Synopsis:
An old friend returns to Sunnydale with a surprise. Meanwhile,
Buffy's "relationship" is called into question.
Written by: Doug Petrie
Directed by: Doug Petrie
Original Airdate: February 26, 2002
Destructo Girl Recap:
I would like to start off this review by saying that this
was possibly the most painful hour of television for me of
all time. Metaphorically speaking, anyway. When I endured
(can't even call it watching) "Sanctuary," I got a migraine.
I'm a huge Buffy/Riley fan and the jealous type. Yeah, I liked
Riley a whole lot, but I liked him as Buffy's boyfriend. That's
not to say I would have not liked him if he had never been
Buffy's boyfriend. But he was. So seeing him with someone
else makes me want to cry and/or do something violent. I'm
just not big enough of a person to say "Hey, Riley's happy…
I can be happy for him despite the fact that it's totally
humiliating and depressing my favorite character!"
I've stalled long enough, on with the review.
Buffy's working at the Doublemeat, scraping grease as some pompous ass drones on and on about philosophy or whatever. He then realizes that Buffy probably doesn't understand him, because she dropped out of college - because everyone knows that all people with a functioning brain go to college! Buffy tells him that she has reapplied and he tells her "Good luck with that," because he apparently thinks Buffy is some moron. Ugh. Then he heads off to night school, because he doesn't want to be "cleaning greasetraps" for the rest of his life. What a sweetheart. With a few instructions about disgusting chores Buffy has to do before she locks up, he says he will see her tomorrow. Buffy glumly replies that he will… and the next day and the day after that…
Buffy's singing again! Sarah's got a cute voice. Anyway, she's walking through the cemetery singing the Doublemeat jingle when a vampire interrupts. Unfortunately, she reeks of Parfum de Doublemeat. The vamp changes his mind - he doesn't want to eat her if she's been eating that crap. Offended, Buffy stakes him and continues on her way home.
The Buffy theme song plays… commercials air… including one with ET. I hate that alien! That movie scared me when it first came out (I was very very little) and I have had nightmares about ET since. I'm going to be so happy when that movie comes out and then slowly fades away!
Buffy approaches the house and "catches" Spike lurking outside - but to be fair, he says he wasn't exactly hiding. She tells him that they can't mess around, Dawn is inside expecting her dinner. How late does the Doublemeat stay open? Back in my hellish fast food days, we were open until 10 on weeknights. Granted, Sunnydale is a small town where it's really unsafe to be out at night, but I can't imagine them closing before… 8? Either they close way early or Buffy feeds Dawn really late. And why does Buffy have to bring Dawn that artery-clogging crap, anyway? She could certainly pop a TV dinner in the microwave…. I'm off track. Yes, back to the review.
Spike's never been one to take no for an answer, so when Buffy tells him he can't let her in, he tugs her behind a tree and says she will have to be with him outside. She wants to say no, but understandably cannot resist the dead sexiness that is Spike. They start making out….
Buffy finally makes it into the kitchen, handing Dawn her bag of dinner from the Doublemeat Palace. She pulls out the burger, which Buffy informs her she made herself - she actually made hundreds, but this one is the best - and Dawn reveals is quite smashed. Buffy tried to fluff it back up, but Dawn is sick of eating fast food every night. Man, I would have loved it if my mom had let me eat crap like that when I was 15 every night! But yeah, I guess you can even get tired of good stuff. Not that I think a Doublemeat burger is good. I'm a vegetarian and the whole cow + chicken thing icks me out.
Willow walks in the room and asks Buffy if she's had a rough night, pointing out the grass stain on Buffy's cute tan jacket. Dawn asks if some vamp got rough with her and Buffy absently replies that "he's not getting any gentler." When they notice the "he," Buffy quickly covers and says she means "they," as in the entire vamp population. They breeze past that and Dawn asks Buffy if she would like to hit the Bronze with she and Willow, slipping in a request for permission. Buffy tells them to go, she has stuff to do.
At the Bronze, Anya and Xander fuss over the wedding plans. She nags him about eating too many chips, then snatches the bag for herself. Dawn drops by, asking if they are nervous and getting quick "No!" responses from the both of them. Slinking off, she meets up with Willow who hands her a drink and comments that she used to dream about marrying Xander. Now she's glad she isn't them. Dawn asks if Willow wants to ask Tara over to the house. Willow doesn't think they are ready, but happily informs her that if she called, Tara wouldn't hang up on her.
Back at Buffy's house, she is in the basement, listening to extremely depressing music, trying to get the stain out of her coat. Cut to her asleep on the couch the next morning. Awakening to the sound of garbage men outside, she races to bring out the trash, but is too late.
In the kitchen, Dawn reminds her that today is trash day. Too little, too late. Just to complete the image of just how crappy Buffy's life it, she gets a letter from UCSD, informing her that her application was too late and she hasn't been accepted. How are we supposed to expect Buffy not to want to kill herself when nothing works out for her?
Anyway, Dawn says she had fun the night before and Buffy should have come. She gives Buffy this spiel about seeing her that afternoon, but if she is working, maybe tonight… or just maybe tomorrow. Telling her not to work too hard, Dawn heads off to school. Finally, she's acting like a human being!
And Buffy's back at the Doublemeat. The annoying co-working is going on and on again. If Buffy kills him, I really wouldn't call it immoral. Just to prove he's an ass, he asks if Buffy's heard from her college yet, she says yes… and he just moves on to the next topic. I think he just loves to hear his own voice.
Now, the first in what becomes many moments where I blush for poor, dear Buffy. She is told to go work in front. She approaches the register and looks up to find Riley standing there. He's sporting a nasty looking scar across his left eye. I'm wishing I didn't know what was coming, so perhaps I could enjoy my beloved Riley being back. But then again, if I didn't know, I would be horribly devastated, and this is hard enough, thank you.
Anyway, he says "Hey" and Buffy, understandably stunned, says "Huh?"
Cut to commercial, where I try to mentally prepare myself. This is just a TV show. It doesn't REALLY matter. It's just a TV show… it is… it is…. But I still care, damn it!
So… Buffy's all in shock, Riley's telling her something big is going down and he needs her help. She's not really grasping anything, because *Riley* is *back*… and she has a cow on her hat. I would feel the same way, but I know what's coming, so mostly I whimper. Anyway, Riley needs Buffy's help immediately. The annoying co-worker points out that she has a line forming. Without a word, she pulls off her hat and follows Riley out of the store, ignoring said co-workers calls. I hope this means that Buffy's fast food days are over. I don't want her fired but maybe this will lead to a job she deserves. But if it's anything like real life, she will be able to go back. Maybe with a write-up, but she won't get fired. Or maybe she will try and get a better job. Do you notice I keep rambling so I don't have to recap this?
Outside, Riley briefs her. They are looking for a Suvolte demon - it's real bad, blah blah blah. Buffy giggles when she sees some of his gear, saying that it's so cute how he still carries around "all that James Bond stuff." Riley tells her that they have been after these things all over the place. The problem is that Suvolte's are breeders - as soon as they kill one, a dozen more pop up. They reproduce really quickly, so if they can keep going and there gets to be a war against the humans, the humans will lose. All of a sudden, this funky looking demon, the Suvolte, of course, appears and starts wreaking havoc. Buffy and Riley attack, but it throws them off and takes off. They go and look for it but it manages to get away again.
In Riley's super hot SUV, they sorta make small talk. Riley says that if they get a minute, he has some big stories to tell her. Buffy asks if he died, and - of course - he says no. She smiles and says she has him beat. Riley sorta shoots a look her way, but doesn't comment. He hands her some battle gear, lightweight state-of-the-art Kevlar, and tells her she will thank him for making him put it on. Buffy tries a little flirting, asking if he is going to look. Riley looks a little uncomfortable and says he is a gentleman. Then he starts going on about how he wouldn't ask just anybody to risk their lives for him. Um… isn't that a bit of a backhanded compliment? "I wouldn't want most people to die for me, but you - you're special!" Uh, thanks…. Anyway, he also says it's good to see her and Buffy's pleased. Does she get the whole life-risking thing? Because someone needs to explain it to me!
Also, Riley says he loves her hair… I can't tell if he is sarcastic or not. He better not be, because the hair is adorable!
Anya and Xander are stuck in a massive traffic jam while trying to get to the airport. I've been to LA, I bet they are going to LAX. But back to the episode! They are going to pick up wedding guests - Xander's alcoholic uncle and some demon friends of Anya's that she needs to be there to meet or else they'll start incinerating people. Oh yeah, and they are both eating Doritos. The wedding day is going to be a rude awakening when neither can fit it to their apparel.
Buffy and Riley show up at this dam that Sunnydale apparently has. They never mentioned it, but that's cool. I live in Las Vegas. Guess where you go on field trips when you live in Las Vegas? Guess where you go when your grandparents visit when you live in Las Vegas? The Hoover Dam. It's big, it has water, lots of cement… and it's boring as Hell. So if they don't want to go on and on about their fabulous dam, I am cool with it!
More of Buffy flirting with Riley and me feeling embarrassed and pained for her. Riley tells her they are going to have to use this line to get down the dam. She happily agrees and wraps her legs around his waist and he gets them down there. You know, there was a time when I could have giggled and enjoyed that.
So, they get down to this little alcove on the side of the dam and find the Suvolte. They both fight it - Buffy doesn't seem to really be able to do much more to it than Riley can, which bothers me since one of his big issues was he was getting weaker and she was getting stronger - and eventually knock it out. Riley has Buffy pushed against the wall and they are both panting and staring at each other as a figure dressed in black lowers herself from her own line in the background. She comes up to them and catches them off guard, asking Buffy what she is doing with her husband.
Commercial break. I whine "Why Riley, why?" a bunch of times and try to summon up my will to finish this recap. I'm half done. Of course, this is the HARDER half coming up. It sucks to be me!
Poor Buffy's all shocked that Riley, who was SUPPOSED TO LOVE HER is MARRIED just fourteen months after he left her. Okay, I may be taking it harder, but it absolutely affects her. She asks if "husband" and "wife" are just code names. They assure her they are not. Riley introduces Buffy to his wife, Mary Sue. Yeah, her name isn't really Mary Sue. But you see, her name is the same as my dog's name. I loved him very much and he died almost two months ago and I still miss him like crazy. If this episode had aired before he had died, I might have been able to call her by her given name and just been annoyed, but since he is dead and I am still mourning him, I just don't want to go there. So I call her Mary Sue. Why? Well, that's what she is. For anyone who has never heard the term "Mary Sue," it's a character that is perfect in every way. She says all the right things and does everything flawlessly. She doesn't get jealous, is never mean, is always supportive and kind and all that. She's like the direct voice of the writers, instead of being a real character with human emotions and all that. I'm not being biased here. Since this episode aired, I have seen a lot of people (people who absolutely aren't Buffy/Riley fans and have no reason not to like her) call her that. So, for the rest of this recap and any further mentions of her, she will be called Mary Sue.
The demon wakes back up and Mary Sue goes after him. They exchange blows… and unlike how he seemed to repeatedly bat Buffy and Riley away, Mary Sue holds her own. But of course! As she fights the Suvolte, Buffy and Riley have a little conversation. He tells her they've been married for almost four months (for anyone keeping track, that's October - 10 months after he left Buffy). Riley swears he meant to tell her, but hadn't had a chance. Uh huh… how about in the car? I mean, I know things were kind of hurried, but I think that since Buffy was flirting and all that, he could have just said "I got married." I'm not asking for major details, but those three words would have been helpful.
Amazingly, the demon knocks Mary Sue down (this is after Buffy and I suffered through hearing Riley talk about how "special" she is). Riley goes after him and he and Mary Sue fight the demon. Buffy takes advantage of the Suvolte being distracted by the other two and snaps it's neck, as a wedding gift. As she smiles and says "mission accomplished," the other two are less than pleased. They didn't want the demon dead, they were trying to track it. Mary Sue scolds Riley for not telling Buffy the objective of the mission. I think we're all supposed to be impressed that she's telling Riley off when he deserves it and - in a way - siding with his ex. I'm not!
After slicing the Suvolte open, Mary Sue says they are too late. The demon has laid its eggs. She says she doesn't want to impose on Buffy any more, but is there a safe house they could seek shelter in? Buffy offers her humble abode. I'm disgusted… your ex and his wife in your house? Ugh! Buffy and Riley had sex in it the last time he was there!
But still… they walk in the door of the Summers' home, with Buffy apologizing for the mess. That's another thing - it seems like Buffy is the one who is responsible for all the housework. She is also the one who is working full time. I know Dawn and Willow have school, but they can't do their own share? When I was fifteen I had two parents, but I still had chores!
Dawn greets Riley coldly and for the first time ever, I appreciate the fact that you can always count on her to be mad at someone for how they wronged her. But this time, I do see where she is coming from. She's peeved at the way he just left town with no goodbye. Riley feels ashamed and his beloved comforts him. As I fight a wave of nausea, Xander and Willow come in, all smiles. They greet Riley and Mary Sue, making a bit of small talk. Riley and Mary Sue go into this living room, doing this thing where they smile at each other and touch and stuff in a totally coupley way (I know that I am biased, but isn't that SO rude to do right in front of your ex in her home?). Willow whispers to Buffy that she is totally prepared to hate Mary Sue for Buffy. It's not catty for the best friend to hate her… she talks Buffy into it.
Everyone sits down in the living room, with Riley and Mary Sue sitting next to each other as they brief everyone on the Suvolte. Riley suggests maybe Dawn shouldn't hear this and Mary Sue disagrees, saying Dawn looks old enough to her. She quickly looks at Buffy and says that Dawn should only stay if Dawn agrees. See why I call her Mary Sue?
So, they talk about the demon a bit more before Xander, who is pissing me off by repeatedly calling Riley "Married Man," sits down next to Mary Sue and starts asking for wedding advice. As Buffy watches on sadly, Riley and Mary Sue entwine their fingers. I stop my tape and slam my head against the desk a few times. I press play again and try repress what I just saw as Mary Sue tells Xander to get disposable cameras and put them on the tables for the guests to take pictures because it's a good icebreaker and then they can take the pictures home after the wedding. I hope we aren't supposed to all be impressed by her wedding planning ingenuity. Yes, it's an idea that I would go with for my wedding… but it's not something anyone who has ever picked up an issue of Bride Magazine wouldn't have already heard of. I've never even read a magazine like that and I've heard of this several times!
This is REALLY upsetting me. I need a drink. And I don't drink!
Buffy thankfully gets back on topic, asking how long they have until the demon eggs hatch. Mary Sue tells her that they aren't so much worried about hatching right now but that the eggs are to be sold on the black market. They say there is a dealer in town called "The Doctor" who is selling the eggs. Mary Sue asks Willow if she could do a locating spell and Willow says she can't do magic. Mary Sue says that Riley told her that Willow is becoming a really powerful witch (Did I mention that she and Riley are still holding hands? Am I the only one who thinks this really isn't very considerate of them to do in front of Buffy?). Willow says that she got addicted and rushes from the room. Riley says that they go out in two teams, no civilians. He will go look for "The Doctor" and Buffy and Mary Sue can go look for the eggs. Buffy's a little taken aback at the idea of patrolling with Mary Sue, but Riley says if she finds these things, she is going to want back up. Mary Sue, being a Mary Sue, says she doesn't want to get in the way of the Slayer. She holds Buffy in high esteem, of course.
Willow is sulking in the kitchen when Mary Sue walks in and tells her how she knew two powerful shamans who got addicted to magic and now they are gone. She's never met anyone with the strength to quit before. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, for anyone who hasn't quite grasped the Mary Sue thing yet, THIS IS A MARY SUE. My God, did all the real writers go on vacation? This is like a fanfiction story. A bad one.
Buffy and Mary Sue are walking in the cemetery and Mary Sue is going on and on about how excited she is to be working with the slayer. And not just that she is the slayer - the "legendary" slayer - but because she is Buffy. Riley talked a lot about her, Mary Sue says he was really ripped up inside. Buffy says that Riley thinks she let him go. Mary Sue asks her straight up if she wishes she hadn't and Buffy is understandably reluctant to answer. What are you supposed to say? "Yeah, I wish I was still with your husband so maybe he would be my husband now." Of course, Mary Sue says sorry for putting her on the spot. She says it took Riley a year to get over Buffy. Okay, I'm not going to cry about the "get over Buffy" part (right now.. I can do that once I am finally done with this thing), but instead do a little calendar work again. Riley left in December of 2000. That means that he "got over" Buffy in December of 2001 - that is two months after they got married. Okay, maybe she meant almost a year. But still… unless he took considerably less time getting over Buffy or he married Mary Sue right after he allegedly got over Buffy, this sounds funky!
Mary Sue asks Buffy if she has met anyone else. She says no and starts feeling all weird about Spike. She suggests they split up. Mary Sue immediately admonishes herself for slowing Buffy down and being selfish. Buffy lies and says she has an informant, but if they both show up he won't say anything… she can only get something out of him alone. Mary Sue accepts this and says she will go try and find "Finn," because he is probably getting his ass kicked. He's so wild and all. She tells Buffy not to worry; she and Riley are good. Buffy looks sad at that thought.
Buffy arrives at Spike's crypt and tells him she needs information. He gives her some crap about his rates being a bit higher than those at the Doublemeat, but definitely maintains a good nature about her being there. She asks him to tell her he loves her. He immediately replies, "I love you. You know I do." Buffy pulls him down on top of the tomb and they start kissing as she tugs his shirt down his shoulders.
Buffy and Spike are resting the afterglow, sometime later. The crypt door bangs open, alerting them to the presence of an intruder. As they see who has interrupted them, Buffy gasps and sits up, averting her eyes shamefully. As Riley stares at the two of them with some indistinguishable (to me… I feel like I hardly know this Riley) look on his face, Spike is in his glory. He chuckles and says that this must be killing Riley to see Buffy with him like this, reminding him that Buffy needs a little monster in her man. Riley says that's not why he is here… and he calls Spike "Doctor."
As we get another commercial, I pout. You know, I had a million fantasies about Angel catching Buffy in bed with Spike. I thought it would have been just rewards. I begged my friends to write me a story about it (none of them did… they are all mean) because I always thought it would be so fun. This makes me rethink it. I feel so bad for Buffy. It's obviously embarrassing. Oh, but I do hate Angel…. Change Buffy and Spike's relationship a bit (meaning they have one that isn't secret) and I bet I could have fun with that. I'm annoyed by Riley, but still am sad about this.
So… back to the crypt - Buffy looks horrified, Riley looks… mad? Hurt? Annoyed? I don't know, really. Buffy starts getting dressed again and Spike sits up, saying that he thought they'd run Riley out of town. He brings up the whole thing with the vamp whores and proudly bares himself to Riley. Spike must have a big penis, I swear. Riley looks away, as I imagine any heterosexual male would, and gives Spike his pants (Spike's, not Riley's… this is weird enough thank you).
He keeps calling Spike "Doctor," which Spike claims not to understand. Buffy jumps to Spike's defense, saying he is Spike - which means he is incompetent - and that Riley is wrong. Riley disagrees, reminding Buffy that Spike is a lot of bad things, including opportunistic. This is one of those debatable things, but I think he may be saying that is how Spike got her to sleep with him. He forcefully punches Spike out of his way and heads to the bottom level of the crypt, asking if Buffy is coming. Shooting a look at Spike, she follows. Spike gets pissed, saying it's unconstitutional.
Down below, Buffy continues trying to convince Riley that Spike isn't "The Doctor," but is taken aback when they come across the eggs. Riley says that Spike screwed up; the eggs are just sitting on the ground when they should have been frozen. Spike comes down and says that he was just holding them for a friend but Buffy, who is facing the fact that she's been lying to herself and now has to deal with the embarrassment of Riley being there to see how wrong she is, punches him and knocks him to the ground, telling him no more games. Spike gets mad, calling her on the fact that she's been playing with him for quite some time. He storms off and the eggs start hatching. Riley hands her a gun and Buffy tries to tell him she doesn't know how to use a gun. Huh? Okay, maybe she has never used a gun with bullets, but she's used a tranquilizer gun on Oz and the crossbow… I could understand if she had trouble with some things, but the girl can't even aim it right. She shoots the bed and the lamp and everything but the hatchlings. What is going on? All of a sudden she sucks at fighting and shooting and everything. Did they do this on purpose or are they just trying too hard to make us see how much Buffy needs to improve?
Okay, moving on past that, Buffy and Riley manage to fight off the hatchlings long enough to crawl back out to the top level of the crypt. Buffy pulls a grenade off of Riley and throws it down with the hatchlings. She covers Riley as everything below explodes.
Anya and Xander have locked themselves in the bathroom to hide from their visitors. Anya yells at Xander for going on and on about Riley and his wonderful wedding. Xander says that's the thing, he knows nothing about Riley's wedding, just that he has a great marriage. He mentions that Buffy is bummed. This is where I get mad. It would be one thing if he was oblivious, thought Buffy didn't care, and that's why he was acting like this. Let's be honest, men are often quite ignorant of the obvious. But no, Xander knows that one of his best friends has to see her ex-boyfriend being blissful with his new wife while her life is the ubersuck and that it's hard for her. Is he trying to be supportive? No, he's Riley and Mary Sue's number one fan. What a great friend. You know, I recall Xander telling Cordelia that when the worm dude showed up at Buffy's with free make-up samples, she acted like a big dumb dog. Well I have three words for you, Xander. Pot. Kettle. Black.
Oh… the whole point of this scene, besides giving me one more thing to "Grrr" at, is that Xander thinks that their wedding is their wedding, not their marriage. It doesn't matter if it's the worst day ever, because he and Anya are going to spend the rest of their lives being happily together. This pleases Anya.
Buffy and Riley walk alone outside the Magic Box. He tells her that he has authorization to take Spike out, and he will if she wants him to. Buffy asks how he can ask her that. She admits that she is sleeping with Spike, and it seems like she is admitting it to herself as much as him. Riley says he noticed and he doesn't sound pleased. Good! Buffy asks him if he waited until his life was absolutely perfect so he could come back and throw it in her face. Riley tells her that it wasn't easy to come see her. He says that right now, his life his good, he's not going to deny that. But it doesn't matter that she is sleeping with Spike and working at a disgusting job… she's the first woman he ever loved (that comment makes me sad… I hate past tense) and the strongest woman he has ever known. So… Mary Sue is just having a good night? Anyway… at least he says she is still a hottie. Buffy tells him that the night he left, she never got the chance to tell him…. how sorry she was about what happened between them. I am not sure, but I think she may have wanted to tell him that she tried to stop him. It would make sense. Buffy figures that it won't do any good. He's over her, they have no chance of getting back together, so who does that help? I have my little fantasies of her telling him and him regretting getting married and possibly even trying to win Buffy back, but it's so rare I get my way! Anyway, Riley tells her that there is no need to apologize.
The Magic Box door opens and Mary Sue, Xander, Dawn and Willow pile out. Riley and Buffy look a little… disappointed… that their private time is over. Mary Sue is giving Xander details about the wedding - it took place in a military helicopter just before a night drop into hostile territory. How very romantic.
After Mary Sue makes sure Willow has her email address and assures her that the bad guys who apparently will use Willow to track Mary Sue won't be able to get through her secured line, everyone says goodbye. Still a little cold, Dawn asks Riley is he is actually going to say goodbye this time. They hug and I feel sad. I wish he could at least hug Buffy goodbye. They didn't exactly have a good farewell the last time either. But alas, no.
Mary Sue and Riley stand together as a helicopter appears overhead and lowers a line. With a great flourish, they are lifted up and away. It's really cheesy and lame. You know how some things are too much? This whole mission impossible thing was just too much.
As soon as they're gone, Willow walks up to Buffy and says "What a bitch."
Man, I feel myself liking Willow again! Even if she did like Mary Sue, she still tried to be a loyal friend. Unlike SOME people. And Dawn really didn't seem friendly to her. Wow, I have to give props to Dawn. I mean, she wasn't rude to Mary Sue, but she wasn't all "Boy, Mary Sue, you're so awesome!"
Alone… Buffy watches on sadly.
Spike is milling around in the wreckage of his crypt when Buffy comes in. She looks really pretty too. She has this purple pleasant blouse on with sheer sleeves and stuff. Her hair is done all nice. Too bad she's not asking him out on a date. Spike says that he figured she would be too busy making time with Riley and she informs him that Riley is gone. Spike is surprised, but not displeased - what a surprise. He asks if she has come for some cold comfort then. Buffy tells him no. She says that she hasn't come to bust his chops either. She should have remembered that's just how he is. Spike deduces that this means she has come to break it off, but obviously doesn't take her seriously. He doesn't look disappointed or sad for a second and struts over to her. He's heard this before and still they have carried on. He knows what she wants. Buffy admits that she does want him. He makes things simpler for a while. But she can't love him. She's being weak and selfish and she has to be firm about this. This is killing her. Spike is affected by her words; he can tell that she means it this time. As he looks devastated, Buffy, looking repentant, says "I'm sorry, William." That does mean a lot. I'm with the group who says that by using his human name, she is talking to the man, not the demon. It goes back to "The Gift" when Spike told her she treated him like a man.
Buffy walks out of the crypt, the sun shining down on her face. I suppose it's supposed to be symbolic that as she faces the new day, Buffy is ready to start her new life.
Okay, now the episode is over but I still have stuff to say. First of all, this whole Riley and Mary Sue marriage. I think there is a good chance that it was either not real… or it won't last.
Who is to say that she isn't just a friend doing a favor? Perhaps when Riley realized he had to go to Sunnydale and face Buffy, he asked or she offered to help out by creating this faux life. Going by the comments by Riley at the end, it makes me less likely to believe that is true, but maybe when he was faced with Buffy, having her right where he thought he wanted her, he couldn't go in for the kill and really rub it in. Yet he wasn't quite ready that he was still so in love with her that he had concocted this scheme with a faux marriage and everything. Evidence I have on my side is the time inconsistencies I mentioned above. Riley takes a year to get over her (according to Mary Sue) and they were married four months ago (according to Riley). He left fourteen months earlier, which would mean he got over Buffy two months after he got married. Why would Mary Sue, who has self-respect, marry a man who was still getting over his ex? How would she know that he wouldn't always have Buffy on his mind? Isn't it possible that two friends made up this story and, without being together when each one said it, flubbed it up a bit? Buffy is so messed up that she didn't catch it. Plus, one could perceive Mary Sue's little comments to Buffy in the cemetery as maybe trying to help her friend out by making his ex-girlfriend see she still loved him? AND they talked to each other kind of funny, calling each other "Agent" and "Finn" and such.
I have other theories. Many people have called Mary Sue butch and one of my friends was kind enough to inform me that there is an idea going around that she is actually Graham after a sex change! Or maybe she is a demon and Riley is under a spell!
And even if they really are married and she is human and was born female, I still have hopes that this marriage won't last. Besides the obvious chance of her dying - in their line of work, it's a very real possibility - I think they still stand a good chance of getting divorced. Right now, their lives are filled with excitement. They are always going from here to there, chasing this or that. They are adrenaline junkies. But sooner or later it will have to end. Unless they both bite it in a few years when some baddie is luckier, at some point it will be retirement time. And I have a feeling that once they don't have this job… they're going to be bored with each other. I have seen "Speed" many many times (six times in the theater and countless times on video) and I clearly remember Sandra Bullock saying relationships that start under intense circumstances, they never last." Sounds true enough to me. To anyone who missed Speed 2… they (she and Keanu Reeves' character, to whom she was explaining why the two of them starting a relationship was a problem) broke up. It sounds true enough to me.
So… IF this whole thing is real.. it's not forever.
That brings me to my second point. Riley needs to come back. If it's because he is divorced or a widower, then he needs to come without the wife in tow. There are unresolved issues, even more than before. Before it was just that Buffy didn't get to tell Riley the truth. Now there is a whole lotta stuff! Obviously, if he was faking the marriage, he should tell her that. They need to talk about Joyce dying, Giles leaving, Buffy dying… and if he were to stick around, Dawn being the key. The show may never get into these things. Riley may never come back. But I think that it would be a mistake to ignore this.
I have heard that originally, Angel was supposed to be the one to come back in this episode. However, the WB wouldn't let them do crossovers, so that was out. So then they had Riley come back to serve the purpose Angel would have. I have to say that I would have much preferred they find ANY other way to have done this. I make it no secret that I can't stand Angel these days, but I would have preferred that even he come back as opposed to this. I love Riley, but there is the whole quality factor. Would I rather see Riley come back having moved on and mowed over my Buffy/Riley 'Shipper dreams, or not see him at all? My answer is the latter, hands down.