|
Post by partcynic on May 25, 2010 9:49:40 GMT -5
I don't know. I like the first half quite a bit, though the second is a letdown and there's not enough plot. However, I'd still rather watch this than all but a couple of episodes from S3/4, and quite a bit of S5. Again, I liked it. The dialogue is well-written and there's actual chemistry between Doyle and Harry (and then genuine emotion when Doyle's chatting with Angel). I liked seeing the show subvert its usual approach to relationships, too. Ha - for me it was the opposite. Are there any other eps from S1 you'd rate lower than this one (besides "She" )? Yeah, that was contrived. I thought they were surprised that he'd agreed to come (since that implied he consented to the brain eating). Having it as a custom doesn't make it a necessity, so there's room for those two ideas to fit. I still think she could work here and there. Wesley has book knowledge as opposed to real-world knowledge, and that wouldn't always see them through. Harry would also have a deeper understanding of demons, beyond the Council line of 'they're evil and must be killed'.
|
|
|
Post by cyclica on May 26, 2010 15:26:50 GMT -5
However, I'd still rather watch this than all but a couple of episodes from S3/4, and quite a bit of S5. I personally would put almost every s3 and s5 episode above this one. I agree about s4 though. Are there any other eps from S1 you'd rate lower than this one (besides "She" )? I'd say lonely hearts, sense and sensitivity, I will rememebr you and the prodigal would all be fairly equal to this one, though obviously She is the only one I'd put way down on the list. I still think she could work here and there. Wesley has book knowledge as opposed to real-world knowledge, and that wouldn't always see them through. Harry would also have a deeper understanding of demons, beyond the Council line of 'they're evil and must be killed'. Well isn't that what angel does? And to a lesser extent lorne?
|
|
|
Post by cyclica on May 27, 2010 13:35:02 GMT -5
I will remember youSo the episode starts with angel being broody after coming back from rescuing buffy from what cordy calls the 'thingymagiggy' from doyle's vision. Thingymagiggy? You mean the native american spirit (or possibly a vampire)? Was that line written before it was decided what the threat in the vision should be? Buffy walks in and claims she is just dropping by, on her way to visiting her father. I wish we could have found out whether or not this story was true, or if she was just making excuses to see angel. Does hank summers live in LA, and does buffy continue to visit him later on? Angel tells buffy the reason he was in sunnydale was a long story. Buffy then sums it all up with 'You're sidekick had a vision, I was in it, you came to sunnydale?', leaving angel to reply 'maybe not that long'. It's that running joke that was used in both 'faith, hope and trick' and 'homecoming', and it's still funny. I look forward to them using it again. Then a demon jumps straight through the window. Thereby making a sunny room even more sunny. Why is it ok for angel to be exposed to so much sunlight? Did the writers forget he was a vampire? His office doesn't even have curtains. Also, I wonder if anyone outside noticed the armour-plated demon walking down the street, and leaping however many stories high before bursting through angel's window. So buffy and angel fight the demon, while cordy and doyle go off to a bar somewhere. I love how even cordelia is bored of the buffy/angel angst, and isn't the least bit concerned that they're fighting each other (or so she believes). It is actually kinda cool to see buffy back, and interacting with angel again, though I would have liked her to have some more interaction with cordy and doyle, and less relationshippy drama with angel. The 'sewer talk' was I suppose nice continuity with 'the prom', but watching them arguing is rarely fun. It turns out being exposed to the demon's blood makes angel become human. It's funny how this storyline is never referenced later on, when the shanshu prophecy revelas he will become human one day. And there's no mention that angel's finished 'working for redemption' either. So what does angel do once he becomes human? Well first he goes right up to his sunny window and looks out, presumably because he's enjoying sunlight for the first time in centuries. Even though he's in that sunny office everyday. And then he stuffs his face, with his first taste of food in centuries, even though spike eats all the time. Doyle takes angel to the oracles to see if his humanity 'sticks'. The first time I saw this episode, I thought the oracles were cheesy and a stupid addition to the mythos, but they've grown on me since then. Though I do still wonder what their role is (do they watch over us like the PTB?), and how powerful they are. Doyle and cordy lament their new unemployment, in a nice little scene, which is basically just ther to give the actors something to do. It's a little strange how the two of them have so many scenes together in this ep, yet there's no reference to the doyle/cordy 'relationship'. Anyway, cordy sarcastically says she's sure angel and buffy are just having tea and crackers... which it turns out is exactly what they are doing, not that these characters would ever do that. It's like cordy is pointing out a flaw in the writing. Angel and buffy go on and on about how they can never be together, which is a bit stupid since there's no real obstacles in their way, beyond the fact that they are currently living seperate lives. But then they're like 'screw it', and just hop into bed together. Presumably since angel is human now he's no longer cursed to loose his soul upon having perfect happiness with buffy, although 'living conditions' has taught us it is possible for a human to loose their soul. I suppose if the curse stayed, the having sex wouldn't turn angel into an evil vampire, it would just make him an annoying roommate. I must admit, it was kinda nice to see angel and buffy all happy and snuggly together for a little while. And I liked angel letting buffy sleep when he goes off to fight the demon again (not to mention grateful that the soon-to-depart doyle is finally getting a role in the story). So angel goes off to fight, determined to prove that he won't be useless and in need of buffy to constantly rescue him when they move back to sunnydale. Which would imply that the very fact he's a human makes him a rubbish fighter, even though we will see many, many occasions when regular humans like xander, giles and justine seem to be as strong and capable as slayers in a fight. I wonder if hank summers is just standing at a bus stop somewhere, checking every bus that stops to see if his daughter is on it. I hope he brought some sandwiches with him. Angel gets his arse kicked and needed buffy to rescue him, just like he feared would happen. So he goes back to the oracles and asks them to let him go back in time a day to prevent him from turning human. Wow, what a wuss. He can't take one day without his superpowers. I know he doesn't want buffy to be worried about an un-powered boyfriend, but surely if she doesn't date him she'll just date some other regular guy, and be in the same situation anyway (which is exactly what will happen with riley!). And if angel and buffy were together, it really wouldn't be all that hard for them to be together, just so long as he doesn't go on patrol with her. So really his sacrifice is pretty stupid. Buffy cries in angel's arms, then Bam! suddenly she's telling him they need to stay away from each other. Stupid sacrifice aside, I can't help but feel bad for angel at that moment. Not being a bangel fan, I always used to hate this episode. It seemed to 'eat up' one of the precious few doyle episodes we had by shoving him to the background so we could have 45 minutes of relationship crap. Upon rewatching however, I've come around to liking this episode more. Angel and buffy are cute together for the brief time they were a couple, the idea of a human angel is interesting, and the time-reverse at the end was at least a little bit emotional. I'm giving this episode a low 5. Prophecies! - Angel asks the oracles if the PTB had made him human, and they say no because he hasn't yet saved humanity and averted the apocalypse. A reference to the shanshu prophecy? - Mohra the demon, who apparantly has prophetic abilities, claims a great darkness is coming. A reference to the beast bringing darkness in season 4 perhaps? - Angel tells the oracles that mohra said the end of days and 'soldiers of darkness' are coming. I guess angel and mohra had a conversation off screen. Anyway, the soldiers could be a reference to the initiative on btvs, though I don't see how they are 'of darkness'. Maybe it's a reference to adam's own army of demons? Or the scourge in the next ep? - The oracles say the soldiers will be responsible for buffy's death, and the death of 'all mortal beings', though her own death will be sooner. This could be a reference to... who knows?
|
|
|
Post by partcynic on May 30, 2010 12:42:15 GMT -5
I think it was deliberately written to be vague, so that Angel-only viewers wouldn't suddenly be hearing about a Native American warrior that had no bearing on this ep's plot. Hank lives in LA - Buffy went and stayed with him in the summer between "Prophecy Girl" and "When She Was Bad". As far as we know, she hasn't visited him since this ep, as he eventually shacked up with his secretary and went to Spain (mentioned in "Forever"). I agree. What's really funny is that since we've seen that the Angel Investigations office is on the ground floor of its building, the demon should have been jumping in from the street. There's no comparison there. It's one thing to have ambient light, and another to be able to go out in the middle of the day like a human. True. Though Spike eating was brought up in eps that aired after this one, so the contradiction isn't IWRY's fault. I'm glad that the Oracles have grown on you. I agree that they're a bit cheesy - but I thought that was part of the point. They really fit with the type of sneering, arrogant individuals I would expect the PTB to be represented by. Bear in mind that it's not that they can never be together, but that there are legitimate obstacles. They've had a particular dynamic for so long that it would be hard to break, and there'd be a huge power imbalance that Angel might have a hard time dealing with. Yeah - it's nice to see a happy, romantic scene, and SMG and DB have lots of chemistry. Funnily enough, that was one of the bits I had problems with (though i understood why Angel did it). ... and those three characters being able to fight vamps effectively has always been stupid. They were smart enough to minimise Xander and Giles fighting in the high school years, and their better skills later on were problematic. And let's not even go near the mess that was Justine. I don't have a problem with Angel struggling against the supernatural here, and you also have to remember that he's still adjusting to his change. I doubt he would realise his own loss of power (though I agree that they overdid his weakness. His being nauseated by the blood was ridiculous). Why'd he be doing that? Buffy said she was in LA to visit her father. That doesn't mean she'd already met him, nor that they be meeting imminently. She could have deliberately headed up a day earlier to deal with Angel in her own time. I have to disagree with you here. While Angel did want to protect Buffy, his main motivation was that the demon had actually succeeded in its goal of 'killing' a force for good. With Angel human, the PTB lose a useful ally, and it's better for humanity (and thus for Buffy) that he have his powers back and continue actively protecting people. It's not about being a 'wuss' at all - it's actually about seeing the bigger picture and having the maturity to self-sacrifice. No... That's good to hear. I'd guess the Scourge, though I'm never keen on that melodramatic prophecy stuff.
|
|
|
Post by cyclica on Jun 1, 2010 16:06:49 GMT -5
I think it was deliberately written to be vague, so that Angel-only viewers wouldn't suddenly be hearing about a Native American warrior that had no bearing on this ep's plot. There are angel-only viewers? Who would watch a spin-off without watching the parent show, especially if both shows were currently being aired? Well a few people maybe, but they'd be so small a minority as to not need to be catered for. And quite a few later angel eps (especially those with crossovers) assume that the viewer watches btvs. I agree. What's really funny is that since we've seen that the Angel Investigations office is on the ground floor of its building, the demon should have been jumping in from the street. I had actually forgotten it was on the ground floor. True. Though Spike eating was brought up in eps that aired after this one, so the contradiction isn't IWRY's fault. I forgot spike hasn't eaten yet. Why'd he be doing that? Buffy said she was in LA to visit her father. That doesn't mean she'd already met him, nor that they be meeting imminently. She could have deliberately headed up a day earlier to deal with Angel in her own time. Ok, that was more of a joke than a real complaint. I found it amusing that buffy had said she was going to visit her father, but he was never mentioned again, as though buffy had completely forgotten about him. I liked the idea that he might be sitting around somewhere waiting for her to show up, though like you said it's entirely possibly they've already met, or were planning on meeting later. I have to disagree with you here. While Angel did want to protect Buffy, his main motivation was that the demon had actually succeeded in its goal of 'killing' a force for good. With Angel human, the PTB lose a useful ally, and it's better for humanity (and thus for Buffy) that he have his powers back and continue actively protecting people. I thought that was just angels 'excuse', and the real reason he wanted the day turned back was so buffy wouldn't worry about him. The oracles turned back time not because one of the good guys is gone, but because angel's sacrifice has made him 'worthy' and has earned him the right to go back and allow buffy a new life that won't result in her having to watch out for him. I'd guess the Scourge, though I'm never keen on that melodramatic prophecy stuff. I personally beleive it refers to some event that hasn't happened yet.
|
|
|
Post by cyclica on Jun 3, 2010 16:21:03 GMT -5
HeroSo we come to the final doyle episode, the end of an era. It's a dark and at times very emotional episode, and it's all the more tragic knowing it will be the final tv appearance of glen quinn, the actor who played doyle. "Our rats are low..." "Rates!" "It says rats!"This episode starts out with a nice light, fluffy moment between doyle and cordelia, which unfortunately is the last one we'll get to see. I loved the fake ad at the start when cordy narrates as angel plays the 'dark avenger', and then puts doyle in the role. And doyle's horrible acting when he presents an ad in front of the camera is hilarious, as is the idea of angel wearing tights. The humour comes so fast you could be fooled into thinking this is going to be a comedy episode, but things are about to get really dark... "It's not like he has a heart. How could it be so broken?"Cordy seems to think angel doesn't have a heart for some reason, and asks doyle to help him get out of his funk. Angel tells doyle all about how buffy stuck around longer than five minutes... and doyle seemed to think it was more like ten, even though from his point of view it would have been more like one or two at the most. "I would have chosen the pleasures of the flesh over duty and honor any day of the week. I just don't have that strength." "You never know your strength until you're tested."Angel tells doyle about the sacrifice he's made, and doyle makes it clear that he could never do that. Looking back now knowing how it ends, every little 'set-up' like this is fun to watch. "The thing of it is, I'm a little bit more then meets the... Aargh!"Gah! This was the moment we've all been waiting for, doyle was finally about to ask cordy out, and then he goes and gets a vision. Curse those pesky writers! "The promised one"So doyle and angel follow the vision to find a group of half-demons who are afraid of the scourge and beleive angel to be some sort of savior, and again it's another nice little moment to remember for later, when we find out it's doyle who's the real promised one. I've mentioned before that I'm not a big fan of 'half human' demons, or of demons being the good guys. I suppose the reason for this is that demons have always represented evil, at least in a religious sense, and btvs/angel is the only medium (that I've seen anyway) that portrays them as being good. And after watching 3 seasons of buffy where all demons are evil, suddenly having good/innocent demons seemed very strange, almost like the show was breaking it's own rules, like if they'd suddenly introduced a bunch of good vampires, and never explained why they are good. However the story in this episode isn't just some good guy demons in a bar, it's a metaphor for the persecution of groups of people throughout history, like minorities and especially the persecution of the jews by the nazis, and in this respect the episode really works. While I'm still not happy with the occasional good demons we see in the show later, for this episode I can see why it was essential for this story, and anyway it's how these people relate to doyle that's most important. Though I'm still not entirely buying an entire race of half human demons. It implies that a large number of humans must have mated with a species of demons in the past, and I never like the idea of so many humans knowing about the supernatural. "I'm not looking to explore me roots."" If you don't believe that we share a common family, believe that we share a common enemy."We are treated to a long-awaited flashback into doyle's past, not only revelaing how he knows the scourge but also we learn what kind of man he used to be, and the origins of how he got his visions. Though I would like to know why the scourge would attack the pure-blood brachen demons. Who are they after, all demons other than their own species, or just those that are half human? "I was so excited. Just out in the neighborhood with all the other kids. Guess what day it was?" "It was Halloween."One of the demon kids doesn't want to get on the boat that will take them to safety, and doyle tracks him down and has a talk with him. That whole conversation had a lot of impact, especially when the kids says he can only go out on halloween. "I thought all Brachen demons had a good sense of direction." "Yeah and we're all pretty good at basketball, too." I'm glad they managed to sneak a little comedy in here and there, what with this episode being so dark most of the time. "A half-breed who murders other half-breeds. Always charming."So angel seemingly murderes doyle ( ) to infiltrate the nazi demons, then joins them to attent a speech, complete with uniform and a new evil hair style. Up until this point I wasn't taking the scourge threat seriously, it seemed like just a handful of demons wanting to kill another handful of demons, and all the half-human demons need to do is get another ten or so people on their side in order to have the numbers to defeat the scourge. But then they unveil some big glowing device that can wipe out anyone with human blood. With something like that they could have destroyed all of humanity, and I'm surprised that angle wasn't elaborated upon, as the fate of the twenty or so demons on the ship was all anyone was thinking about. "What do you think I am, superficial? - So you're half demon. That's so far down the list, way under 'short' and 'poor'!"Finally! Cordy finds out doyle is half demon, at long last! I love how it turns out she is fine with it, and asks him to ask her out... but then angel and the scourge arrive before doyle has a chance to. Bah! Angel then defeats the entire scourge all by himself, but the device is still armed. And this is where the episode gets really good. "Too bad we'll never know if this is a face you could learn to love."Doyle reveals his demon face to cordy (for some reason it's all grey for this one scene, not green with bule spikes), and kisses her, while a blue light passes between them. The first time I saw this episode I thought that was an incredibly cheesy effect and I hated it, fortunately though I only had to wait for next week's episode to find out what the light really was. "You never know until you've been tested. I get that now."Angel is about to jump, but doyle punches him unconcious! Then he jumps onto the device and disarms it, knowing he'd have to sacrifice his life in order to save his friends, and the half human demons who remind him of the brachen demons he allowed to die when he was young. The first time I watched this ep I already knew glen quinn was leaving the show and they'd bring wesley back, but it was still a shocking scene, and the perfect way for the character to leave the show. Plus you gotta love how everything comes full circle, and doyle proves himself to be the promised one, willing to make sacrifices and be the kind of hero he told angel at the start he could never be. "Our rats are low..." "Rates!" "It says rats!"Suddenly everything said in that comedy scene at the start takes on another meaning, as we see doyle was talking about himself when he angel investigations hsa someone you can rely on, someone that will go all the way, no matter what (awesome writing there). This is easily one of the saddest and most moving moments not only of angel, but of any tv show. I'd say only the ending to 'you're welcome' had a bigger impact on me. So overall, while I do have a few problems with a few aspects of the episode, and I don't like 'dark' episodes in general, I feel I have to award high points for this episode's writing, and especially for the ending. To balance it all out, I'm giving this episode a 7. "Is that it? Am I done?"
|
|
|
Post by partcynic on Jun 5, 2010 14:53:26 GMT -5
You've done a really good job here - in fact, I'd say this is the best review you've written yet (for either show).
I can't go into specific details since I agree with you on almost everything, so I'll just say that this is well-written, well-structured and insightful, and all of your points are effectively stated.
I hope that doesn't sound too teacher-y, but I just thought I'd let you know how enjoyable this was to read.
|
|
|
Post by cyclica on Jun 5, 2010 18:10:11 GMT -5
Thanks! ;D Compliments are always appreciated.
This is actually the longest review I've ever done, and I'm surprised that so many of my recent reviews have turned out so long, even for average episodes with not much to praise or complain about.
^ I didn't think you sounded too teachery. Just out of curiousity though, are you a teacher?
|
|
|
Post by partcynic on Jun 7, 2010 14:13:41 GMT -5
^ To an extent. I teach, among other things.
|
|
|
Post by cyclica on Jun 7, 2010 16:19:19 GMT -5
Just so you know, I've watched the next 3 angel eps, and I should hopefully have the reviews done soon.
|
|
|
Post by cyclica on Jun 13, 2010 18:12:18 GMT -5
Parting GiftsI liked the continuity of angel going straight to the oracles after doyles death, to get them to reverse it. They say no, and tell him that 'for every door that closes, another opens'. In other words... it's new sidekick time! With doyle gone the show needed someone to fill the gap, and that someone is wesley. I'm glad they brought back an established character rather than bringing in someone new, especially as wesley had so much fun chemistry with cordy on btvs. Wesley and angel had almost no scenes together on btvs (the only one I remember them sharing was when wes threw a big net over angel and kidnapped faith), but you wouldn't know that given the great chemistry they have right from the first instant wes returns. In retrospect it's almost strange how wes was missing from 9 episodes, given how important a watcher/researcher character is to the buffyverse, and how important wes becomes later on. But before that though, we get barney, the red herring demon. He's quirky, has a sense of humour, and has empathic powers similar to doyle's visions- everything points to him being the new sidekick. And so begins the plot, which is really just a series of plot twists. Barney says the guy following him is an assassin, but Bam! it's wesley. Barney seems to be good but Bam! it turns out he's evil. Wes is tracking an evil demon, but Bam! it turns out the guy is just a victim of barney, who cut off his horn. Wes claims to be a rouge demon hunter but Bam! he reveals he was fired from the council. Fortunately though the focus is on the three main characters rather than on the surprises, and therefore the episode is still just as enjoyable on repeat viewings as it was the first time watching. Then there's the cordy subplot, where it turns out last week's special effects kiss was really doyle's was of passing the visions onto her. I wonder if that was an accident or if he somehow managed to transfer the visions on purpose. If he could have passed them on at any time, I'm surprised he waited until that moment to do so, especially given that he never wanted them to begin with. This episode is pretty high on humour, perhaps as an antidote to the seriousness of the previous episode. The audition scene in particular was hilarious, as cordy cries over doyle's death while trying to play someone selling stain remover, and upon being asked to read it again, she gets her first vision, and winds up looking like she's completely nuts. Cordy kissing both barney and wesley was pretty funny too, though I found it a bit unbeleiveable that she would kiss wes before realising it was him. Later on barney kidnaps cordy and tryes to sell her eyes at an auction, but even with subject matter as serious (and disgusting) as this, its still made hilarious, as cordy takes over and tries selling her own eyes. This is the point where we get a little reference to the ongoing wolfram and hart storyline, as it's one of their lawyers who buy's cordy's eyes. I'm surprised this woman never appeared again, given that all the other W&H lawyers that appear during season one come back again for the last few eps. Angel and wesley rescue cordy (wesley couldn't get his weapon out, again funny but unbeleivable), and barney gets killed, in actually one of the coolest death scenes in the history of the show. He just shrivels up and turns black. I wish all demons would die in cool ways like that. I have to give a special mention to the epsiode's final scene. The threat is gone and angel and cordy are having breakfast, and with no reason to stay wesley decides to leave. It's both funny and sad how he keeps stalling, as he has no where else to go, and the moment when he's invited to eat with them is one of the most beautiful little moments on any tv show I've seen. It feels so real they way they just quietly have a meal together, and evidently the writers must have been aware of how successful this scene was, as the last scene of 'unleashed' was intentionally written as a callback to this one. Like I said before this ep is all about the characters. Angel was mr cool throughout. and cordy went from grieving to hating her new powers and doyle for giving them to her, to realising they were his gift to her. And welsey went through the most changes of all, from being a 'rogue demon hunter', to giving up, and then to getting back on his feet and saving the day with his research, along with finding the bravery and confidence to join angel in the fight. By the end of the episode the characters had all fitted into place, with angel as the champion, wesley as the researcher and cordy getting visions. And even though I liked doyle and his episodes, I feel that this is the point where the show has really begun. ...However despite all the great character moments and humour, I do consider this episode pretty average and unimpressive story-wise. Giving an extra point for the awesome ending, I'm awarding this episode a high 7. Nitpicks- - Where did wesley get his white suit halfway through the ep? Did he just carry it around with him as a rogue demon hunter? Did he just go out and buy it, or does he live nearby? - At one point barney guesses cordy is a 'twenty something', and she doesn't deny it, implying she is in her twenties. However, buffy (and therefore cordy) turned 18 in btvs season 3, therefore cordy should be 19 at the most. This isn't a big deal by itself, but it's the start of an annoying trend where cordy is constantly treated like she's older than she really should be. On buffy charisma carpenter is about ten years older than the character she plays, but throughout angel we are increasingly encouraged to think of her as being the same age as the actress who play her. Certainly she seems to be maturing a lot faster than the 'kids' on buffy. What's really strange though is that, if you work out the ages, she'd be at least four years younger than fred, even though cordelia often acts like an older sister to her.
|
|
|
Post by partcynic on Jun 17, 2010 15:13:26 GMT -5
I liked that too. It was a good job they included that scene, though, since it was basically obligated.
I mostly agree. The plot twists were nice, but they're weren't actually holding up much of a story. I don't find that aspect particularly interesting to rewatch, but the humour, emotion and character development make up for it.
Didn't they insinuate in S4 that it was supposed to be Jasmine who was responsible for that? Though I preferred the original idea that he'd chosen to give her the single most important thing in his life.
Yes - the comedy is great. And it was definitely intended to be a flipside to "Hero".
They should have kept that Tek(?) horn - it would have made for some cool slayings.
I really like that too. It's so genuine and heartwarming.
I didn't know that. Though I'd say they failed if that was the case.
I have to admit, I never thought of that. I don't think I noticed it before, as I never really believed Cordelia was so young in the first place (no disrespect intended to Charisma, who looks great - just not 19/20 years old.)
|
|
|
Post by cyclica on Jun 18, 2010 17:00:28 GMT -5
Didn't they insinuate in S4 that it was supposed to be Jasmine who was responsible for that? Though I preferred the original idea that he'd chosen to give her the single most important thing in his life. I though jasmine manipulated everyone into meeting each other (somehow), not that she was personally responsible for transferring the powers from doyle to cordy. Though I suppose anything's possible when it comes to jasmine, and her 'manipulating of events'. I didn't know that. Though I'd say they failed if that was the case. I dunno, I didn't think it was too bad of a scene. I mean there wasn't the emotion that there was at the end of 'parting gifts', but it was still a nice scene by itself.
|
|
|
Post by cyclica on Jun 27, 2010 17:21:43 GMT -5
SomnambulistIt means 'sleepwalker'. Which is appropriate as this episode always makes me feel sleepy. For me the biggest problem with this episode is that, when it comes down to it, it's just angel vs one vampire. And we all know angel will have no problem defeating a single vampire, especially as he sometimes defeats whole groups of them even before the opening credits start. The only thing that makes this vampire different and in any way interesting is that he is someone from angel's past, whom he used to know. But he's not a part of the 'bigger mythos' of angel's past, there are no scenes with darla, dru or spike (where were they anyway?), and it almost feels like a bit of history that exists outside of what we know from past and later eps. I must admit though, the opening did have me hooked. Some vampire bites a woman, and it turns out it's angel! But no wait, it was all a dream. But she's dead in real life too! Huh?! The police arrive and... oh goody, it's a kate episode. This is the part where I start feeling sleepy. Looking back I can't say I really hate her, especially not when compared to someone like kennedy, I just have no interest in her. I don't like cop shows, and I don't like it when Angel tries to be a cop show. It just slows things down. It doesn't help that she's so completely humourless. Wesley is back (and in the opening credits too now), and it's amusing how he sticks around and decides to help angel because he's got nothing else to do. It's a side to his character that will sadly be lost once he gets officially hired in 'she', though I'm glad it didn't drag out too long. I did like how, early on, we were lead to beleive angel really was the killer, and there was a nice moment when kate was describing the subject while we watch angel apparently stalking various girls, being exactly the kind of person kate was talking about. But no, it turns out it's just some other guy. My favourite line of the episode, from cordy- "great news, sports fans, there has been another killing". It makes me laugh every time. So basically the story is that the vampire, penn, is killing people who remind him of his family, and angel feels responsible because angelus was the one who turned him and told him to go after his family. Why penn has waited until now to resume killing, who knows. And why was angel suddenly having killing dreams, and sleepwalking? I suppose it's because he and penn are 'linked' in some way, and in the buffyverse there's always some mystical something going on when people dream. Like buffy's prophetic dreams, that she recieves from no one knows who. Or buffy and angel having shared dreams in amends, or buffy and faith both dreaming about making a bed, or everyone dreaming about the cheese man in restless, or buffy attacking jenny in surprise because she dreamed jenny was suspicious, which turned out to be true. The mystical side to dreams on the shows is never elaborated upon, and when the 'hook' of the episode is angel killing in hs dreams, and there's no explanation given for this, it can be annoying. So angel tells kate what penn looks like and where he will strike next. Even though angel can deal with penn himself, and putting kate on the case only puts her in danger. Later they find penn, and this leads to a fight between penn and angel, with kate watching. This is the moment when she sees angel vamp out and realises he's a vampire. I suppose this is the 'good bit' of the episode, that changes her character and affects her relationship with angel in all her later episodes. But this isn't a big 'wow' moment for me, for one of the good guys to discover another of the good guys has powers. And for her to now treat angel like a villain and close herself off completely from the 'supernatural world' just makes me dislike her. So angel and wesley break into penn's place and see evidence that he'll be going after kids, but in a nice twist it turns out he's going after kate. Angel has worked this out (and for some reason didn't tell wesley), and gets into another fight with penn, which ends with kate getting a board and pushing it through angel, staking penn. From the angle it looks like the wood went right through angel's spine. In 'destiny' spike punches angel in the face a few times and he's still injured in the next ep, but here a broken spine has apparantly healed before the end of an episode. At least the scene shows kate wasn't willing to kill angel, even though she will still consider him just a vampire. The ep ends with a nice little scene on the roof between angel and cordy, which is reminiscent of the angel/doyle roof scenes (and apparently this scene was written for doyle). Overall... I find this episode slightly flawed, with little humour, some character progression, an ok little insight into angel's past, and a few nice twists. But mostly I found it dull. High 4. Picking nits- - At one point early on angel opens a door, and gets hurt by the sunlight. But the door had a huge window in it, and he wasn't exposed to any more sunlight when it was open than when it was closed. - There are clearly 2 different pictures of penn used in this ep. The one angel gives to kate is much less detailed then the one she pins to a wall. - Penn can leap through the air and into a window high up on a building, but angel has to climb a pipe? Why can't he superjump too?
|
|
|
Post by cyclica on Jul 2, 2010 17:43:16 GMT -5
Should I wait for comments or just go straight to the next review?
|
|