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Post by Dalton on Feb 18, 2004 3:12:38 GMT -5
This thread contains the ScoopMe Reviews for the Second Season of Angel
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Post by Dalton on Mar 23, 2004 12:58:52 GMT -5
by Kristen Reidel 9/27/2000
“The road to redemption is a rocky path.” “Think we might make it?” “We might.”
When last we left our hero, Angel had just made the most amazing discovery. According to ancient prophecy, Angel’s reward will be a final one. The opportunity to live and die as a human.
I know that many viewers were concerned. If we know how the story ends, why should we watch the story?
I wondered that myself. Of course, I also once wondered who in their right mind was going to pay $8.00 to see a movie where they know the boat sinks at the end.
The answer to that question is simple: like life, it’s not about the destination. It’s about the journey.
And given our most recent look into Angel’s life, that journey has not been made any easier by the knowledge of what lies ahead. If anything, his journey has become more complicated
“I saw the light at the end of the tunnel. That I someday might become human. And that light was so bright, I thought I was already out.”
As we have learned in the past, prophecies are tricky things. They are not written in stone...even when they are written in “stone”—and you can’t forget that. There are no absolutes. Which is why Angel has a new danger to face. Aside from battling the forces of evil in whatever form they choose to manifest. Beyond the struggles with his own demon. He must now be on guard from complacency.
It’s an easy trap to fall into. Remember the end of high school? When you were so close to leaving, you started acting like you were already gone. You cut classes, you skipped homework, and you didn’t study for tests. Until you ran smack dab into the wall of “you’re not going to graduate if you don’t shape up.”
Angel’s wake up call was a little more severe than just a meeting with his teacher. He killed someone. A warrior much like himself. Someone who by definition was a creature of evil and yet still fought the fight for good. There was no malice in the action, but that does little to alleviate Angel’s guilt. And this is a man who already possesses more guilt than the entire worldwide Roman Catholic population. Combined.
But he’s learned to deal with his guilt. Whereas before there would have been lots of brooding, shutting his friends out, perhaps thoughts about going to meet the sunrise, this time it was different. There was only a little brooding. Angel let Cordelia in and talked to her about what had happened. And since he couldn’t undo his actions, he went out and did the next best thing: he made amends.
That’s what his journey is all about. It’s not about undoing his misdeeds. That’s not possible. The people he has wronged are long since dead and buried.
To make amends is to make repayment for damage you have caused. In this case, payment for Kamal’s death was for Angel to take on Kamal’s mission. To defend this helpless woman and be her champion. He took Kamal’s place in that role and succeeded. Reparations have been made.
Is it a perfect system? Of course not. But I’d like to believe that on the cosmic scale, things have a way of balancing out. That good intentions count for something. And I feel like Pollyanna right now so I’ll stop.
Angel’s road to regaining his humanity will be filled with obstacles. At every turn, someone or something will be trying to thwart him. To stop him. To tempt him. To cause him to stray from the path.
At this time, it seems the biggest threat on the horizon is Darla. What are her plans for Angel? How does she intend to repay him for his transgressions against her?
We still have no clue. All we know is that she’s looking forward to seeing her boy once again.
And it’s wonderful that we don’t know. My greatest fear for this coming season was that the season premiere would be all about Darla and then after the episode was over, we’d have nowhere to go from there.
Bringing Darla back is one of the greatest twists the show has thrown at us. There is so much history between her and Angel. A history that we know little about.
That brief glimpse of her was reassuring in so many ways. There will be no rush to hasty action. Darla will craft her plan slowly and deliberately. She’ll spin her web and draw Angel inside. Because she knows him so well. It reminds me of something the Angel once said about Buffy:
“Force won't get it done. You gotta work from the inside. To kill this girl... you have to love her.”
The same could be said for Angel. Battering him from the outside doesn’t work. He’s strong enough to withstand that. The secret to bringing Angel down lies within. It resides in his fears, doubts and insecurities. Not to mention his struggles against the evil within.
But I’m betting Darla already knows that.
What she doesn’t know is how far Angel has come. He’s no longer the brooding loner she once knew. He’s part of a team now. He has a family. And it would seem that family has been extended. By two.
The addition of Gunn to the Bat Pack comes as no surprise. From the moment he first appeared on the scene, you just sensed he had something special. He should prove to be a valuable asset to the team. Plus he doesn’t ask a lot of questions, which must be a relief to Angel.
The real surprise was Faith. Angel visiting her in prison was an unexpected but perfect touch. The truly amazing part was the nature of their conversation. There wasn’t any discussion of evil or past transgressions. Angel wasn’t trying to keep Faith onboard the Redemption Bandwagon. It seemed simply like two friends sharing the details of their lives with one another.
Supporting one another. Helping make the journey easier. Which brings us back to where we started...
“The road to redemption is a rocky path.” “Think we might make it?”
Well...Angel did sing Barry Manilow. That had to tip the scales in his favor.
A lot.
Important Note for Next Week:
Next week’s episode is being touted as “An Angel Event.” Normally, this means some kind of crossover or special guest star.
Not this time.
“Are You Now or Have You Ever Been” is an Angel event simply because it’s the best thing this show has ever done. Believe me when I say, it is not an episode to be missed. Set your VCRs now. You’ll thank me for it next week.
This ends my public service announcement.
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Post by Dalton on Mar 23, 2004 13:00:11 GMT -5
by Kristen Reidel 10/4/2000
"Neither a man nor a crowd nor a nation can be trusted to act humanely or to think sanely under the influence of a great fear."
--Bertrand Russell
Fear is a powerful motivator.
It can be a thrill. People who jump out of airplanes or dangle from the sides of cliffs will tell you that. The fearful rush you get as you stare possible death in the face can be addictive.
It can empower you. Fear can cause adrenaline to surge through your body. Enabling you to flee physical harm. Affording you a greater strength to help pull a loved one to safety.
But there is a darker, more dangerous side to fear. Fear can be responsible for some of the worst crimes that human beings can commit against one another. Fear of what is different. Fear of what you don’t understand.
And just as there will always be fear, there will always be those who prey upon that fear:
Is your life not all it should be? Are you less than the person you hoped to be? Have you been disappointed? Disillusioned? Dissatisfied with your lot in life? Well, step right up and I’ll tell you what’s wrong and who’s to blame for it.
It’s them! They’re the ones! They are the root of all that is evil in this world. They’re different from us and they want to bring us down. They want to destroy our way of life. They will kill all that we hold dear.
Unless we stop them.
That sort of fear is the source of much of the suffering in this world. Combined with ignorance, fear is at the heart of almost every form of bigotry and prejudice known to man. It fosters hatred and intolerance. Now add a mob mentality to that equation.
The result? Some of the greatest atrocity humanity has ever witnessed.
"Time was, I thought humans existed just to hurt each other."
Angel once said that to Faith. It’s no wonder that he would believe it. In 1952, Angel was witness to one of the very worst examples of people turning on one another, and eventually on him, out of fear.
The Angel of the 1950s is nothing like the Angel we came to know in Sunnydale. He certainly bears little resemblance to the Angel of present day Los Angeles. Fifty years ago, Angel was cold, detached, and uncaring. He had shut himself off from the world, from life, and from emotions. To look into his eyes was to stare into an empty shell. That’s what he was an empty shell, cut off from everything. He was simply dead inside, and I’m not talking about his vampiric state.
Until someone reached him. A woman, alone and afraid, needed his help. Now why Angel responded to Judy, we’ll never know. I don’t know that Angel even understood himself why he felt compelled to come to her aid. Maybe it was her statement about her blood being tainted, just as his own is. Perhaps he identified with her charade. Judy was pretending to be something other than what she really was. Passing for white. It’s not that different from a vampire with a soul living amongst human beings pretending to be one of them.
Whatever the reason, Angel was moved by her plight and wanted to help her. For the first time (in we can only guess how long), he was able to see beyond his own pain and anguish. He was able to see someone else’s suffering. He stepped free of his self imposed exile and reached out to Judy.
His reward for that act of kindness was a lesson in betrayal. To save herself, in an act of sheer desperation born out of fear, Judy turned on the one person who tried to help her.
It certainly goes a long way to explaining why Angel feels uncomfortable around people the reason his two modes with them are bite and avoid. When he first met Doyle in Los Angeles, he was helping people nightly but he wasn’t interacting with them. Why?
In part, because he’s not like them. He’s different. He can walk like a man but he isn’t one. You’ve heard this all before. In the world but not of it.
Even more than that is the simple fact that Angel doesn’t trust people. Not completely. He knows too well of their fickle nature. If he let them in... if they were to get too close, they might discover what he really is. A monster. A creature to be feared. And he has seen time and again that fear does make people do stupid things. Sometimes it even leads them to do terrible things. Things that they usually live to regret.
Judy certainly regretted what she had done. For fifty years, that Thesulac Demon fed off her. It was no longer her fear of being exposed, however, that was satiating his appetite. It was her guilt. Her new fear was not of the outside world. It was of herself and of what she was capable of doing. Her fear that what she had done had placed her beyond redemption. Without hope of forgiveness.
Yes, we’re back to forgiveness, a concept with which Angel has grappled. His journey is all about forgiveness. To make amends for the things he’s done and to seek absolution for the things he didn’t do.
In all his struggles to atone...in all his time reflecting upon whether or not he was a creature deserving of such grace...I don’t think it ever occurred to him that this day might come. The day when someone would seek his forgiveness.
It simply stunned him. When Judy asked him if he could ever forgive her, the look on his face was almost heartbreaking. The way he froze for a moment. The audible sound of him swallowing, as if his mouth had dried up. Which, of course, it had. Despite his shock, regardless of the tumultuous storm of emotion that simple question caused within him, his answer was immediate.
"Of course."
With those two small words, Angel freed Judy. He released her from the personal hell she had been trapped in for the past fifty years. He gave her the one thing she needed most. Absolution.
In return, Judy taught Angel a new lesson. It’s a lesson that we’ve seen before.
"To forgive is an act of compassion...it's not done because people deserve it. It's done because they need it."
Angel seeks forgiveness. He looks to make amends. Yet in his heart, he has never believed he was deserving of it.
Maybe now he will. It’s vital that he does. If Angel is to fulfill his destiny, to become human, he must learn to move beyond the self-recrimination and self-flagellation. At a certain point, being sorry is not enough. You can regret the crimes you have committed. But if you never move past those misdeeds, if you never learn from your mistakes, then the damage you caused was all in vain.
To wallow in brooding solitude for eternity serves no one but you. It’s a crutch. Just another self serving device that allows you to be the center of your own universe.
The past cannot be changed. It cannot be undone. But it can teach you. You can move forward and be a better person. A better human.
Perhaps his act of granting forgiveness was yet another step toward Angel learning to accept forgiveness. And hopefully learning to forgive himself.
At least, I’d like to think so.
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Post by Dalton on Mar 23, 2004 13:02:20 GMT -5
by Kristen Reidel 10/11/2000
One thing that we all should have learned by now is you can’t always trust your initial impression. That oh-so-charming hottie that flirts with you in a bar may not be the nice guy he appears to be. In actuality, he may be a soulless, blood-sucking fiend who only wants to... well, ... suck your blood. Meanwhile, that scaly looking pit bull of a demon may turn out to be a solider working for The Powers That Be.
I won’t even mention the lounge lizard.
That caveat, thou shall not judge a book by its cover, doesn’t only apply to the minor characters that wander in and out the Bat Pack’s life. It applies to the members of the team as well.
Take Gunn for example. At first glance, the young vampire hunter seems to be calm, cool and collected. He’s smart and resourceful. He doesn’t allow his emotions to interfere with taking care of business. But, the fact of the matter is that Gunn is far from calm. He’s practically boiling over with repressed rage.
Gunn is a ticking time bomb. He fights vampires as if it were a job; in reality, it’s almost like a holy quest for him not that you can blame him for his crusade. He’s a young man who has lost countless friends and relatives to the things that go bump in the night. But at a certain point, you either need to deal with your anger or that anger will turn on you.
Just take a look at Faith if you want an example.
Gunn isn’t good with his own emotions. He doesn’t know what it means to be part of a team. He’s a leader. His people do what he tells them to and if they disobey him, he takes them to task. He doesn’t understand the give-and-take of being a team member. Gunn feels he has to be Superman, allowing himself no moments of weakness in front of his troops. He has yet to grasp that with Angel and the others, he doesn’t always need to be the strong one taking charge. He can lean on them. Gunn seems to be a man who probably never had a childhood and now doesn’t even have a friend, certainly not a confidante.
Speaking of people who’ve never had a childhood, Cordelia came into the battle against evil much the same way I imagine Gunn did. She was drafted by fate. Like Gunn, Cordelia is much more than what she appears to be. On the surface she seems like a ditz, and lord knows she can be from time to time, but that Stick Figure Barbie routine masks a spine of steel.
When Veronica fell through the glass shelving and severed an artery, Cordy was there in an instant. Not even flinching in the face of a gaping neck wound. She applied pressure to the wound, unmindful of ruining yet another outfit. She kindly whispered reassurances and made sure they got to the hospital as fast as possible.
And when they arrived at the emergency room? She rattled off vital statistics as if she’d were a paramedic in her spare time. She saved that young woman’s life and didn’t so much as bat an eyelash.
Cordelia wasn’t always this way. We all remember Queen C. But aside from her obsession with money and the constant bemoaning of her dry cleaning bill, she bears little resemblance to that girl. Life has thrust a lot in her direction and she’s handled it beautifully. She’s grown up a lot and instead of being bitter and miserable over the things she’s been through, she has instead embraced it and used it to empower herself.
Both Cordelia and Gunn were working off their initial impressions of one another. He dismissed her as the airhead sidekick. She chalked him to be emotionally detached guy. When they were thrust together for the better part of the evening and had to face a crisis, or two, they got a glimpse at the real person inside one another.
Gunn witnessed Cordy’s strength and courage, not to mention her resourcefulness. Cordelia felt Gunn’s bottled up rage and feelings of helplessness. Despite their better judgment, I think they both started to like the person they finally got a look into.
Speaking of appearances being deceiving, what was up with that promo? Based upon the way The WB was selling this show, I had dubbed it "The Porn Episode." Did we even see Gunn in any of the promos? The network seems to vacillate between "Let’s give away every major plot point in the commercials" and "Let’s bear no resemblance to the focus of the episode whatsoever." It’s an interesting marketing strategy to say the least.
While Angel and Darla were not the central focus, their sequences were important to the continuing arc. The story of Darla and her plans for Angel continues to unfold slowly. We’re no closer to knowing what she has in store for Angel but now we have a better idea of her strategy.
I had mentioned two weeks ago that the key to bringing Angel down lies within him, in his struggles and insecurities. I also bet that Darla already knew that.
Damn, I wish I could’ve put money down on that prediction.
Let’s face facts. We all have our selfish moments. Times when we feel undervalued or unappreciated. There’s a tiny voice inside each of us that screams, "What about me?" Angel is no different. What he does for a living wears on him. It’s hard to bear that much responsibility. At heart, he’s a lonely man struggling to find a place in this world. He takes care of all these lost souls but who takes care of him?
Enter Darla. Loving, devoted caregiver.
In the dream sequences, we see Darla as the "little woman" in Angel’s fantasy world. She is the perfectly groomed, beautifully attired life partner that Angel lacks. She’s there at the end of a hard day to comfort him and to care for him and to point out that the people he saves never hang around to say thank you.
She plays on the innate selfishness within Angel. She continually points out what a wonderful person he is, how much he’s accomplished. She has woven a spell through Angel’s dreams by creating a place where he feels safe, protected, loved and understood. And in creating this perfect dream world, she’s slowly separating him from the others. Isolating him from his support system.
She’s working on Angel from the inside. And Darla is one vamp who clearly enjoys her work.
So does her victim judging by the goofy grin that seems plastered to Angel’s face throughout.
Goober.
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Post by Dalton on Mar 23, 2004 13:03:17 GMT -5
by Kristen Reidel 10/17/2000
One of the things that has always fascinated me about the Buffy/Angelverse is the women. They’ve always given us these intriguing, unconventional women. Women who possess a wonderful combination of strength and weakness.
I know people who have problems with this. They feel that the "pro feminist" label that is frequently slapped on Joss Whedon is undeserving. Yes, the women are strong. They have super powers. But they all have moments of incredible weakness. They do stupid things that make us want to smack them.
To that I say...well, who do you know that doesn’t?
No one is always strong. It’s simply not possible. To be human is to possess imperfection.
For a great deal of the first season of Angel, the women there seemed to have the weaknesses one would expect but little of the strengths for which you would hope. They were cardboard cutout " damsels in distress" of the week.
As the show has changed its focus from the guest stars to its real stars, all of the characters have gotten more interesting. Without the revolving door, we’ve been able to look more deeply at the personalities involved.
Which brings us to Angel and his women. There were four last night. All strong, powerful women, possessing weaknesses, who have little in common.
First, there is Cordelia. Cordy has grown a lot since moving to Los Angeles. Part of that stems from her living on her own, without her Sunnydale support system. She’s made mistakes, committed some errors in judgment, and paid the price for those lapses. And she’s learned from them.
But Cordelia has also seen a lot more pain and suffering in the world than she ever thought possible. Since coming to work with Angel (I won’t say for Angel, because I think Angel may actually work for Cordy), she has witnessed the anguish that exists. She’s matured at a rapid pace. I wonder if the gang back in Sunnydale would even recognize her.
Yes, they would. She’d just have to open her mouth and they’d know it was still Cordy. If Cordelia has an Achilles Heel, it’s her mouth. It runs away with her at times. That internal filter that most human beings possess that prevents them from blurting out their most blunt and inappropriate comments is not available on the Cordelia Chase model.
We also have Lilah. Clearly Lilah is a strong and powerful woman. She has risen to the top of her field in a company where cutthroat business tactics involve the cutting of people’s throats. They’re rather literal over at the fine firm of Wolfram & Hart.
The problem with Lilah is the very thing that enabled her to succeed. Her ambition.
She is ruthless. She will do anything to get ahead. Unfortunately, she doesn’t look at the big picture very often. She is so consumed with her own success that she has tunnel vision. She focuses intently on her current project, frequently missing what’s going on around her.
Lilah is arrogant and cocky. You can hear it in the way she talks to others. "I’m a big successful lawyer who works for scary people and no one would dare cross me." But people would dare. That sort of arrogance inspires those around you. They delight in knocking you down a peg. Or two. Or six feet of them.
Does anyone else think Lilah’s days are numbered?
Bethany possesses a great power. Telekinesis. She can kill people instantly. Crush them with a dumpster. Catapult them out of a tenth story window.
But Bethany could not control her power. Her strength was so intrinsically woven into her weakness, her history of abuse at the hands of her father, that she couldn’t use it properly. It was too scary and painful. To control her power would mean examining the source of that power. It was not a step she was ready to take until Angel taught her a new way of looking at things.
Bethany believed that her only power arose from sex. It was what she had been taught at a young age. That her only value was as a sexual object. So she played upon that, using it to manipulate and weaken men. But every time she did that, she weakened herself.
She was handing over control of her body to someone else in the hopes of gaining some control over that person. What she failed to understand was that, in looking to sex for validation and power, she was ensuring that it would never come. How could it when every time she bartered herself away, she was losing a part of herself and retreating further into this untouchable shell?
When Angel refused her sexual advances, it was a small step. Here was this man, the poster vamp for the sexually ungratified, helping her and he doesn’t want her body in repayment. Angel began to show her that she could be in control and have the power...over herself. It was the most important less that he could teach her. No one could save Bethany. She had to do it for herself.
And she did.
Then there is Darla. Her strength? Well, that’s a good question. I suppose a great deal of her power comes from that whole "Evil Incarnate wrapped up in the Girl Next Door" package she’s got going on. It’s deceptive. She looks so sweet and innocent, yet she exudes sex.
There’s a reason Britney Spears dressed up like a naughty schoolgirl, and the world went gaga over it.
Yet Darla has her weaknesses. She continually underestimates those around her, especially Angel. She is the master of manipulation. She knows just what buttons to push but she also tends to push too far. She never realizes when its time to cut her losses and run.
She’s managed to push Angel pretty far out onto the ledge. The only reason he has yet to push back is he doesn’t understand what’s happening to him. As far as he knows, Darla is no more of this earth. He believes these dreaming interludes of the two of them are a product of his own sick and twisted subconscious.
What happens when Angel’s eyes are open? When he learns that Darla has been using his dreams to suck him dry? (I’m speaking metaphorically...then again maybe I’m not.)
Will Darla cut and run?
Probably not. She’s so certain of her power that she’ll probably push some more. She’ll keep chipping away at Angel until he can take no more.
The last time she tried that, she ended up on the wrong end of a very sharp stick. What will happen this time?
I haven’t a clue. But I can’t wait to find out. So I guess we’ll just have to tune in next week to find out.
That’s right, folks. Same bat time. Same bat channel.
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Post by Dalton on Mar 23, 2004 13:04:51 GMT -5
by Kristen Reidel 10/25/2000
It’s an age-old question. What makes us the people that we are today?
Are we a product of our inherited characteristics? Are we all slaves to our genetic coding?
Or is it the environment in which we are raised? Are we more influenced by the people who serve as our role models and what they teach us?
I don’t think there is a clear-cut answer. It can’t be one or the other. It has to be a combination.
"What we once were informs all that we have become."
It certainly leads to many questions about Angel and how he came to be one of the most powerful, bloodthirsty and, of course, artistic vampires in history.
Take Druscilla. (Yes, please take Druscilla. Take her far, far away from my TV screen. I’m sorry but I really don’t like her.) As a vampire, she is a complete and utter thundering looney. But she was that way before she was turned. Thanks to Angelus and his little raid on the cookie jar.
Look at Harmony, a thoroughly vapid moron as a human. And now that she’s a vampire, her brain activity hasn’t increased any. She’s just as stupid as ever.
But what about Angel? From what we know of him as a human, he was a lazy, drunken, whoring layabout. Yet we’ve seen nothing, to date, that would indicate the kind of darkness that Angelus was capable of. Young Liam was a worthless waste of space. So how did that boy grow into the Scourge of Europe?
A great deal of the credit must go to his sire, Darla. Over the century and a half that they were together, Darla represented many things to Angelus: lover, mentor, teacher, mother, partner-in-crime. It’s a complex and layered, not to mention almost incestuous, relationship.
Which is why Darla thinks she knows him so well. She helped to mold him into a cold-blooded killer. She was present that night he first rose from the grave and she had been there ever since. Always present. Instructing him. Guiding him. Caring for him.
Darla has known Angel since his beginning and was instrumental in his creation. There isn’t a thing about him that could surprise her. (Though I think the ol’ stake through the heart three years ago really should have shaken her confidence a little.) For Darla, Angel is like an open book. She knows his mind and his heart.
But not his soul.
When Darla returned home that night in 1898 to find Angel with a soul, she threw him out. She was repulsed by his newfound conscience. Over the years their paths may have crossed but most likely never long enough for her to gain any insight about who Angel is.
Simply put, Darla doesn’t know Angel anymore. But she thinks she does. Is convinced of it, in fact.
Darla knows the Angelus who roamed across Europe with her for 150 years. She may have even known the young man that Angel had been as a human. It’s possible that her encounters with Angel in Sunnydale, leading up to her staking, gave her a good idea of who Angel was at that point in his life.
She doesn’t, however, know who Angel is now.
The line between Angel and Angelus grows more blurry each week. Angelus thought of convents as cookie jars. So why does Angel have such a fascination for them to the point of being able to rattle off statistics about local Los Angelean convents as if he worked for the Diocese.
It brings us back to the question of Angel’s soul. Clearly, it is not some big cosmic light switch that turns the evil on and off.
Everything that was Liam was inside Angelus and every part of Angelus contributes to who Angel is. He still has the same moments of weakness he had as Liam. He gets the same evil impulses that Angelus did.
The difference lies in his response to those feelings. Instead of giving in, he fights those destructive emotions.
Now this brings us back to Darla. She’s not a vampire any longer. Whatever happened during that raising ritual, Darla returned to this dimension as a mortal.
And what a mortal she is. Were it not for her standing in the sunlight, I still wouldn’t believe that she was human. She is just as evil as she ever was, maybe even more so.
Yet she has a soul, doesn’t she? Angel certainly seems to think so. He’s convinced that soon her newly activated conscience is going to kick into overdrive. She will be overcome by guilt and remorse over what she has done.
I’m not quite so convinced.
When Angel was cursed with a soul, his conscience returned full force. The memories of what he had done weren’t immediate but they began to return gradually over the course of a few hours. It may have taken weeks for him to truly comprehend the horrors he had inflicted upon others.
How long has Darla been back?
It’s been at least two months, possibly three. If she was going to be hit with an attack of remorse, shouldn’t it have happened by now? Then again, how can we know what should or should not be occurring when we’re still not sure what’s going on.
All we know is that there’s more here than meets the eye. We need more information before we can truly understand what happened the night that Wolfram & Hart brought Darla back.
What’s Darla’s agenda? At first, it seemed she just wanted to toy with Angel. Perhaps play some games with his mind. Get a little payback for what he did to her.
Now, I’m not so sure. When Darla and Angel met up in Sunnydale, she was contemptuous of him, mocking his soul and his lifestyle. There was little indication that she wanted back into his good graces, much less his bed.
She seems more like a spurned lover than an archenemy. I can’t help but wonder if her little nocturnal visits backfired. Perhaps remembering what she and Angel had shared, aside from the death and debauchery, had an unexpected effect and rekindled those old emotionsYin her.
"God doesn’t want youYbut I still do."
Really, Darla? I can’t wait to find out how much.
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Post by Dalton on Mar 23, 2004 13:05:42 GMT -5
by Kristen Reidel 11/8/2000
"I don't actually have a reflection, so..." "Sure you do." "I do?" "You're reflected in the people around you. The way they see you...What do you think they see?"
A great deal of a person’s sense of self is determined by the way the others see them. Our sense of self is rooted in the way we are reflected in others’ eyes.
Wesley is a clear example. When in Sunnydale, he was the stiff, British prig that the others expected a Watcher to be. He was inflexible and dogmatic about propriety and procedure. In short, he was a pompous ass.
In Los Angeles, Wesley is different. He has loosened up considerably. His black and white view of the world has softened into muted shades of gray. While he is not warrior such as Angel, or a seer such as Cordelia, Wesley does have his place. He is a man of great intellect and considerable loyalty.
At his heart, however, Wesley feels useless. Others often see him as the bumbling idiot and he sadly continues to live down to that role. Like a puppy that trips over its own limbs in excitement, Wesley trips over his own two feet, his hands, and occasionally his own tongue in his eagerness to prove himself. He wants to be useful. He wants to show everyone, including himself, that he has value.
But what happens when Wesley is forced to be someone else? Someone confident and self assured. Someone strong and brave. Someone like...Angel.
He becomes the role. He puts aside his bumbling, or most of it anyway, and steps into Angel’s shoes. Or, in this case, Angel’s coat.
Wesley used his intellect to defeat the first group of thugs. He saw their reaction to Angel’s name. He decided to take Angel’s reputation and wield it as a weapon. He succeeded. With a few menacing phrases and a threatening glare, he defeated those two men without lifting a single finger.
The second group of attackers was not going to be intimidated by some tough talk and a mean stare. They required a bit more force. Without even blinking an eye, Wesley rose to the challenge. He proved to be an incredibly capable fighter, dispatching the robed figures handily. Virginia was impressed.
Even more importantly, Wesley was impressed. He probably didn’t even realize that he could do that. It was then that the mantle of "being Angel" began to slip slowly from his shoulders.
As Wesley sat with Virginia and listened to her troubles, he was no one other than himself. He identified with Virginia’s desire to escape her life and be anyone other than who she was. The sympathy and care he displayed were no act or illusion. It was simply Wesley.
When the harsh light of day came, and Wesley’s deception was revealed, he was dejected. It was as if in that single instant he lost all of the confidence and drive that being Angel had bestowed upon him.
Fortunately, it was not for long. The realization that Virginia was in danger from her own father sparked Wesley’s inner warrior. He was a clear and decisive man of action again, creating and implementing the plan to free her. Only this time he did it as himself. No artifice required.
Wesley had tried to become a different man by pretending to be Angel. Instead, Wesley discovered that there was no need to be someone he’s not. Wesley is an extraordinary man in his own right. Hopefully, he will tap into his innate strength and ability more often. Perhaps, one day, the man reflected in the eyes of those around him will be that of the man he always wished to be.
Of course, Wesley wasn’t the only one with an identity crisis. Angel’s dates back two and a half centuries.
When he was Liam, he believed that everyone saw him as a useless wastrel. In response, he played the part and was a drunken whoring fool.
When he was Angelus, he abhorred weakness of any kind. He could not bear the thought of those around him viewing him as vulnerable. Therefore, he continually sought to project the epitome of strength and power. He was ruthless and voracious. He had no emotions to display, aside from the bloodlust. After all, what are emotions but a form of weakness to be exploited?
When Angel was in Sunnydale, his sense of self was based upon the reflection he saw in a single person’s eyes. Buffy Summers. Buffy saw him as this knight in shining armor, or perhaps the Beast to her Beauty, and he felt compelled to live up to the role. No matter that the white hat didn’t quite fit and was actually cutting off the circulation to his brain.
In Los Angeles, Angel is the vampire with a soul. He helps the helpless. He aids those in need. He saves souls. He fights the good fight.
But he also fights himself. We’ve been talking for a long time now about the duality of Angel’s being. He has a soul that wishes to atone. But he also has a demon that wants to rage. He has certainly loosened the restraints on the darker side of his nature more since leaving the Scooby Gang behind. That darkness, however, is still held captive under lock and key.
This may be why Darla is such a threat to him. You would think that after Angel realized she was alive and...well...alive, it would have relinquished the hold she had on him. He knows that his dreams were not his. They were machinations by Darla to tempt him. So why is he still so obsessed?
Perhaps because Darla’s siren’s song is so alluring. Not just to the demon but to the man. For the first time, it would appear that the demon and the soul share a common bond. Lusting for Darla.
Well, what else would you call it?
Darla has rocked Angel’s world to its very foundations. She has taken that already blurry line between right and wrong, good and evil, demon and soul and blurred it even further. It may now be so blurry that Angel can’t remember where the line used to be or on which side of the line he used to be.
Everywhere he turns, he sees a different reflection. To Wesley, he is this mythic figure battling the forces of darkness. To Cordelia, he is a fangy, socially inept big brother. To Darla, he is the essence of evil. Her apt pupil and devoted lover.
Angel exists now in a house of mirrors. Each reflection different. Each reflection distorted. There is no truth only subjective views and questions.
Which image is the true one? Who is Angel?
No one knows the answer just yet...least of all Angel.
About Next Week:
Yep! It’s a two hour Buffy/Angel event. I’ve seen the promos. I’ve heard the behind-the-scenes buzz. And I have one word for you...
WOW!
Assuming I am still capable of coherency next week, I’ll be back with a column. Same Bat Time. Same Bat Column.
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Post by Dalton on Mar 23, 2004 13:06:19 GMT -5
by Kristen Reidel 11/14/2000
"I released you from this world once. I gave you eternal life. Now it's time for you to return the favor."
"Favor? Is that what you think? You think you did me a favor? You damned me."
When most people think of damnation, the first thing that springs to mind is the fiery hell from Christian mythology. In reality, damnation is a far more murky term. To be damned is to be condemned to everlasting punishment.
Now punishment is a very subjective concept. One man’s pleasure is another man’s pain. For some, that might be an eternity of sitting in the dentist’s chair. For others, perhaps it would be an endless stream of standardized tests to take. For yet others still, it could be being trapped in a room filled with people named Liam (Hey I’ve been there. It was indeed a hell in the making.).
For Darla, it is being trapped in human form. She does not consider her humanity an opportunity or blessing. To her, it is a curse.
Darla looks upon herself as a shell of what she was as a vampire. The knowledge that she will age, experience illness, and die repulses her. The heart beating in her chest is a symptom of her newfound human weakness. And her reflection serves as a constant reminder that she is no longer Darla, The Master’s Dear One. She is no longer the predator she once was. She is far lower on the food chain.
She is prey.
It’s the ultimate low for Darla. As a vampire, she looked down upon humans and their frailties. They were nothing more than disposable toys for her amusement. To be one of them now is the most demoralizing punishment you could ask for Darla.
Of course, the most ironic part of all this is that, to Angel, Darla’s torment is his perfect reward. It’s the thing he wants most. To be a part of the world. To stand in the sunlight. To grow old and someday die. He considers her humanity a blessing. The heart beating in her chest is a gift. The fact that she doesn’t want that gift is incomprehensible.
Angel was simply stunned when Darla asked him to turn her back into a vampire. It never even crossed his mind that she would want to be rid of the life coursing through her veins. To have the choice, the conscious choice that frankly none of them ever had the chance to make, and to choose to be a demonYit is beyond his comprehension.
But would it have always been that way? What if there had been a way to rid himself of his soul back in the early days? Before Sunnydale. Before the ancient prophecy. During those hundred years that he roamed the world, not seeking redemption, but seeking Darla.
Angel would have taken it. The opportunity to be what he once was, who he once was, would have been irresistible to him. He missed that life so much that he was willing to pretend to be Angelus just to be near Darla again. Angel would play the role of bloodsucking fiend and hopefully learn to be the monster he had been before.
But he failed. His soul weighed too heavily upon him. He tried to revert to his former nature but it was beyond him. When he looked at that family, so alone and afraid, his instinct was not to kill them and bathe in their blood. It was to protect them. To safeguard them.
It didn’t take Darla more than an instant to pick up on Angel’s deception. She had questioned him when he first appeared in her room desiring a reconciliation. The seeds of doubt were already taking root. The simple act of distracting her from that family was a betrayal in Darla’s eyes.
So she gave him a test. After going back and killing those missionaries, she brought back their infant child and presented it to Angel. If he truly were one of them, if he truly wanted to be one of them, he would kill the child. It’s what Angelus would have done. In all likelihood, it would have been Angelus’ idea.
Angel desperately wanted to do it. He knew this was a test of faith. If he failed, he would lose Darla forever. And beyond losing Darla, it would condemn him to an eternity alone.
But as he looked into that innocent face, he couldn’t. His soul wouldn’t allow it. He no longer had it in him to kill without remorse.
So facing Darla, he apologized for not being able to do it and ran away. He swooped up that baby and raced out into the night. That final confrontation would prove to be the last time Angel and Darla would lay eyes upon each other for almost a century.
"What we once were informs all that we have becomeY"
Darla once said this to Angel. We’ve already seen Angel’s human beginnings and how that shaped him into the vampire the world would come to know as Angelus.
But now we’ve seen Darla’s human life. She was a whore who seemed to have been rather prosperous, judging from her surroundings. She was not a pious woman of faith. She had no use for God. It wasn’t as if he’d done anything of substance for her.
When The Master came to her and gave her the "gift" of immortality, there was no choice. He simply turned her. Though if Darla had been asked, I think her pragmatic soul would have said yes.
A chance at eternal life? To rise from her deathbed and wreak havoc on the world around her?
She would have leapt at the opportunity.
But what will happen now? Darla has made it clear she wants nothing more to do with Angel. He refused her plea and therefore, she has cut him off from her life, once again. Where did Darla go after running out of the hotel? Did she return to Wolfram & Hart to begin a new revenge scheme against Angel? Or did she seek out someone else to help her with her problem?
And what about Angel? He wanted to help Darla. To save her soul. But she doesn’t want that from him. How will he deal with a creature that has no desire for redemption? Perhaps he will write her off but I doubt that. His own existence is too tied up in hers now to just walk away.
Perhaps the day will come when Darla will seek Angel out again. Wanting help. The kind he’s willing to provide.
Or maybe she will find a vampire without Angel’s sense of morality. It’s not like that task would be difficult. The next time they cross paths, she may be a vampire again.
Or we may never see her again. She could’ve just ridden off into the sunset never to be heard from again.
Yeah, right.
A Final Note
As some of you know, this column marks my last here at ScoopMe. I want to thank Ajay and my editors, Kara and Kim for all their hard work on this site and support.
I want to thank the readers for their kind words and encouragement, especially my small band of followers who stop by every week to share their thoughts. I have loved the thoughtful, and sometimes not-so-thoughtful *s*, debates we’ve had.
I’m sure everyone who has ever even glanced at my work knows how much I love this show. One of my favorite things about this place was talking to those of you who shared that passion.
It’s been a blast, guys. Thanks!
Kristen
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Post by Dalton on Mar 23, 2004 13:07:12 GMT -5
by Josh Buckman 11/21/2000
"We’re all mad here. I’m mad, you’re mad."
The Chesire Cat from Lewis Carroll’s "Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland."
There is a bit of craziness in all of us. No matter how hard we try to hide it, there is a completely illogical part of our being that helps to make us who we are. This is something we usually restrain, or let loose only when no one else is around. This little bit of insanity is not necessarily a bad thing, as long as it is kept under control.
Angel and his friends lost control of their madness. When faced with the mystical powers of the Shroud of Rahmon, the bonds of inhibitions were loosened and those parts of their personalities were magnified.
For Cordelia, it was her obsession with pretty things. This obsession, when left unchecked, caused her to steal from the museum.
For Wesley, it was the struggle between his serious persona and his bumbling nature. The conflict between Wesley’s desire to be useful and his tendency to act foolish was amplified during his attempts to warn Angel about the dangers of the shroud.
For Gunn, it was his hate for vampires. The death of his sister still haunts him. Gunn’s life mission is to seek revenge upon the soulless creatures that made his sister one of their own. It is a mission that threatens to consume him.
And for Angel, it was his desire to kill.
It is different for Angel. This madness, this part of his personality, is not just something hidden in his subconscious. This is a physical need.
Angel is a vampire. Vampires drinks blood. They are killers by nature. It is this nature that Angel has worked so hard to bring under control. Fueled by guilt caused by his past sins, Angel has been able to control this desire. After years of self-denial, he has even turned the tide and begun to use his vampiric abilities as a force for good.
But that was before Darla came back.
Darla, with all of her powers of seduction, reawakened the dark side of Angel. She reminded him of the pleasure that comes with killing and drinking fresh human blood. She reminded him of the power and freedom he once possessed. She reminded him how it feels to long after something that you cannot have. She reminded him of the madness.
Angel still has not untangled himself from the web that Darla has woven. The fires of desire that she fanned still burn within him.
This is why Angel is so quickly influenced by the shroud. Angel’s madness is fresh on his mind and is also present as a physical need. He can barely maintain his grip on humanity when the madness threatens to break lose, as evidenced by his shifting facial features.
When Angel bites Kate, it is more than a cover-up devised to save her from the other thieves. It is Angel giving in to temptation. It is Angel tasting again that which he has denied himself for so long.
It is another pull on the thread.
Angel has spent a very long time knitting together the remains of his humanity. Along comes Darla, she gives a loose thread a good yank and it slowly comes undone. As his humanity is unwinding bit by bit, Angel’s fight for redemption is turning into a fight to keep his soul.
"He helps people, you know; when he’s not in trouble himself."
Wesley said this to the police officers to emphasize Angel’s nobility, but it is a reminder that he has lost sight of his purpose lately. Angel has been so busy battling his own demons that he has not had much time to help others in need.
Unfortunately, Angel’s personal struggles have also created a rift between him and those who care about him. Angel’s fight with Gunn started before the shroud was ever involved. Cordelia and Wesley feel that Angel spends too much time brooding. It makes a person wonder if he is forgetting everything he learned in the last season about family and friends and their importance.
Hmmm.
In the meantime, Kate has gotten even more involved in the supernatural world that she has battled so vehemently of late. This is surely a turning point for her. Will she be an aid to Angel as she was in the past, and possibly help him hang onto his humanity? Or will she continue to be a thorn in his side, hounded by the memory of her father’s murder?
Again, a hearty hmmm.
On A More Personal Note:
This whole episode seemed like some kind of homage to criminal caper movies. There was the flashback from the interrogation room, the gathering of the bad guys/heroes, the spinning camera pan of the "planning the heist" scene, and even the a beautiful woman to throw a wrench in the works. It takes a good show to be able to borrow from movies successfully, and I think that this one managed to pull it off.
Cordelia’s new hair was quite a shock! Don’t get me wrong, it still looks great, but I must admit that I’ll be missing that beautiful long hair. She still managed to crack me up twice with the "kicking evil’s booty" comment and talking about her big teeth.
David Boreanaz did a great job with the loud and flashy shtick. Suggesting that Gunn start singing McArthur Park was classic. His taste in music never ceases to surprise me.
"Altoids, aisle 4!"
For the few of you who may not know, Kristen has retired from reviewing Angel. She will be missed greatly. I still hope that you keep coming back here every week and sticking it out with me. I invite everyone to please post your comments, questions, and even (gulp) criticisms.
NEXT WEEK . . . * * * * * * * Darla is back! So much for that " don’t look for me" thing. This time Angel might have to turn Darla into a vampire in order to save her from a terminal illness. Will this mean giving up his soul as well? And is she really worth it? Tune in next week to find out.
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Post by Dalton on Mar 23, 2004 13:08:53 GMT -5
by Josh Buckman 11/28/2000
"Everyone should carefully observe which way his heart draws him, and then choose that way with all his strength." Hasidic Saying
Every single day, every one of us faces our own trials. Trials of faith, trials of strength, and trials of endurance all put us to the test.
Some days, the trials are harder than others. Some days, we are unable to pass the tests.
Our success during these trials depends on our strength—not only our physical strength, but also strength of conviction, strength of heart, and strength of will.
Angel was put to the test. His faith was tested when asked to jump into an empty swimming pool. His physical strength was tested by the demon guarding the gate. His endurance was tested during his run through a room filled covered in crosses.
Angel’s strength of heart, conviction, and will were all tested when asked to die in Darla’s place.
Angel passed all of these tests.
However, he might not have passed these tests without two key factors B the first being his humanity. Most vampires would be very unlikely to risk his life to save a human’s; humans are to be fed upon. The caring, compassion, and self-sacrifice that Angel demonstrates are all parts of his unique human nature.
The second key factor is Darla. In an ironic twist, the very woman who worked so hard to unravel Angel’s humanity is the one who gives him the strength to repair it. The passionate caring that Angel feels for her fuels his conviction and gives him the strength to see all the trials through to the end. Angel is no longer giving into long-suppressed lust when it comes to Darla, he is reacting based a deep caring that he feels for her.
It is a caring that Darla has never felt from anyone before.
"Just because we had a thing for 150 years, don’t presume you know me."
Perhaps Darla is able to say this to Angel because she is finally realizing that she does not know him like she thought she did. When she first came back from the dead, Darla assured Lindsey that she knew Angel well enough to win him over. She was wrong. Now Darla faces having a conscience and her own death all at once, and perhaps is realizing she might not know even herself as well as she thought.
The flashbacks to Paris show a cruel Darla, one that would sacrifice her lover for the sake of her own survival. This is the opposite of what Angel does for her. Darla, thanks to the strange British man, is able to see and feel what Angel is going through during the trials. She tries hard to remain the cold, unfeeling creature she once was, but her new conscience and Angel’s selflessness finally break through the "prison" created by her former life.
Angel was not the only one facing the trials. Darla faced her personal feelings of responsibility that were trying to catch up with her. At first, she sought to banish her conscience through a vampiric embrace, but finally realized that it was time to answer for her past sins.
Angel emerges from his trials with a strengthened humanity. Darla emerges from her trials with feelings of responsibility that she has not possessed in over 400 years. The fact that she refuses Angel’s offer to make her once immortal once again and accepts her fate as a human shows that both she and Angel have passed the test.
"How did you think this would end?"
Although Lindsey poses this question to Angel, it is one really directed at the viewers. There have been rumors floating around about a shocking ending to tonight’s episode for a while, and to be honest, I thought I was prepared for anything. Darla tries to turn herself into a vampire B check (that entire scene with the loser vamp was hilarious). Angel sacrifices himself for Darla B check. Darla decides to die as human B check. Lindsey brings in DRUSILLA to make Darla a vampire again B Whoa! Wait a minute! I didn’t see that one coming. This puts a new perspective on everything.
Will Drusilla hang around to wreak some havoc on Angel’s life, or was she just in to do Lindsey a favor? Will her insanity have any effect on Darla’s new condition? Will Darla be pure evil as before, or a vampire reformed by Angel’s influence? These and many more questions will have to wait for answers, since next week begins the season’s first set of reruns.
On A More Personal Note:
The haircutting trend continues with Lindsey. This one is getting a big thumbs up from me. I was tired of a professional lawyer always looking like he was competing with Brendan Fehr for nappiest hair on the WB.
Oh Cordelia, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Well for starters, she gets all the best lines! "After 400 years of death and destruction, seems to me you get voted off the island." Who else would have enough chutzpah to not even pretend to like that floozy who has been messing with her pal Angel? On top of all of that, the Wesley/Cordelia interaction is always highly amusing.
The lounge demon makes another appearance in the episode. While I think he is a great addition to the cast, he is in danger of being overused. Who knew that so many problems could be solved through tone-deaf warbling? At least Darla doing her Betty Boop soulful crooning wasn’t as hard to endure as Angel’s rendition of Barry Manilow. Maybe the writers will even have Cordelia give "The Greatest Love of All" another whirl someday.
And finally, who is Holtz? I have a feeling this "more than a mere mortal" vampire hunter may be turning up in future episodes. Only time will tell.
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Post by Dalton on Mar 23, 2004 13:10:02 GMT -5
by Josh Buckman 12/19/2000
"A good man would prefer to be defeated than to defeat injustice by evil means."
Sallust, 41 B.C.
Drusilla is back, and this time she has a new deadly playmate. She’s turned Darla back into a vampire and they are wreaking some havoc. What better way to bond with your new grandma/daughter than to go shopping? Oh I know, have a feast with evil lawyer types as the main course. Don’t forget to invite the son/dad, even though he might object to the killing. Then again, he might not...
Action movies often contain some variation on this particular theme B good guy vs. bad guy. This bad guy does something to hurt the good guy or other innocent people. The good guy retaliates and stops the bad guy, who usually dies. Not only does this death serve as some kind of justice, but it also ensures that the bad guy will not be able to continue to do evil. It is what we, as the viewers, want to happen to the bad guy. It is natural for us to want justice to be brought upon those who do evil.
We know that the Wolfram & Hart lawyers are bad guys. They defend vampire killers in court. They summon demons to do their bidding. They hire assassins to murder people, including little children. There’s no doubt about it, these guys are bad with a capital EVIL.
If you are at all like me, you were secretly hoping that Angel did not have enough time to get to the wine tasting party before Drusilla and Darla gave those lawyers a lesson in why they should not deal with forces beyond their control. After all, they ARE the bad guys. Like Angel said, they are the ones that brought Drusilla and Darla into this. They would just be suffering from the consequences of their own actions. There’s nothing wrong with them getting their just desserts. Right?
It is possible that even the Powers That Be felt that it was time for Holland and company to be punished for their sins. While on the way to stop Dru and Darla, Cordelia gets a vision that leads them somewhere else. If Angel had taken the time to stop the suicidal man in a more caring and lasting way, he most likely would not have been able to reach the two vampires in time to save the lawyers anyway.
So if Wolfram & Hart are the bad guys and fate has decided it is time for them to get what they deserve, why is what Angel did so wrong? Why are Cordelia, Wesley, and Gunn freaking out over it?
Perhaps Angel’s real sin is his assuming the role of judge and passing sentence upon those over whom he has no jurisdiction. Angel’s role is that of a protector, a rescuer B he is not God, nor even the law. Once Angel arrived at the scene, he became responsible for the outcome. Instead of helping, he stepped outside what he knew to be his own moral code and allowed murder to be committed. The point is that it is not for Angel to decide who should be punished and who should not, especially considering his past crimes.
Earlier in the show, Holland said to Angel that he could not bring himself to care about the lives that would be lost if Dru and Darla were left to run free. When the situation is reversed, Angel repeats the same line. By acting like one of the bad guys If Drusilla’s outburst is any indication he is continuing to blur the line between Angel and Angelus.
Even though those around him have dealt Angel plenty of forgiveness, he cannot seem to afford any for Holland and his employees. However, it is my suspicion that Angel is not condemning the Wolfram & Hart lawyers for their past crimes, but for what they the did to Darla. That is what he cannot forgive.
This kind of personal vengeance, and most likely his lack of remorse over allowing it to happen, finally scares Cordelia, Wesley, and Gunn enough to give voice to their concern over Angel’s behavior.
In order to confirm their fears, Angel utters the most shocking, unexpected line of the season:
"You’re all fired."
What?!? Just when I thought I had recovered from the last episode’s surprise ending, Joss whacks us over the head with another big one. Is Angel really going to let this whole Darla trauma succeed in drawing out his dark side? Is he going to forsake his new family for his "blood" relatives? Does Buffy (with whom Angel has been sharing a similar loner attitude with lately) need to come beat some sense back into him? Does television get any better than this?
Personal Notes:
This is one incestuous family! There is a grandmother/daughter, a son/dad, and a daughter/mother. I guess that Spike is the only one that is just a plain old "son." Maybe this is why he was not included at the reunion. It looks like he might be the biggest softy of the bunch, at least for right now.
The fight scene between Angel, Darla, and Dru was impressive. It was reminiscent of the Faith and Buffy skirmishes, without all of the high kicking.
The question concerning about whether it was Wolfram & Hart’s or Lindsey’s plan to turn Darla back into a vampire has been answered. However, a new one replaces it: who will survive Dru and Darla’s massacre? We will have to wait several weeks to find out.
As if to remind us that Angel once had a good relationship with Wesley and Cordelia, the WB is showing "To Shanshu in L.A." next week. This was last season’s finale and is a great episode, even with the goofy looking demon.
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Post by Dalton on Mar 23, 2004 13:10:45 GMT -5
by Josh Buckman 1/16/2001
"Let him who desires peace prepare for war." Flavius Vegetius Renatus (~375 AD)
When it comes to love, Angel goes all out. There is nothing that he won’t do for the girl he loves. Whether it is leaving town in order to let Buffy have a chance at a better life or fighting to the death in order to save Darla from syphilis, he sacrifices everything for his women. As Cordelia so delicately put it:
"One thing you can say about Angel at least he’s consistent. It’s always some little blonde driving him over the edge."
However, it is this new edge that Darla is going to have to look out for. Angel realizes that love is not what is going to get the job done. He has worked hard to remove all obstacles that might distract him from his purpose. Burning the pictures of Darla. Firing his closest friends. Giving up his mission. Angel had to eliminate all of these in order to be primed and ready to face and destroy the woman he once loved.
Angel has been preparing.
He’s been preparing emotionally by focusing on his goal and working to remove distractions. Mentally, he’s preparing by practicing the ruthlessness and savagery that he feels will be needed in order to defeat his enemies. Physically, Angel has been training his body much like an athlete preparing for a competition. As the cheesy voiceovers pointed out, Angel must be ready in all of these areas before he can confront Darla and Drusilla.
While Angel was off pulling his Rocky training routine (I could almost hear "Gonna Fly Now" playing in the background), his ex-employees were given a chance to shine. Not since she sang "The Greatest Love of All" for the Sunnydale High talent show has Cordelia wowed us so with her vocal stylings. Gunn and Wesley’s musical talents turned out to be equally impressive, although that could have just been the liquor we were hearing. In any case, the interaction between these three characters throughout the show was meaningful and hilarious at the same time.
Each one of the three came to realize that they were going to have some trouble finding something more meaningful to do with their lives than saving innocent lives from demonic threats. What began as a job has turned into a way of life. It seems as though that even Cordelia gave up her dreams of stardom in exchange for this more noble pursuit. A little karaoke and a vision from TBTB helped them to realize that they could continue to save lives even without Angel, and that working together was the best way to go about it. They found purpose in their lives as "specialists in supernatural aid and rescue."
It is this kind of solidarity that seems to have been missing from Buffy’s Scooby Gang lately and is another example of what makes this show so enjoyable. A smaller cast with a common vocation helps to facilitate a great blend of teamwork, even with Darla currently acting as the whole Yoko Ono factor. Maybe Angel and Buffy both will one day learn to quite internalizing all of their pain and conflict and return to being team players.
Speaking of team players, it seems that neither Lindsey nor Lilah wish to take the fall for Wolfram & Hart, so the senior partners decide to pit them against each other for the possession of a prestigious position and their very lives. Both actors give great performances as creepy and backstabbing attorneys who seem to have lost all the allies they ever had, including each other. It will be interesting to see if the depths that they will sink to can get any lower.
These are depths that Angel might visit soon if he keeps up his callous behavior. While he might understand what must be done in order to conquer Darla and Drusilla’s reign of terror, does he understand what he is sacrificing? Darla may have said it is not Angelus, but much of Angel’s current behavior is similar to what he committed after losing his soul in Sunnydale (not killing Buffy/Darla when he had the chance). Perhaps it is Angelus’ behavior with Angel’s soul. But for how long can he continue this conduct and still keep a soul? The price Angel may pay for a victory could far outweigh the benefits.
Angel thinks he is getting ready for war. However, Einstein may have been right when he said, "You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war."
Personal Notes:
It seems as though Angel has taking his new fighting style right out of The Matrix handbook. Watching Angel kicking an opponent so that he spins horizontally, doing a back flip off of a wall, and even dramatically dropping the bag of weapons lead me to the conclusion that he must have just finished watching his copy on DVD before he started the training.
It was good to see Virginia again. Sometimes you cannot help but wonder what happens to the supporting characters after their starring episode is over.
One amazing thing about this show is its ability to include humor consistently without it ever disrupting the flow or mood. This episode was filled with humor. The karaoke, the demon Angel was dunking calling the vamps Godzilla and Darcilla, and even Angel talking about his "moves" were all classic.
As usual, each episode raises as many questions as it provides answers. How long before the final confrontation between Darla, Drusilla, and Angel? Will Cordy, Wes, and Gunn still be running the agency out of the hotel? Who ARE the senior partners (and wouldn’t it be a real trip if it was the Watcher’s Council as one friend suggested)? With any luck, some of these questions and more will be answered in the next episode, for which we only have to wait a week, thankfully!
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Post by Dalton on Mar 23, 2004 13:11:25 GMT -5
by Josh Buckman 1/23/2001
"It has been said that the love of money is the root of all evil. The want of money is so quite as truly." Samuel Butler
The moral dilemma of money and its uses is as murky as Angel’s behavior of late. Wolfram & Hart want money out of pure and simple greed. There is no low that they won’t sink to in order to get the money, as demonstrated by stealing from a teen shelter. They use this money in order to pay for hired assassins and evil lawyers and to spread general mischief and mayhem.
Anne wants money in order to help teenage girls who have no other place to turn. She needs it to perform a service to the less fortunate and to help the community. This is clearly in direct contrast to the evil designs of Wolfram & Hart.
So, if Anne were to be able to get this money to do good, is it okay that it comes from this organization that does nothing but evil? Would all the good that she does for the hurting teenagers make up for even just one life taken by Wolfram & Hart if they obtained the means to do so through her organization?
She realizes the answer is no. Ever since she learned the truth from Angel, she knows that to aid Wolfram & Hart in one way is to aid in everything they do when it comes to providing funds. The real mystery is how Angel can so easily point out to Anne that the end does not always justify the means while he himself is losing more and more of himself to evil in order to accomplish some kind of supposed good.
There has been much debate over filler episodes here on the posting boards for other shows. These episodes, although not always clear-cut, are scrutinized for their function and necessity. Now it seems that it may begin here as well. The absence of Darla and Drusilla after last week’s confrontation stood out like some gaping wound and could not be overlooked. With two of the main protagonists missing, this episode could easily be classified as filler.
Most of the time in this series, each episode can be clearly classified as some type of stand-alone episode or one that furthers the advancement of a running theme or plot. "Blood Money," however, takes all that has been developing this season and throws it into a great big blender and hits frappe.
Last week we were lead to believe that Angel was preparing himself for war. He eliminated distractions and honed his body and mind in order to successfully pursue and defeat Darla and Drusilla. This week, we find that his obsession does not stop with Double D, but includes Lindsey and Lilah as well. Perhaps this could still be interpreted as linked to the entire Darla situation, since they were the ones who brought her back to begin with B but what about Anne?
Why would Angel allow another distraction to interfere with his quest? Is it because he was merely using her in order to get back at Lindsey and Lilah? Is it because he saw himself in her willingness to ignore what was right in order to accomplish what she felt was a greater good? Or is it just because he just can’t resist a pretty blonde?
Maybe it was none of the above and he simply had nothing better to do. Or maybe with D&D missing, the writer’s had nothing better for him to do.
The focus and determination of last episode’s Angel was all but lost this time around. What did carry over was his continuing descent into darkness, as demonstrated by the conversation with Lilah in the car. Angel’s personal struggle with his good and evil natures continues and shows no sign of ending any time soon, as some of us had hoped. So the main purpose of this episode was to "fill" time between confrontations with D&D and continue to demonstrate the dual nature of Angel’s personality.
Other elements of this episode that seemed contrived:
Boone and Angel working together B when did that all go down? Anne saying she was not going to help Angel but then doing it anyway Lilah and Lindsey going into complete panic at the mere mention that Angel might have proof of them stealing from the shelter Angel telling Anne she wouldn’t want the money because it was tainted and she "still cared," then going ahead and giving it to her Having said all of that, the episode was still not without merit.
The car scene between Angel and Lilah was strongly reminiscent of when he was toying with Buffy as Angelus. There is a creepiness that suggests he really might go over the deep end without some kind of intervention.
Cordelia, Wesley, and Gunn continue to provide comic relief and a foil to the dastardly doings of Lilah and Lindsey. While one group battles for good, the other plots evil, and Angel hangs out in the gray area in-between.
Merl the lackey demon makes another appearance, and is as entertaining as before. Who could blame him for wondering why Angel got rid of the "the hot chick" that did all of his ground work before?
Some of you long-time Buffy fans probably recognized this week’s guest star. The girl who played Anne in tonight’s episode, Julia Lee, made her original appearance on BTVS as Chanterelle, a member of a vampire-worshipping cult. She appeared again as Lily, a fellow runaway that Buffy encounters when she flees Sunnydale after killing Angel. After Buffy rescues Lily from another type of demon cult, Lily decides to change her name to Anne, which was the name that Buffy was using at the time. In each of her appearances, Julia has played the same character, just at a different stage in her life. This explains why she wasn’t rattled by the appearance of demons or vampires. It is nice to see that the writers are paying attention to past story lines and bringing characters back when appropriate.
So, filler or not, Angel is still a terrific show to watch. Some of you may disagree about this show’s purpose and I invite you to respond. All comments are appreciated and encouraged.
Unfortunately, next week is another rerun. Fortunately, it is an episode with Wesley impersonating Angel. Notice that in order to do so, he wears Angel’s duster. This is the same duster that Angel discarded last week...
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Post by Dalton on Mar 23, 2004 13:12:01 GMT -5
by Josh Buckman 2/6/2001
But love is blind, and lovers cannot see The pretty follies that themselves commit. William Shakespeare, "The Merchant of Venice"
People do some crazy things for love. Take Valentine’s Day for instance. It’s that time of year that candy, cards, flowers, and dinners are used to show your loved one how much you care, all because some Catholic saint may or may not have sent his girlfriend love letters from prison hundreds of years ago.
But that is just the beginning. Love is the greatest theme of all time. So many spend their lives searching for it. Others who have found it realize how precious it is and are willing to do anything for it.
"Love, it’s a fire."
But in Gene’s case, was it really love that made him act so foolishly? Or was love just the beginning?
Gene may have truly loved Denise. However, it is more probable that loneliness or fear of loss is what prompted him to hatch such an elaborate scheme to keep her in his life. What may have begun as love turned to desperation when he found out she planned on leaving him.
In contrast, Angel has shown that he knows how to act righteously in the name of love. Denying personal desires, Angel left Sunnydale to give the one he loved a chance for a better life. Angel sacrificed the chance to be human again in order to protect the woman he loved better. Even when Darla’s life was on the line, Angel was willing to give up his own for the memory of the woman he once loved.
It all comes down to where your heart is. Is it wrapped up in personal motives, hidden under the guise of love? Or is it a filled with a true and selfless love, one that puts the needs of your loved one before your own?
While Angel may have proven that he is capable of loving others, his heart has certainly not been in his role as protector lately. The Host pointed out that Los Angeles’ hero has been behaving quite unbecomingly for a champion. Allowing lawyers to be killed and setting women on fire simply will not do for one whose mission once involved assisting the weak and powerless.
What does it really mean to be a champion? The Host put it perfectly when he referred to Angel going from "helping the helpless to hunting the guilty." Personal frustrations and ulterior motives first tainted Angel’s mission and then overtook it completely. He is no longer the champion of those in need, but has become more of an avenging Angel whose loyalties are not readily apparent.
"There’s nothing like a good apocalypse to make my day," a friend of mine stated excitedly after The Host’s announcement that the world was to end in two nights. I would have to agree. The threat of worldwide obliteration was just what Angel needed to get set back on the right path. And who better to steer Angel in that direction in than The Host?
Cordelia and Wesley already proved that showing concern was not enough to keep Angel on the straight and narrow. It appears that what Angel required was some frank and honest talk about his behavior and an ear willing to listen. The Host gave him both and poked and prodded Angel enough to make him realize that how hollow his current mission is. Angel left his friends with nowhere to go and has lost any connection to the humans he once helped to protect.
Although Angel was reluctant to assist The Host at the beginning, he quite naturally fell into his old role of champion. The Host knew that the peril was great and Angel would have no choice but to help, but he also treated Angel as if it were his duty. Angel may believe that he has given up one mission for another, but The Host reminded him that he isn’t going to be able to quit so easily.
Does this mean that Angel is going to give up his current quest to once again become the champion of the helpless? Most likely the answer is no. However, there is a hint that The Host did manage to get Angel to thinking about what exactly he planned to accomplish in the long run. Things might seem bad for Angel now, but it won’t always be like this. The good fight is still worth fighting.
And sometimes the good fight is profitable, as Cordelia, Wesley, and Gunn found out. The three of them didn’t shirk their responsibilities, and it ended up paying off in the end. While the scene with Wesley acting like a character straight out of an Agatha Christie novel was absolutely classic, Cordelia, Wesley, and Gunn provide more than comic relief. These three continue to represent what Angel used to stand for. They have even kept Angel Investigations as their company name.
Unfortunately for now, it is just a name.
Personal Notes:
The supporting cast almost completely stole the show this episode. Andy Hallet was excellent as The Host. His interaction with David Boreanaz is well worthy of praise. Brigid Brannagh also returned as Virginia and did a wonderful job as well.
The next episode supposedly is focusing on Angel’s run-in with the law. This means that Kate will be making a long awaited appearance. It will be interesting to see how she reacts to Angel since she has not seen him since he bit her.
I cannot resist mentioning how The Host had some of the greatest lines tonight. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I love how this show effortlessly blends comedy, drama, and action without ever hurting the mood of the episode. I think my personal favorite tonight was, "I would finish if I could get a word in edgewise, Mr. Get To The Pointy-Pants."
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Post by Dalton on Mar 23, 2004 13:13:14 GMT -5
by Josh Buckman 2/13/2001
It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend. William Blake
There are few things in life more valuable than a friendship. Friends provide the support, caring, insight, and a general sense of belonging that we all long for. To know that someone cares for you, and that you can count on him or her to be there for you, is a truly beautiful thing.
As with most beautiful things, friendships are fragile. Even those that have lasted through trials, hardships, and years can be torn apart by a harsh word or unkind gesture.
Nothing hurts like the betrayal of a friend.
Gunn and Angel both found out that a person can commit a betrayal without consciously deciding to do so. Angel felt that he was protecting the friends that he cared about by removing them from the playing field and distancing himself from them. Gunn decided that he could do more good for the world by hooking up with Cordelia and Wesley than by protecting just one part of town from vampires. Both Angel and Gunn thought they were doing what was best for the greater good.
The difference between Angel and Gunn is that Angel was wrong and Gunn was right.
From the start, Angel has not been very good at making friends. Back in Sunnydale, he didn’t really bond with anyone besides Buffy, even before he became evil Angelus. Once he moved to L.A., Cordelia, Wesley, Gunn and even Doyle practically had to force their friendships upon him. Angel knew that he needed them for various reasons, but he also found that he could grow to love and care for them, too.
Blinded by personal obsessions and job-related stress, Angel decided that abandoning his friends was the best way to keep them out of danger. He could not see the kind of emotional and mental pain it would put them through. Not only were they out of a job, but the person that they had come to trust and look up to had been the one to leave them in the dust.
The Host and Merl pointed out to Angel how heartless it was to do this to his friends, even in the name of protection. What made it even crueler was the fact he made no attempt to explain his behavior or to assure his friends that they mattered to him as more than just employees.
Perhaps he really did do it for their sakes and to better be able to hunt down Darla and Drusilla. However, as Angel found out tonight, a person cannot simply turn feelings of caring on and off like a switch. He cared about Kate’s feelings regarding her father. He cared about what happened to Cordelia, Wesley, and Gunn enough to act as a guardian angel during the zombie attacks. He cared enough to visit Wesley in the hospital.
But Cordelia, Wesley, and Gunn don’t need a guardian angel. Cordelia made that painfully clear in the hospital. What they needed was a friend and a leader. Now that they have managed to continue with their lives and their job without Angel leading them, all that remains is the bitter taste of his betrayal.
A betrayal that was similar to the one felt by Gunn’s old associates still living in his old "hood." They felt that Gunn has moved on for the finer things in life and had forgotten about the other side of town.
However, Gunn had not forgotten about that side of town. Anne knew that Gunn would come help her out if she asked. He didn’t hesitate for a second when it came time for him to see what he could do. The progression that Gunn has made into working with Cordelia and Wesley did not involve forgetting about where he came from, but broadening his horizons.
At first, Gunn was a loner that organized gangs in order to kill vampires in the neighborhood. Now he works with people that share a similar mission B to protect the innocent from the nastier creatures that inhabit the city. He has found kindred souls in Cordelia and Wesley. These are not people who needed to be organized and motivated to fight evil, they already live for that same mission.
People change. New friendships are formed and old ones fade away. It is a natural progression. Gunn has made a natural progression and has formed two new friendships with people he cares deeply about. His old ones are not forgotten, and he will be there for them when he can, but there comes a time when it is right to move on.
Angel did not find that right time. The chasm he has created between he and his friends can still be filled, but by the time that happens, what will he have already lost?
Personal Notes:
I don’t think that Gunn wasn’t the only one who graduated with a degree in dumb planning. Whoever stole the whole zombie attack scene from season III of Buffy probably has one of those diplomas hanging on the wall. Although having Cordelia show those zombies that it was "hammer time" gave it a uniquely goofy edge.
This episode also raised some very interesting questions:
Why on Earth did Gunn take Wesley back to the shelter instead of the hospital??!! What is going to happen to the girl with an eye in the back of her head? Did Angel miss that Wolfram & Hart meeting that Merl told him about? If so, does this mean that he is caring more about his friends than vengeance? If Wesley was the one that Angel talked to in the hospital, would he have been more forgiving than Cordelia? (I think yes) Does the end of cleaner/safer streets justify the means? Do zombie policemen still like doughnuts? Is Steven Seagal in cahoots with the devil? Unfortunately, most of these questions probably will not be answered in the next episode (anyone who thinks they may have some answers, please give us your thoughts!). Fortunately, Darla is making a return. Not that I’m crazy about Darla, but I’m anxious to see what Angel’s next move is going to be. The sooner he stakes her the better, because all work and no play makes Angel a dull boy.
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