Next Buffy Reaction Concerns
Added 2020-07-17 21:49:50 +0000 UTCI’m currently uploading my next Buffy Reaction right now and it should be up later in the evening.
I want to let everyone know that if you have been upset about my enjoyment of Buffy at times this next episodes ending and review portion will be a rant about the episode.
I was very upset about the choices that were made with the Buffy/Riley and to an extent Xander situation.
I fully understand that some may like what happened and may completely disagree with me about how it was handled. That’s okay, I don’t mind disagreements as long as they are handled well. For me it did not work the way I think it was intended. I don’t even believe I gave it a score because of what happens.
I don’t want disrespectful arguments in the comment section of the Buffy Reaction when it goes up which is why I am making this post.
Hopefully everyone can stay respectful and have a civil discussion in the comments.
If it turns into anything bad I will delete comments.
Just wanted everyone to be aware.
Comments
Although I disagree with at least 80 percent of what you wrote before, I think your version of how the storyline should have gone is infinitely better
Paul Gibson
2020-07-18 15:47:51 +0000 UTCI absolutely hate that some people in this fandom have made you feel like you have to justify your reactions to this show. Yes, this show is fucking amazing, mostly... but NOBODY can say it's perfect all the time, so to sit there and vilify you for not liking certain aspects of Buffy that we've ALL questioned at one point or another, is so stupid. I don't even see how anyone CAN defend this episode/storyline. Riley is TRASH. And Buffy and Xander's reaction to this whole situation was also trash. And let's not pretend Riley has ever been a good guy. He just acted like one. Even way back in season 4, he had an inferiority complex with how strong Buffy was in comparison to him. Like when he made comments like "I'm not even sure I could take you." And then in this season, he showed he would rather DIE to keep his super-human strength than have his GIRLfriend be stronger than him. But the writers played it off, once again, as Riley not feeling needed. But no, it was all about his fragile masculinity. And he's out here talking about passion like he's not the single most boring person ever. Aside from the army, Buffy, and a couple basketball scenes, did Riley even exist? What were his hobbies? Where was his family? and the biggest one: Where was his personality? Oh, that's right... he didn't have one. His entire character was "Whine, love Buffy, whine, be soldier, whine, feel inadequate, whine, whine, fucking whine..." And Xander understanding all of this behavior and putting the blame on Buffy like "You drove him to it by not treating him like man." Excuse me? WHAT??? Flip this script and imagine Angel doing what Riley did. Buffy, dealing with her sick mom and finding out her sister isn't her sister while simultaneously loving her and having to look out for her, doesn't call Angel when her mom is rushed into hospital. Angel, feeling unneeded and sorry for himself, decides if Buffy doesn't need him, then adrenaline junkies do and he can give them the rush without risking their lives. He goes out, bites women and drinks their blood, and when it all comes crashing down, he gives the excuse of "they needed me. I could give them what the wanted. It was passion... You neglected me." And then gave Buffy an ultimatum... XANDER WOULD HAVE RIGHTFULLY TORN HIM APART, so this was WAY out of his character. And then to have the titular character of BTVS--arguably the most feminist show of its time, and still prevalent to this day--chase after this asshole after he made her mom being sick about him, made her feel bad about being to stressed to stroke his ego, and to an extent, made her feel bad about being the slayer... TRASH. I'm so glad Riley left, but if they were gonna pull this shit, it should have been focused on the military aspect, not the vampire whores thing. How it should have went: Riley does his whole song and dance of "Buffy is like no one else in the world... but she doesn't love me." He feels unneeded more and more over the course of the ten episodes and decides to find something to fill that void... BUT, instead of sneaking off to get bitten, he is shown mysteriously meeting with this woman (or even just shown sneaking off in general.) The audience are left questioning what he's up to and whether or not he's cheating. Buffy, in her own world with her mom, doesn't even realize he's not around until Spike taunts her about it. She then starts questioning it herself, and follows him to a building where she finds him secretly working with the military (as a freelance agent for Graham's boss) and the audience find out the woman he was meeting is actually an agent. Riley gets offered the military job and, feeling like Buffy doesn't need him much, considers it. Buffy, upset and angry he's thinking of leaving her, is confronted by Xander (who knows how Riley feels) and he asks her the one important question: "Do you love him enough to keep him here?" Buffy, realizing she doesn't and that he needs more, breaks-up with him amicably. The two part as friends in an emotional goodbye scene, and Buffy waves him off with a small smile on her face and tears in her eyes (because while she doesn't love him, she does deeply care for him.) The episode ends with Buffy, in her room, looking at the ring Angel gave her and pictures of her and Riley and decides she's okay being without a relationship for the first time in five fucking seasons. BOOM. Fixed it. Edit: I remembered Angel's ring is gone. But the point still stands if she had a picture of Angel or literally anything Angel-related.
AllieDoh
2020-07-18 08:43:40 +0000 UTCMy take away from this was that both Riley and Buffy was in the wrong. Buffy never completely gave herself over to Riley and who can blame her after the shit that went down with Angel. Riley told her multiple times that he loved her and she never said it back, from Riley’s perspective that would be a major red flag. Every time things get serious she goes and deals with it on her own afraid to be vulnerable around him. I get how upsetting that could be for him. He was top dog in the initiative...Mr. Agent badass. He felt like he had a place and was needed. Then he’s with Buffy who’s seen some shit and has learned to not let herself feel too much of the pain and just deal with it on her own. I know it sounds like I’m defending Riley but I’m not. I never liked him, from day 1 he annoyed me. I was glad to see him gone. I do feel like he handled things very badly. You could see that he was upset after Dracula bit Buffy but he had no reason to be. She was under his freaking thrall. Riley was definitely being a dumbass about that . Also, having vampires bite you on purpose is definitely a bit cringy. Buffy definitely had a reason to be upset. As for her running away and not dealing with it right then. You have to remember that she had to give up the dream of having a regular life to kill these things. With the exception of Angel vampires are evil soulless creatures and to see your boyfriend sitting creepily in a dark room willingly getting bit by one and appearing to like it has to be shocking and very hard to process. I’m not that surprised that she was so freaked that she had to get away from the situation. As for Xander’s speech...I didn’t feel like he was putting the blame on her, just at this time the ball was in her court. If she was unable to let Riley in she should let him go. I believe that they may have been able to work through their issues but I was definitely glad to see him go. I have to agree that Buffy running after him was pretty lame. I’m not sure what the writers were trying to achieve with that. Maybe it’s a character development for Buffy? After all the shit she’s been through and all the walls she put up she’s finally ready to let someone in just to have it be a little too late. I give this episode a 8 because Riley left. If she would have caught up to him and stopped him it would have dropped to a 4. Lol
Angela Keene
2020-07-18 06:13:14 +0000 UTCYour option is your own. Obviously I dont know what your reaction to the episode is yet but I dont think I'll be venomous to you. And more to the point I wont hate you for how you feel. I do feel I might get protective of Xander but I'd still like to hear you out. I love your reactions and I think your a pretty nice guys. I'll be a Civil Cat dont worry.💜
Catherine Thurmond
2020-07-18 02:21:03 +0000 UTCexactly and well said.
cil
2020-07-18 02:14:48 +0000 UTCI like hearing what you and your brother think about these shows. I don't watch to hear you validate my opinions. Keep on keeping on.
Gregory Wireman
2020-07-18 02:13:18 +0000 UTCjust because someone doesn't like something or has criticisms of it, that doesn't mean they didn't "get it". you can understand something and still have issues with it. it's okay to be passionate and debate, as long as folks do it in a respectful and mature way. steven has already said this. the problem is, not everyone knows how to debate in a mature way and sadly some folks can't handle it when someone else has a different opinion than theirs. and instead of accepting that differing opinions are okay, they accuse the other person of being "wrong" or not "getting it". and therein lies the problem.
cil
2020-07-18 02:08:00 +0000 UTChonestly, it's ridiculous that you even had to put this disclaimer up because people can't handle someone having a different opinion than their own. you shouldn't have to explain yourself to anyone. this is your channel and these are your reactions. people should respect that and if they can't, don't watch. it's that simple. it is perfectly okay for you to not like something or to critique storylines that others might enjoy.
cil
2020-07-18 02:02:25 +0000 UTCAs long as your not looking at your phone throughout the episode then your opinion is totally valid and people shouldn't be giving you too much grief about it. I for one never liked Riley. And this upcoming episode didn't do much to change my mind on him. I just never really felt his character impactful on the overall story. Which is sad considering his role in season 4. When I first watched it, I figured Riley was only there to get Buffy into the initiative.
Bryan Terry
2020-07-18 00:53:23 +0000 UTCYour comment section has you so shook in the Buffy-verse, that you feel you have to defend how you feel about Riley? I remember when we were considered one of the kinder and more inclusive fandoms. I guess that only works when things are going our way......how far we have fallen.
o
2020-07-18 00:44:22 +0000 UTCI am just glad Riley is out of the picture because they really didn't know what to do with him and he ended up being really boring.
Phoenix Dawn
2020-07-18 00:06:33 +0000 UTCim over here anticipating this reaction from all this build up lol
Michele Finnegan
2020-07-18 00:04:28 +0000 UTCNot about what happens to him, it’s about how the whole situation is handled. Just a small hint...
Steven Merced
2020-07-17 22:59:26 +0000 UTCIn my opinion the best reactors are the most honest. I can't understand why some people need you to see things their way. What difference does it make? They are just opinions. I am always eager to watch your reactions as I have no idea what to expect but that's all part of the fun and that's what the majority is here for so I'm really hoping that everyone will be respectful. Looking forward to it!
Donna
2020-07-17 22:50:54 +0000 UTCI already know from your disclaimer I am going to hate your reaction... there are a lot of things you do not understand or get about this show. You also dont care for debate against your opinion, which just tells me I was right all along... you are my brothers twin!!!! Steven, people who love this show are just passionate about it, as I see that you are. You cant help how you feel and i totally appreciate your honest reactions whether i agree or not, so keep it up man!
Michele Finnegan
2020-07-17 22:49:21 +0000 UTCSeason 5 is quite divisive among fans, your reactions are absolutely valid. I'm sorry the haters are loud enough that it's prompting you to respond before hand to quell the storm. Keep being genuine, we love your reacts.
Ghost Mom
2020-07-17 22:46:59 +0000 UTCUgh, you said things I was thinking so eloquently.
Ashley
2020-07-17 22:18:04 +0000 UTC@Geeked Out Nation - Hahaha, a blind rage huh? Riley's character I'm pretty ambivalent about....he's there, he's not there, I don't feel a difference, so this ep doesn't piss me off like it does many people. The majority of fans have traditionally been very anti-Riley, partly unjustified (simply cause he followed Angel and wasn't Angel), and partly justified cause the writers decided to tank his character (esp in this upcoming ep). Some have changed their view of Riley over time, years later, and aren't as harsh towards him/can empathize better with him, but I think the majority of people still stick to their guns with hating him. So in this ep, people are usually pissed about him on Buffy's behalf for what he did to her. Since you've always been pretty fond of him and dig him, I'm guessing you're gonna be pretty pissed on his behalf for what the writers did with him. My view is, the writers were finding the fandom were just not into him and not into his relationship with Buffy, so they had to get rid of him, so they led him down this insecurity-path (something he always had, but they leaned into it hard in this season, making him make some reckless decisions, keeping secrets from Buffy, and using a "cheating" vibe metaphor). I actually think he expresses himself quite well when he and Buffy are *finally* talking about their problems, and I have plenty of empathy for him.....Buffy's role in the relationship was not stellar either. In the end, it was just a relationship that didn't work--neither could be what the other needed--and thats just how it goes sometimes, so it's fairly realistic to me. I don't take issue with the ep, except for the Xander/Buffy scene, but the writers did do Riley dirty. And I feel for Buffy as well.
SpikesEcho
2020-07-17 22:13:38 +0000 UTCI'm already angry and ready to pound my keyboard waiting for the reaction. Just kidding. As a minority Riley fan, I do not like how they ended things with their relationship. But, Riley was also being an idiot and I am a fan of Riley. Anyway, season 5 is not my favorite season and I think it is most fan's favorites. So I'm used to people not liking what I like (Beer Bad is still one of my favorite episodes fight me!).
Ashley
2020-07-17 22:12:28 +0000 UTCDo what you have to do. To me, any show that can invoke such emotion is doing something right. You have the right to feel or think whatever you want. I think deleting comments is the right move. The Buffy fandom and reactors in general tend to be very aggressive like their opinions are the only valid one's but that's not real life. Point being, say what you feel do what you want. You’re one of my favorite reactors you work very hard and even though I don't always agree with your opinions, I respect them, and I know you love the show. Everyone else, forget em.
Chance
2020-07-17 22:03:50 +0000 UTCThis episode is actually quite divisive in the fandom, with a multitude of differing opinions on how each character is treated. I would fully expect to see debates in the comments... but as long as we can be grown ups, which the majority of us can, it should be OK. You won't be alone in having strong opinions on this ep, one way or another.
Bisibia
2020-07-17 21:55:53 +0000 UTCWe will see how you feel after the next episode. I honestly think I went into a blind rage during my reaction lol
Steven Merced
2020-07-17 21:54:37 +0000 UTCSorry to hear you've had alot of bad comments lately.......honestly everyone has different views and it's always entertaining seeing varied reactions. True, stick to your guns and be honest......that's what we want in reactions x
Kyle Jordan Ashley Brown
2020-07-17 21:52:35 +0000 UTC
![As[u]kaASMR](https://musarai.com/istorage/75948.jpg)
