Buffy (to Riley): You think I need help? Believe me, I don't. You know, if you were a real gentleman, then you would just leave. You would go far, far away, now! Shoo!

 ‘The Initiative’ Original Air Date USA 16/11/02, Aust 27/03/00

Within the global Buffy fan community, there has been overwhelming negative reaction to the character of ‘Riley Finn, corn-fed Iowa boy’ – Buffy Summer’s second significant boyfriend in the series.

This paper posits that Riley, as representative of the patriarchal, individualistic, military-industrial complex is at odds with the communal, liberal feminist ideology that underpins the series BtVS. The ‘normal’ and traditional aspects of Riley’s character are antithetical to the ‘alternative’, liminoid nature of the Buffyverse. The presence of Riley Finn problematizes the Buffyverse, as Riley has made a conscious, human choice to participate in the ‘evil’ of the Initiative which represents a different kind of ‘sleeping with the enemy’ for Buffy.

Utilizing feminist film theory and a cultural studies perspective, this paper will contrast Riley against other less-abrasive masculinities present in the series, highlighting the textual cues for fans to reject Riley as an attempt to ‘normalize’ Buffy. This paper will also discuss Buffy’s humor and ‘misbehavior’ as an effective mechanism to undermine Riley and the institutions he represents. Finally, this paper will reflect on what Riley’s rejection suggests about the role of the traditional, lone, white male ‘hero’ in late modernity.

Possible references:

Driscoll, C. 2002 Girls: Feminine Adolescence in Popular Culture and Cultural Theory, Columbia University Press, New York.

Hopkins, S. 2002 Girl Heroes: The new force in popular culture, Pluto Press, Australia.

Kaveney, R. (Ed) 2001 Reading the Vampire Slayer: An Unofficial Critical Companion to Buffy and Angel, Tauris Parke paperbacks, Great Britain.

Parks, R. 1982 The Western hero in film and television: mass media mythology, UMI Research Press, USA.

Projansky, S and Vande Berg, L ‘Sabrina, the teenage…?: Girls, Witches, Mortals and the Limitations of Prime-time Feminism’ in Helford, E (ed) 2000 Fantasy Girls: Gender in the New Universe of Science Fiction and Fantasy Television, Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, U.S.A, pp13-40.

Rowe, K. 1995 The unruly woman: Gender and the genres of laughter, University of Texas Press, USA.

South, J. (Ed) 2003 Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy: fear and trembling in Sunnydale, Open Court Publishing Company, U.S.A.

Wilcox, R and Lavery, D (Eds) 2002 Fighting the Forces: What’s at stake in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, U.S.A.