kaleidocat

I hope for a lot of angst! I should try not to have so many expectations and start telling myself that it's likely they won't take Riley's story in the dark direction that I would prefer. Why am I not a writer for the show?

I am still hoping for some explanation for all of Riley’s self-hatred and anger. It makes me nervous to finally see his home situation. That’s what I’ve been expecting to explain all of his beliefs and fears. There has to be a reason. I read on another board some speculation that maybe Riley’s mother is discouraging him from coming out because she wants to protect him from his father’s reaction.

I should probably want a happy ending for one of my favorite characters...but I'm not normal. I want Degrassi to surprise the audience and go there with something unexpected. It's a nice message to want to send out to gay youth that everything will be okay when you come out but there's a lot of folks out there who really struggle. It would be upsetting to have his parents disapprove and have some really ugly reactions, but I think this could be a powerful and new story.

But I really doubt Degrassi is going to go there.

I always sound like a broken record about Riley. I'm sorry.

lalamergrl17

I guess I don't really understand the Riley fans, so maybe you guys can enlighten me.

Riley annoys me because he has no backbone whatsoever. I just wish he would grow a pair and deal...and then maybe he'd be worth Zane's time. I'm really surprised that a guy as great as Zane keeps giving this guy second chances.

Also, I find it hard to have any sympathy for people with anger management issues. Half the time, he needs to just sit down and chill the ******* out.

Can somebody please tell me what appeals to you about this guy?....

lalamergrl17

Hasn't that been done before...??? With Marco and Dylan?

Benji

No. Marco's parents were accepting. Did you watch?

Denmark

He's a complex character. The fact that they gave him an issue other than him being gay was awesome. His anger management is some of the basic core to him. You never really get to see people with anger management in this show. And about Zane giving him second chances... I mean, come on. Zane is obviously willing to overlook his bad side and help Riley work with it. That /is/ love, you know. XD

"I just wish he would grow a pair and deal... and then maybe he'd be worth Zane's time." Last time I checked, Riley kind of. I don't know. Tried beating the crap out of Owen so he would stop being a jerk? Sure, he doesn't emotionally know how to handle himself, but he can do a lot with his fists -- which comes full circle with his anger management issues.

But maybe that's just me?

kaleidocat

"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.

Denmark

"I don't mind his flaws or mistakes." I love you. <3

Pretty anti-climatic last night. Ziley interactions were cute. I can't say I was amazed when he came out to his mom - They pretty much showed everything in the previews :/

Pretty disappointed.

kaleidocat

SQUEEEEEEEE!!! Interesting spoiler from Ask The TV Addict:


source.

Maybe this belongs on the spoiler board but I'm to excited. I want it in Riley's thread because that's where I've been doing all my happy speculating about an angsty storyline. It actually seems like I might get the dark storyline I want!!!

JustMe2000

I'm most interested in

Seriously, though, I really hope this does lead to some major angst with that storyline. I've always felt that Riley's anger issues and goals of being the No. 1 QB would figure on him having some kind of overbearing father, whose ideals he was trying to live up to. Looking back, it probably would have made sense for him to be around from the beginning or close to the beginning of his storyline.

Simon Spier

Oooh! Im excited to see more of this storyline

JustMe2000

18

2


The first number represents how many episodes there have been since Degrassi started up again in the fall. The second is how many of those episodes Riley has appeared in. They were the ones that featured his plot with his mother. I do expect him to show up at the dance in the finale in the same way that he and Zane were at the dance in All Falls Down, but that will still only be 3 or 4 out of 22.

Hell, outside of the dance episodes (where everyone tends to show up), when was the last time he was in a plot in which he wasn't the focal point? Do you have to go back to the Season 9 premiere when Peter had his little meth problems?

I mean I get that part of his storyline has been the isolation he's felt because of who he is, but they couldn't have figured out a way to put him in one of Anya's recent plots? Really?

And this is not a problem unique to Riley.

LilKamea

AAAEEEEEEEAAAAAAEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
OMG Y'ALL, I HAVE THE BIGGEST CRUSH ON RILEY. *Faints*
So yeah, can I join?

Magnolia May

Riley never gets any love it sucks cause i love his character. Ziley is my favorite couple please add me

Simon Spier

I love Riley!
He is totally my favorite

Squall_L.

I always knew that he'd have an ******* father. I call major bull**** on the "Athena" though.

It saddens me how I never have anyone else to share the Riley love with. If I could kill off half the current Degrassi cast to warp reality and make this right, I would do it.