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Post by partcynic on Feb 18, 2013 6:28:36 GMT -5
1x16 The Ring
Nothing to rave about, but an enjoyable gladiator-type ep that ticks all the boxes for its cliched genre. I don't find the plot that exciting, but the opening double-cross and opportunities for Cordelia and Wesley to demonstrate their smarts help prevent it from being too standard.
Likes
- The opening has some mystery (what's going on with the kidnapped man?), and the reveal that it's all a set-up to lure Angel into captivity is a good one.
- This may only be Lilah's introduction, but she's intriguing from her first moment. Lots of intelligence and class, and we get a hint of her pragmatism (saving Angel on the condition he turns a blind eye to Wolfram and Hart's operations).
- As predictable as it is (should slavery really be treated in such a blase manner?), Angel's 'rebel leader' schtick is fine. His interactions with the other captives were perfectly watchable, and they all managed to have distinguishable - if stock - personalities.
- The fight choreographers and make-up artists do impressive work. The demons all have unique looks, and their battles are enjoyable to watch.
- Excellent material from Cordelia and Wesley. They both get chances to utilise their main skills (Cordy - social; Wesley - intellectual), and everything we see flows naturally from who the characters are. Lots of humour too, and nice reversal with them saving Angel.
- The ending is funny, with the gang realising they've just let a group of potentially evil demons loose on the city.
Dislikes
- As said, the plot is too generic. There are two good twists (the kidnapping was a lie; one brother killing the other), but everything with Angel and the other demons was predictable: the speeches; the character types, etc. I would have preferred a fresher take on the idea.
- The ep's a little slow. It's so easy to guess what'll happen that there isn't much of a sense of tension or desperation.
- Wesley is a bit too good a shot. Having him use a gun in "Expecting" at least set a precedent, but he seems to have become a remarkable marksman very quickly (hitting the bookie with the crossbow bolt).
- Cordy and Wes scam tickets to get into the fighting club for one night, but how did they enter the second time? Did they try the same scheme, or did the doorman just not check?
Summary
A pleasantly average ep, which comes as a relief after the last three. The story is decent and the characters well-portrayed, setting the season right after its brief dip in quality.
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Post by cyclica on Feb 27, 2013 17:20:32 GMT -5
The ring.Once again, we're mostly in agreement, so I don't have much to say. - This may only be Lilah's introduction, but she's intriguing from her first moment. Lots of intelligence and class, and we get a hint of her pragmatism (saving Angel on the condition he turns a blind eye to Wolfram and Hart's operations). Her intro is ok, but for me this is probably my least favourite lilah appearance out of all the eps she appears in. Not that I dislike her in this, I just didn't find her all that interesting until her second appearance. Still, I love how the W&H lawyers are getting their own seperate set-up episodes before we get to see them all together. - Excellent material from Cordelia and Wesley. They both get chances to utilise their main skills (Cordy - social; Wesley - intellectual), and everything we see flows naturally from who the characters are. That's the great thing about a show with only a few characters- they can all have something significant to do, every episode. - As said, the plot is too generic. There are two good twists (the kidnapping was a lie; one brother killing the other), but everything with Angel and the other demons was predictable: the speeches; the character types, etc. I would have preferred a fresher take on the idea. I've seen the same story on both star trek voyager and smallville, and I much prefer the angel version. Even though the later two eps do have a variation on the basic story, angel's take is the best executed (and with the best humour and fight scenes too).
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Post by partcynic on Mar 1, 2013 18:12:38 GMT -5
As always, no worry! In turn, I don't have a huge amount to say, but I want it to be known that I'm reading and thinking about your comments.  Yes! I'm watching S4 now - the splintering caused by the swelling cast means that none of them get the individual time they deserve. I miss getting in-depth readings almost every ep. |
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Post by partcynic on Mar 1, 2013 18:14:38 GMT -5
1x17 "Eternity"
A surprisingly effective and underappreciated episode with respectable comedy and strong drama. Like "The Bachelor Party", it's elevated by the presence of a well-written, one-off character who's portrayed with depth and subtlety. How can the show get things so right with the likes of Harriet and Rebecca, yet fail so often with Kate?
Likes
- The episode hinges on Rebecca, and she was well-characterised and excellently portrayed by Tamara Gorski. Even though hers were "poor little rich girl" problems (and thus largely irrelevant), I understood that Rebecca was in pain, and that made the story work. She also showed some nice depth in her understanding of what fame was all about and immediate response to learning Angel's a vampire (I don't believe Angel's assessment was entirely correct), and it was good that she realised how badly she'd messed up at the end.
- Yay for Angel showing interest in another woman. I enjoyed Buffy/Angel, but it's important that the show acknowledge other options are available, if highly complicated.
- I liked the twist of Rebecca's stalker being a publicity stunt to boost her flagging career, which believably led to her attempt to become a vampire. And no matter how stupid it was, I understood why she wanted it.
- Lots of great stuff with Angelus. He's scary and funny, and the confrontation between he, Wes and Cordelia allows for both cutting home truths, and opportunities for the others to show their brains and bravery.
- Excellent ending with Angel chained to the bed. His conversations with Wesley and especially Cordy are meaningful, and Cordy's "Pfft!" before walking off is a classic.
Dislikes
- Cordy is good at the beginning and end, but her responses to Rebecca are over the top. I appreciate the tie to her original characterisation, but her constant squealing and shrieking got annoying. Even a starstruck Cordelia should possess a few social skills - the writers could easily have her comedically nervous/tactless without forcing a caricatured freakout every thirty seconds.
- Pacing gets a bit slow in the first half.
- You need the drug for this episode to work, but they couldn't make it believable. Angelus is Angel without a soul, but Angel didn't lose his soul, so Angelus shouldn't have emerged. Instead, we should have just seen regular Angel under the influence of a drug. Perhaps he could have done something bad while intoxicated (like agreeing to sire Rebecca, drinking and not being able to stop himself - tying in to Doyle's "City Of" comment about him eventually getting tempted?) It would have provided character insight/parallels (Rebecca and Angel's self-involvement and the harm it causes despite the fact that they're not bad people) without presenting something that the show's own rules make impossible.
Summary
A strong ep slightly let down by an unworkable plot twist. Despite that significant problem, it remains an enjoyable, well-acted offering with strong characterisation, and provides "Angel" with the opportunity to touch on LA, fame and celebrity in a plausible way.
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Post by cyclica on Mar 10, 2013 16:22:49 GMT -5
EternityI'm a little conflicted with this one. On one hand, there's a lot about this episode that I love. I love that this ep isn't a typical 'villain of the week'. It's a little different to usual, as it focuses on how angel has affected the life of one person he meets. It's a simple story in a way, and very effective. And I also love that it remembers that angel was once angelus and actually does something with that; it's a story that can only work with angel, you couldn't transplant buffy as the hero, or any other tv protagonist. Basically I am a big fan of whenever a tv show has episodes that can only work on that one show (not that an 'easily remade' episode like hero-tracks-down-badguys is necessarily going to be bad), as they give the show it's own unique identity, just as much as the characters or ongoing storyline do. Then there's the fact that the whole episode comes across as an 'unfolding tragedy', where you know things will end badly, and they keep getting worse, which I find both fascinating and engaging. It feels like more of an actual 'story' to me, rather than a series of amusing events, or a 'day in the life', moreso that a typical episode anyway, and that's a rare thing, even among tv shows I like. It's a very satisfying self-contained story, and I certainly agree that it is underappreciated. It's also cool that the guy from the pilot who wanted to hire angel as an actor has made a reappearance. Who would thought that one-off joke from the pilot would be a kind of setup, for something 16 episodes later? Plus there's the spin on the damsel-in-distress cliche, when rebecca is fighting off angel. Usually you just know that the heroine will defeat the bad guy... but when the bad guy *is* the hero, there's a real sense of unpredictibility there. You're rooting for her to win the fight, but without knowing how he will be 'defeated', given that he's not gonna end up dead or arrested, since he's the main character, and it's not easy to overpower a vampire without killing them. On the other hand though, I have very little interest in anything relating to 'celeb culture', and that aspect of the episode doesn't hold my interest much. And while I don't dislike the episode for that, it's still a big enough part of the episode to put me off watching it. There's also a lack of any big/memorable moments for me, which means I often forget about the episode, and rarely watch it. How can the show get things so right with the likes of Harriet and Rebecca, yet fail so often with Kate? I'd imagine writing a one-off character is much easier than writing a recurring one. Especially with multiple writers each working on their own episodes. - You need the drug for this episode to work, but they couldn't make it believable. Angelus is Angel without a soul, but Angel didn't lose his soul, so Angelus shouldn't have emerged. Instead, we should have just seen regular Angel under the influence of a drug. Perhaps he could have done something bad while intoxicated (like agreeing to sire Rebecca, drinking and not being able to stop himself - tying in to Doyle's "City Of" comment about him eventually getting tempted?) It would have provided character insight/parallels (Rebecca and Angel's self-involvement and the harm it causes despite the fact that they're not bad people) without presenting something that the show's own rules make impossible. I like your idea, but the drug story the show went with didn't bother me. I admit that it didn't make perfect sense for angel to become evil if he never really lost his soul, but 'temporary perfect happiness' leading to 'temporary evil' worked well enough for me. Angel's curse isn't an exact science, it's magic, perhaps this is just the way the curse works. The gypsies didn't want angel to be happy, and that means happiness through love, or drugs. If angel could take drugs without turning evil, well he may choose to spend eternity stoned out of his mind rather than living with guilt forever. ... And that would be a very different, but I'm sure very amusing, vampire detective show.
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Post by cyclica on Mar 10, 2013 16:28:14 GMT -5
Oh and, I agree with what you said. |
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Post by partcynic on Mar 13, 2013 9:08:35 GMT -5
Yes! I think this is one of the best examples of "Angel"'s original concept, in which the emphasis was on Angel's impact on the lives of others, rather than the gang's internal dynamics. Agreed. That's one of the (many) reasons why I also love "Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been". More agreement! You can't turn away from this ep, even though you know it'll end horribly. That's the power of sympathetic characters and good writing. I'd have thought Angelus' reappearance would count there, but thinking more about it, this ep leans more towards inter-scene consistency than a baseline with peaks. Very true - they knew Rebecca's entire story and character arc going in. I still don't get why Kate was so off, though - I'd imagine the "Corrupt" fiasco had something to do with it. I like the image of stoned Angel. He and Fred could light up and space out. That said, I think that in the early years, magic on "Buffy" and "Angel" was more like a science - 'x' words and 'y' ingredients were used in 'z' ritual to get a desired result, and the spell for ensouling Angel was no different. The drug has no consistency (and the writers knew it, as it's never mentioned again, even though Wes/Jasmine-Cordy could have brought it up in S4). Angel didn't lose his soul, so he shouldn't have become Angelus. He should have just been Angel high. Applying "Eternity"'s logic, "Buffy" S2 Angel should have perhaps been evil for a couple of post-sex minutes, and then reverted to normal. It doesn't work, no matter how many convolutions are applied. |
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Post by partcynic on Mar 13, 2013 9:10:52 GMT -5
1x18 "Five By Five"
Another crossover episode, "Five By Five" is the best of its type. Working both as its own story and a continuation of the "Buffy" S4 Faith eps, it provides Eliza Dushku with some excellent emotional material, and she rises to the occasion; creating a couple of the season's most powerful moments in the process.
Likes
- The early stuff with Marquez was okay. I wasn't concerned about the story or the character, but it did its job in making Lindsey want revenge on Angel, and provided a humorous moment when Wesley got covered in demon blood. Marquez's story is also a sort-of parallel to Faith's, though hers is obviously more interesting.
- Faith. This is Eliza Dushku's episode, and her performance is exemplary. She sells Faith's violence, sexuality and vulnerability, and steals every scene she's in. I won't go through them all, but a good rule of thumb is that when she was on screen, the ep was great, and when she wasn't it was okay-to-good. Best of all are the concluding ten minutes: everything that happens is gripping, and the reveal that Faith's only after Angel in the hope that he'll put her out of her misery really works. Fading out with Wesley dropping the knife and the intermingled sounds of rain and Faith's crying was truly cinematic - those ten seconds must be among "Angel"'s dramatic highpoints.
- Torturing Wesley. Of course, I don't mean that it was good to have Wes get hurt, but I loved that the brutal torture actually included brutal torture. The cut to him tied up and beaten is harrowing, and the ensuing scenes with he and Faith are very tense (I'm assuming the violence and makeshift flamethrower were what made this DVD set the only Buffyverse offering to be slapped with an 18 certificate). They also give us our first real hints of his backbone, bluntly calling Faith a 'piece of...' and being willing to kill her (grabbing the knife) if that's what's necessary.
- The lawyers. Seeing the horrible Lee get pulverised by Faith is a real treat, and I love Lindsey and Lilah's calm comments as he's attacked ("she shows initiative" and arranging dinner for one less person).
- Lots of well-planned and well-executed fights. The choreography and stunt teams always go all-out when Faith's involved, which is as potent an argument as any to keep the character around.
Dislikes
- A bit too much 'Faith's just ill and confused' when initially deciding what to do about her - I'm never fond of 'vicious killer is actually a frightened child in need of love' stories. That said, it helps that Wes and Buffy refute this next episode, and also that Faith ultimately accepts responsibility for her behaviour rather than hiding behind excuses.
- I understand why the flashbacks are there (Angel knows what it's like to be rejected in an hour of need; hence his refusal to abandon Faith in "Sanctuary"), but they felt arbitrary. The writers are also messing with his history too much (if Darla was the one that kidnapped the gypsy girl, wouldn't it have made sense to curse her, either instead of or in addition to Angel?)
- Phantom Dennis can slam the apartment door shut to keep Cordy and Wes away from Faith, but can't hurl something big and heavy (or sharp) at Faith to stop her from attacking them?
- When we first see tortured-Wesley, he looks genuinely beaten. Cut to later, and he looks identical despite having been attacked with broken glass. A couple of cuts to the face would have helped - otherwise, it looks like Faith only went to town on his shirt.
- Angel enters Faith's apartment without an invite from the place's original owner. These fundamentals should be covered by now.
Summary
Though its best material is stunning, I wouldn't quite call "Five By Five" a top tier episode, as it has too many non-minor flaws. That said, there's no denying that it's another S1 winner, and a worthy entry in both the year and the ongoing story of Faith.
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Post by cyclica on Mar 17, 2013 5:40:42 GMT -5
I'd have thought Angelus' reappearance would count there, but thinking more about it, this ep leans more towards inter-scene consistency than a baseline with peaks. That's a good way to put it. I still don't get why Kate was so off, though - I'd imagine the "Corrupt" fiasco had something to do with it. Do you think kate had an entirely different storyline planned than the one we got, and it all had to be entirely re-written after Corrupt's failure? That said, I think that in the early years, magic on "Buffy" and "Angel" was more like a science - 'x' words and 'y' ingredients were used in 'z' ritual to get a desired result, and the spell for ensouling Angel was no different. The drug has no consistency (and the writers knew it, as it's never mentioned again, even though Wes/Jasmine-Cordy could have brought it up in S4). Angel didn't lose his soul, so he shouldn't have become Angelus. He should have just been Angel high. You're right, the use magic was usually depicted as more straightforward, and I prefer magic this way, as it's easier to follow/understand. But the drug still worked well enough for me here. As for the drug never being mentioned again, well I hadn't considered that. I suppose it's possible wesley and cordy just forgot about the events of eternity... more likely the writers forgot though. |
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Post by partcynic on Mar 17, 2013 16:38:04 GMT -5
If I recall correctly, in "Corrupt" she was characterised as a cop who'd gotten too deep into the seedy side of things, and had become a drug addict who prostituted herself. So I think it's safe to say that her arc was completely changed. |
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Post by cyclica on Mar 28, 2013 16:15:54 GMT -5
Again, I pretty much agree with what you have said. I'd like to give a special mention to how much I love faith's 'reunion' with the gang. I just love the looks on their faces as she shows up in the courthouse, after they assumed she was in a coma, that's probably my favourite scene in the episode. It's also great to have the three LM lawyers return, and play off each other, though I'm glad lee doesn't stick around too long after this ep, as he doesn't quite gel. - Lots of well-planned and well-executed fights. The choreography and stunt teams always go all-out when Faith's involved, which is as potent an argument as any to keep the character around. I'm not a fan of faith's fight scenes; the stunt doubles are just too obvious for me. (if Darla was the one that kidnapped the gypsy girl, wouldn't it have made sense to curse her, either instead of or in addition to Angel?) Hmm... perhaps darla WAS cursed. But unlike angel or spike, ensouled darla just didn't care about the people she killed (she didn't seem to care much in s2 when revived as human, not at first anyway). She could have immediately sought out perfect happiness in order to loose her soul again, not caring that she would become a killer again. Speculating is fun. - Phantom Dennis can slam the apartment door shut to keep Cordy and Wes away from Faith, but can't hurl something big and heavy (or sharp) at Faith to stop her from attacking them? - Angel enters Faith's apartment without an invite from the place's original owner. These fundamentals should be covered by now. Good catch, I hadn't noticed either of these errors. Now that I think about it... was it ever stated that dennis can't leave the house? What does he do in there all day, if he's fully conscious and around the whole time? |
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Post by partcynic on Mar 30, 2013 13:09:17 GMT -5
Yes - that's a cool scene. I like Cordy's quip about it being the liveliest coma she's seen.  Admittedly, I know what you mean with the doubles. My only issue with those scenes is that people tend to ignore gravity when they go flying from simple hits. Besides that, though, any fight featuring 'Evil' Faith is among the better stuff from the Buffyverse. I imagine that, like most ghosts, he's bound to the one location (strange the gang never stepped in to see if he wanted to finally move on). Though if he gets to help Cordy during bathtime, he probably doesn't mind that much (would have sucked once she left, though). |
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Post by partcynic on Mar 30, 2013 13:13:12 GMT -5
1x19 "Sanctuary"This episode's a respectable offering that brings Faith's original arc to a satisfying and believable conclusion. Its biggest issue is that it feels very much like a wrap-up show - all of the major events/development with Faith happened in "Five By Five", making this one seem almost filler-y in comparison. Likes- Cordy being annoyed with Angel and tricking him into giving her paid vacation. Funny and in-character. - Wesley is great, to the extent that this ep is much more important for him than for Faith. The early conflict between he and Angel is believable and wholly understandable, and the subsequent development as he encounters the hitmen is interesting. Note that despite his anger at Angel, he doesn't throw a fit or use the situation as an excuse to stab him in the back - instead, he acts like an intelligent adult (contrast S3). All of his scenes are well-written, and we even get a moment of pure cool when he turns that syringe into a makeshift dart. - The Watcher's Council goons are as entertaining as ever, and it's neat to see them here after their appearance in "Who Are You?" I like their humour, amorality and nastiness - good to have continued reminders that the Council isn't necessarily that removed from the forces it fights. - Excellent dialogue and interaction between the Wolfram and Hart lawyers. I smiled at the long 'assassin's assassin' bit. - Respectable resolution to Faith's story. She was precisely the type of confused mess I'd have expected her to be at this juncture, and I liked seeing her at least try to explain things to Buffy (as well as finally accepting that she was the one in the wrong). Her eventual decision to turn herself in (done because she deemed it the right thing, and not because of pressure or other people's requests) was a crucial moment, and it's good to see her find some semblance of peace at the end. Dislikes- As said, this ep is just about tying things up - almost all of the significant thematic and character moments have already occurred, making the non-Wesley arcs predictable. - This never bothered me before, but Angel's 'redemption' lectures are dull and void of significant content. No wonder they had Buffy and the hitmen come in - a whole ep of his speeches would have been stupefying. - The hitmen need to be more skilled. I know the story requires that they fail, but signs of competence would be appreciated. As they are, I wouldn't entrust them with making a cup of coffee, let alone wetworks. - The assassin demon feels like it was plucked from a cartoon. - She was bad for most of "I Will Remember You", but Buffy gets put through the meat grinder even more viciously here. Why on earth do the "Angel" writers insist on making her such a total 'bitca' (  ) every time she appears on the show? The character has numerous positive qualities and is fully justified in her abject hatred of Faith, but little of that comes across here. I can't say how much I hated the 'delicate flower' bit she pulled when Angel struck her, nor that nasty speech she gives him at the end, which had no purpose besides being spiteful. And worse, the shows force Angel to apologise for telling the obnoxious brat the truth! - Killing humans is wrong, but pulling them out of helicopters to fall twenty-plus feet is just fine? I don't have a problem with Angel offing evil humans, but if they're going to insist on this silly 'no people were harmed' code, it needs to be consistent. Summary"Sanctuary" is a sturdy conclusion to both a fun two-parter and a long-running arc. It could do with some touching up (Buffy needs major rewrites), but it's kept afloat by important, meaningful development for Wesley and Faith.
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Post by cyclica on Apr 9, 2013 14:58:11 GMT -5
I've read your review, I'll get to it as soon as possible.
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Post by cyclica on Apr 13, 2013 14:36:26 GMT -5
- Wesley is great, to the extent that this ep is much more important for him than for Faith. The early conflict between he and Angel is believable and wholly understandable, and the subsequent development as he encounters the hitmen is interesting. I love a conflict where you can see both sides to the arguement, and the show doesn't take sides in it. Both angel and wesley's points of view are understandable here. Note that despite his anger at Angel, he doesn't throw a fit or use the situation as an excuse to stab him in the back - instead, he acts like an intelligent adult (contrast S3). Buffy s3 or angel s3? - The Watcher's Council goons are as entertaining as ever, and it's neat to see them here after their appearance in "Who Are You?" I like their humour, amorality and nastiness - good to have continued reminders that the Council isn't necessarily that removed from the forces it fights.[/quote] I'm not a big fan of the watchers, the 'good guys' being portrayed as villains. It's somewhat understandable for the academics to have a black and white view of good and evil with no shades of grey, but I don't like the idea of the experienced fighters, being so unreasonable. - She was bad for most of "I Will Remember You", but Buffy gets put through the meat grinder even more viciously here. Why on earth do the "Angel" writers insist on making her such a total 'bitca' ( ) every time she appears on the show? It's all part of joss whedon's masterplan. Make buffy annoying on 'angel', and make angel annoying on btvs. That way, if you want to see good versions of the characters, you'd have to watch *both* shows. |
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Admittedly, I know what you mean with the doubles. My only issue with those scenes is that people tend to ignore gravity when they go flying from simple hits. Besides that, though, any fight featuring 'Evil' Faith is among the better stuff from the Buffyverse.
) every time she appears on the show? The character has numerous positive qualities and is fully justified in her abject hatred of Faith, but little of that comes across here. I can't say how much I hated the 'delicate flower' bit she pulled when Angel struck her, nor that nasty speech she gives him at the end, which had no purpose besides being spiteful. And worse, the shows force Angel to apologise for telling the obnoxious brat the truth!