Buffy and Angel - Riley♥Buffy #3: In the midst of all that they were still keeping it up - Page 11

Butterfly85 · 04-23-2020, 03:41 PM

I hated the way Riley started getting treated in S5. I do love how Riley left The Initiative and chose Buffy, and I will always believe Buffy loved Riley. They had a great and loving relationship.

**eternalfate** · 04-25-2020, 09:25 PM

I wonder if [if] Riley/Buffy were more popular IF they would've lasted longer together? Even when they are mentioned now, it's in a bad way.

I liked Riley/Buffy... didn't ship them but found them okay and now as bad as many people did. But I do know that if a couple/character is hated as much as these 2 were, it won't last.

For Riley to be as hated as he was and still is today is so bizarre to me. lol
Even during my re-watches I don't get it.

So yeah unfortunately I think Riley/Buffy didn't have any chance because they just didn't have an ounce of support...

Butterfly85 · 04-26-2020, 05:26 PM

Yeah, you don't get it cause Riley was a nice guy lol. It will always be bizarre and ridiculous. For some reason, even now toxic and abusive relationships seem to get the most support and fans on TV while the healthy relationships are shunned and bashed. Buffy was no exception, and that's another thing I will never get.

**eternalfate** · 04-26-2020, 07:31 PM

For me, it depends on the way it's written and the chemistry.
I can like nice first love couples, or toxic relationships. It depends on who it is.

I think for fictional relationship for the most part, I don't need to watch something that's boring and sometimes I ship fictional couples that I'd hate in real life! lol That's the fun of television.

I loved Willow/Oz! and they weren't toxic... however, I also appreciated Willow/Tara even if I didn't ship them like Willow/Oz.
I am the same person who can call Spuffy my OTP, and also say Willow & Oz were incredible and probably my second favorite for Buffy.
I just enjoyed the chemistry of both pairings and I felt the writing was top notch for them. However, I liked Bangel and Buffy/Riley as well.

So, I think certain pairings are just more compelling especially when you have supernatural type elements. and Buffy tv series pretty much started right off the get go with having the Buffy and Angel romance... I guess it made some fans not care for Buffy with a human. lol And I believe that Riley probably suffered with coming some soon after Buffy although it seems some people feel it was the actor as well. I don't feel it was because I felt that Riley and Buffy were okay for what they were.

Probably Riley suffered from being too much of a good guy. lol But I felt they did a good job at making Riley be a guy who can pretty much handle himself which is why I liked that he was agent!

If it's one thing I'd change about Riley and Buffy, is that i'd let the angst and sexual tension last longer! Reason is because Buffy was recovering from Angel and than Parker and she didn't even look twice at Riley really. We saw everything coming from Riley side whereas Buffy wasn't truly thinking of romance. So, I wonder what would've happened if Riley and Buffy romance took even longer to blossom.

**starryeyesxx** · 04-29-2020, 04:42 PM

I do think more could have been done with their buildup, but considering it's a plot driven show, I can understand that the writers needed to get them together as all the initiative drama unfolded. I do think their bond in s4 was lovely, & I think if the writers had stuck with it & kept writing them in that way, people would have come around - they might not have ever liked them, but they would have accepted it. I really don't think this is the kind of show where the writers needed to worry about people being on board with the ships, the romantic relationships was just one of the many things that people loved about the show, & the audience only seemed to get stronger as time went on.

However, this is a plot driven show, & the writers wanted Buffy to go through a lot in season 5, so even without the fans reacting how they did, I wouldn't be surprised if the writers had broken them up anyway, they liked to keep Buffy miserable...

I don't really care that a lot of people don't like Riley & Buffy/Riley, it's just seeing people twisting every like thing about him to try & make him out as the most awful person ever drives me insane. Just admit you don't like him because you don't want to see Buffy making out with anyone who isn't the vampire you happen to ship her with

Anyway, some pretty

https://ladysummers.tumblr.com/post/61608154511

Butterfly85 · 04-29-2020, 08:05 PM

^^^Exactly, I can't stand on any show when people complain about literally anything about a character just cause they rather have the other person be in a pairing with the one they prefer. It's fake as hell, I agree just admit you don't like them cause you want another couple. I also agree they would of broken up Riley and Buffy regardless cause all the couples went through bad things or ended them in the worst way possible. They had Willow and Tara get back together and happy then had Tara get shot. There were no HEA with any couple on this show. So that's why I'm happy that Riley/Buffy didn't get it the worst and that they had closure when he returned in S6.

**eternalfate** · 04-30-2020, 08:06 PM

Also wouldn't didn't help to me was Buffy/Angel... I felt that the writers at least during season 4 of Buffy and season 1 of Angel were so obsessed with Bangel that it made it difficult to root for any other pairings for both shows because Bangel was their safety net. If you know the ENDGAME couple, why root for either of the characters with someone new? We have to remember during that time, they were one of the biggest couples on tv.

On Buffy they are telling the viewers, "hey root for Buffy/Riley" while they give us an episode like "I Remember You" on Angel.... and than we get "Something Blue" with What if for Spuffy, and THAN we get Buffy/Riley....

I just felt that if they wanted the fanbase to root for Buffy/Rilley, the whole process should've been a whole lot better.

And was Parker needed? Yes the storyline was good yet sad because it was true to life but we had episodes 4x01 - 4x05 of Buffy just thinking about only Parker.
4x06 - 4x08, ignoring Riley, back to Angel, and slowly trying to get Riley.
4x09... suddenly she wants to be with Riley.

So probably everything should've gotten mapped out better? Although I believe if Buffy/Riley did get popular in spite of all of that, "Into the Woods" would've been the turning point.

**starryeyesxx** · 05-03-2020, 06:52 PM

I think that Parker was meant to be the rebound, the relationship that Buffy has when she's not over Angel, & then her thing with Riley was meant to be a clean break & her heart was really in it

It was all kinda rushed though, but I don't think Buffy's feelings came out of nowhere. I think it started in The Initiative, & because she already knew him & knew he was a good guy, it made her feelings for him grow faster then if they had just met.

& even though I don't agree with everything in As You Were, I am really happy that they got to end things in a better place than they had in Into the Woods

**eternalfate** · 05-03-2020, 08:34 PM

I feel we still should've gotten more in, "As You Were" as we did...

**starryeyesxx** · 05-07-2020, 06:24 PM

In what way? I think the main thing that bugged me is that Riley's marriage seemed really rushed, & if she had just been a girlfriend, just someone new that Riley was starting something out with & not knowing where it was going to go, it would have been better.

& it would have put Buffy in a more interesting position, she obviously wanted to tell Riley that she ran after him that night, but chose not to. I think she still would have chosen not to, but it would have been a bigger deal in that situation.

Butterfly85 · 05-07-2020, 06:36 PM

Yeah, I said that it being Riley's wife was way too fast cause it had only been a year since he left but it was plot driven to have it hit Buffy in the gut harder. I feel she would of been just as hurt if it was a girlfriend, since she showed she still had feelings for Riley in general.

**eternalfate** · 05-09-2020, 07:01 PM

I think I wish it was more of closure in a way that Buffy got to tell him that she did come after him... without saying it. lol In a way it probably would've been better if he didn't return with a wife however it's nice to know that Riley was able to finally move on... even if Buffy was his first love he probably never officially moved on from, it's nice he was able to find and love someone again... but I guess I wish Riley knew somehow that Buffy did care another about him in the end to run after him.

However, I did love her not telling Riley because there was really no point in telling him since he was married... probably if he wasn't, things would've been different.

**starryeyesxx** · 05-10-2020, 08:34 PM

Yeah, even if it wasn't going to change anything, it would have been nice for Riley to know, because he would have know that Buffy did care about him enough to come after him - & I expect he would have been able to look back on their whole relationship in a better way, & it may have eased any pain that he still felt

Butterfly85 · 05-10-2020, 10:06 PM

I agree, cause he probably thought when she didn't show up that meant she didn't care about him at all and that pushed him to move on even more. I still liked their final scenes together regardless.

**eternalfate** · 05-12-2020, 09:39 AM

Same, I felt it would've been more closure for Riley to at least know Buffy did care to come after him but probably that would've made him more divided... so that story would've worked if Riley was around long term.

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Fan Forum > TV Shows - Past > Buffy and Angel > Riley♥Buffy #3: In the midst of all that they were still keeping it up