Belonging
Plot Rundown: The Host insists that the team investigate a Drokken demon that showed up unexpectedly at the Caritas club. Not only this but the Host is desperate for Angel and the gang to kill the demon. Meanwhile, Cordy has a vision of a girl in danger at a local library which is connected to the Drokken demon case. It turns out the case has more than a small link to the Host's past. Cordy has a nightmare shoot for a creepy advert and Gunn is called into action by his own gang to fight some vampires.
Highlights: A episode focusing on The Host/Lorne's past proved good growth for his character. I even liked the gag about why he decided not to use the Lorne name outside of his home dimension
His character is given some much needed depth. Andy Hallett does a good job in selling Lorne's fear at his past catching up with him. Not to mention it never gets old hearing "
Krevlornswath of the Deathwok Clan."
That main mystery is nicely handled. And I know she's hardly in this episode, but hell yeah for the young Amy Acker making her debut as Winifred Burkle Aka "Fred"
She is going to become a major character for most of the rest of the show's run and its fair to say that most of us adore Fred
Lowlights: Outside of Lorne's plot there is too much going on. Things get a little messy and the other subplots don't link up too smoothly. Cordelia's acting scene is very painful and cringe worthy to watch. It damages her character a little that she doesn't stand up to the sleazy director. She should have been on Anglel's side. This is put at least partly put right later when Cordy returns to the Hotel dejected and admits that she was being demeaned. The impression I got was that she had finally come to her senses and told the director where to stick it!
Also when you see the direction of Cordy in the coming episodes it payoffs even more. But it's still tough to watch it on its own without that context. Plus using the sleazy director gimmick was a bit cheap. Likewise I can see the link purpose of the Gunn subplot, but I just found it boring. We get more street kids stereotype. It feels tacked onto the main plot and isn't paid off as well as Cordy's plot. It felt flat. Once again there is too much goofy humor human (check out how goofy Angel has been since Disharmony). Plus the sitcom feel to the cold open dinner sequence is really corny. Three of the four lead characters (Angel, Gunn, Wesley) feel off in this one. I think the main reason for that is writer Shawn Ryan. He's one of the weaker writers on Angel (he also wrote the clunkers
The Thin Dead Line and
Blood Money). To be fair to Ryan he has gone on to have a credible career on television (maybe he was still raw here or maybe his style just didn't fit Angel?). On the other hand first time Angel director Turi Meyer has only 7 credits to his name with iffy results (he directed the Buffy episode "Smashed" and would direct two more Angel episodes "
Offspring" and
"Forgiving" more on him in future reviews then
). The direction is just as much to blame as the writing if not more. The dimly lit fight scene shot within in a maze of palettes is a good example of this. Its looks horrible and the choice of setting and lighting makes it very hard to follow what is going.
Verdict: A mess of an episode, with some poor character writing. It is at least partly saved because of the focus on Lorne and his background. Even so that is not enough to save it. It's very bland, but at least it sets up the more interesting Pylea trilogy of episodes which close out the season.
MVP: Lorne/The Host
Episode Rating: 5.5/10
Questions for the Buffy Boards
1. Would you have liked the Cordelia acting storyline to have continued post-this episode or were you happy it stopped here? (I guess besides Birthday next season).
2. With Lorne taking on a bigger role and Fred making her debut is the main cast of Angel starting to look a bit too crowded?
3. What are your thoughts on Lorne as a main cast member? Would you have preferred him to have remained a supporting character.
BTW I will review The Pylea arc all in one review and rank them as one episode. It's clearly a trilogy and will be hard for me to rate individual parts of it.
And now to the updated Angel episode list!
1. Five by Five 10/10
2. Sanctuary 9/10
3. Hero 9/10
4. Reunion 8/10
5. Are You Now, or Have You Ever Been 8/10
6. Darla 8/10
7. Epiphany 8/10
8. In the Dark 8/10
9. The Shroud of Rahmon 8/10
10. Reprise 7.5/10
11. Dear Boy 7.5/10
12. Redefinition 7.5/10
13. City Of... 7.5/10
14. War Zone 7.5/10
15. Rm W/A Vu 7.5/10
16. Parting Gifts 7.5/10
17. I've Got you Under My Skin 7/10
18. Blind Date 7/10
19. Somnambulist 7/10
20. Disharmony 7/10
21. The Prodigal 7/10
22. To Shanshu in L.A. 6.5/10
23. Judgement 6.5/10
24. First Impressions 6.5/10
25. The Bachelor Party 6.5/10
26. I Will Remember You 6/10
27. The Ring 6/10
28. Dead End 6/10
29. The Trial 6/10
30. Happy Anniversary 6/10
31. Guise Will be Guise 6/10
32. Lonely Heart 6/10
33. Belonging 5.5/10
34. Untouched 5/10
35. Blood Money 5/10
36. I Fall to Pieces 5/10
37. The Thin Dead Line 4/10
38. Sense & Sensitivity 4/10
39. Expecting 4/10
40. Eternity 3/10
41. She 2/10
