"Are They Ruining Riley?"
December 2000

If you don't like Riley, you may not want to read this. Not that anything here will upset you, but you may not really care. I'm sending a warning out now that if you want to reply with any messages that clearly state you've always hated Riley and you hope he's leaving… I'm not posting it. It doesn't pertain to this rant. This rant is about a Riley fan who doesn't like what the writers are doing to him. Now that we have that out of the way, on with the rant!

The way I see it, Riley is at a crossroads. He can either be completely redeemed and return to being a great boyfriend (and since now he has shown he has faults and weaknesses, he might even be more likeable to the people who honestly don't like him for that reason) or the writers can destroy the character.

If all this stuff about Riley leaving is wrong, things can't keep going the way they are. Something is going to have to happen to stop Riley from doing the weird stuff with vampires. Either Buffy is going to find out and try to stop him, or Riley's going to get his act together. I really believe that if Riley set his mind to being there for Buffy instead of saying "Oh, she doesn't love me, she wants to do this on her own, let me go drink and do other bad stuff" it would help. If he just said "Buffy needs me, but she doesn't like needing people so I have to go the extra mile and be there for her because there will come a point where it'll all be too much and then she can lean on me" it will help so much. For one thing, Buffy will have the support she really does need. For another, Riley will have a purpose… and perhaps by him being there for her and Buffy seeing she can depend on him… it will give her the nerve to tell him she loves him (that last part is for the people who agree with me that she does love Riley, but is too scared to say it).

Of course, if Riley leaves, things won't get better, not really. He may decide that even though he loves Buffy, she doesn't love him and that's not enough, so he'll go be where he has a purpose- with Graham and the rest of the soldiers. It'll just end things.

Is he leaving? Well, by all the things that have been happening lately, it seems quite likely. The writers are giving us plenty of warning that he might… but this is Joss we're dealing with. The very fact that he really seems like he is going to leave should make you say "Maybe Joss is trying to mess with us again." He makes us all assume Riley is going… and catches us off guard. I'm leaning toward the latter for several reasons. I don't want Riley to leave, so of course I want to think he's not. Also, I think if they had intended for him to do so… Joss got so mad about the spoiler being leaked and is keeping him to spite the leakers.

However, we won't know for a while. Originally, I had heard he would leave in the eleventh episode. I think even Wanda said that… but now she says December 19th is his last one… which is the tenth episode- which is suspicious in itself. Anyway, I figure even if she is right about him leaving, but wrong about the date… we'll know in a month and a half.

If he does go, I think the writers have really blown it. If they wanted to get him off the show, they could have gone several ways, but the path they have chosen really ruins the character. He's always been this stand-up guy, who is strong in his convictions and loves Buffy so much, he'd do anything for her (one could argue he gave up his career for her). Yet if he leaves now, he is leaving her when her mother is very possibly going to die. What kind of a boyfriend could be that insensitive? Certainly not one that loves their girlfriend.

All I can say is I can't wait for December 19th! How about you guys?

Responses

Honey_Clare
I've been sent a spoiler saying that Riley will be leaveing in the 12th episode because of something Buffy does but I can't quite remember what, I think shecheats on him or something anyway I'm not Riley's biggest fan but if he did leave I think it would be a shame because Buffy realy needs a boyfriend who will stick around for more than 1 and a half series. But I think Riley has been going down hill for a while now and now that the iniative is gone he's lost his perpose so maybe it's best he leaves before he gets even worse.

Elizabeth Anne
I am definetly not the biggest Riley fan, in fact I truly hate him, but I think that Riley leaving now would be truly devasting for Buffy. With all the crap that is happening to her right now I think that she needs him to help her get through it all. I think that Buffy does love him but is too scared to say it cuz look at her last boyfriend (who looks great in leather pants...but back to the topic...) I mean she needs him to be there for her for that extra moral support that her friends just cant give her. And even though I truly think Buffy and Angel are ment to be I must admit that Riley is pretty nice and cares for Buffy which is much more than I can say for Parker (lowest scum on the earth) So I guess what I am saying is that I hope for Buffys sake that Riley stays at least till we figure out what is going to happen to Joyce.

Tiarra
WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY DOING TO RILEY??? By "they" I mean the writers. His character has been out of character for too many episodes this season. Or if that is how he's supposed to act, why was there no development towards this attitude.
I'm an Riley fan. I don't want him to leave. But the way that they've got him acting now makes me dislike him. Marc is a good actor, and my newfound dislike of Riley is not his fault. It's the fault of the wonderful & creative story and script writers of BtVS. Only now, they acting like asses!
So, while my dislike is probably temporary, I'm disappointed in several people(read above) and I'm praying that they make the best out of the situation.
I haven't lost faith in the crew of "Buffy". But my high praise of the show is probably gonna go down a notch.
Don't get me wrong, our writers are terrific, usually. But, there has been no development towards the stuff leading to "Into The Woods". First off, again, the Riley thing. Since when does he get a high off of being fanged?!? And when Xander told Buffy that Riley had only been rebound guy, I couldn't believe it!! I mean, I know that Buffy and Riley's relationship hadn't been as "deep" as Buffy and Angel's, but that's not what this is about!!! It's a good thing that the relationships are noticeably different. And, Buffy doesn't need to be in another angst-filled, forbidden love anytime soon (unless of course they put her back with Angel! *swoon*) We can't have the same kinds of couples in one show. That's not what "Buffy" is about. The show is a hit because of it's originality, and it's fearless way of exploring new things. It's a hit because it's not like every other teen drama out there.
And, excuse me, if Riley had been the "rebound guy", then why would he have lasted an entire year! I'm sorry, but rebounds don't last that long. I personally feel that there was more to this relationship than was being shown. And that when season four came to a close, Buffy and Riley were at a good place. The entire summer *seemed* to bring them closer. Then with the new season came Dawn, and Joyce's illness. This on top of Buffy's search for her Slayer roots - and that storyline has *definately* been on the back burner, thus far. So, with all this to deal with and no one to relate to, Buffy pushed Riley away. I'm not saying that no one would be able to help her, and I don't think that she thinks they can't. I'm just saying that no one else in her circle can compare.
The episodes this season in general have been pleasing, in my opinion. They were entertaining, and creative and kept me on the edge of my site, waiting for more. But when I think in depth about the Buffy/Riley issue, I never could see it coming. I'd heard the spoilers about Marc leaving after a number of episodes, but this was just bad. Okay, so Riley feels he needs to go to vamp chicks to get what he needs. Sure, he's gonna keep bringing up the Angel thing. And even the Drac thing. But, when it came down to "Buffy doesn't love me, I'm highly insecure" I got upset. Maybe Buffy hasn't said that she loves him, but that doesn't mean she's not feeling it. I don't think she was using him at all. If you think about it, she didn't tell Angel that she loved him until he actually asked. Even before then, a majority of fans had known the feelings were there. My theory is that Buffy has never told Riley that she loved him because she was afraid. She has only told one man that she loved him, and he was the one man to break her heart, on more than one occasion. Sure, Angel meant the best for Buffy, and she knows that.
But the point is, that he was the love of her life, and her burned her.
This is actually part of my own rant. If you want to see the whole thing, email me.

Sam
I have to start off by saying that I honestly do not like Riley, never have, but i am happy that Buffy had someone that loves her and cares for her. Although i do like the fact that he left, i feel that it is going to be incredibly devestating to Buffy. I feel truly bad for her, especially now when all tis stuff is happening with her mother (even though her mother is fine now, Buffy still is pretty upset) and all that stuff with the new demon Glory. Riley was there before to help her through it, even though she pretty much pushed him away and shut him out. He still was there for her, and i was truly starting to gain some respect for him for doing that. So i fell bad that he had to leave, and i just hope that Buffy can somehow manage to get through it.

Dawn
I don't like Riley, and never have. However I do agree that the manner of his departure is not in character. But what can you expect from the crew of BTVS after S4? Wholesale character assassination was the order of the day. Riley fans didn't mind because it made Riley possible, but now it is being brought home to them.
The Riley I know would never allow himself to be bitten by vampires. And the Xander I know would never defend anyone who consorts with vampires. And the Buffy I know would never forgive such a gross personal insult so easily. Look how she reacted to Angel and Faith in "Sanctuary", and that was only a HUG, for heaven's sake. The Spike I know wouldn't "bond" with Riley, and for that matter, going back to the Riley I know for a second, he's not into fake stakes.
It has been long since I had much faith in the BTVS writers, save for Doug Petrie. The only consistency in the Buffyverse is to be found with Tim Minear and David Greenwalt on "Angel". All I can hope for now is that they just go ahead with B/S, because at least that's a fun inconsistency.

Jessica
My whole reply is not abput the fact that I dislike Riley, but to say that I agree with you. Believe me, I was shocked myself. I think that the writers are destroying this character, so much to the point that if he does come back I don't think he and Buffy can have a relationship. After "In the Woods", I felt that after turning Riley into a little bit of a freak, the turned him into a selfish whiner. As I said before, I was never really a fan of Riley, not because he wasn't Angel, but because I really didn't see him as very compatible for Buffy. He was normal, and I think that S4Buffy was all about normal again, but it took it's toll on her. I think Riley loved S4Buffy because, to him, slaying was her burden and when they finished college, she'd quit and turn into a baby factory. In season five, with Buffy embracing her inner slayer more, Riley knew that the clock was ticking. In "The Replacement" we can already see how Riley feels he is taking a back seat to the slaying. Spike said that Buffy needed a little monster in her men. That isn't really true either (Angel, monster relationship, 86'd). As for the whole vampire snack bar thing, it isn't fair that he uses Angel and Dracula as an excuse. With Angel, she saved his life and with Dracula, she was under the thrall of the dark master(bater):) Riley, was doing it on a regular basis to get off? Why, because he wasn't getting any on a regular basis because Buffy's mother was dying? The whole break up arguement made me really angry at Riley. He threw every one of Buffy's insecurities in her face. And then Xander tells her that it's not fair to end a relationship because she doesn't like ultimatums. If Riley really loved her, he wouldn't have given her one. He looked at the whole relationship from a completely different perspective as Buffy. I honestly have to say that Buffy wasn't in love with Riley. The first adjective she uses to describe him to Xander is "dependable". But I also think that after talking with Xander, all the walls that she built around herself after Angel left finally came down, and she finally felt capable of loving Riley. But if she had been able to stop Riley, I don't think there relationship would have survived. He cheated on her, getting sexual favors from someone else. Could Buffy have stopped this? If she didn't have a sick mother, the key to mankind's survival in the room next door, school and a full slaying duty, then maybe she could have been more attentive to his needs. I'm sorry, but when you're dating the chosen one, you have to compromise a little with the attention. If not, get on a helicopter and join the army.

Toni
im not a big fan of rileybut he was really good most of the time n he was good to buffy and for her after all the truma with angel then the s**t that happened with parker but i cant believe wot happened with him at the end they made him a selfish pig. i cant believe he started paying vamps to bite him cuz he felt that buffy didnt need him anymore or wasnt always there for him, she was going throught a rough time her mother was really ill, she had dawn to look after her, college and slaying, and i feel that the origional riley was f**ked over really.

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