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Post by Dalton on Jul 23, 2003 13:13:24 GMT -5
The Price You Pay I was once involved in a rather heated debate with someone regarding whether or not Angel was a victim. The person I was arguing with believed Angel deserved everything that's happened to him over the past two and half centuries. After all, he did walk into that alley of his own free will. I don't think anyone is going to be surprised when I say...bull. Angel had no idea what he was getting himself into when he followed Darla into the darkness. You can say he was a rake, a drunken lay about, even a party animal, but the things he did were without malice. He stepped into that darken alley because of a girl who'd caught his eye earlier that evening. And his fate was sealed. From the moment that Darla sank her fangs into Angel, it was over. There was no choice involved. Could he have chosen not to drink from her? Frankly, no. He was near death. When she pressed his lips to her self-inflicted wound, every survival instinct kicked in. He drank from her to save himself. It was automatic. Not to say that Angel is blameless. The fact of the matter is his life as a human left much to be desired. There wasn't a great deal about him that was noble or selfless. He was reckless and foolish. He made a bad choice, but it wasn't as if he had any idea what the consequences of that bad choice would be. "Sometimes the price we end up paying for one bad choice isn't commiserate with the offense." Does anyone really believe that when Angel met up with Darla he knew what the next 247 years were going to be like? In his mind, the worst-case scenario was probably contracting syphilis or waking up with his wallet missing. Although the latter wasn't too big of a concern since he'd already drank his money away by that point. He had no idea what lay ahead for him. Buffy once made the comment that "a vampire's personality has nothing to do with the person it was." Angel started to correct her but was stopped by her glare. For a long while, people wondered what he was about to say, but based on what we saw of Angel both before and after he became a vampire, it seems clearer now. Who you were as a human is who you are as a vampire. The only real difference is that there is no conscience or morality. There's nothing to stop you from doing something because it's "wrong". There is no wrong. Angel, as a human, had a voracious appetite. For women, for liquor, for life. Upon rising from his own grave, his thought was not who to kill in the village but rather to kill the village. From what we know of Angelus' exploits, he continued his pattern throughout the ages. He was a vicious killer who added a sense of whimsy and poetry to his raping and pillaging. As Darla herself said, "What we once were informs all that we have become." Kate's father triggered a great deal of Angel's memories of his own father. The need to save Mr. Lockley stemmed from Angel's desire to make amends for the death of his father, the death of his family. Unfortunately, Angel failed. He tried his best but was hindered by the limitations of being a vampire. What this will do to Kate I can't even imagine. She is now utterly alone in this world. Her anger toward Angel is understandable, if misplaced. She also doesn't understand what Angel is. She knows the mechanics of it but has no concept of the reality. "My father was human and you don't know anything about that." It's a completely false statement that proves how little she really knows. When Angel regained his soul, he became a human who just happens to need blood to survive and is severely allergic to sunlight. He's not a vampire. Not really. Angel is human, painfully human. Perhaps someday Kate will learn that and when she does she will discover how much Angel suffered for not saving her father. Yes, Kate, there are not-evil evil things. And now, onto the top 5 noteworthy items from this week: #5. Jonesing. Yes, you heard right. Wesley used the word jonesing. In a sentence. Correctly. I couldn't believe my ears either. My world is askew. #4. "Ever since she ran me through with a 2 by 4 things have been different." It's funny how that works, huh? Nothing like a little impalement to dramatically alter a friendship. #3. Liam? Yes, it's a lovely Irish name. It's even apt as it means "protector". However the English equivalent of Liam is William. Who on the Buffy-Angel staff has "Will" issues? William, Liam, Willow, Willy the Snitch, Wilkins. If someone named Wilhelmina pops up on one of these shows, I'm going to have serious issues. #2. More toys. Yes, I love the Batmanesque toys. And I have also noticed that David is getting quite handy with the fighting axe. He's whirling that thing around like an old hand. I enjoy seeing that action hero quality to his character continue. Which leads me to... #1. The fight scenes. I haven't really mentioned this before and it's been remiss of me. Without a doubt, the fight scenes on Angel are the best on television. They are fast moving, dynamic and interesting to watch. What always impresses me most is the fluidity of the sequences. The transition back and forth from David to Mike Massa (his stunt double) is seamless. It's impossible for me to tell the difference. There is nothing about these scenes that seems posed or rehearsed. So thanks guys. And more please.
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Post by Dalton on Jul 23, 2003 13:14:02 GMT -5
Rule #1... Don't Talk About Fight Club I know. That was lame. Definitely not one of my better titles. But who can resist such an easy shot? I just thought I should get it out of the way. Now, moving on to the point of this column... Once again, Angel manages to do that thing that they do so well. To take what at first glance seems like a trite story and infuse new life into it. It's even more remarkable considering that a dead guy is the one most responsible for giving it new life. Angel has grown by leaps and bounds since departing from Sunnydale. As someone who always loved the Buffy and Angel pairing, the fact that I enjoy seeing them apart this much is a constant surprise. But I do. Angel is so much more interesting without Buffy. Part of that stems from the fact that in Sunnydale, the world revolves around Buffy. Angel was merely one of the planets allowed to orbit around her sun. In Los Angeles, Angel is the focus. He's our hero, the larger than life central character that we follow every week. And more and more, he's living up to that task. Angel has always had a certain charisma, a charm that made you sit up and take note. But now, he's gone far beyond that. His presence and magnetism seems to fill the room every time he enters. This episode is a clear example of that. I'm not entirely sure why it struck me so strongly last night. Perhaps because much of the show focused on the physical. There seemed to be less dialogue and more action. Angel is being held captive by humans in order to fight other demons. The only way out is to kill 21 of your fellow captives. This is not the best breeding ground for polite conversation. Instead, it is very much like prison. Lots of posturing and brief, tense verbal exchanges. This is, of course, where Angel handles himself best. He has this deceptively quiet manner about him. The other demons, and they are certainly not alone in making this error, mistake this for weakness or softness. He's like a big cat that looks so gentle...just before it rips your throat open. So what is it that has changed for Angel? (Aside from his zip code.) In a word? Buffy. When Angel was with Buffy, he felt this overwhelming need to protect her. To shelter her from the world and all of its injustices. To guard her tender heart. She was so young and already had so many burdens thrust upon her. Angel was willing to do anything to lighten that load. In doing so, Angel thrust a sizable burden upon himself. He had to bury the demon inside of him, thrust it down as far as possible, so it might never see the light of day again, because if it were to surface, it could hurt Buffy. It could damage her trust and love of him. Freed from that relationship, the fear is diminished. Angel can let his demon come out to play. For a long time, Angel was two people at once. Two entities residing in the same body. There was the brooding, soulful human filled with remorse and self-loathing. And there was the whimsical demon that liked to have fun with power tools. The distinction always had to be drawn very clearly. Angel is good. Angelus is bad. Now it's not quite so black and white. The Angel of Angel Investigations of Los Angeles, CA, is a delightful shade of gray. These two very distinct personalities seem to be fusing. Angel has learned to use the demon inside of him and play to those strengths. He has also managed to use his humanity to temper those demonic inclinations. Not that it's easy. There is struggle there and I can't foresee a time when there won't be. This is a journey and not a particularly fast or easy one. There will be bumps and obstacles in the road; there will be pain and heartbreak along the way. But for every one step forward, two steps back that Angel takes, he moves marginally closer to some form of redemption. Everyone has his or her own theory on what will happen to Angel in the end. The most popular two are that Angel's soul will be permanently anchored to him by some spell or that he will become human. But what if neither happen? What if something else entirely different were to occur? What if Angel managed to anchor his own soul? No magic, no tricks, no Powers That Be. Over the course of time, with sheer will and determination and strength of character, he learned to tame the demon inside of him and it fused with the essence of his soul. Where no one could steal it from him or use it against him. Then he could go forward and live life. Not as a demon. Not as a human. Just as Angel. Helper of the hopeless. It sounds like an ending I'd enjoy seeing. TOP FIVE MOMENTS OF THE WEEK: 5. Wesley and Cordelia are doing that banter thing. And I like it. I like it even more when Angel catches them. "Children...We have company." 4. "I think we did a good thing here tonight." "Yes, we set the captives free." "Well, actually, didn't we set a bunch of demons free?" Silence. Um...oops? 3. Cordelia and Wesley's concern for Angel. You guys know me, I'm a sucker for that family vibe these three have going on. Wesley's quiet and matter of fact statement that Angel means a great deal to him was touching. The horror on Cordelia's face when she saw Angel kill that demon was poignant. She wasn't horrified that he had killed. She was horrified because she knew what that kill would mean to Angel. 2. Wesley is no longer a wuss. He was kicking ass. The crossbow, the gun, that steely tone...what's not to love? Absolutely nothing. This was a moment of greatness for Wes. Of course, we did have a few moments of bumbling in there as well. Just like Angel, it's one step forward, two steps back for our Rogue Demon Hunter. But he's coming along nicely, thank you very much. 1. The action. Once again, this takes the top spot for me. Not just the fight sequences but the special effects as well. The demons, and the villain, being vaporized in mid air added even greater drama to those action sequences. Just one small request though. Could we please stop impaling Angel? I realize he doesn't need those internal organs to survive but I find myself missing the other Angel a little. You know? The one that doesn't look like Swiss Cheese.
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Post by Dalton on Jul 23, 2003 13:14:28 GMT -5
The Scene That Will Live in Infamy How could something so good go so wrong? I suppose it all really does lie in the details. The anticipation for Eternity has been high for weeks now. The return of Angelus. Another visit from one of the greatest villains in the history of the Buffyverse. He’s witty. He’s charming. He’s psychotic, in a whimsical fashion. And he dresses so well. The episode did not disappoint. It was well written, fast paced and filled with stellar performances. Beginning with the opening sequence of Wesley and Angel trapped in a theatre watching Cordelia butcher her role. Their fear…their desperation…their need to escape were palpable. I genuinely felt for them. Wesley and Angel’s struggled to compose a critique of Cordelia’s performance that wouldn’t break her heart. Fortunately, they were interrupted by a murder attempt. Cordelia’s unwavering focus on how to use Rebecca’s celebrity to advance her own career was true to form. Including her efforts to fake a vision in order to get Angel to take the case. Note how neither Wesley nor Angel were remotely convinced that it was real. When Rebecca discovers what Angel is and doesn’t shrink back in fear, you could see the relief clearly etched on his features. While talking to Cordelia the next morning, it is with a sense of wonder that Angel recounts Rebecca’s reaction. For the first time since becoming a vampire, he has revealed his true self to a human being, and she did not recoil in fear and terror. Even with Buffy, Angel could never shake the doubt that she was repulsed by the demonic side of him. Thanks to Rebecca, he felt accepted. One might even say that he felt hope. So where did it go wrong? With one scene. When Wesley and Cordelia learn that Rebecca has drugged Angel, Wesley utters the words that broke my heart. "It's simulating bliss." Bliss. Amazing how one tiny little word can do so much damage. Wesley’s utterance of it tainted all that came before. I felt those words keenly. Especially given that the scene directly before this one was a work of genius. As Angel grabs Rebecca and drags her to the refrigerator so that she can taste what "eternity" is, we see Angelus peeking through. A split second later, Angel is back in control, horrified at his actions. With dawning horror, he realizes that she has drugged him. Finally, there is the moment when Angelus takes control and the demon comes out to play. As we watch, Rebecca begins to comprehend the grave error she has made. She has unleashed a killer, not loosened the inhibitions of a lapdog with fangs. She truly begins to understand what a vampire is. They are not the noble and beautiful "lonely ones" that certain movies and literature would suggest. They are monsters, who kill not merely to eat but for the sheer joy of it. Angelus plays his usual cat-and-mouse game. He is a born predator; he lives for the chase. It is not enough to merely kill Rebecca. Where’s the fun in that? No, it is far better to taunt her, to push her, to bring her to the realization that her death is at hand and her vanity alone is the cause of it. Angelus enjoys breaking his food into little pieces before he eats it. The wonderful thing about the change from Angel to Angelus is that we see the struggle. It is not a blinding bright light and presto soul-be-gone. What we are seeing is not the exit of his soul. It is the suppression of his control. Angel has always battled his demon for power. The two of them do not co-exist in blissful contentment. They are trapped inside a body together, at war with one another. It is a war Angel must wage on a daily basis. He has spoken before of how difficult it is to hold on to that thread of control. At times, we have seen that thread snap. The clearest example would be Graduation Day, Part Two. Angel is ill, on the verge of dying. Buffy intentionally provoked the demon inside of him, knowing that was the only way to save him. Angel was too weak to suppress the demon. He lost that fight and, in turn, it saved his life. Therefore, it is entirely plausible that a drug could have the same effect. Angel takes a happy pill; it lowers his defenses and Angelus leaps for the opportunity to be in the driver’s seat for a change. Much like Angel’s fears in Somnambulist. He was terrified that somehow Angelus was taking control while Angel slept. All in all, a simply brilliant concept and a wonderful execution. Then Rebecca flees the scene and rushes upstairs where Cordelia and Wesley try to piece together what has transpired. The power is shut off. Angelus stalks into the room, relishing his command of the situation. Wesley utters the hated lines. The scene continues. And it’s extraordinary. Angelus has always been a master of pushing people’s buttons. He knows where to strike so that it will hurt the most. In this case, it was Wesley’s fear of never measuring up and Cordelia’s fear of being a nobody forever. He takes aim, fires, and hits his mark with painful accuracy. Cordelia and Angelus face-off against one another in a battle of wits. Cordelia bluffs and does it damn convincingly. She lies to his face without missing a beat. Her ruse is impressive, both for its grand scale and its layers of detail. She manages to distract him just long enough for Wesley to attack. Angelus is off balance by Cordelia’s trick and makes an easy target for Wesley. Angelus lies at the bottom of the elevator shaft, unconscious. The threat is over. The next morning we see Angel is back in control. Only he must now face his friends and the fallout of the terrible things that were said. Of course, they forgive him. That’s what family is all about. The hurt and resentment his words caused, however, are not banished from their memories. They still linger as if they were a physical presence in the room. Only time will tell if these three can truly move beyond it. Now you may ask why I say this error in phrasing bothered me so much. I suppose it’s due to how remarkable I thought this episode was. Without that one moment, it would be the best episode I’ve seen all year. Beating out my beloved City Of for my favorite of the season. The inconsistency pains me because I know that was not the writers’ intent. The return of Angelus was a control issue. It had nothing to do with bliss or contentment. They have stated that. Wesley’s lines were merely a poor choice of words. Oh what a difference a phrase makes.
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Post by Dalton on Jul 23, 2003 13:14:53 GMT -5
Facing Your Demons We all have them. Demons. Those insidious doubts that invade our hearts and seep into our minds. They lie in wait, just skimming along the edges of our consciousness, waiting for the right moment to spring forth. Then they whisper in our ears, feeding our fears and exploiting our weaknesses. They tell us we’re worthless, unlovable, or cowardly. That we have no redeeming value. Everyone handles those demons differently. Denial is a popular method. Conversely, some will choose to wallow in their suffering. Embracing the doubt and self-loathing, using it as a shield to keep the world at arm’s length. Others attempt escape. They run away, possibly seeking comfort in a bottle or the momentary euphoria of narcotics. But there are those that the demon pushes further. People already so lost, alone and filled with hatred that they can sink no further in their own estimation. They’re not equipped to deal with their own human foibles. Rather than endure the pain and work through it, they turn it outward and unleash it on others. Faith is such a creature. To be fair, life has not been kind to the rogue Slayer. I would be surprised if she’s ever experienced a true moment of joy in her entire life. Everyone she’s ever loved or cared for has been torn away from her. She’s been on her own, fighting against the forces of darkness, for quite some time now. And not just the darkness of the world, the darkness of her own soul. Nothing in life is ever black or white. The world, and the people who reside in it, are shades of gray. We all have something in us that is good and noble. We also, however, have something within that is dark and far less virtuous. Faith has always embraced the darker nature of her soul as a defense mechanism. People look down upon her and she fulfills their every expectation. She thumbs her nose at the world, as if to say, “You think that’s bad? Wait until you see what I do next.” So she debases herself further. She crosses lines she never really meant to and burns bridges that could have brought her back from the brink. All the while telling herself that it’s who she really is. This is what life has made of her. She goes out of her way to prove to everyone, including herself, how bad and evil she is. How much she doesn’t care. Until she walked a mile in Buffy’s shoes. You never really know how far you’ve sunk until you hit rock bottom. For Faith, being ‘Buffy’ was her rock bottom. For the first time, she got a real look at love, up close and personal. She saw what her life could have been like if fate had dealt her a different set of cards. And she could finally see how far-gone she truly was. Part of her willingness to kill Angel stemmed from her need for payback. There is a history there. Angel could always see right through Faith. He knew her so well because he was her. Being that transparent to someone was an uneasy situation for Faith. Also, there was the pesky matter of Angel being the reason Buffy beat her into a coma. But more than that, a part of Faith believed that she would fail. Angel had almost died because of her. His residual anger would fuel his vengeance. He wouldn’t hold back. If she could just provoke him enough, he would put her out of her misery. She picked the wrong target though. Angel knew what Faith was after. He knew that she thought herself beyond redemption and only wanted an end to the pain. Angel, however, believes in his heart that no one is beyond redemption. If someone such as himself can be given the chance to make amends, so can Faith. For Angel too is a creature of the darkness. Of course, the demon that lives inside him is a bit more literal than the ones most of us battle. His demon is another being, an evil presence residing within his body, battling for control. And a battle it is. For years, most people assumed that when Angel was cursed, it was *poof*...you have a soul. Go forth and feel guilty. What we saw in these most recent flashbacks demonstrates clearly that that simply was not the case. He was cursed but Angel still saw himself as a vampire, like Darla, one of them. That was why he returned home to her. He didn’t know what had happened to him. He just knew that he was suddenly being haunted by these terrible memories of the things he’d done. Having a soul didn’t change his nature. Despite the overwhelming sense of guilt and remorse, his instinct was still to feed and kill. Angel’s demon was not suppressed. It didn’t go into hiding when the soul returned. The demon was fighting for dominance. And from time to time, it was winning. Angel once told Buffy, "It’s not the demon in me that needs killing, it’s the man." The more we see of his past, the more we can understand that statement. Unlike Buffy or Cordelia or anyone else that has ever cared about him, Angel does not differentiate between Liam, Angelus or Angel. It’s never been, ‘Liam was stupid. Angelus was evil. Angel is good.’ They are all him, the good and the bad. It’s always an ‘I’ statement. “For a hundred years I offered an ugly death to everyone I met. And I did it with a song in my heart.” The Angel flashbacks served as a poignant counterpoint to Faith’s present day journey. We watched as Angel transformed from a contented creature of evil, with a place in the world, to a lost and conflicted misfit. With his soul restored, he belonged nowhere. Faith was already a lost and conflicted misfit. Alone, she felt as if she belonged nowhere. Faced with Angel’s unwillingness to end her misery, she collapsed under the pressure. Angel’s knowledge of what she was feeling, his recognition of who and what she is, finally broke down all of her defenses. The floodgates opened and for the first time in a long while, she felt. Her true emotions, scary and turbulent, spilled forth. As Faith sobbed in Angel’s arms, there was a sense that perhaps she was no longer alone. That perhaps these two misfits, so different yet so alike, can help one another. Maybe Angel can show Faith that there is a place in this world for her. If she is willing to try, redemption is within her grasp. And maybe within Faith’s redemption lies the key to Angel’s own. OTHER NOTES There are so many things to say about this episode that it was difficult for me to pick one aspect to focus on this week. It is by far the best episode, to date, this season. Brilliantly crafted and beautifully executed. ·1 Beginning with the writing. Jim Kouf’s first episode as a part of the Angel team was nothing short of outstanding. He has an amazing grasp of these characters. And, of course, I loved the flashbacks. ·2 The stunts. All in all, they were wonderful (as usual). The final battle between Angel and Faith, however, was visually stunning. Mike Massa and Karen Shepard deserve high praise for their work. ·3 The performances. I can’t say enough about them or the actors that delivered them. Ever single performance was stellar and, in the case of our lead actors, moving. Especially Eliza Dushku, who was both deliciously evil and heartbreakingly fragile. I look forward to seeing what more she has in store for us. ·4 Wesley. How I adore this character and the actor who plays him. Wesley has finally come into his own. He is no longer the bumbling idiot or the self-righteous prig. He’s a flawed but endearing man, who, despite his own demons, believes in the good fight. He proved that he is capable of great courage and strength of character. Even Faith was impressed. I could go on and on but I won’t. Assuming you’ve hung in here this long, I’ll repay your kindness by stopping here. I’ll only say this... I can’t wait until next week.
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Post by Dalton on Jul 23, 2003 13:15:24 GMT -5
The Prison of Your Own Making “So I’m free?” “I don’t know about that. But the door’s open.” What is freedom? Take a moment and think about how you would define freedom. It’s not easy to define, is it? Faith’s question about being free and Angel’s response to it gave me pause. I had to stop and consider what freedom is. I checked the dictionary and found several definitions for the word. There was one that particularly struck me: free·dom (frdm) n. The condition of being free of restraints. Most of us, especially here in the United States, tend to think of freedom in political terms. We live in a “free” country. We have Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion, Freedom of the Press. All this freedom. But are any of us truly free? Of course not. We’re all restrained in some manner. Usually not by a government agency or a police force— we’re somewhat limited by our place in the world. Financial constraints, geographical location, race, gender, sexual orientation... all things that can place limitations on our freedom. Some of us, though, can find ways to work around them. What about the restraints that we place on ourselves? The prisons of our own making: The ones in our minds. Last week, I discussed demons. Those niggling doubts that can cause us to self-destruct. This week is, in many ways, a continuation of that theme. Faith has faced her demons. She has finally reached the point where she can see how far she’s fallen from grace. So where does she go from there? There is no easy answer to that question. No quick and painless solution to make it all better. An “I’m sorry” simply isn’t going to cut it. Faith’s path to redemption will not be an easy one. She has a long road ahead of her. A road populated by ghosts. The ghosts of those she’s wronged. And there are a lot of ghosts. When Angel first brings Faith to his apartment, she’s in a state of shock. That brief flash where she imagines herself pummeling Angel is a clear sign that, while she has taken that first step, the journey is far from over. Remembering Alan’s death at her own hands was another turning point for Faith. Alan’s death was the moment that things changed for her. He was the first innocent life that she ever took. His death in and of itself was not the problem; Alan’s death was an accident. There was no malice or forethought there. Faith’s reaction to taking a life was her undoing. Faith has always dealt with her problems by shutting down. She just turns her emotions off and goes numb. After Alan died, she was so numb, she lost all touch between right and wrong. Now those thoughts and feelings are back with a vengeance. She feels all of it: the guilt, the shame, the fear. She’s overwhelmed by it, and she has no clue how to deal with that. “I’m not going to make it through the next 10 minutes.” “So make it through the next five. The next minute.” Tim Minear (supervising producer of Angel and co-writer of this episode) once said he saw the show Angel as partially “an addiction recovery metaphor.” The exchanges between Faith and Angel illustrate that clearly. Faith is battling an addiction. The way some people use alcohol to shut out the pain of life and anesthetize themselves, Faith used violence. Now she needs to find a new way to cope. Angel is her sponsor. He’s been where she is and come through it. He still fights that addiction every minute. It doesn’t go away. But he’s found his own way to deal: through helping others. Although I don’t see any 12-step meetings in their future, I can only imagine how that would go. “Hello, my name is Faith and I’m a borderline personality with homicidal tendencies.” Stunned silence. “Hello, my name is Angel and I’m a bloodsucking fiend.” Screams of panic and mass exodus. I think group therapy is a bad idea in this case. Which is why Buffy’s presence only served to worsen the situation. Of everyone Faith has hurt, Buffy seems to be the one she feels the most guilt about. Because Buffy tried to be her friend and Faith repaid her time and again with pain and heartbreak. Angel recognized this. He knew that having Buffy around was only going to make things more difficult for all of them. He also understood her true motivation. Buffy wasn’t there to help Angel. She wanted to hurt Faith. Not that you can blame her, she has certainly been wronged and betrayed by Faith on many levels and numerous occasions. Angel’s refusal to allow Buffy her vengeance caused a rift between them. One that may be very well beyond repair. For the first time, Angel didn’t pull any punches. He saw Buffy as she truly was in that moment and didn’t make allowances for her. He knew what she was after and called her on it. In the end, Buffy did help Faith. Regardless of her issues, she knew that no good could come from turning Faith over to the Watcher’s Council. So she fought for Faith and helped protect her. This choice is most responsible for Faith’s decision to turn herself in to the Police. Yes, Angel helped show her the way. But to see Buffy risk her own life to help Faith, it changed something for Faith. She saw that sometimes you don’t do the right thing because you want to. Sometimes you do the right thing just because it’s the right thing to do. That’s what Faith did. She gave up on running. She stopped allowing others to protect her and take the fall for her. She took responsibility for what she did and turned herself in. And in that final moment where we see Faith sitting alone in her cell, there’s this odd expression on her face. It’s one I can’t recall ever seeing on her before. I’m not quite sure what others would call it. Personally, I’d like to think of it as a small measure of peace.
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Post by Dalton on Jul 23, 2003 13:15:54 GMT -5
The Beauty of a Good Fight For the past few weeks, I’ve been doing these in depth looks at characters’ psyches and motivations. These long, thought-provoking commentaries have been very well received. I appreciate it. Truly, I do. But you’re not getting one this week. This week was all about action. Beginning to end, it was a fast-moving, action-packed, thoroughly enjoyable episode. The opening sequence was simply brilliant. We see the man in black approach to save the day. His coat billows. The Batman music soars. And then... “You were expecting someone else?” Frankly, yes. But we got much more than another “Angel Saves the Day” scenario. We found a new hero. Gunn is a fascinating character. He’s a strong fighter and very resourceful. The weaponry that he and his fellow vampire hunters were using is inventive and effective. I was especially fond of the wooden stake cannon they had on the truck. He also possesses remarkable strength of character. I wasn’t sure that he would be able to stake his own sister. Look at what’s happened when the Scoobies have run into familiar faces with hearts no longer beating. Angelus, Evil Willow, etc. They weren’t able to look past the physical resemblance and see the true demon behind the image. Gunn was. As much as it pained him, he knew in his heart that that wasn’t his sister. He somehow found the fortitude to raise that stake and kill the vampire that she had become. I have so many questions about who Gunn is and what has placed him out of the streets, battling the forces of evil. I look forward to seeing more of him in the very near future. Cordelia, Wesley and Angel were back together, as it should be. The three of them know each other so well. The moment that Angel heard it was Cordy’s idea to meet their new client at his party, he just gave her this look. It spoke volumes. Those volumes are entitled, “Evidence of Cordelia’s Desperate Need to Party Amongst the Beautiful.” Cordy is delightfully transparent. She wants to be a part of the in crowd again. She wants to live the jet set life she took for granted. The problem is all of the horrors she’s seen have given her some depth. As much as she would love the ability to return to her former shallow self, she is no longer a person capable of prostituting herself for a paltry couple of billion. Wesley is also acquiring layers, albeit of a different nature. Brothel knowledge? Yes, of course, Wesley, we all believe that you gleaned that information from the Watcher’s Council. You just read those files. You would never deign to visit such a den of iniquity. Though a visit or two to the brothel might explain how he suddenly learned how to kiss over his summer vacation. Angel was simply Angel. At his best. He is both the strong action hero and the loveable goober. I can hear the gasps and shrieks of outrage now. “Goober! She just called him a goober!” Darn tootin’. He’s a spaz. A drop dead gorgeous, sexy as all hell, completely loveable goober. It’s one of the things that I love best about the show. They’re always happy to take pot shots at the leading man. Case in point. Hey, Angel, next time you’re trapped in a room and can’t get out...use your cellphone. It’s been a recurring theme throughout the season. Angel may be the suave, ubercool Batdude but he still screws up from time to time. He can be a klutz. He hops in the wrong car. He believes Cordelia when she tells him he can mush coffee beans with his bare hands. David Boreanaz has amazing comedic timing and priceless facial expressions. Hopefully, this trend of humor at Angel’s expense will continue. Now on to the real stars of this episode. The stunts and the special effects. While I enjoyed the small comedic moments and appreciates the emotional ones, the action sequences simply blew me away. The first fight that we see between Gunn’s men and the vampires was visually stunning. The aforementioned cannon was an especially useful tool in this sequence. A vampire’s body exploding in motion in midair is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. On the small screen or the big screen. There was more fun when Angel fled Gunn that first time. Angel racing through a booby-trapped building, being pursued by the vampire hunters as he dodges the traps, was a thrill. That scene was tight and fast-paced. Angel never stopped moving and we all raced alongside him. I’ll spare you my rhapsodizing over every fight in the episode. The two that I mentioned are my favorite of the night. Not that the others were bad. In fact, the worst fight sequence on any episode of Angel is still better than anything else on television. There, I’ve said it. Best on television. Fast and fun. What makes the fights on Angel so much fun to watch? It’s street fighting. Pure and simple. There’s nothing static or conventional about it. It makes every fight seem fresh and new, as if these people were really facing off. Judging their opponents’ strengths and weaknesses, improvising and compensating as they go. It’s like violent ballet. Or hockey without ice. So we have drama. We have comedy. We have action. We have a hottie. It’s a perfect mix that I look forward to every week. Except for one small problem... What am I going to do when summer comes?
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Post by Dalton on Jul 23, 2003 13:16:22 GMT -5
Shades of Grey I’ve talked many times about shades of grey on “Angel.” But I’ve always done it from the hero’s perspective. We’ve seen good people who struggle with the darkness within and try to do the right thing. But now we’ve seen that the good guys aren’t the only ones struggling. So are the villains. There are no absolutes in life. It’s a theme that we have seen time and again on this show. This week was another example. Lindsay McDonald is a villain. It’s supposed to be easy to hate him. After all, he’s evil. He’s the slimy bad guy lawyer who gets his supernatural and undead clients off for crimes he full well knows they’ve committed. But even Lindsay has his limits. Apparently, the slaughter of three innocent children is too much for him to stomach. When faced with an act that is truly reprehensible and without ambiguity, he couldn’t allow himself to be a party to it. It’s then that he must turn to Angel. Needless to say, Angel isn’t bowled over by Lindsay’s change of heart. “Oh, nodded off. Did you get to the part where you’re evil?” It just doesn’t ring true to Angel. Or to anyone really. It smells like a trap. Why is Lindsey suddenly developing a conscience? And why come to Angel for help? It’s all a little too convenient because the one thing that Lindsay has never seemed to be is conflicted. In some ways, Lindsay is like Faith. Like Faith, he blurred lines and then crossed them. He probably didn’t even realize he was doing it. It was his job. To defend his clients by any means necessary. In the name of a good legal defense, he worked outside the rules from time to time. Nothing big in the beginning. Just a bending of morals from time to time. But when you bend those rules even once and manage to justify it to yourself, you leave the door open. You give yourself the opportunity to do it again. And there is always an again. So Lindsay continued his work. And the rules he bent got bigger and bigger until he stopped bending them and started breaking them. It’s not a huge leap from there to ignoring what’s right and wrong completely. And then one day, he looks around and doesn’t know where he is. Or even who he is. Suddenly he’s not a good guy. He’s not even a middle of the road guy. Yes, the evil permeated his soul slowly and gradually, but the end result is the same. He’s a villain. Of course he would turn to Angel in his time of crisis. Angel is uniquely equipped to understand his plight. And even though Angel is not entirely convinced of the sincerity of Lindsay’s motives, he’s willing to work with him for the sake of these three children. He is not, however, ready to trust him. I think it’s safe to assume that no one will be breaking out the fatted calf for Lindsay. Which is a good thing since this episode also marked one of the most ambiguous endings to date on “Angel.” What did that mean? Is Lindsay rejoining the not-so-fine folk at Wolfram & Hart? If so, is he completely back in the fold or is his heart still heavy? Will he attempt to get rid of Angel once and for all in the hopes of erasing the memory of his betrayal? Will Lindsay ask Cordelia out? Or is Wesley more his style? Could I ask any more questions? I wish I could say I have a clue but dammit if they didn’t leave me guessing. I have no clue how this is going to play out. Next week is the Season Finale and I also wonder if this storyline will be wrapped up quickly or play out next season. I’m hoping for next season. Wolfram & Hart makes for a fascinating villain. The more we learn about them, the more questions there are. This is a story that has unfolded slowly. From the very first episode, there have been these hints that the firm is more than just a bunch of lawyers representing supernatural scum. They know too much. Magickal thresholds? Shamans? Clairvoyants? These are not your average lawyers. It makes one wonder who those senior partners really are. Especially since we’ve never laid eyes on neither a Wolfram, nor a Hart. To see all of these questions wrapped in a week would be a shame. Not to mention physically impossible. Yes, “Angel” fans, there’s a big bad in LA. And I think they’re here to stay. SOME ODDS & ENDS: 5. Gunn: “Cater to the demon. Cater to the dead man. But what about the black man?” So very glad to see Gunn back. I adored that scene of him in the Wolfram & Hart Lobby. Pure comedy. 4. Cordelia: “Hey, guess what they’ve been doing all day?” Wesley: “Uh…saving the world?” Cordelia: “Well yeah...but they’ve been breaking encrypted computer files, too.” Angel: “What are the odds?” Having Cordelia on the phone with Willow was a stroke of genius. The first thing I thought when I saw Cordelia with the encrypted disks was, “there’s a lot of that going around.” Glad to see the writers realized it also. 3. Lindsay: “Sorry I’m late. Hope I didn’t worry anyone.” Cordelia: “We just figured you were dead.” You will note that I mentioned a potential Lindsay/Cordelia pairing. Yes, I’m all for it. It’s perfect. Cordelia can’t resist his good looks and sizeable bank account. Lindsay can’t resist her beauty and the way she berates. They’ll fight it all the way until it’s too late. Okay, it may never happen but I think it’d be damn entertaining. 2. The scrolls. Angel has been struggling for some time with the idea that he can make amends. He never really believed it was possible. It’s made his fight against the powers of darkness a bit difficult. How can you help others find redemption when you see yourself as irredeemable? Perhaps with this prophecy, he can finally accept that he is an instrument of good. This is his destiny. 1. The promo for next week. Whoever edits together those promos should be taken out and shot. Do you have to put every possibly exciting and surprising detail in the promos? Can’t there be anything that we don’t know about in advance? I for one was looking forward to people’s shock about the thing...you know...that goes *boom*. Not such a shock anymore, is it? But tune in next week. Even if it’s not a surprise anymore. Same bat time. Same bat channel.
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Post by Dalton on Jul 23, 2003 13:16:58 GMT -5
The Meaning of Shanshu
“Shanshu has roots in so many different languages, and there's no precise word for it in English -- but the most ancient source is the Proto-Bantu, and they consider life and death the same thing. Part of a cycle. Only a thing that is not alive never dies.” Life and death are intrinsically linked. Until you understand that, you can never truly live. It’s why people always look back upon their childhood and say, “if I’d only known” and “it goes by so fast.” When you’re growing up, you have no concept of your own mortality. Life stretches out before you, seemingly endless. You grow. You live. You experience life. You don’t truly appreciate it. No one ever understands how precious life is until faced with the possibility of its cessation. I know people who have done battle with life-threatening illnesses and speak of those illnesses as a gift. Because it made them stop taking their life for granted as this continuously renewable resource. It changed their lives and their souls. It made them reevaluate what is truly important and what is just noise. With a newfound sense of purpose, they set out and restructured their world to reflect new priorities. All based upon the knowledge that life is short. Angel has no idea what any of that means. He is immortal. He will never die. Yes, technically, he could be hit by a lumber truck tomorrow and perish. But beyond that, the only death he faces on a regular basis belongs to other people. He can’t relate to what it means to change. To age. To die. He is in the world but not of the world. But apparently not forever. Someday, when he’s fulfilled his purpose, humanity will be his. He will know all of those things. He will change. He will age. He will die. He will live. That’s one hell of a prophecy, huh? The prophecy was the focus of the episode. What did it mean? We’ve already seen that prophecies can be tricky things. How set in stone is that thing anyway? By focusing so much on the scroll and the warriors battling to claim it, we were distracted from The Raising itself. I’m sure most people figured it was some sort of hell beast. Maybe an especially vicious or powerful demon, such as the Judge or Acathala. Instead, we got the greatest surprise twist since Angel lost his soul. Darla. Back from the dead. Or should that be the undead? It would seem that the attorneys at Wolfram & Hart have managed to bring Darla back into this dimension. You’ll note that her state was very much like Angel’s was when he returned from Hell. I think it’s fair to assume that’s where Darla’s been. Hell. Of course, she’s been in Hell a very long time. Angel was in Hell for close to five months, which roughly translated to several hundred years. Darla was there for three years. What that equates to in the other dimension would probably be around 3,000 years. And it’s not a fun place to spend eternity. If you recall Buffy and Giles’ conversation from “Beauty & the Beasts”: “From what is known about that dimension, it would suggest a world of... brutal torment. And time moves quite differently there, so...” “I remember. So he would've been down there for hundreds of years.” “Yes.” “Of torture.” “It would take someone of extraordinary... will and character to survive that and, uh, retain any semblance of self. Most likely, he'd be a monster.” “A lost cause”. “Maybe. Maybe not. In my experience, there are... two types of monster. The first, uh, can be redeemed, or more importantly, wants to be redeemed.” “And the second type?” “The second is void of humanity, cannot respond to reason... or love.” For some reason, I don’t picture Darla as the first type of monster. She’s back from Hell. And she’s pissed. Or at least she will be when she remembers who sent her there. That’s right. Angel. He was the one who staked his own sire to save Buffy’s life. Vampire lore has never been fully explored in the Buffyverse but, generally, to kill your own sire is considered the most heinous crime a vampire can commit. I don’t see Darla letting him off the hook with a stern warning. And Angel is vulnerable to attack. We see that more clearly than ever. Not by attacking him directly. After all, where’s the fun in that? No, if you want to get to Angel, you go after his only true weakness. His family. We’ve seen it for some time. Cordelia and Wesley are Angel’s family. He cares for them deeply. And now we’ve seen that he needs them. Not in the sense of needing Cordelia’s visions and Wesley’s research assistance. Angel needs them. Wesley and Cordelia. For who they are, not what they can do. He needs Cordelia’s bluntness. Her enthusiasm for the almighty dollar. Her offbeat sense of humor. He needs Wesley’s quiet strength. His occasional bumbles. His odd sense of style. He needs them bickering every other second. Tossing thinly veiled barbs at each other. Coming together as a team when they have to. I don’t believe that Vocah had any idea what he was really taking away from Angel when he targeted Cordelia and injured Wesley. He saw it only as a chance to sever Angel’s ties to the Powers That Be. It didn’t even occur to him that by hurting Cordelia and Wesley he would be hurting Angel even more. But Darla will. She is a master of manipulation and she knows Angel all too well. She knows how to sense weakness in him and exploit it. Once Darla’s recovered and is back in the game, the Bat Pack is in for a world of trouble. Because Darla likes to play. Miscellaneous Matters: This episode was the perfect ending to our first season. It left us with many juicy questions: 1. Wolfram & Hart. What are they planning and who the heck are the senior partners? 2. Kate. She looks like Hell and is acting like a royal bitch. Will she really become Angel’s enemy? 3. Lindsay. It would seem Lindsey is now fully on the side of darkness and making no apologies for it. Will he have another about face or is this it for him? 4. Lindsay’s Hand. Did they reattach his hand or will he be sporting a wicked looking metal hook next season? If it’s the latter, will he also be wearing a Gordon’s Fisherman outfit? 5. David Nesbitt. He was just sort of tossed in there. Why? Will we be seeing him again? Maybe he can give Angel a cool new place to live and work now that the building went boom. 6. Gunn. What’s his story? 7. Faith. Will she return? 8. Cordelia. Is this kinder, gentler, more benevolent Cordy here to stay? 9. Wesley. Is he going to start wearing contacts? But the real question for next season now is... if this is what Wolfram & Hart has planned for their first attack against Angel, what do they have in the works for a follow up? Coming next week...a recap of Angel: Season One. You don’t want to miss it.
Kristen Reidel
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Post by Dalton on Jul 23, 2003 13:17:28 GMT -5
The Dark Knight Finds His Voice I have a confession to make. At this time last year, I was not looking forward to the new series, Angel. No. Really. I wasn’t. From the moment I first heard that David Boreanaz would be getting his own show, I dreaded the series debut. The more I heard, the more worried I got: They’re sending Cordelia to LA? Why? She and Angel haven’t had any interaction since Season Two. ‘Touched by an Equalizer?’ Oh dear lord. (Yes, this is how one of the creators of the show referred to the show’s premise.) They’re adding some blonde chick to the cast to be Angel’s love interest? Um... hello? Gypsy curse ringing any bells, people? I told myself that I should just wait and be patient. “I will have faith in Joss” became my mantra. Every time I heard a new rumor about the show, I would recite my mantra. Again and again. But nothing could stop the sinking feeling I had that this show was going to be a disaster. Not only would it tank, it was going to take Buffy on a downward spiral with it. You’ll note that I’m not real good with the faith. Then I saw something that changed my mind. I was given a copy of the 6-minute presentation that had been shown to the WB affiliates. I was floored. In 6 minutes, they managed to completely capture my imagination. I was suddenly more excited about the premiere of the new series than I was about Buffy’s new season. I couldn’t wait for the Fall. “City of” delivered on the promise of that promotional video. The show was fast moving and action packed. Angel was Batman. He had the cool car and the nifty toys to prove it. Plus, a surprise treat: the show was funny. It was a terrific beginning to the new season. I was thrilled. Then came “Lonely Heart.” I cannot tell a lie. Upon first viewing, I hated this episode. It was only went I went back and viewed the episode again that I was able to pinpoint exactly what didn’t work for me. The humor. It seemed forced and jarringly out of sync with the rest of the episode. It would appear that all those rumors of production being shut down so the show could be retooled were, in fact, true. The network felt the show was too dark. They wanted it to be “lighter.” Well, we now have Angel running around in broad daylight. Is that good enough for you? While nothing came close to “City of,” the season did get better after that. I found every episode to be entertaining. Yet there was still something missing. Part of why the first half of the Angel season felt so uneven was the basic premise behind the show: Angel was a private detective who helps the hopeless. He was the star of the show but he wasn’t the focus of its story. That was reserved for the damsel-of-the-week. I don’t care about the damsel-of-the-week whose creepy doctor sends body parts instead of Godiva. I want to know about Angel. A man of mystery. An enigma, even. A vampire with a soul, the only one of his kind. He’s a hero now, fighting to save souls. Yet for two centuries, he was a vicious, sadistic, murderous fiend. He lives with all those memories, not to mention a demon residing inside of him. There are all these questions about Angel’s past and no answers. What was he like as a human? What happened to him after he was cursed? Where did he get his money? How does he get his hair to look like that without a mirror? “Somnambulist” was the first episode to really look at Angel’s past. We were introduced to another of Angelus’ progeny, the deliciously evil Penn. It also introduced us to a concept that had been somewhat glossed over previously. The idea that although Angel’s soul is in control, it is a daily battle to keep it that way. The demon is always there, hovering beneath the surface, waiting for its chance to spring forth and take over. We got a good look at the constant fear that Angel lives with on a daily basis. The fear of his darker self gaining dominance. The next two episodes, “Expecting” and “SHE” were okay. Though the dancing alone in “SHE” made the episode worth watching. “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” was a wonderful episode. A new twist on an old theme that was marvelously executed. The show was getting better every week. Steadily, it was finding its own unique voice. They had recovered quite nicely from the loss of Doyle as a character, and Wesley was shaping up to be a great addition to the ensemble. Then came “The Prodigal.” This episode was the turning point of the season. The story once again focused on Angel but now, we saw who he had been as a mortal. The rakish lay about who liked to drink and gamble and chase pretty girls. Seeing Angel as a human gave us new insight into who he would become as a vampire. That voracious appetite and thirst for adventure made him much more than a mere vampire. His inferiority complex at the hands of his father, the sense that he would never amount to anything, pushed him to be a success in his new life. His bloodlust, ambition and artistic flair elevated him to his Scourge of Europe title. From that episode on, the show changed. It was no longer about the clients. It was about Angel. The man and the demon. And the blurry line that separates the two. The remainder of the season followed a similar path. We saw it in “The Ring” as the demon’s survival instinct kicked in and took care of business to keep the body alive. In “Eternity,” the demon was freed from captivity and, as expected, wackiness ensued. “Five by Five” and “Sanctuary” were easily the best of the season. The addiction recovery metaphor that had been hinted at all season, and mentioned by its Supervising Producer, was presented perfectly. The dark side isn’t some nebulous force that sucks us in against our will. It’s an insidious creature. Feeding our despair. Coaxing us to give in. And then stealing our lives away from us. There were more exciting developments in the final third of the season. Cordelia and Wesley had become rich and interesting characters in their own right. Kate, after floundering for most of the season without much purpose, was now the thorn in Angel’s side. Her bitter diatribes suddenly made her interesting. Gunn arrived on the scene and stole it. Every time. All in all, the Bat Pack was shaping up to be quite a powerful ensemble cast. But most importantly, there was finally a villain. Not some cardboard cut out bad guy of the week. No, we now had an evil supervillain that we could all love to hate. A worthy adversary for our superhero. Wolfram & Hart’s progression to that status was gradual. It began with a casual mention in the first episode. At first, they didn’t seem that important. Just a bunch of suits defending some supernatural criminals. But they were everywhere. Popping up every few episodes in some way, shape or form. Culminating in the dramatic face off in the Season Finale. And giving us a stunning cliffhanger to ponder all summer. Darla. The plot twist we never saw coming. It was perfect. The show had just about everything. The only thing that missing is the why. Why Angel? Why was he released from Hell? Why was the First Evil so desperate to destroy him? Why was he spared last Christmas? Enter The Prophecy. Angel has a destiny. More than just helping unfortunate souls at the end of their ropes. More than battling to protect the innocent. He’s going to save the world. He will be the great warrior in the battle of good vs. evil. And if he can stave off whatever Darla has in store for him... and if he can overcome the plans Wolfram & Hart have for him... and if he can prevent his darker self from destroying him from the inside... he can win the battle. Not to mention regain his humanity. It’s a pretty tall order but no one ever said that saving the world and regaining your humanity was going to be a walk in the park. As I look over the season as a whole, I’m thrilled with the outcome. The show has more than fulfilled what was promised in those 6 minutes. It has surpassed it. Season Two looks to be even more promising and leads me to only one conclusion... It’s going to be a long summer, folks.
Kristen Reidel 6/1/2000
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