S5:16 SHELLS: Going Going, Gone

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PattiT said:

Rae, hi lurky girl.

As I didn't really get to express to you before, I enjoyed your review so much. Except for the 'goneness' of it, which I'm not ready to accept. Like you I get all teary every time I watch the end of the episode - from Wesley's lines to Fred disappearing out of sight.

I'm just going to quote the heck out of you here...because these are such good insights I think.

"In that opening scene, Illyria says to Wes, “You seek to save what’s rotted through.” In a way, that applies to the setup for this entire season. The Gang has been seeking to use W&H for good; to save it from being an evil entity. Only, there is no saving W&H. It’s rotted through right to the core, the Senior Partners. And that rot has spread into the Gang. "

I'm thinking though that it's not too late. Wesley lay in a hospital bed 2 seasons ago and it looked like he was irretrievably parted from the Gang, but he wasn't. Gunn is in that bed now, but the rotten place has been opened up and cut away now, literally.

I was especially impressed by the following because I agree with you completely yet again, I think there is a further message.

"The direction on the plane scene is fabulous, especially if you notice the differences between this episode and the previous episode. The last time Angel and Spike were on the plane together, they sat side by side. They were in sync with each other. Both very focused on one goal, saving Fred. This week, they no longer sit side by side. Spike is behind Angel, trying to drown his feelings and talking. Angel, on the other hand, sits with his back to him and quiet. The scene so perfectly illustrates how different people deal with grief and how losing her has already fractured the group that was so strong, so together in their efforts to save her. "

I do think this is an illustration of their different ways of dealing, but I don't think they are pulled apart ...Spike and Angel are pulled together by the end - fighting (not winning, but still) in synch together.

I always enjoy your reviews Rae - you always find things that I never saw...or at least I didn't see the signifcance til you point it out to me.

Thanks, Patti, glad you enjoyed it

I definitely agree that it's not too late for Gunn. Now that he's recognized why he was going for the mind boost and the others know about it... he's definitely ready to start the road back. I'm also glad they did it now... 6 episodes doesn't seem like much to us but in the Jossverse so much can happen in that time. So, hopefully that'll be enough time to get him back by the end of the season.

Also - I mentioned the fragmenting with Angel and Spike but I do actually think they are the strongest "duo" right now in this group dynamic. They are consistently together both physically and mentally (in regards to the plan of action, etc.) throughout the episode. That is a great sign. Now if we can just get the others in there too.

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Guest-makd said:

Hi, Rae

Wonderful review, Rae-girl; just terrific!

I love the way you interspersed screencaps and text, and, the lyrics to the ending song....um...well....the thing is....by the time I read the last line of lyrics, I was crying....

I don't do this much when reading. Your words moved me, Rae. Thank you...

I really don't have much to add to this discussion; seems we talked about the episode so much already. There is one thing - which we've all been saying - Team Angel needs it's heart; Fred was their heart....We are all so worried about what will happen next, and if Fred will be resurrected. And, if she can't be...what will happen with Illyria.

Once again, the Jossman raises standard TV drama to a new level...and keeps us biting our nails....

Damn The WB: not only are we 5 weeks without Angel, we might not have much more Angel. The best show on TV....

arggghhh. pfft. going now. back to grading papers.

Thanks, Rae; your review was excellent!

Thanks, makd! I'm glad I moved you... though I am sorry it made you cry. I did want it to be a tribute to Fred because I will miss her so I'm glad everyone seems to have enjoyed it as such.

Oh, and the song is "A Place Called Home" by Kim Richey off her Rise album. It is, indeed, available. It is her most recent album so I was able to find it at Barnes & Noble. For those who don't have a larger music store (my virgin megastore also had it but I didn't want to drive across town) or a bookstore with a good music selection , you can also get it at amazon.com (the link should take you directly to her album).

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Nan said:

Excellent review, Rae, and your use of pictures is extremely evocative. I never think beyond the words, myself.

I agree with you about the plane scene--very effective dramatization of the difference between the trip out and the trip back, and Angel's mode of coping compared to Spike's. I came to much the same conclusions before I'd read your review and commented on that scene in much the same terms, on the Main Part.

On those things where we differ, it's of the glass half empty/glass half full variety. And only further developments can tell us whether our hopes or our attempt to be resigned is the appropriate and correct response.

Thanks, Nan -- Actually the pictures are some of what took me so long to get it done. I was wading through screen caps of this season looking for pictures that seemed to "fit" with what I was doing.

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SpringSummers said:

Yes, wonderful pic selection, and all around nice effort, Rae.

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy, 'cause you are Rae . . .

You make a really good argument, but I'm still holding on to the idea that Fred might return. Unlike you, I can't come up with much reasoning for that, 'cept I just "think so." I guess it is good I didn't do this week's guest review . . .

Nice catch on the "Home" album cover, Sun-Rae.

Awww, Sun-Rae... my friend in HS used to call me that

Thanks, Spring. I hope that you right too. This is one time I want my "bet" to be wrong and will gladly pay out when it is!

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Rob said:

This is one of my favorite reviews of the year.

First of all, your conclusions about Fred being the heart of the group are absolutely on the mark. She is, without question, the one with the most capability to reach out to others.

Take a heap of Willow's genius and sweet nature, throw in a few cups of Xander's uncanny ability to see people's emotional needs and meet them...and you have Fred.

One thought that strikes me about Gunn: though his killing of Fred's old professor went a long way toward breaking them up, it also SAVED Fred as we knew her. She could never have been the same...sort of like how Willow will never completely be Willow again after killing Warren. You can recover from it, but you're forever changed.

He killed that man because he was afraid to lose Fred...and it was the right thing to do. Gunn went through the killing of his own sister. Compared to that, killing a man who was responsible for Fred's torment is a minor point. Now, though...he blames himself for losing her instead. His sacrifice meant nothing.

It makes me feel terrible for him.

Next thought:

Few comparisons can be made between BtVS Season 7 and this year's Angel...but one big one pops into my head: At nearly the same point in the seasons, the heart of the group is cut out, leaving only emotionally distanced and frightened people. On Buffy, the seeds were sown for their implosion...until circumstances (and Spike showing up in a pinch) forced them back to their senses. Moreover, Xander didn't die. He was merely permanently disfigured...and came back within a week.

Last year it was Spike who helped Buffy pull herself up by the bootstraps. For some reason, I don't see him being able to do it again for the Fang Gang. This time, it's going to have to be someone else...and my money's on Lorne...IF he can pull himself together. I think he can be the temporary glue in Fred's absence.

Again, this is a brilliant and moving review. Thank you, Rae.

Aww, ok, you guys are making me blush. Just goes to show you I have no concept for how well (or not) my writing is working. I was afraid it didn't flow all that well.

Thanks, Rob I'm honored that you liked it so well.

I agree about how, in retrospect, Gunn's killing the professor himself really was to protect Fred. And, that just makes the results of his action this time even more touching. He truly would not have done anything to harm Fred. I'm sure one part of him wanted Wes to stab him or more, even. (Which, btw, Wes may actually recognize himself... Having to live with the "guilt" is worse for Gunn than killing him would be.)

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Rachael said:

My money's on Lorne, also. He's kinda my only hope right now. No one else has the, um, jeez, empathy, to bring this group back together.

So, Rachael, what are you trying to say? That he can empathize with each of them?

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cal said:

Great review, Rae! Very moving. I am still crying as I write this. I too hope that Fred will return, but I have this awful feeling that you are right and that she truly is gone forever.

This season just keeps getting better and better with each episode. The negative reaction it is getting from some fans mystifies me. This season is really making me "feel" everything that the characters are feeling and that is important to me.

We so need another season! It is going to be impossible to get a satisfactory ending with just 6 new episodes to go.

Again, well done, Rae!

Cal

I have a major case of You-Know-Who-itis going on here! But... Thanks, Cal! Glad you enjoyed it.

[Lola m]

Hey Rae!

Great review! Enjoyed the screencaps, but really loved the song quotes. In particular, the lines: Rather know the things I know, See the world with my own eyes. Very Fred.

Eetah with your "rotten to the core" comment. The metaphor just keeps getting hammered home to any of the crew who haven't gotten it yet. Making a deal with W&H? Not such a good idea. But how do they get out? That's the real big bad of the season.

I echo those who think it's not too late for Gunn. Even with the few shows left this season, there's time for him to come back to the gang. Look how far he came in just one ep! From denial and trying to cover his tracks to accepting responsibility for his part. But I stand with you too in saying, how much blame is really his? He knew something was wrong, but he would never have knowingly done this to Fred.

And the line: "Now you know how I feel". Just smacked me between the eyes when I first heard it. AD can pack so much into a single line. (Like our JM.)

Again, nice job! Very moving.

Lola

[Anne, Old S'cubie Cat]

Lovely review, Rae, perfectly set off by the pictures.

You showed me things I hadn't seen, and tied this episode into those before. Great job.

Maintaining emotional detachment here, really

[Rachael]

Rae said:

So, Rachael, what are you trying to say? That he can empathize with each of them?

Yeah, you know, I think Lorne is very empathetic. Or, wait, is that empathic?

Or both.

[Karen]

Thanks for the terrific review, Rae! I think my emotions have shut down for the season - and I don't like it. Your review helped me see and really miss Fred. When I rewatched Fred and Harmony's scene in the bar in " Disharmony" a few days ago, I was really hit with the real Fred - and it hurt so much to know she was gone.

I too was struck, as many others were, with how many times we heard - Fred is gone - during "Shells". My first thought was that Fred really is dead, which was followed by the thought that the gang does protest too much. I hope we are surprised and Fred comes back to us, because I don't see the gang surviving without her - without their *heart*.

I hope that her essense is really trapped in that sarcaphogus - as Illyria's used to be. Is the gang (or maybe just Wes?) going to become sympathetic to Illyria - and ultimately have to make a choice between it and Fred? Or maybe Wes's game plan is to figure out how to get Fred back and that's why he's being helpful to Illyria?

Ok, enough - I'm making myself nuts. Again - heartwrenching review, Rae - thanks for making me feel again.

[Sue]

Rae,

Thanks for pulling together themes from throughout the season which were echoed in this episode.

I especially liked:

"You seek to save what's rotted through." (Illyria to Wes)-- applied to FG and W&H

"I can't seem to find anything wrong with you. I mean...except that you're empty. There's nothing left. Just a shell." (Fred to Angel). Wow, yes, foreshadowing much? Makes me wonder what is being foreshadowed in "Shells" that we can't know until it develops.

The tie-in between the "infection" of Fred's body by Illyria and the infection of Gunn's mind--taking over his body; and pointing out that W&H control his body as well to the point that the conduit appears as Gunn.

And most especially all the references to Fred seeing, looking perceiving and recognizing.

Excellent summation and very helpful in tying the season together as a whole.

Sue

[Linda]

Hi Rae,

I just wanted to say that this was a wonderful review. It was also a beautiful tribute to Fred, who as you said, was the heart of the group. My emotions (aka my Inner Caveman) right now agree with your view that Fred is Gone. (My IC reaction to the end of the episode was WTF!? Fred Gone!?!)

Like you, however, I sincerely hope that she will be back. With Soul.

At this point, my Inner Astronaut offers the following points for consideration:

1. Illyria, at the end, is able to access Fred's last words: "Wesley, why can't I stay?" Painful, yes. But significant also. Otherwise, why repeat it? The implication (IMO) is that Fred's soul has gone SOMEWHERE. Not nowhere. Retrievable. Right? In some form? HopeHopeHope.

2. In A Hole in the World, one of the things that Superhero Fred says: "This is my power: to not let them take Me." In one light: to stay true to herself. And she WAS. She remained true to herself throughout their stay at W&H. She was the one arguing in terms of right and wrong, not expedience. She remained, more than anyone else, uncorrupted by the trappings of W&H. I actually do believe this: she WON her personal fight against W&H. She wasn't corrupted from within, from graying moral choices. She had to be corrupted from without. By an outside agency. Not by personal choice. Very important in the Jossverse. Is it enough? HopeHopeHope.

3. More abstract than emotional points:
a. Spike's little play on JD perspective/perception also implies that perception can fool you.
b. Old Ones were gone before humankind existed (says Angel when he spoke to Eve in AHITW) -- so how could Illyria really know about humans and their souls? Perhaps one of the reasons humans rule the earth is not only sneakiness, but stronger souls.



I had a few more hopeful thoughts, but they ran away. Thanks again, Rae for the lovely analysis. I, too, hope that ME can surprise us.

Linda, who is hoping that my Inner Astronaut wins...

[Reetta]

Finally found the time to read the review and only a couple of weeks after the episode aired. My first impression was that the episode a little so-so, but I like it more every time I watch it. The same goes for Harmony. I have completely changed my opinion about her this season. I like her more every time we see her - how does Joss do it?
Along with the Wes/Illyria scene and the plane scene the Wes/Harmony scene was one of my favourites.

I keep changing my mind about Fred's fate whatever way the wind blows (or it could just be the thing that I'm easily affected by other people's opinions). First I was adamant that she will come back (exactly because they were protesting "too much" ), then I was sure she was gone. Permanently. Now I'm back in my initial position. I'd be much less worried though if there were more than six episodes left.

I love the way you always analyse the direction of the scenes and the camera angles in your reviews and the "serious music moments" in this one in particular. Just a few more things that makes this show so exceptional.

Thanks for tying together the themes of the entire season. I was crying by the end of the review, too. I suppose it is the combined effect of thinking about the last scene, about all the things Fred's been through and the fact that the end of the season is nigh.