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Post by partcynic on May 14, 2015 8:38:52 GMT -5
3x10 "Dad"
I'm starting to regret committing to this rewatch-and-review - while I'll finish it, I will subsequently put my foot down and simply not subject myself to this again. Anyway, "Angel" S3 continues to sink with the insipid "Dad", with the writer responsible (David H. Goodman) seemingly possessing zero insight into "Buffy"/"Angel" despite having apparently joined Mutant Enemy during "Buffy" S2(!) Almost nothing here is good - the story is non-existent, the pacing is terrible and the characters continue to feel like plot devices instead of believable beings.
Likes
- Dealing with Gavin's cameras. Lorne being able to hear the electronic hum was a good way of discovering and resolving the issue.
- Fred pointing out that the hotel's sanctuary spell would be rendered useless if someone threw something in from outside, like at Caritas.
- The vampire running in to warn his master, only to get incinerated.
Dislikes
- Too slow and plotless.
- Wolfram and Hart used to be ambiguous, dark and threatening. Now it's just embarrassing. I still like Lilah, but Gavin and Linwood are weak characters whose scenes are dead time.
- Holtz is a thinly-drawn and boring antagonist.
- Like Holtz, Justine is an annoying character with a tacked-on 'sad' background substituting for actual development. And why do we need Slayers if the likes of her can take vamps on solo and win?
- Angel transforming into a cliched sitcom dad. The 'pulling faces at the baby' segment was cringeworthy, and the singing with Lorne wasn't much better. I honestly wanted to turn the ep off at that point, to spare myself from the rest of it.
- Characterisation. Angel's been off all season, and the other characters are getting steadily worse. Cordy has become dulled and one-dimensional in readiness for the Corgel romance, and the others don't do anything worth seeing. They're being jerked about by the plot rather than dictating the story themselves.
- Angel's melodramatic dialogue when talking to Cordelia in the garden, which doesn't even try to address what she was talking about. And the theme/attempt at character development means nothing, as the plot doesn't develop Angel - instead, he just 'pings' to understanding when the story demands it.
- All of the talk about Fred tracing websites, and her apparently having become a computing expert. Though it's plausible that she might have some familiarity with it, the Internet was in its infancy when she disappeared, and a few months aren't enough time for her to have become so brilliant.
- The 'twist' ending is stupid. Why do the gang sulk about being abandoned when they know Angel's left Connor with them? Why does Angel talk to 'Connor' in the car when he knows he's carrying a teddybear? When and where did he get those explosives from (were they Wolfram and Hart leftovers)? Did he make the bomb, or did someone else help? Was his plan seriously to lead everyone to a random pit (which he knows is there how?) that's conveniently got a zipline for his escape, timed to within two seconds of the bomb's detonation? This is complete and utter garbage - and one of those times I wish I could use stronger language to describe things.
Summary
Brain-dead mush. How on earth did the show go from the excellent "Fredless" to this, in only five episodes?
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Post by cyclica on May 20, 2015 17:14:49 GMT -5
This episode is the last in a mini arc of 4 plot-related episodes in a row, though without Darla it's more like it's just dealing with the aftermath of the trilogy before it rather than being much of a story by itself. While I don't dislike the overall story, this ep feels like more of a slog than the others. I'm starting to regret committing to this rewatch-and-review - while I'll finish it, I will subsequently put my foot down and simply not subject myself to this again. Knowing that you wrote these reviews over a year ago, I'm curious if your opinion has changed at all, or if you've rewatched any of them since then. - Dealing with Gavin's cameras. Lorne being able to hear the electronic hum was a good way of discovering and resolving the issue. It's good that the plotline about gavin's 'pest control' team from a previous episode were followed up on here. Though I found it hard to believe that the whole plan was being discussed while characters were in the janitor's closet together. The whole gang was in on the plan, did they *all* go to the closet, one by one? - Like Holtz, Justine is an annoying character with a tacked-on 'sad' background substituting for actual development. I find it hard to watch Justine without thinking about kate, knowing that she was the one intended for this story. The presence of an established character would have added so much more weight than adding a new character. Though I do find it amusing that they decided she should be avenging her dead identical twin sister, if only because it would mean they didn't have to find another actress to appear in the photo, just take a photo of Justine and say it's a twin. I did like holtz training her in the cemetery, just as a watcher might train a slayer. Though there didn't seem to be much point in drawing this parallel. And why do we need Slayers if the likes of her can take vamps on solo and win? I can buy that a skilled fighter can defeat a stronger opponent, and use their own strength against them. But it's not good for the buffyverse as a whole. If anyone can do what the 'chosen one' can do, Buffy's responsibility to fight demons and vamps stops being an issue. If anything fighting evil becomes everyone's responsibility, if everyone has the capability to fight vamps and win. Corgel! I love it. the others don't do anything worth seeing. They're being jerked about by the plot rather than dictating the story themselves. Agreed. I always enjoy seeing the characters play off each other, but by this point their lives are revolving around angel/the plot a little too much. - The 'twist' ending is stupid. Why do the gang sulk about being abandoned when they know Angel's left Connor with them? Why does Angel talk to 'Connor' in the car when he knows he's carrying a teddybear? When and where did he get those explosives from (were they Wolfram and Hart leftovers)? Did he make the bomb, or did someone else help? Was his plan seriously to lead everyone to a random pit (which he knows is there how?) that's conveniently got a zipline for his escape, timed to within two seconds of the bomb's detonation? This is complete and utter garbage - and one of those times I wish I could use stronger language to describe things. Well put. I hate tv shows and movies when characters only act a certain way for the audience's benefit, and would never act that way in real life, like angel talking to the bear as though it was a baby. I can buy that the gang is pretending to be 'abandoned' by angel after he takes off with the bear, they do know the hotel is bugged, but that doesn't excuse having the characters genuinely be scared/anxious/whatever, since it's to fool the audience, not anyone listening in. And was conner left at the hotel the entire time? If he cried, it would have ruined the whole plan. The scene with the pit was there just for the twist and the action. I still wish I knew where this random area was, or when angel could have set this whole thing up. Couldn't the vamps have smelled that there was no baby inside that blanket? |
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Post by partcynic on May 21, 2015 14:36:59 GMT -5
No to both. I haven't watched either show for a while now, but when I next have a runthrough, it will be with some heavy editing - I can't justify watching eps like this any more. They weren't good when they aired, and time hasn't done them any favours. I didn't know that about Kate - very interesting! However, I suppose her motivation would have been her father's death, which was tired by the end of S1, let alone what it would have become if she'd stuck around for S3. So while Kate is better than Justine, the story would still have been poor. Yep. Compare and contrast with how well "War Zone" handled the 'regular humans vs vampires' scenario - it took a large, motivated team with trucks and weapons, and they still had heavy losses. In this episode, vampires may as well be no different to the average human.  I picked it because it sounds like the name of some kind of sterile medical product, which is equivalent in passion to this 'romance'. Sadly, this will be the status quo for much of the next season and a half. Thank you. I agree (of course), and you've pointed out another pair of flaws that make the segment fail even harder! |
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Post by partcynic on May 21, 2015 14:38:51 GMT -5
3x11 "Birthday"
I really want to like this episode, but then I start to watch it, and the disappointment comes. Though it's great to have a Cordy-centric story, the attempt at character development progresses nothing and the 'different life' segment is so stuffed with anachronisms that it fails almost entirely.
Likes
- This ep is low on Connor and void of Holtz, Justine and the folks at Wolfram and Hart. Yay!
- Focusing on an interesting character and an important arc. The other characters' reactions to Cordy's coma were very good, and I liked the sequence with Gunn and Fred at Cordy's apartment (Fred is so cute when introducing herself to Dennis). It was also interesting to learn just how Cordy's health had deteriorated, though the situation suddenly became far graver than prior eps had suggested. More development would have prevented this.
- Some funny lines from Lorne and Skip (but enough with the Matrix references. They date the show badly). The banter between alternate-Cordy, Wes and Gunn was also amusing.
- Remembering Cordy's acting career. I liked her opening award speech, and the glimpse of "Cordy!" was fun (neat intro to the third act with its credits, too!)
- It's nice to have Doyle mentioned again.
Dislikes
- Shouldn't there have been a bit more fanfare about Cordy's birthday, especially as 21 is a landmark? And a weird thought - Fred is about 27. Looking at the characters, are those the ages/life stages you'd assign them?
- A touch slow. Since we knew Cordy was okay from the beginning, having to wait a whole act to get a proper explanation became annoying, and the astral-projection filler wasn't funny or interesting (and why did Skip keep doing the dark shadow thing instead of appearing immediately?) It might have been better if the first act had just been the gang reacting to Cordy's coma, with the second taking her perspective and introducing Skip.
- The cliched segment where Cordy hears only the part of the Angel/Powers conversation where Angel says she's weak, and leaves just before the full explanation. And when did the Powers relocate their contact area to that anonymous pit?
- Alternate reality Cordelia is sloppily written, and unlike the similar scenario in "The Wish", doesn't make sense. In that episode, a reality shift occurred, but Cordy was still a consistent person whose behaviour was tied to her past characterisation. Here, contemporary Cordy is transplanted into a different reality but has her memories wiped - but since it was precisely those memories/experiences that led to her current persona, she shouldn't be as she is. What we should have seen was a hyper-narcissistic and bitchy Cordelia, as becoming famous almost immediately after moving to LA would have magnified her worst qualities. Her response to seeing psycho-Angel would have been a wrinkled nose and 'eww', not melodramatic sighing and gasping (remember how she didn't care at all when she thought Willow had died in "Doppelgangland"?) The whole thing is forced to promote the 'Goddess Cordy' plot and the Cordy/Angel coupling (See? She loves him so much that even in another reality, she's still drawn to him! Weep, shippers!), and it sucks.
- If Cordelia never encountered Angel in LA, she never got the visions, so she never saw the troubled girl and never wrote the message on the wall. So why's it there in the alternate reality?
- The Hyperion was long-closed due to the corrupting influence of the Thesulac, which might still be there. When and why did the place re-open?
- I don't buy psycho Angel at all. He's a vampire - why does he lose it so badly so soon after getting the visions? The guy spirals worse than the fully human Cordy! The ep claims that it was the loneliness that did it, but he was apparently stable long enough to befriend Wes and Gunn (takes him to a little way into S2), and with their constant presence, he can't have been that alone.
- More one-dimensional joke characters whose comedy isn't funny. Why do we keep being subjected to this?
- The introduction of half-demon Cordy. The idea was cool and made sense, but since all we got was some floating and glowing, I have to give this the thumbs-down.
Summary
A below-average episode that could have done with some major punching up from Joss. I like it in spite of its numerous issues, but I needed more than 'so-so' after the last four messes.
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Post by cyclica on May 31, 2015 7:30:15 GMT -5
- Shouldn't there have been a bit more fanfare about Cordy's birthday, especially as 21 is a landmark? And a weird thought - Fred is about 27. Looking at the characters, are those the ages/life stages you'd assign them? Yes! Fred is basically the same age as amy acker, but charisma carpenter is considerably older than cordelia, and the show encourages you to forget how old cordy really is, and make you think the character is the same age as the actress. So we have a situation where cordy acts like a big sister to red at times, even though she's much younger than her. Notice they never mention cordy's age on the show .If you'd never seen cordy in high school you'd never know she's as young as she is. - Alternate reality Cordelia is sloppily written, and unlike the similar scenario in "The Wish", doesn't make sense. In that episode, a reality shift occurred, but Cordy was still a consistent person whose behaviour was tied to her past characterisation. Here, contemporary Cordy is transplanted into a different reality but has her memories wiped - but since it was precisely those memories/experiences that led to her current persona, she shouldn't be as she is. What we should have seen was a hyper-narcissistic and bitchy Cordelia, as becoming famous almost immediately after moving to LA would have magnified her worst qualities. Her response to seeing psycho-Angel would have been a wrinkled nose and 'eww', not melodramatic sighing and gasping (remember how she didn't care at all when she thought Willow had died in "Doppelgangland"?) The whole thing is forced to promote the 'Goddess Cordy' plot and the Cordy/Angel coupling (See? She loves him so much that even in another reality, she's still drawn to him! Weep, shippers!), and it sucks. - If Cordelia never encountered Angel in LA, she never got the visions, so she never saw the troubled girl and never wrote the message on the wall. So why's it there in the alternate reality? I loved seeing alternate cordy (the dvd has an extra where you can see a segment of the actual sitcom cordy was on!), but I never made much sense out of how much she remembers from her old life. At first I thought she remembered everything, certainly she has the personality of season 3 cordy, but then her memories are patchy and it's never clear why she remembers some things and not others. I suppose you could just say this was all an illusion, skip's way of tricking cordy into becoming part demon so she could be suitable for jasmine to possess her. - I don't buy psycho Angel at all. He's a vampire - why does he lose it so badly so soon after getting the visions? The guy spirals worse than the fully human Cordy! The ep claims that it was the loneliness that did it, but he was apparently stable long enough to befriend Wes and Gunn (takes him to a little way into S2), and with their constant presence, he can't have been that alone. It's pretty self-contradictory that angel would be alone after his only friend died, while simultaneously have 2 friends working with him. Ignoring my own 'it's skips' illusion' theory, how would this situation even come about? Did doyle encourage angel to start 'angel investigations' by himself? Did he pass on the visions with a kiss? Was angel grief-stricken when he met wesley and gunn? The gunn of 'war zone' wouldn't have joined forces with the guy ranting and crying all day. - The introduction of half-demon Cordy. The idea was cool and made sense, but since all we got was some floating and glowing, I have to give this the thumbs-down. Definitely. Rather than becoming a clearly established 'species' of demon, she just had whatever powers were needed for the plot, and was otherwise the same as she always was. |
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Post by partcynic on Jun 4, 2015 16:13:33 GMT -5
^ I agree with all your comments here, so I'll jump onto the next review!
***
3x12 "Provider"
I always remember this ep as being one of the worst of the season - and the show - but seeing it again, I wasn't quite as bothered. Ninety-nine percent of "Provider" fails, but it's certainly better than "Dad", and I can appreciate the attempts at a meaningful theme and character development, even if some very dodgy things had to be done to get there.
Likes
- A few of the lines made me smile. I liked the teaser, with the guy ringing for help and getting put through to a pizza place.
Dislikes
- Holtz and Justine continue to be poor characters. Shame Holtz missed with that screwdriver(?), and put it through her hand instead of her head.
- Angel hasn't been in character for a long time, but he was ludicrous here. Anyone with a good memory should recall that at the start of S1, he was very hesistant about asking clients for money, even though the consequences of not doing so could have been homelessness (and not just for him). People should additionally remember that the real Angel also learnt a lot about doing good deeds - you do them to help people, and not for a reward, to alleviate guilt, or to punish evil. Now, though it's plausible and realistic that having a child dependent on him would make him more cash-focused, Angel's behaviour here was massively overdone (being willing to let a guy die at the hands of several vamps because he made a false promise), and forced him back into the sitcom dad role. The theme and character development also mean nothing, because if Angel had been written in-character to start with, it wouldn't have been needed.
- Angel's initial meeting with the faux-client was silly. Wouldn't it have made more sense for the schemer to have subdued his real boss before the meeting, and not after? As is, he was running the needless risk of being caught.
- What was going on with that guy and his 'friend'? The dialogue was so awkward and over-sentimental that I got the impression that they might have been intended to be lovers, but had lines changed to 'friend' at the network's request.
- All of the Connor-POV shots and sickly baby-talk. I've no problem with babies/children, but this cutesy-poo stuff is overdone. And why did almost all of Cordy's 'chat' with Connor tell us stuff we already knew?
- The client with the zombie stalker wasn't a believable character. Nothing in her dialogue or behaviour marked her as a person as opposed to a caricature, and devoting a reasonable part of the episode to build-up for a bad joke was a poor idea.
- I get that the writers are trying to develop the inter-office relationships, but I'm not looking forward to the war over Fred. Wesley's unsympathetic as a result of his problems coming from him acting like a teenage virgin and not a thirty-plus man, and it would have been nice if we had seen these great conversations Fred and Gunn are supposedly having - the audience needs to witness it to find them believable as a couple.
- The demon's puzzle could have done with being more complex. It looked like one of those 3D models that most people would be able to put together, simply by looking closely at the cut/shapes.
- Lorne wasn't gagged after being captured by the demons, so why didn't he shout/scream to try and warn Fred?
- Angel, Gunn and Wes have amazing timing when arriving at the barge. I know Cordelia tried to call them before heading there herself, but I hope she left voicemails specifying the situation and place - otherwise, their appearances are a massive contrivance.
- Angel, Cordy and Connor at the end. They're really pushing the 'family unit' thing, and you can sense how artificial it is. No wonder Charisma Carpenter was worried about the state of the show (hence a big argument with Joss, her being written out for several eps and Cordelia then being destroyed as a character).
Summary
More tripe. After watching the first third of the year, I was getting ready to reconsider my statement that I thought "Buffy" S6 was better written, but eps like this tell me I was right all along - no matter how bad S6 got, it rarely churned out stuff quite as consistently dumb and corny as this.
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Post by cyclica on Jun 21, 2015 14:11:42 GMT -5
I always remember this ep as being one of the worst of the season - and the show - but seeing it again, I wasn't quite as bothered. I understand why you would feel this way. To be honest though, this episode never bothered me. It was a fun episode, the multiple plots provided some variety in story structure, and it was good to see the gang taking on cases again instead of being bogged down by the ongoing story. - Angel hasn't been in character for a long time, but he was ludicrous here. Anyone with a good memory should recall that at the start of S1, he was very hesistant about asking clients for money, even though the consequences of not doing so could have been homelessness (and not just for him). People should additionally remember that the real Angel also learnt a lot about doing good deeds - you do them to help people, and not for a reward, to alleviate guilt, or to punish evil. Now, though it's plausible and realistic that having a child dependent on him would make him more cash-focused, Angel's behaviour here was massively overdone (being willing to let a guy die at the hands of several vamps because he made a false promise), and forced him back into the sitcom dad role. The theme and character development also mean nothing, because if Angel had been written in-character to start with, it wouldn't have been needed. I can see why agnel would feel out of character if you had just watched a season 1 episode before this one, but I don't think he was OOC for where he is at this point in s3. He had been around other people for a while now, who have had a 'humanizing' effect on him. And while I do think he was being over the top, it worked for the comedy, and didn't pull me out of the story. - Angel's initial meeting with the faux-client was silly. Wouldn't it have made more sense for the schemer to have subdued his real boss before the meeting, and not after? As is, he was running the needless risk of being caught. Good point, I hadn't realised that on watching. - What was going on with that guy and his 'friend'? The dialogue was so awkward and over-sentimental that I got the impression that they might have been intended to be lovers, but had lines changed to 'friend' at the network's request. That would actually make more sense. The guy seemed like he was talking about someone who was closer than just a friend. A weird thing I found- angel learns about the friend from the real boss. But when angel is trapped in the room with the guy, he starts talking about 'jack's watch' like he assumed angel already knew who jack was. Maybe a line was cut somewhere. - The client with the zombie stalker wasn't a believable character. Nothing in her dialogue or behaviour marked her as a person as opposed to a caricature, and devoting a reasonable part of the episode to build-up for a bad joke was a poor idea. This was the weakest subplot for me. The buffyverse needs to have decide what kind of zombies exist in this world. Half the time they are just mindless monsters (dead man's party, habeas corpses), but sometimes they can talk and act like living people (the zeppo, provider). The zombie here didn't come across like a zombie at all, just a guy who looks a little ill. I also didn't like the revelation that she was the one who killed him. Not only is she a murderer (who also hired wes and gunn to kill her lover a second time), but she killed for extremely flimsy reasons, and is so flakey she went from willing to kill to giving her ex a second chance in an instant. I don't think the writers get how messed up this character must be. The actress played her as an everywoman, yet anyone who acted in this way would have to be deeply disturbed. And we are meant to be ok with it, because the murderer revelation is immediately followed by a 'happy ending' and a joke. Pleh. - The demon's puzzle could have done with being more complex. It looked like one of those 3D models that most people would be able to put together, simply by looking closely at the cut/shapes. It kinda looked like fun. I want to try it for myself. I have a couple of problems of my own with the boat demons subplot- where did they get all that money from to begin with? And how does the head swap procedure work? The demon will have fred's head, and her intelligence... but retain it's own personality? No wonder Charisma Carpenter was worried about the state of the show (hence a big argument with Joss, her being written out for several eps and Cordelia then being destroyed as a character).  What is your source for this? What was said? Is this the reason cordy has a new personality when she returns after her absence? |
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Post by partcynic on Jun 27, 2015 15:13:37 GMT -5
Good discussion of the numerous flaws with the zombie-stalker subplot - I now dislike it even more! I should have picked up on the greater implications of the closing joke - you're right, she's an unrepentant killer who murdered over a triviality. Nothing in the actress' delivery made sense, and the double standard here sucks (can you imagine the story being told with the man and the woman's roles being reversed?)
It's one of those things that's a bit shrouded in mystery. I remember reading posts about this on an old board I once frequented, and said posts came from an established member who I believe was legitimate. And more importantly, what was mentioned matches up very well with what actually happened, both in S3 and in the final two seasons.
In short, we know that there were backstage arguments between Charisma and Joss, and they led to Charisma's absence from S3's midsection. They also set the stage for the mess of S4 - there was already bad blood between Charisma and Joss, and she then hesitated to announce the news of her pregnancy (in part because of a previous miscarriage), causing parts of the S4 arc to have to be rewritten. It's fairly well-known that Joss effectively sacked her because of it, and it's why Cordy was shoved into a coma, killed off and immediately forgotten. I also think that it's no coincidence that Cordy's death is very quickly followed by Fred's, allowing Joss to give Charisma the middle finger via penning a veritable paean to Amy Acker/Fred.
So, we have good reason to suspect that the trashing of Cordy as a character (beginning with her return) was basically due to Joss throwing a fit at being questioned. However, it's hard to know whether it was done with spite, or if Cordy's personality swap and season-ending sainthood just happened to be another one of the atrocious ideas the writers came up with during the 2001-2002 season (together with Connor, Spuffy and magical crack). Either way, it looks like Cordy would have been ruined.
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Post by partcynic on Jun 27, 2015 15:18:12 GMT -5
3x13 "Waiting in the Wings"
This ep is written and directed by Joss Whedon, so it's no surprise that the dialogue, pacing and development are significantly better than most of the season (or at least the season post-"Offspring"). However, a significant amount of the work is undone by an unnecessary, rehashed plot whose primary goal is to force a pair of uninteresting and unbelievable romantic relationships, lumbering the season with even more soap-opera sludge.
Likes
- As stated, better plotting, pacing and dialogue. It was nice to hear some witty lines, and the humour mostly came from characters acting like themselves (Corgel romance aside, of course).
- The early discussion about the ballet, with Angel's excitement and Gunn's horror at having to see men's 'big-ass packages'. His subsequent fawning over the performance was too overblown to be believable, but I still found it amusing.
- Good costuming and make-up. Amy Acker looks particularly stunning.
- Comedy and tragedy as minor villains. Cute.
- Lorne with Connor, and his lines about being annoyed that he wasn't invited to the show.
- Very nice turn from Summer Glau as the prima ballerina. I felt for the character despite knowing absolutely nothing about her.
Dislikes
- Overly puerile dialogue. Some of the sex jokes are fine, but there were so many references that it felt like Joss might not have gotten any in some time. Take your sexual frustrations elsewhere!
- The plot is ripped from two superior "Buffy" episodes ("I Only Have Eyes For You" and "The Wish"). It's nice that Joss acknowledged the former (Angel's comment about having been possessed by the ghosts of old lovers before), but that doesn't make it any less glaring. In fact, it makes this ep look far worse - in "I Only have Eyes For You", James was an analogue of Buffy that permitted the writers to explore her guilt and self-hatred as the cause of Angel's reversion to Angelus, but the lovers here serve only to hammer home the 'Angel/Cordy 4EVA' idea, and it just doesn't work.
- I don't care about the Gunn-Fred-Wes triangle. As I've said before, I find Wesley's behaviour ridiculous (the guy really needs some counselling), and Fred/Gunn is a relationship that we've been told about, and not shown. Besides one scene of them walking to the hotel together, there hasn't been any development there (though Gunn's interest in her was clear). What do the two characters talk about, exactly? It seems like the writers had no idea what to do with Fred after "Fredless", and given that they haven't known what to do with Gunn since the start of S2, I guess they decided to deal with both problems simultaneously by pairing them up.
- The return of Groo. Did anyone miss the character or want to see him again? It doesn't help matters that this whole sub-arc is filler - we already know that Angel/Cordy is what the writers want, and Groo will end up being the 'too nice' boyfriend who gets discarded for the guy the audience is more invested in.
Summary
One of the better post-Connor eps, but still not anything to write home about. That said, this is the only edition from the second half of S3 that I would be interested in seeing repeatedly, so I'll give credit where credit's due.
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Post by cyclica on Jul 10, 2015 14:54:26 GMT -5
I don't have much to say about this ep. I don't love it or hate it, it's just sort of there. Too different from the average to be boring, but with not enough going on to be engaging, with nothing I really hated or loved, though the humour was decent. If I was a fan of ballet (or all the shipping) I probably would have liked this one more. - Lorne with Connor, and his lines about being annoyed that he wasn't invited to the show. His joke about turning in the baby for profit seemed out of character for me. Even though he was saying he wouldn't do it, it's still not something I'd expect lorne to say at all. - Very nice turn from Summer Glau as the prima ballerina. I felt for the character despite knowing absolutely nothing about her. I don't get why she couldn't have 'done something different' long before now. Surely the thought must have occurred to her, and any action she takes whatsoever would be progress, even without anyone around to smash the count's emerald (she can do it herself maybe?). If she was magically forced to be 'locked into place', why should the gang's arrival make any difference? Unless the 'destabilising' of the spell after fighting the minions is something the count is actively, consciously aware of, and in which case, why is he so surprised to see angel? If the count knows his spell is going wrong, he should know angel was there. And if the spell is going wrong without the counts knowledge, then he's not being distracted, and she should still be locked in to doing the routine. but the lovers here serve only to hammer home the 'Angel/Cordy 4EVA' idea, and it just doesn't work. This episode is probably the closest to a cordy/angel romance that there ever was on the show. It's funny to think, later on, fans of the ship were eagerly awaiting the payoff, unaware they'd already seen the best of it. and Fred/Gunn is a relationship that we've been told about, and not shown. Besides one scene of them walking to the hotel together, there hasn't been any development there (though Gunn's interest in her was clear). What do the two characters talk about, exactly?
Besides pancake kisses?
I don't much like how their relationship is seen only from Wesley's perspective in this ep (and presented as a shock), though it is at least shown from gunn/fred's point of view later on. |
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Post by partcynic on Jul 18, 2015 15:27:35 GMT -5
^ I'd almost managed to forget about pancake kisses! Blech - as if I needed further reminding about the amount of cringeworthy content in this season. I've read the rest of your comments, and don't have anything extra to add (either because I agree, or because I don't have it in me to defend many post-"Billy" eps). So I'll get to posting the next review! *** 3x14 "Couplet""Angel" becomes a bad sitcom. Pushing so hard for humour that the lead character completely forgets who he is, "Couplet" is a mostly unfunny mess that focuses on two uninteresting love triangles, with only its enjoyably silly tree demon providing respite from the blandness. Likes- The root demon using the alias of 'hotblonde'. Not quite sure how it got a computer and an Internet connection set up down there, but its segments were entertaining. - An actual scene of Fred and Gunn interacting romantically (it would have been nice if we'd seen one of these breakfasts they'd apparently been having for weeks before today). Fred's uncertainty about how the relationship would go made sense for the character, and she seemed more like herself than she has in some time. - Parts of the visit to the demon brothel were entertaining. A callback to "War Zone" would have been cool. - The father will kill the son. The most (only) interesting part of the story. Dislikes- Gunn's horribly corny, 'romantic' dialogue with Fred. - Angel behaving like a spoiled child. Like "Buffy", the show's main character is among its most inconsistent and annoying. Besides being fabricated for the stupid romance arc, his insecurity and feelings of being 'replaced' by Groo were dumb - after all, he remains the one-of-a-kind vampire with a soul mentioned in a boatload of prophecies. His bratty, entitled behaviour with Cordy early on was what I would have expected from Xander, right down to acting in spite by beating the completely innocent Groo at the end (I know he was trying to get the root demon to attack him instead, but still). I honestly disliked the character here far more than I did when he was 'dark' in S2 - at least his actions there made sense and were connected to who he was as a person. - Angel moping about Groo getting all the credit. Remember when he learned that you don't do nice things for rewards? The bit where he was watching Groo in the sunlight was also irritating - did this ep's writer never see "In the Dark"? - Why did Fred and Gunn ask for Groo to deal with the root monster (besides adding to the 'Angel feels useless' plot?) Fred stated that the creature was flesh and not wood, so it's not like Angel would have been in special danger. - Cordy/Groo is somewhat believable, but Groo is a dull prettyboy, and his eventual departure to facilitate Angel/Cordy is so telegraphed that there's little pleasure in - or reason to - pay attention to their 'story'. - Cordy going on 'vacation' because Charisma upset Joss. SummaryI'm sure there's more I could say here, but I've already given this stuff more time than it deserves. I'd say that "Couplet" is better than "That Old Gang of Mine" and "Dad", but it still languishes towards the lower end of the series' quality spectrum. |
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Post by cyclica on Aug 2, 2015 15:50:13 GMT -5
Mid season 3 is rather 'meh' for me, and I'm afraid I can't come up with much to say for this one. I did like the fact that the comshuck plotline from s2 was revisited, if you're gonna bring groo back that let's have continuity too. Though I did think it was stupid that both angel and groo had to go to the brother to get the potion, let's send 2 people to do a 1 person job just so they can banter with each other. with only its enjoyably silly tree demon providing respite from the blandness. I never understood why angel can't just throw the sword into the tree demon's face as soon as he sees it, or at least try to fight it. The whole sucking-power thing seemed unnecessary, and forced to give angel a reason to beat up groo. Though I did love the tree's voice. I think the voice may even have been too cool for the character, like a big, or ancient demon should have that voice, not a tree. - An actual scene of Fred and Gunn interacting romantically (it would have been nice if we'd seen one of these breakfasts they'd apparently been having for weeks before today). I found that off too. "Let's have breakfast in this café, which, as you know, we have been doing for weeks, and are only revealing to the audience now." - Angel behaving like a spoiled child. I wasn't bothered with how angel was depicted, but I can see your point. If the character was treated more seriously, they could still have got the gist of the story across fine, and nothing would be lost. |
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Post by partcynic on Aug 5, 2015 14:03:07 GMT -5
No worries! As you know, I'm not much of a fan of this season in general, so I certainly understand the 'meh'-ness of it all. I agree with the rest of your comments, so I'll jump right to the next review. *** 3x15 "Loyalty"More Holtz/Connor crud. With every ep that focuses on this contrived and deeply flawed story, the season sinks lower and lower. This stuff is such clueless, contrived slop that I would honestly rather rewatch the magic addiction or Spuffy arcs - those two plots at least had a modicum of sense and vague connections to the characters they featured. Many of the year's standard criticisms apply here, so I apologise (again) if my commentary is getting repetitive. Likes- Sahjhan's lines are always humorous, and Jack Conley's deadpan delivery is spot-on. - Lilah is the only long-term character who's remained consistent. She's not as compelling as Lindsey was, but her scenes make the most sense, and her dialogue has wit. Not sure about the 'phone call to mother' bit (seems like a tacked-on attempt at expanding her/making her more sympathetic), but it was okay. Dislikes- The opening dream felt predictable, and the 'blood on Wesley's hands' imagery was trite. - For most of the next few eps, Wesley is a mess whose behaviour is entirely plot-driven. First, he takes a prophecy as having an incredibly specific meaning (despite knowing that they're rarely that straightforward - remember shanshu?) Then, rather than actually telling the others what's worrying him (another reason Cordy had to be on 'vacation' - she'd have realised something was seriously wrong and gotten him to tell her), he contacts a 'wizard' we've never heard about before, and takes this one individual's advice rather than getting a roundtable of opinions. Then, he goes to Holtz (of all people!), and based upon some empty blather and three generalised clues from a talking hamburger(!), he concludes that the prophecy's fulfilment is imminent. Stupid beyond belief. - The non-Wesley characters are rather dense in not realising that something's seriously bothering their friend. And even if Angel isn't the prophecy-deciphering type, wouldn't the knowledge that Wes is working on something directly connected to Connor make him want to know exactly how things were progressing? - What kind of doctor just leaves a blood sample lying around, instead of placing it within proper storage? And the replacement tube left there by the saboteur has the exact same handwriting as the original one? - The acting of the woman who played Aubrey is especially bad when the character describes her son's death. When I first saw the episode, I thought the poor delivery was supposed to indicate that she'd fabricated her tale, but it then turns out she was telling the truth all along. - How did Angel and Wes know that Aubrey was working for Holtz? There was nothing suspect in her original story, and the characters never showed any concern about it. The 'twist' was really poor plotting. - More drabness from Holtz the one-dimensional bore and Justine the Vampire Slayer. Does that character have any mode beyond 'irritated and sarcastic'? - Fred is far too childish. She can do 'cute' just fine, but her hyper-girlishness when trying to set Wes up with Aubrey made her feel younger than "Buffy" S1 Willow, despite having a good decade on her. - Fred/Gunn is a dull and unbelievable relationship. Gunn's macho posturing ('Wes wants me gone so he can chat up my girl') is embarrassing, and the two of them should have realised the consequences of letting their relationship compromise their work after they got caught by that tree-monster. SummaryAnother murky mediocrity. If you want evidence of how a single bad story can almost kill a show (compare the year pre-Connor to post-Connor), "Angel" S3 must be one of the ultimate examples. |
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Post by cyclica on Sept 15, 2015 14:23:34 GMT -5
I would honestly rather rewatch the magic addiction or Spuffy arcs - those two plots at least had a modicum of sense and vague connections to the characters they featured I'd say no one in Angel s3 was changed as dramatically as s6 willow, and that alone is a reason to put ats s3 above btvs s6. - Sahjhan's lines are always humorous, and Jack Conley's deadpan delivery is spot-on. Agreed. I enjoyed his far more as Sahrjan than I did as the werewolf hunter in buffy s2. Not sure about the 'phone call to mother' bit (seems like a tacked-on attempt at expanding her/making her more sympathetic), but it was okay. As a way of humanising Lilah, it was ok, but I'm glad they never had a scene like that again. I don't want her to be too sympathetic. and based upon some empty blather and three generalised clues from a talking hamburger(!) I have mixed feelings about the loa. On one hand, it was appreciated to have some levity in such a drama-heavy arc. And for the time, the effects were impressive. But I'm not buying that an ancient demon can be summoned from what must be a fairly recent 'statue', how could you summon it before the fast food place was built? And I generally don't like vague predictions anyway, especially when they are twisted to suit the story. Angel drank conners' blood, he did not 'devour his child'. And his dripping blood onto conner after an injury is not a 'rain of blood'. - How did Angel and Wes know that Aubrey was working for Holtz? There was nothing suspect in her original story, and the characters never showed any concern about it. The 'twist' was really poor plotting. Agreed. Speaking of Aubrey, there's a lot of 'stalking' in this episode, with characters following each other around quite a bit. It gets a bit tedious, and half the time I'm not buying how these people are able to follow each other without being noticed. Perhaps if we didn't see the big open empty street, and had a crowded street instead, then it would have been more plausible. Overall this is a below average connecter episode, made memorable only by a talking hamburger. |
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Post by partcynic on Sept 19, 2015 11:08:37 GMT -5
I don't know - I find what was done to Angel and Cordelia worse in the long run. Even though the Willow addiction arc was a failure, the only part of the story that actually mattered or had lasting impact (Tara's death and its immediate aftermath) was fully in touch with Willow's character, what with being a retread of "Tough Love" and all. But I really struggle with Angel's regression this year, and the less said about Saint Cordy, the better.
Thanks for saying that - when I was writing these reviews, I knew I recognised Conley's voice from somewhere, but couldn't pin it down.
Like you, I appreciate that the hamburger provided levity in what was intended to be a heavy and dark story; it's just a shame that the story itself is so bad. I also concur regarding the worthlessly vague predictions.
I hadn't noticed that in this ep, but I certainly did for the next one, and even commented on it in my review. But you're absolutely right on its applicability here - it's like the writers weren't even trying to make things feel realistic or believable.
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I picked it because it sounds like the name of some kind of sterile medical product, which is equivalent in passion to this 'romance'.