"Arbitrar Of Quality" <tsmtsm@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:2fced64b-7c5d-45b3-9e3c-1ee9f72eff83@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>A reminder: If these threads ain't dead, I'm gonna kill them.
>
>
> ANGEL
> Season Four, Episode 1: "Deep Down"
> Writer: Steven S. DeKnight
> Director: Terrence O'Hara
>
> I had to watch this one one extra time to justify the fact that it's
> always been a Good rather than an Excellent to me. I mean, what's
> wrong with it? Doesn't it have a nicely shot opening that sets the
> stage for the whole year? Doesn't it convey a good mood of
> perseverance in the face of listless depression, and keep surprising
> the viewer with where characters have ended up? Isn't it a great
> Wesley episode, making us realize that, unexpectedly, his eyes are
> more focused on what has to be done then ever? (It also gives us the
> amazing intensity of the Wes/Justine sequences and some killer lines
> like his response to the accusation that he doesn't care.) Isn't it
> uplifting to see Angel on dry land and speechifying in an interesting
> way again? Doesn't DD have no major flaws (at least in this
> reviewer's opinion)? But when I watch it, it's clearly Good. I
> suppose Excellence requires a little something extra, more than merely
> being a very solid episode that lacks many problems. The only thing I
> can add is that a large enough pro****tion of the episode involves
> characters finding out about things that the audience already knows
> that it can't be as exciting as a "Benedicition." Meanwhile, however
> entertainingly it's done, an hour that moves the show back towards the
> status quo is rarely as awe-inspiring as one that shakes up the fabric
> of the series.
> Rating: Good
Perhaps. But it sure towers over any other AtS season opener.
This episode does wrap up loose ends more than it propels forward. Not
that
it stands still. The changed status of Wesley with regards to himself,
Lilah, and Angel promises much. As does Lilah's self-promotion at W&H and
the new edge of father/son conflict between Angel and Connor. I think
it's
made clear that Lorne will be part of this season, which presumably can't
reside in Las Vegas. And, of course, we're reminded of the great Cordy
mystery. But all of this points at doors to be opened without much hint
as
to what's behind them.
Obviously the main loose end to be dealt with happens to have been a
honking
huge S3 season ending cliffhanger. So I find it difficult to criticize to
whatever extent the episode looks back. Especially with so many scenes
delivered with force. I love Lilah seizing the reins at W&H. I can
really
feel her satisfaction at making Gavin clear Linwood's head from the table
-
the essential weakness of both properly revealed. And I like to fell off
my
chair when Wesley unlocked his closet to reveal the bound and gagged
Justine
within. Not to mention electro-shock Fred going at Connor. (Side note -
while I don't think Fred's hair and make-up this episode is her most
attractive look, but it does make her look a little exotic in a magic
witch
kind
of way that I really like.)
You're right that this doesn't stand up to Benediction, but gee, that's an
awfully high standard. It still earns an Excellent to my eyes. And it
delivers a little differently. There's something very solid, determined,
knows where its going, in the best sense of all, quality to this episode
that gets me. The climax of Angel confronting Connor works so well for me
most of all because Boreanaz brings a toughness to his characterization
about as strongly as he gets - especially effective in the context of his
physically weakened state.
One other note about this episode is that it best captures for me the
sense
of Connor as every teen acting out. I really like the way it works here.
Alas, I fear that it also largely uses that up. I don't need to see a
season of it to know what it is.
> Season Four, Episode 2: "Ground State"
> Writer: Mere Smith
> Director: Michael Grossman
>
> The final entrant in the series' big run of Good-to-Excellent
> episodes, and few will accuse it of being on the same level as the
> others. Electro-Gwen has never really worked for me as a character,
> especially given how erratically she drops in and out of the show.
As Mason Barge points out, there's a kind of Justice League of America
quality to introducing a character like that. I didn't know that was what
did in the character, but I certainly understand it. Also, the nature of
Gwen's powers is too high-tech for the sword and guts ways of Angel. If
they needed a new character of this sort, perhaps they should have gone
the
witch/demon route with more mystical powers.
So Gwen was always going to be a hard fit. But recognizing that
limitation,
I loved her character - and especially this episode. A season highlight.
(Most of the season highlights come early this year for me.) She is so
cool
and ***y, and I think it's interesting for her to be unable to touch
people
without killing them. I imagine that would **** up anybody's mind.
> As
> another example of the ever-popular heist show, GS entertains even
> when it doesn't wow.
The heist is fun, mostly pu****ng the right buttons. It's also fast paced.
Not belabored. The wow factor isn't supposed to be the heist though, but
rather the confrontation with Gwen leading to Gunn's tem****ary death and
later to Angel's heartbeat. I don't think the latter was quite as big a
wow
as hoped for, but I did like it - and also thought the two were pretty hot
together. (Making this one of the ***ier AtS episodes when you factor in
Lilah/Wesley as well.) I wouldn't have minded seeing more done with that
pairing. I suppose the writers decided it wouldn't fit well with the
Cordy
story. More so than the extraneous superhero factor, this is where I
think
Gwen's character ultimately falters. They simply failed to follow-through
on the personal connection with Angel now and Gunn later.
On the other hand I suspect the idea had been that Angel and Gwen were
made
for each other because he's the only guy she can touch and she can make
him
feel alive (heartbeat). It wouldn't be impossible to make something out
of
that, but boy is the concept concocted. And nowhere near the natural
romance of a slayer/vampire connection. So maybe it's better they didn't
go
there.
> Also as with so many other Buffyverse entries,
> what helps elevate it above a simple lightweight episode is the way it
> makes time for its characters. Here I'm thinking of the impromptu art
> competition that sets up Fred cracking under pressure later,
I suppose this is foundational for bringing the lost team members back
into
the fold. First Lorne, but mainly Wesley. The way they lean on Fred, and
how much she dislikes the responsibility illustrates pretty well how much
they need Wesley.
> and
> definitely of the "strangely intimate" (Chris's term) discussion
> between Angel and Lilah. Also, of the several Wesley/Lilah *** scenes
> in ATS, the one in this episode is the hottest.
> Rating: Good
I'd rate it a pretty high Good - a tad short of Excellent for lack of
consequence. I doubt I'd care much about AtS if this kind of episode was
the norm, but I don't think I'd be able to tolerate AtS if it weren't
sprinkled with this kind of fun. Gwen will serve that function again
later.
Not quite as well, but more desperately needed.
> Season Four, Episode 3: "The House Always Wins"
> Writer: David Fury
> Director: Marita Grabiak
>
> We went back and forth a little bit about the driving force of every
> individual having a single "destiny" that can be taken away. It's a
> premise that still makes me a little bit angry and consider throwing
> around words like "offensive" that don't really belong in a discussion
> about a fantasy TV show. Because of that, I'm not inclined to come up
> with ways to make the premise fit neatly into a Buffyverse that it
> doesn't seem to belong to at first blush.
I'll settle for calling the premise stupid. Poorly thought out. It's not
anger inspiring. Especially since it's slightly redeemed in that the
world
around Angel is positively obsessed with his destiny, while Angel
struggles
with believing in it - or believing that hell has already been
irredeemingly
established as his destiny. Remember that Angel will ultimately sign away
his destiny in S5 - in an act that he probably doesn't believe in, but all
those watching him put pen to paper most certainly do. This episode is a
light year short of that poetry, but at least it has him resist some of
the
inevitability of things by fighting back even after his destiny has been
taken away. Call it foreshadowing.
That's probably more than the premise is worth, so I'll desist with any
further.
> I do think this is the kind
> of thing that I'd cheerfully ignore if THAW were an engaging episode.
> Instead, it remains one of the tedious few that're almost completely
> devoid of anything that is in any way interesting to me. I suppose it
> helps if one likes shticky musical performances, but even that only
> covers a few minutes,
I don't. This is where I would get angry. It's not tedium. It's abuse.
> and I remain oblivious about what's allegedly so
> amusing about Fred as a Lornette.
She's painfully skinny for a Vegas showgirl. And, well, it's out of
character for Fred.
It just doesn't work very well. I guess because they don't try to do
anything funny with it other than dress her up. <shrug> I'm actually
always
surprised at how inconsequential and under-emphasized the showgirl bit is.
It seems to me that if they're going to go that kind of direction in a
Vegas-centric episode, that they should try to push it further over the
top.
That's true of the whole episode I think. Or maybe they were too
concerned
with getting the Vegas trappings right that they missed the atmosphere and
the fun. Double or Nothing last season got more out of the idea with far,
far less.
> After this episode, I first
> articulated my running idea that no episode featuring Angel being
> possessed or ensorcelled in a way that changes his personality can
> ever be particularly good. (No, smartasses, the original gypsy curse
> that created the character as we know him to begin with doesn't
> count.) I don't hold that as an absolute rule for any other
> character.
> Rating: Bad
I don't hate the episode enough to call it Bad. But it surely is poorly
conceived and executed. So I'll rate it Weak.
> Season Four, Episode 4: "Slouching Toward Bethlehem"
> Writer: Jeffrey Bell
> Director: Skip Schoolnik
>
> "Slouching Toward Bethlehem" (hereafter "Slouching," since "Spin The
> Bottle" seems to "own" the STB acronym) starts off as a story about
> Amnesiac Cordy, full of continuity **** and reminiscing about what she
> means to everyone (as if we haven't heard that five hundred times).
> It's weird and kinda pointless, but at least I'm entertained. Then
> Connor shows up to complicate things, and W&H shows its interest, and
> Wesley tries to play Lilah again, and the whole thing ends up feeling
> like the first step on the road to something bigger. Neat trick,
> that. I admire the cleverness of the construct that more or less
> guarantees that by simple virtue of showing up later, Connor will seem
> more trustworthy to Cordelia than Angel does.
I think it's a little more complicated than that, but all that really
means
is that it's more concocted.
> I'm curious how much
> people's feelings about this episode mirror their feelings about the
> year as a whole. For me, "Slouching" (similar to S4) feels unwieldy
> in places, but damned if it doesn't end up working pretty nicely.
> Rating: Good
I have a fundamental problem with considering the slow release of
information to Cordy about everything that they are as deceitful. It
would
have been no less misleading for Angel to announce that he's a vampire
right
off and put on his game face, for example. There's a lifetime of
foundation
to who Cordelia had become, and it doesn't come clear in an instant no
matter what order it's imparted in. I can understand somebody reacting
poorly to that - as Cordelia does - but I get really annoyed at the
implicit
suggest (seemingly bought into by the characters) that they screwed up and
lied to her.
This is more than unwieldy for me. It feels forced. The start of
slamming
situations into place by gum, and too clever by half.
Much of the episode plays pretty well though - notably Lilah/Wesley as you
point out. That gets it up to a middling Decent for me.
So, how much into Wesley do you suppose Lilah is? These last couple of
episodes are where it really feels like she's falling for him. Even if
she
can't help still being Lilah.
> Additional comments on S4D1: I continue to maintain that the way
> Fred's recklessness in her attack on Connor is entirely in character.
> Lulling him into a sense of security before attacking him with the
> same weapon he used on Angel is very much her style. Especially in
> light of "Supersymmetry." I made that argument last time.
No argument from me. She may generally be timid, but she's not squeamish,
nor resistant to brutal solutions. And her timidity is offset by periodic
spasms of impulsive action. I think they showed all of this back in
Pylea.
One moment I like back then isn't so much action, but does kinda show the
way she is.
Angel: Did I snore?
Fred: Hmm... I don't remember any snoring.
Angel: Good.
Fred: I remember caterwauling...
Fred lets out a short shriek, startling Angel.
Angel: Sorry.
Fred: I don't mind. - Sometimes it just burbles up inside you and you
have
to - bellow a little. Do it all the time.
> Okay, I know ME isn't big with such things, but I spent a little time
> fruitlessly trying to work out the chronology involved in this year.
> Basically, the issue is that "Deep Down" is explicitly established to
> take place about three months after "Tomorrow." So, roughly the same
> time as "Lessons." Now, S7 of BTVS may not last all the way until May
> (the apocalypse comes early this year...), but it clearly takes place
> over a number of months. I can't imagine it not being spring semester
> by the time of "Lies My Parents Tell Me." In the meantime, ATS has a
> lot of "one episode leading right into the next one" stuff; almost
> every show of S4 begins either at the moment the previous one ended or
> the next day. Most of the story takes place over a few weeks. Yet
> the same amount of time theoretically has to have elapsed when the
> shows intersect again at LMPTM/"Orpheus."
I seem to remember that one of the BtVS commentaries speaks a little of
how
they thought of mentioning the covering of the sun in L.A. as background
news, but realized that they'd lost control of time continuity (and air
dates). Personally I think they slipped into an alternate dimension until
they reached out to Faith and briefly reconnected. Possibly dating back
to
the elevator ride in Reprise. By this theory, Connor's miracle rebirth is
really W&H erasing the alternate reality, leaving Connor with his actual
family.
Or maybe not. (No more improbable than the S4 story we see though.)
OBS
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