March is Riley Appreciation Month

[SlayerLV]

March is...

Riley Appreciation Month!

Tell us your favorite

• Moments
  
• Quotes
  
• Episodes or scenes
  
• What do you like most about Riley?

[CourtneyDax]

There were many things that I did not like about his character, but I will say one thing that is nice about him. His hair looked pretty cool in This Year's Girl.

[drusillacakes]

Mar 2, 2010 0:37:40 GMT -5 CourtneyDax said:

There were many things that I did not like about his character, but I will say one thing that is nice about him. His hair looked pretty cool in This Year's Girl.

I know what you mean Courtney. It's like we're grasping at straws! "Riley has nice hair!" Uh let's see..."His shoes are always polished....?"

I will say that I'm warming up to Riley, but it's also been a while since I've seen Season 4/5, so my opinion may change when I get there again. No spoilers but I'm finally caught up in the Buffy comics, so my change in opinion of Riley could be due to what's going on in S8.

Favorite eps-- I quite like "As You Were," but that's probably because I think Riley has good taste in women. Buffy obviously, but also Sam. She's awesome!

However, one of my favorite Riley scenes is when he confronts Spike about his feelings for Buffy, and they end up sharing a drink. It was surprisingly civil of him. Ultimately, Riley is a good man. He's safe, and dependable, and that should count for something.

[CourtneyDax]

Mar 2, 2010 0:59:50 GMT -5 drusillacakes said:

Ultimately, Riley is a good man. He's safe, and dependable, and that should count for something.

...except for when he was letting Vampires suck off him. That wasn't a very safe or good or dependable thing to do.

[drusillacakes]

Mar 2, 2010 1:12:22 GMT -5 CourtneyDax said:

Mar 2, 2010 0:59:50 GMT -5 drusillacakes said:

Ultimately, Riley is a good man. He's safe, and dependable, and that should count for something.

...except for when he was letting Vampires suck off him. That wasn't a very safe or good or dependable thing to do.

Agreed, it was not. Well, he isn't perfect that's for sure. But he doesn't suck (no pun intended) as much now as I used to think.

[El Diablo Robotico]

Moments
- When he can't remember meeting Buffy, and then realizes, "Oh, right--you're Willow's friend!"

- Punching Parker.

- When he goes over to talk to Buffy at the party, but can't think of anything to say, and blurts out, "So, did you do the reading on Chapter 9?"

- "Are you drunk?" "Yes, go and report me!"

- Trying to help Oz escape the Initiative. An amazing thing for him to do, and something he doesn't get nearly enough credit for from all the haters. He threw away his whole career and risked being sent to prison, all to help a guy he barely knew, because the guy was a friend of Buffy and Willow, and Riley knew that he didn't deserve to be tortured and experimented on. So good on you, Riley Finn!

- "I showed up on time, so I got to be Cowboy Guy!"

Quotes
- "Who's Faith?"

- "I'm here lookin' for a man. A sales man."

What do you like most about Riley?
He's not one of my favorite characters, but I like him well enough. I certainly don't understand the amount of hate he takes from so many fans, because he doesn't come close to deserving it. He's a good fighter, a good friend, and a loving and attentive boyfriend. If I ever have a daughter of my own, Riley seems like exactly the sort of nice, normal, solid guy that I hope she would marry one day. (And if she prefers girls, she should find herself a Kennedy. ;D )

[lightandmagic]

Man, El D, you're just trying to piss off everyone, liking Kennedy and Riley, haha. ;D

Riley's not in my Top 5, but I like him. Like El D, I definitely do not think he deserves the amount of hatred he gets. Overall, he's generally a solid, dependable guy. Although a bit ignorant, he is also nice, caring, and I definitely get the feeling he would have done almost anything for Buffy.

As for favourite moments, one of mine has to be when Faith as Buffy sleeps with him. You're probably all thinking wha!? But I enjoyed it because almost everyone has off days, and there was no way he could have predicted that that was Faith and not Buffy. He was so tender and caring, and it was at that moment that you could tell he was pretty much in love with Buffy. He refused sex with hot Buffy because Faith was treating it as just as a game. He didn't want sex, and I'm well aware this sounds lame, he wanted to make love. Shows how much of a genuinely nice guy he is.

Another would be him and not-Adam deciding that in an emergency that would be an awesome idea to build a pillow fort in Restless. How cute.

I nominate that any and all hatred toward Riley be shifted towards hating Forrest instead. Now he was an annoying character that I don't hear being bashed nearlyyyy enough.

[Beaumonde]

He's not one of my favourites but I like him a lot more now then I did when I first watched the series. Although the way he handles Buffy being a slayer still irks me.

Moments
When he takes Dawn to the park with the carousel. It's been a while since I watched season 5 but I remember that moment being really sweet.

When he punches Parker and realises he has a thing for Buffy. That was the time when I really liked him.

His scenes in Restless. Come on, who doesn't love that he's a cowboy in Death of a Salesman?

The end of The Replacement with Xander. "But she doesn't love me."

[zamolxis]

He's not one of my favorites, but first time when I saw S4 I remember liking him, so I'll give him a pass.

Moments:

Something Blue: I'll just go away and stay away!.

The Yoko Factor: not wanting to leave Buffy's room, he was beaten up by Angel and still didn't give up, plus his confession of love to Buffy (I love you so much I cannot see straight, or something like that)

Restless: the cop sequence (guess it helped seeing him in First Daughter).

[buffyfan21]

I wouldn't exactly classify Riley as one of my fave characters, but I also do not share the intense dislike of him that many fans do (I still don't get all the Riley hate). Like most characters in the Whedonverse, Riley is flawed, he has made his share of mistakes, yet he still has his good qualities. With all the bashing by fans, I really feel sorry for the guy at times. I really liked Riley when he came on the scene in S4. He was a little naive maybe, but still a good guy and I thought he was good for Buffy. I liked him somewhat less during S5, but then he came back again for that one ep in S6 and I loved him all over again! I am also liking him S8, though his role in the larger arc still remains somewhat ambiguous. Nonetheless, I am glad to see his character again.

One of my favorite Riley moments was the way he helped Willow through her breakup with Oz. When they are together at the party, and he instructs the band to cut off the song that is bringing up some unpleasant memories for her, he was being sensitive to her pain and I thought that was really sweet of him.

Another moment I like is in S5, when he takes Dawn to the amusement park and buys her ice cream, even though she's supposed to be in school, again showing what a nice guy he can be.

And my all time fave Riley moment was probably when he punched stinky Parker in the face for comparing our beloved Buffy to a toilet seat. Dude totally had it coming! And I have never been happier than in that moment. And I was so glad that Riley had the guts to do what no one else would! Love Riley or hate him, you have to admit that was a badass moment. It's also really funny that after this moment, he finally came to the realization of his feelings for Buffy.

I also love the moments between he and Angel in The Yoko Factor. He acts so petty during this episode that it is almost cute.

Mar 2, 2010 2:37:50 GMT -5 El Diablo Robotico said:

- "I showed up on time, so I got to be Cowboy Guy!"

This is definitely my all time fave Riley quote. Cracks me up every time.

[El Diablo Robotico]

Mar 2, 2010 4:27:54 GMT -5 lightandmagic said:

Man, El D, you're just trying to piss off everyone, liking Kennedy and Riley, haha. ;D

I like 'em both fine, but that last bit was a joke. If I had a daughter who liked girls, I think I'd want her to end up with someone like Willow--without the unpleasant addiction issues, of course.

Mar 2, 2010 16:35:45 GMT -5 buffyfan21 said:

One of my favorite Riley moments was the way he helped Willow through her breakup with Oz. When they are together at the party, and he instructs the band to cut off the song that is bringing up some unpleasant memories for her, he was being sensitive to her pain and I thought that was really sweet of him.

Another moment I like is in S5, when he takes Dawn to the amusement park and buys her ice cream, even though she's supposed to be in school, again showing what a nice guy he can be.

Good call--I forgot both of those.

And I feel kinda bad for Riley here, because I think that this poll is really stacked against him. Looking back at some of the "lesser" characters' Appreciation Month polls, Joyce's question was phrased, "Is she one of your favorites?", and Satsu's was just, "Do you like her?". But Riley's is, "Is he in your top 5?" Well, he's not real popular to begin with, and even people who like the guy probably aren't going to rank him ahead of Buffy, Willow, Xander, Spike, Faith, etc. That's not a criticism of SlayerLV, because I don't think there was any sort of intent by phrasing the question that way, but I don't know--maybe for the future polls, the "Top 5" part of it could be left out? Since it's the character's appreciation month, shouldn't we try to find ways to give 'em the most love possible?

[wytchcroft]

Riley is never going to be on my faves list but i was impressed by how different he was in S5, far more interesting as a character and more settled in his acting too (IMO).

[CowboyGuy]

Mar 2, 2010 2:37:50 GMT -5 El Diablo Robotico said:

Moments
- When he can't remember meeting Buffy, and then realizes, "Oh, right--you're Willow's friend!"

- Punching Parker.

- When he goes over to talk to Buffy at the party, but can't think of anything to say, and blurts out, "So, did you do the reading on Chapter 9?"

- "Are you drunk?" "Yes, go and report me!"

- Trying to help Oz escape the Initiative. An amazing thing for him to do, and something he doesn't get nearly enough credit for from all the haters. He threw away his whole career and risked being sent to prison, all to help a guy he barely knew, because the guy was a friend of Buffy and Willow, and Riley knew that he didn't deserve to be tortured and experimented on. So good on you, Riley Finn!

- "I showed up on time, so I got to be Cowboy Guy!"

Quotes
- "Who's Faith?"

- "I'm here lookin' for a man. A sales man."

What do you like most about Riley?
He's not one of my favorite characters, but I like him well enough. I certainly don't understand the amount of hate he takes from so many fans, because he doesn't come close to deserving it. He's a good fighter, a good friend, and a loving and attentive boyfriend. If I ever have a daughter of my own, Riley seems like exactly the sort of nice, normal, solid guy that I hope she would marry one day. (And if she prefers girls, she should find herself a Kennedy. ;D )

This. This whole thing. Times a million.

Even though my moniker suggests otherwise, I am not a huge Riley fanboy. But I do like him. More than Kennedy, Satsu, Dawn, Tara and sometimes I like him more than Spike!

Riley's always been a great character, but pales in comparison to the vampires. Funny that it happens in the real world with the fans, the same way it works for Buffy as a character! He'll never compare. That's just the way it is.

I would like for Riley to be used some more in the comic's future. He's a good fighter and he is reliable. I'm sure they can do something with him since Oz' story seems very complete now that he has a wife and family.

[drusillacakes]

Mar 3, 2010 6:03:31 GMT -5 CowboyGuy said:

I would like for Riley to be used some more in the comic's future. He's a good fighter and he is reliable. I'm sure they can do something with him since Oz' story seems very complete now that he has a wife and family.

Maybe now that Riley and Buffy have had some time to find themselves, maybe they should get back together... (Is Sam still in the picture?) This is something I never would have dreamed of, but I would be very okay with it.

[Eric]

I don't really like him, but he's not all bad... I guess. Saving Oz was pretty cool of him.

[Jaz ♀♀]

He doesn't come close to any of my fav characters but i don't dislike or hate the guy. I guess because his character wasn't intriguing enough for me to be invested in him. If I knew more of him besides "I'm an Iowa farm-boy-turned soldier" arc, I guess I would have other cool things to say about him. If he was gonna be a main character (which he was) then I think the writers should have invested a little more time to making him more "not-so-blah" because now it just seems that he was a minor character with too much screen time which then makes him one of the most least favorite characters in the Buffyverse and we're left grasping at staws on what we can appriciate about him. (like what Drusillacakes said earlier)

I liked when he saves Oz too.

Oh, and i also liked when he saved Willow from that car.

[thevernacular]

Riley's never been one of my favorites, but he's still a great character. His background really influences who he is, but once he meets Buffy and the gang, that life and those values have an effect on him as well, and I think that's what draws me the most to characters like him. They change, you know? Joss is great at that, starting a character in one place and then bringing themsomewhere completely different through the things they experience and the people they meet.

But anyway. Favorite moments. Uhh, my favorites would have to be in "Who Are You?" when he tells Buffy!Faith that he loves her and she's all O____O over it, and also, like Beaumonde said, the speech in "The Replacement" where he talks about how in love with Buffy he is, and then concludes with "But she doesn't love me." Just heartbreaking. I love it, in such a sad way. XD

[echo1]

he has his issue with "plot device" at some point I think, But in Restless, one of my favorite episodes.

He's like

I've come looking for a man, a sales man!" one of the best lines on the show for me. Funniest anyways

[whitecandy]

I am the one who voted yes by the way, in case nobody guessed

Well, Riley appreciation month is finally here! Riley is one of my favourite characters, and not just because he is absolutely gorgeous and makes me go a bit funny whenever he is on the screen

I thought Riley had a valid place in the show. He gave Buffy a 'normal' relationship, and made her feel like a real person with real feelings, rather than just the slayer. He was strong, although not as much as her, but he understood what it was like being something that nobody was meant to know about and having to keep so many secrets. But aside from this, he also knew what it was like to feel and hurt and deal with life issues. I believe he truly loved her and would have done anything for her, but he lost his way and paid the price.

My favourite Riley episodes are Hush, The Yoko Factor, Out of my Mind, and Who Are You? I also love Where the Wild Things Are, but mainly as he is half naked in most of it.

My favourite quotes are:

"I'm leaving, Buffy. Unless you give me a reason to stay ... I'm leaving tonight"

"Maybe instead of you trying to take care of me, we agree to take care of each other"

"He mentioned Buffy? Where do we find him, and how hard can I kill him?"

"Don’t make fun. I worked long and hard to get this pompous"

I just love Riley, but then maybe the boys in Buffy's life that we tend to verge towards are an insight into the kind of boys we like in real life? My bf is my perfect guy, and he is strong, handsome, loyal, dependable, fun, sporty, but also has a mysterious quiet side to him where I am wondering what he is thinking. Riley to me was perfect for Buffy. I know there are a lot of Spuffy and Bangel brigades out there, but I will always be a Ruffy girl

[buffyfan21]

Does anybody know what happened to Sam? I kept waiting for some mention of that when Riley showed up. Hopefully they will explain her absence eventually. I'm guessing she was probably killed somehow.