Buffy Revival Director Defends One of the Original Show’s Worst Characters

Hamnet director Chloé Zhao, who helmed the first episode of the upcoming Buffy the Vampire Slayer revival, has given her take on one of the show’s eternal questions: Team Spike or Team Angel?

Arguably, neither vampire is a good option for Buffy Summers. When Angel comes along, she’s 16, and he’s around 240. Plus, he can turn evil if he gets even a moment of pure happiness. Then there’s Spike. He’s also old as hell, violent, and abusive. But still, many fans have chosen their team.

While considering the choice, Zhao admitted she was a “massive” Buffy and Spike shipper in her teens and early 20s, but now that she’s older, she’s leaning towards picking neither Spike nor Angel.

“I actually, in my 40s, appreciated Riley more,” she told DC Film Girl. “When I was younger, I thought, ‘kind of boring. I prefer Spike.’ And now I’m older, go like, ‘You know what? Maybe a little less Spike, a little more Riley.'”

Riley Finn, played by Marc Blucas, was Buffy’s boyfriend during parts of seasons 4 and 5 of the original show. He was human, which was a good start for Buffy, but being a covert operative for the U.S. Army, Riley was fairly preoccupied with rules and regulations. He was also paranoid that Buffy didn’t love him and that she never would, which Buffy denied. Riley got so far in his own head about it that he started letting vampires feed off him just to feel needed.

Riley felt that Buffy was neglecting him. Y’know, between dealing with college, her mother’s sudden illness, having a magical sister, getting her ass beat regularly, and all the other things life was throwing at her, she didn’t have time to give him as much attention as he wanted. Will no one think of Riley’s fee-fees?! Ugh, he sucked. In a completely different way than Angel or Spike. But perhaps he could be viewed as the best of a bad bunch.

Riley appreciation aside, it looks like the first episode of the Buffy revival is in good hands. Zhao says when she found out that star Sarah Michelle Gellar hadn’t held on to the Class Protector umbrella prop Buffy was handed at the end of “The Prom” episode in season 3 of the original series, she had one specially made and gave it to Gellar when they wrapped filming, even performing Jonathan Levinson’s “We’re not good friends” speech in front of the gathered crowd. That’s a nice touch.