Giles/Olivia

A moment of fannish squee.

I've just been rewatching the middle of BtVS season 4 ("Pangs", "Something Blue", and "Hush") and lord, if this isn't my favoritest TV ever. I care about all these characters so much. Except Riley. I never could manage to care in the least about him. Strange, given that "Hush" introduces Tara, about whom I cared a whole lot almost right away.

Anyway. Canon familiarity refreshed. Love of source text refreshed. Plotty bits of various S4 retellings retargeted. I'll either watch "Doomed" next or answer comments or write. Really I should be folding the tremendous piles of clean laundry I have just created.

I have no idea what my subconscious is going to move me to work on next. No flipping clue. I know what I should be working on...

Random: Comic book lettering conventions explained.
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    (Anonymous)
    Hush and Something Blue, mmm...and I agree entirely about Riley and Tara!

    All this talk of Season Four makes me want to watch The Yoko Factor.

    ~suki
    antennapedia
    Love that Spike reverts to his true character in that one: he's neutered, but he's still evil. And clever.
    secondalto
    I never liked Riley at first either. It wasn't until my fourth or fifth rewatch that I felt sympathy for him. And now I'm writing him, go figure.
    antennapedia
    shitsu_tonka in the next comment gets me wondering how Riley the character might have fared if he were played by a better actor. He's a nice guy at first, though I think the characterization wobbles he suffers in S5 just before he leaves are never going to make him my fave dude.
    secondalto
    I don't think it's the acting so much as the writing. I think he was only brought on to show Buffy could date someone other than Angel. But I think I personally would have preferred single college girl Buffy. But then Riley was also our in to the Initiative and once they're gone, he has no purpose.
    ex_shitsu_to509
    My problem with Riley (apart from the fact that if he wasn't around then maybe, just maybe some B/G splendidness could have happened) is that Mark Blucas is, imo, a dreadful actor. Not for one second did I ever believe anything that came out of his mouth. Whereas Amber Benson fitted in with the generally high standard of thesping that was going on.

    This post has totally got to me. Time to hunt out the DVDs and have some Buffy viewings.
    antennapedia
    Two shippy moments in "Hush": the affection on Giles's face when he says "or it might just be the eternal mystery that is your brain" early on, and when he squeezes her shoulder to say hello. Lots of affection all around in that episode. And "Pangs" has silly, misplaced domesticity. S4 had a crappy arc, but lots of great single eps.
    divadea
    Yep, definitely favoritest. Can't imagine anything ever replacing it either. Oddly, I do care about Riley - love him to pieces. But I have no good reason.
    antennapedia
    Riley had a rocky start with me. I think my reaction was literally, "They're introducing her new love interest this soon? Really? Oh gawd." And then he had a bad whiny self-centered end. But in the middle he was fine. I'm trying to look at his good points.
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