Could Briley have been saved?

[Chosen Enemy]

Say Buffy got there a few seconds earlier when Riley was about to take off. And they talked. Could they sort things out and save the relationship?

 

[Enemies]

I don't think so. The way Riley's life had started to spiral out of control I think he needed some stability which going back to army life provided. I do believe he loved Buffy with all his heart but he also understood that Buffy could never look him back the same way and relationships like that never work out in my opinion. Perhaps if he had come back without Sam something could have been rekindled, but not until then

 

[Gum Gnome33]

I don't think so. By the time Riley was about to take off, he'd already decided that what he needed most was to get himself back into the military because it was stable and familiar, as [MENTION=11394]Enemies[/MENTION] pointed out. If he didn't really feel that he needed to get away, he wouldn't have gone so far as to tell them to send out the chopper.

On the off chance that he'd have decided to stick around, I think it would really just be like sticking a Bandaid on an ulcer. They had a rocky foundation to their relationship so it would have only been a temporary reunion.

 

[WWGD]

Well, yes. He was hoping for Buffy to run after him. If she had caught him in time he definitely would have stayed. Now, that doesn't mean that they wouldn't eventually split up anyway. But it would have saved the relationship at that point for sure.

 

[white avenger]

Not a chance. Riley would never be good enough for Buffy to actually "need him," as he put it, the way that the vampire prostitutes did. He would never have been able to accept that, so his addiction, or something just as bad,would have returned, and, ultimately, it would have ended even worse than was shown on the show.

 

[brinkster130]

Nope, at least not in the long run. Like the others have said, by that point Riley had realized that Buffy didn't feel for him the way he wanted/needed and he knew that wasn't going to change. If Buffy had caught up with and asked him to stay he might have stuck around a little bit longer but ultimately I think they both knew it wasn't meant to be. They always would have been one honest conversation away from breaking up.

If he had stuck around longer things could have become so bad between them that they wouldn't be able to have the friendship they have now. That would have been a shame. 🙁

 

[Ripper666]

Yes. Xander opened Buffy's eyes and she forgave Riley because she loved him! She loved him, but in another way she loved Angel or Spike! She run. She was angry. But she run! She wanted to make Riley stay! And Riley wanted a sign. A sign that Buffy still loves him! If she would have been able to give him that sign I am sure the relationship had a chance! Buffy saw that Riley is unsure. Riley didn't saw that Buffy wasn't unsure with her decision to love him! But that's what he needed! Anyway I didn't liked Riley much!

 

[PassionBecoming]

Well, yes. He was hoping for Buffy to run after him. If she had caught him in time he definitely would have stayed. Now, that doesn't mean that they wouldn't eventually split up anyway. But it would have saved the relationship at that point for sure.

My thoughts exactly. They may have been able to patch things up for the time being and give it a go, but I truly don't think they were going to work for the long haul. (Sadly...)