please tell me we got rid of Riley for good he’s sooo boring even more so than angel...
There’s something interesting about Riley and Spike drinking together as buddies, commiserating over Buffy.
Another amazing episode, this time thanks to Xander and Spike?! Marti does well when the episode revolves around real world relationship stuff, and issues that a strong parallel can be drawn with Buffyverse material, usually having to do with addiction or mental problems, and this episode is nothing but those, and it comes through really strong. It's also another episode that feels like a season finale.
I, however, still don't like what this season,and partly last season have done to Buffy's character. Riley and Dawn, and the irrational and idiotic decision to have Giles retire have taken a chunk out of the dynamic that supports Buffy as a character, and it doesn't make sense that she should always know what to do, like characters in several episodes have said.
She's not strategist or even a tactician. She could become one, but the show hasn't done the work to develop her into that. She's essentially a one-girl-army skirmisher. She fights alone, with a support team, and sometimes alongside her support team, but they tried to pretend like she could take over the role as her own watcher? That doesn't make any sense. For taking out vampire nests-- sure, she's more than fit -- but apocalyptic threats and demons, most with unknown properties? That's half of the point of a watcher. It's like they're setting her up to be a young unwed mother with the forced adulthood with inadequate experience, knowledge, or resources. Did the showrunners start to hate Buffy or something?
Shout by kiraBlockedParentSpoilers2022-04-27T15:15:44Z
every single thing that comes out of xander’s mouth at the end of this episode is complete bullshit. “nobody told me anything. it was right in front of my xander face” yeah because he would’ve noticed anything if riley himself didn’t literally tell xander 7 eps earlier that he thought buffy didn’t love him ??? shut the fuck up.
xander walks in there knowing nothing about riley’s atrocious attitude/behavior over the last few eps (and when buffy tells him a little about it he has no reaction at all) and calls riley a “once-in-a-lifetime guy” with his whole chest.
this ep is so fucking frustrating like why does the show want me to hope buffy catches riley at the end after witnessing him be a fucking dumbass with no sense of communication since like 4x20.
this ep, dead man’s party & empty places….literally my blood boils when i watch them. marti noxon wrote 2 out of the 3 i need compensation from her.