Believe it or not, I supported Riley in the beginning. I thought that he would be a good match for Buffy since he could understand what she went up against each night. It began to unravel from there. To me, he became the guy that was insecure about his girlfriend. Is she stronger than me? How can she kill more vamps than me? Seemingly, he was okay with her being the slayer, at first, then as time past his insecurities started to mount, making him more and more displaced in Buffy’s life.

He felt that his position was never secure in Buffy’s life. She would never need him and let’s face it, being the normal All-American type; Riley had a desire to be felt needed. We all do as humans. It is nice to be needed. I know I would like to be in a relationship, where I felt not only loved, but also needed. With Buffy, he did not have his desire to be needed fulfilled, thus causing him to turn to having vampires suck his blood. This made him feel needed. These vampires needed his blood to live and he needed the desire to be needed filled. It was a win-win situation, but resulted in his break-up with Buffy.

Riley was constantly evolving, especially after Season Four when he went darker. He never took in the BuffyVerse. He came in as Angel left, Xander and Giles weren’t seen as much, Oz had left, and Riley was thrust into the role of male lead. This did not go over well and much fans rejected him. He had potential, but the point in time he was brought in, was the downfall of the character.

Riley wasn’t all to blame for the break-up, Buffy had also played her part. I still remember the speech Spike gave to Riley about Spike having it better cause he loves her and he isn’t with her, where as Riley loves her, but isn’t really with her. That was a good point. It summed up their relationship perfectly. He was the one dating her, but he did not have her. She did not need him or love him in the way that he needed to be. I am not saying that Buffy did not love him, she did in her own way, but it was not what Riley wanted. He wanted to be loved fully. He wanted to be more in Buffy’s life, but she could not give that to him.

The main problem was that Riley did have very many flaws. Good student, good looks, goes to Church, from the Midwest, and fights evil. What more could a girl ask for? He was a sharp contrast to Angel, who had just left Buffy. It was possibly more of a contrast than she needed at the time. He was her typical normal guy and she proved that she could not be happy with a normal guy. She needs a bit of monster in her man, even though she would be the last person to admit that.

Riley was thrust into another world through Buffy and that had to seriously challenge all he had thought of. His girlfriend dated a vampire with a soul? I know I would be racking my brain about that one myself. She dated a dead guy. Riley probably compared himself to Angel at all times and in all areas. He had a perspective on the world and becoming involved with Buffy and the Scoobies destroyed it. This is not a bad thing, however, it was a major thing. He was forced to open his mind up. Forced to see that there are more shades of gray in the world than just black and white. This was good for him, but it must have been a traumatic transitional period for him. Everything he believed and valued was being proved either wrong or different.

So he meets the girl, falls in love with her, finds out that his life wasn’t what he thought it was. The government is feeding him drugs to make him stronger and going a bit crazed as he comes off of them. Riley was a perfect solider. He followed orders and didn’t question what the pills were that he had to take daily. Most of all, he loved his life. He loved being a part of a secret government agency that fought evil. It made him something beyond normal. Then, he met Buffy and it all fell a part. Kind of sad if you think about it. Who knows what he is up to with Sam in the jungle? I predict that one day, Riley Finn will run for Congress or President. Come on, you know it could happen.

Riley’s departure was just another symbol of Joss saying that science and Buffy cannot co-exist. Science is based on fact. The supernatural does not really exist to the Initiative. They thought the slayer was a myth. Eventually, Riley rejoins the world of science. He marries Sam, and in her, he finds the woman who can need him and love him.

The lesson we learn through Riley? A solider and Buffy does not mix. Buffy couldn’t allow herself to find solace in Riley during the events of Season Five. She wouldn’t allow herself to depend on him, because the last man she depended on, left her. Angel’s departure scarred her in that aspect. She loved him and he went away, making the decision for her to go. By depending on Riley, she would have opened herself up to the possibility that this would happen once more. In the end, she does decide to take the chance, after realizing that Riley could be the guy that she could depend on, but it was too late. On the other hand, it is noted that there is the possibility that existed that Buffy wasn’t running fast enough to catch him. She could have run faster, but deep down, she didn’t want to catch him. She wanted him to leave. Thus by not running faster, she did not have to face the possible rejection from him once she opened herself up fully to him. I tend to support the latter theory.

Now that all my thoughts of Riley had been almost emptied from my head, that and I getting tired of typing, I believe that enough has been said on the topic for now. I don’t miss Riley. I hated that Riley went to the vampires, but I understand why. He wasn’t the bad guy, but he was more the guy that was displaced. By returning to the Initiative, he once again, found his place in the world. It was a place that did not include Buffy Summers or the Scooby Gang.