Heh! Love the faux sensitive confrontation apology thing with Angel and Merle. (And with Darla returning soon, extra aha time.)
Also, of course, it reminds us of the "no demon violence" spell.
Also also, we have a semi-sympathetic victim in Merle, so the killing is more icky.
There's our other important thread to this ep - Gunn's sister and his complicated relationship to demons and his discomfort and conflicted feelings about how he's not as close to his old friends, how his life is changing, etc. (Which we'll see again in season 5 - what compromises will he make, does he think he has to make, to rise in the "corporate" world. Ok, demonically corporate, but then again, maybe that's redundent . . .)
Ha! Shrub talking! More shades of season 5.
Ooooh! Leather-pants!Angel.
Although, not exactly the best thing to be wearing if you want folks to think you haven't gone all evil again. Just sayin'!
The new guy in the gang, who causes all the trouble and turns out to be not so good himself is a smokescreen, really. He pushed things to a violent conclusion, yes. But it's this conversation with Rondell that is the heart of Gunn's issues. Why has he turned away from all his old friends so completely? Why does it have to be all or nothing? Another thread that runs from here to season 5, when at the very end he goes back and spends his last day helping at the shelter.
(Also? IMHO, Rondell is right that it's Alonna that made the difference. He sees his old friends, doing what he was doing that ended up with Alonna's death and he doesn't want to think about that. But closing off that part of his life also meant closing himself off to all the rest of his friends. In trying to protect himself from the pain of remembering, he's actually hurting himself and them. It's not just about being the perfect protector, dude. He'll end up learning this a few times, won't he . . .
)
Not making any distinctions. (Of course, we have the other nice examples of Angel screwing up on this kind of thing, individually killing a demon that turns out not to have been the bad guy after all.) But the not bothering to think about it first, just going after whatever, is not only freaking out Charles a bit, 'cuz he knows that he would have done that in the past too, but also it's fits this whole "all or nothing" false choice idea. He doesn't have to hang only with his old buddies or only with his new buddies. We don't have to kill all demons or no demons. It's more work, but we can make individual choices, based on what's right.
Heh! Cordy's rather bad conversational attempts with Fred.
Why did it not dawn on me before that Angel recognizes the larger pattern of "to have fun" because it's the kind of pattern that he made as Angelus?
Ha! Fred singing "Crazy". ;D
The dead give away to me of the "something's really not right here" with "kill all demons" Gio? (Even before Lorne spouts off about him having issues in his past.) When they come in and shoot up Caritas. Because it's so obvious that some patrons are human. So, if you were going into what you thought was a nest, you'd have a goal of "saving" the humans - you'd be thinking of how to get them away from the nasty demons. It wouldn't be "shoot up the whole place" time.
Also? Gio is all smirky mcsmirk guy, obviously working everyone up and enjoying the trouble.
That grin on Lorne's face, when Gio smacks him? My take has always been that this is his little moment of triumph. Lorne knows he's not powerful fighting guy, his only "weapon", so to speak, is his empathy. And he knows he got to this guy with what he said.
Oooh! I'd forgotten Gio's taunts about Gunn not being good enough, not getting into the "club". 'Cuz that's another thread we'll see play out all the way to season 5, isn't it?
Wow! And I also just realized another little parallel to BtVS season 6, (airing at the same time)! The whole "humans with souls can do evil things, just as bad as soulless demons, what's up with that?" thing!
Heeee! "Mmmmm. Angel." ;D
Mission trumps all! Prequel to BtVS season 7!
Interesting definition of "monster" and "not monster".
And there goes Fred.
It's always the quiet ones.
Mmmmmm. Angel's "equipment".
Oh, Wes. You know about divided loyalties, don't you.
And there's that leader guy we saw in Pylea.
Pretty set design there, with the brightly colored lamps overhead.
)