The Trial...

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Sunnydale Siren

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This is one of the season's best, Benz and Boreanaz were great in all their scenes together. Especially the final scene, whe Darla accepts her tragic fate as a human.o


With Angel vowing to remain by her side.

Enter Druscilla, which touches off one of the most heartbreaking moments on "Angel" so far.


Benz has a pretty decent voice, liked her karaoke scene.


The Host is hilarious, love him!!!!
 
I love the last few minutes of this episode. Darla accepts the inevitable, and then Dru appears. 🙂 Very cool, and definitely something I didn't see coming.
 
I just watched this the other day. I always think it's kind of funny that there's this Trial thing where you can fight to save someone else's life, yet the whole trial seems to be set up specifically to test vampires. What other vampires are going to be fighting to save someone's life?
 
Revolver said:
I just watched this the other day. I always think it's kind of funny that there's this Trial thing where you can fight to save someone else's life, yet the whole trial seems to be set up specifically to test vampires. What other vampires are going to be fighting to save someone's life?
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Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...


good point.


perhaps the challenges are designed to fit whatever type of supernatural being participates?
 
It doesn't seem like it does though. The guy specifically mentions that the first demon Angel fought was undefeated in the trial, but then later when Angel has a choice between getting staked to save Darla or walking away, that no one had been willing to make that sacrifice before.
 
Well i'm sure some vampires would have taken the Trial. Spike surely would have taken it for Dru.
 
Revolver said:
It doesn't seem like it does though. The guy specifically mentions that the first demon Angel fought was undefeated in the trial, but then later when Angel has a choice between getting staked to save Darla or walking away, that no one had been willing to make that sacrifice before.
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Maybe I'm confused but doesn't that show that there can be different tasks depending on who is taking the trial? It wouldn't surprise me if the last task (as long as one gets there) always is to give up their own life. Even though it don't have to be by being staked. But the challanges before the last task can vary. So those who had met the demon died but people/demons who had other tasks might have gotten through to the last one. Now I haven't watched the episode for a long time so something might have been said that makes that impossible but for now that's my theory.
 
Although sad, Druscilla does get finally get her revenge on both Darla and Angelus.

My theory is that she has to hate them both on some level.

For all the torment they caused her, particularly Angelus.

Murdering her family

Tracking her down at that convent, then turning her into a vampire.

any thoughts.
 
The Kinslayer said:
Maybe I'm confused but doesn't that show that there can be different tasks depending on who is taking the trial? It wouldn't surprise me if the last task (as long as one gets there) always is to give up their own life. Even though it don't have to be by being staked. But the challanges before the last task can vary. So those who had met the demon died but people/demons who had other tasks might have gotten through to the last one. Now I haven't watched the episode for a long time so something might have been said that makes that impossible but for now that's my theory.
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Yeah I always fanwanked it like that. I saw it as three trials consisting of a) combat b) endurance and c) sacrifice all differing depending on the individual contestant.
 
I really liked this episode!Angel would go so far as to sacrifice his life to give Darla a chance!He wants so much to save his soul...no wonder he started getting dark after the end of the episode...Darla singing was a very touching scene and also the last scene when she decides to accept her fate as human,and suddenly Drusilla steps in...i was also very stunned by the fact that Darla could actually watch Angel while he was taking the trial...she seems so scared,she doesn't want Angel to go that far...although i am certain they never loved each other,Darla and Angel have a special bond...maybe because Darla sired him,maybe because she taught him everything about life...even though he was evil most of the time with her
 
It's one of the best episode of Ats. I'd like how we watched the whole episode just to see in the end how The Trial doesn't work and how nothing Angel and Darla got. Well, they got lesson, friendship and the meaning of being human.

Even Drusilla showed up and sired her, I completely blamed W&H. I cried so hard :cries:, but I love when grandma and granddaughter reunited in the later episodes. They totally kicked ass. 😉
 
Sunnydale Siren said:
Although sad, Druscilla does get finally get her revenge on both Darla and Angelus.

My theory is that she has to hate them both on some level.

For all the torment they caused her, particularly Angelus.

Murdering her family

Tracking her down at that convent, then turning her into a vampire.

any thoughts.
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Although it seemed like she resented Angel at times [I.e What's My Line pt 2 when she hurt Angel as she bitterly stated how he killed all her family members) I'm not sure if, as a vampire, she is able to feel remorse. We've seen Spike do it many a time, but that's more after he'd been domesticated. Being evil, I don't see why she'd care about past kills, even if they were to her family. I think that she just thought she was doing Darla a favor, after all a day previous she wanted to be sired, and someone of her close family was the best person to do it.

I love this episode. It is really amazing Dangel- wise, but I kinda wish Angel had turned her, just out of curiosity. It's a bit odd: At the end when Angel is holding Darla and then W&R come parading in, I noticed that once again they had the "villains" interrupt a sweet "moment". They seem to do that a lot. For example, right after Buffy said to Spike in Beneath You (or was it Beneath Me?) "I believe in you, Spike" crazy people burst in and kidnapped him. But yes, very cute episode.
 
The Trial

The Good;
Love the valet and the trials, they're both excellent, the suprise ending is a killer, thankfully they left Juliet Landau's name out of the credits this time so it's a genuine shock.

The Bad;
Very little, terrific ep but Angel seems to be overwhelmed by the WR&H thugs very easily

Best line:
Lindsey; "How did you think this was going to end?"

Jeez, how did they get away with that?
The trials are almost akin to gorno, especially the key in the vat of Holy Water.

Apocalypses: 4

Angel Cliches

Damsel in distress; oh yeah!
18

Inverting the Hollywood cliche;

In disguise; 7

DB get's his shirt off; oh yeah!
11

Cordy's tattoo;3

Cheap Angel;
5

Fang Gang in bondage: Angel chained up by the valet
Cordy: 5
Angel: 9
Wes: 3

Fang gang knocked out:
Cordy: 10
Angel: 12
Wes: 5
Doyle; 1
Gunn; 1

Kills:
Cordy: 5 vamps, 1½ demons
Angel; 1 vamp and 1 demon, 18 vamps, 19 and 1/2 demons, 3 humans
Doyle; 1 vamp
Wes; 1/2 a demon
Kate; 3 vamps
Faith; 16 vamps, 6 demons, 3 humans.
Gunn; 5 vamps+ 1 demon.

Fang Gang go evil:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 2

Alternate Fang Gang:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 6

Characters killed:
30

Recurring characters killed; Darla dies for the 3rd time
4;

Total number of Angel Investigations:
4, Angel, Cordy, Wes and Gunn

Angel Investigations shot;
Angel: 10
Packing heat;
Wes; 2
Doyle; 1
Angel; 1

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost:
Cordy: 2 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast
Angel: 1;Buffy
Wes; 2; Virginia and the bleached blonde

Kinky dinky:
Darla has once more turned to prostitution to support herself.

Captain Subtext;
The eps so full he really doesn't have time to appear. Although Darla/Dru I suppose at the end.

Know the face, different character; 2

Parking garages;
5,

Guantanamo Bay;

Buffy characters on Angel; 13
Wetherby, Collins and Smith. Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes, Faith, Darla, Dru, Master

Questions and observations;
Oddly Holland believes in god whilst Darla wears a cross whilst tricking (she takes it off when she goes to find a vamp to sire her). Angelus comments that in Romania they know how to treat a creature of the night (Dracula?). Holtz mentioned for the first time. The dumb vamp Darla propositions says he was sired in 1992, by Lothos and co in the Buffy movie? Anne Rice mocked again. Why doesn't Angel sire Darla and then resoul her? He wonders what would happen if he sired someone when he had a soul, in 'Why we fight?' we find out. Jasmine referenced once more. Does JB really sing or is she voiced over? The valet is great, you really could see him as Jeeves, his little 'Use it wisely' speech at the end is reminiscent of Highlander. The actor recurs in a Dollhouse ep where he plays Beyonce's manager.
One thing, Angel is owed a life restored by magical means. So why does he never call in that marker and try to bring back Doyle, Cordy, Fred etc?
Marks out of 10; 9/10, Angel at the top of it's game.
 
This definitley makes my best episode list, great work by both Boreanaz and Benz.


Plus the final scene is one of the saddest and shocking moments in WHEDONverse IMH0.

Think I began to dislike Lindsey at this point.
 
E
Eleftheria
[No message]
saturn5 said:
One thing, Angel is owed a life restored by magical means. So why does he never call in that marker and try to bring back Doyle, Cordy, Fred etc?
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Connor's wikipedia page claims that his birth was the life owed to Angel. I must stress that the article does not give any source for this claim & could just be made up, but it makes a kind of sense.
 
pieceofgosa said:
Connor's wikipedia page claims that his birth was the life owed to Angel. I must stress that the article does not give any source for this claim & could just be made up, but it makes a kind of sense.
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Jasmine definitely says this at some point in "Shiny Happy People", but I can't find the quote.
 
Chris said:
Jasmine definitely says this at some point in "Shiny Happy People", but I can't find the quote.
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Thank you for the episode Chris, the quote is this:

Jasmine - ...through you, Angel, through Darla. That is where my parentage began. Two vampires"”creatures one human corrupted by darkness. And you with a soul"”a miracle already.

Angel - But how?

Jasmine - Through Lorne.

Lorne - Huh?

Jasmine - The day Lorne sent Angel and human Darla into the trials to earn a new chance at life.

Angel - I failed.

Jasmine - No, you earned that life. And there it is. (points to Connor) All these events unfolded that I might reenter this physical plain. I know there's been chaos.
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Can't believe I didn't remember that, but I do tend to skip the later parts of S4.
 
Tome
Tome
Bad you!
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