"Welcome to the Hellmouth" / "Bring on The Night"

[red_satin_doll]

"You're standing at the mouth of Hell. And it's about to open up." *

***
"I'm beyond tired. I'm beyond scared.
I'm standing on the mouth of Hell and it's going to swallow me whole. And it'll choke on me." **

* Joss Whedon
** Marti Noxon & Douglas Petrie

Comments

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

You actually sent me back to Netflix and - oh boy I forgot about those pants! Actually I'll go out on a limb and say it's something Willow picked out, as she and Tara wear a good bit of it. (maybe willow picks out tara's clothes as well? This could get really creepy...)

Although nothing will ever beat Willow's "red elmo pelt top" for badness.

I have no idea how this became a Buffy fashion thread but it makes me giggle.

[infinitewhale.livejournal.com]

Ha, I like that even better. 100x more plausible than Riley, who I don't see buying her clothes or her wearing them*. I now pronounce it canon.

*Obvious exceptions pertaining to their private life, of course.

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

100x more plausible than Riley, who I don't see buying her clothes or her wearing them*. I now pronounce it canon.

:) Of course it's canon.

Riley was so nervous about approaching Buffy he had to have Willow as a duenna of sorts; so I don't see him buying her clothes or even thinking to do so. If asked advice he'd be the guy to say "whatever, hon, you look great in anything."

On the subject of Riley though, I do find it odd that someone as handsome as he is is so - virginal. I don't mean literal virgin (I have no idea on that) and I guess it's supposed to contrast with Parker (and Angel) and reinforce the notion of Riley as the corn-fed Iowa boy, but I still wonder how a guy, particularly one as handsome as he is, can have gotten to that age and still be absolutely clueless about women and dating. Or maybe I'm stereotyping him myself based on looks.

[infinitewhale.livejournal.com]

I've never given much thought about Riley, but yeah, in S4 he is kind of naive in many ways regarding women. Could be because of his military background and not being around them very much.

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

But presumably there was high school before that right? I guess with Riley, I'm not sure the writers cared enough to even bother about that, so we're sort of forced to fanwank to put the pieces together. What about him is the truth and what isn't? We never know; we learn a lot about Angel and Spike's backstories, even if what we get is retconned at times, but the only thing we know about Riley's past is what he tells Buffy in SB; a very appealing Normal Rockwell picture, but true or not? I think we're meant to see it that way, but then he doesn't ever contact his family in S5, he becomes unsettled pretty easily, implying that his past isn't as stable and rosy as it may seem (maybe?) and....I'm way overthinking this, aren't I?

[infinitewhale.livejournal.com]

Riley strikes me as the kind of dude who's life was military. Probably he went to an academy.

I'm way overthinking this, aren't I?

Oh, probably. :P I think with Riley, it's the same as Angel, only Riley never got to the point where they had to get into his backstory too much. They wanted the normal guy thrust into Buffy's world. I've seen the criticism of S4 that it's too much about Riley in some ways, which I'd agree with. There's more "How's Riley deal with this" rather than how Buffy deals with it.

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

Riley strikes me as the kind of dude who's life was military. Probably he went to an academy.

Oh that never occurred to me. Makes sense though.

I do think that Riley and Angel are actually quite similar but I don't think that's an odd opinion? they share a certain patronizing attitude "there there silly girl you don't know your own mind" etc. I do see Riley as a plot device more than a character in a lot of ways tbh.

There's more "How's Riley deal with this" rather than how Buffy deals with it.

I don't remember thinking that in S4 so much but in S5 it was almost unbearable to me, from the first time they started with shots of Riley with puppy dog eyes - poor widdle boy, Buffy didn't read your mind, blah blah - and that honestly pissed me off pretty quickly because I could tell exactly what the writers WANTED me to think, but I wasn't buying.

[infinitewhale.livejournal.com]

Oh, they're very similar.

and that honestly pissed me off pretty quickly because I could tell exactly what the writers WANTED me to think, but I wasn't buying.

Oh, yeah. That's the rub. We *are* supposed to think he got the short end of the stick, to which, the writers can stick it.

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

We *are* supposed to think he got the short end of the stick, to which, the writers can stick it.

Can I help you hold the stick? :)