Female Characters on the Show

[Eviebae]

Define and explain Riley's arc.

In the context of comparing Saul's and Riley's arc or just Riley's?
::Putting on my tin hat::

I'm not an English major but looking at Saul and Riley; they have both had (have) a heroes journey within a larger heroes journey ala Joseph Campbell.

A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.

• They both struck out with another person on a journey in response to the loss of someone they love/cared for after a big battle.
• They both felt passionately that they had no other choice; even though their search isolates them from the larger group and puts them at extreme risk (even though Saul was forcibly separated; he chose to go find Lizzy).
• Both journeys have an element of revenge and redemption for them.
• Both losses are the result of (besides Ink of course) Scratch and the Mallers.
• One has ended and the other will end with finding and battling Scratch.
• Both found a safe haven and greater resources and/or information while on their journey.
• Both reunited with the main group during a time of crisis with Ink.
• Saul's story had "Lady" as a red herring obstruction; Riley had possible lesbianism
• Both got drunk at key points in the story and were almost nommed--Saul in the car and Riley in the corn field.

Maybe Riley's arc is partly about learning to get truly close to another human being. She is almost always competent but emotionally distant from those around her. She kept her despair to herself and drank herself into oblivion. We had no idea that she felt that passionately about Angel. Maybe chasing revenge for Angel is easier for her than having a relationship with him.
what do you think?

[Gooer]

Has Riley actually been CONFIRMED as a lesbian, or just speculated by everyone that she is? I mean, I know she's pretty macho, but still....

[Eviebae]

Has Riley actually been CONFIRMED as a lesbian, or just speculated by everyone that she is? I mean, I know she's pretty macho, but still....

I have no unearthly idea. It was more a subject of conjecture because of her laugh at Michael thinking she was coming onto him and saying something like "he just doesn't get it." after talking to (Angel?) a guy.

[Osiris]

Maybe Riley's arc is partly about learning to get truly close to another human being. She is almost always competent but emotionally distant from those around her. She kept her despair to herself and drank herself into oblivion. We had no idea that she felt that passionately about Angel. Maybe chasing revenge for Angel is easier for her than having a relationship with him.
what do you think?

This is the most interesting part of that character. It seems that her entire journey has been one of accepting that she needs others to survive. For me it is more a mirror of Saul's journey of coming to a place where he knows he doesn't need anyone to survive, but does need others to truly live. The rest is action.

[Litmaster]

*WARNING: SOME SPOILERS BELOW*

Maybe Riley's arc is partly about learning to get truly close to another human being. She is almost always competent but emotionally distant from those around her. She kept her despair to herself and drank herself into oblivion. We had no idea that she felt that passionately about Angel. Maybe chasing revenge for Angel is easier for her than having a relationship with him. What do you think?

I love your take here, Evie. Riley, to me, is one of the more mysterious main characters in the story--she has been around since the beginning, but we still don't know all that much about her motivations. Her secret love for Angel was never expressed, and perhaps she feels an extra loss at never being able to express that now that he is gone. It's interesting to me that much of her motives have only been implied, which is much different than, say, a character like Datu, who wears his heart on his sleeve and we, the audience, has seen many of the things that have motivated him in one way or another.

But not so with Riley. She doesn't even seem that close to the other female characters in the story (remember, she alone stayed to be a soldier at Irwin while the rest left, etc.). She is perhaps closest to Lizzy, but even that is not the same since Lizzy and Saul have become inseparable. The primary reason she is partnered with Burt is because of their mutual hatred of Scratch...

It is somewhat ironic to me that she has processed much of her inner grief by turning to alcohol instead of really sharing with others... this is the same woman who seemed so perceptive in the scene right after they shoot Angel's girlfriend Cindy, where she observes that Michael is really hurting inside without showing it much externally. Riley definitely defies the stereotype that woman are all social creatures who need to share all their feelings with trusted female friends...

[Litmaster]

Riley, to me, is one of the more mysterious main characters in the story--she has been around since the beginning, but we still don't know all that much about her motivations. Her secret love for Angel was never expressed, and perhaps she feels an extra loss at never being able to express that now that he is gone.

I was thinking about this, and I think one scene in particular would help bring some of her inner motivations 'on stage' a bit:

I think the story could use a scene where we cut to Burt & Riley at their place at the same time as Lizzy and the gang are moving over to Cain hospital. It is raining outside. Burt and Riley have just had a rough night, having tracked Scratch and Tar with their most solid clue yet... only to find that they missed her by perhaps less than an hour. The 2 characters talk about how they JUST missed her, only finding the remains of a dying fire and perhaps one piece of solid evidence that yes, it was indeed Scratch they just missed. Now they are back to square one, having no further clues to go on.

Riley is at the table, perhaps with a bottle. She is distraught... getting so tired of this. Burt is also angry and sulky at having just missed their quarry. They start second guessing their moves, thinking that if they just didn't make that one stop earlier in the evening, then they would have had her dead to rights. Long periods of silence, with quiet rain in the background, and sounds of basic radio chatter from the Colony folk... Then Riley opens up, starts reminiscing about why she is still doing this, why she is hunting that bitch... she starts talking about Angel, and alludes to her grief about not being able to express her love for him. It is not all laid out plainly, but we are given just enough to know how she feels... Burt comes back with a quiet, "You really loved him..." or something....

...Then the quiet scene is suddenly interrupted at the end (as Kc is wont to do) with a Tanya's frantic voice on the radio, partially broken up: the one thing that comes across is "Liz is going into labor" (dramatic music) ....and..."Cain hospital".
END SCENE

So there you go. Two birds, one scene: Riley's inner motives get expressed, character developed a bit more, and justification for Burt/Riley to come save the day at Cain...

[Raven]

Riley is at the table, perhaps with a bottle. She is distraught... getting so tired of this. Burt is also angry and sulky at having just missed their quarry. They start second guessing their moves, thinking that if they just didn't make that one stop earlier in the evening, then they would have had her dead to rights. Long periods of silence, with quiet rain in the background, and sounds of basic radio chatter from the Colony folk... Then Riley opens up, starts reminiscing about why she is still doing this, why she is hunting that bitch... she starts talking about Angel, and alludes to her grief about not being able to express her love for him. It is not all laid out plainly, but we are given just enough to know how she feels... Burt comes back with a quiet, "You really loved him..." or something....

...Then the quiet scene is suddenly interrupted at the end (as Kc is wont to do) with a Tanya's frantic voice on the radio, partially broken up: the one thing that comes across is "Liz is going into labor" (dramatic music) ....and..."Cain hospital".[/COLOR]
END SCENE
:

This. So much this.

I want there to be something even close to this. Riley has been very closed off from everyone since Angel so we don't know where she is at mentally other than living with Burt (which could drive anyone nuts) for the single purpose of wanting to track down Scratch. But she knows what she is giving up to get her vengeance I.E maybe never seeing Datu alive again, Lizzie and Henry. I feel like she has a much larger part left to play in the story and we are building up to it.

[Eviebae]

Truth is, Riley's a really popular actress/character and she's been gone a long time. I don't know if it was planned or work conflicts for the actress but we just haven't seen her enough. Other characters have had much more time to be fleshed out. I missed the voice and the storyline.

[Gnex]

I would personally like to say that I find it offensive and unjust that there is such a glaring lack of pie in this story!!!!

[GeneraLee]

I was thinking about this, and I think one scene in particular would help bring some of her inner motivations 'on stage' a bit:

I think the story could use a scene where we cut to Burt & Riley at their place at the same time as Lizzy and the gang are moving over to Cain hospital. It is raining outside. Burt and Riley have just had a rough night, having tracked Scratch and Tar with their most solid clue yet... only to find that they missed her by perhaps less than an hour. The 2 characters talk about how they JUST missed her, only finding the remains of a dying fire and perhaps one piece of solid evidence that yes, it was indeed Scratch they just missed. Now they are back to square one, having no further clues to go on.

Riley is at the table, perhaps with a bottle. She is distraught... getting so tired of this. Burt is also angry and sulky at having just missed their quarry. They start second guessing their moves, thinking that if they just didn't make that one stop earlier in the evening, then they would have had her dead to rights. Long periods of silence, with quiet rain in the background, and sounds of basic radio chatter from the Colony folk... Then Riley opens up, starts reminiscing about why she is still doing this, why she is hunting that bitch... she starts talking about Angel, and alludes to her grief about not being able to express her love for him. It is not all laid out plainly, but we are given just enough to know how she feels... Burt comes back with a quiet, "You really loved him..." or something....

...Then the quiet scene is suddenly interrupted at the end (as Kc is wont to do) with a Tanya's frantic voice on the radio, partially broken up: the one thing that comes across is "Liz is going into labor" (dramatic music) ....and..."Cain hospital".
END SCENE

So there you go. Two birds, one scene: Riley's inner motives get expressed, character developed a bit more, and justification for Burt/Riley to come save the day at Cain...

I think you're close with this. Might be slightly different, but close.