Riley Finn
Talk1this wiki
| Riley Finn | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
- "Well, well. You can take the boy out of the Initiative, but you can't take the initiative out of the boy, can you?"
- ―Spike[src]
Riley Finn (born in Huxley, Iowa), a covert operative for the United States government was an agent of the Initiative and a short-time member of the Scooby Gang.
Contents |
Biography
Early Life
Native to Huxley, Iowa, Riley grew up in a rural setting with fairly strong and self-reliant females around him[3]. Every Thanksgiving, he and his family would stay at his grandparent's house for thanksgiving dinner before they would take a walk down a river with their dogs. He likened the thought to a Grant Wood painting. [4]
College
Prior to 1999, Riley joined the Army, and was trained in special operations before being selected to join The Initiative. The Initiative was a secret government military organization located in Sunnydale aimed at researching the demons that inhabited it because of its Hellmouth. Their headquarters were underneath UC Sunnydale, where Riley and the other soldiers masqueraded as students. By the time he started graduate school, Riley was already one of the Initiative's high-ranking soldiers and thus led a double life, both a secret agent and a college student residing at the Lowell House. His two friends and fellow initiative agents, Forrest Gates and Graham Miller, as well as many other operatives resided in the Lowell House and used it to enter the Initiative via a secret passage. He was also the assistant teacher to psychology Professor Maggie Walsh, who was one of the leading scientists at the Initiative. He developed a strong mother-son connection with Professor Walsh who also secretly fed him drugs that enhanced his physical attributes.


Added by OwnerMan


Added by OwnerManThe truth eventually came out when a group of demons called The Gentlemen stole everyone's voices, leading Buffy and Riley to catch each other on the job. They quickly worked together to defeat them, killing several of the Gentlemen's footmen. Riley saved Buffy with his taser blaster and Buffy used sign language to tell him of the box containing the voices.[8]Despite the fact Buffy hoped Riley would be her "Joe guy", she still found comfort in the fact he was a regular human and that his ability to fight demons allowed her to worry less about his safety.
Buffy and Riley started their relationship and both fought demons together and continued saving each other's lives and the world, although Riley was never quite let into Buffy's inner circle while Riley suggested Buffy to the Initiative where her strength, speed and stamina impressed him and Maggie Walsh, though her tendency to ask questions and inability to follow protocol led to the other soldiers finding her irritating while Professor Walsh came to loathe her as she thought Buffy was taking Riley away from the Initiative. After Buffy and Riley hunted down a Polgara demon, the two passionately made love for the first time, also being the first time for Buffy to wake up after sleeping with someone and that person still being right by her side. However, Professor Walsh watched them while they were in the act via a surveillance camera, so she attempted to get Buffy killed with a faux mission and a faulty taser gun.[9]


Added by OwnerMan


Added by OwnerManWhile everything at that time was sound with Buffy and Riley, problems occurred when Riley slept with Buffy's enemy and fellow Slayer Faith Lehane who switched bodies with Buffy and seduced him. During sex, Faith felt Riley's love for Buffy opposed to the common desire for sex she felt with other men. Because this feeling being alien to her, she left him behind in bed the next morning.[11] After a vampire attack at Riley's church where Buffy got Faith to switch back, Buffy found it difficult to get over what happened with Faith though she eventually managed with the help of Jonathan Levinson in his alternate world.[12]
Originally, Riley was heavily prejudiced against all demons, showing no approval for Willow Rosenberg's relationship with a werewolf Oz, but he soon realized that demons are capable of both good and evil just as humans are after helping to save Oz from the Initiative base, particularly after witnessing his superiors' inhumane treatment of Oz while in his human form. Initially completely loyal to the Initiative, several events, such as Maggie Walsh's failed attempt to get Buffy killed and the discovery that she was the one who created Adam as a super-soldier, caused Riley to desire to leave the organization, but it was only when he helped to save Oz that he realized the e


Added by OwnerMan


Added by OwnerManThe Initiative was destroyed in the summer of 2000, and Riley was relieved of his military standing. He was left at loose ends, and his behavior became reckless.
Recklessness
A year after he met Buffy, Riley became a full time member with the Scooby Gang, though his suggested methods and tactics were foreign to them. Riley began to see himself as beneath Buffy in strength, so he began to push his body well past its limits in the hopes that he would catch up to her. He became increasingly worried with Buffy's relationships with vampires, being jealous at Dracula's allure to Buffy, prompting him to set out in his castle and hunt for him alongside Buffy's Watcher Rupert Giles, as well as noticing Spike's attraction to Buffy while coming to him for information about Dracula.[16]
After learning that the drugs Maggie Walsh had given him were causing his pain receptors to shut down and his heartbeat to spike, Riley initially refused medical treatment from the government out of paranoia, but Buffy eventually


Added by Brandon Bentley


Added by OwnerManMarriage
In South America, Riley met Samantha, a fellow soldier who with him initially forged a duo demon-hunters, discussing tactics and missions before discussing about Buffy. They then got married shortly after. Nearly four months since the wedding, Riley returned unexpectedly in the next year, tracking a demon about to hatch eggs that could wipe out Sunnydale, and the one planning to sell them, known simply as "the Doctor".[21]


Added by OwnerManOne year later, when Spike's chip began to malfunction, Buffy successfully managed to contact Riley for help. Riley personally sent a group of soldiers to help, but told them that what they were to do with the chip (either repair or remove it) was Buffy's decision.[22]
Triple Agent



Added by SinceWeChangedTheWorldOver a year later, Riley joined Twilight's followers to spy for Buffy, while convincing the Twilight organization that he was their "inside man" in Buffy's inner circle, and was marked with Twilight's symbol on his chest. He later met with Buffy in New York City.[23] Weeks later, he joined Amy Madison, Warren Mears, and Twilight as they tried to track down the Slayer Organization to Oz's monastery.[24] During a massive battle between Twilight's forces and the Slayer Organization, Buffy saved an injured Riley and reveals to her friends that Riley has indeed been working for her as a double agent in order to find out Twilight's plans and identity. After the war in Tibet, Riley comforted Buffy, who saw herself as a terrible leader by leading the Slayer Organization into the war against Twilight. Riley also got the United States government to grant amnesty to all members of the Slayer Organization.
A few months after the Twilight crisis was averted, Riley was stationed in San Francisco where Buffy and the other Scoobies had settled down. Because magic was banished from this dimension, Riley used a surveillance van to watch out for human terrorists.
Personality
Riley was the stereotypical "nice boyfriend" type. He was often depicted as friendly and very easy to be around with. He also was charming and occasionally witty. Because of his easygoing nature, Riley got along well with Scooby Gang and gained their trust, a sharp contrast from Buffy's previous boyfriend Angel following his return from Hell. Riley was rarely mean to people and very polite in nature, pleasant to just about anyone, the only exceptions being Angel and Spike(Partly because they're vampires and partly because both of them carry a romantic interest in Buffy during his time as her boyfriend).
Buffy herself has described him as very reliable and solid[25], which was proven to be true on many occasions throughout their dating years. Also, Riley saw himself as "smooth" though upon his first time trying to flirt with Buffy, it only confused her due to his awkward ramblings, much to his embarrassment and frustration[26]. Riley was also shown to be patient and supportive when Joyce's health was deteriorating, expressing understanding towards Buffy despite also feeling disappointed she never truly opened up or allowed herself to be vulnerable with him.
Due to his affiliation with The Initiative, Riley was shown to fit well in a leadership role, effectively leading the Scooby Gang upon Buffy's request during patrol and also with his squads in the miltary. Though because of his involvement with the miltary, Riley also carried a black-and-white outlook when it came to demons and humans. This was seen in his prejudice of Willow dating a werewolf at one point, much to Buffy's annoyance,[27] who had previously been involved with a vampire. Riley seemed to slightly let go of his "all demons are bad" mentality a little during his relationship with her, but remained mostly fixed in that outlook as he openly showed distrust towards Spike, even threatening to kill him despite being harmless.[28]Even Angel has described him as "very humans first"[29].
Despite his outward displays of confidence and carefree nature, he was revealed to have underlying insecurities and lack of self-confidence regarding his relationship with Buffy. This was because he had worried that he wasn't strong enough for Buffy who seemed to be drawn to less-than-human men. Despite briefly casting his worries aside thanks to Buffy,[30] it returned not long after. His character then took on a darker turn, as he became increasing more reckless, driven to the point of allowing female vampires to feed on him for a rush, as he felt more needed with them.[31]
Riley also is seen to have a fierce jealous streak in him, as he had quickly came to blows with Angel in an alleyway while he was on his way to apologize to Buffy[32] and had violently confronted Spike on three separate occasions.[33] [34] [35]
Powers and abilities
Due to his military training, Riley possessed immense knowledge of and expertise in strategy, hand-to-hand combat, vampire hunting, tracking, and weapons handling techniques. He also displayed medical knowledge, competently treating a severe puncture wound that Buffy suffered to the abdomen in "Fool for Love". Also, for a time, he possessed superhuman physical attributes due to the drugs he was secretly fed, though nowhere near the level of a Slayer, but lost these abilities after suffering symptoms of withdrawal from the drugs, including a heart attack.[36]
Relationships
Romantic
- Buffy Summers - Riley met Buffy on her first day at UC Sunnydale after she had accidently caused books to fall on top of his head. He was polite to her but took more interest in Willow (intellectual-related reasons, not romantic), finding Buffy herself a bit unusual. He was the teacher's aid to Dr. Walsh and often gave Buffy some advice every once and while[37] but was still turned off by her quirky behavior. [38]While discussing with his friends Forrest and Graham over her, Riley agreed that she was attractive but claimed she was "too peculiar" for him. After seeing Parker Abrams vulgarly brag about his sex with Buffy and then belittling her, he was furious and punched him in the face. Because of this, Riley realized he had a crush on her. Wanting to get some advice and find out more about Buffy, he sought out Willow for some help. After her inital rudeness and disinterest, she gave in. With some help, he approached Buffy during a party at his house only to awkwardly mention homework rather than smoother talk, much to her confusion. Riley tried to talk with her again, only for Buffy to go off to fight Spike. In a mission looking for "Hostile 17", he saw Buffy sitting alone on a bench in the vicinity of their target. Unaware of her slayer status and quickly denying Forrest's offer to use her as bait, Riley tried in vain to send her back home for protection. Later the next day, Riley then managed to work up a proper conversation with her and they began spending time together more frequently. [39][40]
- Sam Finn - Sam and Riley met in South America when she joined his group of demon fighters there. She helped Riley get over Buffy by talking about his failed relationship. Eventually the two fell in love and became partners in demon hunting.
Intimate Liasons
- Faith Lehane - Riley unknowingly slept with Faith in Buffy's body. He didn't realize at the time that anything was different about Buffy and turned down Faith's request for sex games. When he told Buffy he loved her afterwards, Faith became uncomfortable and left.
Parental
Friendships
- Forrest Gates -
- Graham Miller -
- Xander Harris -
- Willow Rosenberg - Before he dated Buffy, Riley saved Willow by pulling her out of the way of a passing car which she ignored due to finding Oz cheating on her.[41] Riley approached Willow while she was during the aftermath of Oz's departure. He told Willow he wanted to ask out Buffy and needed to know what she liked. Willow initially refused which Riley respected but she shortly changed her mind an agreed to back him with advice during a party. During that party, one of Dingoes Ate My Baby's songs was played, bothering Willow as it reminded her of Oz. Riley had one of his friends turn it off which Willow was grateful for.[7] When Buffy and Riley started to date, Willow showed an interest into Riley and Buffy's growing relationship, claiming she needed her "vicarious smooches". Riley did show disapproval when he learnt Willow consciously dated a werewolf, believing she was smarter to not date "dangerous guys". Though after witnessing the cruelty the Initiative put Oz through whist he was human, Riley changed his mind.[13]
Antagonistic
- Parker Abrams - Riley found Parker's woman-chasing ways and constant usage of casual sex distasteful and wrong, being old-fashioned by nature. He believed in committed relationships, not casual. [42] He soon expressed awareness of Buffy's one-night stand with him and dryly claimed her taste in men was terrible. When seeing Parker talk badly about Buffy and vulgarly insulting her as "clingy", Riley was angry with his words about her and wasted no time in punching him in front of everyone. [43]
- Adam -
- Spike -
- Angel -
Other
Behind the Scenes
- He was portrayed by Marc Blucas.
- Riley was introduced in the fourth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer as a recurring character in 7 episodes of that season before being promoted to the regular cast in "Doomed", appearing in 20 out of its 22 episodes, being absent in "Living Conditions" and "The Harsh Light of Day" in his recurring span. He then continued as regular in season five for the first 10 episodes before his departure in "Into the Woods" where he was taken out of the regular billing. He then made on final appearance on the series in "As You Were" with Marc Blucas credited as a "Special Guest Star". He overall has appeared in 31 episodes.
- Marc Blucas was asked how the character was described to him during the audition process, he replied that "They said that Riley is a nice, charming guy, and there's going to be some kind of dichotomy, some kind of double role going on. But that was never really specified."[44]
- Whedon defended the character of Riley Finn, "The important thing for us was to find a character that was the anti-Angel and to have Buffy go through something very different, part of which was the question, 'How do I get over Angel?' That was the same thing the audience was going through. We knew it wasn't going to be easy and it was very hard trying to find somebody. But Marc [Blucas] has a quality that I love very much: he has sort of an un-David-like, firm, strong, trustworthy quality. I always think of him as Gary Cooper."[45] During the fifth season, writer/co-executive producer, Marti Noxon, noted that they were making Riley a more tortured complex character, "He's starting to fray around the edges. That's very compelling to me - that this straight guy is starting to get a little strange."[46]
- Actor Christian Kane also auditioned for Riley Finn. Kane went on to play the role of Lindsey McDonald on the spin-off show Angel. Kane says he played his audition for Riley "perhaps a little less than wholesome", which he feels resulted in Joss Whedon later casting him as a darker character.[47]
Gallery
Appearances
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
| Season Four: | ||||||||||
| The Freshman
Appears | Living Conditions | The Harsh Light of Day | Fear, Itself
Appears | Beer Bad
Appears | Wild at Heart
Appears | The Initiative
Appears | Pangs
Appears | Something Blue
Appears | Hush
Appears | Doomed
Appears |
| A New Man
Appears | The I in Team
Appears | Goodbye Iowa
Appears | This Year's Girl
Appears | Who Are You
Appears | Superstar
Appears | Where the Wild Things Are
Appears | New Moon Rising
Appears | The Yoko Factor
Appears | Primeval
Appears | Restless
Appears |
| Season Five: | ||||||||||
| Buffy vs. Dracula
Appears | Real Me
Appears | The Replacement
Appears | Out of My Mind
Appears | No Place Like Home
Appears | Family
Appears | Fool for Love
Appears | Shadow
Appears | Listening to Fear
Appears | Into the Woods
Appears | Triangle
(mentioned) |
| Checkpoint | Blood Ties | Crush | I Was Made to Love You | The Body | Forever | Intervention | Tough Love | Spiral | The Weight of the World | The Gift |
- Buffy Season 8
- Buffy Season 9
}}