Needs a Little Monster

[foxstarreh]

I’m not a Riley fan.

I’m also not a fan of the practice in fanfiction to randomly turn him into a psychopathic rapist or anything, but I don’t find him very interesting.

I think Riley was an all right character when he was in a more minor, background role. But he honestly doesn’t have enough interesting personality traits to sustain himself as a

Comments

[spikesjojo]

I don't see it as traditional gender roles as much as military & civilian. That said - I flat-out hate Riley

I come from an odd place perhaps but I think the Initiative is close to the Nazi experimentation on humans. There is no acceptance of the fact that some demons are harmless - therefore Hitler would walk free but Clem and Lorne would be taken, caged, and experimented on. Even when Riley leaves it's more about saving Buffy than rescuing Oz. It never seems to penetrate his head that non-humans are not all evil. I really see that as a moral failing - following orders like the lower level Nazis did.

[spikesjojo]

But I don't read the comics :D

Sorry....

[foxstarreh]

Keeping in mind that Buffy's something of a soldier herself, as is increasingly emphasised in the later seasons. She's a bit wild and awful at taking orders, but she's definitely a fighter and not someone who needs to be protected or taken care of. I don't think Riley has a problem with Buffy being a fighter, his wife is a soldier as well, but Sam, from what little we see of her, seems to fit the traditional wife mold a bit better than Buffy.

I agree, of course they resemble Nazis! After all, it was the Nazis from whom they stole the entire idea, their entire reason for existencece.

And Spike's fault that they stole them in the first place. Because he... had difficulty following orders.

Well, that somewhat fuzzies up the moral of the story, there, doesn't it?

[spikesjojo]

Yeah - I completely agree that Buffy is definitely a warrior, but Riley had problems with that for quite a while. I love the scene when Ethan Rayne turned Giles into a Fyarl - and Riley tells Buffy that he has orders to not allow her to help. I think Riley finally accepts Buffy as a fighter but then he loses his own powers and expects Buffy to...do what? Not sure, but it isn't go out and patrol without him. He was devastated when Dawn mentioned that Buffy was tired of protecting him. She is now the warrior and he is the civilian to be protected.

Not sure I follow you on Spike's fault - he did try to burn the Nazi papers. I didn't follow you around that bend.