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Rumors, spoilers and the half-life of Riley

© Ellen Ross

It should be fairly obvious that the lead character of one series and the lead character of a second, spin-off series are not going to get together until after both series are over. (Does anyone remember "The Six Million Dollar Man" and "The Bionic Woman"?) Nevertheless, fans who believe that Buffy and Angel are fated to be together have been reluctant to accept any other romantic involvement for either one on their separate shows.

So, when Marc Blucas joined the cast of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" as Riley Finn, the new love interest for Buffy, many viewers were determined not to like him, no matter what.

Despite this resistance, and despite the over-emphasis on Buffy and Riley's sexual relationship in the second half of the season (and the substitution of shirtless scenes for real character development), the solid performance and quiet charm of Marc Blucas have won him a loyal contingent of fans all his own.

The recent and unconfirmed story that Marc Blucas will be leaving "BtVS" after eleven episodes of the fifth season has caused wild rejoicing in some quarters of the fandom, and dismay in others. Playing a part which is perceived as "replacing" a wildly popular character is always an uphill battle (just ask Alexis Denisof), and given the built-in antagonism that any new boyfriend for Buffy would inevitably face, Blucas has taken the difficult role handed to him and handled it very well. If he does leave, he will be missed.

If Blucas does leave "BtVS," it seems likely that Michelle Trachtenberg's Dawn, Amber Benson's Tara, and the new villainess to be played by Clare Kramer, may be the ones who get more screen time this season, rather than the neglected Giles and Xander. Even for the staunchest B/A loyalists, any rejoicing over Buffy's freedom from romantic entanglements seems premature, since Angel's "Shanshu" will be many years away.

Over on "Angel," a show which has just recently recovered from the loss of Glenn Quinn's Doyle, rumors of a second departure have surfaced. While this too remains unconfirmed, spoilers for next season suggest that Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia) may be leaving the series permanently sometime during this season.

Of course, as soap opera fans know, when suggestions that a certain actor or actress is about to leave begin to appear, it may indicate nothing more than contract negotiations in progress. Most of the spoilers for last season's "BtVS" proved to be false, and this "Angel" rumor may turn out to be false as well.

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