The problem with 'As You Were'.

[elisi]

Thanks to AOQ's reviews, I've been spending yet more time thinking about AYW. Because One Bit Shy (whom I usually agree with at least 95%), had a completely different take: Riley was Prince Charming, giving Buffy a wonderful boost and helping her enormously. Which kinda threw me, as you can expect. So I thought and pondered, and this is what I came

Comments

[dlgood]

The problem comes when we go back to the The Doctor thing. Taking as given that it isn't Spike, either Riley gets set up by the real Doctor (or similar), or he lies.

I don't really see that as a problem. I'm willing to believe what Buffy believed - that he might lack the demeanor to do that job competently, but that he would do it. I'm certainly willing to believe that Spike's complicit with the "Real Doctor" even if unwittingly, and that's good enough for government work story purposes. If Riley goes offstage and traces Spike's connection to 'The Real Doctor' and solves that problem... then we haven't really lost anything.

International Arms Dealing is something outside of Buffy's jurisdiction, and she's only involved because it came crashing into her path. And Riley has treated 'Sunnydale' as out of his - as stuff Buffy could handle, until something she didn't know about wandered into her territory. At which point, they worked together about as well as Federal and Local Law Enforcement Authorities usually do.

If the Doctor's Sunnydale Contact is no longer a problem, she doesn't need to be involved with that issue. And Riley doesn't need to be involved with Sunnydale.

She broke up with Angel because they didn't have a future. She breaks up with Spike because they barely have a present.

Well that is sort of what I meant - in both cases she couldn't get what she wanted/needed, and hanging around just made things worse.

If one reads in broadest of terms, there's such a similarity - Buffy is trying to fulfill aspirations - but that would fit just about almost every breakup ever. But the fundamentals are quite different. Buffy founded her relationship with Angel in pursuit of her aspirations - and breaks up because she can no longer deny that those aspirations cannot be realized. Buffy founded her relationship with Spike on despair - and breaks up because she is now willing to aspire to something.

[elisi]

I'm certainly willing to believe that Spike's complicit with the "Real Doctor" even if unwittingly, and that's good enough for government work story purposes.
Well I guess we can agree on that. I'm not trying to make Spike out to be all hard done by btw, and turn Riley into *the bad guy*. Spike was obviously looking after the eggs, but I doubt that he even bothered to find out what they were. Someone not naming himself offers Spike money for stashing something - sure! Spike ain't going to complain - easy money with a minimum of fuss!

Good thoughts about Buffy's breakup, nothing much to add there. Her relationship with Spike was very damaging to both of them and it was good that it ended. I guess my problem is that they used Riley as the catalyst - because I don't think he's earened the right to suddenly be Mr Great. It ignores the circumstances around his departure, and that just sits badly with me. But that's my problem, I know!