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"He's a complex character."
Exactly. When I first heard that there was going to be a new character on the show who was a jock, I was so disappointed. But then I found out that Riley has this side of him that he presents to the public. He wants to do be a great football player because he knows that's what people want of him. (I would find it interesting if Riley actually started to doubt that it's what he really wants to do and that it's not something he has been doing because it's expected of him.) Then there's the side of Riley that he has felt that he has to keep hidden for whatever reason. I think it's been a great journey to see Riley start to realize things about his sexuality. It kind of seems to me that he tends to sort of try to categorize people. It seems like it ever clicked for him that he can be gay and be a football player. I don't exactly know why he started to develop these thoughts but I don't think he's a bad person for having them. I think he just has this very strong belief of what kind of man he should be and until recently that idea was leading him on a path of self-destruction.
I'm so nervous and excited for his interaction with his parents because it seems pretty obvious to me that this is who Riley has been trying to please and they obviously have very clear ideas of what they want Riley to be. That is an enormous amount of weight for a child to carry around, whether it be because they won't accept your sexuality or say, what you want to study in school. It's not that easy to just say "grow a pair and deal."
I like Riley because he's the type of character that makes me wonder and type up rambles like this. I don't mind his flaws or mistakes.
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