Riley and Buffy in episode 3

vinya

Townie
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May 23, 2009
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18
did anyone else feel that little pang of guilt and pity towards Riley when he said to Xander that he loves everything about Buffy.. but too bad she doesn't love him.

i'm not a Riley/Buffy hater but it was cool to hate him 😀 but i do feel sorry for him..

why did he have to say that though?
 
BuffyElevated
BuffyElevated
Your siggy, including the quote, is awesome. ;)
Actually, my thought the first time I saw that episode was, "He finally gets it," not because I prefer Buffy to be with Spike, but just because the whole Buffy/Riley relationship struck me as an "in the meantime" sort of relationship. As in, "Buffy's gonna have a real, honest, adult relationship now, but IN THE MEANTIME, she'll fool around with this big Boy Scout."

And I, also, feel sorry for Riley. When all was said and done, he was still just a good ol' Iowa farm boy, pumped up by the Army and Maggie Walsh into thinking that he was some sort of superhero. Then he meets a REAL superhero, and he just doesn't measure up to her standards. They probably both knew it by then, but he was just the first one to openly admit it. It was painfully obvious from their first (and probably LAST) sparring session. "I'll go all out if you will." that Riley just didn't measure up.To paraphrase the old Bonnie Tyler song, Buffy should have been "Holding Out For A SUPERhero."
 
I thought this was one of the most poignant moments in the entire series. This self realization, but absolute commitment (for a few more episodes) from Riley definitely struck home.

Who hasn't figured out at one point or another, "I'm just a little more invested in this than she/he is." It was bitter sweet and I love that scene so much.
 
R
Rayne
It really did hit home...
And I, also, feel sorry for Riley. When all was said and done, he was still just a good ol' Iowa farm boy, pumped up by the Army and Maggie Walsh into thinking that he was some sort of superhero. Then he meets a REAL superhero, and he just doesn't measure up to her standards. They probably both knew it by then, but he was just the first one to openly admit it. It was painfully obvious from their first (and probably LAST) sparring session. "I'll go all out if you will." that Riley just didn't measure up.To paraphrase the old Bonnie Tyler song, Buffy should have been "Holding Out For A SUPERhero."

Actually, I disagree with your reasoning. I think many, if not most people think that the main reason why Buffy and Riley's relationship fell through was because she needed someone who was nearly her equal in regards to strength, but I think it has more to do than just the "superpowers or not" aspect. While having a partner with super strength does benefit Buffy in that she doesn't have to hold back all the time and she can have super-sex, I think the main reason for the lack of spark between the two of them was that Riley didn't seem to understand the whole basis of the Slayer thing. He couldn't relate to what it was like to be so much more than human, yet human at the same time, but more importantly, he didn't understand exactly how much her Slayer side affected and defined her. That's why she always tried to keep it a secret from him when she was "hunting" instead of just patrolling, like in Buffy vs. Dracula and Out of My Mind.

Which brings me to Angel and Spike. Unlike Riley, they knew how much being the Slayer shaped Buffy...why else would Spike have always referred to her as "Slayer," often in what could be considered an endearing way? Still, they were more similar to Riley in that they didn't understand what it was like to be both human and more at the same time either...while Riley can't relate to her demon side, they can't relate to her human side. That's why, in the end, Buffy's relationships with Angel and Spike both failed.

I guess in a way, the ideal partner for Buffy would be another Slayer, but unfortunately for her (and the other Slayers (sw)), she has a strong preference for men. So I guess in a way, that would make the ideal partner for her Connor. Now, I know that most people would hear the notion of Buffy/Connor and go, "Ew, gross! She frakked his father, for god's sakes!", but think about it...they're both humans with a demonic side, they both have superpowers (although Connor does appear to be quite a bit weaker than Angel, Spike, and Buffy, the difference definitely isn't so dramatic that she would have to be careful with him all the time like she was with Riley), they both age, they both have a tendency to be very angsty...really, he's the only guy in the world that Buffy could have a long-lasting relationship with.
 
Actually, I disagree with your reasoning. I think many, if not most people think that the main reason why Buffy and Riley's relationship fell through was because she needed someone who was nearly her equal in regards to strength, but I think it has more to do than just the "superpowers or not" aspect. While having a partner with super strength does benefit Buffy in that she doesn't have to hold back all the time and she can have super-sex, I think the main reason for the lack of spark between the two of them was that Riley didn't seem to understand the whole basis of the Slayer thing. He couldn't relate to what it was like to be so much more than human, yet human at the same time, but more importantly, he didn't understand exactly how much her Slayer side affected and defined her. That's why she always tried to keep it a secret from him when she was "hunting" instead of just patrolling, like in Buffy vs. Dracula and Out of My Mind.

Which brings me to Angel and Spike. Unlike Riley, they knew how much being the Slayer shaped Buffy...why else would Spike have always referred to her as "Slayer," often in what could be considered an endearing way? Still, they were more similar to Riley in that they didn't understand what it was like to be both human and more at the same time either...while Riley can't relate to her demon side, they can't relate to her human side. That's why, in the end, Buffy's relationships with Angel and Spike both failed.

I guess in a way, the ideal partner for Buffy would be another Slayer, but unfortunately for her (and the other Slayers (sw)), she has a strong preference for men. So I guess in a way, that would make the ideal partner for her Connor. Now, I know that most people would hear the notion of Buffy/Connor and go, "Ew, gross! She frakked his father, for god's sakes!", but think about it...they're both humans with a demonic side, they both have superpowers (although Connor does appear to be quite a bit weaker than Angel, Spike, and Buffy, the difference definitely isn't so dramatic that she would have to be careful with him all the time like she was with Riley), they both age, they both have a tendency to be very angsty...really, he's the only guy in the world that Buffy could have a long-lasting relationship with.
as much i'm glad to hear your well thought opinion, u just gave us a spoiler (well, more on me, i think). i don't even know who "Connor" is. Well, i do agree about Buffy being unable to be successful to vampires or normal humans because none of those can complete her, which brings us to think that maybe.. just maybe.. a slayer IS the right one for her. someone who can relate as much.

but i did grew up watching BtVS knowing that all slayers are females O_O
 
I loved Riley, and that moment broke my heart. I think that Buffy did love Riley, but Xander's speech in "Into The Woods" said it all. She had been treating him like a convenience rather than her boyfriend, and Riley knew that she wasn't as serious about him as he was about her. 🙁 It was so sad, and it made me ache for Riley's character.
But I don't agree that Briley was Buffy's "in the meantime" relationship... I just think they decided to go another direction with the characters.
 
Flannen
Flannen
[No message]
im not sure why he said that, i think that she loved him....

dawn said something like

with angel she cried all the time.....but with him she didnt.
 
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