I know it's uncool to talk favourably about Riley but in btvs s5, I have to hand it to him that he has some on point emotional insight. For starters Buffy IS shut down (by her own admission, and for good reasons, and bc this is an important thing for Buff's character). But also, the silly vamp biting- I actually think he's correctly clocked the base problem, but cluelessly opts for a.. well an insane solution. He wanted to 'get a bit of monster in him' by flirting with the dark side (his attempt to do so proving so elegantly why this wont work lol). He sees Buffy going places where he knkws he can't follow, and he is RIGHT!! Only Spike also sees this. When Riley comes and drinks with Spike, his vibe is very 'I know I've lost & you've confirmed my worst fears', and he knows if it isn't Spike it'll be some other guy. I think Riley asks Spike if he thinks he has a chance with her not out of incredulity but bc he thinks he actually does -- and lol literally nobody else in the show including Buffy herself is anywhere close to recognising that. They are all away with the fairies tbh. Riley sees what Buffy needs before most of the other characters and knows intuitively he ain't it. The Spike/Riley scene is gold, because they are the only ones who get it and yet it doesn't stop them, they can only helplessly look on knowing they're both doomed!
