More on Season four:

[butterfly]

I'm really appreciating Riley more this time around. He's cute and it's a shame that he and Buffy were so incompatible. Though they were totally incompatible. Doesn't make Riley any less of a Nice Guy though. Shame about those near mental breakdowns.

Xander had some very pretty moments in S4. Alas, he also had some horrible outfits and some terrible hair episodes.

I'm thinking of making some Hush icons because of the pretty. And it's neat to know that the Gentlemen were played by mimes.

After rewatching half of S1 with jic, I really do think that Xander's quote in WttH, "Oh, me and Buffy go way back. Old friends, very close. Then there's that period of estrangement, where I think we were both growing as people, but now here we are, like old times. I'm quite moved.", sums up his evolving relationship with Buffy throughout the seasons.

Comments

Agreed on nice guy Riley.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I never had a problem with him. Not my favourite character ever, but certainly one I don't wish away from canon.
Out of my head, favourite Riley moments:
1) With Forrest in the elevator, in "Hush".
2) "Something Blue", when Buffy tells him she's engaged to Spike. Still has me in stitches.
3) "She doesn't love me", the conversation with Xander.
4) Conversation with Spike re: Buffy in "Into the Woods".

Re: Agreed on nice guy Riley.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

I think my problems stemmed from the fact that he tried to take Xander's place as Buffy's back-up. Since he failed, I have no ill-will towards him.

I sound terribly petty, don't I?

There, there. Have a cookie.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Plus Riley liked Xander, and vice versa.*g*

There is an absolutely fantastic Xander story you should read immediately here (http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=1448957), by the way.

Re: There, there. Have a cookie.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

And it took forever to get back to you.

I'm sucking at responding lately.

Thanks for the story rec. I adored it.

And good point about Xander liking Riley, though at the end there, it definitely was feeling like he was identifying with Riley too much. Dating Buffy vicariously through Riley?

I think...

[selenak.livejournal.com]

...Riley was, in a way, Xander's ideal version of himself (note: I'm not saying Riley was ideal, just that this was how Xander saw him), and his proof Buffy was better off with someone human. When it turned out that the B/R relationship was on a self-destruct course, Xander took that as a judgement of how he and Buffy would have ended as well if they had ever gotten together.

Re: I think...

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

*pets Xander*

He always did have a tendency to idealize.