To begin with, I'd like to dedicate this post to our dear little scobro... 😉
Riley. Riley is a interesting fellow, all things considered. However, what started annoying me was the way Buffy didn't know what to say when he was around, etc., the cardboard arrogance present in his personality... On the latter, he's an upperclassman at the college, and as is the case with many upperclassmen (until, of course, you become one yourself 😉), he believes that he knows everything, at least in comparison to the lowerclassmen (not entirely untrue, but it depends on how you act with that knowledge), and so there is always a hint of arrogance about him. Unfortunately, his character is so dull and cardboard-y that his arrogance is just slapped on him like some paint.
He comes across as an "old fuddy-duddy" in a society where few people would share his beliefs, especially in Southern California. Now, let me say this, I come from a very conservative background, conservative views on relationships and the like. I am not dissing that, as I greatly respect it (even though I don't entirely agree with absolutely everything I was raised with). However, there are *huge* inconsistencies. I understand Joss was trying to have him come across as a gentleman, but Joss doesn't quite understand the kind of personality and upbringing someone would have had if they were acting like he wanted Riley to act. For instance, one doesn't talk about "courting" someone (unless you're Angel and are centuries old... 😛) and then go and have sex with them. The idea of "courtship" is that it allows one to remain more emotionally and physically pure in a relationship. "Courtship" at its heart places the good of the other individual above the good of oneself, and the idea behind it is that you are looking for your future spouse. "Courtship" is about marriage, it's not about a fling, or having sex. It's much more "serious" than dating is. So that just highlights some of the inconsistencies present in his character.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying anything about courtship being better than dating, or vice versa. I also don't think that dating can't end in marriage. 😉 What I'm trying to point out is that the goal of courtship is different than dating. Dating can have marriage at it's goal, but it also can be just for kicks and giggles. And I can guarantee you that when Riley started to "court" Buffy, his thoughts weren't just on having a nice happy marriage with lots of children. 😉 At the same time, while espousing a view that is inherently unselfish, Riley proves himself to be about as selfish as they come. Since Buffy didn't spend the amount of time with him that *he* wanted her to do, or felt she should do, he decided to "get back" at her. This led to the vampire brothel/druggie type stuff. There was definitely an element of "You don't love me like you should, look what *you* make *me* do..."
So Riley's contradictory personality, his absolute dullness and dimness, despicable selfishness, and his arrogance (especially seen when we discover he's part of the Initiative) are all things that turn me off of his character. They try too hard to make him normal and different from Angel, that they make him someone that a girl might bring home to her parents, but would end up boring her out of her mind (not that good guys are all boring 😉).
On the other hand, we have Angel. Angel is *not* by any means a "good" man. He's done horrible, horrible things in his life, not just as Angelus, but as Liam as well. When we see him with Buffy, however, he is incredibly different. He cares about her (perhaps a little too much at times) and he does put her ahead of himself. If Buffy is happy, Angel is happy. He is a man who is struggling with demons and trying to come out on top in a good way. He's not "perfect," but he has an intense desire to be as good as he can, and to make up for everything he's done wrong. He has lived longer and seen more than anyone else in the Scoobies, but he doesn't shove it in their faces. He doesn't act like he's more important or a better person. Angel realizes that he has his shortcomings, and spends more time noticing them and trying to make them better, than gloating or some such about his higher traits.
While not a man a girl might want to bring home to her mother right away, at his heart he is a better man than Riley. When push comes to shove, Angel wants to do what's best for Buffy, even if he doesn't really like it. When push comes to shove, Riley turns to self-pity, self-loathing, and reflects these traits out on how he deals with Buffy, somehow putting responsibility for his shortcomings on her.
Um, yeah, that was long-winded, and I'm not sure how I did with making my point, but the short answer is: Angel > Riley. 😉
