffy's Watchers' complex morality contrasts Supernatural's Men Of Letters, giving them a more effective storyline.

The British Men Of Letters failed as villains in Supernatural due to a lack of complexity and hypocrisy.

The Men Of Letters' black-and-white view of supernatural powers clashed with the series' approach.

The replacement for Buffy The Vampire Slayer's Watchers in Supernatural made one fatal error that Buffy avoided. While it introduced a few interesting additions to the lore, season 8 is considered one of Supernatural's worst seasons. This was partly due to the dragged-out storyline regarding the brothers' falling out after Dean's (Jensen Ackles) return from Purgatory. That being said, another aspect of the story that fell flat was the season's main villain, resulting in one of the series' less popular stories.

Supernatural's Men Of Letters were meant to be a counterpoint to the hunters, as they were a set of academics who studied the supernatural as well as hunted it. However, as time went on, it was revealed that the surviving British branch of the organization did not share the same values as the Winchesters and other hunters. The Men Of Letters' fully evil outlook hurt that particular storyline, something that Buffy The Vampire Slayer's Watchers were able to avoid due to one simple fact.

Related 10 Ways The Vampire Diaries & Supernatural Copied Each Other Supernatural and The Vampire Diaries share a lot more in common than just the network they aired on, and some major details are repeated in both.

Supernatural's Men Of Letters Went Fully Evil; Buffy's Watchers Didn't

Buffy's Watchers Developed More Complex Outlooks On The Supernatural

Buffy The Vampire Slayer's Watchers had a more complex and morally ambiguous approach, contrasting Supernatural's Men Of Letters. The Watchers, while a strict organization, had room for individual approaches to teaching Slayers. Sunnydale's Watcher Giles (Anthony Head) was an example of this, as he was tasked with teaching the titular character about the supernatural according to the Council's rules. Despite this, Giles also allowed Buffy to have a personal life and developed a strong bond with her, causing him to question the Council's methods and call for change.

That lack of complexity made this storyline less effective as, unlike the Watchers, the Men Of Letters became blanket villains with very few examples of defiance.

Supernatural's villain group, by contrast, had little room for that kind of complexity as almost every member was purely evil and devoted to the cause. When the Men Of Letters' black-and-white outlook on the supernatural was questioned by an outside force, their response was to double down on their beliefs. That lack of complexity made this storyline less effective as, unlike the Watchers, the Men Of Letters became blanket villains with very few examples of defiance. This made them feel less compelling as villains compared to their Buffy counterparts.

Why Supernatural's British Men Of Letters Didn't Work As Villains

Their Hypocrisy And Lack Of Nuance Made Them Ineffective Villains

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Supernatural's Men Of Letters did not work as villains as their blanket obedience and hypocrisy made them seem out of place in the series' approach to the supernatural. Both of these series are some of the best paranormal procedural shows because of their approaches to monsters and mythology. Each set of heroes was flawed in many ways and most of the monsters they fought were, morally speaking, as human as they were. The Men of Letters' belief that all supernatural powers must be destroyed because they were all evil made them one-dimensional bad guys, resulting in a less intriguing narrative.

Additionally, the Men Of Letters' use of magic in Supernatural was a bit hypocritical, lessening their ability to work as villains. The Men Of Letters practiced magic to accomplish their goals, which clashed with their inherent hatred of any creature who used it. It made their anger at the Winchesters' befriending of creatures and use of magic incongruous, as they were doing almost the same thing. That hypocrisy added to the lack of nuance, resulting in the Men Of Letters becoming almost cartoonish and mostly defeated despite their vast resources in season 8 of Supernatural.