Mr Trick Does the Angel rewatch thingy

[Mr Trick]

Haha. Yes, in the Buffyverse, sex=bad, no good comes from it. The actor that plays the guy Cordelia sleeps with, is Ken Marino, and I really like him in his comedic roles, this is clearly just an early acting job for him. I kind of think he's a bit cute, so I can see why Cordy slept with him, but you're right he's a bit unlikable.

Reading you're synopsis of She, I don't remember this episode. lol. But I will agree with you this is a bad episode. Just not good. Idk the idea of these girls just sounds a little more space sci-fi to me, which does not fit with the Angel show. I would have to rewatch this again, but that's not going to happen. lol

I've seen him in something else but can't think what. He's good looking guy, but I wouldn't say stunning, and besides I just don't buy that Cordy would sleep with him on the first date. It is a plot thing partly but they just should have made him a bit more charming or something.

Good point on She. I had forgotton it too. Just watch the first two minutes so that you can see the Angel/Wes dancing scene and then forward to the bit near the end when Angel spills the coffee beans on the floor (I liked that too!😀) but skip the rest.

 

[Mr Trick]

I Got You Under My Skin

Based on one of Cordelia's visions Angel and Wesley are drawn into a case of a Ryan a young boy who is prosessed. When Angel is invited into the family home by the mother following saving Ryan from getting run over he attempts to get further information, but the father seems overally protective. Wesley finds some demon muck surrounding the house😀 When Angel is invited back for dinner he uses some drugged brownies to force Ryan's spirit to show itself. While the mother is upset at Angel for deceiving them the father agrees to his idea of an excorism.

Complications arrise when the preist they were planning to perform it refuses and so Wesley attempts it himself but is over powered by the spirit. Things become more intense when the spirit starts taughting Angel about his past with Doyle. Cordelia gets a special box from a magic shop, however with it being a cheaper version of the one she was originally after it turns out to be defective, and therefore the spirit escapes and later manifests itself in physical form. When Angel and Wesley confront it the spirit informs them that Ryan was souless and therefore it was unable to control him while in his body, meaning that Ryan is still prosessed!😱 As a result he sets his sister's room on fire, but Angel and Wesley get there in time to save the family. Kate tells the father that Ryan will have to go into social services to be assessed. He is at least content that is the best thing for the family.

This was a really strong episode. I liked how the old horror trope of a child being prosessed was used as a way to bring out some personal demons for Angel and Wesley, this was nicely foreshadowed in the opening scene where Angel by mistake referrs to Wesley as Doyle, and Cordy confronts him about it. The level of detail was also good, and the script managed to keep a certain supense up about how much the parents really knew. It was a novel twist how at first the father seemed the more sinister parent, but later was revealed as the more careing of the two. Considering how sometimes excorism scenes can look a bit melodramatic or horky I thought they well handled and pretty convicing for the most part here.

 

[Mr Trick]

The Prodigal

This episode switches back and fourth between the past and present as it contrasts Angels roots, transformation into Angelus and murder of his father with the mordern day LA and the tragic fate of Kate Lockley's father Trevor and the impact this has on Angel.

A demon has hyjacked a subway car, as Kate arrives on the scene to investigate she shows up just in time to stumble upon Angel killing a demon. Kate is still coming to terms with the rules of the demon world, and the idea that the dead can still die again. More importantly, she must cover their tracks and treat this as any other case at least in the face of her fellow Police officers. A cruical line here is Kate telling Angel to "keep it professional" and that "I'm not your girlfriend"😱 The other important detail here is that Trevor, Kate's father shows up on the scene and claims that he is just checking up on her. Right...😉

Angel follows a suspicious looking delivery man from the scene who is picking up a packenge from Trevor's house! When confronting Mr. Lockley our man just gets a door shut on him. The next day Trevor contacts his daughter and seems to be suggesting that maybe she should give a romance with Angel a try. Wesley finds out that subway demon was high on drugs, and we find out that Trevor was removing crime scene evidence for a demon drug barron with a creepy deep voice😛 Kate and Angel agree to work together. I only mention this because the scene features the stand out Cordelia moment of the episode which is her annoyance at Kate just walking into the office without the new security system doing its job😀 After a pointless fight with drugged up demons, Angel shows up at Trevor's apartment only to cause his death at the hands of the demon drug oppertives. Important here is Trevor's refusal to invite Angel in, or rather him not understanding who Angel is, and therefore, does not grasp the significance of Angel's request. A grieving Kate tracks down 'creepy voiced head demon guy' and goes looking for revenge, but once again is hurt by her lack of demon knowledge. Angel shows up not far behind and following a dramatic fight beheads the drug barron. Despite this Kate is still upset with Angel over her father's death, and rather cruelly inserts "My father was human, you don't know anything about that"🙁 This poignantly segways into a flashback where post-killing his father, Angelus is told by Darla that perhaps by not winning his father's love at the time of killing him suggests that maybe his father was the real victor. We return to the present day and see Angel watching over Kate at her father's grave.

The Prodigal is an important episode in the universe building of Angel. It is a tightly constructed, themetically engaging and at times emotionally satisfying and dramatic episode. Yet there are two or three issues which prevent it from being a very good or even great episode. The first one is the old Kate Lockley issue. Although the character's story throughout the episode is effectively told, Elisabeth Rohm more so than ever before seems to be going through the motions in her interactions with Angel and throughout. Its almost as if the actress knew that her days on the show were numbered and started phoney it in. And because I've never been a big fan of the character anyway, then I had trouble getting invested in her in this episode. While Trevor's death is a logical narrative device to link the consequences of the demon and human worlds attempting to function in relation to one another, and thus, raises important moral questions about Angel as a character, to me it also feels like a cheap way to insite emotion from the Kate narrative. Then again it is important to remember that this episode is more about how these events effect Angel, and from that point of view the payoff is very rewarding. My only other slight issue is that Cordelia and Wesley are a little too sidetracked. Wesley gets the better end of the deal as he at least gets to question Angel's motivations when it comes to dealing with Kate and Trevor, Cordy on the other hand is left short changed.

 

[Mr Trick]

The Ring

Cordy and Wesley's awesome office banter ("Oh I know everynight its jeopardy followed by Wheel of Fortune. Watch out girls!"😀) is interupted by Darin a man claiming that his brother Jack has been kidnapped by a demon bookie as a result of gambling issues. Through his connections Angel finds his way to an underground location where Darin and Jack (alive and well) lay in wake. Yes it was a set up!😱 Angel is tasered and forced to take part in a demon fight club. Jack informs the vampire that his only escape is to win twenty one fights and by this he means to kill twenty one other demons. Tensions start to flair between Angel and the other demons. The resourceful Wesley manages to track Angel's location and he and Cordy delightfully fake cop it up in order to snab tickets. They are in time to witness Angel win his first fight.

Later Angel's attempt to use Jack to get the key and his freedom is foiled, and he is tasered again, this time waking in the office of Wolfram & Hart associate Lilah Morgan (an impressive debut by Stephanie Romanov). In a super charged scene Lilah informs Angel that she has bought his services and his only chance is to join forces with the firm, of course Angel declines the offer and so is returned to the fight club where he must face top fighter Trepkos who is just one kill away from his freedom (or so he believes). Throughout a rather shakey fight scene Angel tries to pursuade Trepkos that Darin will never grant him his freedom, and therefore their only chance is to work together. Despite taking one hell of a beating after refusing to kill Trepkos (this sequence is very dramatic), the two demons do indeed join forces. Just as it looks as if the numbers are against them, the other demons who have escaped via a key created by Wes revolt against Darin and fight their way to freedom. Darin gets his too😀 As Wesley and Cordelia help Angel they note that they just in fact helped a group of demon's to safety😉

On revisting this episode I found quite a few problems with it. Its true that the central conceit ties in nicely with the morality of Angel as a character, and furthers his heroic traits. The problem is that the satire of the underground fight club with a crooked showrunner exploiting his fighters for a blood fursty audience is a dated Sci-Fi narrative (think The Running Man). This wouldn't be a problem if the plotting wasn't so ropey and predictable. There are just too many things packed in, and at times it feels as if Cordy and Wesley as entertaining as they are, are in a different episode. Bar the odd scene there is a distinct lack of tension for much of The Ring. The highlights do come from the b-team of Cordelia and Wesley, and from Lilah's debut appearance. Romanov shines instantly with an intoxicating blend of a compossed, slippery, iced cold, smooth, but sinister femme fatale matching up beautifully with Boreanaz's intensity as Angel. Their scene together makes the episode worth it alone.

 

[Fuffy Baith]

I like the idea of an underground demon fighting ring. It was an okay episode. One thing I didn't really like is Angel fighting in the ring, not in vamp face. I get why the show did it. To show that Angel is more than a demon monster and we're supposed to feel sad for him. But speaking for the fans that are watching, they would want to see a vampire, in vamp face fighting. Not just some guy you're saying is a vampire. I forget this is the first appearance of Lilah.

 

[Mr Trick]

I like the idea of an underground demon fighting ring. It was an okay episode. One thing I didn't really like is Angel fighting in the ring, not in vamp face. I get why the show did it. To show that Angel is more than a demon monster and we're supposed to feel sad for him. But speaking for the fans that are watching, they would want to see a vampire, in vamp face fighting. Not just some guy you're saying is a vampire. I forget this is the first appearance of Lilah.

Good point. Another reason might be because it would be less credible than Angel would be able to keep his emotions in check if he was in Vamp face.

Lilah's debt has to be a contender for the best on Angel. Off the top of my head I can't think of a better one? This a strong Wes and Cordy episode too their partneship is really starting to gel.

 

[Mr Trick]

Enternity

Cordelia puts the guys through their paces during a terrible performance in a rotten play (this is ironic for more than one reason which I will expand later). This cold opening at least gives a nice set up for the theme of the episode. Post titles while Wesley and Angel are practicing their tact😉 Cordelia goes all starry eyed over soap actress Rebecca Lowell who Angel saves from a hit and run attempt. The next day the actress shows up at Angel Investigations to ask Angel if he'll take on the case of her attacker, but Angel declines, instead giving her the details of car he was driving. Cordy hits the roof again while Wesley suggests that Angel turned the case down because he was afraid of getting too close to Rebecca? WTF!😱 Cordelia trying to trick Angel by having fake visions of Rebecca is the highlight of this scene.

Despite turning the case down Angel does show up at Rebecca's house just in time to save her from another attack. Rebecca figures out Angel's true identity (which is just a little bit of stretch), and the pair exchange some awlful post-modern Vampire dialouge. After attempted attack number three from stalker boy it comes to light that Rebecca's creepy looking agent Oliver staged the whole thing to try and drum up interest in her career. When Rebecca invites Cordy shopping Cordy oddly starts acting likeb Buffy S2 Cordelia, and to the dismay of Miss. Chase it turns out that her actress idol is only interested in finding out more about Angel and buying him a thank-you present. That present is a bottle of bubbly which Rebecca uses to try and seduce the Vampire with. Between them Cordy and Wes figure out that Rebecca is attempting to give Angel that 'moment of happiness' so that he will turn her and she can in theory have everlasting fame to go along with the looks. Angel turns the tables on her and in fact transforms into Angelus or so it seems. As it turns out the drug which Rebecca slipped into his drink creates the illusion of pleasure and as a result makes him believe that he is his evil brother. Wes and Cordy try to save Rebecca, but Angelus/Angel cuts them off, and gives some nasty home truths to Cordy not least about her earlier acting performance. In the end her smarts and Wesley's new found bravery is enough to get the best of the Vampire and knock him out longing for the drug to ware off. When he awakes he is chained to the bed and makes peace with his friends.

There are many things wrong with this episode. It maybe one of the worse Angel episodes ever. But what is odd is that one of the flaws is Charasma Carpenter's performance, and its very rarely I say that. The trick to her performance being so spot on in both Angel and Buffy is that she manages have perfect comic timing while still convincing that she is a real and grounded human with depth. Here not only does she for the most part over blow the delivery of the lines, but the character acts out of turn for the Cordy which the show has been building since the start. Frankly she's quite annoying, not funny and not interesting. To be fair there is at least some payoff at the end. And the growth of both her and Wesley in the final act is the strongest aspect of the episode. Sadly, Wes isn't given enough to do, and Cordy has an off day thanks to the performance. Speaking of bad performances Tamara Gorski gives one of the most wooden and toe curling I've ever seen as Rebecca. Even if she is meant to be bad because she's playing a bad actress that still doesn't help during the scenes which are meant to be more dramatic. Moreover, if the writer was going for perody then that should have been more clear in the tone, or they should have come up with something original. The script is full with dated Hollywood clitches. Not to mention that there is no convincing reason why Angel would be obessed with Rebecca in the first place. Their scenes together are truly dire. One to forget alround😳

I think this show needs a shot in the arm😉 Good job a certain Sunnydale cast member is on the way to deliever just that😛

 

[Mr Trick]

So this Faith double header marks a turn for Angel as a show, and is the point at which it really comes into its own, and as I dive into two of the most dramatic episodes of either show there will be a couple of changes. Firstly, I will provide some visuals for crucial scenes, and second I will be comparing and contrasting the episodes after I have reviewed both. Let's get started!🙂

Five by Five

Angel saves a street stereotype from a gang of demons and forces him to testify in a murder case against Wolfram and Hart. Meanwhile a bus arrives in LA carrying with it rouge Slayer Faith on route from Sunnydale. A much more frail looking Faith tricks a creep into buying her innoncent girl act, and beats him to a pulp, taking "money and place to stay" in the process😉

Post titles we flash back to 1898 Romania where Darla presents Angelus with a gypsy girl for his birthday. This scene is shot with true dread and menace and Julie Benz is at her sinister, wicked best. Back in the present day Faith has found herself a nice little nightspot and proceeds to turn things upside down like only she can, with the add of a cool Rob Zombie tune😉 This ranks right up there as one of the hottest Faith scenes ever, and the slow-mo shot of her dancing and reveling in the chaos is a bit of visual storytelling.

Lilah and co. hear about Faith's arrivel and attempt to use her in their battle with Angel. They convince her than if she kills Angel they will get her off for the murder charge dating back to Sunnydale. Back in the past we see the moment where Angelus has been cursed as a result of his encounter with the gypsy girl. The vampire now has a soul, and Darla is pissed!😱 Faith attempts to take Angel at with a crossbow and so the game begins. Angel and Wesley fill in the dots of Faith's crossover from Sunnydale (great use of Wes in this scene), with Angel insisting than he takes on Faith alone. Faith carries on the mind games this time getting a shot in on the vampire with a bullet to the shoulder. Following a failed attempt by Angel to get to Faith through W&H (strong chemstry between him and Lindsay during this scene), she turns up at Cordelia's place just as her and Wesley are about to leave town. Cordelia gets knocked cold, Wesley gets far worse, in a scene mirroring Gile's fate at the hands of Angelus on Buffy he is tortured. Cordy does some smart detective work to trace Faith's movements. Faith takes delight in punishing her former watcher, and following flawed logic blaming him for her descent into madness Angel shows up and is ready to party. The pair go toe to toe in one of the most engaging, and gripping fight scenes ever filmed on television. Eliza Dushku really digs her teeth into this scene showing, Faith's rage and unpredictability. They fly out of a window into an alley, and the fight just gets more intense. Faith turns it up to eleven, demanding "you don't even know what evil is, I'm bad, fight back!" Poetically rain starts to fall as Faith is beating Angel senseless, but the vampire stands firm taking the blows, insisting "I'm not going to make it easy for you". As the scene reaches its dramatic high point Faith obsessively screams "I'm evil! Do you hear me? I'm bad!" yet her blows slowly get weaker, and she insists that Angel kill her, but in an oddly compelling moment he just cradles Faith in his arms consoling her as we cut to credits with just sounds of Faith crying and the rain.

Sanctuary

Angel welcomes Faith into his home and starts the rehabilition process. As the gang pick up the pieces from the previous night, Wesley challenges Angel on making Faith a house guest and if she can really be redeemed, and Cordy wisely takes a paid vacation😉 Meanwhile Kate and the Cops are on Faith's trail and unlike in Buffy, The X-Files reference here is a bit sloppy😱 In a bar Wesley bumps into some old Watchers Council hunting buddies who offer him his old job as Watcher back should he give them access to Faith. After some convincing he seems willing to take them up on the offer providing no harm comes to Angel.

In a daftly crafted, and tight scene Angel confronts Faith with the prospect of making amends with Wesley, he tells her to maybe try making it through the next ten minutes without going mad and to go from there. In a tense exchange Faith brings up the issue of making amends with Buffy, and lets slip what went down in Sunnydale, and the existance of Riley. In a slighly bum note the lawyers call in a demon to go after Faith. Thanks to Kate, Faith makes the evening news, and she quickly disposes of Wolfram & Hart's demon. The return to violence shakes Faith up and as Angel once again consoles her Buffy walks in demending an explaination. Buffy insists that Faith cannot change and that the only option is jail. In a powerful exchange her and Angel come to blows. As Buffy makes a compelling case for why Faith cannot be trusted or maybe doesn't deserve the chance to be Wesley busts in and warns them than the hunters are on their way. Lindsey gives up Faith's whereabouts to Kate in hope of using the law to his firm's advantage. Bufy and Faith have a meeting on the roof, but then work together in order to overpower the hunters, with a little help from Angel also. In a great Wesley moment he takes out Weatherby with his own weapon "180"😛 Later Angel is arrested for not giving up Faith, but just when it seems like he is about to take the fall for her, it turns out that Faith has arrived and is ready to confess to the police. It turns out than this part of Angel's plan all along he just hadn't let Buffy and us in on it. We get one last tense and heart reddening exchange between the Slayer and her ex-Vampire boyfriend during which he tells her to "to go home"🙁

We close with a shot of Faith at peace in a jail cell and Angel's voice over saying "She has a chance".

Two grandbreaking episodes. In Five by Five the back and fourth between Angel's past and his present in LA is nicely handled, and sets up his motives for wanting to rehabiltate Faith. Faith's slow descent into hell is perfectly handled and it is a logically follow on from the events of Buffy. The episode is full of great character growth and rich and dramatic scenes, with the final showdown between Angel and Faith in the rain one of the best scenes from either show. Its the perfect example of storytelling being told through action rather than words. The pacing of the episode coupled with the visual flair, and atmosphere make it a perfectly rounded piece of television. In a sense Sanctuary is a more ambitious episode which is maybe why it doesn't work quite so well for me. It tries to balance too many plot points in one episode. The Wolfram and Hart side of the story isn't as engaging this time, and them sending in the demon just feels a bit of lame excuse to keep their side of the story ticking along. I do like the reflective quality of the episode and in a sense how it neatly ties some of the threads from both shows together. SMG typically doesn't miss a beat in her exchanges with both Angel and Faith, and once again we see the narrative taken in an unexpected and promising direction. This is the point where both Angel the character and Angel the show steps out of Buffy's shadow.

 

[GoSpuffy]

true confessions time, I've never finished watching Angel. I watched season 1 and didn't like it at all. At a friends urging I kept going and got half way through season 2 before finally abandoning it. After Buffy season 7 I started watching Angel season 5 and loved it. I love Spike and Angel together and the show had changed a lot since I gave up on it in season 2. I'm not a Cordy fan so it was extra bonus she was gone although I did like her in "you're welcome" so maybe she improved over the seasons of Angel and I just wasn't around to see it. Now I'm not hoping for Spangel in a romantic sense (although I'm totally on board for thinking unsouled Spike and Angelus were totally a thing as well as the whirlwind as being more than just fighting partners) but I read something on another post about "the bestest little brother" and I love that dynamic. The way they are best frenemies is amazing. The chemistry between Angel and spike hits every scene out of the ball park. I could watch them all day, every day. I love how close they are but how at odds they are with each other. How they blame each other for everything bad but at the same time realize they are themselves the problem. They have a better understanding of each other than anyone else can ever have of them, including Buffy. Every episode got better and better and I felt there was so many places for the two of them to go but alas, no season 6. Anyway, your thread has inspired me and i'm going to go back and see if I can watch those missed seasons and see if my viewpoint has changed over time and following along with your reviews.

 

[Mr Trick]

true confessions time, I've never finished watching Angel. I watched season 1 and didn't like it at all. At a friends urging I kept going and got half way through season 2 before finally abandoning it. After Buffy season 7 I started watching Angel season 5 and loved it. I love Spike and Angel together and the show had changed a lot since I gave up on it in season 2. I'm not a Cordy fan so it was extra bonus she was gone although I did like her in "you're welcome" so maybe she improved over the seasons of Angel and I just wasn't around to see it. Now I'm not hoping for Spangel in a romantic sense (although I'm totally on board for thinking unsouled Spike and Angelus were totally a thing as well as the whirlwind as being more than just fighting partners) but I read something on another post about "the bestest little brother" and I love that dynamic. The way they are best frenemies is amazing. The chemistry between Angel and spike hits every scene out of the ball park. I could watch them all day, every day. I love how close they are but how at odds they are with each other. How they blame each other for everything bad but at the same time realize they are themselves the problem. They have a better understanding of each other than anyone else can ever have of them, including Buffy. Every episode got better and better and I felt there was so many places for the two of them to go but alas, no season 6. Anyway, your thread has inspired me and i'm going to go back and see if I can watch those missed seasons and see if my viewpoint has changed over time and following along with your reviews.

Glad I could be of service😀 I'm getting pretty excited too as I'm starting to get to the real high points on my re-watch. I think seasons 2 and 3 are possibly the best? But let me know what you think?

 

[GoSpuffy]

Glad I could be of service😀 I'm getting pretty excited too as I'm starting to get to the real high points on my re-watch. I think seasons 2 and 3 are possibly the best? But let me know what you think?

I think I'll still be a season 5 girl but you never know.....I never found enough of the humour that I love in Buffy to balance out the darkness in season 1 & first part of season 2 in AtS, I hope they add that in.

 

[Mr Trick]

I think I'll still be a season 5 girl but you never know.....I never found enough of the humour that I love in Buffy to balance out the darkness in season 1 & first part of season 2 in AtS, I hope they add that in.

Season four will be the most interesting for me on this rewatch. I remember really liking it first time around, but it does get a lot of negativity certainly on here. The ending was handled really bad I can agree with that.

 

[Athena]

I'm doing a rewatch too, I'm midway through S3 at the moment. I'm enjoying it, but not as much as I enjoyed the Buffy rewatch I did last year. I domt know why. It's got some really good episodes, but nothing standout, except maybe the arc with Darla in S2...

 

[Fuffy Baith]

Slayer and her ex-Vampire boyfriend during which he tells her to "to go home"

It's so sad but I love it! I like Angel standing up for himself, and basically saying 'Hey look, this is my town (my show) and you don't belong here. " But you can clearly see that he still loves her and that it's hard for him.

The Wolfram and Hart side of the story isn't as engaging this time, and them sending in the demon just feels a bit of lame excuse to keep their side of the story ticking along

I agree. They could have skipped that, and just cut to Lindsey going to Kate.

This is the point where both Angel the character and Angel the show steps out of Buffy's shadow.[/QUOTE] Exactly! This is what sums up Angel as a character and show.

 

[Mr Trick]

It's so sad but I love it! I like Angel standing up for himself, and basically saying 'Hey look, this is my town (my show) and you don't belong here. " But you can clearly see that he still loves her and that it's hard for him.


I agree. They could have skipped that, and just cut to Lindsey going to Kate.

This is the point where both Angel the character and Angel the show steps out of Buffy's shadow.

Exactly! This is what sums up Angel as a character and show.[/QUOTE]

Yes its one of the most powerful scenes across either show, and crucial for Angel.

Its also the best use of the cross over storylines I feel, and SMG hits a home run once again. But I'm very excited for the episodes to come.
 

I'm doing a rewatch too, I'm midway through S3 at the moment. I'm enjoying it, but not as much as I enjoyed the Buffy rewatch I did last year. I domt know why. It's got some really good episodes, but nothing standout, except maybe the arc with Darla in S2...

I think season three is one which suffers a bit from being too ambitious. There are too many shifts in tone I think, but overall I thought it was a very satsfying season. I would still put it ahead of the first season which is the very defination of an up and down season.

 

[Mr Trick]

War Zone

In a subversive cold open Vampires stalk a girl, but rather than Angel coming to the rescue as per normal it is in fact the girl's brother Charles Gunn and his gang who make the save "were you expecting someone else?"😀

Cordelia sets up a meeting for Angel with nerdy rich guy David Nabbit who sadly doesn't have the Hollywood connections Cordy is hopeing😉 Nabbit hires Angel to track down some embarrasing pictures of him at demon brothel😱. Gunn and his the fellow street kids defeat the Vampires with their advanced weapons, but they do lose a member in the process. Gunn's sister Alonna is concerned that her brother's thirst for the fight is getting the better of him. Angel recovers the pictures for Nabbit but in doing so exposes his identity as a vampire to Gunn and the others. Not knowing the truth about Angel their first instinct is to try and kill him. Angel does enough to convince them than he means them no harm, but an inderpendant Gunn is still cynical and tells the vampire to stay out of their business in future.

In a clunky sequence the vampire gang gas bomb Gunn's team, and kidnapp Alonna. When Angel tries to help out Gunn locks him in a meat locker and goes after Alonna himself. In a powerful scene Gunn finds his sister, but saldy, its not really his sister anymore. A conflicted Gunn must make the tough choice to dust her rather than allow her to turn him into a vampire. Michele Kelly as Alonna does a great job of selling this scene, she is wonderful throughout the episode, but really shines here. Cordy and Wes save Angel who clearly still hasn't figured out the whole cell phones thing😉 Angel kills the vamp gang leader and makes it clear to the rest than it would be best if they backed off, he also points this out to the human gang, and Gunn still coming to terms with his sister's passing sees sense. Cordy comes to the conclusion that chasing rich guys maybe isn't the best idea, and in her own way declares that she is happy to keep fighting the good fight🙂 Angel leaves the door open for him and Gunn to work together in the future.

Conclusion
Bar one or two rough edges War Zone is another very strong outting, and it carries across the tone and themes of the Faith two-parter very nicely. It plays on themes of morality, and characters such as Gunn and even Cordelia to a lesser extent facing up to reality. It nicely bridges the gap between the rich and lower class characters on the show, and deals with the race divide in a very honest and sensitive way. In fact, it is fair to say than it is Angel, Cordy and Wes who get the biggest wake up calls when it comes to this. Justin August Richards makes a strong impression on his debut, true he comes off as a bit of a black stereotype, but then just like Buffy did with Cordelia in S1 I believe that Angel sets Gunn up as a stereotype so that they can later subvert it. The main weakiness for me is the setup and how Angel gets involved with Gunn and the others. I don't really find David Nabbit a very convincing character, and I don't see why Angel would take his case, when after all no bodies life is actually in danger. Its a sloppy set up IMO, but after that pretty much everything in War Zone is great.

 

[vellavu]

I agree. They could have skipped that, and just cut to Lindsey going to Kate.

You wanna skip "The first assassin kills the second assassin sent to kill the first assassin, who didn't assassinate anyone until we hired the second assassin to assassinate her"?🙁

 

[Mr Trick]

You wanna skip "The first assassin kills the second assassin sent to kill the first assassin, who didn't assassinate anyone until we hired the second assassin to assassinate her"?🙁

True that is one of the great ever lines and I meant to bring it up in my review. Still you need a bit more justification for a loose plot than just that😀

 

[Mr Trick]

Blind Date

When out battling some demons Angel clashes with a bad arse blind woman and comes off the worse for ware😱 Cordelia traces Vanessa's history as an assassin and the group find out that she was out on bail when Angel met her, and in a further twist is being represented by Wolfram & Hart. Star W&H lawyer Lindsey Mcdonald gets Vanessa off, and is given a pep talk by his boss Holland who says that Lindsey must think about his place in the world/company.

Oddly enough Angel is also questioning his place in the world, in a very weighty and malodramatic way😀(was this done on purpose?😱). It seems as if Lindsey wants out of the evil Law firm, the main factor being their involvement in Vanessa's latest attack which is set to be against some children coming into the country. Angel decides that he can trust Lindsey because he can sense the fear in him😀 The pair hatch a plan to break into the W&H offices and retrive the files of the case. Gunn gets involved also, creating a distraction and planting a demon to further distract the security. Meanwhile Lindsey helps to obscure the crucial camera to aid Angel's entry into the building which he does by drilling through the floor. Angel escapes with the files and also picks up a mysterious looking scroll. Lindsey is caught up in a random mind reading session at Wolfram & Hart and his fate looks doomed! However, it turns out than it is Lee who is the victim as a result of him talking to clients outside of office hours.

In a nice Sunnydale-LA crossover Cordy gets Willow's help in cracking the files. It turns out that Vanessa could see until she was 21, but then made herself blind to tap into some extensive senses it allowed her. The children she is targeting are also blind and are set to arrive in the country that evening. Back at the law firm Lindsey is called up on his betrayal by Holland and given another pep talk🙄

Angel and Vanessa come face to face a second time, and this time after a tense stand off the Vampire wins out and saves the children. Wesley reveals to the Angel that the scrolls he took was a prophecy which included the details of the children arriving, and also includes writings on a certain Vampire with a soul. Despite his part in saving the children, Holland is impressed with Lindsey's bravery and offers him his job, as he is moving upstairs. Lindsey starts making himself at home in his new office.

Conclusion

This is a solid episode which does a lot to advance Lindsey's character, and I liked that it got more into the meat of Wolfram & Hart and the day to day running of it. The scenes between Angel and Lindsey are impressive. I found they could have done more with the Vanessa character that seemed a wasted opportunity. And certain scenes felt tonery awkward, such as DB's over the top delievery when Angel was questioning his place in the world (SMG does this kind of scene much better), and although I like the scenes with Holland and the actor playing him, the scenes with him giving Lindsey a pep talk did drag, and wasn't totally sold on his reasons for forgiving Lindsey the protrayal. Mostly this was a set up episode for future plots on the show, and as that it was pretty effective.

 

[Mr Trick]

To Shanshu in L.A.

As Wesley sweats over reading the prophecy, Wolfram & Hart summon a group of hooded Demons led by the Vocah Demon who is there to read out the prophecy only to find out that a certain vampire has nicked his scroll😀 Wesley concludes that the prophecy predicts that in the future that Angel will die. Angel's lack of reaction to this news concerns his friends that Angel is cut off from the world. As Cordelia goes art shopping to try and connect Angel to the world, Vocah carries out his wicked plan. He kills the Oracles (Angel's contact to the Powers that Be), he then implants an extreme series of visions onto Cordelia which overwhelms her and has her fighting for her life in hospital. With Angel called away to Cordy's bed side this allows Vocah to steal the scroll back. Upon returning to the office Wesley is caught in a fire thus, taking him out of the picture also.

Kate attempts to guilt trip Angel again, but Angel has no time, and gives her some home truths which seemed fair enough to me😉 Vocah starts reading from the prophecy and with the ground starting to shake there is clearly something being summoned from a box. Angel shows up and engages in a dramatic sword fight with Vocah. Seeing the threat to W&H's plan and to his promotion (and life), Lindsey steps in and takes over the reading. With things coming to a head Holland and his cronies decide to escape with the box, and Angel finally slays Vocah. The only thing standing between the vampire and the scroll is Lindsey who reveals to Angel that Cordelia has now assumed the role of Angel's connection to the PTP. Just as Lindsey is about to burn the scroll, Angel brutally slices off his hand and regains the scroll. Back at the hospital Wesley reads the right passige to bring Cordelia back, and Cordy seems to have a new prospective on her role in saving the world. She has seen some dark things. Later Wesley reveals that he got the original reading of Angel's fate wrong. According to his new reading one day the vampire will in fact become human againm just after many more battles with the forces of evil. This is a very sweet scene🙂 Back at Wolfram & Hart it is revealed that the thing summoned in the box, is in fact DARLA!!!😱

Conclusion

This time around I found this first season finale to be really underwhelming. It was like the writers got some important plot points in, without coming up with an engaging enough story to get to those moments. The main story itself is a bit too much like some of the ground covered in Buffy. It crammed too many random scenes into the story such as two needless Kate scenes. It seems like she was only in the episode just to acknowledge her place in the season and to comment on her on going struggle with Angel, but the scenes themselves have no relation to the main plot. Gunn also shows up and then isn't used for some reason, and then we have a random appearance by David early in the episode, and besides some comic relief he serves no purpose. Up to this point Cordelia's progress as a character has just gotten better (bar one or two episodes), but when the show tries too hard to turn her into a dark character is when I lose interest in her arch, because turing Cordy dark just because you can, or because it marks her out as different, is not the same as giving her character deveolpment. It doesn't feel like the same character, and the start of that comes here, and I'm not convinced by it. There are some exciting moments within the episode. The final battle between Angel and Vocah is one of the highlights of the season. And that Angel shows no mercy with Lindsey is very consistent with the darker tone of the show, and with Angel as a character. I do enjoy how things have progressed between Lindsey and Angel at the end of S1. And of course the ending twist with Darla's return is a knock out punch and is a very dramatic conclusion to the season. Not a great episode IMO, but the ending does set the table perfectly for the next season🙂