R.J. Brooks was a Sunnydale High student and the younger brother of Lance Brooks.
Biography
R.J. was a Sunnydale High student at the time of its reconstruction and a classmate of Dawn Summers. He owned an enchanted quarterback jacket, which he inherited from his brother, Lance, who, in turn, got it from their father. The jacket caused women within a close proximity to fall in love with the wearer.
Dawn fell in love with R.J. one afternoon as she was sitting on the benches near the field. She noticed R.J. putting on his jacket and drinking water, falling instantly under the spell. Later that day, Dawn approached him while he he was talking with his friends (teammate O'Donnell, girlfriend Lori and fellow cheerleader Cheryl), but he subsequently brushed Dawn off. In order to get him to notice her, Dawn tried out for the cheerleading team the next day, but only succeeded in making a big fool of herself in front of R.J.
R.J.and Dawn dance at The Bronze
The following day, Dawn overheard O'Donnell boasting to R.J. that he had gotten the quarterback position. To ensure R.J.'s position as quarterback, Dawn pushed O'Donnell down the stairs, and is subsequently sent to the principal's office, where she denied her involvement in O'Donnell's accident. Later, R.J., impressed with Dawn's standing up to Principal Wood, asked her out on a date. The two of them went to The Bronze that night; however, Buffy was there to witness them dancing very closely, and confronted Dawn privately about it.
Dawn leaves, and then faces Lori outside The Bronze. After a brief catfight, Lori leaves, warning her to stay away from R.J.
The next day, R.J. was sent to Principal Wood because of his tendency of getting girls to do his homework for him. R.J. faced Buffy, who fell for him as he put on his jacket. The following day, Buffy pulled him out of class and brings him to a vacant room, where they nearly have sex, if not for Dawn's appearance. After running into Xander, Dawn got him to interrupt Buffy, finding her already on top of R.J., before they actually do anything.
Buffy seduces R.J.
While Xander and Spike interrogated Lance, R.J. arrived at the Summers' house. Willow and Anya, who answer the door, fall for him too. The girls argued over R.J., and decided to prove their love for him. Willow began to perform a spell to turn R.J. into a woman to fulfill her sexual preference, while Anya went off to rob a bank. Buffy decided to kill Principal Wood, and Dawn, realizing she would never have R.J., lay herself across the train tracks in order to give her life for love. Except for the robbery, all the girls were stopped by Xander and Spike, who then stole R.J.'s jacket and burned it.
Personality
R.J. is a somewhat stereotypical jock. He rarely does his homework, instead using (probably without realizing it) his jacket's enchantment to manipulate girls into doing his homework for him. He strongly dislikes Principal Wood and has a tense friendship and rivalry with his teammate O'Donnell, who replaces him as starting quarterback.
However, R.J. was not always a jock. His brother Lance tells Xander that before R.J. joined the football team, he was really into "geek stuff" like comic books and Model UN, suggesting that he is more intelligent than he appears. He also enjoyed writing poetry, showing a more sensitive side. The implication is that after getting his enchanted jacket, the women constantly fawning over him changed him from "geek" to "jock." Even then, he expressed some respect for one of his old English teachers.
Behind the Scenes
- He was portrayed by Thad Luckinbill.
- Luckinbill is 10 whole years older than Michelle Trachtenberg and two years older than Sarah Michelle Gellar.
- It was not made clear whether or not R.J. was aware of his jacket's appeal, because the context implies both answers are possible, although the script more or less confirms that he wasn't. When Spike and Xander stole the jacket, he made no attempt to get it back.
- Every time a girl falls in love with R.J., the theme song from "A Summer Place" plays in the background.
Appearances
- "Him"