Random Thoughts
29 July 2009 22:20![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quinaraThis has probably come up before, but apropos of the Bangel discussion on ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
gabrielleabelle's journal I've been wondering about Riley (don't all fall over in shock now!) as a foil for Buffy, with Biley basically being for Riley what Bangel was for Buffy. I mean, we meet Riley as someone relatively new to the whole supernatural gig who becomes involved with much more experienced supernatural-gigger, his association with that person problematising his previous assumptions about the supernatural. He even has two friends, one of whom's fairly supportive, one of whom doesn't like the new influence. It's pretty much Buffy S1.
But, while Buffy has Giles-Joyce, Riley has Professor Walsh. And, while Buffy has to deal with Darla hanging over Angel, Riley has to deal with Angel hanging over Buffy. Unlike Joyce, Professor Walsh is actually killed when she gets too close to the supernatural; unlike Giles, her traditionalism is unrelenting and Biley is pre-emptively threatened when it seems 'risky'. As for Darla vs. Angel, Angel stakes Darla, while Buffy never fully rejects Angel in Riley's presence.
It's sort of like the death and the influence gets swapped, leading to S5 when the stories become the reverse of each other - S2 brings an intensification of Bangel, while S5 shows a collapse of Biley. And I think there's some sort of commentary there, but I'm not entirely sure what it is. This is Buffy's show, so surely if it says anything it's saying it about Buffy, but I really don't want to see it as making her 'more' to blame for Riley's leaving. Maybe something to do with their differences making them irreconcilable, though in several ways they're similar? *shrugs*
gabrielleabelle's journal I've been wondering about Riley (don't all fall over in shock now!) as a foil for Buffy, with Biley basically being for Riley what Bangel was for Buffy. I mean, we meet Riley as someone relatively new to the whole supernatural gig who becomes involved with much more experienced supernatural-gigger, his association with that person problematising his previous assumptions about the supernatural. He even has two friends, one of whom's fairly supportive, one of whom doesn't like the new influence. It's pretty much Buffy S1.But, while Buffy has Giles-Joyce, Riley has Professor Walsh. And, while Buffy has to deal with Darla hanging over Angel, Riley has to deal with Angel hanging over Buffy. Unlike Joyce, Professor Walsh is actually killed when she gets too close to the supernatural; unlike Giles, her traditionalism is unrelenting and Biley is pre-emptively threatened when it seems 'risky'. As for Darla vs. Angel, Angel stakes Darla, while Buffy never fully rejects Angel in Riley's presence.
It's sort of like the death and the influence gets swapped, leading to S5 when the stories become the reverse of each other - S2 brings an intensification of Bangel, while S5 shows a collapse of Biley. And I think there's some sort of commentary there, but I'm not entirely sure what it is. This is Buffy's show, so surely if it says anything it's saying it about Buffy, but I really don't want to see it as making her 'more' to blame for Riley's leaving. Maybe something to do with their differences making them irreconcilable, though in several ways they're similar? *shrugs*