Season Four, Episode 22: "Home"
Writer: Tim Minear
Director: Tim Minear
One of the problems with familiarity is that by the third or fourth
viewing, the ending doesn't automatically move one to near tears
anymore. Ah, well. I still love the hell out of the moving and
elegant way in which the show wraps up the story of Angel and Connor,
which caught me totally off guard. (At the time I also couldn't
imagine any way in which the series could show Connor again in a way
that wouldn't cheapen "Home" or be a let down, but I was wrong.) I
initially mourned Angel's loss, but all things considered, the way the
year ends is surprisingly uplifting. Of course, the bulk of the price
is yet to come. Basically, after a breathless two seasons or so, ATS
finally comes to a full stop, but it's one that'll shape things to
come. Connor's story is always going to be there underlying Angel's
S5 arc, rarely spoken of out loud but the basis of almost everything
that'll happen. In that respect, "Home" is a forward-looking episode
that I've called the "Restless" of _Angel_.
As we all already know, another reason it's so "forward-looking" is
that it is, in fact, basically a second pilot. To that end, it's not
all full of tension. The leisurely stroll around W&H provides plenty
of entertaining jokes and diversions along the way, about 70% of which
are connected to Stephanie Romanov as Lilah. Although every character
gets their moment in the sun, "Home" differs from the other S4 closer
in that it rarely (basically only Gunn) drifts into cryptic or
dreamlike territory. Another difference is that thought it's
theoretically one that highlights the whole cast - Wes in particular
gets some great individual scenes, for instance - it's hard to dispute
the argument that those who aren't Angel get shortchanged in the depth
of depiction of a life-changing moment. I continue to take "Home"
strictly as an Angel episode, and as such, it's got momentum and kick
even when it drifts, feeling very unified thematically. Among the
several themes it comes back to is a bit of a psychological assessment
of our team, and particularly our hero, as fundamentally compromised.
I'm tempted to go off into a ramble about ATS's endless fight
encompassing the dichotomies within the self (embodied in Angel's
souled-monster nature), but it's a vague enough idea that I'll just
leave it at that. Anyway, if this had ended up being the final
episode of _Angel_, it would've been an ending that fit the show. I
would've said "deserved," except that what the series deserved was for
home to be a "Restless"-like transition from Early ATS to two or three
seasons' worth of Late ATS. I've gotten over it, though. Mostly.
Rating: Excellent
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