Episode opens looking at a clock. subtle.
pretty old fashioned wind up clock being wound by Angel
who is being picky about his office
you know that double lamp with the red shades I noted the last couple of eps? Gone. Only a yellow lamp, two bulbs on a single stalk, shade matching the desk lamp. yellow all over.
I think the things on the desk top have been rearranged a lot. No pyramid thing, big round thing today, books over in corner. He's been fiddling.
Angel wearing black. Not fuzzy, button up shirt with the cuffs undone. Actually it might be velvety, so also fuzzy. Also has a silver shiny on his wrist, probably wrist watch.
The slats of the window are wide open when we watch Angel fiddle but tight closed when we see Cordy looking through them. Which makes more sense because otherwise she couldn't talk as if she didnt expect him to hear. But he is a vampire and can surely hear every word out there if he wants to.
Can see wings sticking up into shot too.
Theres quite a lot of light coming in that window at the back but it obviously isnt direct sunlight.
Doyle knows Angel got in last night, and C didnt until she asked. So Doyle was around the office? Or talks to Angel more?
Doyle is wearing a very dark blue shirt with white squiggly bits, open over a white t with very faint light blue pattern. No chain visible today, so not wearing his cross. Green trousers.
Cordy's top is very colorful, kind of orangey red with leaves and flowers on it. Denim skirt with belts, lots of stuff round her wrist. Hair back and up, done something with it just to come in to the office.
Cordy puts her hand on Doyle's shoulder to tell him he's got so much to learn. Doyle's reaction not just to the words methinks.
Angel using a stake to level his desk, not the most practical thing. But I guess he has a lot of them to hand.
Cordy saying it was Doyle that worried
Why not just say oops? insecure/defensive
"But she's human and I'm - not. And that's also never going to change."
except for then it does
Buffy in the doorway. Wearing black and brown I think.
and another desk style lamp on the thingy behind the door. Theres a *lot* of lamps on for daytime in a well lit room inhabited by a guy who can see in total darkness and has previously shown a preference for sitting by himself in the dark.
Angel standing there with his mouth hanging open.
Buffy came to see her father. I note because this is season 4 and her father is still in touch. Yet by next season he's a no show.
Cordelia doing all the noisy part of the reacting and trying to maybe gloss over things?
Buffy staring at Angel and Angel dropping his gaze and his head, all oops.
Buffy has the exact same hair style as Cordy today, with the clippy thing holding the top bit back, and the long straight hair.
Got brown boots on with inches of heel. and some brown bracelets on right wrist.
two rings on her left hand, index and middle fingers. both look plain.
Angel mostly doesnt meet her eyes until 'wrestled with this decision'
whenever someone says its a long story in the Jossverse it can always be boiled down to three sentences or less. Usually less.
theres a lot of black and red in the books and cabinets, and brown and yellow and white in the walls and lights. So black and brown clothes in here match the office.
Angel moves around a lot, hand gestures and head shakes and sort of swaying as he shifts his feet. More movement than usual I think.
Doyle is the 'new sidekick'
not employee or seer or anything, sidekick
Buffy being all pouty and sulky. You know I kinda dont like her here? Its a reasonable reaction in context but jumping in without watching the concurrent Buffy eps it seems less reasonable.
Also people that have to explain they're a big girl are rarely very convincing.
especially when they tell someone off for protecting them then have to take it back straight away.
Buffy just doesnt come off looking good or like a serious love interest just from this intro.
Cordy getting stuff out her desk. She has a purple book with flowers on? huh. contrast with the tomes and the business folders.
"I feel you inside" is slightly odd
"I'm gonna go, start forgetting."
This is the version of the conversation (and the episode) that happened as far as Buffy is concerned. Angel lives with remembering her saying she'll never forget, Buffy lives with her saying she will forget. Very, very huge difference in experience must shape their reactions thereafter. Angel expects her to be waiting for him on some level, because she said all that stuff. Buffy moves on, because she didnt.
crash smash through the window. That happens a lot. no safe places, no just watching, always stuff comes to get you.
Outside the window the demon smashed through there is a wall with two windows in it, both with round tops, and the edge of something black and sloping.
Doyle and Cordy, C making yet another false assumption. The front door they are going through has blinds covering it. Theres a box on the wall behind them with three sections and lots of something horizontal. Names and numbers and talk box? Not sure. The wall is brick, but yellow. Angel's bricks are red. In the same building.
Angel gets thrown towards the window and into the light but doesnt noticeably burst into flames, so its not direct sunlight back there.
The bad thing is wearing leather and chainmail. Classic and sturdy.
The sword looks rather familiar. Its blurry but I'm pretty sure its one of the Highlander replica swords with the horsey looking dragon head on the end. Very pretty sword, but kinda distinctive to a different show. So, odd.
Angel diving in to grab the sword and the glowy blood dripping down the blade. pretty.
the two former lovebirds land on top of each other and get close enough to kiss and hesitate there a moment.
am I being uncharitable thinking 'cliche'?
I'm hot and tired and cranky and somehow cant get back into the Buffy/Angel mood. I'm still in the 'move on!' mood, even though that makes me sound like Andrew.
"It was rude. We should go kill it."
and Buffy gets changed ready for slayage. She was wearing something long and flowy, so not practical for kicking or running. But pretty. So she wore it.
Sewers.
And now Buffy is wearing a white top. I get why changing the skirt, but why change the top? Now she's all opposite instead of matching. the top is fuzzy soft. And white in a *sewer*. And she lets her hair down. I get why you wouldnt keep it fancy, or keep it in that clip that probably would fall out, but to leave it loose? This I dont get. Black trousers, practical.
Angel added the leather jacket and grabbed an axe.
Buffy brought the stake cause she knows how to use it. Well she also knows how to use a sword, but she didnt bring one of those. too many memories to have one around Angel? But when the other guy has a sword if you arent going to bring a ranged weapon then you at least need something with reach that can block.
I'm counting Angel's weapon choice as more appropriate even with the room to swing issue.
Angel says "I feel wierd" and Buffy assumes its about her and her emotional issues.
maybe this episode isnt about Buffy and Angel, but about how things arent about Buffy any more.
the light in the sewers, never threatening to vampires, and now apparently really blue and low down... it makes absolutely no sense. Someones been mood lighting the sewers. I mean I can accept the light you see the dark by, but the mood lighting is bugging me.
"we have to bear"
I'm giggling because there was a bear last night (You made a bear!)
the ever so convincing relationship recap while they step closer together. Quick, bring on the demon.
the white top isnt just opposite of Angel, its opposite of what Buffy was a minute ago. and here she is being opposite of forgetting. sort of.
"or anything a real girl would want"
so if Buffy doesnt want it she isnt a real girl?
"to leave each other"
Buffy being mutual about the leaving
The first light that actually hurts Angel is the one that stops him touching Buffy
about all we can see of her on that ladder is light. She isnt well lit in the usual way, the camera cant see her right, she's all bright and shadow. Going up and away from him. relationship capsule in symbol. much less clunky.
I think Buffy's boots are black now. She wasn't carrying a bag, where did she *get* all this stuff?!
And now Angel in the dark is *really* dark, kind of the inverse of Buffy on the ladder. Almost all dark and some really light bits.
Theres enough dark that even the all seeing camera doesnt see the demon until its eyes start glowing.
The scene change 'this is a sewer' shot is the area he now walks into.
Putting your hand up to stop a sword, clever. Very carefully showing us the wound.
and the fight, and the shorter sword and yes thats definitely the highlander replica dragon. and the demon is similarly hard to kill.
they show us Angel morphing to vamp face after he is injured and starts to bleed, but we dont see him un morph. He just doesnt have vamp face any more after the demon blood gets on his hand.
oooh, swirly magic blood and glowing Angel flesh. But dark eyes still. Nothing happening to his soul.
heartbeat.
dust mistake, Doyle 'trying to give me a heart attack', cause he cares.
that's a *lot* of dust. I never vacuum and I never get dust like that. maybe the ceiling is falling apart.