So here's a poll! The basic gist is: Do you think Xander was basically right and that Buffy should have asked/begged Riley to stay?
The second question is more meta: Do you think the writers intended us to see Buffy's failure to catch Riley's helicopter as a great tragedy since she wasn't able to convince him to stay as a result?
Ticky boxes. Discuss. You guys know the drill.
Poll #1629975
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 149
Do you think Buffy should have asked Riley to stay in Into the Woods?
9 (6.1%)Do you think the writers meant for us to think that Buffy should have asked Riley to stay in Into the Woods?
Also, a bit of journal housekeeping: I'm experimenting with letting anon comments through without screening. I haven't had any spam issues in a while, and I've noticed more anon commenters popping up. I'd like to make it easier for them to contribute without having the lag of waiting for me to unscreen their comments. Have fun!
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The cross over and intersect, but aren't exactly the same things for me. I also consider her running after him to already be an act of asking him to stay, her yelling his name and him not hearing to be her asking him to stay. Buffy speaking through her actions.
If she should've asked him to stay, then she was in the wrong for not doing so (or for not deciding to do so until it was too late).
Also, she's only in the wrong if we accept that Riley's ultimatum is in the right. I think one can believe Buffy should've asked him to stay not because she was in the wrong, but because they needed more time to talk. That doesn't necessarily make Riley in the right.
Do the writers intend for us to think Buffy should've asked Riley to stay? Yes.
Do the writers intend for us to think Buffy was in the wrong? Not really--I think there's too many conflicting POVs about this to say it's clear what the writers intend (frex, I can see one of the writers on the team thinking Buffy was in the wrong and siding with Riley while another would side with Buffy--so there can be no sole writer's intention for who's in the wrong). Asking Riley to stay might seem like it's placing all the responsibility on Buffy's shoulders, but then I think it speaks to the Buffyverse philosophy about forgiveness and love. Buffy does love Riley, so even though he's in the wrong, she should fight for him if she loves him. She shouldn't give up on love when there's hope to make it work, even if that means getting Riley to realize how messed up he's acting and how wrong he is laying the blame on her.
Edited at 2010-10-11 01:54 am (UTC)