Why was Riley s' character written out of 'Buffy' in season 5?.
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adrianmorgan_butterfly — 19 years ago(April 15, 2006 09:02 AM)
A sporty fop?. haha. That was kinda mean, but then again that's what makes Marc Blucas and the Riley character so appealing is that he seems like the cool guy next door. Spike wasn't a favourite character of mine. The more they put him in the spotlight the worse the show got. He should have stayed comic relief.
Riley only became a bitter, and jealous character in season five because they wrote him that way. Hardly Marcs' doing. You are only ever as likeable as you are written in a script.I can't imagine how disapointing it must have been for him to film those ten episodes where they basically castrate his character because the poor Buffy fans wanted Angel back. It was a loss to the show, and I thought he and Sarah had good chemistry as well.
Maybe they really didn't like each other. Who knowswho really cares?. But it's a shame people think he was a weak character. In season four, they wrote him well. I finally saw the episode where they brought him back. It just pissed me off. I really liked him on the show. Buffy should have grabbed that boy next door and held on. I realise it wouldn't have suited the shows ever-dreary love story lines for Buffy. Glad to see Marc's getting work though. I like sporty fops myself and hope he has a long successful career. Buffy fansoh please. It was just a show. -
dgnr8_kid — 19 years ago(April 19, 2006 05:51 PM)
I will be the first to admit, I hated Riley when he first came on the 5b4show. I hated him for the same reason all other Angel fans hated him: he was trying to replace Angel. Riley was trying to fill Angel's shoes and no one, not even Spike, could do that. They should have kept Buffy single when Angel left. I dont know why Joss felt she always "needed a man". He should have known the fans would never embrace the guy who came on after Angel. Looking back , I dont really mind Riley, he was a very good person, he just couldnt hold a candle to Angel, or even SPike for that matter.
"I am the Lizard King. I can do anything."- Jim Morrison -
cheluzal — 19 years ago(May 07, 2006 07:23 PM)
I love Riley! He's my favorite guy from the entire series. I had such a soft spot for Angel but I know life goes on and you date other people. I think I appreciate Riley so much because he was a great boyfriend. Definitely not worthy of wacky Buffy but good for me.
Riley and Graham (Bailey Chase..yum) were the reasons why S4 is my favorite.
Men are like parking spots. The good ones are taken and the available ones are handicapped. -
SkinnyEcho — 19 years ago(May 31, 2006 01:06 PM)
If Riley wasn't after Angel he would have stayed longer.I never understood why everyone hated him, I mean look at him, way hotter than Angel and plus he has a heartbeat.
"Ready Randy?"
"Ready Joan." -Btvs
TWA
(Tom Welling Army) -
IrishBlueEyes — 19 years ago(June 30, 2006 09:16 AM)
Remember also that the writers have always used the fantasy of the Buffyverse to express the reality of being a teenager/young adult. In real life, we change as we grow up and the relationships that once fit us perfectly don't alway5b4s fit as well as we change. How many people marry the person they dated their freshman year of college? In Season 4, Buffy got a peek at the real depth of her power and we see in Season 5 her standing more on her own (i.e., growing up). At the same time, Riley went from Big Man on Campus to small fish, similar to what many of us go through when we graduate. The only place he still felt confident was his relationship with Buffy, but then as she got stronger, she needed him less and less in the way that he needed to be needed. Both were going through huge transformations in opposite directions. As much as I hated to see Riley go, it was the natural evolution of a real relationship.
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johnnycage10 — 19 years ago(July 21, 2006 03:12 AM)
Good discussions here. Very much enjoyed reading these ^_^
And of course we'll always have the cool, Initiatve2000-based episodes of season 4
Personally, I thought most of the good eps from seasons 5 and 6 involved Riley (loved his comeback in season 6 and his bitchslapping of Spike, and the way he handled those vamps in the crypt in season 5).
But in regards to their relationship, I know it's partly because Buffy simply didn't love Riley as much as she loved Angel, and he wanted to be the most important variable in her life (as Angel was).
As useless as Xander was after the end of season 3, the one smart scene he had was when he lectured Buffy at the end of the episode when Riley left in season 5. At the end of the day, Buffy and Riley could've had a contest regarding who's more at fault where, but one major question is this - would Buffy be as detached from Angel as she was from Riley if her mother was gravely ill in season 2/3? The answer is No, which means Riley's not as important as Angel was. -
TamlynR — 18 years ago(July 30, 2007 04:33 AM)
He was the all american boy next door. Normal, except for the secret army thinglol And what Buffy has always wanted most was to be normal and have a normal life. I think Riley represented that. But no matter how much Buffy wanted "normal" it wasn't ever going to work out, just their relationship.
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justmehere — 18 years ago(February 10, 2008 06:48 PM)
I loved Riley, and that episode where he left is one of my favorites of Buffy. Not because he left, but because of how well done it was. I loved the scene with Buffy and Xander where he lectured her on Riley being "the one" and also the scene preceding it with Buffy and Riley, where she said she couldn't take care of him, and he said it was about him taking care of her. So sad.
Also - IrishBlueEyes, great observation about Riley going from BMOC in the initiative to being small fish (in the Scoobies). I know he wasn't Supernatural, or Angel, but he was a good guy all around, and I thought he was a great character.
Total side note, but I just saw him in The Jane Austen Book Club, and really liked him in it. -
Boogiebuster — 17 years ago(January 24, 2009 10:41 PM)
Ok kids, this is why he got written of the show he sucked
His is dull and ugly and he don't make me laugh.
He was as plain a white bread sandwich with two slices of bad acting and a slab of empty lines.
He had ZERO chemistry with Sarah, (well to be fair it was Sarahs fault for throwing up a little in her mouth every time they made out). He was boring to the highest degree, he wore ill fitting clothes, he was less interesting than PARKER, and could not even hold a candle to Angel. He was incredibly awkward and annoying; his character was only introduced as a necessity to the plot.
Now I know I am going to get death threats, but this is my opinion of why he got written off.
~Booth->
<-Brennan~ -
tasteslikepaste — 18 years ago(May 21, 2007 12:02 PM)
hahahahaha he was kicked off because his character was a complete tool. everytime riley opened his mouth i laughed out loud because of how stupid marc blucas is. i wish he'd never even been written into the show at all.
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Phillip Marlowe — 16 years ago(July 03, 2009 06:37 AM)
While I admit to being an Angel fan (so I was not particularly inclined to like Riley), he was just never a well written character. The main problems were twofold. First, as written and performed, he was just white bread boring. Although this was undoubtedly intentional to fulfill Buffy's desire for a normal guy, neither the writers nor the actor were able to give the character any interesting subtext. Second, and far worse, Blucas and Gellar had zero onscreen chemistry. This lack was exacerbated by the far more charged relationship, even if mosatly antagonistic, bewteen Gellar and Marsters. Hell, Buffy had more chemistry with Parker, who was probably created in large part to vaccinate Riley from the anticipated Angel backlash.