Riley/Dawn/Angel

[Gotham]

Just watching Season 5 again and Riley seems to be crushed that Buffy isn't crying over him all of the time like she was with Angel. He basically sees this as a sign that she doesn't love him. Call me crazy, but since when has constantly crying over someone = love?

---------- Post added at 09:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:17 PM ----------

Buffyheaven agrees: Where does Dawn come into this rofl?

Riley and Dawn had a scene where she told Riley that she thought he was much better for Buffy than Angel was because she was always crying over Angel, but that she never cries over Riley. 🙂

 

[mayfever]

Buffyheaven agrees: Where does Dawn come into this rofl?

Because in "Shadow" she says the following to Riley:

Dawn: "She sure cries a lot less with you that she did with Angel."
Riley: "Angel made her cry a lot, huh?"
Dawn: "Everything with Angel was all 'eyeee!', you know?"
Riley: "All...?"
Dawn: "You know, 'my boyfriend's a vampire' crazy crazy. Every day was like the end of the world. She doesn't get all worked up like that over you."

And in "Something Blue", she says:

Buffy: "I just... feel like something's missing."
Willow: "He's not making you miserable?"
Buffy: "Exactly. Riley seems so solid. Like... he wouldn't cause me heartache."
Willow: "Get out. Get out while there's still time."

Buffy: "I have to get away from that 'bad boy' thing. There's no good there."

Buffy: "Hello to the pain."
Willow: "The pain is not a friend."

Buffy: "I know it's nuts, but part of me believes that real love and passion have to go hand-in-hand with pain and fighting. (stakes vamp) I wonder where I get that from?"

Call me crazy, but since when has constantly crying over someone = love?

Maybe not in real life, but it is one of the concepts of the show. Passionate love makes for better TV 🙂

 

[Kana]

It's so much about crying over someone=love, it's more to do with the fact that Angel can engender more of an emotional reaction in Buffy than Riley can. I think that Dawn was right that Riley was good for Buffy in that unlike with Angel, their relationship wasn't so emotionally draining, but what part of hurts him is that Buffy seems to take this for granted.

 

[Gotham]

It's so much about crying over someone=love, it's more to do with the fact that Angel can engender more of an emotional reaction in Buffy than Riley can. I think that Dawn was right that Riley was good for Buffy in that unlike with Angel, their relationship wasn't so emotionally draining, but what part of hurts him is that Buffy seems to take this for granted.

That's the thing though, what brought out the emotional reactions with Angel? It was the constant drama. Personally speaking, constant drama is a bad thing. But I agree with mayfever, it is, alas, a tv show. Drama is required!

 

[Kana]

That's the thing though, what brought out the emotional reactions with Angel? It was the constant drama. Personally speaking, constant drama is a bad thing. But I agree with mayfever, it is, alas, a tv show. Drama is required!

It's nothing to do with drama being inherently better. Riley at this point was feeling insecure, so he took what Dawn said to mean that the reason she didn't worked up over him was because he didn't feel the same intensity of emotion. As much as I've defended Riley this is where he fails here. I've acknowledged that Buffy did shut him out but I think what Dawn said was a compliment to him. It was nice that Buffy had a boyfriend that was draining all the emotion out of her or drawing her away from her friends (not that I'm blaming Spike and Angel respectively), he was actually a stablising influence. I just wish he could have handled his insecurities better and I wish Buffy actually let him in.

 

[Kean]

It's nothing to do with drama being inherently better. Riley at this point was feeling insecure, so he took what Dawn said to mean that the reason she didn't worked up over him was because he didn't feel the same intensity of emotion. As much as I've defended Riley this is where he fails here. I've acknowledged that Buffy did shut him out but I think what Dawn said was a compliment to him. It was nice that Buffy had a boyfriend that was draining all the emotion out of her or drawing her away from her friends (not that I'm blaming Spike and Angel respectively), he was actually a stablising influence. I just wish he could have handled his insecurities better and I wish Buffy actually let him in.

I agree that Riley should have handled himself a little better but I must ask, wasn't he right? Buffy didn't feel intensely about him. Buffy cared about him a great deal but the fact remains that he didn't inspire a similar passion, love or devotion in her that Angel did.

Riley should have been a stabilising influence for her. They guy ticks every box and really, to any other person, would have been one Hell of a catch. But he wasn't. Not for Buffy. In fact Buffy retreated further into herself than we had ever seen before, whilst not in a time of crisis, when she was with Riley.

I'm not trying to play Bangel here. I really think Riley had a point.

 

[mayfever]

I agree that Riley should have handled himself a little better but I must ask, wasn't he right? Buffy didn't feel intensely about him. Buffy cared about him a great deal but the fact remains that he didn't inspire a similar passion, love or devotion in her that Angel did.

Riley should have been a stabilising influence for her. They guy ticks every box and really, to any other person, would have been one Hell of a catch. But he wasn't. Not for Buffy. In fact Buffy retreated further into herself than we had ever seen before, whilst not in a time of crisis, when she was with Riley.

I'm not trying to play Bangel here. I really think Riley had a point.

you're really going to town with the Riley love these days, Miss K 😀

You're right though. I'm currently rewatching season 4 for the first time, and I'm kind of starting to see past my blinding hate and see Soldier Boy as what he was supposed to be: a Poor B*****d. He's trying so hard, and nothing he ever does is enough! Poor Buffy, Angel ruined her good and proper...

 

[Kean]

you're really going to town with the Riley love these days, Miss K 😀

I can't help it. I just really feel for the guy. I mean talk about Mission Impossible. How do you follow the Forbidden Love of All Time?

Doomed. Doomed, indeed.

You're right though. I'm currently rewatching season 4 for the first time, and I'm kind of starting to see past my blinding hate and see Soldier Boy as what he was supposed to be: a Poor B*****d. He's trying so hard, and nothing he ever does is enough! Poor Buffy, Angel ruined her good and proper...

Riley is literally the perfect boyfriend. And I don't mean that in a two-dimensional way either. He is smart, funny and gorgeous. Most of all, he has depth and personality and he knew long before Buffy that they were DOA but he was just too damn in love with her to let go.

How can you not feel for him?

 

[mayfever]

How can you not feel for him?

as I said, I'm getting there. The thing I dislike about Riley is just that he is so obviously a narrative tool, crafted by the writers to make Buffy realise that she can't have a normal relationship. He is just too perfect (vampire brothels aside)... I think it's annoying that there is nothing annoying about him, he's just too bland for my taste.

 

[Kean]

as I said, I'm getting there. The thing I dislike about Riley is just that he is so obviously a narrative tool, crafted by the writers to make Buffy realise that she can't have a normal relationship. He is just too perfect (vampire brothels aside)... I think it's annoying that there is nothing annoying about him, he's just too bland for my taste.

I don't think we ever got enough time with him to find out what his imperfections were. Especially in S5, they literally gave him nothing to do but tag a long with Buffy. In S4 he was a post-graduate. He was educated. It's not like he wouldn't have had options.

The most obvious flaw is his insecurities. They spurred on a lot of the bad choices he made. He was also stubborn as a mule and maybe a little too willing to give up his friends pre-Buffy for Buffy, which she never really asked him to do.

He was just a normal guy. With normal guy issues. I think he comes off bland because in comparison with guys who have centuries of evil deeds that they are trying to atone for, well he isn't gonna shine.

😱 I seriously cannot stop defending him! It's out of my control at this stage!

 

[Marisa]

I think in Riley's eyes it meant he was just there. He was already struggling that season and before with the relationship with Buffy. He had made remarks about her not loving her the way he loved her. So in his eyes I think he thought she was just there in this relationship going through the motions so to speak, while Angel made Buffy feel all these emotions. Hearing that when you already feel that could make Riley think that way.
Poor Riley he just can't win. I am actually starting to feel bad for him because in real life he would be a catch.