"So on the SaveSCC chat last night Zach Stentz came by and he was talking the show with us.

One of the things that came up that sparked some debate is wither Riley was a Victim or if she was a Villian.

The two arguements made was.

Victim: Riley was a tunnel girl who was scavangering for garbadge and off dead bodies. She was timid and innocent when Jesse scooped her up because she saw that she would be a hotty once she was cleaned up. She never had a chance and was completely manipulated and used by Jesse in order to make her revenge fantasy possible against John and Cameron by having John's companion murder Riley. Thus the victim ...

Villian: While Riley was pulled from hell and taken to paradise, she was in efffect a co-conspirator to treason and was given all the information Jesse knew with the exception of what her true purpose was. The truth was that Riley knew what she was doing was wrong and it started to show as the season went on. But she continued onward with it. In the end she was manipulated, but she was inturn manipulating the entire Connor family with the knowledge what she was doing was short term and underhanded. Thus making her just as much the Villian as Jesse.

So what is your opinion on the matter?

Was Riley the victim of circumstance or was she the willing co-conspirator to a dangerous plot? "

"But she continued onward with it."

"I will defend Jessie here, she didn’t kill Riley and toss her like garbage; while it is indisputable that Jessie was setting up Riley to be killed by Cameron she showed genuine remorse for Riley’s death.
I also think Jessie was procrastinating on her plan until Derek goaded her into activating the “final phase” of it.

One of the things about this show that I loved was the complexity of the characters, there is no good bad or evil people just “people” being people, many shades of grey; Jessie killed Riley in self-defence and felt bad about it, Derek killed Andy who was such a good friend he was like a brother without hesitating, John killed Sarkissian who was about to murder his mother and blames “her” for not protecting him, Sarah kills Winston, twice!

For whatever reason they all left bodies behind.
"

"After seeing her face Cameron, Cromartie and Jesse herself, I would not call Riley a coward."

"This might seem a little cheesy ... but I think that a movie quote sums up my opinion of Riley and her plight.

"A King may move a man, a father may claim a son. That man can also move himself. And only then does that man truly begin his own game. Remember that howsoever you are played, or by whom, your soul is in your keeping alone. Even though those who presume to play you be kings or men of power. When you stand before God, you cannot say "but I was told by others to do thus" or that "virtue was not convenient at the time." This will not suffice."

Riley may have been plucked out of Hell, but she knew right from wrong ... If she had told John who she was and what she was doing then she was a victim. But the minute she left to fight Jesse she became a partner in treason.

She kept the secret ... that makes her the Villian in my eyes.

Each criminal and thug in a Jail Cell has his own sob story, but he or she alone was the person who commited the crime.

Maybe that doesn't make her the villian in some eyes, but it makes her a coward.

PS. But wasn't Leven Rambin A.M.A.zing in those last couple of episodes? "

"1 And tried to commit suicide.

2 Very true.

3 She was scared because Cameron was there, and John also choked at telling the truth because his mom showed up (Or was it the other way round?), hardly a charge unless “both” are guilty of the same thing.

4 Hardly, and it cost her life.

5 That is “your” interpretation, did you never consider the idea that “she” thought what “she” was doing was right?

6 She stood her ground when she understood her place in it, up till then her world was Jessie’s world and Jessie’s rules, that’s being misguided not a coward
"