Ha Haaaaa

OK, so Nelson Munce does not translate well on the written (or typed) page. Sue me.

First and foremost, let me say to Brian "HOW DID YOU LET YOURSELF GET INTO A PRINCIPAL WOOD SPOILER ACCIDENTLY?! Were you reading something that surpirsed you so much that your hand fell, and that it just happened to fall on the mouse?! And then did your eyes just accidently read the words on the screen? I would think seeing the words 'Principal Wood' and 'spoiler' would be a dead giveaway!!!"

No, seriously bud. I'm sorry you got spoiled. Although, by your disappointed tone, I have a feeling you might be better off in the long run.

Anyway, as to our new episode of ANGEL, my take on it is decidedly lighter. Yes, it was a down and dirty episode, and one of the most violent ever, but it has exceeded my expectations on every level. At worst I would have thought that this newest entry would have been a "Silence of the Lambs" retread. As it turned out, it was not. Sure, it had the basic points there, but this was a thousand times better.

Ultimate Kudos to David Boreanaz for channeling the inner evil like no one's business. It was amazing. Too many cool moments to number without re-hashing the entire episode, so I won't. Everyone was given their moment of cool, whether it was in their favor or not. Connor meeting Angelus was everything I had hoped it would be and more. We've been given a special insight into how Connor feels about his father, and it's not what I expected (but should have.) Connor's assertion that Angel is just a mask that Angelus is forced to wear is interesting in that it's a viable set of reasoning. The debate about whether or not Angel or Angelus is the real personality is a very heavy one.

It's almost paradoxical. Yes, Angel's personality came first. It was who he was until he was bitten by Darla. Then Angelus became the dominant personality. Then, Angelus was cursed and given his soul back. What we have to consider, though, is that Pre-bite Angel is a very different person than Post-curse Angel. And, of course, Angel as a vampire is a split object. Is he a Vampire with a soul or a Soul that inhabits a Vampire?

Wow, more time than I meant to spend on that. Anyway, seeing the Sunnydale duo against Angelus was just good, old-fashioned fun. Angelus with Fred and Gunn was beautifully executed, and I defer to Brian's description below as that he put that whole situation into it's proper perspective.

I am a bit upset that Lorne didn't spend more time with Angelus, but the season is still comparatively young. I'm also concerned about next week's episode. No doubt the death that they are referring to will not be one of the season regulars. I was discussing this this morning and I feel that if anyone is a candidate to die it will be Lilah. She's a wild card, and she is definitely expendable. She's in love with Wesley, who has moved on. She is a member of a law firm that, as of now, is defunct. She is a relic. Unless they change her role radically, she is doomed. Besides, they really can't reform her. If they do, I think that's as good as signing her death warrant anyway.

Anyway, kudos around. I look forward to the rest of the season, and am relaxing in that this week's episode redeemed last week's. Oh, and as a side bar, to prove my point and to show just how necessary last week's episode was, did anyone notice that in the "Last week on Angel" piece, there was not a single image from Angel's Adventure in Dreamland, or even a hint that he had gone through any of it? Sounds pretty unnecessary to me. Yes, there was mention in the episode, but it wasn't particularly helpful there either, now was it?

  posted by J @ 12:39