Matt Zimmer (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
matt_zimmer) wrote2024-12-02 01:45 pm
matt_zimmer) wrote2024-12-02 01:45 pm
Entry tags:
"Angel" Season Four Reviews (Spoilers)
Also reviews for the latest episodes of Dune: Prophecy, Teen Titans Go!, and DC Heroes United.
Angel "Deep Down"
It's all right.
Angel's "Nothing in the world is the way is ought to be," is definitely one of the most iconic speeches in the entire Buffyverse. My only problem with it is I don't believe Champions actually exist. I believe they are a fictional idea, and thus there isn't actual truth to Angel's monologue. Maybe somewhere Champions DO exist. But I think their scarcity and the fact that the world is currently much WORSE than it ought to be says there is little real-world veracity in Angel's sure declarations there.
Andy Hallett has been upgraded to Special Guest Star, but he'll be a series regular mid-season. Vincent Kartheiser has already been bumped up to the main titles. Alexis Denisof has been promoted to "And Alexis Denisof" at the end which is a great honor for main titles.
Fred's fury at Connor feels righteous. And if you ask me Connor's betrayal was a hundred times worse than Wesley's. Wesley's lasted a night. Connor has been lying to these people for over three months.
I love Fred accusing Wesley of not caring and him saying Angel will need more blood and he is fresh out. Another good Wesley moment is after Justine is creeping up behind him with the wrench, he threatens to take away her bucket.
Linwood got a memorable exit, didn't he? I'd sleep with one eye open if I were Gavin.
Angel thinking he's seeing Connor and saying "I should have killed you," to Wesley is actually a powerful and devastating moment. The fantasy at the beginning however says that deep down Angel WANTS to forgive Wesley. That's what I took from that.
Unfortunately the amount of fake-out dream sequences in the episode is troubling. The Buffyverse already engages in that questionable trope far more than it should, and in fairness, the viewer can pretty much tell what is a fantasy here after the first one. But I believe fake-out dream sequences are so damaging to fiction because they make it so the viewer cannot trust what they are seeing. So whenever somebody dies for REAL, the moment doesn't land properly because you are always looking for an escape hatch. I don't approve of this method of storytelling, and I have to say it's a little disturbing I seem to be the only person with a real problem with it. Most people don't like it, but everyone sort of has accepted it as a normal trope. I don't think any tropes that weaken a work of fiction ought to ever be normalized by either fans or other writers. And there are a LOT of them that do that. And I seem to be the only person with a problem with them.
So that was "Deep Down". An all right premiere in a season that will get shittier and shittier as it goes along. ***.
Angel "Ground State"
Gwen is a great character and I think she could have broken out on the show a lot bigger than she did. What I think happened was Alexa Davalos suddenly became a very in-demand actress and scheduling conflicts stopped them from using her more. But I love her bit about fibbing being lying only classier, and "It's fun for a girl and a boy."
Angel's heartbeat leading to the kiss was a pleasurably shocking moment. I love the guilt it instills in Angel, but if you ask me that is misplaced.
Fred's drama with Gunn is tiresome at this point.
Wesley Wyndham-Pryce report: His sex scenes with Lilah are really starting to gross me out. I loved his nonreaction to Angel claiming they were okay again. The group has been operating under the assumption that Wesley's actions were unforgivable. Did it ONCE occur to them, that the way they treated him afterwards was FAR more unforgivable? Angel doesn't get to be all buddy-buddy and be all "We're okay again," after what he did. If he hadn't tried to kill him, yeah, Wesley would NEED to earn back his trust. At this point, it's the other way around.
I think the weak spot of the episode is a weak spot for the Buffyverse in general. Gwen's younger actress looks and acts NOTHING like Alexa Davalos. To be completely fair, casting dead-ringer kids for the younger versions of main actors only really became a reality, I would guess, about 5 years after this episode aired. I think it was Fringe that started doing it, and then all genre did. But before then nobody bothered. Also not helping is this is Gwen's first fucking episode. For all we know the kid might have been cast before Davalos was.
The episode was almost standalone, and not much connected to the larger Season 4 arc. That might actually be why I liked it. ****.
Angel "The House Always Wins"
Lorne singing "Being Green" is just pure magic. "Lady Marmalade" was also amazing.
I love that everyone is pretty much sick of Angel's Vegas stories by the end.
Gunn is an asshole for thinking the absolute worst about Lorne. The problem is before Lorne is punched and the cage bars go down the show itself is sort of mispresenting his intentions too. But really, I think Gunn is an asshole for blaming him without realizing Lorne did it because innocent people were under threat.
The amnesia at the end is annoying precisely because there is no reason for it and it was never explained. This season is probably the worst as far as narrative consistency goes. It's just a bunch of random crap happening with no rhyme or reason.
Lorne in Vegas was fun though. Diddle? ****.
Angel "Slouching Towards Bethlehem"
I've said in earlier reviews of my rewatch of the Buffyverse that my eyes are wide open. Even so I am shocked this episode sucks. I'm especially shocked at how MUCH it sucks. We Buffyverse fans must have tolerated a LOT back in the day.
Lorne's reading of Cordy and the "Slouching Towards Bethlehem" thing was why I liked the episode when it aired, but really the rest of the episode sucks butt. It so poorly written and contrived the way they pushed Connor and Cordelia together. I thought it was stupid and I didn't believe it for a second.
Wesley and Lilah's stuff is still creepy to me for some reason. They're trying to give it nuance and new angles and it's still skeevy.
Man, I am really surprised how much that sucked. I KNEW that Season 4 was a mess in hindsight but I never suspected it was going to be this bad. *.
Angel "Supersymmetry"
I've always hated this episode, but a LOT of times when I hate something a little time and hindsight will cool my opinion. The verdict?
There are a BUNCH of elements that REALLY work that I didn't even notice before. But the reason I hated the episode was because it sucked. And it does.
I'll talk about the good things first, because the bad things are more on my mind. But I thought the idea that Fred would go to Wesley and that Wesley would help her with her revenge plot was interesting. I also thought it was interesting Wesley went to the lecture and Lilah was jealous. Lilah very much understands she is the second choice. It's almost like the Groosalugg between Angel and Cordy, the difference being that Cordy was not aware she liked Angel better and would NEVER have said something like that to Groo before HE pointed it out. There is NO doubt in my mind Wesley would dump Lilah the SECOND Fred showed an interest, he'd be completely up-front about it, and Lilah freaking knows it. It's also interesting that Wesley is the one of Fred's friends who had a layman's understanding of her lecture. I think mostly because unlike Gunn and Angel, he put in the effort to understand it. And despite me thinking Wesley's actions towards Fred are usually more creepy than romantic, that's something Gunn should have been doing instead of cracking wise about being dumb. He's not dumb, so that's his way to get out of it. That's not okay.
"They talk about me in the chatty rooms?" Regardless of this show's (MANY) failings, Angel is funny here and was not at ALL on Buffy The Vampire Slayer. So that's an improvement.
Actually I take that back. He was funny in the series finale "Chosen". But that's because his own show taught the producers how to do it.
I also loved Angel's scene with Lilah. I must be crazy but I get the sneaking suspicion at this point they actually like each other. I don't know if Wesley is providing some sort of unconscious buffer for that or what, but while Angel rips the top off her car they are both all smiles and very much enjoying this. "Hulk smash."
I'm with Gunn. I loved Angel's triggered eidetic memory "parlor trick" too. With the things Angel is able to draw from memory it is believable he has this skill, even if we never saw it before.
What's wrong with the episode? Everything else.
I found the stuff with Cordelia and Connor back in the day objectionable, but now? It literally makes my skin crawl and me sick to stomach. In my heart and my head I know that 'ship in the most disgusting thing the show ever did and I've always thought that. But it comes across FAR worse in 2024 than it did back when this aired. Connor's behavior is BEYOND creepy and Cordelia is fucking up as an adult entirely. The entire thing is completely disgusting. Did Charisma Carpenter tell Joss Whedon she was pregnant yet? Because that was the catalyst for him ruining her character out of spite and it arguably started here.
I also object to how Fred ultimately reacted to Gunn killing the professor. We'll talk about the professor in a bit. And truthfully Gunn doing that so Fred wouldn't have to is a pretty annoying alpha male move. All that being said, and all things being equal, it's a bit rich for Fred to be pissed at him when this was entirely her fault. It's like she felt she ruined him. Well, if she did, that's not exactly HIS fault, and he doesn't deserve to be punished for that. I think essentially whether Gunn can be forgiven is down to whether Fred was right or not to want the professor dead.
Again, we'll talk about the professor in a bit. But whatever Fred's revenge motivations, killing the professor was the most prudent move. Not just because as Fred said he was serial killer. He was escalating and summoning demons and opening portals far beyond his previous pattern. He literally tried to kill Fred at least three times in the episode. Her killing him would be self-defense in this scenario. He was not going to stop. And if she was right to want to kill him, then there is no reason for her to think less of Gunn. The only reason to do so would be if she thought Gunn's advice was right in hindsight. My problem is I don't think it was. I think it was naive and an opinion offered by a person who preferred his girlfriend when she mousy to when she was dangerous. And you'll be pissed to hear me say this, but I don't blame him for that. But since he's wrong, Fred has no business blaming him as if he were right all along.
The professor bothers me. A lot. His motivations are stupid and as stupid as they are I'd let them slide if he wasn't such a maniac in this episode. Throwing potential rivals into portals so he'd always be the top dog, is, um, well fucking STUPID, not just for a person, but for a professional writer paid to WRITE a person. It's ridiculous. But again, bad writing is often a VERY necessary part of genre. I am aware of that. I'd excuse it if he wasn't fucking opening the portal at the lecture in front of a roomful of people and in front of witnesses each fucking time. Does he want to get away with this or not? Because for most serial killers, that is job one. This was done solely so he'd be caught. And I might even be able to forgive THAT bit of bad writing if every single other part of it wasn't badly written too.
The episode is a mess, and makes me dislike Fred. Not a fan back in the day and it turns out I was right (for once). *1/2.
Angel "Spin The Bottle"
I was curious how this one (written and directed by Joss Whedon) would hit me. Unlike "Waiting In The Wings" it has a lot of good jokes. It also has a lot of BAD jokes and more than a few major flaws.
I hate to say this about a Lorne Tour De Force, which is what this episode is. But as amazing and funny as Andy Hallett's narration is, the framing structure bothers the HELL out of me. When is this taking place? Why can we hear an audience that isn't present? Most annoying of all how is Lorne relating a story he was not even there for most of? For Whedon he's treating it as a silly conceit that isn't supposed to make sense. I don't like shit that doesn't make sense in projects that TRY to make sense. If ALL Buffyverse episodes were flights of whimsy, I'd deal, but this is just annoying.
I'm going to try and detail the good jokes first. There were so many I'm definitely going to forget a few.
Fred asking everybody for weed is amazing.
I loved Wesley patting her shoulder and the singsong way he said "Don't be afraaaid."
"Your ass better pray I don't look that word up."
Lorne turning to the camera and saying "I know I'm supposed to be unconscious but can you believe these mooks?"
Angel calling Wesley an English pig.
The bad jokes next.
Wesley panicking upon Gunn saying his name. I was like, "Holy shit, this franchise is STILL dirt-stupid. That will never change. WHEDON wrote that joke himself. Idiot."
Angel suggesting Gunn is a slave. It's meant to be a laughline but instead I'm thinking IStandWithRayFisher.
Lorne talking about the nice products we all ought to purchase. And I'm not slamming that because its streaming absent commercials, so it doesn't make sense off broadcast television. I hate it because it breaks the fourth wall TOO much. I already am leery of Lorne telling a story he shouldn't know to an empty room. That was its worst part.
I liked Liam's laments to Connor. Even though Connor had no idea what was going on, he knew exactly where his father was coming from, and maybe for the first time ever.
The thing with Cordelia however was disgusting and I'm thinking Whedon might benefit from some therapy. The scene with the hooker he saved was similarly disgusting and it makes me believe every bad story about Whedon I've ever heard. That was not written by a non-abusive, non-disgusting person.
Wesley's "Not all of us have muscle to rely on," is great as was reason for why he changed: "I had my throat slit and all my friends abandoned me." I will say this about Gunn pushing up against him for trying to "steal" Fred from him. Whatever Gunn's current problems with Fred are, Wesley has nothing to do with them. Gunn owns them entirely. If Wesley senses that and is stepping in, that's not nice, but him pointing out that Gunn really ought to have more faith in his relationship is a good point because Gunn does not (for good reason).
One of my favorite scenes in the episode is how Lorne gets Fred to untie him. He asks her to look in her heart and asks her if she really thinks he's evil. Say what you will about both this episode AND Joss Whedon, that was the first moment I completely trusted Lorne, and it was permanent past that. No matter how lovable he was, it was always a question mark. Until the way he asked Fred that meant it was a no-brainer he was actually good. Joss Whedon did many shitty things in this episode, many of them to Lorne. That was one of the best things he did.
Flawed as hell, but entertaining (and creepy in places). I'll allow it. ***1/2.
Angel "Apocalypse, Nowish"
That is the single most disgusting ending in the entire series. The ending to "Forgiving" is more appalling, but that was way grosser.
For some insane reason, this episode is a fan-favorite. What a mess-up fandom we used to be.
Yes, Wesley with the pistols and the shotgun is awesome. But this is some seriously fucked up shit.
"Can we not do this right now?" is the Whedonverse version of "No, WE did it!" A hoary, embarrassing, overused cliche that makes me less of the characters and think the writers are a bunch of dolts.
Both Fred and Gunn were annoying me for different reasons.
Angel's reasoning with Lilah was sound.
Wesley telling Lilah to leave the glasses on is disgusting. It not only feels like a creepy long-distance violation of Fred, it's always clearly hurtful to Lilah. He sucks.
I will say this: The episode gave me stuff to speculate about. It's so bad, I can't get a bead on its intention.
Cordelia's character is positively ruined, so it's safe to assume she told Joss Whedon she was pregnant at this point. My question was how far ahead was his planned abuse of her? Was he already planning on turning the character evil? If he was, the way Cordelia reacts to Connor is actually credible. Connor says incredibly stupid and obvious things to her and she is praising him as insightful and for supposedly always saying the right thing. Because the things he says are dumb, the choice to believe is either the writers are stupid (definitely possible after giving us THAT) or this is an early demonstration of Cordelia's evil and she's literally grooming him.
If it's the second thing I believe Joss Whedon did NOT catch enough hell for this. He literally ought to burn in Hell for this. I am furious.
My opinion of Season 4 of Angel used to be that the Buffyverse was fun as hell to enjoy the ride week after week, but not so much fun to view in hindsight.
I'm not even enjoying the ride this time out. 0.
Angel "Habeas Corpses"
Great episode title. The episode? Eh.
I liked the horror movie elements most of all. Angel and Connor's banter during the fight was great too. Angel describes zombies as undead things. Connor says, "Like you." And Angel is like, no they are slow-moving dull-witted things that eat flesh. "Like you." I love that. I especially love that as mad as Angel is the first thing he does upon seeing Connor is hug him.
The rest of the episode is problematic as hell with a dash of totally shitty. I will offer speculation in a minute about Cordy's character assassination but I would like to offer a weird opinion. Connor's stuff with her POSSIBLY could have worked if Angel reacted differently. But Angel is jealous. Angel is mad Cordelia slept with somebody else. Which is why I don't like Angel.
Angel should be pissed Cordelia HURT Connor. She groomed him, warped him, used him, and discarded him. Angel is right to be furious but Angel is a sucky father because he's furious for the wrong reasons. If Cordelia is unforgivable to Angel, it should be for hurting Connor, not him. Moreover, he should NEVER forgive her. But the series is a cheap ass wimp about consequences to things like that.
But hey, turns out Cordy and Angel ARE sexually compatible. She's a cold-hearted SOB the next day too.
I agree with Wesley breaking up with Lilah because he's choosing a side. But I hate him for "You're embarrassing yourself." No, Wesley, YOU should be the one embarrassed by that.
My theory is while Whedon was busy ruining Cordy, at this point he HAD decided to turn her evil. The clues are the specific ways Cordelia refers to Connor to Angel. "He's a sweetie. He's special." If she's evil, she's twisting the knife. The idea that it was decided LATER for her to be evil is supported by her looking shocked behind Connor's back the next day as well as her reaction alone when Angel found out "Oh, God." Those things says her being evil was still not thought up yet.
My theory is it was. My theory is that was just the series not playing fair with the audience and fucking us around. I believe the series less made things up as they went along by this point and more treated the viewers like pieces of shit. That's also in line with season 3, so that theory is my actual bet.
Particularly cringe uttering of "Can we not do this right now?" by David Boreanaz. The show at its worst.
Shit, I hate what Joss did to both Charisma Carpenter and this show. **1/2.
Angel "Long Day's Journey"
Solid. The dedication at the end to Glenn Quinn, who died the week this aired, was nice too.
The episode title has a nice double-meaning.
I love Manny. He's funny and also a great concept for a higher being. "You guys got Skinemax?" "Thanks, pal." Good stuff.
Even if Cordelia weren't evil, she's still awful. Fuck her.
Also Angel trying to make her jealous with Gwen shows he has NO idea why he SHOULD be mad at her.
I love Wesley calmly saying Angel is a suspect. He's actually being framed by Cordelia but I love Wesley putting it so baldly.
My one complaint is that even though Angelus DID wind up killing the Beast (out of spite more than anything) he really didn't give them any necessary answers. At least not until it was too late.
But again, the episode was solid. ****.
Angel "Awakening"
I've always hated this episode with a passion. And I was right to.
The fantasy sequence makes the entire thing a huge wheelspin. The worst part about it is the fantasy makes me think very little of Angel. It's a completely narcissistic idealized world where Connor understands his place and Cordelia feels the proper shame for her behavior. In fairness these elements are the major clues that Angel's friends are acting how HE'D like them to act, rather than how they WOULD act.
Nothing says that more that Angel's b.s. claim that Wesley never apologizes. Wesley apologizes ALL THE TIME. With that curt, British "Sorry," of his. If this Wesley weren't entirely a meat-puppet of Angel's delusion, he'd point this out himself.
And the sex scene is so bad, not just because it's badly written and acted. But because we're expected to accept and believe both Angel and Cordelia somehow conveniently forgot about the Curse. And the entire problem with the Angel / Cordy ship is it's never remembered that's an actual obstacle. Lorne has mentioned Angel finding pure happiness with Cordelia ironically. In reality, it's the reason they can never be together.
I ultimately believe the episode could have, if not been saved, at least tolerated, if David Boreanaz's laugh at the end was actually as chilling as intended. It struck me as corny and forced. I've not seen Bones or his recent Seal Team series, but even thought Boreanaz is often GOOD as Angelus, the truth is at this stage of his career, his performances were very much hit or miss. Charisma Carpenter too, but that's more of a failing of the writers this season than the actress. Sometimes Boreanaz nails the scary with Angelus. In that moment, arguably the most potentially momentous one of the season, he whiffed it.
I don't think it's the worst episode of the season anymore. But the truth is I've always hated it and see no redeeming virtues years later, which is frankly unusual for me about stuff I hate. When I love something, when I rewatch it, I tend to love it less. When I hate something, when I rewatch it I tend to hate it less. I hate this exactly as much as I always did. 0.
Angel "Soulless"
Angelus as Hannibal Lecter is pretty much the entire conceit of the season and everything else hinges on whether or not it works.
It mostly works. I have to admit Wesley's behavior with Fred is gross, made even more obnoxious by the fact that she tolerates it. But Angelus' mindgames with Connor were great, and everyone's reaction to him and Cordy were the correct ones. She WAS the closest thing he had to a mother. It beyond destructive that she did that for that reason. "There ought to be a play."
I love Angelus' line at the end, "The more you piss me off, the longer I'll keep you alive." It sounds like the opposite of a threat until you realize the implications.
I didn't much love the bit of Cordelia claiming she's a better ride than a Mustang. Goddamn, TV is gross to women, and back then the worst part was how female characters fed into that shit themselves.
This is a good episode. No lie. Although Wesley is icky. ****.
Angel "Cavalry"
Remember, Hannibal Lecter always escapes.
That ending pisses me off. SO much.
Also Wesley pisses me off. He is SUCH a creep in this episode.
I thought Angelus' stuff with Gunn was appalling. It was deliberately racist, but I think the producers were hoping I'd find that fact amusing in a gallows' humor kind of way. They were very wrong.
I love when Angel reveals Wesley and Lilah, Fred's reaction upon learning it's true is to nervously say it's not any of her business. I love that because it's not! Fred has spent the entire season behaving like a hot mess. I like that when she got flustered by this she was permitted an adult reaction for once.
This show's solution to jumping the shark last season is to nuke the fridge. Gosh, I wonder why it isn't working. **.
Angel "Salvage"
You know, I would have given that episode an unconditional rave if not for that disgusting ending. Also, "Give momma some sugar." I honestly think Joss Whedon belongs in jail.
But outside of Cordelia, Faith makes everything better, even Connor. Her scene with the kid saying she was going to protect Angelus because she owned Angel more than him is great as is her pointing out she's a murderer and he is not (at least not yet).
I love her scene in the prison with the Bringer knife and the Guard saying somebody would be crazy to try and take her on. It ties beautifully into the First Evil plot on Buffy The Vampire Slayer's final season. What I especially like is it seems to be an unspoken acknowledgement between her and the guards that she is only here because she wants to be. Probably why there was never an all-points bulletin out for her arrest after that. Her wardens actually understood what a Vampire Slayer was at this point.
I love that she's a little troubled and impressed that Wesley's new look suited him. I sensed her troubled reaction had to do with some unwanted attraction on her end. Just my opinion, but after they bust out the window and land on the car several stories below, when she asks if he's all right, when he unironically, effortlessly, and coolly says with a smile, "Five By Five" THAT is the best moment of the season. And that's not even a question for me. And while we are talking bests, its early but I firmly believe Faith's arc in Angel Season 4 was the best thing that franchise ever did with that character. She was all right in Buffy's five final episodes. But she is a force of nature here, a born and natural leader, and basically the only person able to tell Connor what to do.
My one Faith regret is her telling Gunn she loved his name. That was beyond lame.
"Hey, Dawn, is your sister home? She is?" He hangs up. "It's the other one."
I notice that Angelus never actually killed anyone this season. It's very strange, and I am pretty sure it was probably a censor note. There is no other explanation that every single one of his potential innocent victims either escapes at the last second, or he gets distracted by something else. While it is strange, I'm not necessarily sure it was a BAD censor note. It might have actually been for the best. Enough horrible shit was already happening this season. Angelus racking up a body count would have added nothing positive to the show.
I don't like the r word, but Angelus is evil, so it's consistent he uses an evil term. What's Cordelia's excuse? Also I am with him in being fed up there was some veracity about killing the Beast ending Permanent Midnight in Angel's fantasy. It was too stupid to be true so it being true means reality is stupid.
I loved Wesley's scene of taking care of Lilah's body. Him yelling "You didn't love me!" is a powerful moment. Also, at the beginning when he comes upon Angelus feeding on her and he sees she's dead I said to myself, "In Lilah Morgan's life, there was at least ONE person who truly cared about her." And it was Wesley, damn it.
I'm scrunching my eyes shut, sticking my fingers in my ears and yelling "La la la la la!". Just to pretend that ending never happened. ****.
Angel "Release"
Yay! Andy Hallett is in the main titles! Series regular!
Great ending. Been a long time since I've said that.
I loved Wesley's scene with Faith about the torture. He REALLY lets her have it and you believe he's turned on her but in reality he's trying to toughen her up for Angelus. She's right when she says there has to be another way but the love bite at the end of this episode says she might not be.
Unfortunately I have to complain about something I don't want to complain about. It's not a remotely fair complaint but it must be made.
Charisma Carpenter is ridiculously bad at playing evil. Shockingly so considering she's been acting in this franchise for a good seven years.
But let me let you in on a little secret. That's not her fault.
She never signed up for that when taking the role of Cordelia Chase. She was essentially hired as a Scream Queen, not a diabolical evil genius. And a smart producer knows exactly what their actors' strengths and limitations are. The fact that Whedon wrote this evil arc for her before finding out if she could pull it off DOES suggest to me this was deliberate career sabotage on his end. What a clusterfuck of a franchise this has turned out to be. It's made me absolutely disgusted and I have never sympathized with Charisma Carpenter more than seeing her fail in a role she never asked for or wanted. It's bullshit is what it is.
But the Faith stuff was aces. Her and Wesley are SO interesting now. But I will never forgive Whedon for Cordy. ***1/2.
Angel "Orpheus"
Angel vs. Angelus. We have been waiting years for this.
It's nice to see Willow again for the last time but there is too much Cordelia in the episode.
The main problem is how obviously crazy she is acting. Just because the audience knows the truth is no reason to have the character act super suspicious in front of everybody else. That is textbook bad writing.
They really should have ponied up the money for the Manilow version of Mandy. Manilow is SUCH a huge part of Angel's character that the soundalike feels wrong.
And I love the scene where Faith watches Angel feed on a dead guy in the past to Angelus' glee. The franchise has always played it fast and loose about when the last time Angel actually fed from a human was so this continuity mistake is not remotely unusual.
I loved Faith's reaction to him saving the puppy. Angelus is furious. Even more-so than at the bad 70's hair and Mandy.
I love the teaser where it's reveal Faith dosed herself to incapacitate Angelus. What a great cliffhanger resolve.
I mentioned how awful it must have been for Charisma Carpenter on-set at this point. I have to wonder what Alyson Hannigan must be thinking, coming off on the soundstage down the street and see the mess this show has turned into. Yes, Wesley's darkness is a real arc (although they talk about it in a very cliched and annoying fashion) but I wonder if Hannigan saw what was going on with Carpenter and thought it was bullshit. I am very aware that Hannigan was one of the people who supported Carpenter after her allegations against Joss Whedon. As was Alexis Denisof for that matter. And David Boreanaz. The list goes on.
"Break me off a switch, son. There's about to be a whoopin'." I absolutely adore Faith. Even after everything. After that line how can you not?
I love Gunn wishing he saw her whoop Junior's ass and her saying it was pretty funny. I will miss this specific sort of thing for the rest of the season. That's probably why Faith's three episodes are the season high-point.
I liked it, although too much Cordelia. ****.
Angel "Players"
Terrific episode.
That last scene is SO effectively creepy and dramatic because of the lack of music. The pained expressions on the faces of Angel, Wesley, and Fred also say this is the last thing they wanted. The magic 8 ball ending and Lorne's last line feels subversive.
It's clear while Cordelia was spending the season manipulating Angel, he spent the episode manipulating her. It's very clear he's known the truth since he came back.
If Cordelia had just admitted she was wrong to Connor I could almost accept him still following her lead. But she can't even do THAT much.
I love Wesley and Fred's talk about the creepiness of Cordy and Connor transitioning to Wesley and Lilah. I adored Wesley saying, "It's not always about holding hands." Because that's pretty much what Fred and Gunn always did. It's a confession on the end of Wesley and also a bit of a negative judgment about Fed. I loved the nuance the line contained.
I also liked Gwen believing the group has done a number on Gunn. For the record, the idea that Gunn actually got a passing familiarity with Japanese culture through Samurai movies is patently ridiculous. And yet, I also take note about how self-deprecating he is being over having done a great job. Gunn's arc is one of the worst of the series, and yeah, it wound up having racist undertones. This was a good moment for him.
"I was struck by lightning. See how my life sucks?" is great because she's talking about something entirely different in the second sentence.
The love scene at the end was steamy and yet I also didn't feel like it exploited either actor. Which is good. And unusual for the Buffyverse.
I love Angel acknowledging that Wesley paid a high price with Lilah's death. Earlier in the season, Angel told Wesley they were okay again, but Wesley did not agree. Just the fact that Angel understood this was a loss for him says they can repair things. Even Fred doesn't quite get it.
Demerits for another "Can we not do this right now?" It's becoming pathological at this point.
You know what? On some level Connor is right that people are making fun of the baby because they don't like Connor. But whose fault is that? Connor's behavior alienated him from pretty much everyone. And THAT was his fault. Him bemoaning the people he mistreated for their lack of empathy tells me he simply doesn't deserve it.
Solid episode in a season that mostly fell apart. ****.
Angel "Inside Out"
The episode is terrible, with almost no redeeming virtues, and a huge middle finger to Charisma Carpenter on her way out. But back in the day, I was disappointed in the episode for a different reason.
Back when we trusted Joss Whedon, we had faith in a Masterplan that never was. I heard rumors about this episode before it aired. It was supposed to basically explain and tie into EVERYTHING that ever happened on Angel and make this perfect arc.
If this is Team Whedon's idea of how to do that, they are shitty writers.
Predestination can definitely be thing in fiction. As can Universal Design. Many franchises have moving pieces not actually up to the main characters. The thing is, the episode's idea of tying everything together is to simply claim it is. No proof, no receipts going back four years, everything happened to facilitate Jasmine's birth just on the producers' pinky-swear. And I while I will admit Jasmine WAS set up last year, there is absolutely no evidence to support the idea that the entire series was leading up to this. I believed it at the time because I had faith in Joss Whedon. Now that I know better there is clearly no there there.
What Whedon did to Charisma Carpenter as an actress and the things he made her do on camera is abusive. And it hurts to watch it because I know he did this to punish her for getting pregnant. She didn't get the abortion he wanted and so he did this to Cordelia out of spite. The Beast's Master is not the real monster in the episode. Joss Whedon is.
Turning Skip evil will go down as one of the worst plot turns in Angel history. It's not the worst, but it's up there. We loved Skip. We didn't want him to be evil. There was no reason for it. It added nothing and took away a lot. That's how you recognize a shitty plot turn.
Also Skip pointing out how ridiculous the notion of Cordelia as a sainted higher being was is breaking an essential level of trust with the audience. I thought the whole idea was shady from the get-go. But after a season, the resolution should not be to prove the skeptics right. That's actually lazy writing and the easy way out. Not impressed.
I loved that Julie Benz as Darla is Connor's conscience in the episode which makes him failing her all the more appalling, and makes Connor's "redemption" at the end of the season unearned. This is not a person who made choices that should be allowed to be redeemed.
I like that after Angel's sympathy for Lilah Wesley angrily says he and Lilah were mortal enemies, so what did he care? And Angel says he cares because Wesley did. Yeah, they can get past this.
I also loved Lorne's description of how Connor knocked him around and took off with Cordelia. "Kid Vicious did the heavy lifting. Cordy just Mwah ha hawed at us."
Fred's talking about Cordelia grooming Connor to be her own Champion was right, but I think she missed the mark on the bigger meaning of the word "grooming" in this context. Still, I'm glad that word was used at least once, even if the context wasn't entirely accurate.
Wesley making the shot in the tiny hole in Skip's head says he's a great marksman. Probably why he's so good at darts.
I will say this for this episode before I give it zero stars for being an appalling piece of shit. The truth is the Jasmine ending doesn't suck. It's a complication unlike any we're ever seen on the show, which makes it direr than anything else either. So I will recognize that before giving this shit episode a zero. 0.
Angel "Shiny, Happy People"
I hate season four. Just based on what happened to Cordelia. No matter how the rest of the season shakes out, I don't think that will change.
However in hindsight, this is one of the greatest horror episodes of the entire Buffyverse. It's psychological horror rather than violence, but the entire idea is terrifying. This was the movie "mother!" before the movie mother! was mother!
The scariest part is that none of the tension is released at the end of the episode. The guy kneeling outside the diner just makes it ten times worse.
Like "mother!" this is a creation myth allegory exploring the underside and ugliness of Godhood. And it's not because her face is rotting. And it's not because she's bent humanity to her will. The real reason Jasmine's entire crusade is evil is that at the dawn of the new world, she is ringing it in with tribalism and paranoia against people who think differently. You think Fred would have made that move with the crossbow if all of her friends hadn't turned into a horror movie at that point? I don't. World peace doesn't end the struggle. It sharpens the divide between people recognizing reality and people who refuse to hear it. There is a modern day parallel there, and the polarization of the idea feels very timely in 2024.
I think the episode was attempting to make a big statement by having Wesley be the last one to kneel. Unfortunately because none of the juicy stuff hinted about Wesley was EVER paid off, it impresses me far less in hindsight. But I remember when I first saw this thinking it was kind of a big deal.
Sam Witwer has a small early role as the crazy guy who tries to kill Jasmine.
I'm pretty sure this arc winds up going off the rails, but this episode is SUCH a curveball because it's not a problem that can be easily fixed. Because nobody wants to. Again, this is feeling kind of timely and relevant these days. ****1/2.
Angel "The Magic Bullet"
Another terrific episode. I expected it to be and it was. We are due one more great one before shit falls to pieces.
Patrick Fischler as the book store guy is amazing. "I can still feel the CIA reading my thoughts, it just doesn't bother me anymore." Perfect line reading.
I think the idea that Jasmine tells him Oswald acted alone is incredibly cruel. Whether it's the truth or not, it's the last thing he wanted to hear and him being made happy at it is almost grotesque. I notice nobody answers him that he's allowed to come out of his bookstore he is setting on-fire.
Danny Woodburn was also great as the Executive Demon. "Do you want to live in a dirt hole? Then why the hell would I want to live in a dirt hole?"
One of the best things the episode does is making sure the viewer understands breaking Jasmine's spell isn't precisely a good thing for the awakened. It's a loss. And when Fred tells Angel she cried herself to sleep every night you realize it. When she says she wishes she could go back Angel's reaction is interesting: "Why can't we?" It's an interesting reaction because there IS no reason they can't other than that they know the truth. But it would be so much easier if they didn't.
I love Wesley offering to get Connor. "I've kidnapped him before." The dumb smile on the kid as he's leading him into that final horrible scene is chilling.
Open mic night was comedy that did not work. The part of the episode that was a misfire.
The whole season was a roller coaster with the show throwing shit at the wall to see what would stick. This part of the Jasmine Arc landed and stuck. No question. ****1/2.
Angel "Sacrifice"
I was a little disappointed.
That was one of the best cliffhangers of the Buffyverse ever. And yet, the fact that the resolution in the next episode is a cop-out makes me that much less impressed with it.
The episode was written by the creator of The Tick, Ben Edlund.
I loved Randall's reaction to Lorne trying to teach him politeness towards demons: "Man, shut up!" He doesn't do that, Randall. We've tried.
That clicky spider demon was freaky as hell. I loved his voice. His scenes with Wesley were great. This is Wesley's role and what he's good at.
I loved the vampire grossed out by his own dismemberment. "Dude, just stake me!"
I don't give two shits about Fred and Gunn having killed that professor and it's annoying the show still thinks I should.
Weaker episode than I remembered. The cliffhanger might have saved it exception the resolve is a dud. ***1/2.
Angel "Peace Out"
Okay, I'm going to say that went a bit BEYOND falling apart.
Jasmine kissing Angel and Connor talking about him always making a play for his girl shows why this franchise is fucked up and disgusting. And it helps nothing.
I think the biggest reason Connor should not be redeemed in the next episode is because he killed Jasmine by punching her through the back of her head. He wasn't even forced to look at her in the eye when he did it. That means he never should have been redeemed.
Him always having seen Jasmine as she was was not a surprise, but it's cool it was Lorne who figured it out.
Lilah at the end is a good cliffhanger.
I question why they are doing all of these scenes with Charisma Carpenter in a coma. How much punishment was this woman supposed to endure at the hands of Joss Whedon?
This season has been all over the map with highs and lows, and plot twists with zero rhyme and reason. It's not an actual surprise that method of kitchen sink storytelling eventually caught up with the show, but I don't have to be happy about it. **.
Angel "Home"
I have always really liked this finale and it's even better than I remembered. I had problems back in the day but I was wrong.
I guess I used to be so put off by the Connor stuff I couldn't fully appreciate everything else. But if anything, Connor's madness and Angel's desperation over it tethers the entire episode until the very bittersweet ending of Angel having to walk away from his son. As if Fred's "Who's Connor?" isn't heartbreaking enough.
Honestly I think Season 5 did a few major mistakes, but the premise of Angel and company taking over Wolfram & Hart, set up here, is pure genius. I love every inch of the idea, and this was the perfect hook for a show on the bubble to come back for another season. Pity Season 5 didn't have one of those.
Wesley pegging Sirk as former Watcher's Council is fun because when he punches him he says there's always something about Watchers and librarians. When did Wesley Wyndham-Pryce become cooler than Rupert Giles? Because he totally is now.
And I love that he sneaks off to the file room to burn Lilah's contract. It's fruitless, but she appreciates the gesture. Also when he tells Gunn after he referred to Lilah as a loved one as just a figure of speech, he's full of shit. He loved her. And that's not even a question.
Angel not bursting into flames is impressive enough. But, ooh, is that High Def? God, this show is SO 20 years ago.
I love that Lorne is already in the limo.
Good tie-in to the series finale of Buffy The Vampire Slayer at the end. It works because since they were on different networks at this point, the shows didn't run concurrently anymore.
Gunn's stuff with the panther is cool here, which is a shame because his arc as Wolfram and Hart was a VERY big part of the ruination of his character. But the White Room Panther is as of now cool. It won't always be. Which pisses me off.
Jonathan Woodburn is a rare Mutant Enemy Hat Trick actor with different roles in Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Firefly, and here. Unlike his one-off roles in Buffy and Firefly, Knox is a recurring baddie, but he's one of the few actors (along with Andy Umberger and Carlos Jacott) to appear in all three shows.
Still pissed off about Cordelia but it's not Tim Minear's mess to clean up at this point.
I was still very happy with this. *****.
Dune: Prophecy "Sisterhood Above All"
So Tula has a monstrous past. Valya is simply a monster.
I'm betting the Atreides kid Tula spared will turn out to be Desmond.
I didn't hate that. ***1/2.
Teen Titans Go! "Four Hundred"
One of the interesting things about Teen Titans Go! is it is VERY aware of how disliked it is. The idea that it's DC's longest running series is a bad thing. It's an embarrassment really. And it's funny that the show plays that angle up.
Just for the record I bet Kamandi put more effort into his costume than Superboy did.
I loved the Nightmare Before Christmas stuff with Starfire. I think the show should just be stop-motion from here on out.
Those colored hands as the face were a great visual. Never seen a pantomime quite like it. It looked amazing.
David Kaye is more affordable for Superman than Nic Cage.
I really liked it. ****1/2.
DC Heroes United: Episode 2 "Friend Or Foe" (Part 1)
I feel like the animation was a bit of a step down from the first episode.
It's also interesting they are starting off Luthor and Superman as friends. I also like that they pronounce Luthor "Lu-THOR" instead of "LU-ther".
Pretty good. ***1/2.
Angel "Deep Down"
It's all right.
Angel's "Nothing in the world is the way is ought to be," is definitely one of the most iconic speeches in the entire Buffyverse. My only problem with it is I don't believe Champions actually exist. I believe they are a fictional idea, and thus there isn't actual truth to Angel's monologue. Maybe somewhere Champions DO exist. But I think their scarcity and the fact that the world is currently much WORSE than it ought to be says there is little real-world veracity in Angel's sure declarations there.
Andy Hallett has been upgraded to Special Guest Star, but he'll be a series regular mid-season. Vincent Kartheiser has already been bumped up to the main titles. Alexis Denisof has been promoted to "And Alexis Denisof" at the end which is a great honor for main titles.
Fred's fury at Connor feels righteous. And if you ask me Connor's betrayal was a hundred times worse than Wesley's. Wesley's lasted a night. Connor has been lying to these people for over three months.
I love Fred accusing Wesley of not caring and him saying Angel will need more blood and he is fresh out. Another good Wesley moment is after Justine is creeping up behind him with the wrench, he threatens to take away her bucket.
Linwood got a memorable exit, didn't he? I'd sleep with one eye open if I were Gavin.
Angel thinking he's seeing Connor and saying "I should have killed you," to Wesley is actually a powerful and devastating moment. The fantasy at the beginning however says that deep down Angel WANTS to forgive Wesley. That's what I took from that.
Unfortunately the amount of fake-out dream sequences in the episode is troubling. The Buffyverse already engages in that questionable trope far more than it should, and in fairness, the viewer can pretty much tell what is a fantasy here after the first one. But I believe fake-out dream sequences are so damaging to fiction because they make it so the viewer cannot trust what they are seeing. So whenever somebody dies for REAL, the moment doesn't land properly because you are always looking for an escape hatch. I don't approve of this method of storytelling, and I have to say it's a little disturbing I seem to be the only person with a real problem with it. Most people don't like it, but everyone sort of has accepted it as a normal trope. I don't think any tropes that weaken a work of fiction ought to ever be normalized by either fans or other writers. And there are a LOT of them that do that. And I seem to be the only person with a problem with them.
So that was "Deep Down". An all right premiere in a season that will get shittier and shittier as it goes along. ***.
Angel "Ground State"
Gwen is a great character and I think she could have broken out on the show a lot bigger than she did. What I think happened was Alexa Davalos suddenly became a very in-demand actress and scheduling conflicts stopped them from using her more. But I love her bit about fibbing being lying only classier, and "It's fun for a girl and a boy."
Angel's heartbeat leading to the kiss was a pleasurably shocking moment. I love the guilt it instills in Angel, but if you ask me that is misplaced.
Fred's drama with Gunn is tiresome at this point.
Wesley Wyndham-Pryce report: His sex scenes with Lilah are really starting to gross me out. I loved his nonreaction to Angel claiming they were okay again. The group has been operating under the assumption that Wesley's actions were unforgivable. Did it ONCE occur to them, that the way they treated him afterwards was FAR more unforgivable? Angel doesn't get to be all buddy-buddy and be all "We're okay again," after what he did. If he hadn't tried to kill him, yeah, Wesley would NEED to earn back his trust. At this point, it's the other way around.
I think the weak spot of the episode is a weak spot for the Buffyverse in general. Gwen's younger actress looks and acts NOTHING like Alexa Davalos. To be completely fair, casting dead-ringer kids for the younger versions of main actors only really became a reality, I would guess, about 5 years after this episode aired. I think it was Fringe that started doing it, and then all genre did. But before then nobody bothered. Also not helping is this is Gwen's first fucking episode. For all we know the kid might have been cast before Davalos was.
The episode was almost standalone, and not much connected to the larger Season 4 arc. That might actually be why I liked it. ****.
Angel "The House Always Wins"
Lorne singing "Being Green" is just pure magic. "Lady Marmalade" was also amazing.
I love that everyone is pretty much sick of Angel's Vegas stories by the end.
Gunn is an asshole for thinking the absolute worst about Lorne. The problem is before Lorne is punched and the cage bars go down the show itself is sort of mispresenting his intentions too. But really, I think Gunn is an asshole for blaming him without realizing Lorne did it because innocent people were under threat.
The amnesia at the end is annoying precisely because there is no reason for it and it was never explained. This season is probably the worst as far as narrative consistency goes. It's just a bunch of random crap happening with no rhyme or reason.
Lorne in Vegas was fun though. Diddle? ****.
Angel "Slouching Towards Bethlehem"
I've said in earlier reviews of my rewatch of the Buffyverse that my eyes are wide open. Even so I am shocked this episode sucks. I'm especially shocked at how MUCH it sucks. We Buffyverse fans must have tolerated a LOT back in the day.
Lorne's reading of Cordy and the "Slouching Towards Bethlehem" thing was why I liked the episode when it aired, but really the rest of the episode sucks butt. It so poorly written and contrived the way they pushed Connor and Cordelia together. I thought it was stupid and I didn't believe it for a second.
Wesley and Lilah's stuff is still creepy to me for some reason. They're trying to give it nuance and new angles and it's still skeevy.
Man, I am really surprised how much that sucked. I KNEW that Season 4 was a mess in hindsight but I never suspected it was going to be this bad. *.
Angel "Supersymmetry"
I've always hated this episode, but a LOT of times when I hate something a little time and hindsight will cool my opinion. The verdict?
There are a BUNCH of elements that REALLY work that I didn't even notice before. But the reason I hated the episode was because it sucked. And it does.
I'll talk about the good things first, because the bad things are more on my mind. But I thought the idea that Fred would go to Wesley and that Wesley would help her with her revenge plot was interesting. I also thought it was interesting Wesley went to the lecture and Lilah was jealous. Lilah very much understands she is the second choice. It's almost like the Groosalugg between Angel and Cordy, the difference being that Cordy was not aware she liked Angel better and would NEVER have said something like that to Groo before HE pointed it out. There is NO doubt in my mind Wesley would dump Lilah the SECOND Fred showed an interest, he'd be completely up-front about it, and Lilah freaking knows it. It's also interesting that Wesley is the one of Fred's friends who had a layman's understanding of her lecture. I think mostly because unlike Gunn and Angel, he put in the effort to understand it. And despite me thinking Wesley's actions towards Fred are usually more creepy than romantic, that's something Gunn should have been doing instead of cracking wise about being dumb. He's not dumb, so that's his way to get out of it. That's not okay.
"They talk about me in the chatty rooms?" Regardless of this show's (MANY) failings, Angel is funny here and was not at ALL on Buffy The Vampire Slayer. So that's an improvement.
Actually I take that back. He was funny in the series finale "Chosen". But that's because his own show taught the producers how to do it.
I also loved Angel's scene with Lilah. I must be crazy but I get the sneaking suspicion at this point they actually like each other. I don't know if Wesley is providing some sort of unconscious buffer for that or what, but while Angel rips the top off her car they are both all smiles and very much enjoying this. "Hulk smash."
I'm with Gunn. I loved Angel's triggered eidetic memory "parlor trick" too. With the things Angel is able to draw from memory it is believable he has this skill, even if we never saw it before.
What's wrong with the episode? Everything else.
I found the stuff with Cordelia and Connor back in the day objectionable, but now? It literally makes my skin crawl and me sick to stomach. In my heart and my head I know that 'ship in the most disgusting thing the show ever did and I've always thought that. But it comes across FAR worse in 2024 than it did back when this aired. Connor's behavior is BEYOND creepy and Cordelia is fucking up as an adult entirely. The entire thing is completely disgusting. Did Charisma Carpenter tell Joss Whedon she was pregnant yet? Because that was the catalyst for him ruining her character out of spite and it arguably started here.
I also object to how Fred ultimately reacted to Gunn killing the professor. We'll talk about the professor in a bit. And truthfully Gunn doing that so Fred wouldn't have to is a pretty annoying alpha male move. All that being said, and all things being equal, it's a bit rich for Fred to be pissed at him when this was entirely her fault. It's like she felt she ruined him. Well, if she did, that's not exactly HIS fault, and he doesn't deserve to be punished for that. I think essentially whether Gunn can be forgiven is down to whether Fred was right or not to want the professor dead.
Again, we'll talk about the professor in a bit. But whatever Fred's revenge motivations, killing the professor was the most prudent move. Not just because as Fred said he was serial killer. He was escalating and summoning demons and opening portals far beyond his previous pattern. He literally tried to kill Fred at least three times in the episode. Her killing him would be self-defense in this scenario. He was not going to stop. And if she was right to want to kill him, then there is no reason for her to think less of Gunn. The only reason to do so would be if she thought Gunn's advice was right in hindsight. My problem is I don't think it was. I think it was naive and an opinion offered by a person who preferred his girlfriend when she mousy to when she was dangerous. And you'll be pissed to hear me say this, but I don't blame him for that. But since he's wrong, Fred has no business blaming him as if he were right all along.
The professor bothers me. A lot. His motivations are stupid and as stupid as they are I'd let them slide if he wasn't such a maniac in this episode. Throwing potential rivals into portals so he'd always be the top dog, is, um, well fucking STUPID, not just for a person, but for a professional writer paid to WRITE a person. It's ridiculous. But again, bad writing is often a VERY necessary part of genre. I am aware of that. I'd excuse it if he wasn't fucking opening the portal at the lecture in front of a roomful of people and in front of witnesses each fucking time. Does he want to get away with this or not? Because for most serial killers, that is job one. This was done solely so he'd be caught. And I might even be able to forgive THAT bit of bad writing if every single other part of it wasn't badly written too.
The episode is a mess, and makes me dislike Fred. Not a fan back in the day and it turns out I was right (for once). *1/2.
Angel "Spin The Bottle"
I was curious how this one (written and directed by Joss Whedon) would hit me. Unlike "Waiting In The Wings" it has a lot of good jokes. It also has a lot of BAD jokes and more than a few major flaws.
I hate to say this about a Lorne Tour De Force, which is what this episode is. But as amazing and funny as Andy Hallett's narration is, the framing structure bothers the HELL out of me. When is this taking place? Why can we hear an audience that isn't present? Most annoying of all how is Lorne relating a story he was not even there for most of? For Whedon he's treating it as a silly conceit that isn't supposed to make sense. I don't like shit that doesn't make sense in projects that TRY to make sense. If ALL Buffyverse episodes were flights of whimsy, I'd deal, but this is just annoying.
I'm going to try and detail the good jokes first. There were so many I'm definitely going to forget a few.
Fred asking everybody for weed is amazing.
I loved Wesley patting her shoulder and the singsong way he said "Don't be afraaaid."
"Your ass better pray I don't look that word up."
Lorne turning to the camera and saying "I know I'm supposed to be unconscious but can you believe these mooks?"
Angel calling Wesley an English pig.
The bad jokes next.
Wesley panicking upon Gunn saying his name. I was like, "Holy shit, this franchise is STILL dirt-stupid. That will never change. WHEDON wrote that joke himself. Idiot."
Angel suggesting Gunn is a slave. It's meant to be a laughline but instead I'm thinking IStandWithRayFisher.
Lorne talking about the nice products we all ought to purchase. And I'm not slamming that because its streaming absent commercials, so it doesn't make sense off broadcast television. I hate it because it breaks the fourth wall TOO much. I already am leery of Lorne telling a story he shouldn't know to an empty room. That was its worst part.
I liked Liam's laments to Connor. Even though Connor had no idea what was going on, he knew exactly where his father was coming from, and maybe for the first time ever.
The thing with Cordelia however was disgusting and I'm thinking Whedon might benefit from some therapy. The scene with the hooker he saved was similarly disgusting and it makes me believe every bad story about Whedon I've ever heard. That was not written by a non-abusive, non-disgusting person.
Wesley's "Not all of us have muscle to rely on," is great as was reason for why he changed: "I had my throat slit and all my friends abandoned me." I will say this about Gunn pushing up against him for trying to "steal" Fred from him. Whatever Gunn's current problems with Fred are, Wesley has nothing to do with them. Gunn owns them entirely. If Wesley senses that and is stepping in, that's not nice, but him pointing out that Gunn really ought to have more faith in his relationship is a good point because Gunn does not (for good reason).
One of my favorite scenes in the episode is how Lorne gets Fred to untie him. He asks her to look in her heart and asks her if she really thinks he's evil. Say what you will about both this episode AND Joss Whedon, that was the first moment I completely trusted Lorne, and it was permanent past that. No matter how lovable he was, it was always a question mark. Until the way he asked Fred that meant it was a no-brainer he was actually good. Joss Whedon did many shitty things in this episode, many of them to Lorne. That was one of the best things he did.
Flawed as hell, but entertaining (and creepy in places). I'll allow it. ***1/2.
Angel "Apocalypse, Nowish"
That is the single most disgusting ending in the entire series. The ending to "Forgiving" is more appalling, but that was way grosser.
For some insane reason, this episode is a fan-favorite. What a mess-up fandom we used to be.
Yes, Wesley with the pistols and the shotgun is awesome. But this is some seriously fucked up shit.
"Can we not do this right now?" is the Whedonverse version of "No, WE did it!" A hoary, embarrassing, overused cliche that makes me less of the characters and think the writers are a bunch of dolts.
Both Fred and Gunn were annoying me for different reasons.
Angel's reasoning with Lilah was sound.
Wesley telling Lilah to leave the glasses on is disgusting. It not only feels like a creepy long-distance violation of Fred, it's always clearly hurtful to Lilah. He sucks.
I will say this: The episode gave me stuff to speculate about. It's so bad, I can't get a bead on its intention.
Cordelia's character is positively ruined, so it's safe to assume she told Joss Whedon she was pregnant at this point. My question was how far ahead was his planned abuse of her? Was he already planning on turning the character evil? If he was, the way Cordelia reacts to Connor is actually credible. Connor says incredibly stupid and obvious things to her and she is praising him as insightful and for supposedly always saying the right thing. Because the things he says are dumb, the choice to believe is either the writers are stupid (definitely possible after giving us THAT) or this is an early demonstration of Cordelia's evil and she's literally grooming him.
If it's the second thing I believe Joss Whedon did NOT catch enough hell for this. He literally ought to burn in Hell for this. I am furious.
My opinion of Season 4 of Angel used to be that the Buffyverse was fun as hell to enjoy the ride week after week, but not so much fun to view in hindsight.
I'm not even enjoying the ride this time out. 0.
Angel "Habeas Corpses"
Great episode title. The episode? Eh.
I liked the horror movie elements most of all. Angel and Connor's banter during the fight was great too. Angel describes zombies as undead things. Connor says, "Like you." And Angel is like, no they are slow-moving dull-witted things that eat flesh. "Like you." I love that. I especially love that as mad as Angel is the first thing he does upon seeing Connor is hug him.
The rest of the episode is problematic as hell with a dash of totally shitty. I will offer speculation in a minute about Cordy's character assassination but I would like to offer a weird opinion. Connor's stuff with her POSSIBLY could have worked if Angel reacted differently. But Angel is jealous. Angel is mad Cordelia slept with somebody else. Which is why I don't like Angel.
Angel should be pissed Cordelia HURT Connor. She groomed him, warped him, used him, and discarded him. Angel is right to be furious but Angel is a sucky father because he's furious for the wrong reasons. If Cordelia is unforgivable to Angel, it should be for hurting Connor, not him. Moreover, he should NEVER forgive her. But the series is a cheap ass wimp about consequences to things like that.
But hey, turns out Cordy and Angel ARE sexually compatible. She's a cold-hearted SOB the next day too.
I agree with Wesley breaking up with Lilah because he's choosing a side. But I hate him for "You're embarrassing yourself." No, Wesley, YOU should be the one embarrassed by that.
My theory is while Whedon was busy ruining Cordy, at this point he HAD decided to turn her evil. The clues are the specific ways Cordelia refers to Connor to Angel. "He's a sweetie. He's special." If she's evil, she's twisting the knife. The idea that it was decided LATER for her to be evil is supported by her looking shocked behind Connor's back the next day as well as her reaction alone when Angel found out "Oh, God." Those things says her being evil was still not thought up yet.
My theory is it was. My theory is that was just the series not playing fair with the audience and fucking us around. I believe the series less made things up as they went along by this point and more treated the viewers like pieces of shit. That's also in line with season 3, so that theory is my actual bet.
Particularly cringe uttering of "Can we not do this right now?" by David Boreanaz. The show at its worst.
Shit, I hate what Joss did to both Charisma Carpenter and this show. **1/2.
Angel "Long Day's Journey"
Solid. The dedication at the end to Glenn Quinn, who died the week this aired, was nice too.
The episode title has a nice double-meaning.
I love Manny. He's funny and also a great concept for a higher being. "You guys got Skinemax?" "Thanks, pal." Good stuff.
Even if Cordelia weren't evil, she's still awful. Fuck her.
Also Angel trying to make her jealous with Gwen shows he has NO idea why he SHOULD be mad at her.
I love Wesley calmly saying Angel is a suspect. He's actually being framed by Cordelia but I love Wesley putting it so baldly.
My one complaint is that even though Angelus DID wind up killing the Beast (out of spite more than anything) he really didn't give them any necessary answers. At least not until it was too late.
But again, the episode was solid. ****.
Angel "Awakening"
I've always hated this episode with a passion. And I was right to.
The fantasy sequence makes the entire thing a huge wheelspin. The worst part about it is the fantasy makes me think very little of Angel. It's a completely narcissistic idealized world where Connor understands his place and Cordelia feels the proper shame for her behavior. In fairness these elements are the major clues that Angel's friends are acting how HE'D like them to act, rather than how they WOULD act.
Nothing says that more that Angel's b.s. claim that Wesley never apologizes. Wesley apologizes ALL THE TIME. With that curt, British "Sorry," of his. If this Wesley weren't entirely a meat-puppet of Angel's delusion, he'd point this out himself.
And the sex scene is so bad, not just because it's badly written and acted. But because we're expected to accept and believe both Angel and Cordelia somehow conveniently forgot about the Curse. And the entire problem with the Angel / Cordy ship is it's never remembered that's an actual obstacle. Lorne has mentioned Angel finding pure happiness with Cordelia ironically. In reality, it's the reason they can never be together.
I ultimately believe the episode could have, if not been saved, at least tolerated, if David Boreanaz's laugh at the end was actually as chilling as intended. It struck me as corny and forced. I've not seen Bones or his recent Seal Team series, but even thought Boreanaz is often GOOD as Angelus, the truth is at this stage of his career, his performances were very much hit or miss. Charisma Carpenter too, but that's more of a failing of the writers this season than the actress. Sometimes Boreanaz nails the scary with Angelus. In that moment, arguably the most potentially momentous one of the season, he whiffed it.
I don't think it's the worst episode of the season anymore. But the truth is I've always hated it and see no redeeming virtues years later, which is frankly unusual for me about stuff I hate. When I love something, when I rewatch it, I tend to love it less. When I hate something, when I rewatch it I tend to hate it less. I hate this exactly as much as I always did. 0.
Angel "Soulless"
Angelus as Hannibal Lecter is pretty much the entire conceit of the season and everything else hinges on whether or not it works.
It mostly works. I have to admit Wesley's behavior with Fred is gross, made even more obnoxious by the fact that she tolerates it. But Angelus' mindgames with Connor were great, and everyone's reaction to him and Cordy were the correct ones. She WAS the closest thing he had to a mother. It beyond destructive that she did that for that reason. "There ought to be a play."
I love Angelus' line at the end, "The more you piss me off, the longer I'll keep you alive." It sounds like the opposite of a threat until you realize the implications.
I didn't much love the bit of Cordelia claiming she's a better ride than a Mustang. Goddamn, TV is gross to women, and back then the worst part was how female characters fed into that shit themselves.
This is a good episode. No lie. Although Wesley is icky. ****.
Angel "Cavalry"
Remember, Hannibal Lecter always escapes.
That ending pisses me off. SO much.
Also Wesley pisses me off. He is SUCH a creep in this episode.
I thought Angelus' stuff with Gunn was appalling. It was deliberately racist, but I think the producers were hoping I'd find that fact amusing in a gallows' humor kind of way. They were very wrong.
I love when Angel reveals Wesley and Lilah, Fred's reaction upon learning it's true is to nervously say it's not any of her business. I love that because it's not! Fred has spent the entire season behaving like a hot mess. I like that when she got flustered by this she was permitted an adult reaction for once.
This show's solution to jumping the shark last season is to nuke the fridge. Gosh, I wonder why it isn't working. **.
Angel "Salvage"
You know, I would have given that episode an unconditional rave if not for that disgusting ending. Also, "Give momma some sugar." I honestly think Joss Whedon belongs in jail.
But outside of Cordelia, Faith makes everything better, even Connor. Her scene with the kid saying she was going to protect Angelus because she owned Angel more than him is great as is her pointing out she's a murderer and he is not (at least not yet).
I love her scene in the prison with the Bringer knife and the Guard saying somebody would be crazy to try and take her on. It ties beautifully into the First Evil plot on Buffy The Vampire Slayer's final season. What I especially like is it seems to be an unspoken acknowledgement between her and the guards that she is only here because she wants to be. Probably why there was never an all-points bulletin out for her arrest after that. Her wardens actually understood what a Vampire Slayer was at this point.
I love that she's a little troubled and impressed that Wesley's new look suited him. I sensed her troubled reaction had to do with some unwanted attraction on her end. Just my opinion, but after they bust out the window and land on the car several stories below, when she asks if he's all right, when he unironically, effortlessly, and coolly says with a smile, "Five By Five" THAT is the best moment of the season. And that's not even a question for me. And while we are talking bests, its early but I firmly believe Faith's arc in Angel Season 4 was the best thing that franchise ever did with that character. She was all right in Buffy's five final episodes. But she is a force of nature here, a born and natural leader, and basically the only person able to tell Connor what to do.
My one Faith regret is her telling Gunn she loved his name. That was beyond lame.
"Hey, Dawn, is your sister home? She is?" He hangs up. "It's the other one."
I notice that Angelus never actually killed anyone this season. It's very strange, and I am pretty sure it was probably a censor note. There is no other explanation that every single one of his potential innocent victims either escapes at the last second, or he gets distracted by something else. While it is strange, I'm not necessarily sure it was a BAD censor note. It might have actually been for the best. Enough horrible shit was already happening this season. Angelus racking up a body count would have added nothing positive to the show.
I don't like the r word, but Angelus is evil, so it's consistent he uses an evil term. What's Cordelia's excuse? Also I am with him in being fed up there was some veracity about killing the Beast ending Permanent Midnight in Angel's fantasy. It was too stupid to be true so it being true means reality is stupid.
I loved Wesley's scene of taking care of Lilah's body. Him yelling "You didn't love me!" is a powerful moment. Also, at the beginning when he comes upon Angelus feeding on her and he sees she's dead I said to myself, "In Lilah Morgan's life, there was at least ONE person who truly cared about her." And it was Wesley, damn it.
I'm scrunching my eyes shut, sticking my fingers in my ears and yelling "La la la la la!". Just to pretend that ending never happened. ****.
Angel "Release"
Yay! Andy Hallett is in the main titles! Series regular!
Great ending. Been a long time since I've said that.
I loved Wesley's scene with Faith about the torture. He REALLY lets her have it and you believe he's turned on her but in reality he's trying to toughen her up for Angelus. She's right when she says there has to be another way but the love bite at the end of this episode says she might not be.
Unfortunately I have to complain about something I don't want to complain about. It's not a remotely fair complaint but it must be made.
Charisma Carpenter is ridiculously bad at playing evil. Shockingly so considering she's been acting in this franchise for a good seven years.
But let me let you in on a little secret. That's not her fault.
She never signed up for that when taking the role of Cordelia Chase. She was essentially hired as a Scream Queen, not a diabolical evil genius. And a smart producer knows exactly what their actors' strengths and limitations are. The fact that Whedon wrote this evil arc for her before finding out if she could pull it off DOES suggest to me this was deliberate career sabotage on his end. What a clusterfuck of a franchise this has turned out to be. It's made me absolutely disgusted and I have never sympathized with Charisma Carpenter more than seeing her fail in a role she never asked for or wanted. It's bullshit is what it is.
But the Faith stuff was aces. Her and Wesley are SO interesting now. But I will never forgive Whedon for Cordy. ***1/2.
Angel "Orpheus"
Angel vs. Angelus. We have been waiting years for this.
It's nice to see Willow again for the last time but there is too much Cordelia in the episode.
The main problem is how obviously crazy she is acting. Just because the audience knows the truth is no reason to have the character act super suspicious in front of everybody else. That is textbook bad writing.
They really should have ponied up the money for the Manilow version of Mandy. Manilow is SUCH a huge part of Angel's character that the soundalike feels wrong.
And I love the scene where Faith watches Angel feed on a dead guy in the past to Angelus' glee. The franchise has always played it fast and loose about when the last time Angel actually fed from a human was so this continuity mistake is not remotely unusual.
I loved Faith's reaction to him saving the puppy. Angelus is furious. Even more-so than at the bad 70's hair and Mandy.
I love the teaser where it's reveal Faith dosed herself to incapacitate Angelus. What a great cliffhanger resolve.
I mentioned how awful it must have been for Charisma Carpenter on-set at this point. I have to wonder what Alyson Hannigan must be thinking, coming off on the soundstage down the street and see the mess this show has turned into. Yes, Wesley's darkness is a real arc (although they talk about it in a very cliched and annoying fashion) but I wonder if Hannigan saw what was going on with Carpenter and thought it was bullshit. I am very aware that Hannigan was one of the people who supported Carpenter after her allegations against Joss Whedon. As was Alexis Denisof for that matter. And David Boreanaz. The list goes on.
"Break me off a switch, son. There's about to be a whoopin'." I absolutely adore Faith. Even after everything. After that line how can you not?
I love Gunn wishing he saw her whoop Junior's ass and her saying it was pretty funny. I will miss this specific sort of thing for the rest of the season. That's probably why Faith's three episodes are the season high-point.
I liked it, although too much Cordelia. ****.
Angel "Players"
Terrific episode.
That last scene is SO effectively creepy and dramatic because of the lack of music. The pained expressions on the faces of Angel, Wesley, and Fred also say this is the last thing they wanted. The magic 8 ball ending and Lorne's last line feels subversive.
It's clear while Cordelia was spending the season manipulating Angel, he spent the episode manipulating her. It's very clear he's known the truth since he came back.
If Cordelia had just admitted she was wrong to Connor I could almost accept him still following her lead. But she can't even do THAT much.
I love Wesley and Fred's talk about the creepiness of Cordy and Connor transitioning to Wesley and Lilah. I adored Wesley saying, "It's not always about holding hands." Because that's pretty much what Fred and Gunn always did. It's a confession on the end of Wesley and also a bit of a negative judgment about Fed. I loved the nuance the line contained.
I also liked Gwen believing the group has done a number on Gunn. For the record, the idea that Gunn actually got a passing familiarity with Japanese culture through Samurai movies is patently ridiculous. And yet, I also take note about how self-deprecating he is being over having done a great job. Gunn's arc is one of the worst of the series, and yeah, it wound up having racist undertones. This was a good moment for him.
"I was struck by lightning. See how my life sucks?" is great because she's talking about something entirely different in the second sentence.
The love scene at the end was steamy and yet I also didn't feel like it exploited either actor. Which is good. And unusual for the Buffyverse.
I love Angel acknowledging that Wesley paid a high price with Lilah's death. Earlier in the season, Angel told Wesley they were okay again, but Wesley did not agree. Just the fact that Angel understood this was a loss for him says they can repair things. Even Fred doesn't quite get it.
Demerits for another "Can we not do this right now?" It's becoming pathological at this point.
You know what? On some level Connor is right that people are making fun of the baby because they don't like Connor. But whose fault is that? Connor's behavior alienated him from pretty much everyone. And THAT was his fault. Him bemoaning the people he mistreated for their lack of empathy tells me he simply doesn't deserve it.
Solid episode in a season that mostly fell apart. ****.
Angel "Inside Out"
The episode is terrible, with almost no redeeming virtues, and a huge middle finger to Charisma Carpenter on her way out. But back in the day, I was disappointed in the episode for a different reason.
Back when we trusted Joss Whedon, we had faith in a Masterplan that never was. I heard rumors about this episode before it aired. It was supposed to basically explain and tie into EVERYTHING that ever happened on Angel and make this perfect arc.
If this is Team Whedon's idea of how to do that, they are shitty writers.
Predestination can definitely be thing in fiction. As can Universal Design. Many franchises have moving pieces not actually up to the main characters. The thing is, the episode's idea of tying everything together is to simply claim it is. No proof, no receipts going back four years, everything happened to facilitate Jasmine's birth just on the producers' pinky-swear. And I while I will admit Jasmine WAS set up last year, there is absolutely no evidence to support the idea that the entire series was leading up to this. I believed it at the time because I had faith in Joss Whedon. Now that I know better there is clearly no there there.
What Whedon did to Charisma Carpenter as an actress and the things he made her do on camera is abusive. And it hurts to watch it because I know he did this to punish her for getting pregnant. She didn't get the abortion he wanted and so he did this to Cordelia out of spite. The Beast's Master is not the real monster in the episode. Joss Whedon is.
Turning Skip evil will go down as one of the worst plot turns in Angel history. It's not the worst, but it's up there. We loved Skip. We didn't want him to be evil. There was no reason for it. It added nothing and took away a lot. That's how you recognize a shitty plot turn.
Also Skip pointing out how ridiculous the notion of Cordelia as a sainted higher being was is breaking an essential level of trust with the audience. I thought the whole idea was shady from the get-go. But after a season, the resolution should not be to prove the skeptics right. That's actually lazy writing and the easy way out. Not impressed.
I loved that Julie Benz as Darla is Connor's conscience in the episode which makes him failing her all the more appalling, and makes Connor's "redemption" at the end of the season unearned. This is not a person who made choices that should be allowed to be redeemed.
I like that after Angel's sympathy for Lilah Wesley angrily says he and Lilah were mortal enemies, so what did he care? And Angel says he cares because Wesley did. Yeah, they can get past this.
I also loved Lorne's description of how Connor knocked him around and took off with Cordelia. "Kid Vicious did the heavy lifting. Cordy just Mwah ha hawed at us."
Fred's talking about Cordelia grooming Connor to be her own Champion was right, but I think she missed the mark on the bigger meaning of the word "grooming" in this context. Still, I'm glad that word was used at least once, even if the context wasn't entirely accurate.
Wesley making the shot in the tiny hole in Skip's head says he's a great marksman. Probably why he's so good at darts.
I will say this for this episode before I give it zero stars for being an appalling piece of shit. The truth is the Jasmine ending doesn't suck. It's a complication unlike any we're ever seen on the show, which makes it direr than anything else either. So I will recognize that before giving this shit episode a zero. 0.
Angel "Shiny, Happy People"
I hate season four. Just based on what happened to Cordelia. No matter how the rest of the season shakes out, I don't think that will change.
However in hindsight, this is one of the greatest horror episodes of the entire Buffyverse. It's psychological horror rather than violence, but the entire idea is terrifying. This was the movie "mother!" before the movie mother! was mother!
The scariest part is that none of the tension is released at the end of the episode. The guy kneeling outside the diner just makes it ten times worse.
Like "mother!" this is a creation myth allegory exploring the underside and ugliness of Godhood. And it's not because her face is rotting. And it's not because she's bent humanity to her will. The real reason Jasmine's entire crusade is evil is that at the dawn of the new world, she is ringing it in with tribalism and paranoia against people who think differently. You think Fred would have made that move with the crossbow if all of her friends hadn't turned into a horror movie at that point? I don't. World peace doesn't end the struggle. It sharpens the divide between people recognizing reality and people who refuse to hear it. There is a modern day parallel there, and the polarization of the idea feels very timely in 2024.
I think the episode was attempting to make a big statement by having Wesley be the last one to kneel. Unfortunately because none of the juicy stuff hinted about Wesley was EVER paid off, it impresses me far less in hindsight. But I remember when I first saw this thinking it was kind of a big deal.
Sam Witwer has a small early role as the crazy guy who tries to kill Jasmine.
I'm pretty sure this arc winds up going off the rails, but this episode is SUCH a curveball because it's not a problem that can be easily fixed. Because nobody wants to. Again, this is feeling kind of timely and relevant these days. ****1/2.
Angel "The Magic Bullet"
Another terrific episode. I expected it to be and it was. We are due one more great one before shit falls to pieces.
Patrick Fischler as the book store guy is amazing. "I can still feel the CIA reading my thoughts, it just doesn't bother me anymore." Perfect line reading.
I think the idea that Jasmine tells him Oswald acted alone is incredibly cruel. Whether it's the truth or not, it's the last thing he wanted to hear and him being made happy at it is almost grotesque. I notice nobody answers him that he's allowed to come out of his bookstore he is setting on-fire.
Danny Woodburn was also great as the Executive Demon. "Do you want to live in a dirt hole? Then why the hell would I want to live in a dirt hole?"
One of the best things the episode does is making sure the viewer understands breaking Jasmine's spell isn't precisely a good thing for the awakened. It's a loss. And when Fred tells Angel she cried herself to sleep every night you realize it. When she says she wishes she could go back Angel's reaction is interesting: "Why can't we?" It's an interesting reaction because there IS no reason they can't other than that they know the truth. But it would be so much easier if they didn't.
I love Wesley offering to get Connor. "I've kidnapped him before." The dumb smile on the kid as he's leading him into that final horrible scene is chilling.
Open mic night was comedy that did not work. The part of the episode that was a misfire.
The whole season was a roller coaster with the show throwing shit at the wall to see what would stick. This part of the Jasmine Arc landed and stuck. No question. ****1/2.
Angel "Sacrifice"
I was a little disappointed.
That was one of the best cliffhangers of the Buffyverse ever. And yet, the fact that the resolution in the next episode is a cop-out makes me that much less impressed with it.
The episode was written by the creator of The Tick, Ben Edlund.
I loved Randall's reaction to Lorne trying to teach him politeness towards demons: "Man, shut up!" He doesn't do that, Randall. We've tried.
That clicky spider demon was freaky as hell. I loved his voice. His scenes with Wesley were great. This is Wesley's role and what he's good at.
I loved the vampire grossed out by his own dismemberment. "Dude, just stake me!"
I don't give two shits about Fred and Gunn having killed that professor and it's annoying the show still thinks I should.
Weaker episode than I remembered. The cliffhanger might have saved it exception the resolve is a dud. ***1/2.
Angel "Peace Out"
Okay, I'm going to say that went a bit BEYOND falling apart.
Jasmine kissing Angel and Connor talking about him always making a play for his girl shows why this franchise is fucked up and disgusting. And it helps nothing.
I think the biggest reason Connor should not be redeemed in the next episode is because he killed Jasmine by punching her through the back of her head. He wasn't even forced to look at her in the eye when he did it. That means he never should have been redeemed.
Him always having seen Jasmine as she was was not a surprise, but it's cool it was Lorne who figured it out.
Lilah at the end is a good cliffhanger.
I question why they are doing all of these scenes with Charisma Carpenter in a coma. How much punishment was this woman supposed to endure at the hands of Joss Whedon?
This season has been all over the map with highs and lows, and plot twists with zero rhyme and reason. It's not an actual surprise that method of kitchen sink storytelling eventually caught up with the show, but I don't have to be happy about it. **.
Angel "Home"
I have always really liked this finale and it's even better than I remembered. I had problems back in the day but I was wrong.
I guess I used to be so put off by the Connor stuff I couldn't fully appreciate everything else. But if anything, Connor's madness and Angel's desperation over it tethers the entire episode until the very bittersweet ending of Angel having to walk away from his son. As if Fred's "Who's Connor?" isn't heartbreaking enough.
Honestly I think Season 5 did a few major mistakes, but the premise of Angel and company taking over Wolfram & Hart, set up here, is pure genius. I love every inch of the idea, and this was the perfect hook for a show on the bubble to come back for another season. Pity Season 5 didn't have one of those.
Wesley pegging Sirk as former Watcher's Council is fun because when he punches him he says there's always something about Watchers and librarians. When did Wesley Wyndham-Pryce become cooler than Rupert Giles? Because he totally is now.
And I love that he sneaks off to the file room to burn Lilah's contract. It's fruitless, but she appreciates the gesture. Also when he tells Gunn after he referred to Lilah as a loved one as just a figure of speech, he's full of shit. He loved her. And that's not even a question.
Angel not bursting into flames is impressive enough. But, ooh, is that High Def? God, this show is SO 20 years ago.
I love that Lorne is already in the limo.
Good tie-in to the series finale of Buffy The Vampire Slayer at the end. It works because since they were on different networks at this point, the shows didn't run concurrently anymore.
Gunn's stuff with the panther is cool here, which is a shame because his arc as Wolfram and Hart was a VERY big part of the ruination of his character. But the White Room Panther is as of now cool. It won't always be. Which pisses me off.
Jonathan Woodburn is a rare Mutant Enemy Hat Trick actor with different roles in Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Firefly, and here. Unlike his one-off roles in Buffy and Firefly, Knox is a recurring baddie, but he's one of the few actors (along with Andy Umberger and Carlos Jacott) to appear in all three shows.
Still pissed off about Cordelia but it's not Tim Minear's mess to clean up at this point.
I was still very happy with this. *****.
Dune: Prophecy "Sisterhood Above All"
So Tula has a monstrous past. Valya is simply a monster.
I'm betting the Atreides kid Tula spared will turn out to be Desmond.
I didn't hate that. ***1/2.
Teen Titans Go! "Four Hundred"
One of the interesting things about Teen Titans Go! is it is VERY aware of how disliked it is. The idea that it's DC's longest running series is a bad thing. It's an embarrassment really. And it's funny that the show plays that angle up.
Just for the record I bet Kamandi put more effort into his costume than Superboy did.
I loved the Nightmare Before Christmas stuff with Starfire. I think the show should just be stop-motion from here on out.
Those colored hands as the face were a great visual. Never seen a pantomime quite like it. It looked amazing.
David Kaye is more affordable for Superman than Nic Cage.
I really liked it. ****1/2.
DC Heroes United: Episode 2 "Friend Or Foe" (Part 1)
I feel like the animation was a bit of a step down from the first episode.
It's also interesting they are starting off Luthor and Superman as friends. I also like that they pronounce Luthor "Lu-THOR" instead of "LU-ther".
Pretty good. ***1/2.