Inside Out with Shiny Happy People

First off, for those of you who do not read my other blog, Captain's Personal Blog, I have been plagued with computer problems of late. This, in combination with Brian's trip to Japan has left Jossolalia a bit dark of late (although our formatting has finally straightened itself out.) But now that things are better, we're back and better than ever (or at least as good as we ever were.)

On to the shows. I've been a very happy boy. Let's look at INSIDE OUT first. It was a great episode which finally put Evil Cordy in the foreground. It was nice to see her acting out on her impulses rather than keeping them hidden. Now, Kudos should go specifically to Charisma Carpenter for properly segregating Evil Cordy from the Original Cordy. No, you really wouldn't like both of them, but it was clear that Cordy has never been as bad as she was when she was evil. And that is an important distinction. In playing the role, she could have lapsed into what Cordelia used to be, but she brought new dimensions to the character and a depth which kept them both separate. Great job.

As for the rest of the show, it was a cornucopia of good stuff from the ANGEL crew. I have to admit that I wasn't too thrilled with how Darla was presented at first. I thought that it would have been better if Connor had met his mother the way she was when he was conceived. But upon going over it, I realized that this was the best thing that could have been. Even if I wasn't too sure about how she was able to make contact with him (TPTB work in mysterious ways,) I was more than satisfied. And, honestly, was there anything more chilling than watching Connor in slow motion, dragging that poor girl to the slaughter?

Now, let me segue into the next episode as I make my next point. In the last seconds of INSIDE OUT, Gina Torres emoted more sweetness and god-like charm than anyone I have ever seen on television before. And in SHINING HAPPY PEOPLE, she took it to the next level. It was amazing to see her. She put forth just the right amount of hyper-saccharinity to make it truly believable. I almost fell for it myself, she was that good.

As for the story, let's hear it for Fred getting a mix of THE FUGITIVE, THE PRISONER, and NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, and every other great genre chase epic. I mean she is being set up for a great run next week. Although, I have to say that I have been given the complete willies by the sight of Fred and Angel kissing in the previews (hrm?)

As for the rest, the willies cycle was completed by Connor calling Angel "Dad" with wild abandon. What I believe the previews have set us up for, is yet another tragic moment in the life of Angel. If Angel is, in fact, cured from Jasmine's thrall, Angel will have the tough decision of whether or not he should release Connor from her power, which would leave him reverting back to his angst-ridden self. Now, we all know that he will choose to do so (or be left without a choice) but it's a delicious thought nonetheless. And kudos to Team Joss for including Angel's fear of reverting to Angelus, which therefore keeps him from doing so. Yay continuity.

Otherwise, the episode was just a good, old fashioned frolic with the team of yore. It was an opportunity to see the team working as a cohesive group again, which I think the audience has been begging for. As to the future, to quote an old standard, "hang on kids, it's going to be a bumpy ride."

  posted by J @ 00:00