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Buffy the Vampire Slayer 5x10 "Into the Woods" Full Reaction (Patreon)

Published:
2020-08-01 07:00:12
Edited:
2023-09-08 21:45:20
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Buffy 5X10.mp4

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Comments

TheyCallMeJeff

This episode is typically very unpopular so it is nice to see a more level headed approach to it. I was never a Riley hater but what he did in this episode is inexcusable. This is the equivalent of hiring a prostitute while in a monogamous relationship, he cheated, and then tried to give Buffy an ultimatum. Buffy is not completely innocent though given that she excluded him from important events, events you normally would include your significant other so they can support you especially involving Joyce. She made the time to contact everyone but him to be at the hospital to support her. Riley always heard from someone else and usually by accident. Even before Joyce's medical situation, Buffy was keeping Riley at a distance. At the same time, Riley was not communicating his concerns to Buffy and, of course, he cheated and that's not something that should be overlooked nor is it okay even though Buffy kept him at a distance. Both are at fault for the deterioration of the relationship because it started falling apart at the beginning of the season but, in the end, Riley put the final nail in the coffin. With that said, I do think the main story of this episode is kinda weak and Riley's exit was not handled well, Everyone saw Riley's exit coming but I think it could have been done much better from a writing standpoint. Everything else was pretty good, including the beginning of the episode, the interactions among the scoobies, and Joyce. I would probably give the episode a 6/10 making it probably the worst episode of the season thus far.

KiwiJello

Here is my take on the Riley/ Buffy relationship. It was doomed due to maturity levels. What I mean is this: It comes down to Riley wanting to get even. He even admits it. But the problem I see in him getting even is that he cheated on Buffy then basically told her it was because she was inadequate. He made her feel deficient because that's how he felt. I am not throwing blame, I am saying they aren't good together. As much as it hurts both of them, they would continue to hurt each other because of they hole in the relationship. For Riley it's living up to Ghosts, and for Buffy, it's letting him take the wheel. That's not going to happen on either front :)

Free Your Geek

Reading some of the other comments, it’s interesting to see a different perspective. I tend to empathize a bit more with Riley, excluding the brothel/vampire stuff. I think that was selfish and it was a dumb way to deal with his feelings. You can tell his self-esteem is taking a hit this season, between Riley telling Xander “She doesn’t love me” and Dawn telling Riley that Buffy doesn’t get all worked up over him like she did Angel. I can understand why Riley would want to “feel what Buffy feels” and be part of her world, but it’s the wrong way to do it. Riley was so in love with Buffy, she became his everything. He gave her everything he had. And he felt that she couldn’t or wasn’t willing to do the same for him. Having been in a relationship like that, I feel for him. He wanted to be there for her to confide in and take comfort in him. He wanted her to be as obsessed (for lack of a better term) with him as he was of her. On the other end, Buffy has so much going on in her life, between Dawn, her mom, and learning more about herself, she really didn’t need to rely on Riley. She truly did love him, but because she’s been so self reliant, she didn’t need to lean on him. I agree that Riley was a rebound guy for her, but I don’t think she realizes it. Aside from that, I love the insight from both Spike and Xander! And even though Spike does seem to care for Buffy also, his creepiness is a continued reminder that he is evil. The chip is the only thing that’s preventing him from taking human life. Such an interesting dynamic!

Ryan Moore

This episode's ending never fails to gut me. And, at the risk of getting produce hurled at me, I actually like the Buffy-Riley music better than the Buffy-Angel music.

Nicole Iannone

Never really cared about Riley one way or the other to be honest, didn't hate him but I absolutely would not have missed him if he was never in the series, but really not a fan of his actions here. As another commenter mentioned, he basically cheated on Buffy, then when he got caught, told her that he was doing it because he thought she didn't love him as much as she loved him. Get outta here with that nonsense lol. If you are in a relationship and you're having issues, then you should try talking to your SO about whatever the two of you perceive the issues to be, and try to figure out a way to work out said issues. If your SO either refuses to listen or you guys end up not being able to "fix" the issue, then you should break up. Like, I know that sucks, especially if you feel like you love them more than they love you, but its the mature thing to do. But he mentioned it basically in passing to Xander at the beginning of the season, and then talked about it to nobody else. That's not to say that Buffy is 100% blameless in how she's been treating Riley this season, even if she apparently didn't realize how she was acting. She seemed to have definitely seen him as a rebound guy at least subconsciously, and the fact that he was CONSISTENTLY the last person to find out things regarding her personal life is really unfair, considering they're dating and have been for roughly a year in universe by this point I think (several months at the very least). Hell Spike found out stuff before he did a lot of the time, and the Scoobies barely tolerate his presence (though to be fair he has been literally stalking Buffy these past few eps so that's not a total surprise that he learned stuff before the group). I know she had that great speech earlier in the season when Riley got that chip removed about how "if she wanted to date someone with super powers she'd be dating Spike", but honestly to me thats not even the issue, the issue is that in this season in particular she's barely treated Riley as a boyfriend. Its more like he's a regular friend that she sometimes sleeps with. Which like, hey, if all parties agreed to a friends-with-benefits arrangement that's totally fine, live your best life, but when one person is treating the relationship like that (Buffy), while the other person is treating the relationship like the SO is their whole world (Riley), the relationship isn't going to end well. And finally as a behind the scenes kind of note, according to the wiki, Joss mentioned in an interview that he tried to give Buffy a "healthy relationship" but that "people didn't want it. They did some great work together. But at the same time, when they were happy, it made people crazy". And Marti Noxon, the director for this ep, mentioned that "Sunnydale romance just rarely goes well. Buffy with a boyfriend is not as interesting as Buffy in some kind of romantic strife. Riley, by his nature, was such a good and constant character that we were at risk of things getting a little dull.". I don't know if I personally agree that happy relationships are boring but YMMV I suppose lol.

FernWithy
>>41418954

I figured this was some misguided attempt to make it "interesting." :eyeroll: Yes, happy relationships can be interesting if you approach them like you approach any other aspect of character, guys. Seriously. You don't need to say, "Whoa, that can't work" or "I guess if it's a healthy relationship, it must mean that one of them is made out of cardboard so the other one doesn't need to make any compromises" or whatever it was they thought when they made Riley's entire character "kinda military" and "likes Buffy." Honestly, I like the guy on paper (much better than I ever liked Angel with Buffy, if I'm going to be honest), but in practice? They never knew what to do with him or how to handle a solid relationship. (Maybe by, I don't know, not making their whole plot ABOUT their relationship? Or giving him more than half a season of development before Buffy's willing to die for him?)

KT
>>41412130

I agree, the Buffy/Riley theme is much more subtle and complex than the Buffy/Angel theme.