Discussion of 1.06 "Sense & Sensitivity" - Aired 11/9/99 (WB-US)

[Angelic Slayer]

Season 1, Episode 6: "Sense & Sensitivity" - Aired: 11/9/1999

Kate is forced to enroll in sensitivity awareness training with her fellow police officers. When she uncharacteristically breaks down and makes a scene at her father's retirement party, Angel begins to suspect that something unusual is happening. Kate and the rest of the force seem to be completely unable to control their emotions and focus on their jobs, and this distraction may turn deadly.

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Discuss this Kate-centric episode of Angel, the Series, here

 

[Jules]

I thought the opening scene was very Buffy with Kate chasing that suspect. Cordy is very typical when she's complaining about Angel yet ignoring Doyle getting attacked. I really didnt like Kates dad, he was awful. I also really dislike the lawyer from Wolfram & Hart. Angel being all sensitive was so cute and Cordy and Doyle's reaction was so funny.

 

[Amethyst]

I don't know about anyone else but when I look at Kate's eyes, it's like I can't look away from them!!! They're sooo pretty!! lol (I'm a straight, married woman by the way lol )
Loving Angel's disguise on the docks LOL
At fist I was all 'LOL' at the sensitivity training but then I was all 'Awwwwww' and it was kinda obvious that the 'talking stick' was gonna do something, it just had that mystical look about it lol
Kate's speech to her dad made me well up!!!
Angel as mr sensitive guy, soooo funny!!!
Kate's dad was way harsh to her, he doesn't seem like a very nice bloke

 

[Mr Trick]

I thought the opening scene was very Buffy with Kate chasing that suspect. Cordy is very typical when she's complaining about Angel yet ignoring Doyle getting attacked. I really didnt like Kates dad, he was awful. I also really dislike the lawyer from Wolfram & Hart. Angel being all sensitive was so cute and Cordy and Doyle's reaction was so funny.

Think you have covered the best bits in that post besides those this was a dud of an episode IMO.

Kate was again very bland, and we didn't know enough about her to care about her during this episode. Most of the jokes were pretty weak and there was no stand out action or drama moments.

 

[AnthonyCordova]

I actually liked this episode. There were some poignant moments and some funny moments. Learning about Kate was nice and welcome at first too. But that was before Kate began to get on my nerves a little bit like she did later on. Just a little bit.

 

[Mr Trick]

I actually liked this episode. There were some poignant moments and some funny moments. Learning about Kate was nice and welcome at first too. But that was before Kate began to get on my nerves a little bit like she did later on. Just a little bit.

See they just didn't come across for me. I could see how it was meant to be funny, but it just felt like a cheaper version of something which a Buffy episode would do better. Also the opening scene and the way Kate acted in it (and for a lot of episode) did remind too much of the way Buffy might act which telegraphed the message that she is a Buffy fill in. No one else can match Buffy, so Kate needs to be something else.

 

[Charmander]

The opening scene was soo Buffy, lol. I was just imagining SMG saying those lines the whole way through it.

I liked this episode, I don't think I could watch it again and again but the story was pretty inventive. And I loved when Angel suddenly got all sensitive!

 

[Give Us A Kiss]

Kate, stop beating up Angel like a cop...

Yes, does Kate have a superpower of not peeing or something ?

Cordy, as Doyle says, Angel appreciates you two in his own way.

Cordy, Doyle has been captured by a creppy creature...

Angel may not eat, but he always has coffee around

Cordy, you are getting close...

Kate's father is about to retire, like father like daughter...

How did vampires like Angel and Spike learn how to drive ???

The road flare look doesn't suit you, Angel

So, W&H are about to harm Kate and get rid of her ???

Nice shoes, Cordy, but most men don't notice such stuff

So, sensitivity training is basically an anger management class ???

Kate, what did you just say ???

So, anger=fear ???

Kate, listen to Angel...

I think that cynicism is caused by experience, 2016 sure have made me more cynical...

I could see why some might think that Kate's a lesbian...

Kate's dishing up some truth to her father

She's crying, that class had quite an effect on her...

Kate's speech lead to a fight

Kate, give Angel the details...

Doyle's got a crush, it's so obvious

Kate, you are drunk...

Angel's gonna be really angry...

The police station is a madhouse.

Angel's affected too

A guy just admitted his feelings for Kate...

And they are about to kill Kate, until Angel stops them that is...

Seems like everything's back to normal after that crazy night...

Next time: Seems like Doyle has been married before.

 

[DeadlyDuo]

How did vampires like Angel and Spike learn how to drive ???

Night time driving lessons?

Perhaps they just grab a car and learn to drive that. Spike had no problem driving his own car, he could even drive it well whilst drunk, yet he had trouble changing gear in Giles' car.

So, anger=fear ???

 

[GraceK]

I actually really like Kate in this episode. Actually I have always liked her. This reminded
Me of how awesome she used to be. People tend to only remember pain in the ass I hate angel Kate, but she actually is much more than that. She has genuine care for Angel, which is why she was so angry when she found out who he was. She was also a great cop, compassionate and tough...with severe daddy issues. When she first found out Angel was a vamp, she reacted realistically...but she started warming up to him and even told her dad that she trusted him and he was good at what he did. Only after her dad was killed did she change, and I found that understandable. I kind of liked her black and white view, it was very different from most characters ( except Xander lol ). Kate gets to much hate in my opinion

 

[Mr Trick]

I actually really like Kate in this episode. Actually I have always liked her. This reminded
Me of how awesome she used to be. People tend to only remember pain in the ass I hate angel Kate, but she actually is much more than that. She has genuine care for Angel, which is why she was so angry when she found out who he was. She was also a great cop, compassionate and tough...with severe daddy issues. When she first found out Angel was a vamp, she reacted realistically...but she started warming up to him and even told her dad that she trusted him and he was good at what he did. Only after her dad was killed did she change, and I found that understandable. I kind of liked her black and white view, it was very different from most characters ( except Xander lol ). Kate gets to much hate in my opinion

See I'm the opposite with Kate. I liked her much more when she was opposing Angel and his gang. I never believed that she cared about Angel, and she got on her high horse and ranted far too often for my liking. I can see that she was a good cop, but her role as a cop was very underwritten I think.

 

[Antho]

Every human being on this earth is unique, although of course we can group several people in the same category, at bottom we all have qualities, defects, a physical appearance, a personality, a different life from those around us and all of that combined means we all have our own identity. However, if there is something common to all of us, it's our ability to feel emotions ! Whether you are intelligent or idiot, good or bad, healthy or sick, you all experience emotions. Some have no difficulty expressing them, others prefer not exteriorizing, probably interpreting this as a weakness, and the rest are clumsy in their actions and the words they use.

From the opening scene, Kate is really "Badass", the way she sues the guy and apprehends him while coming out biting replies. She made me think of Buffy, a strong and determined woman who does not lack of repartee. We find the feminist aspect that Joss likes to develop in many of his series. She is brutal, even a little cold but she does her job. Angel too, at first, he is not very friendly when he does not express his gratitude to his friends who helps him. I love how Cordelia does not hesitate to complain about this attitude, about him not paying attention to them, while behind her Doyle is strangled by a tentacle and she notices nothing . They very well put forward the concept concerning the training course on sensitization and the management of feelings.

The relationship Angel/Kate is growing and the idea of an intimate connection between the two does not displease me. I feel that the writers groped, they hesitate to take the step, or maybe they love this ambiguity. Though appearances may be misleading, there are signs that are not. Kate finds herself stuck in an investigation, to whom will she ask help ? Angel ! She even admits to being afraid of losing him even if it is necessary to know how to read between the lines to understand it : "I do not want to get a reputation for getting you killed".
Angel, on the other hand, seems to be attached to her, as is shown by his deep respect and attention to her. Then they have one thing in common: they suffer from a sort of paralysis of feelings, which prevents them from expressing their feelings.

The relationship between Kate and her father is quite complex. The relationships between them are cold and I feel that Kate is waiting for something to happen, that she hopes things will evolve in a better way. Something broke between them at the time of her mother's death, since her father made in indifference and it is a behavior that hurts her because she feels she is not important to him. I think that if she is a cop today, like her father, it is because she wanted to make the efforts to make him proud, perhaps hoping that one day perhaps he will give her some recognition or simply love . It makes the character more endearing because one understands where she comes from and why she is as she is.

The first part of the episode is rather slow because it highlights the relational problems of the characters, but it gains interest thanks to the second part where the inhibitions of all are lifted by a spell and each one adopts a behavior which is the opposite of their original personality. I find the process interesting because for me this episode is in the same lineage as "Hush" or "Once More With Feeling" or even "Tabula Rasa" because without reaching the same quality, it shares with them the common point that it demonstrates knots and allows the characters to free themselves by forcing them to express themselves in an unconventional way (doing in sentimentalism).

So Angel and Kate, who were quite enclosed in themselves, will reveal themselves in a new light and be much more affectionate. Knowing that the stick of speech does not generate falsehood either, they reveal themselves with sincerity. Angel quickly becomes very attaching and he shows himself tender : "Cordelia do you have idea how precious you are?") He Reveals that he is concerned about what his friends can think of him : "I do not want to, You can withdraw when i go vamp, I feel you judge me" and although he is now refractory to any violence : "Wow, that's vandalism" we see that he is ready for anything when his friends are in danger. The hug was just too awesome . Kate has finally had the courage to put words on her discomfort and to confide in her father (a scene quite moving until everyone in the bar come to fight). Her speech sounded very right in my eyes, she lacked a feminine presence in her childhood and attention of her father. It is liberating for her to tell everything, but unfortunately her father plays again the card of indifference by fleeing the problem. Besides, the ending scene between the two is a bit heartbreaking because despite all that happened, it did not open any way of communication between them. On one side is good because we avoid the cliché of the happy ending but the return to reality is hard for Kate ! At bottom I think that his father must love her, I see it well. It's just that he does not know/want to express it. He shares that with Angel because they are two men whose love can not be doubted but they don't express it so much and so we doubt !

I enjoyed the psychological aspect of the episode. I loved that psychoanalysis is used as a means to put all of them under the effect of spell. It shows that control over the mind is a power that it is dangerous to use. There are always key areas in a person and therapy can help to find the origin of a problem (often related to childhood and this is the case here for Kate but personally I find it is easy putting everything all the time on the education given by the parents, sometimes the origin of the problem is elsewhere and then also some are stupid because they simply are lol), or bring others up to the surface . Keeping everything in yourself is not good because at one point everything explodes but talking about it is not better either (example with the scene in the bar and Kate's speech that caused a fight) because it can explode too . There is no middle, alas! To do too much in sentimentalism can not be a good thing because people will walk on you (like this cop who releases the prisoners and who gets beaten ^^) and being too wicked is not good either. You have to know how to measure your behavior and adapt it to the situations.

Bonus : This look

 

[Bluebird]

I really think this is one of the worst episodes of the series. I think the writing is cheesy, not funny, and I don't know what I was meant to feel during the scene where Kate breaks down in the pub in front of everyone. I'm just embarrassed at the writing... urgh Kate's dialogue makes me cringe inside out

My best friend Joanne, her mom was soft, and she smelled like macaroni and cheese, and she'd pick me up on her lap and she would rock me. She said that she wanted to keep to herself. - She said that I was good and sweet. Everybody said I was. - Do you realize that you’ve never told me that I'm pretty? Not once in my life?

I love Angel but some of the episodes are real stinkers.

 

[Carrie Hopewell]

I love Angel but some of the episodes are real stinkers.

Lol. I like Sense and Sensitivity. Angel's parts are fun. The things Angel says and how DB said them was kind of tacky and cheesy (and fun). "You know, Anthony you could be a rainbow and not a painbow." . I cringed at first when Kate delivered that speech but now I don't mind.

 

[Antho]

I think humor saves the episode. @Bluebird has right, some dialogues are cheesy but the acting is good for me, that's make the whole more fun..
For me, until then the worst episode is "I fall to pieces"

 

[Mylie]

It's not a favorite of mine as a whole but it has some great moments than make me smile. Most of them involve Angel. I think it's great to see him in this light because he's unlike himself with how he deals with his feelings but he's still himself at the same time? I'm not sure how to explain it. Anyway, it's a good and fun episode for him.

 

[Priceless]

'What were your parents like?'
'My parents were great. Tasted a lot like chicken,'

That has to be one of the darkest line in the show.

 

[RDHWesley]

This is one of my favourite Season One episodes, because of just how silly it can be, though I can see why some people might think it's too much. I also appreciate the more laid-back approach to the story compared with other episodes of the series; most of the action is held off until the end, minus Angel's brief fight with Little Tony and his hoods early on (and I LOVE his goofy disguise in that scene). That's probably the main reason why I enjoy this one so much; it's a great way to let David Boreanaz just have fun in the role rather than being brooding and serious all the time. Angel is one of my favourite characters because of his balance between being a badass and being a complete dork, and this episode shows both sides really well. The last act is admittedly the best part, where Angel gets zapped with the Talking Stick, but the rest of the episode is really enjoyable, and I personally think that it's really well written.